King’s related Newsletter of the Family Programme
Autumn 2009
Desert island challenge
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team of four King’s students had a chance to put their learning into practice by building a solar-powered desalination machine on an eco-tourist island in Fiji, where they also provided training to the community on how to improve upon and replicate the design in other villages. The machine uses the sun’s heat to turn salty sea water into fresh water. The team of Engineering students, Dinusha Zbyzsewski, Panagiotis
Polygerinos, Ioannis Vardakis and Medical student Vivek Datta visited the island of Vorovoro in Fiji as part of the 2009 Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) project. The team noted: ‘We were essentially on a desert island, with few tools, and had difficulty sourcing the materials we need which was quite a challenge. Overall, we were delighted to see our hard work pay off.’ KCL SIFE Society won this year’s SIFE UK National Competitions, taking them to the World Cup in October.
Welcome from the Principal I am delighted to introduce this autumn’s edition of King’s related, featuring news from students and staff who have recently taken part in a range of groundbreaking activities. I recommend to you the article on the third page; it highlights a typical day for three of our undergraduates
and gives you an insight into student life at King’s today. My particular welcome goes to the families of our new first year students. I hope you enjoy reading this twice-yearly publication produced to keep you in touch with the College. Do please contact me with your recommendations for the information you would like to see included in future issues. Professor Rick Trainor, Principal and President
College shines in National Student Survey
The results of the 2009 National Student Survey (NSS) measuring student satisfaction levels at UK universities once again reveal that satisfaction levels at King’s are higher than the national average. The NSS gives final year students the chance to comment on a range of aspects of their learning experience including teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, and personal development.
… satisfaction levels at King’s are higher than the national average Commenting on the result, Professor Phil Whitfield, Vice-Principal (Students) said, ‘Particularly gratifying is an emerging picture of improvements in responses to questions about the quality and timeliness of feedback and assessment of student work, given the special emphasis placed on this over the past year.’ King’s also features in the top ten universities in the UK for student satisfaction according to the Times University Guide 2008.
Medical Student Electives Bangladesh near Cox’s Bazar, where child mortality, malnutrition and female literacy rates are far below the satisfactory level. The group helped to set up a health camp in this rural area where the local population has great need for medical aid and assistance. On their first day alone, the students and doctors at the temporary health camp saw around 2,500 patients.
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edical and Dental students at King’s have the opportunity to take part in overseas elective placements during their studies. These electives place our students in hospitals, practices and clinics all across the world. Time spent experiencing other health systems broadens our students’ insight of clinical practice and their understanding of international variations in healthcare needs and provision. In July this year, one group of King’s medical students undertook an international elective in Ramu, a small sub-district of
King’s careers advice directory
Current King’s students will now benefit from a newly launched careers section on the King’s Alumni Online website. The site contains various resources, including a careers advice directory – King’s Connections, as well as details of professional networking events. King’s Connections lists the details of former King’s students in different sectors whom current students can contact with questions about their profession. Users of the directory will be able to gain a special insight into a particular career from a fellow member of the King’s community. To use the service, students must visit the Careers Centre on Level 1 of the Macadam Building (Strand campus), where dedicated careers advisors will assist in navigating the directory. Page 2
Electives place our students in hospitals and practices all across the world
Electives also provide a valuable opportunity for students to focus on a specialist area of Medicine or Dentistry helping to aid students in defining their future career path. Prior to departure, students receive information from their department relating to immunisations, insurance and travel safety. For the safety of students, the College also does not give approval for electives in areas in which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel.
‘Things we take for granted in the UK are only within the grasp of the rich and well-off in Bangladesh. We are utterly drained although I feel a great deal of contentment’ said Shahib Ali, a fourth year Medical student, ‘It was fun and enjoyable, a different way of practising medicine than we are used to.’
A new test for Alzheimer’s
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ing’s College London is leading pioneering medical research to create a new blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 416,000 people in the UK. This distressing disease causes progressive loss of short term memory, but there are also other less known symptoms including mood swings, delusions and hallucinations. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s and the only treatments
available to patients have limited effects. As the population ages, the number of Alzheimer’s sufferers is likely to increase, so there is a real need for improved tests and treatments to help fight the disease. Scientists at King’s Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) are developing the first blood test for Alzheimer’s. This test will help doctors to diagnose the disease at the earliest possible moment as well as track its progress. Ultimately, this ground breaking work could pave the way for new and desperately needed treatments for Alzheimer’s sufferers.
A day in the life… W
hat’s it like to study at King’s? Here three current students dispel any lingering myths that a student’s typical lifestyle revolves around the Union bar – with a peek at their journals revealing that in fact it is our libraries which play a central role.
cond year Louisa Owen, se ent Literature stud s doesn’t gh the first clas 8am Even thou get ve t 12pm, I ha to start until abou inar m se e for today’s up and prepar discussions. all the anaged to take Boh Sofela 9am Since I m rary th use from e lib (centre) oks I wanted to bo ading re y m do Boh Sofela, third ye n afford to ca I y, da ar er st ye d check a Medical student of my room an rt fo m co e th in library’s urnals from the jo 7am Certainly no ic on tr ec el w t a great time to lea fe ve my warm and com on-line service. fortable bed but my way classes start at 9a grab a coffee on 11am I quickly m so I have to get of the s as cl up! r the first 9am We usually start with a light out and head fo introduction to the day. day, followed by on ts – I’m e s of the day star or two lectures. 12pm First clas erature – lit of ld the wor by 11am Time for a ed at in sc fa morning break – I’m so much! ds can mean so usually starving by how a few wor then! I have a quick iend, fr a ith ick lunch w cup of tea, pop int 2pm After a qu told o the library to ch I’m re he w eck some emails or ca next class, e th to off I’m tch up with a frien I know I’ll d. due; and then 12pm There is an other 2-3 hours of I have an essay for a Maughan library intense tutorials af be living at the ter which we get another break for while. a well-deserved lun to start ch. 2pm Our lab prac e library, I have 4pm Off to th tical officially begin y. s r that essa and today we have researching fo a dissection session catch up with a friend to – my favourite! Ther up t ee m I m 6p e are 12 of us per ing home. ip before head cadaver and we ha ss go e m so on ve a trainee surgeo g tonight, n do some readin per group guiding to ve ha I m 7p us. ing when t really surpris 4pm Next stop – but then, it’s no the library. I have jus literature. t you are studying realised I have not finished researching Casey Thom a rare medical cond as, fourth ye ition I encountered ar P hysics stude on one of my GP surg nt ery visits last week . 8am Classes I wouldn’t dare mee generally star t my GP [teacher] t at around 10am so I’m without that inform us ually up and ation on my next preparing by now. I quickly surgery visit, which scan my bag is …tomorrow! to make sure I have the righ 6pm Time to go home. t notes for th e day and head off. 8pm I might go fo r quick drink with a 10am We ha friend – A nice bit ve a couple of relaxation after of lectures un an about 2pm w intensive day! til hen we break for lunch. 2pm Today lunch is with a friend from the Physics S ociety to dis cuss the next semester’s ac tivities. Casey Thomas 3pm I head to the library for a few ho to do some urs research. I te nd to access some of the key texts onl ine if they ar available. If I e can’t find the book I want, the library ca n order it fro m the British Library for m e free of char ge which is good but can take time. 6pm Time to go home. 8pm I don’t do much wo rk in the even so I have tim ings e to work on the Physics Society proje ct – which I to tally enjoy. After which I have to rest so I can do it all again tom orrow!
…next stop, the Library We realise the vital importance of ensuring students like Boh, Casey and Louisa have access to a fully stocked library with ample resources, if they are to realise their academic potential. That’s why we are continually growing and developing library stocks – adding approximately 15,000 new books every year to the existing holding of more than 1 million, as well as thousands of printed journals. In addition, we have invested in the development of sophisticated electronic resources, with our range of e-journals and e-books ensuring ever wider access to the most up-to-date knowledge. Popular books tend to have a shelf-life of only one to three years, with many modern text books requiring yearly replacements with new editions. Did you know? Our libraries’ most heavily-used core texts are loaned 30-40 times in any one year.
The Buy-a-Book Fund The Buy-a-Book Fund exists to further support the efforts of our fantastic libraries’ stock. In the past year, former students and parents of current students have already donated nearly £6,000 to the Buy-aBook Fund appeal, enabling this vital replenishment work, as well as more new acquisitions and e-resource development, to continue. ‘We really value the support we get from the Buy-a-Book Fund. Although our library’s collections are great, we always want to ensure we broaden and enrich our holdings.’ Jeff O'Regan, Librarian at King’s. Your gift today toward the Buy-a-Book Fund will help to enrich the educational experience for current King’s students and for many generations to come. For further information, please email giving@kcl.ac.uk or call 020 7848 4701.
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In good company Amongst our alumni are well-known faces and voices in the media in the role of journalists, broadcasters and writers, including:
Initiatives to support students – The Compass
Bernice Cohen, Dentistry, 1957, writer and
financial journalist. One of the country’s leading personal finance experts, her books include; The Armchair Investor, The Money Maze, and Financial Freedom. Cohen is a regular contributor on radio and television programmes and lectures on personal finance. Barry Davies, Royal Dental Hospital, c1963, sports commentator. Although best-known for his football commentary, Davies has also put his talents to numerous sports including ice skating, tennis, gymnastics, hockey and athletics, primarily in the BBC’s Olympics coverage. He was also the ‘Voice of the Boat Race’ between 1993 and 2004. Geoff Watts, Zoology, 1966, writer, broadcaster
and presenter. Watts began his career at the magazine World Medicine before turning to broadcasting, first on Radio 4's Science Now, then as sole presenter of the prize-winning Medicine Now, which ran for 17 years. He currently presents the Radio 4 science programme Leading Edge. Anne Sebba, History, 1972,
biographer, lecturer, journalist. Sebba was the consultant for the Channel 4 film, Lady Randy: Churchill’s Mother, based on her biography, Jennie Churchill: Winston’s American Mother. Sebba is a multiple contributor to the New Dictionary of National Biography and to the Dictionary of 19th Century Journalists. Jonathan Maitland, Law, 1983, television presenter and consumer journalist. Maitland has presented various shows including BBC's Watchdog and ITV's Package Holidays Undercover. Martin Bashir, Religious History, 1985, journalist, broadcaster
and correspondent. He is best known for his candid interviews with Princess Diana and the late Michael Jackson. Bashir is a correspondent on ABC’s 20/20 news programme and one of the anchors on the prestigious US news show, Nightline. Page 4
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ometimes students want help with problems, such as accommodation or finance issues, and don’t know where to begin to find answers, or just want a quiet place to study with comfortable sofas and WiFi access. The Compass exists to do
just this by providing advice and answers to general enquiries as well as facilitating access to specialist support services. Based in the Macadam Building on the Strand Campus, this new support service makes a variety of services available all in one place and is accessible at keys times when students need support. The Compass offers ‘drop-in’ sessions from the Welfare team and the Student Advice Service where students can call in and speak to an advisor without making an appointment. Students can also access 24 hour student support via the online service Compass Online. For more information about The Compass, visit www.kcl.ac.uk/compass
War Studies students see policy in action
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ive War Studies MA students – Kristen Aanstoos, Ian Daniels, Matthew Harries, Carl Miller and Andrew Somerville – have returned from a two-day workshop at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The IAEA is a United Nations special agency that works with member states and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The students are all carrying out 12-month internships at the International Centre for Security Analysis (ICSA), a research centre within the Department of War Studies. They carried out research
in support of the IAEA’s Department of Safeguards, which is responsible for providing credible assurance to the international community that nuclear material and other specified items are not diverted from peaceful nuclear uses. ‘Having studied international relations at King’s for a year, it was fantastic to see policy in action and to meet people working at the sharp end of nuclear non-proliferation issues,’ said Kristen Aanstoos. This unique opportunity was made possible due to funding from donations made to the Principal’s Discretionary Fund; a fund which provides support where the need is greatest.
King’s student goes all the way to University Games
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eld every two years, the University Games are the third largest multisport event in the world; after the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. This year they were held in Serbia with 7,000 athletes from 130 nations competing in fifteen different sports. King’s student Matthew Townley represented College and country in football. He was delighted to have received the call up. ‘It’s pretty much the highest level you can play as a student and a great honour to be able to represent Great Britain.’ ‘We were well aware of the challenge. We faced Mexico, Ghana and host Serbia, all strong teams, but were still looking for a top
eight finish. After a string of solid results and a little bit of luck we were ecstatic to finish in fourth spot.’ Townley put this impressive result down to the team’s attitude. ‘Our style of play; a high work rate and never say die attitude, won us a lot of fans around the village and they simply referred to us as ‘The Warriors’.’
Contact details Joyce Mahaja, Development & Alumni Office, King’s College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8WA Tel +44(0)20 7848 4701, Email family@kcl.ac.uk