King's College London newsletter
STUDENT RECRUITMENT - NEW MARKET RESEARCH FOR KING'S Last year the External Relations Department commissioned Penny Mesure, an expenenced market research consuuant, to study the characteristus and attUudes of the appbcants for undergraduate courses who accepted and rejected places at King's thIS year. Here Ms Mesure describes her findmgs and indicates their relevance for the College's recruitment policy. Again t a background of increasing competition for students, particularly in physical sciences, King's is working on an effective recruitment strategy for the future, and market research has been conducted to aid development of this strategy. The main focus of the research was a quantitative survey among applicants who had accepted or rejected places at King's during the 1990/91 academic year. Although 'rejecters' are of most obvious interest in the context of the survey, the 'accepters' provided valuable insight into the reasons why people do accept places at King'S. Cost considerations dictated the use of the often-maligned self-completion method for data collection. However, response rates in both cases were very high, yielding samples which matched their respective universes very closely. The survey results contained some surprises, including the crucial influence which parents have over the application decision. Previous research has shown this influence to be hotly denied, a year on, by freshers. However, when the decision is made, parental views are admitted to be more important than those of subject teachers, careers advisers or friends.
At the application stage, university choice is typically dictated by academic reputation, course content, entrance requirements and location. Acceptance of an offer will additionally be motivated by the 'friendly atmosphere' experienced via visits to the campus. The research found no obvious reason why physical scientists are more likely than other applicants to reject places at King'S. However, a significantly higher proportion of them seem to do o. What we can say is that scientists who accept places at King's tend to be firmly committed to London itself. The 'London factor' certainly exists. King's benefits from association with high academic reputation, good career prospects and the general 'buzz' of life in the capital.
However, London is also associated with accommodation and travel difficulties and with expense. The University of London as a whole receives most of its application from people living within easy reach. King's is not unique in this respect. In terms of current recruitment activity, the survey showed the General Prospectus to be vital. In addition, interviews, open days and other campus visits all provide opportunities for applicants to experience the all-important 'friendly atmosphere' which i such a strong feature of King'S. Copies of the research summary and conclusions have been widely circulated; the full report, together with tabulated data, can be borrowed from the Schools and Colleges Liaison Office in Cornwall House Annexe, ext 3003.
The College's third Presentation Celebration was held on 30 September. Here one of the 1,000 King's graduates who attended is congratulated by Sir James Spoon er, Chairman of Council Full C07Jerage of the day is given in the four page supplement enclosed, and staff may order their own prints of these and other photographs taken. The full contact sheet of photographs can be seen in the Press and Publications Office at Cornwall House, and order forms are available from Pat Gray in this office.
STAFF NEWS
Dr Michael Bazin of the Division of Biosphere Sciences has become Professor of Microbiology.
Over the summer there have been various personnel changes, which are listed below.
Dr Richard aftalin of the Division of Biomedical Sciences has become Professor of Epithelial Physiology.
Vice-Principal Professor Arthur Lucas, Head of the School of Education, has been appointed VicePrincipal (Academic Planning).
Dr Reinhard Strohm of the Department of Music has become Professor of Historical Musicology.
Head of School Professor Roy Pike (of Physics) succeeds Professor Stanley Earles as Head of the School of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Professor Robert Hill (also of Physics) is the new Deputy Head of School. Heads of Departmen t There are two changes: Professor Alan Rogers is now Head of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (taking over from Professor Ted Deeley); and Professor Stanley Earles is Head of Mechanical Engineering (taking over from Professor Michael Tindal).
Or Anthony Warnes of the Department of Geography has become Professor of Geography. Or John White of the Department of German has become Professor of German and Comparative Literature. Appointment to Reader Or Gary Martin was appointed Reader in Pharmaceutics on 1 June. He joined King's from Brighton Polytechnic where he was a senior lecturer. Promotion to Reader From 1 October the following have had the title of Reader conferred upon them.
ew Appointments and Promotions Appointment to Chairs Professor Peter McNaughton is the new Halliburton Professor of Physiology and takes over as Head of the Department of Physiology. He joined the College at the beginning of September from Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was Director of Studies in Medicine.
FAREWELLS
Or Alan Coil ins is Reader in Experimental Physics Dr Michael Dockrill is Reader in War Studies Dr Charles Hall is Reader in Physical Organic Chemistry
Alan Fisher, Deputy Bought Ledger Supervisor, at his leaving presentation in September. He had been at King's for 9 years. Dear Friends and Colleagues, I wish to record my grateful thanks for the great 'send ofF given to me on my retirement, and also for the munificent gifts which I received, which were unexpected and overwhelming. My wife also wishes to thank you for the magnificent bouquet of flowers presented to her. I have enjoyed every minute ofmy time at King's, due to the marvellous people whom I worked and associated with, and I wish them every happiness and success in the years to come. Sincerely,
Dr Thomas Sanders is Reader in Nutrition Professor Jeremy Pearson has been appointed to the Chair of Vascular Biology, effective from 1 October. He joins the College from the Medical Research Council. Professor Michael Silk of the Department of Classics has been appointed to the Chair of Greek Language and Literature, effective from 1 October. Professor John Thomes has been appointed to the Chair of Geography and will be Head of the Department of Geography from 1 January 1992. He joins King's from the University of Bristol. Promotion to Professor From 1 October the following have had personal professorships conferred upon them:
Alan Fisher Or Michael Yianneskis is Reader in Fluid Mechanics. Academic Staff Developmen t Coordinator Or Michael L1ewellyn, Division of Biosphere Sciences and Director of the Rogate Study Centre, has suceeded Dr Robert Poller (of Chemistry) in the above post. Honorary Degree The University of Surrey has conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of the University (DUniv) on Professor Paul Black, Centre for Educational Studies, on the nomination of the Roehampton Institute. The degree was conferred at a degree ceremony on 19 July 1991.
Assistant Finance Officer Mike Harris at his leaving presentation on 26 September. Mike had been employed at King's since 1957.
Dr e7Jille Marsh, Alumnus Relations 0f[u:er, and his wife Alison at che leaving PresenCal.lOn In che Committee Room.
Obituary Professor Sir Jarnes Fa weett Professor Sir James Fawcett, former Professor of International Law (1976-8 , Emeritus 1980-91) at King's College London, died on 24 June 1991. Sir James was most widely known for his notable contribution to the field of human rights, serving as a member of the European Commission for Human Rights for 22 years and as its President for nine years from 1972. He was Chairman of the British Institute of Human Rights from 1977 to 1981 and President of the Immigrants Advisory Service from 1985. He was knighted in 1984.
NEVILLE MARSH LEAVES FOR AUSTRALIA Dr eville Marsh, formerly of the Departmentof Physiology at King's, and for the last three years in charge of the College's Alumnus Office, has left King's to take up a post at the University of Brisbane. At a farewell presentation to him on 25 September, Vice-Principal John Muir paid tribute to Or Marsh's building up of King's Alumnus operation into one of the most active and comprehensive in the country. Dr Marsh chose as his farewell gift some of the Dartington crystal that he had himself commissioned for the College.
WOLF MENDL RETIRES Wolf Mendl, Reader in War Studies, will be retiring from the College at the end of this Session, after 29 years at King's as both staff and student. He joined the College to do research with Michael Howard as his supervisor, was appointed Lecturer in the newlyformed Department of War Studies in 1965, and became Reader in 1971. Between 1977 and 1981 he was Head of Department. On 8 July a reception attended by many past and present friends and colleagues was held in his honour. One of the gifts he received was a Times World Atlas. It is, he says, not his intention to be merely an armchair traveller! (From Left to right) Professor Sir Michael Howard, Dr Wolf Mendl, Professor Lawrence Freedman at the Reception for Dr Mend!.
Dictionary of Neo-Platonic terms Or Lucas Siorvanes has been appointed the Director of the Dictionary of Nee-Platonic terms, which is funded by a British Academy Major Research Grant, and by the Royal Society. Neo-Platonism is the dominant philosophy of Late Antiquity and early Byzantium. It is also an invaluable repository of Classical Greek thought, and Christian (Augustine) and Islamic (AlFarabi) philosophers and theologians drew on it. Influential beyond philosophy and science, Neo-Platorusm saturates the poetry of the British Romantics including Blake and Shelley. Dr Lucas Siorvanes will be teaching a class on The Neo-Platonists and Christians on Thursdays at 3pm. For further information contact him in the Department of Philosophy, ext 2231.
Simon O'Dwyer Russell Prize Simon O'Dwyer Russell, an MA graduate of the War Studies Department, died in 1990 at the age of 29. Through the generosity of his friends, colleagues and his employers, the Sunday Telegraph, a prize has been endowed in his name. On the evening of 17 July, several members of the War Studies Department travelled downriver to the Daily Telegraph building to attend a reception at which a cheque was formally handed over. There will be prizes for both undergraduate and MA students, and it is hoped that the first award will be made this autumn.
Research at King's Professor A rthur Lucas, Head of the School of Education, was appointed a VicePrincipal of the College in July. He has special responsibility for academic planning and is Chairman of the Research Strategy Committee. Here he reviews the issues currently facing King's with regard to research, against the background ofgeneral developments in this area ofhigher education.
Funding of time for individual research by members of staff by government grant is about to disappear as the binary line is removed, with separate and distinct funding for research and teaching in both sectors of higher education expected soon. The last two UFC 'Research Selectivity Exercises' were the gentle beginnings of selectively distributed research funding, and the research ratings of departments were apparently used by the UFC in allocating research postgraduates in the distribution of student numbers and funds last March.
Achieving recognised research excellence is, therefore, a critically important component of the process of academic planning in which the College is currently engaged. We must, rapidly, create a College that has no departments with below average research ratings, and we should be aiming to achieve ratings of four and five for all areas as soon as possible.
Achieving that aim will require investment in some areas, to stabilise already high ratings or to increase the relative standing of others. The majority of that investment will have to come from savings in recurrent expenditure as the College moves itself from projected deficit to financial balance.
The Research Strategy Committee has a part to play. By 1990, under the Chairmanship of Professor Ron Burge, it had added an executive function to its role of reporting on research policy issues: it uses its budget to selectively support projects that cannot be funded by individual departments. It favours projects that will enhance the chances of outside funding, especially from
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the Research Councils and the British Academy, because such grants carry a great deal of weight in the UFC's research ratings. There have been improvements in the average Research Council grants per academic staff member, but Education, Creative ArtS and Language-based Studies are the only 'cost-centres' above the national average on this criterion. (With respect to total research income per academic staff member, the following additional cost centres were above the UK average in 1989/90: CLinical Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Other Biological Sciences, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Geography, Law, Other Social Studies and Humanities.)
The presence of the College Research Strategy Committee has stimulated the creation of strong School Research Committees, and it will soon be necessary to re-examine the role of the Research Strategy Committee, to take into account the work of the School's committees. In the coming round of funding applications to the Research Strategy Committee, Schools will selectively submit bids to the Central Committee.
The. Research Strategy Committee must decide what mechanisms are needed as we prepare to meet the challenges to funding for research after the binary line has gone. We will need to prepare the College's responses to government research funding proposals. We will have to advise the College on the difficult problems that will arise if some Departments receive greatly reduced funding for research: should research funds achieved by others be topsliced to fund competitive bids that could give low-rated deplrtments a chance to improve their ratings? How far can the College interfere in the operation of what Merton in 1968 called the 'Matthew Effect' in research reputation (Matthew XXV:29)?
Views of members of the College are sought on these and any other research policy issue. Contact your School Research Committee, or Professor Arthur Lucas in the School of Education.
RAM-KCL New Course King's is once again at the forefront of academic development with its new degree in Performance Studies. At the beginning of this session 70 talented new musicians embarked on a course that is unique in higher musical education. The Bachelor of Music degree in Performance Studies, run jointly with the Royal Academy of Music, will for the first time ever enable talented young musicians to integrate high-level training as performers with an academic study of musIc. The newly established Centre for Advanced Musical Performance Studies aims to bridge the gap between the conservatoire experience and a university-based study of music. Gifted youngsters will no longer have to choose between the two quite distinct approaches, which have been characteristic of music education in the UK until now. The course runs over four years, leading to a BMus degree of the University of London. The programme of work will be individually tailored to the abilities and aspiration of each student and all the studies - from early music to jazz - will be specially related to the needs of performers. The joining together of the two colleges provides students with the best of both worlds - the practice and performing facilities of the RAM combined with the ability to study other Humanities subjects at King's, access to the Library and advanced courses in the Music Department, plus the full range of student services accommodation, welfare, careers and medical care. The course director is ]onathan FreemanAttwood of the Royal Academy, and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies is Professor Arnold Whittall of King's. To celebrate the establishment of the course and the Centre for Advanced Performance Studies a concert will be held in the Great Hall on Friday 29 November at 7.30 pm. The Royal Academy of Music Sinfonia will play a programme of music by Rossini, Nielsen and Beethoven.
TRAINING COLUMN
MAC SYfCem - Banes 4. for tho e with little or no experience of the AC. 7 ovember 9.3 - 16.3
copyright restrictions) to individual members of a College. At King's we have agreements for:
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ta interest in training has come a long way in the past two years, and the demand or the ull range of courses from all cate orie 0 staff is overv.·helming Because 0 this high demand and limited bud ets we have had to establish priorities. DOl release, safety and first aid courses, legal obligations and induction training will receive the highest priority. The rest of the programme will concentrate on reinforcing an important theme in the College, 'the delivery of a quality service'. A series of modules which integrate Coping wllh 5£ress at work, Time management, and AsseTllveness skills have been planned, and are offered to all staff. Coping wllh 5£ress at work 19 ovember, Chelsea AsseTllveness skills 10 December, Kensington Time management early December Details of course will be sent to those departments that identified specific training needs in the summer survey. A joint Supervisory Skills course has been organised with Imperial College from 21-29 ovember and 5-6 December. The cost will be £20 per successful applicant. Computing Courses 1BM System basics 5.0 for those with little or no experience of Word. 25 October 9.30 - 16.30 1BM System, Special Topics 5.0, for those who have mastered the basics and want to learn more complex tasks, eg mail merge, tabs and tables, style sheets and other tips and trick to get the most out of your WP. 1 ovember 9.30 - 16.30 15 ovember 9.30 - 16.30 MAC System, Experienced Beginners 4.0, an overview of basic Word facilities followed by more complex tasks eg mail merge, tables and columns, outlines and formatting styles. 24 October 9.30 - 16.30
Health and Safety Courses The following half day courses will take place this term:
Stati tical packages: initab (PC and £55 including manual)
Departmental Safety OffICers' Meeting 23 October
A graph ploner: CricketGraph (PC and ac £35 including manual)
Working with radioactive substances, 30 October
Bibliography software: Papyrus (pC £25 including manual)
Testing elearical equipment 11 ovember
Programming languages: Fortran (PC £40 including manual), Pascal (PC £25 including manual)
The main cycle of safety courses will begin in January 1992, which will cover safety in offices and labs, and a general Introduction £0 Safety. Training Office Library Our library books, ca settes, video and computer-based learning disks have proved to be very popular. The subjects range from 'How to deal with difficult people' to 'Understanding Databases' and are all presented in a straightforward style. We welcome enquiries about these facilities and are aiming to increase our resources (EXCEL and WORD PERFECT 5.1 have just been ordered). Ken Bromfield
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COMPUTING CENTRE NEWS
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A terminal emulator: EmuTek (PC £5, manual £6) Database, concordance, mathematical and management programs (Ingres, MicroOCP, AG Workstation, Project Manager Workbench) are also available at prices to be arranged. Details of licences held by KCL are advertised, mainly in the Computing Centre ewsletter, throughout the year. Further information may be obtained from Jean Davey at Kensington (tel ext 4260, e-mail j.davey@hazel). CHEST also publishes a Directory listing some 800 products which are available at special education discounts. Copies of the Directory are sent to all departments and are available in Computing Centre Advisory Offices at the Strand and Kensington.
Take Note! The Computing Centre is now able to offer substantial discounts on a range of software for educational use on PC (and compatible) and Macintosh microcomputers.
The low prices are mainly due to site licences arranged by CHEST (the Combined Higher Education Software Team). CHEST provides information about computer software and negotiates special prices, often in the form of Site Licences, enabling copies of microcomputer programs to be sold (with standard
Since the Starting the Session Comment was published the opening hours of the following terminal rooms have been changed: 4A (Chesham) Always open 12B (Chesham) 9.00 - 20.00 9.00 - 20.30 22DA (Main) 9.00 - 20.30 22DB (Main) 9.00 - 20.45 24AA/AF (Main) 9.00 - 20.45 Reception 23A (Main)
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NUFFIELD COUNCIL OF BIOETHICS Professor Ian Kennedy, Executive Director of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics at King's College has been appointed as one of 14 members of the newly created uffield Council of Bioethics. The Counci~ which is to be Chaired by Sir Patrick airne, was established in response to recent developments in biological and medical science which present ethical issues of great potential difficulty and increasing importance. The terms of reference of the Council are: 1. To identify and define ethical questions raised by recent advances in biological and
medical research in order to respond to, and to anticipate, public concern. 2. To make arrangements for examining and reporting on such questions with a view to
promoting public understanding and discussion; this may lead, where needed, to the formulation of new guidelines by the appropriate regulatory or other body. 3. In the light of the outcome of its work, to publish reports and to make representations, as
the Council may judge appropriate. Other members include Professor Sir David Weatherall, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford; Dame Margaret Turner- Warwick, President of the Royal College of Physicians; Professor Onora O' eil~ Principal-elect of ewnham College, Cambridge; Sir David Williams, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University and Professor Gordon Dunstan, Emeritus Professor of Moral and Social Theology at King's and a founder Director and current member of the Board of Advisers of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics. Professor Kennedy's appointment, together with that of Professor Dunstan, will keep the ~entre of Medical Law and Ethics at the leading edge of discussion surrounding bioethical Issues.
Anglo-Portuguese Society The Anglo-Portuguese Society Prize for the best undergraduate student in Portuguese Studies was awarded to Rupert Maitland, a Single Honours BA Portuguese and Brazilian Studies finalist this year. Rupert received a cheque for £200 from Mr Donald Cape, the Chairman of the AngloPortuguese Society, at a presentation ceremony in the Committee Room at King's College on Wednesday 19 June.. The Anglo-Portuguese Society, based in Canning House, was founded in 1938 with the aim of fostering the historic relationship between Britain and Portugal. The Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies is honoured to have been chosen to receive the first annual prize in recognition of the contribution King's has made to the teaching of Portuguese in this country. The prize will be awarded in rotation to universities in the UK where Portuguese is taught, with the aim of encouraging the
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Rupert Maitland receives his prize from Donald Cape, Chairman of the AngloPortuguese Society teaching of the language, history, literature and culture of Portugal, especially now it has become a fully-fledged member of the EC, and Portuguese an official language of the European Community.
PI MRC 91 Symposium Dinner
PIMRC? If you visited the Strand Campus from 23 to 25 September, a plethora of posters and
direction signs could well have made you ask 'what on earth is a PIMRC?' The answer is that it is an acronym standing for Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications. PIMRC 91 was a symposium around these subjects hosted by the Electronic and Electrical Engineers and sponsored by the Institute of-Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), in association with the Institution of Electrical Engineers (lEE). The symposium was chaired by Tom Robottom, Director of BT-Laboratories and opened by our Principal Dr J D Beynon. The symposium concentrated mainly on the technical future of personal communications but also covered the commercial consequences of these advances. Monday was devoted to tutorials and on Tuesday and Wednesday over 60 papers were presented in three parallel sessions. The presenters represented companies and colleges from 19 countries and some 200 delegates attended the event from around the world. Special thanks are due to the many people who helped make PIMRC such a huge success, particularly the students and staff of the Electronics Department who made it all possible and to: Joe May and the porters, Bob Redmond and Erica Brooks in Central Services; Richard Longhurst in the Vacation Bureau; ick Bugg and all AVSU; Roy Mason and his lads in Reprographics and of course Denis Alien and all his team for timely refreshment and a banquet that was truly impressive. In 1992 PIMRC moves to Boston Massachusetts (12-14 October). Glyn J H Baker Communications Research Group
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LIBRARY NEWS Library Security Many people et off the library security system in error. fortunately few do so in a serious attempt to steal library books. Although always unpleasant, it seems worth recording that in recent weeks a student tore an article from the current issue of a periodical and was trapped by the system while trying to remove it from the Library. The penalties for this are severe and the library has no hesitation in imposing them. Such mutilation of current journals is not a new problem, but in the end it is the other library users who suffer, rather than the library itself, and it is for this reason that we will continue to impose sanctions in the fullest measure on those who are caught. Library Staff Changes Following the departure of Dr Ann Knock to South Africa, a number of changes have taken place in the senior management of the Library. Peter Walsh has become Sub-Librarian with responsibility for the Life Sciences. He will have charge of the Kensington, Chelsea and Biophysics branch Libraries, including responsibilty for the store at Manresa Road and the stock disposal programme. Pete Sudell becomes Sub-Librarian in charge of Technical Services, bringing together Book Acquisitions, Serials, Cataloguing and the Library Systems Office. Vivien Fletcher becomes Sub-Librarian in charge of Reader Services, with responsibility for all reading rooms and public services to readers. Other duties performed by Dr Knock have been taken over by either the Librarian or Deputy Librarian Closure of the French Library The French Library in rooms 1, 10 and 17 South West Block will not reopen in October 1991. The bookstock has been transferred to a new area of the Old Library, where it is now available on E floor. The periodicals have moved over to the Strand Building Library, where they are now part of the Languages Periodicals. It was hoped that the 'new' library area for French would be available at the beginnning of session, but essential building repairs have forced us to postpone the opening of this area until 14 October. Once open, the stock will be available for many more hours than before, and in what we hope will be an improved layout. All returns and renewals of French books should now be carried out at the Old Library. If you have any other queries about the move of the French materia~ please contact Ann Leas, ext S2186..
NEW SHOPPING MALL FOR STUDENTS The first floor of the Macadam Building has been transformed over the summer and now houses the' King's Mall' providing the College's students with many useful services. The Union Shop has been doubled in size and now has two tills to reduce queuing. A new feature is an incorporated 'Computer Shop', where trained staff can advise on and supply most students' hardware and software needs. Also in the Mall are a reception area for enquiries about student clubs and societies; Endsleigh Insurance; STA Travel shop; Barclays Bank and cashpoint; the Welfare Office and Information Centre run by the Union; telephones; a photo booth; an amusement arcade, and vending machines for coffee and soft drinks.
Sea Shells, Insect Husks and Sliced Ginger: East meets West in Pharmacognosy at Chelsea The Chelsea Department of Pharmacy, King's College, already boasts one of the finest collections of crude drugs in this country. Over 5,000 specimens are stored in a collection built up over the years and its richness is largely due to the work of Mr DC Harrod, a former curator and longserving member of staff.
The collection has recently been augmented by 250 samples of Chinese herbal drugs. These are the generous gift of East-West Herbs, a company based in Oxfordshire, who import Chinese herbal medicines. The pharmacognosy section of the Pharmacy Department intend to use the collection as a reference base for enquiries concerning the identity of Chinese herbal medicines.
The collection includes many drugs derived from plants but also materials such as sea shells and the discarded exoskeletons of cicadas - items not usually found in Western pharmacies!
Chinese herbal medicine often uses complex mixtures of up to a dozen 'herbs'. These are dispensed as cut or whole crude drugs and so identification is not too difficult if reference materials are available. The mixture is commonly used to make an infusion which is then drunk regularly.
Enquiries into the drugs present in such prescriptions have increased in recent months as more people are using such preparations. This has meant that hospital pharmacists and physicians have become concerned about possible drug interactions in patients who have been taking such mixtures.
Drs Amala Ramam and Peter Houghton hope that the new collection will enable them to deal more effectively with such enqulnes. Dr PJ Houghton Chelsea Departmen t of Pharmacy :::
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SE RC Funding
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RESEARCH NEWS New awards from Agriculture and Food Research Council The Agricultural and Food Research Council ( FRC), like other Research Councils, is operating under considerable financial constraint at present. Despite this the Food Structure Group, a newly-formed resource group within the Biomolecular Sciences Division, has had considerable uccess recently in attracting research funding from AFRC.
In the latest round of awards announced in August, Professor David Schofield has been awarded a grant of £77,5 for a two-year study of the molecular species in wheat flour respon ible for gas retention in bread doughs. Variation in gas retention has an important influence on bread quality. Re earch i already in progress on another AFRC sponsored project awarded to Profe sor Schofield last year, valued at £177,000 over a three-year period. That award is for research on the molecular mechanisms controlling flour milling quality variation in wheat.
The new award from AFRC includes funding for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate, as well as for some equipment and consumable costs. It will allow further expansion of the research effort in the Food Structure Group.
Total external funding obtained by the Food Structure Group over the last two years comfortably exceeds £400,000. This includes part sponsorship by Dairy Crest Ingredients (£100,000) of the new Chair of Food Rheology (Professor Simon RossMurphy). The Group is soon to move into refurbished laboratory accommodation in the Atkins Building, Kensington. We are continuing actively to seek further research funding to build upon our recent successes and to ensure the establishment of a 'centre of excellence' in food biomolecular science.
Dr Yianneskis and Dr 1 J Tindal have been awarded a research grant of £45,532 by SERC to investigate flows in internal combustion en ine manifolds. The wor is a continuation of another SERC-funded re earcb programme which was completed last August and involves collaboration with Dr A P atkins of 1ST, Ford otor Company Loo and Perkins Technology. to Additional industrial funding of £1, extend the work has already been agreed.
£1/2 million from SERC Following on from the success of the Communications Research Group, the two other research groups in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering have just been awarded a further £321,000 between them. In total these grants place the SERC funding for the Department this year in excess of £614,0 0: a major achievement in these difficult times, and surely evidence of the strong and growing reputation of the Department's research.
The Central Research Fund has been in tituted for the purpose of making grants to member of the University (other than present undergraduate students and those registered for a taught Masters degree) engaged on specific projects of research, to assist with the provision of special materials, apparatus and travel costs. Applications are considered each term and the next closing date for applications is 7 December 1991. Forms of application and further particulars may be obtained from the Central Research Fund Section, Senate House, Room 2 la, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU. TeI: 071-636 8000 ext 3147.
Awards made by the Central Research Fund Committee Summer Term 1991 E Arweck (Centre for Religious Movements): £600 towards a study of the media and new religious movements in Western Europe. SA Coomber (Plant Molecular Biology): £1,500 towards a study of the molecular basis of root development in Arabidopsis lhaliana. DH Davies (Immunology): £1,000 towards a study of cell mediated immunity to viral neoplasia.
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urphy (Immunology): £1,5 towards a study of signal transduction and early reponse gene expression in B Iyrnphocyte actlvatlon. AA Rezazadeh (Electronic and Electrical Engineering): £4, towards a study of low ohmic contact to gallium aresenide semiconductor for device applications.
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Ridden (Postgraduate Student, KCL): £5 towards a study of Richard Bourke and early liberal ideas in England, Ireland and Australia, 18205 - 195 s. FR Trombey (Classics): £700 towards study of Greek cities of the Byzantine 'Dark Age' 580 -850 AD SA Velastin (Electronic and Electrical Engineering): £2,5 towards a study of real-time sensor integration for industrial robots using the blackboard model.
MRC Training Awards in Aids Epidemiology The Medical Research Council is currently supporting a broad programme of research in the field of AIDS epidemiology, chaired by Professor E Day (MRC Biostatics Unit, Cambridge). For further information please contact Dr DWG Cox or Dr REM Ward at the AIDS Secretariat, MRC Head Office, 20 Park Crescent, London Wl 4AL (Fax 4366179).
The Royal Society Guest Research Fellows Scheme The object of this scheme is to assist outstanding leaders in scientific research in the UK to invite as guests scientists of proven ability, normally resident overseas, to come and work with them for periods of between four months and a year. Applicants must be working in departments of science ( including agriculture, medicine, mathematics, engineering and technology) in universities or research institutions in the UK. Applications should be made on forms obtained from the Executive Secretary (LUM), The Royal Society, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London SWl Y SAG, and returned by 31 October 1991.
NEWS UPDATE Appointed to UFC Vice-Principal Professor orma Rinsler has been appointed a member of the Univer ities Funding Council (UFC) for a two and a half year period (in the first instance) up to March 1993. She will be the only member of the UFC who is from a London institution. In addition to membership of the Council she has been asked to chair one of the newly-created regional sub-committees (her subcommittee will be responsible for Reading, Southampton, Surrey, Sussex and Kent Universities). She will also be a member of the orthern Sub-committee, which is to be chaired by former King's professor, John Barron. Professor Rinsler comments: 'The next 12 months will be extremely busy, as this new system will have to be played in at the same time as the UFC and the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council are being brought closer together. It won't be dull!'
Chairman of Council Appointed to University Court The Chairman of the Council of King's, Sir James Spooner, has been appointed as a Crown member to the Court of the University of London. The Court has some 24 members and is the University's most senior decision-making body on financial and strategic planning issues. Sir James's appointment, which was made by the Privy Council, started on 1 September 1991 and will last for five years.
Council supports students The Council of King's agreed unanimously at its meeting on 1 October to support a motion from the Students' Union calling upon the Government to reinstate students' right to claim housing benefit, income support and unemployment benefit. The motion comes at a time when casual work for students is increasingly hard to find because of the recession, while housing and other costs continue to rise. The Student Representatives on the Council presented evidence demonstrating that a student relying only on a grant and government student loan is considerably worse off than an unemployed IB-year-old able to claim benefits.
(From left to right) Mr Richard Turner-Warwick, Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick, President of the Royal College of Physicians, Dr Roger Williams, Director of the Institute of Liver Studies, Mr lan Gainsford, Dean of King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry
Institute of Liver Studies 25th Anniversary Dinner and Symposium On 16 September the Institute of Liver Studies held a 25th Anniversary dinner in the Great Hall at the Strand. The evening was part of a programme of anniversary celebrations which have included the opening of new intensive care facilities by HRH the Duchess of York, and a two day symposium entitled 'Liver Disease in the 1990's' held on 16 and 17 September.
Other guests at the dinner included Professor Willis Maddry, President of the American College of Physicians; Mr Ian Gainsford, Dean of King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry; Lord Goodman and Sir David Innes-Williams.
Two years after he opened the Liver Unit at King's College Hospital in 1966, Dr Roger Williams joined forces with Professor Sir Roy Calne to launch the first liver transplant programme in the UK, and Sir Roy continued this spirit of co-operation with an address to the symposium. Nearly 200 peakers and 'old boy' of the Unjt travelled from all over the world to take part in the meeting and attend the Anniversary Dinner. The principal guest at the djnner was Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick, President of the Royal College of Physicians, who paid tribute to the vision and drive of Roger WiJliarns in creating an internationally renowned centre of excellence. Other speakers included 'old boys' Dr R Thompson, Dr I Murray-Lyon and Dr P Smith, who also alluded to the drive of Dr Williams, although they good-naturedly referred to this as 'slave-driving'!
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Dr Helen Hudson, newly-elected President of KCLA, at the Annual KCLA Dinner earlier this year
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SEMINARS Age Concern Institute of Gerontology . . emmar enes: Tuesdays 16. - 17. , Seminar Room 3/8 Cornwall House Annexe 22 October Can we learn from the super-normal? Dr David Weeks, Royal Edinburgh Hospital 29 October The home treatment team: a randamised conLTol trial Dr Finbar Martin, St Thomas's Hospital 5 ovember Older people as volunteers Dr Justin Davis Smith, The Volunteer Centre
Department of Computing Colloquia: These will take place on Wednesdays at 13.15 in Room 3D, Strand Building 23 October Program Transformation, Part 2 Ari Laakkonen 30 October Compiling a lazy functional language to C Simon Croft 6 ovember I deas on the Qualitative simulation simulation of object orientated requirements models, Wing Lam.
Geography Research Seminar Series: All seminars take place at 17.00 in the lounge (Room 102), orfolk Building, Surrey Street
5 November Use ofcement types In the palaeo en'Vlronmenr.a1 interprer.a£lon ofcoasr.al deposits Dr Sue cLaren 12 ovember Trends in geographl£al moTlall£Y differences Dr Sarah Curtis, Department of Geography, QMW
Department of History and the Philosophy of Sciencel Seminars: Thursdays at 2.15 in Room 10C 17 October The nineteenth-century revolution in mathematical ontology Dr Jeremy Gray, Open University 24 October Descartes' Geomhrie and revolutions in mathematics Dr Paolo Mancosu, Wolfson CoUege Oxford 31 October The integration ofvision and action Dr BiU Brewer, King's CoUege Cambridge 7 November On the lack ofgrounds for the mechanical philosophy in the seventeenth century Professor Alan Chalmers, Sydney University
Institute of Advanced Musical Studies Colloquia: Wednesdays at 17.00 in Room GO 1, Department of Music, 152-153 Strand. Admission Free, all are welcome 23 October The composer and theory Alexander Goehr, University of Cambridge 30 October Britten's letters and diaries Donald MitcheU, University of London
22 October Changes in traditional farming in Gambia Dr Kathy Baker, Department of Geography, SO AS
London Medieval MSS Seminar:
29 October Prospective winners and losers in Europe's rush for wealth Dr Martin Frost
Thursday 24 October, 17.30 The development of the Captic uncial hand Dr Dominic Monserrat Palaeography Room, University Library
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LECTURES Public Lectures Thursday 31 October 1991, 18. All the world's a map by G R Peter Lawrence, Department of Geography Room 2B 8, Strand campus
Thursday 24 OctOber, I 7.30 Neo-nominalism and the humanist tradition Professor George Kane Room 1B23, Strand campus
Thursday 31 OctOber 1991,17.30 Jesting Pilate: Scholarship and the varieties of truth Professor George Kane Room lB23, Strand campus
Thursday 24 OctOber 1991,18.00 The Proto-Helladic shipwreck at Dokos: the world's earliest shipwreck Dr G Papathanasopoulos ew Theatre, Strand campus A Michaelmas AKC Course for students in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies has been devised by the Department of Classics and is entitled The Gods of the Greeks: an introduction to Paganism. The lectures will be held in the College Chapel at 12.00 on Mondays.
12 ovember 1991, 13.00 - 14.00 The European Court of Human Rights: how successful has it been in protecting civil liberties? Dr Conor Gearty, Senior Lecturer in Law, Director of the Civil Liberties Research Unit, King's College London
LADY DAVIS FELLOWSHIP TRUST AWARDS
Royal Society Lecture
THE WILKINS LECTURE Wednesday 23 October 1991 at 17.30 in the Great Hall, King's College London
Bishop John Wilkins, FRS (1614-1672): Analogies of thought-style in the Protestant Reformation and early modern science This lecture will be given by Professor Step hen Mason, FRS, of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge (also Emeritus Professor, Department of Chemistry and Honorary Research Fellow, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, King's College London). Chairman: Sir Michael Atiyah President, The Royal Society Copernicanism was widely accepted before the daily and annual motions of the Earth were established scientifically. Wilkins and others used Calvanistic-style arguments to popularize the Copernican theory, and thus change concepts of cosmic government from the hierarchical to the absolute, and then to the constitutional. The theory of the circulation of the blood first appeared in Europe as an expression of Unitarianism with Servetus (1511-1553).
SMALL ADS EQUIPMENt FOR SALE
Quiet, secluded, 2 bedroom cottage (c1820), Sydenham, South East London. Fully furnished, gas central heating, garden and parking. Suitable for visiting academic couple. ÂŁ400 per calender month plus electricity, gas and phone bills. 20 minutes train to Charing Cross and Victoria. Available end October 1991 onwards. Contact Lindsay Elliot, Residences Manager, Kensington Campus on 071-333 4255 (day) or 071-333 4226 (eve).
The Age Concern Institute of Gerontology has a quantity of equipment (purchased with the aid of a Central Research Fund grant) which is no longer required. Any department interested in aquiring any of the items should contact Ann Salvage at the Institute (Cornwall House Annexe, Ext 3039), preferably at the end of October.
EW COLLEGE FOLDERS A bright red, A4-sized, glossy folder, with the College crest on the front and a pocket inside, suitable for conference papers etc, has now been produced by the Press and Publications Office and is available from Stationery: price 50p each. Copies have been sent to School Offices if you want to inspect one. They provide a smart and attractive way of presenting documents. Hurry while stocks last!
Lady Davis Fellows are selected on the basis of demonstrated excellence in their studies, promise of distinction in their chosen fields of specialization as well as qualities of mind, intellect and character.
The Fellowships are tenable for a period of one year, but Fellows may apply for an extension for a second year. The grant is intended to defray the cost of the Fellow's travel and tuition (where applicable) and to meet reasonable living expenses.
Graduate candidates may apply in their final undergraduate year, or after they have undertaken study in a graduate school.
TO LET
Item
Lady Davis Fellowship Trust - Awards for study, research or teaching on graduate, post-doctorate or professorial levels at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, for the 1992-93 Academic Year.
Post-doctoral candidates may apply at an early stage of their professional career (to the Hebrew University not later than three years after completion of their doctoral dissertation). All awards are subject to the candidate's being accepted by the respective institution.
Quantity
Urine-temperature measurement bottles (with funnels and sub-clinical thermometers)
100
Wire handles for the above
85
Maximum-rninimun environment thermometers
50
Hand-held magnifying glasses (magnification x 10)
50
Visiting Professorships are intended for candidates with the rank of Full or Associate Professor at their own institution. They are tenable for one or two semesters. The grant includes a professional salary and travel.
Application forms, which should be completed by 30 November 1991, are available from The Secretariat of The Lady Davis Fellowship Trust, PO Box 1255, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. Requests forforms must state category of Fellowship.
The photograph (left) shows students attendmg thIS summer's Pre-Sessumal Engbsh Language Course at the of[zaaJ course receptum held on 29 August In the Counal Room. A total of 146 students enrolled on the course: they came from all 07Jer the world and 36 nacumaliIzes were represented. The TTUljority of these students intend studying at colleges of the Umversity of London mcbding sizeable contingents bound for the Lonlhn School of Economus, Imperial and University College as well as King's College Lonlhn. Other destinations included the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle and Hull. Anyone requiring inforTTUltion about next year's Pre-Sessional English Language Course should contact Jennifer Jackson, External LiaISon Officer, ext 3027.[or further details.
CONTINUING EDUCATION RETURNS 1990/91 Each year the College is obliged to make a return of CE activity to the Universities' Statistical Records and we are now in the process of collecting this information for 1990/91. The forms (purple) have been sent to Schools administrators for distribution and have already reached many departments. It would help enormously to have them returned to us as and when they are completed. ie please do not wait until all the forms for the year have been completed before sending any of them to the CE Unit. 199 /91 marks the start of CE monitoring by the UFC and we shall have to make a return to them by the end of 1991. The bulk of information will come from the CE Returns to the USR. so it is increasingly important that these are comprehensive. The UFC has stated its intention of referring to these data before confirming or amending the indicative amounts announced recently for development funding of CE over the next three years. We do not want to see the amounts allocated to King's reduced because our CE work appears to be on the low side.
May I therefore urge you to return all the appropiate activity for 1990/91. Please record all continuing education events. remembering that not only short courses but also conferences and teachers' workshops should be included (as long as they were not free), as should non-degree students paying to sit in on individual parts of undergraduate or postgraduate courses. If in doubt please telephone me. Valeric Davies Director Continuing Education Unit Cornwall House Annexe (eX! 3055)
Citizenship in Britain Today A new book series on Citizenship and the Law. which will address questions of political liberty, civil rights and freedoms, and social and welfare rights, will be launched soon. Ideas and proposals for inclusion in the series are welcome, and should be sent to the Series Editor. Dr Robert Blackburn, School of Laws.
Comment is the College's regular staff newsletter, issued by the Press and Publications Office (telephone 53202) three times a term, with special editions if required. Contributions are welcomed from any member of staff of the College. These may take the form of, for example, news of events or people, views on College matters, photos, items for sale. If possible, please send your piece on an Apple Macintosh 3.5路 Micro Floppydisk, using Microsoft Word programme.
The next Comment will be published in mid- ovember and contributions should be received by 1 November.