The Idea of a World Class Civic University by Newcastle University

Why

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Age?

Professor Tom Kirkwood (BBC Reith Lecturer, 2001) explores one of life’s fundamental questions, based on his research at Newcastle University’s award-winning Institute for Ageing and Health. It’s an interesting question and people have been asking

Improving Childhood Leukaemia Survival Rates

United Kingdom • Malaysia • Singapore

Childhood leukaemia is the greatest success story of cancer treatment, says Professor Christine Harrison.

it for a very long time. If you were to ask most people why we age, the majority would say that humans, and animals, have to age and die because if we didn’t the world would be full. They believe that there is some

Nine out of 10 children with

evolved genetic programme that makes us age and die

leukaemia are now cured as

in order to create living space for the next generation.

a result of improvements to

This is an idea that even pervades scientific thinking

treatment over the last 30 years.

about ageing but actually, as ideas go, it couldn’t be

Professor Christine Harrison

more wrong.

and her team from the Northern

If it were true, and you needed a mechanism to get rid of

Institute for Cancer Research

old animals to create living space for the next generation,

The

of a World-Class

have dedicated the last two

then the logic of it would tell you that you ought to see

going wrong and the reason we live as long as we do

decades to understanding the genetic changes

it happening in nature. However, if you go out in the

is because we have fantastic maintenance and repair

countryside looking for old rabbits, mice, sparrows etc,

systems. These don’t come cheap, and in order to be

that characterise leukaemia cells, leading to the

you simply don’t find them. The world is a dangerous

able to drive them to the level that we do, the body has

place and there are all kinds of things causing animals

to invest quite a significant amount of energy into carrying

to die, such as starvation, accidents, infection, cold and

out maintenance and repair. The question is: how much

predators. So, the facts of the natural world show that

of this repair work do we need? The answer is that you

you don’t need a programme for ageing in order to create

need enough to keep the body in good shape through

living space for the next generation.

the period it can expect to be alive, in a world full of

The second thing is the logic of evolution through natural

hazards that can kill you.

selection – everything that Darwin taught us, and that

The reason that we age and die is because through the

we’ve refined since then. This tells us that it doesn’t make

process of natural selection we limit the investment that

sense to have a programme for ageing. Everything in our

our genes make in the maintenance and repair of the

biology is designed to keep us alive. Why would we have

body to give us survival for the kind of period that we

a programme that would kill us?

needed in our ancestral world environment. This is an

I got involved in the scientific study of ageing some

idea that I called the ‘disposable soma’ concept and, in

35 years ago and I came to it asking this question: “Why

a way, our genes evolved to treat the body as something

should ageing occur? Why grow old?” I realised that if

that they need to look after for a certain period of time but

Newcastle is in the unique position of being able to

you can turn around the previous observation – that in

they don’t need it to be built well enough to last forever.

achieve this goal due to a critical mass of expert

nature, animals don’t live an incredibly long time – you

Ultimately, the body is programmed for survival but it’s

scientists with research interests in the biology of

can come to an explanation of why ageing occurs rather

just not programmed well enough to survive indefinitely.

leukaemia and drug discovery. Working alongside

directly. In order for an animal to stay alive and remain

As we live our lives, our cells, their molecules, the different

clinicians in the Great North Children’s Hospital, they

in good shape physically and functionally, you have to

tissues and organs, all accumulate a whole variety of

are translating new discoveries into novel treatments

invest a lot in all the maintenance and repair processes

little faults that eventually compromise function and that

with the aim of curing 100 per cent of children with

that deal with the little things that go wrong in the cells

eventually make us age and die.

leukaemia within the next 10 years.

and the tissues in the body as we live our lives.

Professor Tom Kirkwood CBE, FMed Sci

Professor Christine Harrison PhD, FRCPath

Basically, every second of our life all kinds of things are

tom.kirkwood@ncl.ac.uk

christine.harrison@ncl.ac.uk

discovery that many of these changes relate to how patients respond to their treatment. This knowledge has been used to guide the therapy given to patients and as a result has contributed significantly to

Idea

Civic University

improved outcomes. Their discovery of one abnormality, known as iAMP21, has led to modifications in treatment which have improved survival rates for these children from only three out of 10 to eight out of 10. As a result, treatment changes for patients with iAMP21 are now being adopted internationally. Newcastle University is now investigating whether such biomarkers can be targeted with new drugs to reduce the toxicity of the current therapies.

Excellence with a Purpose

On the 13th of November, 1967, Newcastle University made the historic award of an honorary degree to Dr Martin Luther King Jr – the only UK university to do so during his lifetime. In his acceptance speech he talked about the cause

to people’s lives. And we continue to acknowledge the

for racial justice across the world: “Although I cannot in

work of social campaigners. This year we recognised,

any way say that I am worthy of such a great honour, I

among others, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human

can also assure you that you give me renewed courage

rights group Liberty, who said of her award: “This is

and vigour to carry on in the struggle to make peace

a massive honour and it is special for two reasons.

and justice a reality for all men and women, all over the

Firstly, because I am so pleased and happy to be in

world. I can assure you that this day will remain dear

Newcastle, and secondly because this was Dr King’s

to me as long as the cords of memory shall lengthen.”

English University. To be given the same honour as him,

Forty-five years later, we remain committed to pioneering

Doctor of Civil Law, in the same place as a fellow civil

research, learning and teaching that will make a difference

rights campaigner, makes it incredibly special to me.”

To view Dr King’s powerful speech visit: www.ncl.ac.uk/congregations/ceremonies/honorary/martinlutherking

The Future of Learning

Cloud Computing has Unlimited Potential

Designs on Global Societies

Newcastle goes to Extreme Measures

Driving Forwards

Excellence with a Purpose

Newcastle University - Excellence with a Purpose

Newcastle University UK Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 7850 Email: pr-directorate@ncl.ac.uk Web: www.ncl.ac.uk

Idea of a World-Class

The

Civic University

by Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Brink

International Outlook Leading figures in civil society share their views

chris.brink@ncl.ac.uk

Mr Choo Chiau Beng

academic excellence in research and teaching, in keeping with the traditions laid down by Von Humboldt and Newman. However, we believe that our role in the knowledge economy is not only to create knowledge and educate students. Our role is also to respond to the needs and demands of civil society. Universities are not there simply to confer a private benefit, they should also serve as a public good. For us, the question is not only “What are we good at?”, but also “What are we good for?” Responding to these two key questions simultaneously is the hallmark of a world-class civic university. The “world-class” axis lies in the arena of publications,

In the early 19th century, in Prussia, Wilhelm von Humboldt laid the foundation for curiosity-driven research as a core function of the university. During the Victorian era, John Henry Newman delivered a series of lectures in Dublin on The Idea of a University, in which he made the case for universities providing a broad-based liberal education. For much of the 20th century, these two ideals remained the basis of our understanding of what universities are for. Increasingly, however, in the new millennium, the world is becoming a smaller place, and the challenges of global society affect us all, universities included. Newcastle University is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the UK. We pursue

citations, international presence, reputation and esteem indicators. The “civic university” axis lies in the arena of responding to the challenges facing civil society. At Newcastle, we asked ourselves which of the big global challenges we have the expertise and capacity to respond to, and we settled on three topics: Ageing, Sustainability and Social Renewal. We not only study these topics, we actively pursue solutions to the challenges they represent. Each topic is particularly relevant where we are, in the North East of England, so our own region becomes our laboratory. Looked at another way, a world-class civic university sets itself the task of making a contribution both on the

supply side and on the demand side of the knowledge economy. On the supply side we create knowledge for its own sake, and educate graduates with a broad base of knowledge and skills. On the demand side we organise our research and teaching in response to the pressing issues facing society, and to prepare students for responsible citizenship, nationally and globally. In these pages we explain what we do, partly to make the case that academic excellence and societal purpose reinforce rather than impede each other, and partly to make the point that a civic university can (and should strive to) address global issues. If you would like to discuss these ideas with us, please get in touch.

Mr Choo Chiau Beng, CEO of Keppel Corporation, the Singapore-based global group of Offshore & Marine, Infrastructure and Property businesses.

Maryland Partnering with Loyola University to open a science-focused study abroad centre in the UK. The centre will accommodate more than 50 students and feature a curriculum conducive to qualified students studying a wide range of academic subjects. It will be Loyola’s biggest overseas presence.

“Newcastle University is where I learnt the basics of Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering and Shipbuilding and I am very happy it has expanded to offer degrees in Singapore in collaboration with SIT so that young people in this part of the world can benefit from an education at Newcastle University. As one of many graduates world-wide I am very pleased to see the University’s expanding global footprint.”

Newcastle University originated in 1834 with the establishment of a School of Medicine and Surgery in Newcastle upon Tyne. Settled since Roman times, Newcastle lies at the eastern extremity of Hadrian’s Wall, the defensive fortification built during the reign of the eponymous Emperor. The original “New Castle” from which the city takes its name was built in 1080 by the eldest son of William the Conqueror. Rebuilt in stone during the 1170s, its Keep still stands. During the industrial revolution, Newcastle was a powerhouse, becoming synonymous with coal, shipbuilding and heavy engineering, and today many towns and cities around the world are named Newcastle in its image. Science and innovation emanating from Newcastle has revolutionised the modern world, including the invention of mining safety lamps, Stephenson’s Rocket, Sir Joseph Swan’s electric light bulb, Lord Armstrong’s artillery and Charles Parsons’ turbine engine. From these proud roots in North East England has grown a University with global ambitions and a world-wide reach.

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Adetokunbo O Lucas, OFR MD, DSc, FRCP, FFPH, FRCOG Professor Adetokunbo O Lucas (King’s College Newcastle 1949-1956, DSc h.c.) is a clinician, medical educator, policy specialist, and public health leader, winner of the Harvard Medal, the Mary Kingsley Medal, and most recently of the 2013 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award from the US National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Previous winners include Colin Powell, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Bill Clinton.

Matt Ridley FRSL, FMedSci (Viscount Ridley) Matt Ridley, science writer, author of The Rational Optimist and other science books, member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, winner of the Hayek Prize 2011 and the Julian Simon Award 2012.

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The Gulf We are training and raising capacity among business sponsors and government agencies.

“The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award is further evidence of the marvellous foundation that the University gave me during my seven years’ study at Newcastle. I remember with gratitude and deep affection the institution as well as the teachers, colleagues and friends who inspired, encouraged and supported me. This award is a tribute to them.”

Japan Newcastle University is one of 12 leading universities in the ‘RENKEI’ partnership, from the UK and Japan, which encourages knowledge transfer and research collaboration between the two countries.

Brussels Our research teams are part of an international network – funded by the EU – of more than 1,300 collaborators. They are involved in almost 200 projects ranging from transport and electric vehicles, through to health and healthy ageing, sustainable agriculture, environmental and urban issues and security.

Xiamen – China In 2012 we launched a Confucius Institute to build closer academic, cultural, economic and social ties between the North East of England and China. The new institute, which opens in Autumn 2013, will be based at the heart of Newcastle University’s campus. It is a joint venture with Xiamen University.

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India Our Global Experience Programme supports Newcastle University students in industrial placements across India. The Bharti Foundation school programme, which provides free education to over 38,000 underprivileged children in 254 schools in villages across India, uses teacher training techniques and materials developed specifically for India by Newcastle University’s Dr Pauline Dixon.

Nigeria Helping increase capacity in the country’s universities.

Singapore Our campus in Singapore offers degree programmes in Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Offshore Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Food and Human Nutrition. Electrical Power Engineering joins the group this year. We partner with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and offer more degree programmes than any other of its partners with 300 students enrolling every academic year. In 2014 SIT will open five new buildings that will provide much improved facilities for Newcastle students and staff.

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Groningen – Netherlands A strategic partnership with collaboration in degree programme delivery and in research.

5 “Three centuries ago this year the first Newcomen steam engines in the North were erected on Tyneside to pump water from coal mines. It was the start of a long story of innovation in the North East - locomotives, light bulbs, turbines and more - in which crucially practice and theory reinforced each other. Newcastle University, with its excellence in medicine and many other fields, continues to aspire to being both a world leader in ideas as well as a practical resource for its region and beyond.”

Brazil We are a key destination in the UK for the ‘Science without Borders’ programme.

Iraq Newcastle University archaeological expert Professor Peter Stone advised the UK Government about the risks of invasion to Iraq’s cultural heritage. He is currently working with the UK Ministry of Defence and NATO to integrate cultural property protection into training and is urging politicians to ratify legislation on this issue.

Angola As a founding partner of the Centre of Excellence in Science for Sustainability in Africa, we are supporting the development of new academic leaders across Angola.

Indonesia A collaborative initiative with Universitas Indonesia is supporting Masters and Doctoral Training in Medical Sciences.

Nepal A team of Newcastle University researchers have been working with survivors of trafficking in Nepal to highlight the discrimination and social rejection trafficked women typically encounter on returning home. Professor Nina Laurie, Professor Diane Richardson, Dr Meena Poudel and Dr Janet Townsend have been investigating the experiences of women post-trafficking, working in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Nepal, and Shakti Samuha, a Nepali NGO set up and managed by trafficked women. They are lobbying for equal rights for men and women to apply for citizenship.

Monash – Australia Significant research partnerships particularly in the field of neurosciences and business.

Malaysia With the opening of NUMed Malaysia in 2011, Newcastle University became the first UK university to establish a medical campus overseas. NUMed now has 220 students and in time will train 1,000 medics to support the nation’s health service. Based at the ‘EduCity’ site in Johor, it will be the first to access the full suite of shared amenities on the multi-varsity site which includes a 5,000 seat stadium, an aquatic centre and indoor arena.

Newcastle University - Excellence with a Purpose

The

Future

Restoring

Learning

Research by Professor of Educational Technology, Sugata Mitra (winner of the $1m TED prize 2013), has changed the way the world thinks about education. His ‘hole in the wall’ experiment has shown that children, irrespective of who or where they are, can learn freely using a computer. Cloud technology is changing the face of learning, and schools must embrace the change.

Newcastle University UK Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 7850 Email: pr-directorate@ncl.ac.uk Web: www.ncl.ac.uk

Power

Patrick Chinnery, Professor of Neurogenetics and Wellcome Senior Fellow in Clinical Science at Newcastle University describes a new approach to personalised medicine.

Until well into last the century, the only information and

entertainment, newspapers, books and money became

would group around internet connections to discuss Big

communication technologies available to manage the

strings of zeros and ones inside the internet that is now

Questions. The teacher would merge into the background,

world were telephones and that huge, bureaucratic

called simply The Cloud. Already The Cloud is omnipresent

and watch as the learning happened. “Why do we have

Mitochondria are small compartments present in every cell

Newcastle University - Wellcome Trust Centre for

such as those in the heart, neurons, or muscle. As well

administrative machine otherwise known as people. The

and indestructible. In a few decades more, it will probably

five fingers and five toes on each limb? What’s so special

within the body. They are the primary source of energy,

Mitochondrial Research.

as identifying new genetic disorders, therefore, this allows

system was perfected by the Victorians at the zenith of

be sentient, non-material and, therefore, eternal.

about that?” I once asked a group of 10-year-olds in the

converting the breakdown products of carbohydrates, fats

Harnessing

the British Empire. To keep the gigantic military-industrial

In 1999, I accidentally glimpsed The Cloud through an

little town of Villa Mercedes in Argentina. “How do you

and proteins into a chemical called ATP. ATP is required for

sequencing, we are now able to sequence the human

very same patient.

machine working, the Victorians needed a critical mass

experiment often called ‘the hole in the wall’. I found

multiply two numbers?” I asked a child. “With my phone”,

nerve firing, muscle contraction (including the heart), and

genome in each one of our patients. This is dramatically

What do we do when we have found a potential new

of people with identical skills, so schools had identical

that groups of Indian street children would learn to use

he said.

all active processes in living organisms. Without ATP cells

changing the landscape, both in the laboratory and in the

treatment in the laboratory? By developing international

curricula, pedagogy and assessment systems that turned

computers and the internet by themselves, with little or no

We need a curriculum of Big Questions, a pedagogy of

fail, and eventually die.

clinic. Many families have been waiting for a diagnosis

consortia across Europe and the United States we

children into clones of one another in just 10 years.

knowledge of English and never having seen a computer

self-organised learning, examinations where children can

We have shown that defects of the mitochondrial genetic

for years or even decades, and now we can provide

have grouped together all of the patients with the same

Reading, writing and arithmetic were the predominant

before. During the next five years, in the course of many

talk, share and use the internet, and new peer assessment

code are a major cause of human diseases. Given the

an answer within days or weeks. This allows us to give

gene defects. This allowed us to carry out the first

skills. The government, major religions and the military

experiments, I learned that groups of children can complete

systems. People don’t need to be machines anymore.

critical role of mitochondria in cell function, mitochondrial

confident genetic counselling, and prevent the disease

multi-national randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial

dictated what should be learned.

educational objectives by themselves, using the internet,

In the age of The Cloud, schools have to become Schools of

dysfunction can affect almost all of the organs within the

affecting the next generation through prenatal diagnosis.

for a mitochondrial disease responsible for blindness.

In the 1940s and 1950s, we created digital computers.

if you leave them alone. By 2009, thanks to advances in

The Cloud. Governments will find it hard to let this happen,

body. They can cause epilepsy, dementia, muscle

We often find a totally new genetic cause for the

Looking back at the results, it is clear that specific genetic

Then we learned how to connect them to one another.

technology, it was possible to ‘beam’ teachers to places

but teachers can – if they stand back and let The Cloud in.

weakness, diabetes, heart and liver failure – diseases for

mitochondrial disease, and this in turn reveals novel

sub-groups did better, based on the precise “spelling

But, as the Age of the Empire came to an end and the

where they could not, or did not want, to go, and so I

Professor Sugata Mitra PhD

which at present there is no cure. Resulting in chronic

cellular pathways that we are exploring as targets for new

mistake” in the gene. This is personalised medicine in

internet emerged, schools continued to churn out their

created a ‘granny cloud’ of retired school teachers who

sugata.mitra@ncl.ac.uk

illness and premature death, such diseases have a major

treatments. An important step is making stem cells from

practice, guided by our understanding of the mitochondrial

identical products, parts for a gigantic human computer

would encourage children to learn by themselves.

impact on patients and their families.

a skin sample (induced pleuripotent stem cells). Using

genome.

that no longer existed. Within a few decades institutions

By 2012, teachers around the world were using SOLEs

www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_

Understanding the causes and developing treatments for

recently developed protocols, we can convert these to

Professor Patrick Chinnery FRCPath, FRCP, FMedSci

began to dematerialise. Banking, the Stock Exchange,

– self-organised learning environments – where children

the_cloud.html

these diseases is a major goal of the recently established

the cells affected by the disease in an individual patient,

patrick.chinnery@ncl.ac.uk

see

Sugata

talk

about

his

wish,

visit:

Realising Opportunities Professor Ella Ritchie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Newcastle University, believes that a student’s background or life experience should not be a barrier to fulfilling their potential. Newcastle University places a strong emphasis on working with schools, careers advisers and parents to encourage them to view university as something within their children’s reach.

state-of-the-art

Environmentally-friendly

generation

DNA

us to look for specific treatments in relevant cells from the

Bacteria

Jeff Errington, Director of the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, explains why bacteria have the potential to provide solutions to many medical and environmental problems.

Beyond medicine, bacteria can carry out an inconceivable number of different chemical reactions based on their

For more than a decade, Newcastle University has been

A further innovation aimed at forging closer links with

University has also been the driving force behind the

long evolutionary history and ability to adapt to living in all

at the forefront of encouraging thousands of students

schools has been the development of the Teachers’ Toolkit.

Realising Opportunities programme for which it leads a

sorts of strange and exotic habitats. They can survive in

from disadvantaged backgrounds to aspire to a university

Unique to Newcastle University, Toolkit offers an extensive

group of 12 research-intensive universities in England. The

the most extreme conditions, whether in deserts or deep

education.

range of practical, online resources for teachers, including

universities, which are all at the cutting edge of science,

sea sediments, volcanic or even highly radioactive areas.

Now in its thirteenth year, Newcastle University’s

short interactive exercises, images and videos developed

technology and humanities research and teaching, are

A better understanding of the basic science of bacteria

groundbreaking PARTNERS programme has established

by University staff as well as providing a full list of activities

working together to encourage able students from diverse

is helping us to take advantage of the extraordinary

relationships with over 130 schools in the North East

taking place across the University campus and in schools

backgrounds to apply and come to research-intensive

capabilities of bacteria and harness them for our own

of England and beyond, working with them to raise

and colleges.

universities.

devices, with wide implications for society and the health

aspirations among young people from areas with a tradition

As part of its mission as a civic university, Newcastle

Recognised nationally by the UK Government, Realising

of our environment.

of low participation in higher education to help them see progression to university as an achievable goal. PARTNERS summer schools and a guaranteed offer system help applicants achieve entry requirements and smooth the transition to university. Pupils and teachers have access to the University’s library, and further encouragement is provided by chemistry outreach labs, engineering workshops and other opportunities to visit the University to sample its life and facilities. The scheme is supported by a team of graduate ambassadors – recent Newcastle graduates who undertake a programme of school visits aimed at changing perceptions of university life and who act as role models for prospective students. 4

“I think there are a lot of people who have the potential to do well for whom gaining access to higher education is often the biggest challenge. It shouldn’t matter where you are in the world, whether or not you live near a university, or if your parents didn’t go to university, everyone should have the same opportunities.” Nicola Lazenby, who entered the PARTNERS programme in 2007 and graduated with an MEng in Civil Engineering in 2011.

Opportunities aims to identify potential and raise

One such application lies in bio-remediation. Bacteria

aspirations among the brightest and best students from

Bacteria are incredibly versatile organisms that have

bags of enzymes, they are complicated, sophisticated

can make use of things which are toxic to us and treat

neighbourhoods with low levels of progression to university.

been around for over three billion years. During this time

structures, with many proteins targeted into intricate

them as fodder. Industries all over the world which

Among its unique features is a structured e-mentoring

they’ve evolved to become vital to our planetary cycles,

nanomachines that support the growth and division of

generate pollutants will soon benefit from bacteria

system through which undergraduate mentors from all 12

purifying our water and our air.

the cells.

that can detoxify harmful chemicals. Other major

universities provide one-to-one support to Year 12 and 13

The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology at Newcastle

One important application in the new understanding

applications lie in the production of industrial chemicals,

school students as they progress through the programme.

University is trying to discover how these bacteria

that has emerged lies in antibiotic discovery and

enzymes and fuels. In the future, many of these industrial

There is also a national conference, an online study skills

function. We are working to understand key questions

development. Antibiotics take advantage of differences in

processes will be radically changed by the elimination of

module and a range of resources for teachers.

about them, such as how they grow and divide, and turn

function between bacteria and human cells. They kill the

any need for non-renewable chemicals and resources,

Both Realising Opportunities and PARTNERS have been

genes on and off.

bacteria without harming the patient. Several important

so for example, plastics made from petrochemicals in

supported by the Higher Education Funding Council

We have pioneered the application of modern

new antibiotic targets have been identified through work

oil could be made from organic vegetable matter via

for England.

fluorescence digital imaging methods for bacteria. These

carried out at Newcastle University. We are also closely

bacteria instead.

Professor Ella Ritchie OBE, PhD (LSE)

new techniques have revealed remarkable complexity

involved in the commercialisation of this work, through

Professor Jeff Errington FRS, FMedSci

ella.ritchie@ncl.ac.uk

in the structure of the bacteria. Rather than simple

spin out companies, such as Demuris Ltd.

jeff.errington@ncl.ac.uk 5

Newcastle University UK Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 7850 Email: pr-directorate@ncl.ac.uk Web: www.ncl.ac.uk

Newcastle University - Excellence with a Purpose

‘Cloud

Computing Unlimited Potential’ has

Paul Watson, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Digital Institute at Newcastle University, works with people and organisations in all areas of society, from major companies like Microsoft to small charities, to tackle the issue of social exclusion.

Newcastle goes to

Extreme Measures

Newcastle University’s Professor Matt King was among a 47-strong team of leading climate scientists from around the world who have worked together to end 20 years of uncertainty by producing what has been hailed as the most accurate assessment of ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland to date.

Everywhere, more and more data is being collected by

nurse plugs the watch into a computer and all of that

people and organisations. Extracting value from this

data is analysed into readable reports for the patient

data requires access to vast computing resources.

and the doctor, all in a matter of minutes. We use cloud

The definitive study revealed that melting ice sheets

in this case the GRACE satellite, so we can more

“Perhaps more importantly, this study has shown

Cloud computing provides this, offering scalable

computing to achieve this.

have contributed 11.1mm to global sea levels since

accurately weigh the ice.”

what can be achieved when the international science

computing as and when it is needed. It will dramatically

Multinational software company, Red Hat, one of the

1992. Supported by NASA and the ESA, the research

“The implications of this latest study are huge,” explains

community pulls together and pools its knowledge and

improve the way organisations like public service

world’s largest computer companies, has created a

– published in Science last year – was the culmination of

King, “We can now say confidently that Greenland and

expertise.”

providers and companies use data because there

research centre at Newcastle University. It is one of only

work in 26 different science laboratories around the world

Antarctica are losing more than three times as much

Professor Matt King PhD, FRAS

is now an unlimited potential to access, analyse and

two centres of its kind in the world, and it is located

working together to build up the most complete picture

ice as they were in the 1990s – equivalent to a rise in

m.a.king@ncl.ac.uk

exploit it for their own needs.

here because of our expertise in cloud computing.

yet of rises in sea level from the large ice sheets.

0.95mm sea level per year.

With funding of £12 million from Research Councils

Many of the Red Hat employees here are Newcastle

The results built on work published in Nature in early

UK, the Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy

University graduates, and they are working with current

2012 and led by Newcastle’s geodesy team. They used

(SiDE) project is exploring how design technologies

students on a range of projects, which in turn is helping

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)

can be digitised to transform the lives of people who

improve the students’ employability.

satellite data to calculate the loss from Antarctic ice sheet

are socially excluded, such as older people, those

We have £20 million worth of projects that are using

mass by more accurately mapping and removing the

with disabilities, and young people on the margins

cloud computing to do things scientists haven’t been

mass changes caused by the flow of rock beneath the

of society.

able to do before with their data. For example, in

Earth’s surface.

One of our projects is using sensors in digital wristwatch

collaboration with Microsoft, we’ve been working with

“Our ice change calculations rely heavily on how well we

devices to benefit people suffering from cardiovascular

a group of chemists who are interested in discovering

can account for important changes taking place beneath

disease, obesity and diabetes. The sensors measure a

new cancer drugs. Their problem lies in extracting useful

the Earth’s surface,” explains King, a Professor of Polar

patient’s activity, bringing in a vast amount of data that

information from lots of new data. With their existing

Geodesy.

can be analysed to help understand their behaviour,

system it would have taken the chemists five years to

“While the land beneath the ice is moving by no more

and this means that personalised treatments can be

process this data, but by using cloud computing we’ve

than a few millimetres per year, that seemingly small

designed to enable patients to modify the amount

helped them manage this down to ten hours.

effect significantly alters the rate at which we estimate

and type of exercise they are getting to alleviate their

Professor Paul Watson PhD, CEng, FBCS

the ice is changing. By producing a new estimate of the

medical problems. When the patient visits the clinic, a

paul.watson@ncl.ac.uk

land motion we’re effectively re-calibrating the scales,

Designs on Global

Societies

Improving Drug Development

The process of taking a drug from the point of discovery to the point at which it can be made available to patients is a long and complex one, and the team is designing new ways to speed up this process, thus reducing the time between a new drug being found and it actually being prescribed to patients. Bringing together expertise from across the University with Newcastle centre has become a bio-processing hub to rival the best in the world. At Newcastle, our focus is on applying complex systems analysis to aid our understanding of biological processes in order to facilitate rapid and efficient development of

Pitsis’ study of the successful delivery of the Sydney

is to apply the Japanese theories of universal

Olympics served as the driving force for his ideas.

design and ‘design thinking’, whose principles are

His hypothesis is that the Games provide an ideal

underpinned by the idea that products and services

frame for how we might design the kind of society

should be inclusive rather than exclusive.

team of engineers, chemists, biologists and statisticians.

we need for dealing with an increasingly complex

“The successful delivery of London 2012 has

In addition to its internationally-recognised research

and uncertain world. “Currently, society as a whole

shown that collaboration is possible, but without

Newcastle

is fragmented with deep divisions and an incapacity

an awareness of the wider political questions and a

pharmaceutical Bioprocessing Technology

and reluctance to collaborate to get things done.

sense of accountability there is no impetus to create

Centre (BBTC) was set up to bridge the gap

industrial partners and stakeholders has ensured that

“The big questions still remain unanswered: What

a better society.”

between

the research undertaken here is already being adopted

kind of economy are we designing and how do things

Tyrone Pitsis PhD

industry, explains Professor Elaine Martin.

work? How do the financial systems work, and how

tyrone.pitsis@ncl.ac.uk

Forwards

some of the UK’s leading pharmaceutical industries, the

Dr Tyrone Pitsis, reader in strategic design, is an expert on inter-organisational collaboration and understands the benefits of public and private partnerships, which can help to deliver large-scale projects like the Olympic Games. Pitsis and his team at Newcastle University Business School are offering new perspectives on global management theory and practice.

are they regulated? One approach to these questions

Driving

new drugs. Fundamental to our success is a multi-

A world-leading team of engineers at Newcastle University is developing a new motor for electric vehicles that will significantly reduce our future dependency on rare earth metals. As the drive towards electric and hybrid electric vehicles

industry leaders ensure the University’s work is both

increases, the pressure is on to find an alternative to the

relevant and focused on the major challenges facing

rare-earth metals currently being used in their production.

society. “Our research area involving the control of electrical

At Newcastle’s Centre for Advanced Electrical Drives,

energy is a critical and growing one in terms of world

the team is working with leading automotive and aviation

economies”, he explains. “That Newcastle is recognised

industries to develop a novel motor based on steel.

internationally in the fields of electrical machines, power

Newcastle University’s Professor Barrie Mecrow, who

electronics, drives and control systems is due entirely to

leads the Centre explains: “Combining leading knowledge

the highly-talented academics, researchers, technicians

in practice, and is impacting beyond the UK, establishing

in electrical machines, power electronics and control, we

and students we have here.”

Training the specialist scientists of the future, we

BBTC as an international leader in the field.

are producing new electrical systems which are smaller,

Professor Barrie Mecrow PhD, MIET

are developing new techniques and technologies to

Professor Elaine Martin OBE, FREng, CEng, FICheME

more efficient, more reliable and cheaper to produce.”

barrie.mecrow@ncl.ac.uk

fine-tune drug development.

e.b.martin@ncl.ac.uk

Professor Mecrow says excellent links with international

disciplinary approach that brings together a world-leading

University’s

university-based

£20m

Bio-

research

and

activities, the BBTC sets itself apart by drawing on cross-sector learning.

The international spread of its

Why

Special Advertising Supplement

Age?

Improving Childhood Leukaemia Survival Rates United Kingdom • Malaysia • Singapore

Childhood leukaemia is the greatest success story of cancer treatment, says Professor Christine Harrison.

Nine out of 10 children with

evolved genetic programme that makes us age and die

leukaemia are now cured as

in order to create living space for the next generation.

a result of improvements to

This is an idea that even pervades scientific thinking

treatment over the last 30 years.

about ageing but actually, as ideas go, it couldn’t be

Professor Christine Harrison

more wrong.

and her team from the Northern

If it were true, and you needed a mechanism to get rid of

Institute for Cancer Research

old animals to create living space for the next generation,

The

of a World-Class

have dedicated the last two

then the logic of it would tell you that you ought to see

going wrong and the reason we live as long as we do

decades to understanding the genetic changes

it happening in nature. However, if you go out in the

is because we have fantastic maintenance and repair

countryside looking for old rabbits, mice, sparrows etc,

systems. These don’t come cheap, and in order to be

that characterise leukaemia cells, leading to the

you simply don’t find them. The world is a dangerous

able to drive them to the level that we do, the body has

place and there are all kinds of things causing animals

to invest quite a significant amount of energy into carrying

to die, such as starvation, accidents, infection, cold and

out maintenance and repair. The question is: how much

predators. So, the facts of the natural world show that

of this repair work do we need? The answer is that you

you don’t need a programme for ageing in order to create

need enough to keep the body in good shape through

living space for the next generation.

the period it can expect to be alive, in a world full of

The second thing is the logic of evolution through natural

hazards that can kill you.

selection – everything that Darwin taught us, and that

The reason that we age and die is because through the

we’ve refined since then. This tells us that it doesn’t make

process of natural selection we limit the investment that

sense to have a programme for ageing. Everything in our

our genes make in the maintenance and repair of the

biology is designed to keep us alive. Why would we have

body to give us survival for the kind of period that we

a programme that would kill us?

needed in our ancestral world environment. This is an

I got involved in the scientific study of ageing some

idea that I called the ‘disposable soma’ concept and, in

35 years ago and I came to it asking this question: “Why

a way, our genes evolved to treat the body as something

should ageing occur? Why grow old?” I realised that if

that they need to look after for a certain period of time but

Newcastle is in the unique position of being able to

you can turn around the previous observation – that in

they don’t need it to be built well enough to last forever.

achieve this goal due to a critical mass of expert

nature, animals don’t live an incredibly long time – you

Ultimately, the body is programmed for survival but it’s

scientists with research interests in the biology of

can come to an explanation of why ageing occurs rather

just not programmed well enough to survive indefinitely.

leukaemia and drug discovery. Working alongside

directly. In order for an animal to stay alive and remain

As we live our lives, our cells, their molecules, the different

clinicians in the Great North Children’s Hospital, they

in good shape physically and functionally, you have to

tissues and organs, all accumulate a whole variety of

are translating new discoveries into novel treatments

invest a lot in all the maintenance and repair processes

little faults that eventually compromise function and that

with the aim of curing 100 per cent of children with

that deal with the little things that go wrong in the cells

eventually make us age and die.

leukaemia within the next 10 years.

and the tissues in the body as we live our lives.

Professor Tom Kirkwood CBE, FMed Sci

Professor Christine Harrison PhD, FRCPath

Basically, every second of our life all kinds of things are

tom.kirkwood@ncl.ac.uk

christine.harrison@ncl.ac.uk

Idea

Civic University

Excellence with a Purpose

to people’s lives. And we continue to acknowledge the

for racial justice across the world: “Although I cannot in

work of social campaigners. This year we recognised,

any way say that I am worthy of such a great honour, I

among others, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human

can also assure you that you give me renewed courage

rights group Liberty, who said of her award: “This is

and vigour to carry on in the struggle to make peace

a massive honour and it is special for two reasons.

and justice a reality for all men and women, all over the

Firstly, because I am so pleased and happy to be in

world. I can assure you that this day will remain dear

Newcastle, and secondly because this was Dr King’s

to me as long as the cords of memory shall lengthen.”

English University. To be given the same honour as him,

Forty-five years later, we remain committed to pioneering

Doctor of Civil Law, in the same place as a fellow civil

research, learning and teaching that will make a difference

rights campaigner, makes it incredibly special to me.”

To view Dr King’s powerful speech visit: www.ncl.ac.uk/congregations/ceremonies/honorary/martinlutherking

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Excellence with a Purpose