ISSUE 10

ISSUE 10

SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

SPRING 2013

The Solent buzz

Spotlight on the University’s expansion plans for 2015

CONTENTS

3. Look ahead to 2015 – Solent’s proposed new teaching and learning building 4. The Children’s University comes to Southampton and the New Forest 6. Design for success – Vendée Globe wins for Solent course 8. Vinyl Memories – the power of music 10. Working in partnership – Solent’s Business School branches out 12. Solent Sharks continue the Paralympic legacy 14. Students in the spotlight – Solent’s degree shows 2013 16. Understanding acoustics – focus on noise 18. Solent news

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Looking forward With the unveiling of our plans for the East Park Terrace campus heralding an exciting new phase for Solent, this edition of ISSUE is all about the future – and how the University is helping shape that future across the region.

Prospects are bright for Southampton, with ambitious plans to transform the city centre and bring in £3 billion of investment and 24,000 jobs by 2030.

Solent’s own developments are an essential part of that vision, and our skilled, work-ready graduates will be well placed to contribute to a thriving local economy.

Key to this goal is fostering a passion for learning early on, which is why I’m delighted Solent is helping launch the Children’s University in Southampton and the New Forest. This venture is a real boost to the aspirations of today’s children, helping create the passionate, high-achieving graduates of tomorrow.

Meanwhile our Solent Creatives and Solent Productions agencies continue to provide innovative services to local businesses, giving students valuable experience and a working portfolio that will serve them well in the future.

Send your news, views, queries and comments to: the Press and PR Officer, Southampton Solent University, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0RB T. 023 8031 9040 E. press.office@solent.ac.uk

Student work is very much in the spotlight as we head into degree show season, as Southampton’s first fashion week opens in the stylish surroundings of Oxford Steet. Organised and run by Solent students and staff, in collaboration with local businesses, the event aims to put the city firmly on the fashion map.

Designed and published by: Southampton Solent University’s Marketing and Communications Service.

PUBD2013-03-0807 Printed by: Cedar Press.

Technical students will also have their chance to impress future employers at the WRTI Technology Innovation Awards, while I’m looking forward to Solent’s first employability and enterprise awards later in May.

From looking forward to looking back, the recent Vinyl Memories exhibition at Solent Showcase was a nostalgic look at the albums accompanying life’s formative moments. Vinyl sales are still strong in this age of digital downloads, so who knows what other developments the future will hold? I look forward to finding out.

NEW FACILITIES | ISSUE 10

Expansion plans at Southampton Solent University An exciting new teaching and learning building is scheduled to open at Southampton Solent University by 2015.

Southampton Solent University has unveiled the first artist’s impression of the University’s new teaching and learning building, due to be completed in 2015.

The new building represents the first phase of an exciting series of developments which will eventually include a new sports and sports science complex, a landscaped plaza and a more unified, accessible campus with better facilities for students, staff and visitors.

An impressive atrium A spectacular atrium will form the central hub of the new teaching and learning block, measuring 18 metres across and including a suspended ‘pod’ space where teaching and other events can take place. Complete with a viewing platform above, looking out over the whole atrium and to the parks beyond, it will form an impressive centrepiece to the new central concourse of the University.

The atrium will be a dynamic, fluid space where students can meet and socialise and where exhibitions, gatherings and informal art, cinema and other events can also be staged.

Better facilities The teaching and learning rooms in the new £25 million block will have stateof-the-art lighting, ventilation, acoustics and equipment and will create a more central and accessible teaching area for the University. Beneath the atrium there’ll be a series of underground lecture theatres, one of them arranged in an oval ‘Harvard’ style.

“The new building will be built alongside the Sir John Everett Millais building and will be linked to the rest of the East Park Terrace site through the atrium, enabling students to move more freely from one part of the campus to another,” said Southampton Solent University Director of Estates and Facilities David Corless.

“It will be predominantly naturally ventilated and designed to have a high environmental performance to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.”

The Solent buzz Southampton Solent University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Mike Wilkinson said the new building will make a major

difference to the experience of students and staff.

“The central area of the University will become an exciting and dynamic environment with a real buzz about it. There will be fashion shows, film showings, open days, informal learning events and all sorts of activities taking place at different times, making it a lively and inspiring place to be,” he said.

“

The central area will become an exciting and dynamic environment with a real buzz.

”

Spring 2013 | 3

ISSUE 10 | LEARNING

Solent helps launch Children’s University It’s fun, it’s engaging and it’s exciting! The Children’s University is coming to Southampton and the New Forest.

4 | Spring 2013

LEARNING | ISSUE 10 Southampton and the New Forest are to get their own branch of the Children’s University thanks to a partnership between Southampton Solent University, Brockenhurst College and local schools.

The Children’s University (CU) is a nationwide programme that aims to inspire, motivate and enthuse children from disadvantaged backgrounds or those from families who might otherwise not think of further or higher education as an option.

the children who have taken part. It has helped to improve children’s motivation for and enjoyment of learning.

“The Children’s University is about discovery and free-range learning,” said Ger Graus, Chief Executive of the Children’s University Trust, at a launch meeting in Southampton on 5 March.

“It’s about learning that is self-initiated, self-directed and self-sustained by children. It’s personalised learning, because the children choose when and where to go. The children become agents of their own change.”

Each CU has its own Chancellor. When the New Forest and Southampton CU launches in summer 2013 this will be Aaron Phipps, a former Great Britain wheelchair rugby player and London 2012 Paralympic athlete, who was born in Southampton.

How does the CU work?

In partnership with local schools, who join up voluntarily, the CU encourages children aged from 7 to 14 years (and 5 and 6-year-olds with their families) to develop a passion for learning by offering them a range of exciting extra-curricular activities and events. Some of these are after-school or holiday activities offered on school sites while others involve visits to accredited and evaluated ‘learning destinations’, such as museums, libraries, businesses, art galleries, exhibitions, parks, sports activities, university lectures or other locations where children can learn about new things.

The brainchild of education expert Sir Tim Brighouse, former Schools Commissioner for London, and developed in consultation with children, the Children’s University has been a huge success both in the UK and in other countries around the world.

Does it achieve results?

Independent evaluation of the scheme by Professor John MacBeath of the University of Cambridge in 2012 concluded that the Children’s University has had a significant impact on the attainment, aspirations, achievement and school attendance of

Solent and the CU Solent’s role in the development of the local branch will benefit not only local children but also the University’s students. They will be able to gain valuable experience through helping to run CU-accredited activities such as sports activities, taster days, after-school clubs, music workshops, arts sessions, CU graduation ceremonies and more.

“We already run many partnership events and outreach activities with schools, such as taster days, presentations, master classes, summer schools, competitions, careers fairs, our Ambassador scheme and progression days,” said Partnerships Development Manager Jamie Mackay.

“The Children’s University will be an extension of that work and will help us to engage with younger children. We’ll be able to help fire their imagination and enthusiasm through events such as filming workshops, engineering exploration days, photography events and sound recording sessions. At the same time it will provide our students with rewarding opportunities for work experience.”

“We look forward to providing the opportunity for children and young people to enrich their educational experience and become proud and confident learners,” she said.

The Children’s University in brief Children pay a nominal fee for a passport for learning, which they then get stamped at different learning destinations that they visit. After completing 30, 65 or 100 hours of activity they then achieve bronze, silver or gold certificates, with CU postgraduate and doctorate levels eventually awarded above these hours.

All children taking part in the scheme in different localities attend an annual graduation ceremony at a local college, university or other prestigious venue, complete with mortar boards and gowns, where family, friends and others can celebrate their success.

The CU in numbers • 2,625,000 hours of CU learning by 7 to 14 year olds in England in 2012.

• 250,000 passports for learning in use since 2009.

• 3,000 schools and academies are engaged with CU in England.

• 5,000 learning destinations, of which 2,200 are publicly accessible to children using their passports.

• 32,500 – the number of bronze, silver and gold awards to CU graduands in 2012.

• 136,000 CU participants aged 5 to 14 in the UK in 2012.

• CU organisations also exist in Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales, and in Australia, Belize, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of South Africa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the USA and in Service Children’s Education schools around the world.

To find out more about the Children’s University go to www.childrensuniversity.co.uk or to complete an expression of interest visit: www.solent.ac.uk/childrensuniversity

Di Roberts, Principal of Brockenhurst College, said the partnership will respond to the needs of the local community in the New Forest and Southampton.

Spring 2013 | 5

ISSUE 10 | MARITIME

Yacht design wins round the world success Fathers and sons, famous designers and world-class skippers – they’ve all been students on Southampton Solent University’s renowned yacht design course, which saw its success reflected in the Vendée Globe this year.

This page: Tanguy de Lamotte at the Vendée Globe.

Over: Warwick and Jami’s new design–the B45, Warwick and Jami Buckley.

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MARITIME | ISSUE 10

Solent University’s prestigious BEng (Hons) Yacht and Powercraft Design course has been running for over 40 years and has an enviable reputation worldwide. But now the course has achieved even greater heights with a series of successes in the Vendée Globe, one of the world’s toughest singlehanded, round-the-world yacht races.

Former course student Guillaume Verdier, who runs his naval architecture business from Morbihan in Brittany, designed the yachts that came both first and second in the Vendée Globe this year. Another former Solent student, skipper Tanguy de Lamotte, was also tenth over the finishing line this January, completing the race in 98 days, 21 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds.

These wins are just the latest in a series of successes for this highly-regarded course, which has a long history of inspiring the yacht and powercraft designers of the future.

So what is the secret of its success, and why do current and former students speak so highly of the course, its tutors and the opportunities it has created for them?

These included sailing legends Dame Ellen MacArthur, Brian Thompson and Nick Moloney, who all became influential in Tanguy’s own career. Designer Allen Clarke, who co-designed Dame MacArthur’s boat Kingfisher, which helped her to achieve fame and her second-place run in the Vendée Globe in 2001, was a student on the course, along with other notable former students, such as designer Nigel Irens, Paralympic sailing gold medallist Helena Lucas and designer Marcelino Botin.

“We have students from all over the world,” said course leader Giles Barkley, Senior Lecturer in Maritime and Coastal. “They have come from New Zealand, South Africa, France, Italy, Spain and Romania. We have had several fathers and sons following in the same career path and over 1000 of our graduates are now working in the industry.”

Former and current students say the course covers everything you would want to know about yacht design, including the design of motor, sailing, racing and workboats, both classical and modern naval architecture techniques, hydrodynamics, boat manufacturing methods and computeraided design.

Building on the basics The fact that the course is both comprehensive and current is vitally important, according to Giles Barkley.

“We follow the most up-to-date trends. It’s really important that the course is industryrelevant and fit for purpose. We have very good links with people in the industry and with former students,” said Giles.

“It also has applications to other industries where composites are required – one of our students has gone on to work with Formula 1 racing cars and another has done some work with the GB cycling team.”

Guillaume Verdier, who graduated from the course in 1993, said he has fond memories of the course and tutors.

Inspiring the best On his website, Tanguy de Lamotte, who attended Southampton Solent University in the late 1990s, pays tribute to his time in Southampton and to the key people he met while studying there.

“The structure of the course was so different from anything available anywhere else in Europe. It was a unique experience and it was interesting to meet students from so many different nationalities. I am very grateful to this course for giving me such a passion in life,” he said.

Keeping it in the family Jami Buckley was only eight years old when he sat in on some of his father’s lectures on the BEng (Hons) in Yacht and Powercraft Design course at Southampton Solent University. Fast forward 16 years and Jami is now doing the course himself.

Jami’s dad Warwick Buckley was 40 years old when he moved to the UK from Finland in 1997. He was already an experienced boat builder and sailor, but moved himself and his family specifically so he could do the Solent course.

“I had been in professional sailing and boat building for many years but I wanted to gain a lot more knowledge,” said Warwick.

“The course helped me a great deal with my understanding of design mathematics and many different aspects of yacht design, including computer-aided design. It was a very good move for me - the course has changed our lives.”

Warwick, along with Jami and Jami’s older brother Tommi, runs a boat building business called Composite Mouldings Group, based in Marchwood. The business builds boat structures for military and commercial use, such as police boats, pilot boats and models, using mainly glass reinforced polyester and fibre reinforced plastic.

Jami and Warwick have also designed and built their own leisure performance cruiser, called the B45, which will be launched at the Round the Island Yacht Race on the Isle of Wight in June 2013.

“If you want to know everything about what goes into a boat this is the course to do,” said Jami. “The course is continually changing to keep up with what’s happening in the maritime industry and the lecturers have brilliant contacts.The lecturers have a vast amount of knowledge and whenever you go to them with a problem they are able to help you.”

Spring 2013 | 7

ISSUE 10 | SHOWCASE

Vinyl Memories – a tribute to the power of music A recent Solent Showcase exhibition celebrated the relationship between music and memories.

David Bowie hit the number one album slot this March, last October marked 50 years since the Beatles released their first hit single Love Me Do, and vinyl album sales are experiencing an unprecedented boom.

The wave of nostalgia from members of the post-Second-World-War ‘baby boomer’ generation could be seen as a response to rapidly-changing technology, expanding waistlines or their encroaching twilight years. But few people could dispute that the 1960s and subsequent decades represented a revolution both in music and culture, and that the effect on the generations of young people who lived through them was profound.

Music and emotion This zeitgeist was captured in an exhibition

8 | Spring 2013

at Southampton Solent University’s Solent Showcase gallery this spring. A celebration of the art of vinyl album covers as well as of the music, Vinyl Memories looked at the emotions that particular albums evoke in individuals and at how the history of music and culture impacts on our lives.

Forming part of the annual Solent SMILE festival, a student-led celebration of music in and around the city, the exhibition also included a selection of original album covers designed by children from three local schools in Southampton – Bevois Town Primary, Upper Shirley High and The Gregg School.

Vinyl Memories was the brainchild of Solent Showcase Curator Les Buckingham, who contributed one of his own album covers – Who’s next, by The Who – to

the exhibition. Many of the exhibits were sourced from Solent University staff members, many with memories of the music of the seventies or eighties, though a few more recent exhibits were also included.

Renewed interest “There’s a revival of interest in vinyl,” said Les. “Plus there has been a lot of publicity about 50 years of the Beatles and renewed interest in music from that era. It’s a nostalgic idea, to revive people’s memories of the iconic albums of the past. But it felt like the right time. In the University we’re surrounded by young people, but sometimes it’s good to bring people together – both young and old and across all the different departments. Everyone was invited to contribute their memories, from cleaners to professors.”

SHOWCASE | ISSUE 10

The memories ranged from bitter sweet to joyous, sentimental to suggestive. The exhibition demonstrated that in many cases, music can be associated with youthful exuberance and longing and with both the major milestones and fleeting emotions in individual lives.

Momentous events For Professor Martin James, Senior Lecturer in Popular Music Studies, The Prodigy’s Take Me to the Hospital, reminded him of a momentous occasion. He was in Paris to interview the band when he got a call from home.

Love affairs Contributor Pete Morello talked movingly of how Rounds by Four Tet evoked feelings of a fledgling love affair, while for University receptionist and singer/ songwriter Andy Billington, Queen’s The Miracle evoked the excitement of a 14-year-old boy buying his first albums.

“I’m sitting backstage with The Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Wu Tang Clan and other assorted musicians when I get a call from my wife. She’s gone into labour with our first child and she needs me to get back home in London.

For Sally Harris, Senior Adviser at the Students’ Information Centre, The Sisters EP

by Pulp represented a world of promise.

“The cover implied [a world] filled with the possibility of passion, illicit desire, hiding in wardrobes, sleeping with your sister’s boyfriend, running from the threat of matching knitwear and endless domestic routines. The songs made me believe I could escape a life of his ‘n’ hers, which is exactly what you should believe when you are 19,” she wrote.

“Luckily The Prodigy stepped in, found me space in their plane, sorted me a car (with driver) at the airport and within a couple of hours I was home.”

Those kinds of memories remain with you for life, and the music that accompanies them can bring a sense of the event flooding vividly back with just a few bars.

“

The songs made me believe I could escape a life of his ‘n’ hers, which is exactly what you should believe when you are 19.

”

Arrivals’ triumphant first performance in the Guildhall a few hours before. No doubt the music of SMILEfest 2013 will evoke a few memories of its own, in years to come.

This year’s SMILEfest saw more than a few such moments, from Jon McClure of headline act Reverend and the Makers’ impromptu post-gig busking in Guildhall Square to Solent Sound winners The

from top left: Solent Showcase Curator Les Buckingham.

Solent SMILE – an annual festival of music and debate.

Spring 2013 | 9

ISSUE 10 | PARTNERSHIPS

NEWS IN BRIEF

Partnerships boost for the

Southampton Solent Business School Partnerships with business are central to the work of the Southampton Solent Business School. Now this work is expanding with the development of bespoke courses for local employers.

New Dean of the Maritime and Technology Faculty appointed Southampton Solent University welcomes Dr John Chudley as the new Dean of the Maritime and Technology Faculty.

He joins the University from the National Apprenticeships Service (NAS), where he was a Director, having previously been an Area Director for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). During his time with the NAS he was instrumental in the development of Higher Apprenticeships.

Prior to taking up his position with the LSC, Dr Chudley held positions of Head of Department of Mechanical and Marine Engineering and Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Plymouth.

He has a strong commitment to industry-relevant education and higher level skills and sees many opportunities to further develop these concepts into his new faculty’s portfolio.

Dr Chudley said he was excited by the challenge of his new role.

“What attracted me to higher education was the fact that Solent isn’t trying to be the same as all the rest. A couple of its objectives are around inclusive and flexible forms of higher education,” he said.

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Southampton Solent Business School has embarked on a series of partnership projects that are proving fruitful for both the University and local businesses.

Solent’s School of Art and Design already has well-established links with retailer B&Q, whose headquarters are based in Southampton. Now this relationship has been extended to the Southampton Solent Business School, which is providing tailor-made courses in marketing for B&Q staff. The Business School has also been working closely with the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) to accredit leadership and management training for over 300 of the trust’s employees.

Retail Safari As a forerunner to the work with B&Q, 75 of the company’s employees attended a Retail Safari event at the University on 27 February. The day acted as a taster session to further proposed training and

encouraged B&Q employees to explore marketing ideas linked to the company’s main aims.

Students from the BA (Hons) Marketing, BA (Hons) Business Studies and BA (Hons) Business Management courses helped out with the Retail Safari, giving them the opportunity to gain vital experience and to build networks with employers.

A Professional Development Unit (PDU) in marketing and agency management has been developed specifically for B&Q staff, and will start in the summer term.

The 10-week course, accredited by the University, will provide training for between 10-15 people at a time.

The University also hopes to introduce a foundation degree, top-up and Master’s-level degree in retailing in the near future, to meet a skills and training gap in this area.

PARTNERSHIPS | ISSUE 10

NEWS IN BRIEF

“These types of partnerships have immense value both for the University and for business,” said Louise Hunt, Senior Lecturer in Retail Marketing.

Georgina Andrews, Director of the Southampton Solent Business School, said the partnership initiatives are part of a wider strategy.

“In future there could be further benefits for our students, such as work placements or live briefs, giving them useful experience. Part of our specialist offering as a University relates to our industryrelevant courses. Being able to share our expertise and to meet the needs of specific businesses through bespoke courses is a further extension of that offer.”

“Our Solent Marketing Network brings together marketing practitioners, professionals and academics for complementary networking opportunities and we also welcome businesses to join our Human Resource Management Network and Southampton City Law Network. We are very keen to engage with businesses and employers and to be a business school for businesses,” she said.

Leadership in the health sector The Business School’s partnership agreement with the UHS dates from November 2011. Over the last year the School has run part-time PDU training courses in leadership and management for trust employees in a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical roles, such as midwives, pharmacists, nurses, IT specialists and human resource managers.

To find out more about partnerships with Southampton Solent University, contact Partnerships Development Manager Jamie Mackay on tel 023 8031 9647 or email jamie.mackay@solent.ac.uk

Southampton Solent University welcomes Paul Colbran as its new Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

He joins the University from Brighton & Hove City Council, where he was Chief Information Officer and Head of IT. During his time there, Paul delivered an ICT strategy and a technology roadmap supporting the Council’s 10year Access Vision for public services.

With a focus on driving business and customer value from information assets, he oversaw the delivery of a programme supporting improved customer access and experience and developed a digital inclusion strategy.

Paul also led the modernisation of the Council’s ICT approach to engagement with its customers and developing technology solutions as a strategic partner.

The courses, ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate level and with content developed in association with Business School staff, are delivered on-site at the University by UHS trainers and are accredited by the University.

“The feedback has been very positive,” said Principal Lecturer Susan Patrick. “As a Business School it’s important for us to be able to work with one of the region’s largest employers and to apply our business expertise to the health sector.

The leadership development work has also had a strong impact on the trust. It has been a very good working relationship.”

University appoints new Director of ICT

He started his career in the Army, where he specialised in the field of electronics and logistics before moving into IT and studying for his HND at Solent when it was an Institute.

B&Q employees market their ideas at the Retail Safari

Paul is looking forward to having the opportunity to develop technologies that deliver the best possible customer experience – both for students and staff – and to providing a proactive service that can help shape the future of the University.

Spring 2013 | 11

ISSUE 10 | SPORT

Solent Sharks continue the Paralympic legacy A brand new wheelchair rugby team, supported by Southampton Solent University, is bringing together players of all ages.

ÂŁ44,000 has been invested in the new Solent Sharks wheelchair rugby team.

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SPORT | ISSUE 10

NEWS IN BRIEF

GBWR Paralympians – L-R: Kylie Grimes, Ross Morrison and Aaron Phipps

After a fantastic summer of sport in 2012, Southampton Solent University is continuing the Paralympic Games legacy with the launch of a brand new wheelchair rugby team.

The newly-formed Team Solent Sharks was launched in March. The team features Team GB Paralympic star Aaron Phipps and is coached by fellow Paralympian Ross Morrison.

Solent University has invested £44,000 in the club, aiding the purchase of 12 state-of-the-art bespoke wheelchairs from Roma Medical. The University also provides a training ground and administrative support.

Sport science expertise The club is supported by the University’s Sport Science department, including Associate Professor Dr Stewart Bruce-Low who acted as a strength and conditioning consultant for the GBWR team ahead of the Paralympic Games last summer.

Phil Green, Director of Sport Solent, said carrying on the Paralympic legacy is vital.

“We are pleased to carry on the momentum that began at last summer’s Games by providing funding, facilities and sport science support to the club.

This new development adds to the Team Solent portfolio, which now stretches to over 30 clubs.

“Solent’s excellent sport science team was very much involved with the GBWR team in the build-up to the Paralympics last year and we are looking at the potential to develop this further with research possibilities in training techniques as well as the equipment that is used.”

A first for Hampshire Peter Hull MBE, County Development Officer for Disability Sport, said wheelchair rugby has changed the image of disability sport.

“Team Solent Sharks is a first in Hampshire, where players of varying ages and genders come to train. Some of the players had never taken part in sport and others couldn’t find a sport they liked until they found rugby.”

Solent Sharks features a development squad and an elite team. The development squad will focus on recreational sport involving players of all ages, from children to adults, and will also help players increase their skills to play for the elite team in the longer term.

The elite team will play competitively in the Super Series, a selection of national competitions run by the national governing body GBWR. Since making its Paralympic debut in Sydney in 2000, wheelchair rugby has gone from strength to strength, with tickets for the sport selling out in record time at last year’s Games.

Watch out, there’s a rhino about!

The University has designed a life-size rhino statue as part of Marwell Wildlife’s Go! Rhinos campaign.

The city-wide public art project aims to showcase the region’s artistic talent while highlighting the importance of conservation.

‘Reggie’, as the rhino was named after a student vote, was artworked by thirdyear BA (Hons) Illustration student Matt Jacobs.

Championing enterprise Solent University has launched its first ever Employability and Enterprise Awards to recognise the outstanding achievements of students, graduates and staff.

The awards reflect the University’s commitment to nurturing innovation and employability in its students, graduates and staff. There are six awards, each with a value of £5,000.

Richard Blackwell, Deputy ViceChancellor responsible for employability and enterprise, said: “I am delighted that we are able to recognise the outstanding efforts of students and staff in employability and enterprise through this new programme of awards. I hope that this programme will stimulate evergrowing interest in these mission-critical activities.”

Winners will be announced in May.

Spring 2013 | 13

ISSUE 10 | DEGREE SHOWS 2013

In the SPOTLIGHT

Every year Southampton Solent University holds a series of events to showcase the work of its students to businesses, partners and members of the community. Here’s a round-up of events taking place in 2013.

Southampton Fashion Week 2013

Southampton Fashion Week is set to be a grand affair this year with a series of city-centre events that will bring together the University, business and the local community.

There will be a multi-cultural theme to Solent’s annual fashion show and exhibition, which celebrates the achievements of the University’s 1000-plus fashion students. For the first time there will also be business events, conferences and other activities associated with the show in a week-long celebration in May. Events will take place in locations in and around Southampton including in Re:So, the University’s own boutique gallery in The Marlands Centre.

The week is being organised by Southampton Solent University final-year students on the BA (Hons) Fashion Management with Marketing course, in collaboration with students studying fashion design, fashion promotion, fashion public relations, fashion photography, fashion styling, make-up and hair design. It aims to put the City of Southampton firmly on the fashion map.

“It’s very exciting,” said Head of Fashion Suzie Norris. “In the past our fashion show has involved students, parents and local schools and colleges, but now we are also reaching out to the business community in Southampton and to local people, who will be able to attend some of the events. The multi-cultural theme will also represent all the different cultures in the city.

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“The fashion industry is growing and is an important part of the economy, so it is good to involve the local business community.

Southampton Fashion Week will also be a valuable opportunity to showcase the work of our fashion students and to bring fashion to a wider audience.”

For further information and to book tickets visit www. southamptonfashionweek.com Southampton Fashion Week is the start of a busy period for Solent fashion students, who will also exhibit at the Free Range fashion show and exhibition in London at the end of May and at Graduate Fashion Week in London in June. Fashion students also compete to write, edit and produce the fashion school’s prestigious Third Floor publication, which consists of fashion industry news, fashion photography, styling and interviews.

Southampton Fashion Week takes place from Monday 20 to Friday 24 May. For full details of events please visit www.solent.ac.uk

DEGREE SHOWS 2013 | ISSUE 10

Open house for Art and Design There’ll be some lively activity at the University’s School of Art and Design in June, when studios and workspaces at the Below Bar premises will be cleared to make way for an exhibition of students’ work.

The galleries will be open to the public, industry representatives, families and friends for a week, following a private viewing on the evening of Friday 14 June.

Final year students from degree courses in Illustration, Graphic Design, Fine Art and Interior Design (Decoration) will exhibit their work, while Product Design students will also get to display their designs in the Re:So retail space in The Marlands Shopping Centre in the city centre.

The best students’ work from Illustration and Graphic Design courses will also be exhibited at the D&AD New Blood exhibition in London in July, which is attended by leading industry experts, design and communications agencies and other professionals.

“D&AD is an excellent industry platform and offers great opportunities for students

“

After D&AD I got some interest from a few agencies, inviting me to portfolio interviews.

This led me to be where I am now, signed to an agent who then got me my first commission in a magazine.

”

Nate Kitch BA (Hons) Illustration, Graduate, 2012

who exhibit there,” said Peter Lloyd, Head of the School of Art and Design. “Lots of the students were offered internships, freelance work or jobs last year and our Illustration and Graphic Design students also picked up three best in show awards. The degree show in Southampton is also a good platform for students and we get local businesses attending as well as some London-based companies and agencies.”

So they don’t miss out, other students from these courses also spend their final year fundraising, in order to rent gallery space near D&AD. In that way, all the students are able to showcase their work to the industry at the same time as D&AD.

Final year students studying Computer and Video Games and Animation, based at the East Park Terrace site, also produce a showreel of their work, which is shown at an invitation-only event at the Harbour Lights Cinema in Southampton on 16 May. Many representatives from industry also attend.

Solent’s award-winning Photography course will exhibit final-year students’ work in the newly refurbished Media Academy from June 14 to 20. Final-year photography students will also have the chance to showcase their work at The Print Space in London from June 4 to 14.

Innovation in engineering, computing and media Final year students from courses across the Maritime and Technology faculty have the chance to impress potential employers by competing for the department’s Wessex Round Table of Inventors (WRTI) Technology Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by the WRTI, are only open to Solent University students and cover courses in Engineering, Business IT, Media Technology, Computing, Software Engineering, Computer Games Development and Computer Networking.

The top projects meeting the selection criteria are nominated for the awards, with winners announced at a ceremony in June. This year’s event, attended by

industry representatives, will take place in the Southampton Solent University Conference Centre on 12 June. There is a cash prize of £250 for the most innovative and commercial projects, in three categories.

Last year’s entries included a garden landscaping website, an online store selling laptops and phone covers, an online log book system for competitive swimmers, a marina alarm system, a cloud computing project, internet security tools, a ‘green’ business initiative for Gambia, a leak detector for air data computers and a sustainable energy project, among many others.

“We encourage students to apply and then we nominate the top ten from

each of the three areas to go forward for the awards,” said Nick Woodfine, Academic Leader for Engineering. “It’s a great opportunity for the students to add to their CVs and to meet potential employers. If they are successful in exhibiting at the event or in winning one of the awards it helps to raise their profile and to obtain further exposure or even employment.”

All final year students on the contributing courses also have the opportunity to exhibit their final year projects internally at the annual poster presentation event, which takes place in May. As well as being presented to peers, staff and other students, the students’ work is also formally assessed as part of this event.

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ISSUE 10 | TECHNOLOGY

“

You need to affect the minimum number of people but make the best possible noise for customers

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Understanding acoustics A recent conference on Noise in Music and Entertainment reflected the growing portfolio of Solent Acoustics, the professional acoustics consultancy of Southampton Solent University.

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TECHNOLOGY | ISSUE 10

element of our courses at Solent. We are specialists in training, education and continuing professional development in areas related to noise and acoustics.

Consultancy services range from sound insulation testing, through environmental and occupational noise measurements to contract research for product development,” said Dr Barlow.

Noise management is a growing area of work Solent’s recent Noise in Music and Entertainment Conference, which took place in March, drew almost 100 delegates.

Organised by University consultancy Solent Acoustics, it featured a programme of lectures of particular interest to those who organise festivals and musical entertainment.

The conference reflects the growing influence and expertise of Solent Acoustics in the important area of noise management, noise pollution and acoustics.

Headed by Dr Christopher Barlow, Associate Professor, the consultancy is part of the Solent Centre for Innovation and Design at Southampton Solent University and draws on staff with both academic research and industrial consultancy backgrounds.

Active in research, with his main interest in musical acoustics, Dr Barlow originally obtained funding for a project looking at environmental noise. Now the group looks at all aspects of acoustics.

Noise is everywhere “Noise affects all industries – for instance the implementation of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 is a concern for many businesses,” said Dr Barlow. “Noise occurs in every manufacturing sector, from yacht building to the automotive industry.

The military has an ongoing interest in acoustics when it comes to avoiding detection. If you think about noise at work in entertainment, the noise is the product that attracts the paying public – but it’s still considered an occupational risk for employees. Music venues and festivals also have to comply with legislation on noise disturbance.”

Acoustics training Dr Barlow identified a market for professional training and consultancy two

years ago. Now there are four full-time staff and three other academic and technical staff involved.

“On the training side, accreditation with the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) has enabled us to provide highly recognised qualifications at certificate and diploma level. The former is a one-week intensive course, concluding with written and practical examinations.

Students can apply for Technician Membership of the IOA on successful completion. We deliver two of these courses – one for the construction industry and the other for environmental noise management, which is enforced by environmental health officers.

“The diploma is a year-long course at postgraduate level, looking at a far wider range of topics. Since we built new laboratories at Solent we teach the diploma fully in-house. The qualification is equivalent to half a Master’s degree and is delivered flexibly so that students can study and work.”

The diploma is a core entry qualification for becoming a full IOA member and is a route to Chartered Engineer status.

Solent is also developing bespoke training and continuing professional development courses for companies in fields such as naval architecture, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and for local authorities.

Noise at home Due in part to pressure from the EU, sound power measurement is also important for white goods, including home printers, washing machines and vacuum cleaners.

The development arm is growing through engagement with employers. Dr Barlow’s team conducts research with companies for noise control in products and test prototypes. The team is currently working with Strategic Audiology Services in Somerset to develop an improved product for audiometric screening.

Music and noise pollution At the Noise in Music and Entertainment Conference, delegates heard how location and geography can make a big difference.

For residents living next to a multi-storey golf driving range, repetitive clicks of golf balls fired at a rate of three per minute may create a nuisance.

For festivals, there may be an uncontrollable element due to changeable weather, as a 10 decibel shift in noise may be weatherrelated. Use of the landscape can help - putting events in natural ‘bowls’, for example, can help reduce levels of noise for local residents.

For huge festivals such as Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight, infrastructure is paramount. “You need to affect the minimum number of people but make the best possible noise for customers,” said Dr Barlow.

For further information: Tel: 023 8031 9288 Email: acoustics@solent.ac.uk http://acoustics.solent.ac.uk Solent’s new Hemi-Anechoic Chamber and Acoustics Lab will be officially opened in May. This article was reproduced from a feature that appeared in The Business Magazine.

“Correct measurements are vital, therefore testing and training are an important Spring 2013 | 17

ISSUE 10 | NEWS ROUND UP

The Colour of Love – celebrating the city’s Black History

Second birthday marks creative success Solent Creatives celebrated two milestones in March its second birthday and 1000th unique job request from industry.

The University hosted an educational and cultural debate on campus in March as part of the Black History film, The Colour of Love Revisited which is being produced in partnership with the University.

Twenty-one years ago, championed and produced by Black Historian Don John, the original version of the film focused on the views of mixed-race relationships in the city of Southampton. The Revisited version, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, looks at the city as a ‘gateway’ to this culture and examines how views about mixed race relationships may have changed 21 years later.

Solent University is a long-term supporter of the city’s Black History Month, having hosted many exhibitions and celebratory events.

Don John, organiser of the city’s annual Black History Month celebrations, produced the original video and is now seeing it brought back to life with the aid of the University’s Television and Video Production team. The video also features international pop stars Craig David and Omar, who share a close relationship with the city.

Don says: “The film explores the issues of mixed-race relationships and examines how this dynamic affects a community’s sense of who we are. The film was previously well received and we are looking forward to adding the 2013 debate to the new version.”

The new DVD will be made available to educational and community institutions and online and examines the importance of communities staying in touch with their own ethnic history and cultures.

Further information is available at don@donjohn.co.uk.

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The creative media agency, part of Southampton Solent University, links businesses with students in the creative industries. Since its launch in March 2011, the agency has offered 1,000 unique creative opportunities to the 900 students registered on its database.

Clients include the NHS, Sainsburys, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Southampton Airport.

Based within Solent University’s media faculty, students’ skills span a wide variety of disciplines – from graphics, web design and social media development to marketing, screenwriting and video production. In recent months the agency has expanded into offering students with expertise in web design, business management and software engineering.

As well as providing a unique opportunity for industry to tap into the talent pool at Solent, it also instills employability and enterprise among students by providing the fundamental skills required to work as a freelancer or set up a small business.

Client Jan Halliday, Director of Marketing and Communications at Southampton Airport, said she was pleased with the work of students involved in the launch of the Airport’s YouTube channel.

“We have been thoroughly impressed by the professionalism of the students involved in this project, from the initial creative ideas through to their conduct during the filming and by the production quality,” she said.

A showreel featuring the work of 37 students can be viewed online at http:// vimeo.com/solentcreatives/showreel More information and contact details can be found at www.solentcreatives.co.uk

NEWS ROUND UP | ISSUE 10

Solent Productions award Southampton Solent University’s media production company, Solent Productions, has been shortlisted for a prestigious film award for the third year running.

The nomination, for the British Universities Film & Video Council Learning on Screen Awards 2013, is for a series of films designed to improve patients’ recovery after operations.

Both staff and students were involved in helping to produce the films, which took over 12 months to make. Produced for NHS South of England and NHS South Central, they are aimed at trainee doctors and patients. They explain how the Enhanced Recovery Programme (ERP) helps to improve patient care by giving patients more choice and information about their treatments and through involving them more closely in their own rehabilitation.

Dr Geoff Watson, from the Planned Care Programme at NHS South of England,

Student film shortlisted for national television award

said the videos had already been seen by thousands of patients and health professionals in the south.

“The Solent Productions team were able to capture the stories of a number of people approaching major surgery and follow them through the trials and tribulations of decision making and surgery. The team worked incredibly hard to capture these stories, with long days travelling around the south of England and spent in operating theatres, outpatient clinics, hospital wards, patients’ homes and the editing suite.

This was a very complex, involved piece of work and the end result has exceeded our expectations in every way.”

Solent Productions has previously been nominated twice for the same awards, for a film about family group conferences for the charity Daybreak in 2011 and for a film about inhaler techniques for the NHS in 2012.

Students from Southampton Solent University are celebrating after hearing that their short horror film, The Marrowing, has been shortlisted for the Royal Television Society’s (RTS) Student Television Awards 2012.

The glittering industry event, which celebrates the best in student television across the UK, will take place on Friday 17 May at the Barbican, London and will be hosted by Lucy Beaumont, winner of the BBC New Comedy Award 2012.

The film, which tells the story of an elderly couple who go to murderous lengths to have their marrow take the top prize at the local fete, was selected following its success at the regional RTS Awards earlier this year, where it won the best Undergraduate Entertainment category.

Co-written by Hayley Smith, who currently works for the University’s media production company Solent Productions, and Comedy – Writing and Performance graduate Rob Jones, The Marrowing will go head-to-head with Newport Film School and National Film School Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology for the national prize.

“Our regional win was hugely gratifying, but to be selected for the national final is fantastic,” said Hayley.

Hospital showcases student art School of Art and Design students have been using their artwork to brighten up hospital walls as part of a new collaboration with the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

The pieces will be displayed over various areas of the hospital from May 2013 to both enhance the hospital environment and enrich the patient experience while providing real-life work experience for prospective creative industry professionals.

Hayley and Rob called on former coursemates Matthew Wootton (producer), Tom Perrigo (DOP, camera), Lloyd Thompson (production manager), Lewis Walsh (production assistant) and Jonathan Schofield (post-production) to form the production crew, while BA (Hons) Special Effects students were drafted in to help create some of the gore.

“As well as the hard work and creativity of the team, the film’s success is down to the support of the lecturers and technical staff who gave us the opportunity to explore our creative passions and hone our technical skills,” said Hayley.

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ISSUE 10 |

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