Nexusonline AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011
Connecting the University community
Welcome to Nexus online, which will be issued electronically every second month.
This issue will feature the university’s summer honorary graduates, industry scholarships and a plethora of staff achievements. Please get in touch if you have any suggestions for stories or features for the magazine. Email your ideas to Nexus online Editor The cut-off date for articles to be included in the October / November edition is Friday 30 September. Can managers please ensure that staff without regular university email access are informed that Nexus online can be viewed from home, or in libraries and IT labs at any university site at Nexus online
(l to r): Sarah Struthers, Tim Smith, BP’s Vice President of Communications & External Affairs, and Dagmar Vyhnalkova.
and great-grandmother. The judges were particularly impressed by Sarah’s work which aims to find solutions to fabric waste in modern day society. The BP Fine Art Award was won by photographic and electronic media student Dagmar Vyhnalkova. Dagmar’s work includes a collection of stunning photographs based on things that are around her in her everyday life. The judges were particularly impressed by Dagmar’s idea of seeing a picture as an entrance into a world which has different logics depending on the thought processes of the viewer. In addition to the main prizes, Hannah Harkes and Ferne McIntosh were highly commended in the BP Fine Art category. Kevin Cameron and Natalie Lozano were also commended in the BP Design Award.
Gray’s Degree Show and Scott Sutherland End of Year Shows 2011 The winners of this year’s BP Design Award and BP Fine Art Award were presented with specially commissioned trophies and a cheque for £500 each on 17 June at the opening night of Gray’s School of Art Degree Show 2011, sponsored by BP for the eighth year. The BP Design Award was won by fashion design student Sarah Struthers who created a highly decorative series of garments all made from recycled clothes left to Sarah by her grandmother
An award ceremony to recognise the top students at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment launched the 2011 End of Year Show on 15 June. Among the students accepting awards were Fiona Martin and Blair MacIntyre. Fiona received a certificate of commendation in the Aberdeen Civic Medal category for her design of a sheltered housing facility on Jack’s Brae in Aberdeen. Blair was selected for the Best Stage Four Architectural Technology Student accolade for his design of a new artist quarter in Govan’s graving docks.
University continues to dominate graduate employment figures The university has performed extremely well in the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) graduate with 95.7% graduates or graduates engaged inemployed further study six months after study employment figures, coming top of in its Scotland withemployed 95.7% of its or engaged in further completing theircompleting studies. their studies. six months after Indeed, leaving aside the position of graduates of smaller specialist institutions, Robert Gordon University comes top nationally, followed by Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln with 95.5% and The University of Surrey with 94.8%.
Head of School of Applied Social Studies retires
Breaking down bars: occupational therapy students work with prisoners to improve health
Professor Joyce
(Back l to r): Third-year OT students Amanda Gibson, Beata Czesak-Jamora, Deniece Henderson, Katherine Flynn with prisoners at HM Aberdeen Prison.
Lishman, Head of School of Applied Social Studies, retired on the 30 June after 26 years with the university and 18 years as Head of School.
Release from prison can be a difficult and stressful time for prisoners looking to move on with their lives. To help address this, third-year occupational therapy students from the School of Health Sciences recently embarked on an enterprise project with prisoners at HM Prison in Aberdeen.
Joyce was instrumental in raising the profile of social work education to such a level that the School is now recognised as one of the best providers of social work education in the UK. The roles of Acting Head of School and Associate Head of School have been filled by Professor Stephen Vertigans and Terry McLean respectively.
The main aim of the project was for students to develop their occupational therapy theory and practice coupled with enterprise skills by working with a group or community to actively involve them in the design of a product or service specific to their needs. Students created an information leaflet for prisoners entitled, ‘What’s Next?’, providing information on key health issues and potential health risks, support for job training, benefits and accommodation information. The prisoners were keen to be involved in the project and were key to informing and designing the leaflet. The leaflet had a health promotion and improvement focus as an aim, to prevent or reduce some of the health and social problems prisoners experience upon release from prison.
SPECIAL FEATURES
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Summer Graduation Scholarships People Power International Focus
Stephanie Morrison, Lecturer in occupational therapy who led the project, said, “Prisoners come into prison with a range of complex health and social issues such as health inequalities, mental and physical health problems attributed to alcohol and drugs, lack of appropriate life skills and poor coping strategies. “The success of this project has been the positive interaction between students and the prisoners. Working in partnership with the prison staff was also crucial to the successful outcome of the project. The students have not only built upon their occupational therapy expertise, they have developed valuable enterprise and problem solving skills by providing a resource for common problems experienced by prisoners upon release from prison.” Student Amanda Gibson said, “Working with the prisoners also emphasised the potential role of occupational therapy in community reintegration programmes for prisoners.” To celebrate the success of the leaflet and team working with Aberdeen Prison, the occupational therapy students visited the prisons link centre with university staff for a presentation and reception with Prison Governor Audrey Mooney and Roz McCurrach, Head of Offenders Outcomes.
CBI Adviser addresses local business community at the university Ian McCafferty, Chief Economic Adviser to the CBI, addressed an invited audience of over 60 guests, including local MSPs, representatives from the City and Shire Councils including Lord Provost Peter Stephen, and members of the local business and academic communities, at an event at the university on 5 July. During the course of the event, Ian outlined the CBI’s views on current economic conditions and the implications of these for the oil and gas sector, before conducting a question and answer session with the audience.
UK first in new LabVIEW Academy
Rt Hon John Bercow MP visits university Researcher James Philp and lecturer Dr Dallia Ali get to grips with the system.
The School of Engineering has announced plans to launch an innovative industrial instrumentation engineering programme in September that aims to bring industry and academia closer together. The first of its kind in the UK, the School of Engineering’s LabVIEW Academy and Industrial instrumentation facility has been developed in close collaboration with industry and National Instruments (NI), one of the world’s leading providers of software and hardware for measurement and control. The programme has been designed to bridge the recognised gap between state-of the-art technology, academia and current industry requirements in the area of applied instrumentation. It will be suitable for all technological disciplines including civil, mechanical, electrical and biomedical engineering. The NI LabVIEW Academy will act as a central theme in this newlydevised programme. For more information click here.
The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the Commons, visited the university in June and met with students, staff and key members of local authorities and businesses in an event delivered in association with the UK Parliament’s Outreach Service. The visit commenced with lunch where he engaged informally with guests, followed by the Speaker’s address, and an opportunity to take part in a questions and answer session. The visit was part of a nationwide programme designed to promote engagement with the UK Parliament. Over the last 12 months he has met with a wide variety of organisations to highlight the ways in which individuals and groups can work with MPs and members of the House of Lords, as well as discuss the ways in which engagement with the UK Parliament can be strengthened.
ENERGY INDUSTRY LAW CONFERENCE HAILED A SUCCESS The Department of Law co-hosted a successful conference in April focusing on the management and effective resolution of energy-related contract disputes in 21st century Scotland. The conference, entitled ‘Oil and Gas Arbitration in Scotland in the 21st Century: What You Need to Know’, jointly organised by the university, the Northern Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law Policy (CEPMLP), featured a range of high-profile speakers including Peter Rees QC, Legal Director for Royal Dutch Shell. The conference explored why arbitration in Scotland can best protect the interests of companies in a cost-effective manner, offering comparisons to other dispute resolution methods including litigation and mediation. The all-day event was attended by local academics and professionals from legal and oil and gas organisations, who attended presentations from leading practitioners in the sector, and took part in panel sessions and practical and interactive workshops. Auchie, Senior Lecturer in Law and Scottish CIArb Northern Chapter Chair, said, “The event highlighted a need to explore further links between the CIArb and the energy industry. It is clear that arbitration offers a refreshing alternative to litigation in this sector and the Northern Chapter is continuing to work on developing this option in Aberdeen.”
Hamish Dodds
University celebrates summer graduation 2011 Over 2000 students celebrated the successful culmination of their hard work as they graduated at HMT over four days from 12 July. During the ceremonies, the university conferred six honorary degrees at its graduation ceremonies to: leading architect John Halliday from Halliday Fraser Munro; influential international politician Lord Robertson; Hamish Dodds, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hard Rock International; businessman and entrepreneur Sir Bill Gammell, dancer and choreographer Michael Clark; and Professor Kevin Warwick, pioneer in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Biomedical Engineering.
Lord Robertson
Sir Bill Gammell John Halliday
Michael Clark
Professor Kevin Warwick
Global Energy hosts visit for Oil and Gas Accounting students A group of MSc Oil and Gas Accounting students recently visited GE Oil and Gas at Silverburn House, Bridge of Don. GE Oil and Gas is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the industry, from drilling and production, pipelines and storage, industrial power generation, refining and petrochemicals. The students were greeted by Stephanie Hoffman, GE’s UK Finance Manager and the seven students from the university who are currently on placement with the organisation. The students heard about the activities of the global company from members of the GE accounting and finance team who provided an overview of the products and services the company offers. Students also received a tour of the plant and saw a variety of different equipment used in offshore oil and gas production. The staff talked about what their current roles involve and the students heard about their career experiences and opportunities within the company. The MSc Oil and Gas Accounting course launched this year and the first cohort of students arrived at the university in September 2010. The course has been designed to meet the demands of the sector and tackles a full spectrum of topics including international oil and gas accounting, joint venture accounting, auditing, petroleum economics, oil and gas management and corporate financial management.
The course is attracting well-qualified students from a variety of global locations, some already holding influential positions either in the energy industry or in government departments. Karen Lund, lecturer and course leader for the MSc, said, “Visits such as these are integral to the students’ learning experience. It is important to understand the scale and size of equipment and have an appreciation for lead times, costs and related accounting systems and processes.Taking part in discussions on practical accounting and current industry finance issues with those employed in the sector was extremely beneficial and helps to supplement students’ formal classroom learning.” Student Lawal Mohammed adds, “The presentations based on real-life business situations really built on issues I have learned about in class. The high point of the visit for me was seeing the subsea equipment and the networking lunch which gave me an invaluable insight into the business.”
Lecturer invited to discuss BIM at university Professor Richard Laing, from the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, recently gave an invited lecture in Bristol on the topic of building information modelling and the future. Richard was invited by the University of the West of England, to speak on the topic of barriers to the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM).
(l to r): Piper Alpha Survivor, Ed Punchard, Olusola Olusuyi (RGU), Ada Bolu (AU), David Doig, group chief executive of OPITO.
Students secure Scholarships Two new Scholarships have recently been secured by the university.
The audience included over 70 representatives from industry and academia, and speakers from Constructing Excellence and Ryder Architecture. Richard has been undertaking research concerning the use of IT within architecture and built environment disciplines for many years, and the talk drew on particular studies concerning integration of BIM within design teams, and the
The first, the inaugural Piper Alpha Memorial Safety Scholarship, aims to assist young people entering the oil and gas industry, and has been launched by industry skills and safety body, OPITO. Olusola Olusuyi, known as Sola, who is currently studying MSc Management, has been awarded first place. On the night of 6 July 1988, 167 men lost their lives following an explosion on the Piper Alpha oil platform, in what remains the world’s worst offshore oil disaster. David Doig, group chief executive of OPITO said, “The Safety Scholarship provides a lasting way of paying tribute to each of the victims by ensuring those who will be responsible for taking the industry forward into the next stage of its evolution are fully aware of the need for the highest levels of safety.” Sola said, “The OPITO Piper Alpha Safety Scholarship has provided me with the financial support I need to continue my studies and work towards achieving my future career goals. I also feel highly honoured that I will be given the opportunity to meet with professionals from OPITO, which will help to broaden my understanding of the industry and allow me to develop the skills and knowledge required to contribute significantly to the future of energy.”
use of IT in conceptual design.
Scholarship success for KCA placement student Jakub Markowski, a third year Management with Economics student, is the recipient of this year’s KCA Deutag Scholarship award. Jakub will receive £2,500 which will help to support him throughout the remainder of his studies. KCA has supported Aberdeen Business School’s Placement Programme for 12 years. Each year, KCA take on students from the School for a year-long placement in various departments.
This year, eight placement students prepared a report on their experience at KCA and also gave a presentation to a judging panel as part of the selection process. Louise Milner, Senior HR Adviser at KCA, said, “We are committed to providing excellent vocational opportunities for students so that they can experience working in a fast paced, growing, and diverse organisation. The calibre of the presentations was very high and the judges were very impressed at the effort that the students had made. “
The second, the annual Zenith Undergraduate Engineering Scholarships, were sponsored by Zenith Oilfield Technology Ltd who were offered to students in their third and fourth year, a scholarship of £2,500 per year. This year they have been awarded to Magnus Barclay, MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and George Arsu, MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
Jakub (centre) with his fellow placement students, ABS and KCA staff.
(l-r): Carolyn Edmonson, Christina McIntosh, Sarah Struthers and Sian Parker, with their models to their right
Gray’s design talent leads the nominations in Scottish Fashion Awards A group of students from Gray’s School of Art celebrated their nominations for the prestigious Scottish Graduate of the Year Award, open to all of the country’s fashion students. The four final-year BA (Hons) Fashion Design students: Christina McIntosh, Sian Parker, Sarah Struthers, and Carolyn Edmondson, comprised half of all nominees in the running for the Award. While they didn’t win, they had the honour to attend the glittering Scottish Fashion Awards ceremony together in Glasgow in June. Prior to their nominations, the students submitted three designs from their collections, providing images and sketches of their designs, as well as a summary of their design philosophy. A firm fixture on the international fashion calendar, the Scottish Fashion Awards celebrates and showcases the very best of home-grown Scottish talent. Kim Eason, Head of Fashion and Textiles at the School, adds: “I’m absolutely delighted with the nominations which reflects the quality of work being produced by students on our Fashion Design course. All four girls are very deserving and talented designers, and had a great time at the Awards mixing with the crème de la crème of Scottish fashion.”
Clinical Ethicist visits Nursing and Midwifery Scholar Dr Eleanor Milligan recently visited The School of Nursing and Midwifery as part of their ‘Share’ scholarship programme. Dr Milligan is Clinical Ethicist at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane and Senior Lecturer in Medical Ethics at Griffith University School of Medicine, Queensland, Australia. Originally from Scotland, Eleanor was invited to lead the School of Nursing and Midwifery’s staff ‘Share’ session on scholarship and support in May. She facilitated a workshop session attended by around twenty staff exploring issues in ‘Ethical decision-making in health and social care’. Eleanor is co-editor of the book Confessions – Confounding Narrative and Ethics to which Dr Andrew McKie, Lecturer at The School of Nursing and Midwifery, has contributed a chapter.
(l to r): Dr McKie, Eleanor Milligan and Dr. Colin Macduff, reader at the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Energy Centre delivers first online course to the Royal Australian Navy The Energy Centre recently delivered a specialised online course in Hyperbarics and Diving Technology to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Dr Tony Morse, a lecturer within the School of Engineering, consulted with Gavin Barwick, RAN Diving Systems Engineering Manager, to design a bespoke course for the Mine Warfare Diving Team. Dr Morse has over 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry and his knowledge of diving was key to the successful delivery of the course.
Dr Morse said, “During initial consultations it became apparent that this course required a unique approach, blending a face to face induction session with predominantly online delivery. The course had to be suitable for a remote cohort of corporate students.” David Stokes, University Elearning Advisor, explains further, “Due to the diverse educational background of the learners we had to ensure course material was engaging and fit for purpose. To achieve this Dr Morse, University Contractor John Queenan and myself developed interactive content, formative assessment and forum activities on critical thinking and scenario based exercises.” Gavin Barwick, RAN Diving Systems Engineering Manager, commented, “The course has been very worthwhile for the team - we have all learnt a lot, from the complete novices to the guys that have been around these systems for 30 yrs - which was exactly what we wanted.” The Royal Australian Navy has requested a repeat run of this course for their Submarine Division. Discussions are also taking place on the development of a second course focused on ROV technology.
Student Employee of the Year Awards Caileag Walker has won the university’s ‘On Campus Student Employee of the Year’ award.
Caileag (on right), who graduated with an honours degree in International Hospitality Management, has worked for the university as student helper dealing with the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DHLE) Survey for the past two years.
Expertise in demand The expertise of Dr Arthur Stewart, Deputy Director of the university’s Centre for Obesity Research and Epidemiology (CORE), has been in high demand over the past few months, with his recent appointment as an International Olympic Committee (IOC) specialist in body composition, and his pioneering research in 3D body scanning with healthy and overweight individuals, athletes and eating disordered patients. With further projects on the horizon, there is no sign of such demand stopping anytime soon. In June 2011 he commenced a 12-week physical activity research programme using scanning and other measures in overweight individuals, with Dr Catherine Rolland (CORE), and colleagues from Queen Margaret University, funded by the Institute of Health and Welfare Research. Dr Arthur Stewart, delivered a keynote address about 3D scanning and anthropometry (body measurement) at the bi-annual conference of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK), hosted by the Lisboa University of Technology in Portugal. He has been invited to North West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa to give a similar address, and an academic writing seminar in August 2011. Due to his experience in the field of anthropometry spanning nearly three decades, Dr Stewart was nominated as the lead author of the new ISAK manual, which provides comprehensive technique guidelines, making it the foundation for all practical tuition in the ISAK Anthropometry Accreditation Scheme. Dr Stewart said, “Serving as the Vice-President of this organisation for two years has enabled me to appreciate the international efforts being made to standardise practice for body measurement, which now uses the ISAK protocol in over 50 countries worldwide.” Dr Stewart runs ISAK training courses at RGU every year (most recently in June 2011), bringing together professionals from different disciplines throughout the UK and beyond. He is also currently editing a book entitled Body Composition in Sport, Exercise and Health which will be published towards the end of the year. The idea for the book was originally that of the late Professor Tom Reilly of Liverpool John Moores University, a longstanding mentor of Dr Stewart, and supervisor of his co-editor’s PhD, Dr Laura Sutton, now at Sheffield Hallam University. Professor Reilly died not long after the viva took place in 2009, and Dr Stewart added, “It would no doubt give him pleasure to appreciate that two individuals, who always held him in the highest esteem, with a similar passion for understanding the science of body composition, will continue the project.”
L to R Emma O’Grady(Master of Pharmacy Graduate), Hamish Walker (Careers Information Co-ordinator), Will Ritchie (Careers Consultant Team Leader), Fiona Mutch(Catering Administrator)
Hamish Walker, Careers Information Co-ordinator, nominated Caileag for her commitment, reliability and motivation when participating in the collection of sensitive graduate data. Emma O’Grady, who graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Pharmacy, has won the university’s (RGU) ‘Off Campus Student Employee of the Year’ award. Emma worked at AECC whilst studying, starting off as a catering assistant before moving up to catering supervisor. Catering administrator Fiona Mutch nominated Emma for the award due to her professional attitude and commitment. The awards aim to recognise and promote the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who combine part-time work with their study commitments.
PEOPLE POWER Lecturer makes charitable donation as part of a research project into gift giving Pauline Bremner, a lecturer within Retail Management in the Department of Communication, Marketing and Media, is currently working towards her PhD with a research project that examines adults’ propensity and purchase behaviour when giving toys as gifts to children. The sample respondents of her study consisted of adults with children under the age of 11 who buy toys as gifts for children. For every completed and returned questionnaire she received, Pauline made a personal donation to ‘Save the Children’. When totaled, a cheque for £130 was presented to Fiona Douglas, Shop Leader of the Union Street branch. Fiona said, “Pauline’s donation is most welcome. Donations like this are vital to our numerous projects throughout the world, such as our current active emergency funds for Libya and Japan. On a local level, the store is always looking for more toys to sell and any donations are welcome to the Union Street branch.”
Study reveals cyber-bullying isn’t a just girls’ thing .
Pauline commented, “I am delighted to have incorporated this donation into my study and would like to add a personal thanks to all the respondents who have helped in answering the questionnaire.” (l to r): Fiona Douglas and Pauline Bremner.
A recent study led by Dr Sarah Pedersen from Aberdeen Business School has found that the current focus on cultivating online safety awareness among teenage girls may have resulted in the message that boys’ behaviour online does not need safeguards. The study showed that 50% of adolescent males admitted to being bullied and 68% carrying out bullying behaviour online. This compares to 33% and 49% of adolescent females respectively. The survey, titled ‘UK Teens’ safety awareness online – Is it a girl thing?’, was conducted to gain observations from young people across the UK on the subject of online privacy. It investigates the phenomenon of ‘frape’ among young adults in the UK which is an issue that has not been specifically studied in previous research into cyber-bullying. Dr Pedersen led the study in collaboration with Shed Media Scotland (a Shed Media company) - a leading creator and distributor of audio visual content. This partnership was coordinated by Interface - the knowledge connection for business, a centrally-funded body which specialises in matching businesses with academics from Scotland’s 25 higher education and research institutes. The study was carried out as an online flash quiz for a groundbreaking MTV.co.uk interactive drama created by Shed Media - Being Victor. The findings, which have just been submitted in the form of an academic article to the Journal of Youth Studies, suggest that this sample of 226 British young adults were mostly aware of the risks they might encounter online. However, male respondents were less safety aware than female respondents. Dr Siobhán Jordan, Director of Interface, said, “This research has come at a crucial time for the industry and adds an important insight into a growing issue. We worked with Shed Media on scoping up their particular requirements and ascertained the capability and capacity across our academic partners to deliver the project to the tight production timescales required.” Dr Pedersen is planning a further investigation into the subject focusing specifically on UK young adults’ use of Facebook.
RGU lecturer chairs national lecture given by Spirit Level author Richard Wilkinson Chris Yuill, from the School of Applied Social Studies, chaired and organised the British Sociological Association’s National Public Lecture on Equality in the British Library in London in June. The lecture was given by Richard Wilkinson, co-author of The Spirit Level, and focused on how many of the social problems faced by contemporary society are created by increasing inequality. If, as Richard argued, the gaps between the rich and the poor in the UK were not as dramatic as they currently are, then the UK could begin to reduce the sizable inequalities in life expectancy evident between the top and the bottom of the class spectrum. Reductions in inequality could also tackle issues associated with crime, violence, obesity, and drug and alcohol misuse. Countries that are more equal, such as Sweden or Japan, exhibit considerably less of those problems, with their high levels of equality being the main reason behind this. Judith Mudd, CEO of the British Sociological Association, thanked Chris for his lead role in making the event so successful.
PEOPLE POWER (l to r): Renee and Julie with the award.
SIE announces Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Dr John Park, Programme Leader in Entrepreneurship at Aberdeen Business School, has been named Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year 2010-11 by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE). The award recognises staff members from Scottish Higher Education Institutions who have made a significant contribution to entrepreneurship education either through the curriculum or as part of extra-curricular activities. Nominations are made by students and members of the enterprise education community. Dr Park is a highly experienced industry professional with an in-depth knowledge of the enterprise skills needed to succeed in business. In 2010, he set up the university’s Business Incubator Initiative, which provides additional entrepreneurship training to students and support in setting up their own businesses. Fiona Godsman, CEO of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise, said, “We’re delighted to recognise John’s strong commitment to entrepreneurship education and his excellent work with students at the university. We were particularly impressed by the nominations John received from Business Incubator students, which complements his sterling work as a member of SIE’s national network of Enterprise Managers.”
Mental Health Awards A specially-formed staff committee has recently secured double award success for its involvement in a pilot scheme to promote sport and exercise as a way of maintaining good mental wellbeing within Scottish universities.
HR team receive Award Renee Raper and Julie Skinner received the CHeRries 2011 Extraordinary Team Initiative Award in June. This was awarded for their work on the university’s Behavioural Interviewing Programme - the design, delivery and implementation of this university-wide initiative. They used a blended approach to training with an online module followed by a classroom workshop and, if required, follow-up coaching. Over 175 managers, including all the senior team, have undertaken the training and the university is now seeing real benefits in recruitment and selection. Renée and Julie collected the award on behalf of the full HR team who all played their part in the programme; from identifying behaviours for different job roles, starring in videos, and helping with the training, to supporting clients with their selection interviews. Renee and Julie would also like to thank all the staff who have supported the initiative and provided valuable feedback. If you would like more information on Behavioural Interviewing, or wish to put your name down for training, please contact either Renee or Julie, or your HR Client partner.
The scheme, called ‘Healthy Body Healthy Mind’, was jointly established last year by the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland and Scottish Universities Sport (SUS). Four institutions across the country were selected to take part in the pilot which has run for a full year. The university’s Mental Health Campaign Committee (MHCC), which comprises staff from RGU: SPORT, the student welfare advisor, a lecturer in Applied Sports and Exercise Science and students, was recently selected by the NUS and SUS as the recipient of both the Silver and Creativity awards. The former was awarded in recognition of the committee fulfilling all criteria including making issues around mental wellbeing and exercise known across the campus, plus evaluating the impact and student feedback of the committee’s activities. The latter accolade was awarded to the MHCC for surpassing expectations of what could be achieved within the given time frame. Activities carried out by the committee as part of the campaign included cycle to university events, sport days, self-defence classes, and a campuswide survey to gauge stigma surrounding mental health. Vice President of Sport Nicola Scott, who was recently voted by the student body to return to her post for a further year, was also Chair of the committee and a leading force behind the campaign. She said, “The team and I are delighted with our awards. We worked tremendously hard throughout the year to make the most of the scheme and to really get behind it. The hard work has definitely paid off and we look forward to continuing with it in the year to come and further promote the importance of good mental well being and tolerance as part of a positive university experience.”
University is a top target for Kazakhstan students The university is becoming increasingly popular for Kazakhstan students looking to study for a postgraduate degree, particularly in oil and gas related subjects. The majority of students are funded by the Kazakhstan government via their Bolashak scholarship programme. The university is one of only 29 institutions in the UK approved by the Kazakhstan government, and the only modern university in the UK to be granted this status.
(l-r): Uliana Urban, Irina Kombacheva, Natalya Ravdina from the British Council, Svetlana Skarlosh and Julia Smirnova.
Hot off the press: Russian journalists visit university A group of Russian journalists visited the university in May on a fact-finding mission to learn more about the programmes offered by the university and student life in Aberdeen. The visit, facilitated by the British Council and the university’s International Office, was aimed at helping publicise the UK’s education system and its various institutions to prospective Russian students. Russia is an emerging market for the university and the International Office aims to actively promote specific courses and raise its profile to prospective Russian students.
Mick Rash, Head of the university’s International Office, said, “Our reputation for producing job-ready graduates has been a major factor in our ability to attract an increasing number of Kazakhstan students to Aberdeen. For a modern university to be granted similar status to world leading universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, MIT, Stanford and Harvard is a major achievement.” The university currently attracts approximately 25 full-time students from Kazakhstan per year, with many taking up key posts in the oil and gas sector following graduation.
Lucky RGU: SPORT customer wins £100 Malmaison voucher RGU: SPORT would like to thank everyone who took part in its customer survey. RGU: SPORT entered everyone who filled in the survey into a raffle and Peter Preston was the winner of a £100 voucher for Malmaison. (I to r) Peter with Director of Sport Filippo Antoniazzi.
Mick Rash, who will be attending the Education UK Fair in Moscow in October, said, “It is increasingly important for the university to have a diverse student population. Russia is an important country in terms of the global energy industry and our unique suite of oil and gas related courses will be of specific interest to potential students from the region.” During their visit, the journalists were given a tour of the university and met with current Russian students, as well as visiting various landmarks within the city and shire, including Crathes and Dunnottar Castles. Natalia Ravdina, Senior Projects and Partnerships Manager at the British Council, said, “Through inward missions to the UK, the BC aims to promote awareness and develop a greater understanding of UK education amongst potential students and their parents, this makes it crucial to maintain relationships with key players from the Russian media.” The journalists visited a number of institutions across the UK on their trip including North Glasgow College, Westminster University and Warwick University.
LLB student secures Study China Programme
EVENTS DIARY 2009
LLb Law student Suzanne Tsang has been awarded a full postgraduate scholarship at Beijing Normal University this summer, through the Study China Programme.
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Information Systems in Health & Safety
The scholarship will cover costs including tuition, flights, accommodation and maintenance.
6-8
Offshore Europe
15-16
ECIE Conference
The Study China Programme is a government-funded 17-day study programme. It gives students the opportunity to learn about China, its language and its culture, and is open to undergraduates in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Suzanne will have the opportunity to visit China, take an intensive course in Chinese language and be immersed in Chinese cultural and social activities.
NOVEMBER
For further information on all events, visit: www.rgu.ac.uk/news/eventsdiary AUGUST Non-Medical Prescribing Conference
SEPTEMBER
10
Guest Lecture – Karen Darke
8-9
Winter Graduations
14
Christmas Carol Service