UniLife Vol 12: Issue 7 (5 May 2015) by The University of Manchester

May 2015 Issue 7 Volume 12

unilife The free magazine for The University of Manchester

A day to say thank you

Message from the President Health and well-being are important to us all. They are also major activities for the University.

ur University has one of the largest medical and health Faculties in the UK, training over 1,000 health professionals, including over 400 doctors, each year. We are also the home of the first School of Nursing in the country. To complement this, we conduct research and education in a large number of other important health-related disciplines including: dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, audiology, life sciences, sociology and social care, global health, bio-computing and bio-materials, business aspects of healthcare and the history of science, technology and medicine. Our research is very wide ranging: covering understanding of normal biology and disease processes, the identification of new drug targets and medicines and more sustainable ways of producing them, diagnostic agents and predictors of disease susceptibility and imaging tools. It also embraces social and economic impacts on health, medical responses to natural disasters and conflicts, the operation of health care systems, nursing care and prescribing - to name but a few.

We have had some notable recent successes in our health research including major awards from the Medical Research Council for stratified medicine, dementia, diagnostics and pathology; a significant award from the Biotechnology and Biology Research Council for ‘synthetic biology’; funding from the Economic and Social Research Council on language development; and the recognition of the standing of our cancer research by Cancer Research UK as one of only two designated ‘cancer supercentres’ in the UK, along with Oxford. As a University our activities in health are focussed on research, education and ‘making a difference’ to society - the latter through our contribution to the solutions of the major challenges of the 21st century and the social and economic success of our local, national and global communities. In order to achieve this, we work closely with many partners including the NHS, the City and Greater Manchester Combined Authority and industry to deliver health benefits. The University is a core member of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC), along

With Rory and Elizabeth Brooks, principal founders of the Brooks World Poverty Institute

with our six NHS partners. MAHSC unites clinical and research leadership and helps healthcare organisations reap the benefits of research and innovation to realise improvements in patient care. Designation as an AHSC is given to partnerships between universities and teaching hospitals which can demonstrate excellence across research, innovation, education and patient service. MAHSC, the only accredited academic health science centre outside the South East, is chaired by Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council. Professor Ian Greer, who will join us as Vice-President and Dean of our Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences on 1 June 2015, will become its next Director. We are also part of the wider Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) which aims to deliver a step-change in health outcomes across its region of Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and East Cheshire; and the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) – the latter includes the eight leading research universities across the North of England.

Inaugurating Dr Eddie Davies CBE to the Langworthy Circle

Contact us News and story ideas Mikaela Sitford tel 0161 275 2112 email uninews@manchester.ac.uk www.manchester.ac.uk/staffnet/news Deadline 13 May 2015 Ads tel 0161 275 8250 email uninews@manchester.ac.uk Deadline 13 May 2015 Next issue 1 June 2015

News Big head causes campus chaos

News University launches unique construction academy

With Director of Development and Alumni Relations Chris Cox, PhD Physics scholar Nick Dann, third year English Literature undergraduate Karpidas scholar Rebecca Hardman, Oldham College 6th form student and MAP participant Bilal Chishti and Professor Brian Cox

NHSA is chaired by Professor Ian Greer and has recently secured £20 million of central government funding for ‘Health North’ which will provide funding for four centres (one of which will be in Manchester) known as ‘Connected Health Cities’, that will use complex data to improve treatments, health service and public health. Partnerships with commercial organisations are critical for the application of research outcomes. We have many such partnerships, not only with large pharmaceutical companies, but also with smaller start-ups, and those in the biotechnology, medical technology, diagnostics and increasingly in the IT sectors. Professor Jackie Oldham has just been appointed to lead ‘Health Innovation Manchester’ which aims to further improve engagement between the University, MAHSC, the City region and private organisations. Relevant to this, a small group has been working to identify health strengths across Greater Manchester and Cheshire East, to include the Alderley Park site which is now owned by Manchester Science

Partners. I co-chair the group with Dr John Stageman, a member of our Board of Governors, and we will be reporting soon on strengths, gaps and priorities.

(under the age of 75 years) occur in the North compared to the South of England, and the incidence and death rates for all major diseases are higher in Greater Manchester than for much of the UK.

A further major opportunity for developing health research, education and delivery in our region is presented by the major announcement on 25 February this year that the NHS healthcare budget of £6 billion per annum will be fully devolved to Greater Manchester from April 2016. There is clearly a great deal yet to be agreed on delivery of the newly devolved budget, which will ultimately be overseen by a partnership of the local authorities and local NHS stakeholders, but this promises to transform the delivery of health and social care in our region.

Another very important outcome of the devolved budget will be the ability to join up health and social care delivery, hence concentrating more on the patient rather than the service delivery, and allowing much better oversight of the true cost and benefits of health and social care provision.

The scale of this devolution, the first of its kind in England, will allow Greater Manchester to determine how its health budget is spent. This is important given the poor health outcomes for many northern cities compared to those in the South-East. It is estimated that at least 40,000 more early deaths

The focus for The University of Manchester will, of course, remain on our core goals of research, education and social responsibility, but each of these can benefit from the exciting changes that will take place in health and social care. It has never been more important to ensure optimal collaboration between the various organisations and the realisation of what is an unprecedented opportunity.

Contents 2 4 7 10 15 16

Message from the President News Research Features What’s On Making a Difference

Front cover: Andrew Gray and donor Shirley Mackay at Philanthropy Day Photo by Tracey Gibbs Photography.

Research Coalition prospects to have ‘profound impact’ on General Election

Feature From the lecture hall to the heart of our community…

10 3

News

Last year’s FLS Community Open Day

Will you measure up to slime mould? Children and adults alike will get a chance to check out slime mould and pitch themselves against the curious creatures that form the substance at the Faculty of Life Sciences Community Open Day this month. There will be the chance to get hands on with slime, using petri dishes, samples and pipettes and look at findings using our microscopes. There’s also a tour of the Fly Facility, painting with maggots and activities with creepy crawlies, baby fish, microbes, animal-eating plants and an array of insects and amphibians. Organiser Natalie Liddle said: “This year we have gone all out to make the event our most spectacular yet.” The Open Day will be at the Michael Smith Building, off Dover Street, 10am-2pm on Saturday, 9 May. Everyone is welcome to this free event, no need to book and free parking is available on site.

The giant Moai Hava makes its entrance

Big head causes campus chaos

giant Easter Island Head caused chaos on campus when it arrived as part of Manchester Museum’s latest exhibition.

The Museum’s doors had to be removed and the bridge to the entrance fortified in a five-hour operation involving cranes and specialist equipment to get the 1.56 metre, 3.3 tonne statue in. The statue, also known as Moai Hava – meaning ‘dirty statue’ or ‘to be lost’ – is on loan from the British Museum and features in ‘Making Monuments on Rapa Nui: The Stone Sculptures of Easter Island’.

The monumental stone statues of Pacific island Rapa Nui (named Easter Island by European explorers) are some of the most widely recognised and fascinating archaeological objects in the world. University archaeologist Professor Colin Richards has developed the exhibition following fieldwork in the area, taking a fresh look at these impressive statues. The exhibition runs until Sunday, 6 September, although – thankfully – Moai Hava will remain in the Museum entrance hall for a number of years.

Celebrating a legacy

T Barnes Wallis Building reopens An exciting new student facility has opened on the University’s North Campus following a £1 million investment to further enhance the student experience (pictured). Based on the ground floor of the Barnes Wallis Building, it features a 96-person computer cluster, a fully refurbished cafe, flexible ‘learning commons’ type learning spaces, a range of University and Students’ Union support services including welfare, financial and careers advice, a staffed reception area, and a series of project and breakout rooms, all of which will be available for students to use for extended hours.

he University is celebrating the legacy of alumnus and first President of Israel Chaim Weizmann through new scientific discoveries in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, thanks to the generosity of Lord Alliance. Weizmann made a vital discovery about acetone, increasing shell production which had a huge impact on the First World War, here in Manchester 100 years ago. The generous donation from the Alliance Family Foundation in 2012 provided funding to eight pairs of scientists to undertake collaborative research in the fields of dementia, cancer and food security, among other areas. The remarkable success of one of these collaborations, between Professor Werner Muller (Manchester) and Professor Steffen Jung (Weizmann Institute), was marked with a further award. Their work has shed light on how the cells in our gut respond to foreign parasites like worms and how these cells may trigger diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Steffen and Werner were presented with ‘The Lord Alliance Prize’, a £100,000 grant to continue their

(l-r) Professor Steffan Jung, Lord Alliance and Professor Werner Muller

research into the biology of the immune system, by Britain’s Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould. He said: “The partnership being built between the Weizmann and Manchester is about the past, the present and the future and I can think of no better model for relations between Israel and Britain than our world-leading scientists working together for the benefit of humanity.” Faculty of Life Sciences researchers also spent two days at a research symposium building connections with those at the Weizmann Institute, accompanied by colleagues from the Division of Development and Alumni Relations who also hosted a special reception for our alumni in Tel Aviv.

Donors visit The Whitworth

A day to say thank you

he University celebrated the impact of charitable donations on campus with a day of special events, including Professor Brian Cox discussing the importance of philanthropy with students on stage.

while initiatives such as the new Manchester Cancer Research Centre, the Brooks World Poverty Institute and the Manchester Business School are having a profound impact on both local and global communities.

He spoke of his passion for providing learning opportunities to talented yet disadvantaged young people through the University’s flagship social mobility programme, the Manchester Access Programme (MAP), helping them towards a future they deserve.

Karpidas Scholar Becky Hardman said: “I’m from a working-class family and neither of my parents had been to university. The scholarship that I have received has made a huge difference to my confidence and studies at The University of Manchester.”

Other events included behind-the-scenes tours of Whitworth Art Gallery, University Library, Manchester Museum and the National Graphene Institute, all of which have benefitted significantly from donor support, and a philanthropy showcase giving insights into our ground-breaking research and other donor-funded projects.

Charlotte Powell discusses graphene

University launches unique construction academy

he University has launched a unique construction academy which will see unemployed people from across Greater Manchester receive training and potentially go on to full-time employment across its major capital developments. The University of Manchester Construction Academy will support local people into the jobs that will be generated by the University’s £1 billion Campus Masterplan to create world-class facilities for staff, students and visitors. The Academy is the only initiative of its kind in higher education. Victor Esteban, from Moss Side, was a construction company project manager until he was made redundant a year ago. He said: “I am really enjoying

Following the request for nominations, three candidates have been nominated for the office of Chancellor and a postal and online ballot of the electorate will open on Tuesday, 26 May. The three candidates are Lemn Sissay MBE, The Rt Hon. the Lord Mandelson and Sir Mark Elder CBE.

The day culminated with a special ceremony and dinner in which some of the University’s most significant donors were inaugurated into the President’s Circles of Philanthropy. Thanks to our donors, we offer more undergraduate scholarships than any other Russell Group university,

Chancellor election

First intake into University of Manchester Construction Academy

the course. I think it’s really great that the University is doing this, and I am really looking forward to getting back out there and earning again.” Steve Grant, Assistant Director of Human Resources at the University, said: “We know that there are thousands of unemployed people, some of whom have a background in construction, living within the travel to work area who will benefit from engaging with the Academy.”

Lemn Sissay MBE is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. He is associate artist at the Southbank Centre, ambassador for The Children’s Reading Fund and the first poet commissioned to write for London Olympics 2012. His Ted Talk about childhood has over half a million views. In 2010 he was awarded an MBE for services to literature. The first of its kind, The Sissay PhD Scholarship for care leavers has been running for six years. Lord Mandelson is a former Cabinet member and First Secretary of State, with responsibilities including higher education policy, science and innovation. He introduced industrial policies to spearhead collaboration between technological research and development and the private sector, and promote funding reform and widening access to universities. In his first Cabinet post, at Trade and Industry, he introduced the landmark White Paper ‘Building a Knowledge-driven Economy’. Sir Mark Elder CBE has been Music Director of the Hallé Orchestra since 2000 and has recently committed to the role through to at least 2020, which will make him the Hallé’s second longest-standing principal conductor. He has a strong commitment to developing young players, leading programmes to engage the Hallé in schools and as President of Future Talent, which helps young musicians from deprived Greater Manchester areas realise their talent.

News

Professor Wes Sharrock (l) talks to Dr David Calvey

Academic marks 50 years at the University Professor Wes Sharrock, Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Sciences, is celebrating 50 years at the University this year. Wes joined the University in 1965 as a graduate student. He then became a Lecturer in Sociology in 1968 and was awarded his doctorate in 1970 by Professor Peter Worsley, the first professor of Sociology at the University. He is a seminal figure in British sociology having written numerous journal articles and more than 20 books, some of them key texts in the field. His contribution to ethnomethodology – the study of the methods and practices by which society's members make sense of their world – is internationally recognised, and he was awarded the American Sociological Association’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Whitworth Central Exhibition, photo by David Levene

The Whitworth up for largest arts prize in UK

he Whitworth art gallery is a finalist for the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2015.

The nomination follows a widely-acclaimed redevelopment project by MUMA (McInnes Usher McKnight Architects) that reconnected the gallery to its surrounding Whitworth Park and doubled the public space. Since reopening on the 14 February the Whitworth has already welcomed over 100,000 visitors. The coveted Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2015 is the largest arts prize in the UK,

Student Joel Fagan with an inhaler catheter from the 19th century

The art of medicine A cross-Faculty collaboration is seeing MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies students working on collection management and exhibition ideas for groups of objects from the Museum of Medicine and Health. The project was organised by Dr Kostas Arvanitis (Museology), who worked closely with University Historian and Heritage Manager Dr James Hopkins, Museum of Medicine and Health Curator Stephanie Seville and Museum of Medicine and Health volunteers Julie and Peter Mohr. James said: “This project is an excellent example of cross-faculty collaboration and has been a resounding success. It demonstrated the significant and unique contribution of the museum’s collection to enhance students’ learning.”

celebrating the very best museums and galleries and acknowledging the creative and innovative ways they bring objects and collections to life for the public. The winning museum will be presented with £100,000 and crowned ‘Museum of the Year 2015’ at an awards ceremony held at Tate Modern, London in July. The gallery has also been named North West Building of the Year at a top architectural award ceremony. The building won the Royal Institute of British Architects North West gong last month.

On the threshold of power

ome of our students got their eyes on the prize for this month’s General Election when they visited No.10 Downing Street, after winning the University’s ‘Behind the Black Door’ competition. The competition was created by Executive Director for Government Communications Alex Aiken and the University’s Careers Service as part of a special students’ event, where Alex was guest lecturer. Student teams were given two hours to prepare a five-minute pitch on ‘how to engage a student audience with the Government’s healthy living campaigns’.

experience of modern government, from the challenges of defending the realm to tackling public health problems." Winning student Jeanmiguel Uva said: “The visit to the Whitehall and 10 Downing Street has definitely one of the most rewarding and interesting experiences I've had at the University.” Fellow winner Robert Varley agreed: “The experience was truly invaluable. It allowed me to gain an insight into the foundations of British politics.”

The panel of judges included Alex Aiken and the University’s Vice-President for Public Affairs Andrew Westwood, Head of Sport and Active Lifestyles Vicky Foster-Lloyd and Director of Communications and Marketing Alan Ferns. The two winning teams enjoyed a visit to the Cabinet Office and meetings with Senior Civil Servants from Public Health England and the Ministry of Defence. Alex Aiken said: "We were delighted to host the winning teams. I hope that the day gave them an

Winning students outside Number 10 Downing Street

Research

e-Agri Sensor

Food security funding The University has been awarded funding to boost research into food security – to address key global challenges in food security, including sustainable food production and resilient food supply chains – in collaboration with the N8 Research Partnership.

House of Commons

Coalition prospects to have ‘profound impact’ on General Election

he experience of coalition could have a ‘profound impact’ on the electoral success of Ukip, the Greens and the SNP – according to new research from the University’s British Election Study (BES). BES Directors Professor Jane Green and Professor Ed Fieldhouse say if voters expect a hung parliament or a coalition, then they are much less likely to support Labour or the Conservatives.

Around 41% of a sample of 16,000 people, surveyed online in March 2015, think neither the Conservatives nor Labour will win a majority. Professor Green said: "These findings reveal which voters are likely to be disappointed by different coalition negotiation outcomes, and what those negotiating parties might therefore take into account when anticipating the electoral consequences of their actions".

HEFCE awarded N8 a grant of £8 million through its Catalyst Fund to develop its Agri-Food Resilience programme. Manchester will get £1 million of that with a further £1 million in match funding to enable work on agri-tech research. Dr Bruce Grieve, Director of the e-Agri Sensors Centre in Manchester’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “We have been working closely with industrial colleagues and international Foundations over recent years to bring micro-electronics and sensors research into the forefront of tackling food supply challenges.”

Among those expecting a hung parliament, the Liberal Democrats and Greens double their support, Ukip add a third and the SNP see a quadrupling.

Discovering new antiquities in Iraq Rex Features

niversity of Manchester archaeologists have defied the efforts of Islamic State militants to ‘culturally cleanse’ Iraq of its ancient relics by making significant new discoveries near the ancient city of Ur.

The whole tooth?

The Manchester team – one of only two operating in non-Kurdish Iraq – has just returned from three months of fieldwork there.

New research from the School of Dentistry concludes that there is limited evidence to show that xylitol is effective in preventing dental cavities in children and adults.

Among other things, the team, directed by Dr Jane Moon, Professor Stuart Campbell and Dr Robert Killick, discovered 50 new documents, written in Babylonian, and evidence for a scribal school dating to around 1500 BC.

Xylitol is a popular sugar substitute in sweets and it is already known to cause less damage to teeth than sugar. It has also been suggested that the addition of xylitol to products may help to prevent tooth decay by stopping the growth of decay-producing bacteria.

Before returning to the UK, they deposited 300 new artefacts in the Iraq Museum and set up a temporary exhibition in Baghdad as well as visiting universities that teach, or are planning to teach, archaeology. Dr Moon said: “What we can do is make new discoveries to be proud of and help our Iraqi colleagues and the rest of the world to understand and appreciate what the antiquities actually tells us.”

Professor Stuart Campbell analysing Babylonian occupation deposits in Iraq

However, according to the new evidence there is little high quality evidence that it is beneficial in the fight against tooth decay, which affects up to 90% of children and most adults worldwide.

Research Sea slug helps analyse brain data

Using data from sea slugs, Dr Mark Humphries has found our brains aren’t as complicated as we once thought. The team, working with scientists in Chicago, mapped how neurons fired in the brain of the large sea slug Aplysia (pictured) while it moved. The research, published in the journal Neuron, demonstrates how Aplysia’s complex locomotion circuit can be dramatically simplified and interpreted. Dr Humphries says: “This research introduces new methods for pulling apart neural circuits to expose their inner building blocks. Our methods could be used to help understand how brain networks change in disease states and how drugs act to restore normal brain function.” Anilena Mejia delivers a session to parents

Cutting violence in Panama

S Squaring the snowflake Snowflakes can become square – with a little help from graphene, first isolated here at Manchester. University researchers have found that an atomically thin layer of water freezes at room temperature to form square ice with symmetry completely alien to water molecules (pictured). The breakthrough findings, reported in the journal Nature, allow better understanding of the counterintuitive behaviour of water and are important for development of more efficient technologies including filtration, desalination and distillation. Nobel laureate Sir Andre Geim, who co-wrote the paper, said: “This study was stimulated by our previous observations of ultrafast flow of water through graphene nanocapillaries. We even speculated that this could be due to two-dimensional square ice … but seeing is believing. Water is probably the most studied substance ever but no one thought that ice could be square.”

chool of Psychological Sciences researchers have piloted a parenting trial which aims to improve child behaviour in Panama City – the place with the eighth highest murder rate in the world.

The researchers recruited 108 parents of children aged 3-12, who had been selected by their schools, and divided them into two groups. One group was a control which received no intervention and the other attended a session called ‘dealing with disobedience’.

To mitigate problems with gang crime, the UN and the Panamanian government have prioritised investing in children to keep them away from gangs and drugs.

One parent, the mother of boy aged ten, said: “Now if something happens, I take action. I find a solution. Before I would turn away and leave, because I thought there was no solution. But not anymore.”

Dark matter mapped out

he largest single high definition map of mysterious dark matter has been produced, with the help of Manchester scientists. And it could reveal more about how galaxies formed in our Universe. A University team, led by Professor Sarah Bridle, has spent the last two years measuring the shapes of galaxies used to construct the map. Researchers at the Dark Energy Survey (DES) have released the first in a series of dark matter maps of the cosmos. The map, created with one of the world’s most powerful digital cameras, is the largest contiguous map created at this level of detail, and will improve our understanding of dark matter’s role in the formation of galaxies. “It is amazing to see a map of the dark matter over such a large region of the sky”, said Professor Bridle “and the full Dark Energy Survey mass map will be more than 30 times bigger still!”

Rex Features

Telling the time by colour

Viagra not ‘cure-all’ Sunset on campus

esearch in the Faculty of Life Sciences has revealed that the colour of light has a major impact on how our body clock measures the time of day.

As expected for nocturnal creatures, the highest body temperatures occurred just after night fell when the sky turned a darker blue – indicating that their body clock was working optimally.

The team began by recording electrical activity from the body clock while mice were shown different visual stimuli. They found that many of the cells there were more sensitive to changes in colour between blue and yellow than to changes in brightness.

When just the brightness of the sky was changed, with no change in the colour, the mice became more active before dusk, demonstrating that their body clock wasn't properly aligned to the day night cycle.

The scientists then used measurements of the changes in the colour spectra taken from the top of the Pariser Building, to construct an artificial sky which recreated the daily changes in colour and brightness.

Dr Timothy Brown led the research: “What’s exciting about our research is that the same findings can be applied to humans. So in theory colour could be used to manipulate our clock, which could be useful for shift workers or travellers wanting to minimise jet lag.”

Mice were placed beneath the sky for several days and their body temperature was recorded.

Viagra and other related drugs are not a universal ‘cure-all’ for impotence, according to research from the Cathie Marsh Institute. An abundance of studies has demonstrated the effectiveness of oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) drugs, which have become the first-line medical treatment option for sufferers of erectile dysfunction (ED). However studying the responses of more than 2,600 English men aged 50-87 years, suggests that restoring ED pharmacologically is not a ‘cure-all’. Lead author, Dr David Lee, found that older sufferers of ED who had used Viagra or similar drugs still expressed concern or dissatisfaction with their sex lives.

Unlocking our potential

In biomedical areas such as diagnostics, imaging, novel drug design, therapeutics and dermatology there is C4XD, recently floated on the London Stock Exchange’s growth market AIM.

deas generated by our researchers have the potential to save lives, improve health, increase efficiencies in industry and the environment, and otherwise enhance society and make positive contributions to our economy.

Our social businesses include HiSolar, an innovative solar powered light for Hammams and social housing.

UMIP, the University’s agent for intellectual property commercialisation, helps us to do just that.

And the story continues with recent spin-out 2-DTech, helping industry unlock the potential of graphene, being acquired by Versarien plc. They are busy forging partnerships with the commercial world and have become a partner of the National Graphene Institute (NGI).

This and our Innovation Centre (UMIC) are operating divisions of The University of Manchester’s Innovation company, UMI3 Ltd. Since the merger in 2004, it has seen more than 30 spin-out companies have been created, 800-plus licences and assignments brokered, £280 million invested by venture funders in University spin-out companies and over

Nanoco Technologies

• For more information, visit: umip.com or follow on twitter @umipnews

£75 million generated through the sale of shares in spin-outs, licensing income, IP grants and contracts and translational awards activity. UMIP brings the University’s ground-breaking inventions and software into the commercial world by attracting entrepreneurs, investors and corporate venture partners to campus and then, through engagement with academic colleagues, licensing or spinning out companies.

Core Technology Facility

University spin-outs include technologies with commercial applications, from quantum dot manufacture at Nanoco Technologies to the treatment of radioactive waste at Arvia Technology.

HiSolar LED light

Feature

Abbey Forster, Mariam Antwi-Boasiako, Amelia Reed and Emma Williams deliver a health awareness workshop to year 10 pupils at Ladybridge High School

From the lecture hall to the heart of our community… Student volunteering helps the University achieve two of its three goals – outstanding teaching, learning and student experience, and social responsibility. But more than that, it brings together our students and the community they live in; it’s a relationship that makes a lasting diﬀerence to all of their lives. Here UniLife looks at how…

University of Manchester students are an altruistic bunch; an increasingly positive influence on their local communities. Every year around 5,000 volunteer through University sponsored schemes, including Manchester Leadership Programme (MLP), The Students’ Union, Sports Volunteers and the Legal Advice Centre. Between 2005 and 2014, MLP students alone volunteered a staggering 294,779 hours. Close to 500 charities and not for profit groups are now registered with our Volunteering and Community Engagement Team. It designs opportunities around both the needs of the organisation and the student experience and over the last 12 months has worked on 170 one-day events, 35 short projects and 12 long-term schemes. It helps the University achieve two major goals. Outstanding teaching and learning, producing graduates distinguished not only by their intellect but also their ability and ambition to contribute to society; and social responsibility, encouraging students to play an active part in the economic and social success of their community – be it local, national or international. Student volunteering is an important part of the University’s ‘Students as Good Neighbours’ approach which aims to help students engage positively with local residents and which forms part of the University’s emerging Community Strategy. Students themselves describe volunteering variously as enjoyable, eye-opening, addictive and rewarding.

Lauren Rowlands

It forces them out of the ‘bubble’ that student life can sometimes create for itself. It’s their chance, they say, to ‘give something back’.

Charlotte Merricks-Mulligan

Incredible Edible Volunteers at Incredible Edible, a ‘Clean City’ project, plant food and herbs for local people and, at the same time, transform neglected plots of land. The team has just taken over a dilapidated wheelchair garden and now plans to build a greenhouse at Platt Fields Park, using 2,000 recycled water bottles. Second year midwifery student Daisy Tudor, 22, said she “liked the thinking” behind the scheme—“free food for those who may not be able to afford to buy fresh. “We created a community orchard at St Chad’s Church, planting pear and cherry trees. The local people were brilliant, so welcoming, they couldn’t do enough for us.

Students created the book ‘Times Gone By’ from the memories of older people like Dorothy from the Openshaw Centre

“They cooked us an amazing lunch – not from the food we’d planted, that’ll take a while yet! But at least I now know how to plant a bulb. “For many students, Manchester isn’t home but investing in the local environment like this makes it feel more like home and helps build bridges between us and the permanent residents.” Manchester City Council’s Customer and Community Engagement Lead Sarah Hawkins says integrating students into community life is one of the aims. “We hope that when they move into independent housing in these areas they already feel part of it. “The feedback students got when they cleared a particularly overgrown plot on Moseley Road was fantastic. “There was a real sense of satisfaction for everybody. It gives students and the local community a massive boost.”

Fallowﬁeld Foodshare Fallowfield Foodshare sees students collect for local homeless shelters by persuading supermarket shoppers to fill brown paper bags with groceries or toiletry items.

Any surplus donations are sent to a nearby food bank or cooked up for ‘community meals’. Team leader of Ivy Fallowfield Nick Duffy, the community lead on the scheme, believes the meals could spark a revolution in the dynamics between students and residents. “They help people access friendship as well as food,” he says. “They break down barriers. Homeless people, residents, students and local councillors all sit down together to eat and share stories. “I’ve enjoyed working with the students massively. They have energy about them, they dream about what could be and there are no restrictions. They just go for it!” Sociology student Charlotte Merricks- Mulligan, 21, says it’s personally gratifying but it has also improved her organisational skills and hence her employability. Language graduate Olli Davis, 22, said it made him “feel good” tackling such a huge issue as food poverty: “Just one person who is helped is one person more.”

Daisy Tudor

For Leila Mekki, in her final year of neuroscience, it has sparked a general love of volunteering “You feel like you’ve given a bit of something back. It brings you into the real world and puts things in perspective.”

Heartstart Heartstart, supported by the British Heart Foundation, is a nationwide initiative providing free CPR and lifesaving skills classes to schools, gyms, community centres and workplaces. A team of second year Nursing students are part of the University’s arm of the scheme, teaching the basics of CPR, the recovery position, and how to deal with choking, bleeding and heart attacks. The group have already trained over 200 people in hands-on skills – and all free of charge.

Customers pay for them at the check-out along with their own goods, and then drop the bag in a crate as they leave.

One of them, Lauren Rowlands, currently on placement in a hospital A&E, knows how vital first aid knowledge can be on a daily basis. “We see how important fast CPR is when someone has had a cardiac arrest. Often when they get to the emergency department it’s too late,” she says.

Partners, Sainsbury’s, were so blown away by the success of the pilot collection, which brought in 30 crates full, they invited the team back on a busier day – and saw it rise to 55.

“It’s very rewarding being out in the community seeing all walks of life and it’s a great teaching experience. I particularly enjoy working with children – they love the sessions.” One class for eight to 13-year-olds was at Mahdlo, a charity and state-of-the-art youth zone in Oldham. Volunteer and Training Coordinator, Sazida Begum, says it’s confidence-building for the youngsters and beneficial to the community at large. “Hopefully we will get a generation of young people coming through who are able to better deal with life-threatening situations and have a greater knowledge and understanding of lifesaving skills.

Students help the Children’s Air Ambulance to encourage businesses to have their collection tins

MLP student Mary Kyei helps ‘green up’ Heathfield Centre for disabled adults in Newall Green

“We also hope it will raise the confidence and aspirations of young people when they see that even at eight years old, we can learn to save lives.“

Feature

Global challenges, Manchester solutions – in energy

We test equipment used on the high-voltage transmission system of England and Wales to ensure electrical energy can be transported efficiently and reliably

The University has identified five ‘research beacons’ where we have a unique concentration of high-quality research activity and are at the forefront of the search for solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. These are: industrial biotechnology, advanced materials, cancer, energy, and addressing global inequalities. In this, the fourth of five features, we look at how our experts are pioneering the energy systems of the future so that we can continue to heat our homes, light our buildings and travel.

lick on your light switch and your room illuminates in an instant, as if by magic. Turn on the heating and you’ll warm up within minutes. Need to be somewhere else? Simply get into your car and turn the ignition key. The energy on which we depend travels a long way before it reaches our fingertips. The ways in which energy is generated, transported and consumed are all steps in this journey. At The University of Manchester we have over 600 academics and researchers answering the big questions about energy. Are our energy sources sustainable? Do we transport energy efficiently? Can we meet demand while minimising the effects on our environment? Can we make homes and cities smarter in how they use energy? Can we address the social inequalities that underpin energy use?

The Dalton Nuclear Institute plays a key role in providing the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a low-carbon future through nuclear energy.

Laser processing equipment at Dalton Nuclear Institute’s Manufacturing Technology Research Laboratory

The National Grid Power Systems Research Centre houses the largest and best equipped high-voltage laboratory of any UK university

Research from generation to usage Research at Manchester is making a difference at all points of the energy journey: generation, transport, storage and eventual usage. Our expertise is enhancing the efficiency and viability of sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal and bioenergy. It’s supporting partners in the bridging fuel sectors, such as oil and gas, to ensure we continue to meet demand, and delivering innovation for the low-carbon nuclear sector. We’re helping to ensure energy gets to the point of need efficiently, providing UK network partners with the knowledge to deliver it reliably and sustainably. Renewable sources of generation tend to be more intermittent – so we’re working on systems that will help keep supply levels constant, finding more effective ways of storing energy and of persuading people to use energy at the best times to even out demand. We work closely with our local region on projects such as the UK’s largest ever trial of heat pumps. We’re finding out more about how today’s urban society uses energy, blending expertise from engineering and the social sciences to learn more about demand and how it can be met.

Nuclear expertise Our experts are guiding the UK’s industrial strategy for the civil nuclear sector via our Dalton Nuclear Institute, the UK’s most advanced academic nuclear research capability. Here, we undertake research across the entire nuclear fuel cycle – from innovative manufacturing techniques to waste management.

Ian Cotton, Professor of High Voltage Technology and Director of Manchester Energy

Research activities at Dalton, including the five-year New Nuclear Manufacturing (NNUMAN) programme that is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, support the competitive growth of the UK nuclear industry through research and innovation.

A living laboratory Leading facilities – from the 2MV high-voltage laboratory at our Manchester campus to our £20 million Dalton Cumbrian Facility – help both us and our industry partners to develop solutions to our energy challenges. The University campus itself is a living laboratory, with our 339 buildings supporting our researchers in developing tomorrow’s energy systems.

A world-class, interdisciplinary network Energy research at the University is a diverse area that reaches across our Faculties and Institutes. Manchester Energy is a University-level network that supports researchers across the energy discipline. With access to major experimental facilities, this network provides unparalleled resources to support world-class research and teaching that will lead to the development of more sustainable energy solutions and the education of the energy leaders of tomorrow. “The size of this University and the sheer range of knowledge we have here allows us to bring people together from a huge range of research areas. This helps us to find innovative ways to tackle some of the biggest energy challenges facing industry and society,” comments Ian Cotton, Professor of High Voltage Technology and Director of Manchester Energy.

“Whether it’s extending the lifespans of nuclear reactors or influencing the energy policies of governments, we draw on expertise ranging from electrical engineering to the humanities to produce research that has a positive impact.” To get to tomorrow’s homes, energy will have to travel new routes, going further and faster, leaving no carbon footprint. At Manchester we’re making sure the systems are in place for this journey to happen across a mix of energy sources.

At a glance Energy research in Manchester • Our projects are worth £75 million, covering energy generation, storage, systems and use. • We have the only 400kV-capable high-voltage lab of any UK university. • We recently received a £3 million investment in energy storage facilities. • Dalton Nuclear Institute is the UK’s most advanced academic centre for nuclear R&D and high-level skills development. • We have three Centres for Doctoral Training in energy areas including nuclear, power networks, and oil and gas.

What’s On

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre ‘First Light’, a Lovell Lecture at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre Our Lovell Lectures provide Astrophysics academics with a platform to connect visitors with their recent research. Next up in this popular and successful series is Professor Jim Dunlop, of The University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Astronomy. Professor Dunlop will talk about how recent advances in observational astronomy, especially the refurbishment of the Hubble Space Telescope, let us look back to within 500 million years of the Big Bang, and directly observe the emergence of the first galaxies (known in the trade as ‘First Light’).

Following the Big Bang, the Universe expanded and cooled until gravity caused the most dense regions of the universe to collapse and form the first stars and galaxies. Professor Dunlop will also describe how the next generation of facilities, including the long awaited James Webb Space Telescope, will shed new light on how today’s highly-structured and beautiful Universe emerged from the initial chaos of creation. Attendees can make a night of it and book a pre-lecture dinner in our award-winning Planet Pavilion Café, with sittings beginning at 6pm. For details on how to book and information on other events, visit: jodrellbank.net

Manchester Museum Manchester After Hours Thursday 14 May sees Manchester Museum join in with other museums, galleries and libraries for a one-night, city-wide social. Manchester After Hours is a mix of odd couplings and musical mayhem across the city taking in the places and spaces you don’t often get to after dark.

For events and exhibitions at other venues, visit: Martin Harris Centre – martinharriscentre.manchester.ac.uk International Society – internationalsociety.org.uk Gig Guide – manchesteracademy.net

The John Rylands Library What’s The Weather Like Today? As a nation we’re obsessed with the weather. It fascinates us so much that we have conversations about it on a daily basis; but just how much does the weather affect us? The Library’s Special Collections contain many riches from around the world, but you may be surprised to learn that the very ‘British’ subject of the weather is well covered and illustrated. Dr Peter Nockles, Librarian Rare Books and Maps, and Julie Del’Hopital, Visitor Engagement Assistant, have researched and drawn together stories from the Library’s collection for this vibrant exhibition. ‘What’s the Weather like Today?’ explores the impact of the weather on everything from literature, art, language, science, to urban Manchester. Compare the past with

the present using John Dalton’s detailed readings of Manchester from 1791, or learn how the weather can predict our behaviour with the Spirit of Laws, by Montesquieu (1689-1755). The exhibition also includes descriptions, reflections, memories and stories based on experiences of the weather, and invites visitors to question their own relationship with the weather. On Thursday 14 May, join the curators for a tour of the exhibition and find out how the exhibition came about, the role the weather plays in literature, and how artists describe the weather to portray the emotions of their characters. To see this and other exhibitions, visit: manchester.ac.uk/library/rylands

Poet laureates and soundscapes: video jamming with steam engines; secret gigs amongst medieval bookstacks; traditional Warli art and contemporary music are just some of the ways in which artists will take a new look at Manchester’s historic collections and spaces. Local record labels will up-sticks from the boho Northern Quarter (NQ) to cut a disk in the serious surrounds of a music library, while the city’s music ensembles will cut a shine in the NQ’s fashionable music, vintage and creative nightspots. Knitting together

an evening of creative genius and madness is a live literature walking tour and a host of curious events at every turn. At the Museum, taking up the theme of ‘odd couplings’, are Brighter Sound with partners A Fine Line. They bring together composer and vocal sculptor Jason Singh, and virtuoso guitarist Guiliano Moderelli in the neo-Gothic surrounds of the museum. The duo spent an exhilarating three weeks in the company of India’s Warli painters, Ramesh Hengade and Jivya Soma Mashe, and on this night, against a backdrop of Warli canvasses and images, Jason and Giuliano perform a sonic account of their journey. The Manchester Museum event is free and runs from 6-9pm. For full details of events city wide, see: creativetourist.com/ manchester-after-hours

The Whitworth Little Painting Challenge at the Whitworth Amateur artists have taken the opportunity to have their work displayed at the prestigious Whitworth, Manchester's gallery in the park, during a special exhibition in May. The Big Painting Challenge has been bringing art to primetime BBC One on Sunday evenings. The programme followed ten artists as they competed to be crowned Britain’s best amateur painter. Over six weeks, they competed in a series of art challenges and faced critiques of their work from the expert judges until in the final week, winner Paul Bell was chosen.

To complement the series, BBC Learning launched The Little Painting Challenge, a UK-wide competition to encourage anyone and everyone to have a go. Participants were invited to simply create an artwork on a postcard – and thousands of people took up the challenge. The competition closed 2 April 2015. The Whitworth is showcasing of the best entries including the winners, in an installation in its newly refurbished Grand Hall. The Little Painting Challenge exhibition opens Friday 1 May and runs until 22 May 2015. To see this and other events, visit: manchester.ac.uk/whitworth

Feature

The University's strategic plan, Manchester 2020, lists one of our goals as contributing to the social and economic success of the local, national and international community. Through our engagement campaign, the University collects stories of how our staﬀ, students and alumni are making a diﬀerence to society, and here UniLife shares some of those stories with you…

Steve McCabe with one of the children, Michael

A powerful pilgrimage S

teve McCabe has not had a ‘main’ holiday for over ten years – he spends his annual leave taking children with special needs on a pilgrimage holiday to Lourdes.

Volunteer carers pay their own fare, which leaves him with no money for a ‘big’ holiday. But Steve – Estates Designer in the Division of Communications and Marketing – doesn’t mind. “The Lourdes experience is a happy and fun one,” he says. “The week passes in a haze of laughter, smiles and song. Lighting the forget-me-not candle

“Amongst the chaos there is reflection too and an underlying sadness as Lourdes is where we remember those children in our group who have passed away. At the grotto we light candles for them and their families. “The experience in Lourdes is so profound, it forges lifelong friendships.”

But his favourite role is group photographer, capturing special moments from the trips and creating photo albums that become treasured keepsakes for the children. This is especially important for the families of children who cannot communicate and say they had a good time, and poignant for the ones whose childrens’ lives are short. The work has a direct impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in society. Whatever the role or task, from pushing heavy wheelchairs uphill to handling all the holiday baggage, and from painting the childrens’ faces to being a pallbearer, Steve is there to help. Hard-working, caring, creative and innovative, adding colour and distinction to the group, Steve is also unassuming: “It’s a privilege; it is very humbling and inspiring at the same time and the experience puts my life into perspective.”

Steve has volunteered for HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust for 20 years. As well as volunteering on the annual trips, he helps prepare for and fund them. He has designed uniforms, banners and other items; he makes things for the trips; his skills as a graphic designer have seen more than £65,000 raised from posters, photo albums and other initiatives that he has created.

• For more information about HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust, visit: www.hcpt.org.uk • To read more inspiring stories visit: http://makeadifferencemcr.tumblr.com

Next Issue 1 June 2015 M1304 04.15 The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL Royal Charter Number RC000797 Created by the Division of Communications and Marketing

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