UniLife Vol 12: Issue 8 (1 June 2015) by The University of Manchester

June 2015 Issue 8 Volume 12

unilife The free magazine for The University of Manchester

Real life stories behind our scholarships

Message from the President Reputation, which generally means how we are perceived by others, is extremely important to all organisations. For universities, reputation can influence the recruitment of excellent staff and students, various funding streams, collaborations and very much more.

eputation is quite hard to define precisely and even more difficult to measure. It depends on excellence in our core activities, without this, no amount of marketing and branding will yield a high global standing. Yet excellence also needs to be recognised and hence communicated effectively to our many diverse audiences and stakeholders. These include current and future students, alumni and their families, our own staff, and potential members of staff we wish to recruit to our University. We can add to this list our many research funders in the UK and beyond, current and potential donors to the University, the UK government, and our local leaders, companies and communities. Each of these groups has different interests and expectations of our University. It is important to take into account their views, while adhering to our core

missions of world-class research, outstanding teaching and student experience and social responsibility. Our most recent Staff Survey results show there is an overwhelming acknowledgement of, and agreement with, these three goals with more than 90% of respondents agreeing with them. We have much to celebrate and communicate that will enhance our global reputation and it is reassuring that, as I travel around various parts of the world, the reputation of The University of Manchester is strong and growing. We have a great heritage, a well-known location in the City of Manchester and there is increasing recognition of our specific and perhaps unique commitment to social responsibility. We are known as one of the most attractive universities for students and it is recognised how much employers value our graduates.

Speaking at the Social Responsibility Awards

Describing our enormous range of excellent research is a challenge and depends to some extent on the audience. Various studies and surveys show that it is a small number of simple but powerful messages which are most effective in building reputation. For this reason, we have decided to focus on five areas of research as examples of our wider strengths – known as our ‘research beacons’. These are: advanced materials (including graphene); addressing global inequalities; industrial biotechnology; energy; and cancer. In each of these areas we have exceptional strengths, some unique features and great achievements. These ‘beacons’ can be used to promote our other research activities. For example, our Professor of Applied Drama, James Thompson, has cited the discovery of graphene as an excellent way of gaining international attention and recognition for our research in drama! We have put significant effort into communicating our strengths and achievements through the media,

Looking at the redevelopment work at Coupland III

Contact us News and story ideas This is the final edition of UniLife but we still want to hear from you. Send your news, stories and information to uninews@manchester.ac.uk and we will publish it on StaffNet and any other channels it is suitable for. Many thanks!

News University experts inform closest General Election in a generation

News 20 years of Peer Support

In Coupland III with site manager Kevin Davies, Professor Carolyn Evans of the University of Melbourne and our Capital Projects Manager Mark Valentine

promotional materials, our website and social media. Several recent accolades suggest that this is paying off. • Our new website is now the most popular in UK higher education (according to an independent web analysis), is ranked 1st for accessibility and was recently named as one of the most responsive websites launched in 2014 by Econsultancy (an expert web agency). • A big increase in Facebook likes (81%) and Twitter followers (six-fold increase) over the past year means that we are now one of the top ten universities in the UK for social media engagement. • There were more than 24,000 stories about the University in the mainstream print and broadcast media last year and we are 9th out of world’s top 100 universities for coverage in English language media. • 94% of staff say they are proud to work at The University of Manchester according to our Staff Survey.

Building on these recent achievements, we are about to put into action a new three-year communications and marketing plan, which will deliver a more co-ordinated and strategic approach to our activities in this area.

science. We are currently exploring what other measures and league tables we can use to assess our ‘global standing’ in the key performance indicators that we will include in the refresh of our Manchester 2020 Strategic Plan.

Assessing our global reputation is difficult. We survey the views of our staff through our biennial Staff Survey, the results of which will be shared very soon. This is shortly followed by a qualitative piece of research involving key external stakeholders, which is also due to report soon.

Our staff, students and alumni often act as ‘advocates’ and ‘ambassadors’ who communicate the strengths of the University, locally, nationally and internationally and are therefore important in enhancing our reputation. We have many promotional materials and presentations which can help in these communications.

The only independent and widely recognised means of assessing our reputation is through the major international league tables, though each one has limitations. Since the inception of the University in 2004, we have used the Shanghai Jiao Tong, Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) league table as a proxy measure of our global reputation. However, ARWU measures only research achievements and its key indicators focus heavily on

We have not chosen snappy straplines which are commonly used in promotions, though the often used descriptor of the City of Manchester ‘Original Modern’ also fits well with the University’s past and future. But in the end our reputation must depend on the quality of our achievements and the distinctiveness of The University of Manchester.

Contents 2 4 9 12 19 20

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

Front cover: Postgraduate Scholar Futsumbirhan Weldeab Photo by Peter Carr

Research Secrets of early embryo nutrition revealed

Feature A Learning Revolution

14 3

News Double celebration at Jodrell Bank The headquarters of the world’s biggest telescope will be at Jodrell Bank, it has been announced. The Cheshire facility currently houses the headquarters of the multinational Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project for its pre-construction phase. These premises will now be expanded to support the growing project. Construction of the telescope, located in South Africa and Australia, will begin in 2018 and the SKA is planned to be operational for at least 50 years. The University’s Jodrell Bank site will host the SKA headquarters backed by the UK government through the Science and Technology Facilities Council, The University of Manchester and Cheshire East Council. The Jodrell Bank Observatory has also received Heritage Lottery Fund support for a £12,147,200 bid for the ‘First Light’ project. The project aims to conserve and restore the heritage of the Jodrell Bank site and create a spectacular new space in which visitors can engage with and learn about the journey to explore our place in the Universe.

A youngster investigates how venus fly traps work

Meeting robots, slime mould and maggots!

ore than 800 visitors joined the Faculty of Life Sciences for its annual Community Open Day, to find out more about what we do and experience everything from slime mould to robots.

The day included a tour of the Fly Facility, to understand how the humble fruit fly is opening up our understanding of a range of conditions and behaviours, such as aggression and motivation.

There were hands-on activities with creepy crawlies, baby fish, microbes and animal-eating plants, and a chance to get close to an array of insects and amphibians. And of course the ever-popular painting with maggots, an unusual and hands-on activity combining art and science – the live maggots are dipped in non-toxic paint and allowed to crawl around the paper to create unique and colourful paintings.

Amazing response to Staff Survey 2015 boosts charity coffers

A Peter Tatchell

Tatchell talks democracy Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell came to the University to talk all things democracy last month, offering an alternative take on the General Election campaign. The activist, campaigning for almost 50 years in support of social justice issues including LGBT rights, sparked a passionate debate with students and staff on austerity, coalition government and other topics. The event was organised by Democracy and Elections, the University’s hub of elections research and expertise, and sponsored by Politics, the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research and Chevening – the UK government’s global scholarship programme.

n amazing 70% of University colleagues completed Staff Survey 2015 – and boosted the coffers of three local charities by a total of £7,177.

The survey gave staff the chance to have their say on working at the University. Capita, which carried it out, will now analyse the results and put together a range of reports at a University-wide, Faculty and local organisational unit levels. The survey saw £1 donated to one of three local charities, chosen by the colleague filling in the form. St Ann’s Hospice – which cares for and helps around 3,000 patients affected by cancer and non-cancer life-limiting illnesses and their families and carers every year – received £2,734. Mustard Tree – which helps homeless and marginalised people across Greater Manchester – received £2,359.

The Christie Charity – which provides enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds at Manchester’s renowned cancer hospital – received £2,084. Claire Briscoe, of St Ann’s Hospice, said: “That’s amazing, thanks so much. How brilliant! We really appreciate all your support. A big thank you to everyone who chose St Ann’s.” Soraya Sheikh Rose, of Mustard Tree, said: “Wow! That’s wonderful news! It’s great to know that so many people chose Mustard Tree and thank you for selecting us in the first place.” Professor Martin Humphries, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, who leads the Staff Survey Steering Group, said: “This is a brilliant response, so thank you to everyone who took those 15 minutes to complete the survey.”

STAFF SURVEY 2015 9 MARCH - 20 APRIL

Complete the Staﬀ Survey and get your voice heard

YOUR VOICE OUR MANCHESTER

What could you do in 15 minutes?

Infographic by Jane Naylor

University experts inform closest General Election in a generation

uring the most uncertain election for a generation, the media turned to the University’s political scientists for their analysis of this tightly fought campaign.

Jane Green, Andrew Russell, Rob Ford, Maria Sobolewska, Colin Talbot and Ed Fieldhouse have been appearing in our national newspaper and broadcast outlets ever since the campaign kicked off three months ago. Highlights include Professor Green’s leading role in the ITV election night coverage, a series of national

newspaper front pages on British Election Study findings and coverage on Newsnight, the Today Programme and the Westminster Hour Professor Russell worked extensively with BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Breakfast, Sky and other outlets, was given accreditation to be in the ‘Spin Room’ for the leaders debate on 2 April and played a leading role on the BBC Radio Manchester’s election night coverage. Professor Talbot’s blog posts had over 10,000 hits and his analysis has been in huge demand from journalists.

Social responsibility goes green

he University has challenging environmental sustainability targets to reduce the impact of our research and teaching on the environment, so it makes sense for this issue to be embedded in our third goal, social responsibility.

Our current commitments include carbon reduction, conserving natural resources and providing staff and students with opportunities to engage in the sustainability agenda. As the University grows we need to keep challenging the way we build and use our estate, how we travel and how we consume goods and energy in our work. Following a workshop to look at these issues, Associate Vice President for Social Responsibility Professor James Thompson said: “It’s been excellent to see the new ideas and plans for environmental sustainability – and important that it is a key part of our overall commitment to social responsibility and making a difference as researchers, teachers and as an institution.” Academic Lead for Sustainability Professor Ian Cotton added: “All of us who work and study at the University can make a contribution to environmental sustainability. It is rewarding to see so many colleagues wanting to contribute to this important agenda.”

Gentle power of politics University colleagues and Museum visitors were presented with a piece of original contemporary art to celebrate the power of politics on General Election day. Artist Romuald Hazoumè – whose installation ‘Dance of the Butterflies’ sees swarms of multi-coloured butterflies take over Manchester Museum’s Living Worlds Gallery – asked the Museum to give away the butterflies from six pieces. The butterflies (pictured) are made from offcuts of vibrant African wax-print fabrics from the artist’s home country of Benin and represent a very African take on politics, exploitation and the ‘butterfly effect’ – how tiny changes within chaotic systems can lead to unexpectedly serious effects. • For more information, visit: twitter.com/mcrmuseum and search for #DanceoftheButterflies

Goodbye UniLife This issue of UniLife will be the last edition. The magazine was founded to bring staff together when the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST merged 11 years ago. Today staff access news and information via StaffNet at staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/ and staff who do not have access to PCs will still receive their monthly Staff Update newsletter. Colleagues can also access news and information at a local level through communications teams in Faculties and some Directorates. The Division of Communications and Marketing is working on a new project to disseminate news to a wide range of the University’s key stakeholders, including staff, later in the year. So do keep sending your news and stories via uninews@manchester.ac.uk.

News

Be a Sport (Volunteer)! Do you spend your weekends or evenings making teas for the cricket club or refereeing junior football matches? If so, have you considered joining the Sports Volunteer Scheme? Vanessa Cowan (pictured, centre) was one of these people. In 2010, she started leading campus walks, when SPORT promoted an in-house course to train staff to become Walk Leaders for the Walking for Health campaign. Since then, she has led weekly lunchtime walks for staff, students and the general public as part of the Lunchtime Strollers Group with Betty-Ann Bristow-Castle (the scheme co-ordinator).

Peer Support prizewinners celebrate

20 years of Peer Support

his year’s Peer Support Celebration Evening marked 20 years in which older students have helped first years to settle in and learn how to cope on campus.

In 2015, 900 students provided support to lower year students through Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and 850 oversaw 35 Peer Mentoring schemes. Since 2004, 48 graduate interns have worked on Peer Support programmes, with many going on to develop their career in Higher Education.

Now, in its twentieth year, Peer Support is to be expanded across the institution. From September 2015, every first year student joining the University will have access to some form of peer support. Awards were presented to 19 mentors, leaders and staff and student co-ordinators. The award for Peer Mentoring Scheme of the Year went to the BAEcon team, while Speech and Language Therapy carried off the PASS Scheme of the Year Award.

Funded by the Sport Volunteer Scheme, Vanessa is now undertaking training to establish an additional walking group to venture out at weekends. Vanessa says: “I would highly recommend the Scheme. The SPORT staff have been so helpful. If you enjoy a sport and would like to share it with others or you’re involved with a club or organisation on any level, then the scheme is made for you.” • For more information visit: sport.manchester.ac.uk/volunteer

CT scan of the contents of a crocodile mummy from Manchester Museum

Unwrapping an Ancient Egyptian scandal Campus Masterplan Update Campus Masterplan Update is no longer circulated with UniLife but will be published online three times each year. Full details will be available via Staffnet and eUpdate this month. Printed copies will be distributed to those staff who do not have PC access.

BBC documentary exposing a scandal at the heart of Ancient Egypt’s animal mummy industry has led to massive international interest in the work of University and Manchester Museum researchers. Horizon, broadcast on BBC 2 last month, told how our scanning project had revealed that about a third of the bundles of cloth were empty inside. The Ancient Egyptians mummified up to 70 million animals, which were buried in underground catacombs at more than thirty sites across Egypt. At the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital a team of radiographers and Egyptologists from the Centre for Biomedical Egyptology used the latest

medical imaging technology – normally used on the young patients – to scan hundreds of animal mummies, removed from Egypt during the 19th and 20th centuries. It is the biggest survey of its kind in history. Dr Lidija McKnight, Research Associate at the University’s Ancient Egyptian Bio Bank Project, said: “The University of Manchester, with its long history in Egyptian mummy research, is leading the field; helping to shed light on the material remains of this ancient practice and, hopefully, to reveal more about how and why these animal mummies were produced.” The project will culminate with an exhibition opening at the Museum on Thursday, 8 October 2015.

Chancellor elections The postal and online ballot of the electorate for the office of University Chancellor opened on Tuesday, 26 May. The three candidates are Lemn Sissay MBE, The Rt Hon. the Lord Mandelson and Sir Mark Elder CBE. Students at JustFest

Helping hope beat despair

he University’s first Social Justice Festival, JustFest saw hundreds of students learn how hope can beat despair – and how they can make this happen.

Undergraduate students from across the University took part in a programme of workshops which explored a range of social justice themes and were led by academics and external presenters, including the BBC and the Runnymede Trust. There was also a performance stage and an exhibition tent where students could take part in activities with organisations including The People’s History Museum, Fallowfield Foodshare and In Place of War.

Law student Paul Skowron said: “Dr Sara Ryan spoke powerfully about her experiences following the death of her son Conor, also known as Laughing Boy, in NHS care. It's easy to feel despair when facing injustices but her campaign shows that even when things are at their worst, despair doesn't have to win.”

The voting instructions are being issued by email and by post (to those that have requested a postal vote) directly by the Electoral Reform Services (ERS). Voting in the election will close at noon on Thursday, 18 June and the results will be announced by the University on Monday, 22 June. For information visit: manchester.ac.uk/discover/governance/ chancellor-election

JustFest, organised by the Faculty of Humanities working with the Student Development and Community Engagement Division, is part of the University’s Ethical Grand Challenges programme to develop socially responsible graduates. • For more information contact: jane.ratchford@manchester.ac.uk

A youngster hard at work

Code crackers tackle graphene and the carbon conundrum

University interns (l-r) Kory Stout, Sara Catalano, Adam Lavery, Joe Beeso-Cope and Rowan Mataram

Nurturing home-grown talent

hen Kory Stout was taken on as the University’s Social Media Intern, he was surprised at how truly exciting and creative work could be.

And Kory, who graduated with a Biology with Sciences and Society BSc last year, surprised us – he was part of a team of interns who helped create the Faculty of Life Sciences’ amazing Minute Lecture video series. Such original and inventive ideas, the energy to make them happen and having their ‘finger on the pulse’ of student experience like no one else is exactly why we run the Manchester Graduate Internship Programme (MGIP), delivered by the Careers Service.

The programme has successfully placed over 700 graduates in a variety of organisations and local businesses, 250 at the University, since it started in 2008. It has proved a tremendous experience all round. Janet Ellis, Student Support Officer, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, says: “MGIP offers first class assistance throughout the recruitment process. We have found that the calibre of candidates has been consistently high – the only ‘downside’ is that it makes the decision who to recruit very difficult!” For more information on how to recruit an intern, visit: careers.manchester.ac.uk/staff/ employingstudents/mgip

The 2015 Alan Turing Cryptography Competition was the most successful to date with more than 4,000 schoolchildren from across the UK competing in teams in an online competition featuring a series of six cryptographic puzzles. More than one thousand teams cracked at least one of the six codes, with ‘BWBoffins’ from Bridgewater High School in Warrington coming first. Some of them then attended the 2015 Alan Turing Cryptography Day at the School of Mathematics. Attended by more than 250 youngsters from all over the UK, it featured the prize ceremony and activities including ‘Maths busking’ and a live cryptography competition, won by Cryptex from Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. With the online competition entitled ‘The Tale of the Carbon Conundrum’ and graphene playing a key role, graphene researcher Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan also gave a lecture on the amazing properties of graphene and its potential applications for the future.

News Reaching out to families in Syria The University is hosting an exhibition to support children and families affected by the war in Syria. Based on research the University’s Parenting and Families Research Group has conducted with families on the Syrian-Turkish border and in the UK, the event will show through film, children’s drawings, photographs and quotations from interviews with parents what it is like for children growing up in the Syrian conflict and the hardships of being a parent in this context. Children accompanied by an adult are welcome to the event. ‘Syria: Reaching Out to Children and Parents of War’, organised by the School of Psychological Sciences group in partnership with humanitarian non-governmental organisation Watan, will be held at z-arts, 335 Stretford Road, in Hulme (Thursday, 4 June until Saturday, 6 June).

Louise Finnegan

Real life stories behind our postgrad scholarship scheme

he University’s Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme helps students to overcome a variety of barriers to master's study. Here two real life stories perfectly illustrate why we do this.

Having moved to the UK from Eritrea in Africa, Futsumbirhan Weldeab was thankful to be given refugee status. Futsumbirhan now has indefinite stay to leave and refuses to overplay his difficult start in the UK. He simply wants to make the best of his life. Futsumbirhan, studying for an MSc Actuarial Science, says: “A Masters degree is an opportunity to study the field you are interested in deeply. It gives an internal satisfaction. I feel I have achieved something more in life than before. And that is what life is about.”

That’s the (team) spirit! Professor Emile G. L. Schrijver

Studying for an MRes in Criminology, she says: “I found this to be very difficult at times but the School of Law were very supportive and I managed to complete my assessments with good grades. The scholarship has enabled me to further my academic career and I am so grateful for this opportunity.”

n support of our social responsibility agenda, the University once again took part in Give and Gain Day, the national day of employee volunteering organised by Business in the Community (BITC).

Ten teams from across campus did their bit for the local community – and fostered team spirit in the process.

Susannah Crossland, from the Division of Communications and Marketing team, said: “It’s really good to find out about the great work the charity Lifeshare does and, as I am fairly new, get to know my colleagues with some manual labour!”

Renowned Professor of Jewish Book History Professor Emile G. L. Schrijver celebrated the richness of our Hebrew collections when he delivered The John Rylands Research Institute Annual Lecture.

Give and Gain Day Project Manager and Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Head of Human Resources, Sue Field said: "It is fabulous to see so many teams taking the opportunity to make a difference in the community; these projects are a really great way to engage in team development – and provide a lot of fun too."

Professor Schrijver illustrated his lecture with a staggering array of fine examples from the John Rylands Library, ranging from the famous illuminated Rylands Haggadah to a Judaeo-Tartar version of Genesis.

Louise, mum to eight-year-old Amara and seven-year-old Maya, wants to be a good example to her girls.

Our projects included work at Debdale, Wythenshawe, Fog Lane, Heaton and Chorlton Parks; Garden Needs; Hough End; Tameside Animal Shelter; Lifeshare and the Geodome Project - Real Food at Wythenshawe.

Celebrating the richness of our Hebrew collections

He discussed how Hebrew scribal traditions influenced Hebrew printing, and how Hebrew manuscript production continued throughout the early modern period under the influence of printing practices.

Juggling her studies with single parenthood and a job, with an unplanned gall bladder operation thrown in, was tough for Louise Finnegan – but her passion and the support of her School and the University got her through.

(l-r) Kate Cassidy, Steve McCabe and Andy Simmons paint the staircase at Lifeshare

Give and Gain Day sees thousands of volunteers across 25 countries as diverse as Spain, Iran, Nigeria and Guatemala. By making volunteering accessible and inspirational, BITC aims to support organisations to see volunteering as something that can contribute to individual professional development and team building.

Rex Features

Research

Nutrients identified in the womb

Secrets of early embryo nutrition revealed

he mechanism by which embryos receive nutrition during the first 11 weeks of pregnancy has been revealed by University scientists.

Professors Carolyn Jones and John Aplin from the Institute of Human Development showed how glucose and other nutrients are delivered in the early stages of pregnancy before the foetus is large and developed enough to receive a direct blood supply from the mother.

This stage is crucial for the implantation of the embryo onto the wall of the placenta and a successful pregnancy, and as previous studies have shown, nutritional problems at this stage can affect the child’s health for the rest of its life. Professor Aplin said: “The discovery of this mechanism represents a leap forward in what we understand about how nutrients get from mother to child in the womb.”

Why don’t young people vote? Young people in the UK do not appear to exercise their right to vote as much as their European counterparts, according to data from a European Union funded project. Coinciding with last month’s election, the MYPLACE (Memory, Youth, Political Legacy and Civic Engagement) Project released new insights into young people’s voting behaviour. The report was written by Professor Hilary Pilkington, from our School of Social Sciences, and Mark Ellison, from Manchester Metropolitan University, and focuses on voting in elections and democratic performance and profiles data for the UK.

Trapping elusive neutrino particles The chemistry of cooking lobster

Lobster colour change mystery solved

or the first time scientists have come up with a precise explanation for why lobsters change colour from blue/black to red when cooked.

When alive and living in the sea, lobsters are naturally a dark-blue/black colour. But put them in a pan of boiling water and they soon turn the familiar orange-red that is the colour that most people think for lobsters, i.e. on their dinner plates. The key is a chemical called astaxanthin, which has

the orange-red colour of a cooked lobster, and how it interacts with a complex of proteins called crustacyanin, which lobsters produce. Professor John Helliwell, of the School of Chemistry, said: “Over the last thirteen years there have been competing groups studying this coloration mechanism, but hopefully now the issue is solved. It is a scientific curiosity, but it may also have important applications in the real world.”

The University of Manchester part of a project could detect neutrinos – electrically neutral, weakly interacting, tiny particles that move fast – and help explain more about the origins of the Universe. Scientists want to fire a beam of particles through 1,300km (800 miles) of rock to study how neutrinos change as they travel through the Earth at close to the speed of light. Professor Stefan Soldner-Rembold, from the School of Physics, said: “The ultimate goal is to find differences between the behaviour of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos (neutrino anti-matter).”

Research

Giving Roma community a voice

Cancer scans to check need for radiotherapy

Manchester’s Roma – who have so far suffered a lack of spokesmanship – are now being given a voice. Professor Yaron Matras is the Project Coordinator for an EC-funded project done in partnership with Manchester City Council, aimed at helping the city’s Roma population to gain access to services, education and employment. The project, which also aims to combat the public’s negative perceptions of them, will set up a community group to provide advice, support and help.

Genetic clue to arthritis outcomes Scientists at the University have identified a new way in which genotyping – determining differences in genetic make-up – can be used to predict disease outcomes among sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Sebastien Viatte, of the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Genetics and Genomics at the University, said: “This major advance in genetics might allow identification of rheumatoid arthritis patients at risk of joint damage and early death.”

Scans of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

radiotherapy comes with undesirable late effects, such as cardiovascular disease and other cancers – despite the fact that they have already been cured of Hodgkin lymphoma.

The current standard treatment is for all Hodgkin lymphoma patients to receive chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy. However, this

In a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the scientists, led by Professor John Radford, showed that a positron-emission tomography (PET) scan immediately after treatment with chemotherapy can identify patients who have a very good outcome without additional radiotherapy.

UK National Cancer Research Institute trial led from the University’s Institute of Cancer Sciences and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust has suggested that in patients with early stage Hodgkin lymphoma, the late effects of radiotherapy could be reduced by using a scan to determine those who actually need it.

Inaccurate reporting jeopardising clinical trials

etter method reporting in animal experiments could save hundreds of thousands of pounds and stop clinical trials being commissioned that have no hope of a successful result, according to Manchester researchers. A team led by Dr Sheena Cruickshank, from the Faculty of Life Sciences, and Professor Andy Brass, from the School of Computer Science, analysed 58 papers on research into inflammatory bowel disease published between 2000 and 2014. They found a wide variety in how methods were reported and that vital information about experiments were missing, meaning they couldn’t be accurately reproduced in animal or human models.

To address the issue the team have developed a critical checklist of what information should be included. At work in the lab

Rex Features

Dr Cruickshank says: “I was shocked at the lack of information provided in papers and it’s no surprise that this lack of data makes it difficult to validate results.”

Investigating immune system attacks Dr Mark Travis and his team at the Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research have made an important discovery about the white blood cells that play a major role in immunity, known as T cells.

Poplar tree cells

How to make trees grow bigger and quicker

rofessor Simon Turner and his team have discovered a way to make trees grow bigger and faster, a finding which could increase supplies of renewable resources and help trees cope better with the effects of climate change. In the study, published in Current Biology, the team successfully manipulated two genes in poplar trees in order to make them grow larger and more quickly than usual.

By understanding the mechanisms behind how the cells work, it’s hoped immunotherapies which use them could be improved to potentially treat conditions ranging from type 1 diabetes to multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

stem. We have identified two genes that are able to drive cell division in the stem and so override the normal growth pattern. “Although this needs be tested in the field, this discovery paves the way for generating trees that grow more quickly. This will contribute to meeting the needs for increased plant biomass as a renewable source of biofuels, chemicals and materials while minimising further carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere.”

Rex Features

Professor Turner explains: “The rate at which trees grow is determined by the rate of cell division in the

They have identified new and crucial molecules which allow T cells to function and cure active inflammation during disease.

English school system ‘in a mess’

ew proposals for the reform of the English education system are outlined in a new report written by Mel Ainscow CBE and Alan Dyson, Professors of Education and co-directors of the Centre for Equity in Education, and their colleagues Sue Goldrick and Dr Kirstin Kerr. The new report says that successive governments have failed to deliver an education system that offers better opportunities for all children and young people.

The academics outlined a new way of thinking around how the system could improve. They also said that student achievement is too strongly linked to social background and gaps in achievement between those who do well and those who do badly are large and growing. The report recommends that education policy has to be part of much wider efforts to improve the lives of individuals and families and that schools have to be part of a much wider network of services.

Dr Dawn Edge

Gaining mental health insights With Caribbean people in the UK nine times more likely than white British counterparts to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental health researcher has visited Jamaica and Barbados to find out what lessons can be learned. On her research visit, funded by a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, Dr Dawn Edge from the School of Psychological Sciences spent time in hospitals and with community care teams. Dr Edge noticed the treatment turnaround time in Jamaica can be as short as a few weeks, compared to months in the UK, which she is keen to explore in future.

Feature

Winners and highly commended from the School of Psychological Sciences

Celebrating how we are Making a Difference Social responsibility describes the way we are making a difference to the social and economic wellbeing of our communities through our teaching, research and public events and activities. Here UniLife looks at how we celebrated this with the Making a Difference Awards for Social Responsibility.

he awards – held in the Whitworth Hall – recognised the outstanding achievements of staff, students and alumni and celebrated how they are all making a difference.

Winners received their awards from President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell in 11 different categories; such as Outstanding Contribution to Community Collaboration, Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Sustainability and Outstanding Benefit to Society through Research. All winners highlighted the significant difference they are making to the social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing of our communities and wider society. There was a huge amount of interest in the awards when they launched in December, with more than 100 entries submitted, making the judges’ job very difficult. In addition to the 14 winners, more than 25 projects received the accolade of Highly Commended.

Professor Nancy Rothwell, Hamied Haroon and Melanie Sharpe

Special awards were also given to Professor Aneez Esmail from the Institute of Population Health, for his outstanding contribution to equality and diversity, and Andrew Gray from The Manchester Museum, for his outstanding contribution to public engagement and environmental sustainability.

The UMBUG team

Professor James Thompson, Associate Vice President for Social Responsibility, said: “The Awards event was a wonderful opportunity to recognise some of the inspiring activities in which staff, students and alumni of the University are involved. It was the perfect platform to share some of the best social responsibility stories, raise the profile of dozens of University and community initiatives and in doing so contribute further to their impact.” Hamied Haroon, from the Centre for Imaging Sciences, who won the Outstanding Contribution to Equality and Diversity category, along with Melanie Sharpe from IT Services, said: “It was an absolute honour for Melanie and I to be selected and a real surprise! It was wonderful to hear about all the amazing initiatives that colleagues from right across the University are involved in.” • A new video about the University’s work on social responsibility has been launched. To watch and find out more about the awards, visit: manchester.ac.uk/socialresponsibility

Feature

(l-r) Emma Ridings, Julia Pugh and Karl Hennermann with Professor Nancy Rothwell

Meet our humanitarian heroes The University’s Volunteer of the Year Awards and Social Responsibility Medal have been celebrating the good work of our staff, students and alumni for eight years. Founded and run by staff in the Student Development and Community Engagement Division, it has given us many moving tales to be proud of – and inspired by. Here UniLife looks at this year’s winners.

Emma at work with StreetDoctors

taff winner Karl Hennermann is something of a humanitarian Indiana Jones – one day he’s teaching students about geographical information systems and carrying out spatial data research, the next he is on the scene of a disaster, mapping out the data that has been swept away by nature or war to help aid agencies meet the victims’ needs. Karl volunteers for MapAction, a non-government organisation that delivers vital information in mapped form from data gathered at disaster scenes, crucial for delivering aid to the right place, quickly. He has helped people displaced by war in South Sudan and others hit by natural disasters in the Philippines and Paraguay, since joining in 2010. MapAction’s operations director Jonny Douch says: “His willingness to deploy at short notice is second to none…with little hesitation for his own discomfort.” And when Karl returns to campus, he gives our geographical information systems Masters students in the School of Environment, Education and Development a valuable real life lesson – his lectures show them what their work in the classroom can achieve.

All the recipients at the awards event with Professor Nancy Rothwell

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell also presented Volunteer of the Year awards along with the University Medal for Social

Responsibility to student winner Emma Ridings and alumni winner Julia Pugh. Fourth year medic Emma is team leader for the Manchester branch of StreetDoctors, a charity that teaches essential lifesaving skills to high risk young people. Emma puts in a full working week – and more – at her hospital placement, yet gives 40 hours to StreetDoctors, as well as playing rugby and playing in a band! Julia (BNurs. (Hons) Nursing, 2008) started the Manchester branch of Stop the Traffik in September 2009 and has worked tirelessly, alongside her job as a nurse, to keep the group fighting the crime of human trafficking. Described as “kind, friendly, open-minded, approachable and warm”, she is also modest about her high-level work with Greater Manchester Police, Manchester Airport and safeguarding groups. From creating and running awareness campaigns, to training organisations, going on police raids and harm reduction visits, befriending and supporting victims, Julia proves that community action can fight a global problem. • For the full shortlist visit: manchester.ac.uk/volunteeroftheyear

Feature

A Learning Revolution

OOCs are symbolic of our times. We want faster, easier, bite-sized ways of experiencing the things that interest us. MOOCs deliver that in the form of short online courses, typically two or three hours a week for six to ten weeks, to anyone, anywhere in the world with access to the internet, completely free of charge.

The courses use a mix of content such as video lectures, interactive quizzes, apps and active forums. From criminal law to hip hop culture, the choice is yours and there are hundreds of courses and providers to choose from. The first University of Manchester MOOCs ran in 2014, with 45,000 participants from over 190 countries taking part. Valaya Gaudet

We are likely to offer more MOOCs over the next few years, with courses being developed in strategically important subjects, such as our research beacons of industrial biotechnology; cancer; energy; advanced materials and addressing global inequalities.

Rex Features

A revolution in learning, a catalyst for change, a way of promoting what we do – Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a new development for our digital age. Through them a lecturer can reach more students in a single session than they would in a lifetime of face-to-face teaching, many in the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Here UniLife sees first-hand what they can achieve.

“And many of our MOOC students originate from some of the most underdeveloped countries of the world. It’s difficult to imagine that many students from these areas could ever come to Manchester, but the power of MOOCs is that they can bring Manchester to students – wherever they may be.” And the quality of our MOOCs has also been recognised with our ‘Introduction to Physical Chemistry’ course recently winning the Guardian University Award for Online and Distance Learning. The University’s MOOCs Project Manager Ian Hutt says: ”Our MOOCs have achieved a very high satisfaction rate, with 93% of participants rating their course ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’. A lot of effort goes into building these courses but once made, they can be run again and again, and we are finding they are a useful resource with wider applications elsewhere.”

Professor Richard Reece, Associate Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students and MOOC project sponsor, explains: “MOOCs offer a very public gateway to showcase the superb online teaching and learning experiences available at our University. “I think that the notion of being able to reach more students in a single session than you could in a lifetime of face-to-face teaching is mind-blowing.

Patrick O’Malley

You have access to some highly respected academics and the discussion forums are very interesting because there are people from all over the world taking part.

Jamie Brown

The Learning Experience Valaya Gaudet, aged 55, lives in Tucson, Arizona and is a graduate gemologist (the study of natural and artificial gems and gemstones). She is a student on the ‘Our Earth: Its Climate, History, and Processes’ MOOC. “This is not the first MOOC I’ve tried, but it’s the first I’ve completed. What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed it, because in truth, sitting by myself in front of a computer doesn’t really inspire me to learn, no matter how interested I am in the subject. “But I stuck with Dr Schultz’s class because he and his team were able to replicate the feeling one gets in a ‘real’ class. They accomplished this by taking a genuine interest in the discussions. I felt valued as a student. There was a dialogue as well as a personal contact. The format of the class involving a discussion between, say, Dr Schultz and a guest professor, made the whole thing more human, too. “Thanks to the enthusiasm of my professors and classmates, I learned that I truly love Earth Sciences and want to pursue my studies.” Jamie Brown, 33, is right on campus – as Media Relations Officer for the University’s Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences – but has just completed his MOOC in ‘Global Health and Humanitarianism’, run by the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute.

Cathy Wilcock

“Most content is delivered by video and this is really good for me. You can receive a lot of information in a short space of time, so I can fit it around looking after my two-year-old and my day job.

to know the very active participants on the forums. While I don’t think there is any substitute for face-to-face teaching, the MOOC forums are still very lively arenas for open debate.”

“You have access to some highly respected academics and the discussion forums are very interesting because there are people from all over the world taking part.

Patrick O’Malley is the Lead Academic on the ‘Introduction to Physical Chemistry’ MOOC. A Reader in the School of Chemistry, he is also an Assistant Associate Dean in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science and Faculty lead on eLearning, a role which includes overseeing the MOOCs produced by the Faculty.

“I thought the forums were going to be quite intimidating at first, as people on there are working for international aid agencies or are professional health care workers. In fact those people have supplemented the learning and posted some interesting links and thoughts that have helped bring me up to speed.

The Teaching Experience

“Compared to campus teaching, the lack of face-to-face contact is a big difference and the diversity of students on the MOOC is much greater. Students from over 158 countries enrolled, ranging in age from 11 to 81. You get the impression from the discussion forums that the students are really interested in learning for its own sake, as opposed to passing an exam.

Cathy Wilcock, a PhD candidate and graduate teaching assistant within the School of Environment, Education and Development, is a Teaching Assistant on the ‘Global Health and Humanitarianism’ MOOC.

“Academic knowledge is no longer confined within university campuses. Internet sources are providing high-quality, free academic knowledge, outside the traditional university campus.

“The most I had ever had in a tutorial class before was around 16 so you can imagine how daunted I was knowing that there were more than 4,000 people signed up to the MOOC.

“I think MOOCs’ lasting influence will probably be their role as a catalyst in changing the way campus-based education is carried out. Information will need to be delivered flexibly and conveniently online and student-teacher contact time will need to become much more interactive.”

“I think you have to choose something that interests you, but whether it’s for work or pleasure, it’s a good way to improve your knowledge of a subject.”

“I expected the experience to be very faceless and impersonal but was surprised at how much you get

Feature

Global challenges, Manchester solutions 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 final of five features, UniLife looks at how our experts are advancing our understanding of the world, addressing global inequalities to improve lives.

Image licensed by CDC Global Health

Addressing global inequalities

here are pronounced inequalities across the world. While progress has been made in some countries and on some aspects of inequality, it’s still the case that food, health care, infrastructure and resources are plentiful in some areas, yet scarce in others. Far too many households struggle with low income and poor job prospects.

Across the world, men and women’s opportunities, experiences, their potential and their quality of life are shaped by unequal treatment, prejudice and discrimination due to their personal characteristics or family background. At its most stark, this means that around 800 million people in the world will go hungry today,1 and 29,000 children will die from preventable health care problems.2

Tackling all aspects of inequality For almost two centuries, The University of Manchester has been leading the way in tackling global inequalities. We’re focusing on all aspects of inequality, from poverty to social justice, from living conditions to equality in the workplace. We seek to understand our world and directly change it for the better. Bringing together some of the best academic minds in applied medicine, business, law, social sciences

and the arts, we’re meeting these challenges head on, creating and sharing knowledge to alleviate and end poverty and inequalities across the globe. With years of research in global development, health care, education, disaster management, humanitarian aid, employment and equality and diversity, we help to deliver real-world benefit.

Global impact Our impact is far-reaching. In the field of poverty, for example, there are many cases of how our expertise is bringing benefits to individuals and societies across the globe. We’ve worked with policymakers and multilaterals to guide the Bangladeshi government towards new approaches to tackling poverty. In Tanzania we’re exploring the uncharted area of youth communities and urban contexts to help reverse the growing poverty of young people in the nation’s cities. Our Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, meanwhile, is bringing together the disciplines of medicine and the humanities to facilitate improvements in global crisis response, while providing an internationally leading centre of training for humanitarian practitioners. The Institute has worked with the UK International Emergency Trauma and Medical Registers and

UK-Med to deploy medical teams to three of the most significant global humanitarian crisis responses of recent times: in the Philippines, in response to the Typhoon Haiyan; in Gaza, following the 2014 Israeli-Gaza conflict; and in Sierra Leone, in response to the Ebola virus epidemic.

Changing how people work and think Our global and local partners are changing the way they work and how they govern. Our research directly influences policies which make positive changes for people living in inequality. International governmental organisations, national governments, multinational corporations, global charities and non-governmental organisations partner with us to do things differently. For example, we have an international reputation for our contributions to labour debates. Our work on global value chains and inequalities has had particular impact, for example with Cadbury on cocoa production in Ghana. The research of our Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity is enabling policymakers and the public to track the contemporary patterns of ethnic inequalities – and to see how these relate to the changing ways in which ethnic identities are perceived, acted upon and experienced.

A fairer, healthier, better world

At a glance

Our researchers develop evidence to influence policies that help improve the health and well-being of the most disadvantaged in society. Our strengths in the field of global health range from the professionalisation of volunteers to engagement with donors and policymakers.

Addressing global inequalities work at Manchester

We’re experts in unravelling the social inequalities that stand in the way of better health care for all – our research led to a better understanding of urban health issues in cities across Europe, and we’re investigating the relationship between ageing, well-being and work, and the barriers to people exercising in later life. Our research is helping to bring about a fairer and more just world.

• We have 335 academic staff and PhD students working to address global inequalities. • Our insight into humanitarian efforts and technologies has been recognised by the British Academy. It has influenced Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, Handicap International and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. • Our employment expertise has informed the European Commission, the European Parliament and the United Nations’ International Labour Office.

Footnotes 1. International Federation for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2. Unicef

What’s On

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre Girls Night Out – Science and Engineering in the SKA Join us for our latest ‘Girls Night Out’ to learn about the most exciting science and engineering project of the future – the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which will create the biggest radio telescope on Planet Earth. We were delighted to learn, just at the end of April, that the International Headquarters of the SKA will be hosted by Jodrell Bank. During the evening of Saturday, 20 June (7pm to 10.15pm), you will attend a talk by SKA engineer Dr Roshene McCool and be inspired by the science and engineering of the future.

Plus you can test your own skills in a series of activities which include creating your own (glowing!) model SKA antenna, help us assemble our very own array in the gardens and trying your hand at some real electrical engineering – soldering a flashing LED badge to wear and take home Pre-booking is required. Tickets are £8 and include a cookie and refreshments. This event has been generously supported and subsidised by the Square Kilometre Array Organisation. • For details of this and other events, visit: jodrellbank.net or call 01477 571766

Manchester Museum Big Saturday Ancient Greeks, Myths and Monsters

Ancient Greek Costume Optional (but encouraged!)

This June prepare to be transported back to the time of the Ancient Greeks at the next instalment of Manchester Museum’s Big Saturday programme.

Big Saturdays are free and there’s no need to book.

Big Saturdays are where the Museum bursts into life with objects, experts, storytelling and performances. This month’s Big Saturday is Ancient Greeks, Myths and Monsters and is on Saturday, 27 June from 11am-4pm.

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 Darkness and Light: Exploring Gothic Housed in the neo-Gothic grandeur of The John Rylands Library, Darkness and Light reveals how Gothic architecture and anatomy inspired and influenced a literary genre, and how the lasting legacy of Gothic can be found in art, films and subculture today. From the fantastical to the macabre, this intriguing exhibition unearths Gothic treasures from the Library’s Special Collections to investigate subjects as varied as the role of women in the Gothic movement, advances in medical science and classic literature. Amongst the fascinating items on display is Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764), the first Gothic novel. With a Gothic medieval castle, doomed love and

restless spectres of the past, it sets the scene for the genre and sits alongside a whole host of Gothic bestsellers including The Monk, Udolpho and Jekyll and Hyde. The exhibition, from 16 July to 20 December, also showcases artwork by students from the University of Salford and a gallery of photographic portraits of ‘Goths’, celebrating diversity and inviting visitors to explore what Gothic means to them. Alongside the exhibition, experience a ghostly Gothic tour of the Library or come along to screenings of classic Gothic films, including F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, in the striking Historic Reading Room.

You can discover more about the Ancient Greeks and their daily lives. You’ll be able to make your own clay creations inspired by Ancient Greek, Myths and Monsters, or design your own Ancient Greek comic strip.

On the same day the Museum is hosting an Early Birds early morning opening from 9-10am. At the Museum’s early opening for early birds you can enjoy self-led tours, object handling and craft activities. The Nature’s Library and Live Animals (Vivarium) galleries will be open at 9am - you can explore the rest of the Museum from 10am. Early opening is free and is especially for families. • For details of this and other events, visit: museum.manchester.ac.uk

The Whitworth Manchester International Festival (MIF) at the Whitworth

renovated landscape gallery of the Whitworth.

The extraordinary Richter/Pärt project brings together two of the world’s most influential and enduring cultural figures. In early autumn 2013, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Poots introduced artist Gerhard Richter and composer Arvo Pärt for the first time. As a result of that meeting in Dresden, both men made work inspired by and dedicated to the other.

Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima will be performed live throughout the day and into the evening from Thursday, 9 to Saturday, 11 July by celebrated Estonian choir Vox Clamantis and thereafter during the day from Sunday, 12 to Sunday, 19 July by a variety of local choirs.

That work will be premiéred at MIF15 in a significant new show. A suite of four new works by Richter, Ashes (2015) and his Doppelgrau (2014), will be presented with Pärt’s Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima in the newly

Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival and the Whitworth. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Alex Poots. Free, no ticket required. • For details of this and other events, visit: manchester.ac.uk/whitworth

• To see this and other exhibitions visit manchester.ac.uk/library/rylands

Feature

Bernard Strutt (top) and Andrew Hough

Making room for change 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…

When the University holds its weekday open day later this month, 10,000 visitors will stream onto campus – prospective students and their families. Most of these, around 60%, come by car and will need a car park space. Open Days are a vital opportunity to showcase our wonderful University. Huge increases on demand for car parking can have a negative effect on the perception of the University before even stepping foot on campus. So the University has launched ‘Give Your Car a Rest Day’, asking around 4,000 staff, where feasible, to try a more environmentally-friendly commute. A team effort supported by Environmental Sustainability, Student Recruitment and Car Park Services, it will see staff car drivers given a host of incentives to leave their car at home. These include a free Personalised Travel Plan pack and free taster tickets for a week’s travel on Northern Rail or any bus or a Metrolink day ticket. The visitors will also be encouraged to use alternative travel modes to the car and those staff that already travel sustainably – around 60% of us – have also been rewarded with an interactive prize draw. The University’s Sustainable Travel Planner Andrew Hough and Head of UK/EU Student Recruitment Bernard Strutt head up the initiative and both say

M1316 05.15 The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL Royal Charter Number RC000797 Created by the Division of Communications and Marketing

they are excited to see it come to fruition after 18 months of discussions, building on the Sustainable Travel Plan which has been in place for 15 years, alongside exciting transport improvements across Greater Manchester. “I really feel we are witnessing a culture shift in how staff approach sustainability and travel,” says Andrew. “It takes time but many staff are realising the positive opportunities available. I hear so many fantastic examples that it gives me the motivation to keep moving forward.” “The enthusiasm of some of the travel operators has far exceeded our expectations,” adds Bernard. “I think there is real potential to develop the scheme further next year, hopefully with the support of our Corridor Manchester partners.” Andrew says: “We want to get staff talking and thinking about their travel habits. Hopefully some staff will be able to make a change they didn’t think possible before. “Overall the aim is for staff to realise that everyone can contribute in one way or another and being flexible and making occasional changes does make a significant difference.” • To read more of these inspiring stories visit: makeadifferencemcr.tumblr.com

Cert no. SGS-COC-3059