3 February 2014 Issue 4 Volume 11
unilife The free magazine for The University of Manchester
Meet our new apprentices
Message from the President This month we recognise the contribution which our Professional Support Services staff make to the continued success of our University.
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he University has much to celebrate: major research outputs; significant new research grants; student achievements and improved student satisfaction; and real progress in social responsibility. These are powerful examples of where we are making a real difference in wider society. We quite rightly celebrate these achievements, most of which name our academic staff as leaders in our key activities and in our three core goals. But like a theatre production where the actors take the applause, the many backstage staff ‘make it happen’; we should find more time to acknowledge the work of those who facilitate our successes and make things happen. These are the University’s Professional Support Services (PSS) staff who are behind just about everything we do. As well as providing essential support and services, it is our PSS colleagues who have helped the University to build an excellent reputation.
PSS staff are critical to our success in so many areas. Working in partnership with academic colleagues, PSS staff played a critical role in the recruitment, induction and registration of the 10,500 new students we welcomed last September; co-ordinated and managed the University’s mammoth submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which was completed in November, and make sure that our business processes work efficiently week in and week out. PSS staff are also key to helping to ensure that the University is a ‘good place to work’ and is a real force for good in our local community. PSS colleagues from Human Resources forged a partnership with local community organisations in Hulme and Ardwick to set up “The Works”, which provides support to get local unemployed people into work, and one in 50 PSS staff now serves as a governor at local schools. Many readers of UniLife will know the names and be familiar with the work of PSS colleagues in their own
With Dr Andrew Robinson at the Investing in Success event
School, Faculty or Directorate, but they may not know, or rarely think about the other, often ‘unseen’ PSS colleagues who clean and maintain our buildings, make the sandwiches, prepare the contracts, install the software and are there to offer support and guidance to students when they are having a difficult time. One of our challenges is the scale and diversity of our PSS operation, which reflects the size and complexity of the University itself. In supporting the University, for example, every year we have to pay 250,000 invoices, manage 50,000 rooms and 8,400 study bedrooms, run 4,800 separate examinations, provide individual counselling for 2,200 students and staff, handle 33,000 job applications, deal with 19,500 stories in the press, respond to 450 Freedom of Information enquiries, facilitate 1,000 conferences and events and serve 100,000 sausages and 65,000 litres of soup to our hungry students and staff! You can find more fascinating facts and figures about our services at: www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/pss-facts
With students at the Stargazing LIVE transmission
Contact us News and story ideas Mikaela Sitford tel 0161 275 2112 email uninews@manchester.ac.uk www.manchester.ac.uk/staffnet/news Deadline 12 February 2014 Events and listings information Philippa Adshead tel 0161 275 2922 email unievents@manchester.ac.uk Deadline 12 February 2014 Ads Sarah Davenport tel 0161 275 2922 email uniads@manchester.ac.uk Deadline 12 February 2014 Next issue 3 March 2014
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News New Year’s Honours for our colleagues
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News A passion for our past
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On the Stargazing set
We have been working hard over the past two years to bring all these teams, local and central, specialist and general, office-based and manual, together as ‘one PSS’ and to build a team that offers a professional and seamless service. We are beginning to hear from colleagues in surveys and feedback that they are seeing an improvement in how ‘joined-up’ our services are. That is a good start, but there are still further changes that we need to make. In any organisation of this scale, there is always much more that can be done. Our focus during the coming year is on the improvement of key processes and we have selected five specific processes – staff recruitment and appointment; timetabling; attendance monitoring; points-based system and purchase to pay; where we know that we can do better and make real improvements. We are also finding new and more efficient ways to deliver many of our core services and as a result the overall cost of the PSS is declining in absolute terms
and as a proportion of University expenditure, which is helping us to release valuable funds to invest in new services to support our staff and students. We recognise that despite our size, we can’t do everything ourselves and, therefore, we work with external partners to deliver some of these services. Of course, there are many challenges for the PSS, and one of the key areas for development in 2014 will be creating better working partnerships between PSS and academic colleagues. The University cannot function without its academic staff or its PSS staff, but this level of interdependency is not always recognised. The recent Staff Survey suggested that PSS staff don’t always feel as valued as their academic colleagues. We have set up a group to examine this and make recommendations. The achievements of our PSS colleagues are increasingly being recognised outside of the University. Over the past few months, we’ve won a Times Higher Education (THE) award for “The Works”; two Green Gown awards (one of
them in an international category) for our School Governor initiative; a Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride award for our Staff Survey campaign and both a Gold Cardiac Smart Award and National Heart Safe Award for our work providing defibrillators across the campus and training more than 500 staff in basic life support skills. The success of our PSS colleagues in these awards is a clear signal that our University is a place where ideas are encouraged and things get done, while also recognising that as in almost all areas of our activity, we face challenges and areas of improvement. Professor Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor Will Spinks, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer
Contents 2 4 11 15 22 24
Message from the President News Research Features What’s On Making a Difference
Front cover: Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences apprentices. Photo by Jason Lock
Research Coronation Street star’s cancer mission
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Feature Inspiring researchers of the future
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News
Honour for our Stateside champion T
ony Thornley has received the University’s Medal of Honour, the highest award the University can bestow, for his work to develop and lead the North American Foundation for The University of Manchester (NAFUM) and his continuous commitment to the University. Tony (BSc (Hons) Chemistry 1967) has been involved with the University for many years in his roles as President of the NAFUM board (2007–2013) and now in his role as a Director of the board; as well
Professor Nancy Rothwell with Tony and Gillian Thornley
as being an active and committed member of the University’s Global Leadership Board (GLB).
been very rewarding and receiving the Medal of Honour from Professor Nancy Rothwell was humbling.
Tony and his wife Gillian’s support for the University has included funding for Masters students; seed funding for a highly innovative partnership with Harvard in the area of regenerative medicine; and most recently a landmark gift to support a new Chair and clinical Fellow in Regenerative Medicine.
“Gillian and I have been very fortunate in our lives and want to give back where we can.
Tony said: “Being involved with the outstanding leaders of the University over the past ten years has
Manchester wins national doctoral training centres
Renowned economist joins University
The University has been chosen to host five new national Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) in science and engineering.
The economist Professor Jim O’Neill - who coined the term BRIC economies back in 2001, predicting that Brazil, Russia, India and China would become future powerhouses of the world economy - has been appointed Honorary Professor of Economics.
The funding – from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) – will target areas vital to economic growth.
Brought up in Gatley, Manchester and a life-long Manchester United fan, he worked for Goldman Sachs Group between 1995 and 2013. He was Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and the firm’s Chief Economist from 2001 to 2011. He has recently presented four programmes on BBC Radio Four on what he predicts will be the next group of growing economies – coining a new acronym “MINT,” which stands for Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.
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“Donations also help students who would otherwise not be able to enjoy the Manchester experience and those students both local and from around the world enrich the experience for everyone involved.”
The four EPSRC CDTs awarded to Manchester are in ‘power networks’, ‘next generation nuclear’, ‘science and applications of graphene and related nanomaterials’ and ‘regenerative medicine’, while a new £8 million training centre aimed at helping the oil and gas sector put environmental science at the heart of responsible management of the planet was announced by NERC. Professor Jim O’Neill
The University is also one of the universities to share in £100 million of new investment in 15 Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) for environmental science PhD students.
Colleagues celebrate New Year with Queen’s honour The Queen’s New Year Honours list has included some of our University colleagues.
Lenox Green, Postgraduate Office Administrator in the School of Maths, was awarded an OBE for his voluntary work helping youngsters, families and homeless people in Manchester. Twenty years ago, Lenox and wife Heather re-mortgaged their home to set up the Rainbow Christian Centre in Hulme, now open four days a week and offering support and inspiration for the local community such as helping families with housing, benefits, education and a weekly food bank.
Professor Carole Anne Goble, from the School of Computer Science, has been made a CBE for her services to science. Carole is a leading authority on the Semantic Web a means of enriching the Web with knowledge having an impact on bioinformatics, e-Science, open science and applied computer science.
Professor Douglas Kell, from the School of Chemistry and the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, has been awarded a CBE for his services to science and research. Douglas is a leading figure in the field of systems biology, the multidisciplinary approach to tackling complex biological problems using theory, computer modelling and experimentation.
Balshaw curates star-studded festival
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irector of Whitworth Art Gallery Maria Balshaw has curated the Selfridges Festival of Imagination, featuring a series of talks with some of the UK’s most successful artists, writers, musicians, actors and innovators, a host of workshops and Pop-up Whitworth – an in-store version of Manchester’s gallery in the park. The festival runs until Wednesday, 19 February and plays host to giant of British sculpture and photography Richard Wentworth, interior designer Ben Kelly, whose client list includes the Hacienda nightclub and reads like a Who’s Who of British art and culture, and multi-award winning author Jeanette Winterson. Book via 0161 838 0610 or email FOIManchester@selfridges.co.uk Pop-up Whitworth at Selfridges (Jacob Epstein’s Genesis). Photo by Joe Gardner
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News
Celebrating our passion and innovation
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he University celebrated the innovative ideas of its staff, brought to life by the £1.3 million career development project ‘Investing in Success.’
More than 150 projects – including a gadget to enthuse children about computer science, a national campaign to help young cancer sufferers and a mobile phone app allowing our students to give immediate feedback to their lecturers – were set up by the pilot scheme designed to boost staff development and benefit the University. And 30 of them were on display for the Senior Leadership Team and managers to see how the funding was well spent.
Shama Chaudhary speaks to colleagues
President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Nancy Rothwell was impressed: “I could not have imagined when we launched this pilot fund how our staff would respond with such passion and enthusiasm. The quality of the applications was very high.” Karen Heaton and Alistair Revell
‘Investing in Success’ was launched in November 2011. The funds - up to £15,000 per project - were awarded to staff irrespective of their grade or length
of service; the project simply had to be innovative and make them better teachers, researchers, managers, professionals and support staff. Director of Human Resources Karen Heaton, who hosted the event, said: “It was a tremendous success and provided an opportunity for participants to showcase their varied, interesting and impressive projects. Everyone I spoke to was very enthusiastic.”
University champion remembered
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memorial service was held at Manchester Cathedral for Sir John Zochonis, who died in November at the age of 84.
Sir John donated millions of pounds to good causes across the region. He served on the Victoria University of Manchester’s Court and Council for over 20 years and was Chair of Council from 1987-1990. The Council minutes pay tribute to his ‘intuitive understanding of and sympathy with academic aspirations and student needs’. To mark his contribution, the University awarded him an honorary degree in 1991 and named
the Zochonis Building on Brunswick Street in his honour. Sir John was always passionate about supporting local young people. At the University, he instigated the Zochonis Special Enterprise Fund which provides travel awards for students to undertake projects or special study. His most recent gifts were for Zochonis Scholarships which support local young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to study for a degree. Sir John was an industrialist, synonymous with the Imperial Leather soap brand through the distinguished family business now known as PZ Cussons.
Sir John Zochonis (third left, standing)
Devine at the top
T Professor Fiona Devine OBE
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he University has appointed Professor Fiona Devine OBE to the role of Head of Manchester Business School (MBS).
Fiona, awarded an OBE for Services to Social Sciences in 2010 and elected to the Academy of Social Sciences in 2011, took over as Acting Head of Manchester Business School in September from her previous role as Head of the School of Social Sciences (2009-13).
Her research focuses on social stratification and mobility, work and employment, and politics and participation from a comparative US/UK perspective. Fiona is also Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change here in Manchester.
Jodrell Bank Observatory controller Kim Mance
Jodrell Bank the star once again
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he stars were out at Jodrell Bank Observatory once again when it hosted the fourth series of Stargazing LIVE, the BBC’s hugely-popular space exploration show broadcast live from the University’s iconic location. Hosted by our own Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara O Briain, the astronomy extravaganza – which aims to encourage everyone from the complete
Professor Nancy Rothwell with Professor Brian Cox
beginner to the enthusiastic amateur to make the most of the night sky – was watched by 13 million viewers over three nights. The series featured Professor Tim O’Brien and his colleagues racing against the clock to get scientific observations of a rare ‘Einstein ring’ made with the eMERLIN network in time for the final show. And this year’s series also had an offshoot CBeebies Stargazing, a special mini-series introducing children to the wonders of the night sky and the universe. • The award-winning Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre looks set to expand thanks to a £250,000 donation by the Wolfson Foundation. The Discovery Centre has proved a huge hit with visitors since opening in 2011, attracting more than 140,000 people last year alone. The Wolfson Foundation grant will pay towards a new Star Pavilion to complement the existing Planet and Space Pavilions.
Manchester academic scoops NHS innovation prize
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researcher in Biostatics has helped an NHS Trust team scoop an NHS Innovation Challenge Award.
Dr Stephan Rudolfer, Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Biostatistics, Institute of Population Health, was part of the successful East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust team which won the accolade and £50,000 prize money.
Dr Rudolfer and the team set up a website for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sufferers, whose nervous system problem causes numbness and pain in the hands. This includes a self-diagnosis questionnaire whose results can filter referrals to dedicated ‘one-stop’ clinics, reducing NHS costs.
Researchers showcase ‘world’s smallest phone’ - and tracking device
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niversity researchers and their industry partners have unveiled the world’s smallest mobile phone - that’s also a tracking device that allows parents to keep a remote eye on their children. Professor Patrick Gaydecki’s team, Antony Barton and Sheheera Ismail, at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Manchester-based company KMS presented their “first of its kind” GPS tracker (pictured) at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas. Worn on the wrist, the phone has integrated GPS that has just one button. It works like a panic button: when pressed, it dials a series of pre-programmed phone numbers until it gets an answer from a human, automatically detecting answer machines and skipping to the next number in the list. It automatically answers incoming calls and the GPS chip also allows parents or carers to track the wearer on a map using a website or smartphone app. In its final stage of development, it is expected to be ready for production later this year.
£8 million for nuclear research
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he University and the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) have been awarded £8 million to establish a Nuclear Fuel Centre of Excellence (NFCE).
The new Centre will work with fuel manufacturers and others to play a leading role in the optimisation of current fuel designs and the development of advanced fuels for new reactor systems.
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News
A passion for our past
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idden artefacts and fascinating stories were unearthed when more than 1,000 staff, students and alumni took part in a survey asking how the University should look at its past. Newly appointed University Historian James Hopkins asked how we should approach our University’s past at open meetings for staff and students and on an online survey for alumni, to help shape priorities for a University History and Heritage strategy. James said: “This fantastic response showed how passionate our University community is about our past. “Hidden artefacts and archives came to light and can now be properly looked after, retired staff came forward to share some fascinating stories and we received a flurry of letters and photos from our alumni all over the world.” Find out about volunteering opportunities: heritage@manchester.ac.uk
Dr James Hopkins
Graphene research in top 10 physics breakthroughs
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esearch by a graphene scientist has been included in the top 10 breakthroughs in physics in 2013, as judged by Physics World magazine.
rofessor Maj-Britt Mosegaard Hansen, from the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, has been elected Fellow of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.
Dr Roman Gorbachev was highly commended for research he and his team carried out into the first measurement of Hofstadter’s butterfly in a solid-state system.
The specialist in French language and linguistics, based in the Division of Linguistics and English Language, said she was delighted to be honoured by the Danish equivalent of the British Academy.
The recognition, jointly awarded to Philip Kim of Columbia University and Pablo Jarillo-Herrero and Ray Ashoori at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was part of research Dr Gorbachev was leading combining graphene with other 2D materials.
The Academy was founded in 1742 by the then secretary of state Count Johan Ludvig Holstein and the history professor Hans Gram. The Academy has approximately 250 national and 260 foreign members.
The groups demonstrated that graphene, when combined with materials such as boron nitride, paves the way for vast new areas of scientific discovery and previously unheard-of applications. Dr Gorbachev added: “It is a great honour for our work to be included in the top 10 physics breakthroughs of the year, and is testament to the curiosity-driven science we undertake at The University of Manchester.”
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Prestigious fellowship for Manchester Professor
Dr Roman Gorbachev
Patient perspective is key to new centre
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he Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences is continuing to build on the University’s commitment to social responsibility with a new Co-ordinating Centre for Public Involvement and Engagement in Research and Teaching/Learning, launched last month. The Centre aims to become a “one stop shop” for information, advice, networking and opportunities
regarding engagement and involvement across all aspects of the Faculty’s work and is aimed at both researchers and the public. Dr Bella Starling, Director of Public Programmes, said: “Having a Co-ordinating Centre will help ensure that all research taking place within the Faculty meaningfully takes into account patient perspectives in order to produce research of the highest quality.”
Weekly boost to wellbeing A new weekly support campaign for both staff and students is being launched this month. Wellbeing Wednesdays will see free activities to promote our physical and mental health across campus.
Kate Dack, Public Programmes Manager, Nowgen; Dr Bella Starling, Director of Public Programmes, Nowgen; Dr John Baker, Faculty Academic Lead for Engagement and Involvement, FMHS; Professor Chris Cutts, Associate Dean for Social Responsibility, FMHS and Kerin Bayliss, Patient Involvement and Research Project Manager, Nowgen.
Set up by the Wellbeing Action Group – a collaboration between Sport, Counselling Service, Equality and Diversity, HR, the Students’ Union and The Atrium – it will include: swimming, yoga, meditation, MOT health checks and more. Visit www.sport.manchester.ac.uk/wellbeing.
Whitworth gets its crowning glory
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he roof is now on the stunning new extension and major redevelopment of Whitworth Art Gallery after a “topping out” ceremony.
The gallery is set to re-open in September 2014, following a £15 million transformation supported by a major Heritage Lottery Fund grant as well as the University and other funders.
This will reconnect the Gallery with the surrounding Whitworth Park, as originally conceived, double the public space and create new facilities for visitors including expanded gallery spaces, learning studio and a café nestling amongst the trees in the park.
reorganisation and refurbishment of the existing 19th century building, to reveal previously hidden architectural details.
An additional £1.8 million grant has been agreed by Arts Council England to complete the
Artist’s impression of Whitworth Art Gallery redevelopment
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News
New start in Shanghai
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anchester Business School has opened its new office space in China to praise from a host of stakeholders, from students to the British Council.
The Centre, located in the central business district of Shanghai and equipped with first-class facilities for staff, visitors and students, occupies more than 1,000 square metres – four times larger than the previous office – to accommodate the growing student body in the city. Paul Chin, finance director of Fenner China, who has studied at the Centre, said: “This is absolutely great! The workshop room is very spacious and comfortable, which has enhanced our learning experience.” In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, Matt Burney, Area Director of the British Council, said the development and achievements made by MBS are a role model for British education overseas and he expects more Sino-UK education projects and cultural cooperation in the future.
Sherry Fu, China Centre Director, said: “The new centre was carefully designed by combining western and eastern styles together with the overall style of MBS in the UK. We are committed to providing world-class business education opportunities to the Chinese people and continuously making a contribution to society and development of regional education.” Representatives from MBS partner institutions – Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University – together with senior executives from major multinational companies also attended the event. Vice-President of The University of Manchester Professor Keith Brown, Head of Manchester Business School Professor Fiona Devine and Chief Global Officer Nigel Banister also made the trip to China to attend the ceremony. They and Sherry Fu are pictured opening the ‘digital doors’ of the Centre.
Diamonds are forever at Manchester Museum
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anchester Museum has reached new heights of bling thanks to the donation of diamonds and other minerals.
The collection belonged to the eminent University of Manchester mineralogist, Professor R A Howie, who worked at the University for many years. He passed away in 2012, leaving his collection to the Museum. The collection of over 300 minerals includes gold, opals and other treasures from around the world.
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China Centre Director Sherry Fu
• MBS’ China Centre has received the Outstanding Contribution to the China Education Industry Award at the annual sohu.com education ceremony in Beijing, and the Best International Cooperative Partner Award from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Both awards reflect MBS’ increasing influence and reputation in China since their first Centre opening in Shanghai in 2008.
Research
(l-r) Dr Mahmood Ayub, funding campaigner Maggie Watts, Coronation Street’s Julie Hesmondhalgh, CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund Maggie Blanks and Professor Caroline Dive
Coronation Street star’s cancer mission
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oronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh – who plays pancreatic cancer patient Hayley Cropper – visited the University on a fact-finding mission to look at work being done by scientists to fight the disease. Julie, who is calling for more funding to support research into pancreatic cancer, met scientists working on a two-year study, funded by the national charity, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund (PCRF). Julie’s character Hayley was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and given six months to live in the soap back in September. Since then she has met dozens of families who have lost loved-ones
Speaking languages good for kids
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ew research on schoolchildren shows the more languages they speak, the better they can speak them.
The School Language Survey, a new method developed at the University, was carried out by the University’s Multilingual Manchester project, led by Professor Yaron Matras. According to Professor Matras, the survey has a powerful potential to change our understanding of the role of heritage languages in schools and communities. Also according to the research, maintaining a home language has no adverse effect at all on children’s proficiency in English. Pupils of minority and immigrant background who scored high on the proficiency test for their home language also showed high scores for English proficiency. The 531 children in two primary and two secondary schools in Manchester spoke 48 different languages, including Urdu, Somali, Arabic and Romani.
to the cancer and joined a campaign calling for more funding for research. Julie met Professor Richard Marais, who heads the research carried out in the University’s Paterson Building, and Professor Caroline Dive, from the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, whose £150,000 research project is analysing stray tumour cells that circulate in the blood. She hopes it will pave the way to profiling the molecular characteristics of patients’ pancreatic tumours from a single blood test. Julie said: “Pancreatic cancer has the worst survival rate of any common cancer – only three in every
100 people diagnosed will live beyond five years and we need to see more investment so that scientists, like the ones I’ve met today in Manchester, can continue to make steps forward to find ways to fight this disease.” • Scientists from the Faculty of Life Sciences believe they have discovered a new way to make chemotherapy treatment more effective for pancreatic cancer patients. A team, led by Dr Jason Bruce, believes they have found a treatment that selectively kills pancreatic cancer while sparing healthy cells which could make treatment more effective.
New risk markers for arthritis
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niversity researchers have helped discover a further 42 genetic markers associated with rheumatoid arthritis in the largest international study to date on the topic.
The Manchester team, led by Professor Jane Worthington, joined others in seven countries to
examine over 10 million genetic markers in over 100,000 individuals, 29,880 of whom have rheumatoid arthritis. The 42 markers adds to the 61 that were already known about.
Ribbons of graphene
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esearchers have helped demonstrate that long ribbons of graphene can be made.
Writing in Nature Chemistry, researchers, led by Dr Cinzia Casiraghi and her group, confirmed that these ribbons, called GNRs, are structurally well-defined and have excellent charge-carrier mobility. This could allow graphene to be used in transistors. Dr Casiraghi said: “The GNRs produced can allow development of graphene-based transistors, but also as an active material in solar cells, chemical sensors and as novel energy storage material.”
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Research
Backing for risk-reduction cancer surgery
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anchester researchers have found that women with a high risk of breast cancer who have any form of risk-reducing surgery have an increased survival compared to those deciding against such an operation. Women who carry a fault in one of two high-risk genes known as BRCA1 or BRCA2 have an increased risk of dying from breast and/or ovarian cancer. “Life expectancy was almost normalised in those that underwent surgery but substantially reduced in those who did not,” said Professor Gareth Evans, from the Institute of Cancer Sciences, part of Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
£1.8 million boost to leukaemia research
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cientists have been awarded a £1.8 million grant by the blood cancer charity Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, to improve treatments for leukaemia patients.
Professor Tony Whetton will lead the five-year project which aims to develop new treatments that are more effective at seeking out and destroying leukaemia cells. Leukaemia patients produce large amounts of abnormal white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and hinder the production of other important blood cells. Leukaemia cells under the microscope
Religion can combat delinquency
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eople who regularly visit a place of worship are less likely to be involved in low level crime and delinquency, according to new research.
The project, led by PhD student Mark Littler and funded by the Bill Hill Charitable Trust, involved the analysis of new survey data and in-depth qualitative interviews with young members of the UK’s major faiths. The study used eight measures of delinquency: littering, skipping school/work, using illegal drugs, fare dodging, shoplifting, music piracy, property damage and violence against the person. Mark said: “These results suggest a more positive picture of Britain’s religious life than the doom and gloom you might read about it in the newspapers. “But they are not necessarily a blow to the proponents of atheism. Other, more secular, activities may equally serve a similar role.”
Stockings better than bandages
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ritish Muslims with diabetes may avoid attending GP surgeries to discuss fasting during the holy month of Ramadan – with potentially serious consequences for their future health. The first study in the UK to explore the beliefs which influence the experience and practices of British Muslims’ diabetes management found tensions often exist between observing the important religious ritual in accordance with their faith and the need to manage their health. Lead author Dr Neesha Patel, from the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, said the study showed British Muslims with diabetes would like support and advice from their GP on fasting safely, providing their GP was trained and understood the significance of Ramadan for Muslims with diabetes. Short-term risks of fasting include poor diabetes control and dehydration. Longer-term risks include a reduced quality of life and increase in mortality.
eg ulcers take the same time to heal whether patients wear compression stockings or traditional bandages, research by the School of Nursing shows.
But researchers also found less ulcer recurrence after using the stockings and that patients required fewer nurse visits, making stockings better value for money for the NHS.
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Diabetic Muslims in Ramadan dilemma
Dr Neesha Patel
First national report into child injury care
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oys are twice as likely as girls to suffer severe injury according to a study by TARNLET, the paediatric component of the University’s Trauma Audit and Research Network. The group also found the busiest times in hospitals were weekends and early evenings and the commonest cause of injury in kids is a road traffic accident, either as a pedestrian or passenger. Falls from a height are also a major cause of severe injury. The figures come from the first national report on the nature and outcome of trauma management for children in England and Wales. It also found more than 4,700 children under the age of 16 suffered significant injuries in 2012.
Extinct robust birds not so tough
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iant moa bird (Dinornis robustus, literally meaning ‘robust strange bird’) may not have actually had robust bones, according to new research by the Faculty of Life Sciences.
The leg bones of one of the tallest birds that ever existed were actually rather like those of its modern relatives, such as ostrich and emu, the study by biomechanics researcher Charlotte Brassey shows. It found that the largest of the moa species had leg bones similar to those of modern flightless birds that
can run fast, whereas a much smaller species of moa – from a different family – had an extremely robust skeleton. To find out whether the leg bones were overly thick and strong, the researchers first had to work out how heavy the birds were in life. They also applied an engineering technique known as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to estimate how robust the moa really were.
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ew analysis reveals a shocking one in three Bangladeshis and Pakistanis in England and Wales lived in a deprived neighbourhood at the time of the 2011 Census, as defined by the government. In contrast, only one in twelve of the Census’s White British group lived in deprived neighbourhoods. Dr Stephen Jivraj from the School of Social Sciences, with Dr Omar Khan from the Runnymede Trust, say all ethnic minority groups are more likely to live in deprived neighbourhoods than the White British majority.
Funding for nerve-repair kit trial
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Immigrants face poverty trap
The non-white ethnic groups have unemployment rates in deprived and other neighbourhoods which are double that of white groups, suggesting they face employment disadvantage wherever they live.
biodegradable nerve repair tool – with the potential to help accident victims restore feeling in their limbs by improving repair of severed nerves – has been devised by scientists in the Institute of Inflammation and Repair and the School of Materials.
across the gap between nerve endings, caused by a gash or laceration, towards muscle or skin.
The nerve repair kit works by creating an artificial nerve pathway or conduit to guide nerve fibres
It then safely degrades within the body after the healing process is completed.
Conduit or nerve pathway
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Teaching, Learning and Students
Grandmother graduates after 70-year wait
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grandmother has picked up her University of Manchester degree alongside her proud granddaughter, 70 years after she finished studying.
Gene Hetherington (formerly Helen Georgine Jones), 90, received her BA in Commerce on 3 August 1943, but because of the war was unable to attend the graduation ceremony. The graduate studied from 1940 to 1943, but went straight to help the war effort after she finished. Working in the ministry of aircraft production founded by Lord Beaverbrook, she audited aircraft factories manufacturing Wellington bombers. She subsequently followed a career as a Lewis’s buyer and led a busy family life, so never found the time to attend a graduation ceremony. She said: “The ceremony was wonderful and I was so pleased to see my granddaughter Rachel receive her degree, for which she worked so hard.” Her 23-year-old granddaughter Rachel, who studied for a Master’s degree in Law, attended the same graduation ceremony at the University’s historic Whitworth Hall. Rachel said: “I have enjoyed my time at Manchester and I was very proud to share my graduation ceremony with my grandmother. “I cannot imagine that many people can claim to have done that!”
Gene Hetherington and her granddaughter Rachel
Bright ideas boost
On course for Mars mission
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post-graduate cancer research student is hoping to land a place on the first manned-mission to Mars after being shortlisted from a list of 202,000 applicants. Danielle Potter, who is completing a PhD at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, is one of 1,058 remaining candidates for the planned mission in 2025. The 29-year-old will now be tested further for the final list of 24 would-be
Mars-dwellers – for what would be a one-way trip to the red planet. Mars One, a private-funded project set up in 2011 aims to establish permanent human life there. Danielle (pictured) said: “What has always driven me with my research is that hunt to find something new. When I learnt about this opportunity I thought it would be great to be a part of the most historic thing to ever happen in our galaxy.”
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he latest Venture Out student ideas competition – open to all current students and researchers and organised by the Manchester Business School – attracted a record 126 entries, with 20 making it through to the final round. Our students’ innovative ideas, many created in collaborative projects, included an anti-theft bike rack, at-home clinical support for people with autism and body armour made out of graphene. The winners were: Business: Kuok Si Nok (School of Languages, Arts and Culture) and Qiuhao Xu (Manchester Business School) – anti-theft bike rack.
Stress-busting support for students
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anuary is a tough month with its post-Christmas blues and miserable weather. And some of our students face the hard blast of exams too.
But this year the Main Library hosted Library Wellbeing: eight days of free wellbeing activities to help students manage exam stress such as Tai Chi, massage and revision clinics. Feedback for the event
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– inspired by last year’s entries into the Eureka! Library Innovation Challenge – was excellent. Dr Tim Westlake, Director for the Student Experience, said: “Library Wellbeing is an excellent initiative that contributes towards supporting students and enabling them to make the most of their University of Manchester experience.”
Graphene: Uybach Vo, Stanislava Panova and Eve Blumson (Faculty of Life Sciences) – turning seawater into energy by desalinating and extracting precious ions. Social: Kuok Si Nok and Qiuhao Xu – a home refurbishment project to help the underprivileged. Technology: Daniel Jamieson (Faculty of Life Sciences) and Radu Nedelcu (School of Computer Science) – a biomedical data extraction and maintenance company.
Feature
Silver-plated success story The University has eight Athena Swan awards, given for commitment to the recruitment, retention and progression of women in science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics - five bronze and three silver. This is a good start but we need more. So how do you get your Athena Swan silver? UniLife speaks to Professor Christopher Whitehead, Head of the School of Chemistry, which is celebrating its achievement of just that...
“It was a team effort, started by Professors Paul O’Brien and John Helliwell and technical services manager John Robinson, and involving a range of people including professional services staff, academics, post-doc researchers and postgraduate students,” explains Professor Whitehead. “Helen Dutton worked very hard organising the whole application, having been ‘talent-spotted’ by the University, following Chemical Engineering’s Silver win, while Dee-Ann Johnson organised our highly successful post-doc forum, among others. “We looked at what is known as the ‘leaky pipeline’ - in which Schools lose staff as they move along their career path - to identify at which stage people were leaving and the reasons why. In our School, we would start out with 43% women undergraduates but by Professorial level that had dropped to 5%. It seemed we lost many between post-graduate and post-doc levels, in their mid to late 20s, which is the stage when they may want to start a family. “Our next step was to address that - to stop talented women believing a career in Chemistry is not conducive to bringing up a family. “We increased our family friendly practices, such as holding important meetings and seminars outside of the school run hours, so not at 9am or 4pm. And in fact, we have lots of members of staff of both sexes affected by this, fathers who share the school run, so they benefited from this as well. “We also set up a post-docs forum, helped by the Faculty and which is now self-running. This organises social events and career briefings, such as how to apply for Fellowships. We recently held a Women in Science event, involving a cross section of Chemistry graduates in a range of roles. “So quite simply we identified the problem, reached out to those affected, and gave them practical advice.”
Professor Melissa Denecke
He adds: “Fortunately during the period we were working towards the Silver, we were able to appoint two very talented female Professors, Melissa Denecke at the Dalton Nuclear Institute and Perdita Barran. We also now refer to the award on our stationery, job advertisements and so on, explaining what it meant and our commitment to improving our female retention rate. “I’m pleased to say that this led to feedback from a sixth form student, applying for an undergraduate position who she said she felt up against it as a women in terms of succeeding in her chosen field at school and the position at Manchester was good to see - we had encouraged and inspired her. “We’re very proud of our efforts and now we have celebrated our Silver, we are regrouping so we can go for Gold.”
(l-r) John Helliwell, Cinzia Casiraghi, Dame Julia Higgins, Anna Volota
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Feature (l-r) Harry Chadwick, Scott Butterworth, Harris Maudsley, Joshua Major, Matthew Coffey, Jacob Skelly, Jake Cartwright
Apprentices ‘take off’ on their new career The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences is expected to lose a quarter of its technical staff to retirement in the next five years. So Head of School Administration in the School of Physics and Astronomy Colin Baines and his network of technical managers took on 11 young apprentices. UniLife found out how they were getting on…
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here can’t be many apprenticeships where you get to try out your employer’s flight simulator - but that’s exactly what happened to our young employees taken on under a new scheme set up at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Fulfilling career
“I landed perfectly but somehow fell off the edge,” recalls Jasmine Fernley, one of 11 apprentices that make up the Faculty’s first intake.
Four of the apprentices, training to be lab technicians, work on campus four days a week and go to Trafford College one day a week. The remaining seven, training to be mechanical technicians, are working through several modules at the college before starting work on campus later this year.
The Faculty is expected to lose 25% of its technical staff to retirement in the next five years. The School of Physics and Astronomy alone could lose four people in three years and there’s even a glass blower who produces the bespoke vessels needed in the School of Chemistry, who will one day pass on his unique baton. Back on the flight simulator, Roseanna Byrne “crashed” and Simbiat Sanni was “nowhere near the runway”, but for Liam Baguley it was the highlight of his first four months in post. Hopefully the simulation of working at “one of the top universities for science,” as Liam put it, will be a much smoother ride with tangible and exciting results.
Matthew Coffey training on the lathe
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All the apprentices were looking for a fulfilling career. They spotted the posts - advertised to local youngsters - on the National Apprenticeship Scheme website and, having landed the job, started work in October.
But all wear Faculty sweatshirts during their working hours; had an induction and came to the Faculty Christmas party - so they are in every sense members of staff. “I have really enjoyed all the activities, setting up equipment, making different concentrations of chemicals, and going round the different Schools and seeing what they all do,” Simbiat, 18, from New Moston, says. “It has been much easier than I thought getting to know the staff here,” Jasmine, 20, from Ashton-under-Lyne, adds. “They are so friendly and helpful and accepting of us.”
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Apprentices Jake Cartwright Jacob Skelly Harry Chadwick Harris Maudsley Scott Butterworth Matthew Coffey Joshua Major Roseanna Byrne Jasmine Fernley Simbiat Sanni Liam Baguley
Harris Maudsley making a component
Shining stars Colin Baines, Head of School Administration in the School of Physics and Astronomy, who set the scheme up with his technical managers network, is rightly proud of the scheme - and the apprentices and their mentors in the Faculty. “I started the technical mangers network so we could all discuss what was happening across the Faculty, down to what equipment was around, in our various Schools,” Colin explains. “The apprentice scheme was borne out of that. We had apprenticeship schemes before but we didn’t really take sufficient care of them - we would bring them in, they would go into one School and learn how to use one or two machines in a big machine shop, and that was it; they didn’t move around the Schools or see what was happening in the rest of the University. “This scheme is different - we are taking the apprentices around the Faculty so they can see what the different Schools do in all areas of our business and we are making sure they are fully trained before we expect them to be a positive resource. “I researched apprenticeships elsewhere, with visits to Bentley in Crewe and GE Energy in Kidsgrove, to see what worked best. “We’re also very happy with Trafford College’s input, who won the contract after getting a unanimous vote from the technical managers network.
(l-r) Jasmine Fernley, Liam Baguley, Simbiat Sanni and (sitting) Roseanna Byrne
“The network has been key, they have been shining stars. We worked really hard to get this done, and to a tight schedule, because we really believed in it. “We had to make sure the whole Faculty had buy in - we needed that for it to succeed - and our staff have proved great mentors. “I am very proud of the result.” Buzzing campus Colin started work as a technician at Jodrell Bank and spent 24 years there, working his way through the ranks, before taking a post on campus, and feels the apprentices reflect that career pathway. They have come to address a pressing need at the University and will have the hands-on, practical training that will make them a real asset to us.
Liam Baguley at work in the lab
They in turn will come to work on a buzzing campus and enjoy a fulfilling career in a Faculty that boasts in excess of 20 Nobel Prize winners amongst its former and current staff in a world-leading institution. The flight simulator was only the start of it!
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Feature
Inspiring researchers of the future Our researchers always aim to make an impact on the world we live in, through their investigations into the issues and subjects that influence our lives. But there is another, very interesting way they can do this – by inspiring the youngsters who will be the researchers of the future. UniLife looks at how a year-old, Government-funded programme does just that…
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he University of Manchester Research Gateway for Schools and Colleges helps our researchers inspire, mentor and even train youngsters by supporting their direct engagement with schools. The University set up the programme a year ago, having won its bid for Government funding to become one of a small number of Research Councils UK (RCUK) centres to create and build partnerships between universities and secondary schools and colleges. It involves a host of activities bringing together researchers, teachers and school students. Its foundation projects for youngsters, covering a wide range of subject areas that represent the diverse research profile of the University, include: Extended Project Qualifications (EPQs), led by Dr Louise Walker and Kate Dack, are practical projects designed for A-level students to allow them to plan and undertake self-directed projects, supervised by tutors. For example, at Nowgen, students are working with University researchers to develop their own unique project that involves a model piloted here in Manchester that uses a technique called DNA barcoding (using a short sequence of DNA to identify plants and animals and can be used to investigate many biological questions). Fastbleep Pharmacy, led by Dr David Allison, is a trilogy of workshops and a half day at the School of Pharmacy where school students will interact with young researchers and mimic pharmaceutical industry research processes. Knowledge exchange: Investigating research together, led by Menaka Munro and Dr Emily Robinson, couples researchers from across the University with the collections at Manchester Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery, and John Rylands Library to bring current research to life in a powerful and unique manner. Teachers and students will be involved in the development of new curriculum-linked sessions.
Tomorrow’s Citizens: Exploring the Challenges of Humanitarianism, led by Professor Peter Gatrell and Dr Jennifer Carson at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, will see young people take part in workshops with leading NGOs, such as Médecins sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Geography@Manchester, led by Dr Jennifer O’Brien, has geography ambassadors (PhD and undergraduate students) host learners on campus, or travel to schools to run interactive workshops, to disseminate our research to learners. The programme also invites teachers to participate in seminar sessions delivered by our researchers, so that they can learn about new developments in our research and consider ways in which those findings and methods could inform teaching. It has also included workshops to ‘match’ researchers up with teachers whose students would benefit from taking part in the scheme and teacher training sessions for researchers, given by teachers whose students are hoping to take part, including knotty areas such as classroom management. And it has run a session in January in which early-career researchers bid for a small amount of funding for collaborative projects with partner schools in a Dragon’s Den-style competition. The feedback from schools has been enthusiastic, with the sessions making a great impression on youngsters and their teachers alike. One teacher said: “It was fantastic! The initiative is just what we all need in order to inspire our pupils.” Another expected to have “enormous possibilities for encouraging independent learning”, a skill that’s a major aim and particular challenge for secondary schools. And one of our own researchers said it had taught him a lot: “The project has armed me with skills on how to present my work in the future.”
Our partner schools Altrincham Grammar School for Girls Ashton-on-Mersey School Cheadle Hulme High School Fallibroome Academy Loreto College Loreto High School Manchester Creative and Media Academy Sir John Deane’s College St Ambrose Barlow RC High School Dr Emily Robinson from the Knowledge Exchange
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Trinity High School
Faculty of Life Sciences PhD student Ruth Brignall in the lab with school students
The project team consists of the Faculties’ Associate Deans with remits for Social Responsibility, while staff in Widening Participation, Social Responsibility and the School of Education deliver the programme. Director of Social Responsibility Julian Skyrme said: “This important programme builds on our long-standing excellence in both widening participation and public engagement with research. “It will allow us to bring contemporary research to life for young people and develop the skills of our own early-career researchers such as communication, creativity and team work.” And Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Dean for Social Responsibility in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences and Principal Investigator for the project, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded RCUK funding for this project, which engages young people in local schools with our researchers across a wide range of disciplines in the sciences and humanities.” • For further information contact Project Officer Roz Cooper on rosalyn.v.cooper@manchester.ac.uk • Visit www.manchester.ac.uk/supi
Professor Tim O’Brien
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Feature
On song for a fair trial The Research Excellence Framework – the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions – asks us to show the impact that our research has on the world. Here UniLife looks at how our researchers really are changing the world…
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University of Manchester academic has become the first UK ‘expert witness’ of rap lyrics in UK murder cases.
When Gangsta Rap lyrics were presented by prosecution counsels as evidence of intent to commit violence, defence teams approached Dr Eithne Quinn, a rap expert and author of the book, ‘Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap’ (Columbia University Press, 2005). They asked her to explain why some young men write violent rap lyrics and what they mean.
Dr Eithne Quinn
Eithne has now acted as expert witness in three murder trials at the Old Bailey in London, as well as other cases. Criminal barristers who have worked with her say that defendants have received fairer trials thanks to her testimony.
persona device in gangsta rap. The first-person perspective helps establish all-important street credibility. So she finds it worrying that gangsta rap lyrics are being increasingly taken literally by the prosecution in serious criminal cases.
In several cases, the Crown contended that the first-person character in the gangsta rap verse written by defendants should be taken at face value – as an autobiographical statement. They contended that the rap lyrics were ‘blueprints’ for violence.
Eithne said: “The outlandish personas they adopt draw on narrative traditions of boasting in black folklore. Due to the huge commercial popularity of gangsta rap, they have become very formulaic. Usually, young men write these rhymes in the hope of becoming successful rap artists or to entertain their peers.
But Eithne rebutted that the defendants were simply mimicking the verse form of famous rap stars. In her monograph, she had explored the use of the
In the context of a gruesome murder, they could even believe that such violent verse is personal testimony.” In one 2010 murder case at which Eithne testified, the judge agreed to exclude the violent rap lyrics from the case, ruling that the lyrics were more prejudicial than probative. Eithne believes that the use in prosecution cases of such lyrics is prejudicial – in both a legal and a racial sense. All of the defendants in the cases in which she has testified have been black.
“Sadly, judges and juries, who aren’t familiar with the music, may easily conflate rapper and persona.
A meeting with… Jamilla Hawa Any challenges? Having sound subject knowledge about the Museum and its objects. It is also essential that we are able to communicate with a diverse audience. How did you get to the role you have now? History has fascinated me since childhood. After studying archaeology, I went on to teach English and history before completing an MA in Museum Studies so working in a museum was very much a conscious decision. Any future projects coming up? Jamilla, Visitor Services Assistant at Manchester Museum, started at the University in August 2012. She and the team provide visitors with information about collections, services, events and exhibitions and aim to ensure that visitors get the best out of their experience. What’s the best part of your job? Working for such an interesting and historic institution makes it significantly easier to get up in the morning! I also get the opportunity to work with other departments at the Museum and become involved in some very interesting projects.
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I am currently involved in an outreach project at the Museum, as I’m interested in improving accessibility and encouraging socially isolated groups to engage with cultural institutions. I will also be delivering a programme of English sessions using objects from the Museum’s collections, which I’m really looking forward to.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self now? Take more chances and not procrastinate when making decisions; actually, that’s good advice for my adult self too! Favourite book, film and TV programme? I have read To Kill a Mockingbird many times since first discovering it as a teenager. I can’t think of a favourite film or television programme, but I do like classics such as Rebecca and Great Expectations from the 1940s. What is your earliest childhood memory? On Morecambe beach when I was two years old; I was playing with another little girl when I decided I preferred her pink bucket to my green one. I claimed it as my own and didn’t even give her mine to replace it! Oh the shame…. Any interesting hobbies?
Who would be your ideal dinner party guests? I would love to have a conversation with: David Attenborough, Henry Mayhew, John Locke, Judith Kerr, Michael Palin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Stephen Fry, Ted Hughes and Tony Benn.
I really enjoy walking and getting out into the countryside with my camera. I also love to write, rock climbing and, because I’m keen to try new things, I’ve recently taken up ballet!
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Listings The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama TALKS Sun 9 Feb, 4pm, £12/ £10 Jeanette Winterson “in Conversation” with Russell T Davies LITERATURE LIVE Mon 24 Feb, 6.30pm, £6/£4 Vona Groarke and Jamie McKendrick THEATRE AND DRAMA Tues 4 Feb, 7pm, FREE (suggested £3 donation on the door) Save Our NHS Manchester Presents Weds 5 Feb, 7pm, FREE Little Blue Man – Scratch Performance (A Work in Progress) Weds 19 Feb – Fri 21 Feb, 7pm, £5.50/£4.50/£4 University of Manchester Drama Society’s Manchester In-Fringe Theatre Awards (MIFTA’s) Wed 26 Feb, 7.30pm, £5/£3 Away From Home Fri 28 Feb, 7.30pm, £7/£3 VADA LGBTQ Community Theatre presents: Love Notes FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Mon 10 Feb, 1.15pm RNCM Monday Recital Series Thurs 13 Feb, 1.10pm Featured Artist: Richard Casey (Piano)
What’s On
Manchester Museum
Tues 4 and 18 Feb, 10.30am, 11.30am and 1pm, Free (booking essential) Baby Explorers Sensory play for babies
EXHIBITIONS
Sat 15 Feb, 11-4pm Big Saturday: Birds and Flight
All exhibitions at The Manchester Museum are FREE Fragmentary Ancestors: Figurines from Koma Land until 5 May Coral: Something Rich and Strange until 6 Mar FAMILY ACTIVITIES Most activities are free and drop-in, some activities may need to be booked and may cost up to £1.50, all ages Every Sat and Sun, 11-4pm Discovery Centre Drop into the Discovery Centre for drawing and other art activities inspired by the Museum’s collection and pick up one of our free Museum activity sheets. Available Sat and Sun 10am or 2pm – bookings one month in advance New! Children’s Birthday Parties
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Sat 15 Feb, 1.10pm Chamber Ensembles Thurs 20 Feb, 1.10pm Two-piano concert with Michelle Assay and David Fanning Mon 24 Feb, 1.15pm RNCM Monday Recital Series Thurs 27 Feb, 1.10pm Quatuor Danel Thurs 27 Feb, 2.30pm Quatuor Danel Seminar: The Hot Seat
Thurs 6 Feb, 6-8pm, Free (booking required) Scientific Journeys to the Amazon with Professor Richard Preziosi
Mon 3 Mar, 1.15pm RNCM Monday Recital Series
Sat 8 Feb, 9.15-4.30pm, £30 (booking required) Sons of Osiris: Men in Ancient Egypt
EVENING CONCERTS Fri 7 Feb, 7.30pm, £13.50/£8/£3 Quatuor Danel
Mon 17–Fri 21 Feb, 11-4pm February Half Term Create under the sea creatures and mythical monsters inspired by the Coral exhibition.
Sat 22 Feb, 2-4pm, £3 (booking required) Urban Naturalist: Birdsong
Fri 28 Feb, 10-12.30pm – bookings one week in advance Magic Carpet Storymaking and activity session for under 5s and their families/carers.
Thurs 27 Feb, 2-3pm, FREE Rock Drop: Geology Identification Session Thurs 27 Feb, 6.30-9pm, FREE After Hours: Coral
MUSIC SOCIETY CONCERTS
TALKS, TOURS AND WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS
Opening times Open: Tues-Sat 10am-5pm Sun-Mon (and Bank Holidays) 11am-4pm
Sat 15 Feb, 7.30pm, £10/£6/£3 MUMS Chamber Orchestra and Ensembles
FREE admission
The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama Bridgeford Street, Manchester, M13 9PL 0161 275 8951 email boxoffice@manchester.ac.uk www.manchester.ac.uk/ martinharriscentre
Every Tues and Thurs, 12pm, FREE Vivarium Tours Every Weds and Thurs, 1pm, FREE Taster Tours Weds 5 Feb, 1.05-2pm, Free (booking required) Collection Bites: The Poetry of Objects with Dr Melanie Giles
Tues 25 Feb, 5.30-6.30pm, FREE Manchester Museum Book Club
The Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester 0161 275 2648 www.manchester.ac.uk/museum Follow us on Twitter @McrMuseum www.facebook.com/ManchesterMuseum
Tues 11 Feb, 7.30pm, £10/£6 Chetham’s Sinfonia and Ensembles Fri 14 Feb, 7.30pm, £10/£5/£3 Psappha in collaboration with Vaganza Fri 28 Feb, 7.30pm, £13.50/£8/£3 Quatuor Danel
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
International Society
John Rylands Library (Deansgate) Gig Guide
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre offers a great day out for all the family. Come and explore the planets using our model of the Solar System. Find answers to the wonders the Universe, listen to the sounds of the Big Bang and discover what the scientists are researching ‘Live’ in our interactive Space Pavilion. The glass-walled café offers spectacular views of the iconic Lovell telescope and fantastic homemade cakes!
Visit some of the most beautiful and interesting locations around England, Scotland and Wales. There are visits taking place almost every weekend throughout the year.
EXHIBITIONS
Sat 8 Feb Stratford-upon-Avon Manchester United Stadium
THINGS TO DO
8 Feb-23 Jun Aftermath (exhibition to mark the centenary of the IWW)
Tues 4 Feb, 2pm (booking required) The Last Day of a Condemned Man
EVENTS
Sun 9 Feb Cheshire Oaks and Chester
Weds 12 Feb, 12.30pm (booking required) Testaments of Youth
Thurs 13 Feb, 7.30pm Lovell Lecture – Phil James
Sat 15 Feb Oxford (with guided tour)
Thurs 13 Feb, 10-3pm Conservation in Action/Caring for your Family Archive
Mon 17–Fri 21 Feb, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm (booking recommended) Kids V’s Grown-ups Science Quiz Show
Sun 16 Feb Warwick Castle
Weds 26 Feb, 7.30pm Telescopes for the Amateur Astronomer Workshop
Sat 22 to Sun 23 Feb Overnight trip to Edinburgh Sat 22 Feb Jorvik Viking Festival, York
Information: Live from Jodrell Bank website www.livefromjodrellbank.com
Sun 23 Feb Fountain’s Abbey, Keighley Steam Railway and Haworth
Tickets: http://ow.ly/hQCFU Tickets include entry to the Discovery Centre.
Sat 1 to Sun 2 Mar Overnight trip to Bath and Stonehenge
Opening times 10am-5pm
Sat 1 Mar North Lake District – Keswick
For more information and prices please visit our website Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 9DL 01477 571 766 www.jodrellbank.net
Sun 2 Mar Liverpool (with guided tour)
Chaplaincies St Peter’s House Chaplaincy Sunday, 11am Holy Communion 12.45pm Lunch (1st Sun) Sunday, 5.30pm Student Service (term-time only) Wednesday 12.15pm Eucharist, followed by free soup lunch (term-time only) RC Chaplaincy Avila House Mass Times (term-time only) Sun, 7pm (in the Holy Name Church) next door to the Chaplaincy Mon, Tues, Thurs and Friday, 5.30pm in the Chaplaincy Chapel Weds, 1.05pm in the Chaplaincy Chapel The Jewish Student Centre and Synagogue 07817 250 557 Email Rabbi Mati Kos: rabbikos@mychaplaincy.co.uk Muslim Chaplaincy South Campus Mosque, McDougall Centre Jammaat (Group Prayer) Daily Juma Prayer Friday 1.15pm Honorary Imam: Imam Habeeb, h_chatti@hotmail.com North Campus Mosque Basement of Joule Library, Sackville Street Building Jammaat (Group Prayer) Daily Juma Prayer Friday 12.30pm The role of Volunteer Muslim Chaplain is to provide pastoral support, guidance and a listening ear to Muslim staff and students. Chaplains’ contact details are available in the prayer rooms or via St Peter’s House.
Opening times Mon-Fri 9.30am – 7pm (during term time) Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5pm (during vacation)
Fri 14 Feb, 5-7pm Gothic Valentine
Tues 4 Feb
Ron Pope + Special Guests Wakey! Wakey! + Alexz Johnson - £15
Weds 5 Feb
We Are The In Crowd - £12 Little Comets - £11.50
Thurs 6 Feb
Protest The Hero - £12
Fri 7 Feb
Cassetteboy vs DJ Rubbish - £10
Sat 8 Feb
illumiNaughty – Masked Ball Part 2 - £17
Sun 9 Feb
The Treatment - £9.50
Mon 10 Feb August Burns Red - £12 Tues 11 Feb
Thurs 27 Feb, 5-7pm ‘Thursday Late’ – storytelling for adults TOURS
Fri 14 Feb
Milkill Pane - £9 (rescheduled from Wed 16 Oct)
Sat 15 Feb
Tich + Mike Dignam - £9.50 Parquet Courts - £13
Booking required for all tours. Fri 7 Feb, 10.30am and Tues 18 Feb, 3pm Explorer Tour Sat 8 Feb, 12pm Here be Dragons Thurs 20 Feb (every 3rd Thurs of the month) 12-1pm Tour and Treasures
Mon 17 Feb The Kerrang! Tour 2014 featuring Limp Bizkit - £20 Tues 18 Feb
327 Oxford Road (next to Krobar) 0161 275 4959 email int.soc@manchester.ac.uk www.internationalsociety.org.uk
FREE ADMISSION Public opening times: Sun-Mon 12-5pm, Tues-Sat 10am-5pm Reader opening times: Mon-Weds, Fri-Sat 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-7pm The John Rylands Library 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH Visitor/Event Enquiries: 0161 306 0555 General/Reader Enquiries: 0161 275 3764 Email: jrul.visitors@manchester.ac.uk Email: jrul.specialcollections@manchester.ac.uk www.library.manchester.ac.uk/ specialcollections/
Fri 21 Feb
The Whitworth Art Gallery has started a new and exciting chapter in its history. A major building project is now taking place to transform and extend the 120-year-old gallery, doubling its public areas whilst reducing its carbon footprint and improving facilities for visitors.
The Strypes - £12 Twenty One Pilots - £10 M.A.D. - £18.50
Sat 22 Feb
Room 94 - £8 MIDNGHT - £8 Laura Cantrell - £17.50
Mon 24 Feb ReConnected - £12.50 Weds 26 Feb Rock Sound Impericon Exposure Tour 2014 – We Came As Romans + Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! + The Color Morale + Palm Reader - £12 Thurs 27 Feb Black Onassis - £6 Fri 28 Feb
Gavin DeGraw - £18
Sat 1 Mar
The Dear Hunter and Anthony Green - £13 Temples - £11
Sun 2 Mar
Re-opening summer 2014
Taking Hayley – Farewell Tour (visit www.takinghayley.com for tickets) - FREE
Weds 19 Feb Sonic Boom Six - £10
Sun 23 Feb, 3-4pm Unusual Views For further details of our events, please visit our website
Phoenix - £17.50 The Defiled + Butcher Babies + The Killing Lights - £9
Tues 25 Feb, 11-4pm Whimsical Weekday Workshop – Jewellery Making
Small World Café opening times Mon-Fri 11am – 3pm
The Whitworth Art Gallery
Manchester Academy 1, 2 and 3
Blackberry Smoke - £14
Tickets from Students’ Union, Oxford Road Piccadilly Box Office @ easy Internet Café (c/c) 0871 2200260 Royal Court (Liverpool) 0151 709 4321 (c/c) Students’ Union Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL 0161 275 2930 www.manchesteracademy.net
This new development by architects MUMA will re-connect the 19th century building with Whitworth Park through an elegant contemporary extension. The new Whitworth will bring you more art, more activities, more events and more space. It will be all things our many visitors have always loved about the Whitworth. We look forward to welcoming you back in summer 2014. Watch this space for details of our forthcoming outreach events... Whitworth Art Gallery Oxford Road, Manchester 0161 275 7450 email whitworth@manchester.ac.uk www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth
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Feature
Rachel Brealey with children from Chapel Street Primary School
Passion for education… that spans the years 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. Our new engagement campaign to encourage staff to highlight how they are ‘making a difference’ to society was launched featuring campus installations and a new blog. Here UniLife looks at a colleague we can be proud of…
Rachel Brealey is passionate about education, spending a lot – in fact almost all – of her time involved in it. Our Director of Faculty Operations in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences has worked in higher education throughout her career. Since May 2012, she has been a local authority governor at Chapel Street Primary School in Levenshulme, chairing the governing body since September 2012. And she is the mother of ten-year-old twins, so of course their schooling is top of the agenda at the dinner table. “Having worked in higher education throughout my career, I am passionate about education and schools, especially science and engineering,” she says. “Chapel Street is a large primary school with a diverse intake, providing many challenges. The school is currently undertaking building work to expand to three form entry and is working hard
to continue to improve standards, particularly in Maths and Science - so an exciting time to be a part of the team.” Of course she could have joined the Board of Governors at her children’s school, as many of our colleagues do – but chose to take this role instead. “I believe one of my most important functions as a Local Authority governor is to be able to take an active interest in how the school is performing without the emotional investment of a parent or the day-to-day involvement of a teacher,” she explains. “I can step back and take a view about what is right for the school. “But as a parent of children of primary school age, I also have a personal interest in education at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and I appreciate the enormous impact that a good experience within primary education has on children’s attitude and enthusiasm for learning.”
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Next Issue 3 March 2014 M995 01.14 The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL Royal Charter aNumber RC000797
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