KENT Magazine - February 2011 | University of Kent

KENT The Magazine for the University of Kent | February 2011

Chaucer Fields Fine Art lecturer’s work makes India tour

Welcome Dear Colleagues, While there is no doubt that we are in difficult times, there has been a positive start to 2011. As you may be aware, we are the lead sponsor of the Brompton Academy which has just had its official ‘celebration of opening’. In particular, I would like to thank David Nightingale, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Jen Wyatt, Head of the Partnership Development Office, who have played key roles in developing the strategic relationship we have with the school. We believe our internationally recognised expertise will support the Academy’s specialism of Science and the Arts and help establish it as one of the region’s leading schools.

This is just one reason why we are working hard to ensure the University continues to thrive and develop in the face of a very large cut in government funding to all HE institutions in England and the introduction of a new funding system in 2012, which will require students to borrow greater amounts of money to cover increased ‘fees’. The new system will see monies currently going direct to universities being put into a large loan scheme to support this. The details are quite complex and some aspects are still yet to be decided.

There has naturally been widespread condemnation of the level of cuts to a world-class HE system and, as you probably know, we had a group of students occupying the Senate building in protest against the cuts. However, the alternatives to increased fees suggested by the coalition government were simply to have many fewer undergraduates and to significantly cut the investment per student. Neither of these actions would have enabled us to sustain the existing excellent system, nor would they seem to support widening participation activities. Therefore, we are now planning for the new system of increased fees.

At this point, it is worth mentioning that no UK student will have to pay up front; fee loans are available together with grants and loans for maintenance costs. Graduates only start paying back when they reach a certain salary threshold and it is thought that the system may be more generous for those whose salaries are at the lower end.

Of course, the debate rightly continues – not only on whether there is an alternative system and if so will it be fairer, but also on how the University will respond to students who are investing more personally in their education. Once the details have been finalised, the University will do all it can to work with the new National Bursary scheme and other mechanisms to support widening participation and fair access. At present, discussions and presentations on the future fee levels are ongoing across the institution at Council, Senate, the Managers’ Forum, academic schools and the professional service departments.

The good news is that the University is in a relatively strong position and we will be looking to sustain the University through the transition period.

Although it may sound clichéd, people are undoubtedly our greatest asset and it is only with your support and hard work that we will get through these testing times.

I wish you all the best for the New Year.

Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow DBE, CBE Vice-Chancellor

3 News 6 Chaucer Fields: Building for the future 8 Research 10 Enterprise 11 Green news 12 Human Resources 13 Staff profile 14 Kent in the news/Obituaries 15 Sports and culture 16 What’s on/Gulbenkian Cinema goes digital Special thanks to: Lesley Farr, University Design & Print Centre. Photographs by Robert Berry, Stephen Blakeley, Nick Ellwood, Spencer Scott, Karen Baxter, Stuart Harrop

News

KENT We have set up a readers’ panel for staff. Please get in touch if you would like to become a member. We are keen to have your feedback and letters are welcome from all our readers.

Simply email the editorial team at kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk

Professor Yong Yan awarded Fellowship The IEEE Grade of Fellow is conferred by the IEEE Board of Directors upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. It is the highest grade of membership and is recognised by the technical community as a prestigious honour and an important career achievement.

Kent is also available online at www.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/ kentmagazine Editorial team: Posie Bogan, Press & Communications Manager (Communications & Marketing); Colette O’Reilly, Publications Officer (Communications & Marketing); Fiona Jones, Alumni Relations Officer (Development Office); Karen Baxter, Press Assistant, (Communications & Marketing), University of Kent.

Next issue: the deadline for the next issue is 7 March, with a publication date of 30 March.

Christmas competition winner The answer to our Christmas competition question was Simon Westerman. We are delighted to announce that the winner, drawn from a host of correct entries, is Barbara Delaney. Congratulations Barbara!

Professor Sarah Spurgeon, Head of EDA, said: ‘Professor Yong Yan fully deserves this recognition from the IEEE. After many years of painstaking work and with substantial financial support from the UK government and industry, Professor Yan and his team have developed innovative particle flow instruments which are capable of measuring velocity, concentration and size distribution of particles such as pneumatically conveyed pulverised fuel.

Professor Yong Yan from Kent’s School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA) has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE).

His Fellowship is in recognition of his contribution to pulverised fuel flow metering – a long-standing industrial problem – and combustion flame imaging, with his research in these areas having made a significant impact on the combustion efficiency improvement and emissions reduction of coal-fired power stations.

‘The other most distinctive contribution Professor Yan has made lies in combustion flame imaging.

As the demand for lower atmospheric emissions and more efficient power generation increases, it is important to maintain a tight control of how the fuels are burnt. After more than 10 years’ meticulous work, Professor Yan and his team have developed a digital imaging based technology for the monitoring and quantitative characterisation of fossil fuel flames. This is an important development for this sector.’

Professor Yong Yan joined the University in 2004.

Double win for DICE in BBC camera-trap photo of the year

KENT The Magazine for the University of Kent | February 2011

Chaucer Fields Fine Art lecturer’s work makes India tour

Cover story: Deluge by Angus Pryor

Two current DICE students, Mark Darmaraj and Hadi al Hakmani, have won prizes in the BBC Wildlife magazine’s photo competitions. PhD student Mark won the top prize in the magazine’s camera-trap photo of the year competition with a rare and astonishing shot of a female Malayan tiger and her offspring staring into the lens of a camera-trap device. BSc student Hadi secured the runner-up prize in the Animal Portraits category with his stunning portrait of an Arabian wolf in the deserts of Oman.

Both photographs are published in the December issue of BBC Wildlife and are featured online at www.bbcwildlifemagazine.com

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News

Fine Art lecturer’s work makes India tour The British Council has selected work by Angus Pryor, a Senior Lecturer in Fine Art, for its touring programme which showcases examples of contemporary British painting in India.

Pryor’s semi-abstract painting, Deluge (2007), (reproduced on this month’s KENT cover) composed from oil-based paint and builders’ caulk, transposes the apocalyptic motif of Noah’s Ark which is shown submerged under the Adriatic waters around Venice.

The British Council tour, designed to introduce recent and contemporary trends in British art to new audiences, will be showcasing work at nine venues throughout the Indian sub-continent.

Taking the initiative The Centre for Research on Social Climate, in collaboration with Kent Enterprise, recently hosted an event titled, ‘Taking Charge of the Next Step: Initiative-taking Skills Workshop’. In an interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr Ulrich Weger, the Centre’s Director, and Tracy Crowther and Stephanie Barwick from Kent Enterprise, organised a workshop to help students develop their ideas and initiatives.

Dr Weger commented: ‘We all have some sense of what we are good at and what we would like to achieve – the challenge is to translate our visions into actions. In fact, we often belittle our own ideas by questioning whether they are good enough or whether others are interested in what we have to offer. It is important, however, to be bold about the ideas that excite us.’

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University in joint bursary to fund research into living with sight loss The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) and Thomas Pocklington Trust have announced a major joint three-year research bursary into sight loss issues.

The research will focus on the relationship between partially sighted individuals and the social and technological environment in which they live and work. Further details on the bursary are available at www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr Thomas Pocklington Trust is a leading provider of housing, care and support services for people with sight loss in the UK. Each year, Pocklington funds social and public health research and development initiatives to identify practical ways to improve the lives of people with sight loss. Its research and development programme focuses on three themes: increasing social inclusion, independence and quality of life; improving care and support services; and public health issues, including prevention of blindness and promotion of eye health.

Professor Chris Shilling, Director of Graduate Studies at SSPSSR, said: ‘This is an exciting collaboration coming at a very important time for the future of social policy in this country, and we look forward to developing this area of research in collaboration with Thomas Pocklington Trust.’

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Martin Large, a social entrepreneur and prolific initiative taker, facilitated the session and helped people articulate their dreams and develop and sharpen them. ‘There was a sense of excitement and enthusiasm in the room – and, perhaps most important, people left the workshop with a number of new contacts,’ said Dr Weger.

Future workshops will be posted on the Centre for Research on Social Climate and Kent Enterprise websites. There is also a module on developing one’s own initiative-taking skills being planned. Further information can be found at: www.kent.ac.uk/psychology/research/crsc/

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‘It is hoped that the first lecture will be held during the spring term, although it will take an inspirational lecturer to compete against the beautiful surroundings of the woods for the students’ full attention,’ he added.

Grace Turner, President of Kent’s Conservation Society, said: ‘This was a fantastic project to work on. As well as creating a seating area which will be used for lectures and social activities, we have also used off-cuts to create wildlife friendly log and brash piles.’

Marathon run for charity Outdoor classroom created from fallen oak tree The University Conservation Society has spent six days creating an outdoor classroom from a fallen oak tree.

Nearly 20 students worked with local artist Peter Leadbeater to create a series of carved benches and toadstool seats. Ian Bride, Lecturer in Biodiversity Management at DICE, said: ‘I have long had the idea that we should create some teaching and leisure spaces in the non-built environment on the Canterbury campus.

‘So when a large oak tree fell down recently very near to a site that we had previously identified as having good potential for the creation of such a space (behind Beckett Court), the opportunity presented itself in the form of raw materials.

Tim Warren, the Hospitality Accounts Supervisor, is running in the London Marathon this year. His chosen charity is Kidscape an organisation set up to support victims of bullying and their families, and to provide advice, resources, training and information to the public. www.kidscape.org.uk Tim said: ‘As a father of three, I wanted to run for a kids charity so I was delighted to be offered a place with Kidscape. This is my first serious marathon and I am currently working through my training plan, which averages 36 miles a week over 5 days. When I feel tired, I just think about crossing that finish line in April. I am very excited, and very nervous about this challenge!

If you would like to sponsor Tim go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiserweb/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfile Page.action?userUrl=TimWarren

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Outdoor classroom created from fallen oak tree Taking the initiative Marathon run for charity A taste of ‘the Good Life’

Broaden your horizons The European Office holds funding for professional, managerial and support staff to undertake a short-term work-based visit to an EU country – this can be either to one of the Kent Erasmus partner universities or to an enterprise in another EU country. The visits could be built around, for example, work shadowing, shortterm study or attendance at a conference or workshop. This scheme runs alongside the more established scheme for academic staff to visit EU countries, also funded by Erasmus. You can find more information on the European Office website at: www.kent.ac.uk/europeanoffice/staffinformation/stafftraining.html

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A taste of ‘the Good Life’ Students at the University are now growing their own fruit thanks to an innovative project run by the National Union of Students (NUS) and Homebase.

Kent is one of seven universities taking part in the Fresher Freshers project, an initiative designed to help students grow environmentally-friendly food.

So, on Saturday 27 November, staff and students planted a wide variety of fruit canes and trees, including apple, pear, cherry, Kentish cobnuts, raspberries, blackcurrants, tayberry, loganberry and redcurrants. The plants were supplied by Brogdale Farm, home of the National Fruit Collection.

There is still funding available for staff interested in taking advantage of this opportunity for 2011.

If you are considering applying, please email h.ellerby@kent.ac.uk to register your interest; we would advise you to apply as soon as possible.

If you would like to talk through your application, please contact Primrose or Hannah in the European Office on 4922/4921, or Anne Rushworth in Staff Development on A.Rushworth@kent.ac.uk, ext 7897. We can help you develop your idea or put you in touch with someone who has already benefited from the scheme. The European Office also has a list of upcoming Erasmus staff training weeks taking place at some of our partner universities, if you would prefer to take part in a pre-organised visit.

International training network established

Matthew Compton, Category Manager, Garden Horticulture at Homebase said: ‘This initiative is about creating a generation of graduates with healthier, greener and more pocket-friendly eating habits.’

The Greenfoot project group, part of the Computing Education Research Group at the School of Computing, has set up an international network of partner institutions to deliver training and community support around the Greenfoot software system, developed at Kent.

Catherine Morris, Environmental Co-ordinator at the University, said: ‘The new orchard and soft fruit cage should provide a great resource over the coming years for students and staff to learn about fruit growing.’

Greenfoot is a system designed to help teenagers learn to program, and to help teachers to make computer science more attractive to a wider audience of young learners.

Web rankings On the 4icu website (http://www.4icu.org/) Kent is again ranked 22nd in the UK (out of 150) for web popularity, the same position as in July 2010 and January 2010. Moreover, for the first time Kent also appears in the top 100 European Universities listing – ranked 93rd.

First released in 2006, adoption of the Greenfoot system has increased substantially over the last year, with well over 1,000 institutions now using the software for their computer science teaching.

Following this surge in popularity, providing training and support for teachers is one of the big challenges.

Professor Michael Kölling, lead designer of the Greenfoot project, said: ‘Other people getting involved in our project is a great thing, and a sign of the value educators see in our software.’

Of the seven new partner institutions, known as Greenfoot Hubs, five are in the USA, one in Germany and one in Moscow. Add to this an already existing project partner in Australia and Kent itself, and there are now nine institutions delivering workshops and training for Greenfoot.

Greenfoot is being developed at the University

by Michael Kölling, Ian Utting, Neil Brown and Phil Stevens, and can be downloaded freely from www.greenfoot.org. More information about the Greenfoot Hubs is at www.greenfoot.org/hubs.

University helps Brompton Academy celebrate opening The University has helped Brompton Academy, the latest school in the region to gain Academy status, celebrate its official opening in style.

As Lead Sponsor of Brompton Academy’s successful bid, the University invited students, staff, governors and local strategic partners to the Gillingham-based school’s Celebration of Opening event earlier this month.

University Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor David Nightingale, who is also Chair of Governors at Brompton Academy, and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow both gave keynote addresses at the event.

Said David: ‘The Vice-Chancellor and I were both delighted to help Brompton Academy celebrate gaining Academy status. It has been a long road to travel but, given the academic excellence of the school, I was never in any doubt that the result of the bid would be successful.

‘The University was in part chosen to be the Lead Sponsor because of our ability to help provide support for the Academy’s science specialism and I look forward to seeing that relationship develop over the coming years.’

Predecessor school New Brompton College began its quest for Academy status in 2006 and gained the support of many in the community, including the then local MP Paul Clark.

Academy Principal Judy Rider thanked all those who had supported the school in its ‘relentless pursuit’ of Academy status.

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Feature

Chaucer Fields: Building for the future

A planned £60million development at the University’s Canterbury campus will deliver significant economic benefit to the local economy as well as much-needed new student residence places. That’s the promise of Kent’s Chaucer Fields development, featuring new student accommodation alongside hotel and conference centre facilities.

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Staff, students and local residents have been consulted on the plans before the University submits a planning application to Canterbury City Council, which is due in March.

The proposed development is planned for an area of the University’s campus that is mainly grassland surrounded by woodland, situated alongside the existing Canterbury Innovation Centre. Its design has been carefully developed to respect the character, flora and fauna of the Chaucer Fields site.

A key element of the proposal is its high level of sustainability, with efficient use of energy and resources throughout the proposed development and the surrounding landscaping.

The scheme would provide accommodation for 800 students through a mix of shared apartments, townhouses and flats. A 150-bed hotel and conference centre with 200-capacity lecture theatre, as well as a college centre comprising office and study space, laundry, shop and café would complete the development.

University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Keith Mander said: ‘We are proud of our proposals for a highquality, sustainable new development at Chaucer Fields because it will benefit the local economy as well as the University.

‘The University continues to be popular and our student population is thriving. Unfortunately, our on-campus student rooms cannot satisfy demand, which means students are taking private housing in Canterbury. These 800 new rooms will go some way to responding to calls for students to live on campus.

Feature

‘There is also a shortage of hotel and conference facilities in Canterbury which this development will go a long way towards addressing. The construction process will generate jobs and business within the local economy and, once finished, the new facilities will create many additional employment opportunities.

The other student residences, situated in four blocks arranged in an arc around the core buildings, will each look down over Chaucer Fields towards Canterbury Cathedral and city centre.

‘We have been keen, however, to hear the opinions of as many local residents as possible, as well as get feedback from our own staff and students.

The Chaucer Fields design concept is centred on a ‘village green’ area surrounded by woodland.

The student accommodation and hotel will be angled towards the Cathedral, thus echoing a feature of the original University campus design when it was built in 1964.

‘These consultation events have provided an opportunity for everyone with an interest to view our plans and ask questions before we submit our planning application in March. I’m delighted that we received many comments which were then fed back into the ongoing Chaucer Fields design development process.’

Site The site chosen for Chaucer Fields is mainly grassland set on a gentle hill surrounded by clusters of mature trees and hedgerows. The positioning of the development has been carefully considered to ensure it maximises screening from existing mature trees and avoids any need to remove woodland.

The development site, located adjacent to the Canterbury Innovation Centre, is alongside the area covered by Canterbury City Council’s Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) for the University’s Kent Business Innovation Park. This SPG aims to ensure a complementary mix of land use in the local area. Chaucer Fields has therefore been sited to complement the existing Canterbury Innovation Centre and other surrounding buildings.

Design

Buildings within the scheme will be between two and four storeys high, but will be stepped and built into the slope to minimise height. Screening by trees and other landscaping will further reduce the visual impact of the development.

Most of the student accommodation will be in shared apartments located in four blocks, each four storeys high. There will also be student rooms in town houses and a number of onebedroomed flats. The proposed hotel and conference centre is also set to be three to four storeys, but stepped and built into the slope.

At the centre of the scheme, a two-storey College Hub will be made up of office space, quiet study zones and a catering area opening onto a secluded courtyard.

Sustainability The University is committed to achieving high levels of sustainability in all its buildings and the proposed development at Chaucer Fields is no exception.

At its heart, the scheme incorporates a range of sustainability measures and is based on the efficient use of energy and resources. The design includes low carbon and renewable energy initiatives, with at least 10% of the development’s energy requirements coming from renewable energy sources. Thermal insulation and highefficiency boilers will help reduce energy consumption. Display screens in the hub building will show energy use to encourage everyone to use less power. Among the sustainable features also being considered are green roofs.

Ecological and landscaping considerations have also been a key element in the development planning process. A series of ponds will be created in the southern part of the site to manage water and drainage. These will also serve to create a rich new ecological habitat and additional screening for neighbouring properties.

Landscaping will seek to provide screening and enhance the existing landscape character by careful planting of a mix of native trees and vegetation to enrich the woodland and improve biodiversity. It will also create a transition between the development and the adjacent woodland.

Martin Herrema, Press Officer

As well as its situation in relation to other buildings, the development will have a layout that will be in character with the Chaucer Fields setting. The College Hub, hotel and conference centre will form the core of the development, with the one-bedroom student flats located next to the hotel to allow them to be used as additional hotel accommodation out of term-time.

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Research

Beliefs, culture and the environment Across all three projects, Professor Harrop aims to show that natural resource conservation can benefit from the integration of key religious concepts and traditional conservation approaches into conventional management plans and conservation strategies, while local people can benefit from making conservation relevant to them.

He explained: ‘Innovative approaches to community-based conservation are urgently needed in places such as Indonesia and in particular Sumatra, which has some of the highest rates of tropical deforestation in SouthEast Asia. Indonesia also has the world’s largest Muslim population, with religion having a strong influence on daily life.

Ethical and practical support for biodiversity conservation may be found within the great religions such as Islam, or within the beliefs and traditional cultural practices of even the smallest community.

However, in order to measure and understand the potential impact of conservation ethics in religion and local culture, Stuart Harrop, Professor of Wildlife Management Law and Director of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at Kent, has embarked on several major projects in three of the world’s conservation ‘hotspots’.

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The first of these projects, funded by the Darwin Initiative, examines the relationship between conservation and Islam in Sumatra while actively raising awareness of Islamic teachings about conservation; the second, funded by the Economic & Social Research Council/Natural Environment Research Council Interdisciplinary Studentship Scheme, examines the relationship between culture, sacred sites and bird migration in north and central Africa; and the third, financed by the Christensen Fund, examines the role of sacred forest sites in south-west Ethiopia in forestry conservation.

‘Fortunately, within the Al-Qur'an there are several key principles – Tauhid, Khalifah, Mizan and Fitrah – that underpin nature conservation and outline the human role in conserving natural resources. Further, three interrelated land-use management systems in Sumatra apply Islamic principles within nature conservation. These are: Hima or management zones established for sustainable natural resource use; Harim or inviolable sanctuaries used for protecting water resources and their services; and, Ihya AlMawat, which encourages reviving neglected land to become productive. Our work there aims to implement a faith-based community outreach programme to strengthen and integrate these religious management systems into the legally recognised traditional, or nagari, system, which usually comprises several villages.’

While it remains too early to provide thorough evidence of the potential impact of belief systems on conservation in the three projects outlined above, Professor Harrop remains encouraged by the very positive local support of the project in Sumatra, ‘which suggests that the long-standing reverence for the environment within religion and culture is a very powerful force to turn the tide of biodiversity destruction.’

Research

Time will tell Kent health services researchers are hoping that the results of their current project on the quality and provision of long-term home care for older people will promote the UK from its previous ranking of tenth out of 11 European countries.

The three-year SHELTER (Services and Health for Elderly in Long Term Care) project, which is directed by Iain Carpenter, (pictured, left) Professor of Human Ageing at the University’s Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS), is evaluating services and health for older people in long-term nursing home care in eight European countries. Methodology includes comparing the condition, needs and levels of dependency of each resident and characteristics of their facility.

Biometrics for care environments

system which recognises faces and voices of authorised carers and other visitors.

Biometrics experts from the University’s School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA) have formed a partnership with InMezzo, one of the UK’s leading secure information specialists, for a project to be supported by the Technology Strategy Board that will enhance identity authentication procedures in care environments.

Michael Fairhurst, Professor of Computer Vision (pictured above, left) said: ‘It is exciting for us to work with leading companies such as InMezzo.

This project provides an excellent opportunity for us to work towards some very practical solutions to difficult problems in a way which directly demonstrates the social value of strong ongoing research.’

The growing costs and demands on health and social care are leading to huge pressures to develop improved care for older people and the disabled in their own homes, using telecare technology to deliver the services. Telecare enables remote monitoring and alerting of client incidents to carers, so that sound responses to events can be made on a 24/7 basis. It also often involves the electronic transmission of highly personal health or welfare information, which raises important issues about client confidentiality and safety.

The University’s researchers have an established record in developing novel and robust pattern recognition techniques to identify individuals from a range of biometric measurements.

Working in partnership with InMezzo, the University’s researchers are now exploring userfriendly ways in which recognition of individuals from their face and voice characteristics can enable a wide range of patients and vulnerable individuals to gain easier access to telecare systems and applications, using the audio visual functions of the healthcare delivery platform SmartCare. It will also develop a door entry

EDA’s Dr Gareth Howells, a specialist in image processing and pattern recognition techniques, will work with Professor Fairhurst on the project.

The research is also supported by the International Centre for Excellence in Telecare (ICE-T+).

It was a similar project carried out by Professor Carpenter seven years ago which ranked the UK tenth out of 11 European countries for the quality of its care at home for older people. ‘This project will determine how nursing home care compares across Europe,’ he said.

‘By collecting the same highly detailed data on individual nursing home residents in each of the eight countries, we can make direct comparisons in a way that has not been possible before in nursing homes. In fact, I would say that such person-centred data is central to developing policy for long-term home care in Europe.’

The study ends in December 2011, and the results will be built into what will be the largest European web-based database of personcentred resident and facility information.

For further information on this project visit http://www.shelter-elderly.eu

Research awards list Some recent research awards Dr David Wilkinson (School of Psychology) £186,470 and Simon Coulton (School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR)) £49,836 from the Medical Research Council (MRC) for ‘Does repeated vestibula stimulation induce lasting recovery from hemispatial neglect’.

Professor Jim Mansell (Tizard, SSPSSR): £30,699 from the Department of Health for ‘Quality and outcomes of person-centred care’.

Dr Richard Williamson (School of Biosciences): £239,648 from the Wellcome Trust for ‘Conformational, dynamic and ligand-binding

properties of protein disulphide-isomerase: studies with site-specific NMR and fluorescent probes’.

Dr Farzin Deravi (School of Engineering and Digital Arts): £47,000 from East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust for ‘Can automatic facial gesture recognition techniques be developed as an input device to electronic assistive technologies for severely disabled patients’.

Dr Luke Lavan (School of European Culture and Languages): £182,598 from the Leverhulme Trust for ‘Visualising the late antique city: everyday life AD 300-600’.

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Enterprise

Myths and riffs of leadership Business Ideas Competition This year’s Business Ideas Competition is now open to all University of Kent students. Individuals and teams are invited to submit a business idea with the chance to win a share of the £5,000 prize fund, to help turn their ideas into reality.

The winning team will be the Kent entry in the Global Business Concept Challenge, where they will have the opportunity to compete for a $25,000 prize in a Global Competition in Virginia, USA. Details of the competition including entry forms can be found at www.kentroundone.co.uk or contact Student Enterprise Officer, Tracy Crowther, email: T.S.Crowther@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 824641.

Networking to music: (left to right) Peter Cook, Professor Dennis Tourish and John Howitt

Over 50 businesses attended the ICE networking event ‘Myths and Riffs of Leadership’ on Tuesday 18th January at the Canterbury Innovation Centre.

Professor Dennis Tourish gave an entertaining and thought-provoking talk about leadership, using comic examples to expose the mistakes made by bad leaders, as well as highlighting the traits of good leaders. Professor Tourish’s direct and original approach to leadership showed how the seven key roles of effective leadership directly impact on staff morale and future business growth.

Business academic and leadership author, Peter Cook then took to the stage combining his business knowledge with original music. He was accompanied by John Howitt, a professional musician who performs with Celine Dion, Anastasia and Shirley Bassey. Together they took the audience on an interactive journey exploring leadership ideas from academia and music.

The event is part of the University of Kent ICE programme, offering network members an easy way to engage with the University, like-minded businesses and the latest research.

To find out more information on the network and future events please visit www.icekent.co.uk or email enterprise@kent.ac.uk

Funding support for local businesses The newly launched Innovation Voucher initiative offers businesses the opportunity to develop a new project with the University of Kent with a 50% contribution towards the cost.

The scheme has been set up for firms to develop innovative products, processes or services with our academics, encouraging joint collaboration between businesses and University schools.

Voucher funding of 50% against the total project cost (excluding VAT) is available up to July 2011, and applications will be assessed as they are received. Priority will be given to Kent SMEs; although the University will accept project applications from larger organisations too.

Visit www.kent.ac.uk/enterprise today for more information about the scheme, email enterprise@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 827376.

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Green news

Fairtrade at Kent Fairtrade at the University of Kent

The Fairtrade mark is now one of the most widely recognised certification marks in the UK, but what does it really mean?

What is Fairtrade?

The concept of Fairtrade has been around for a long time but the official system was first introduced in Holland in the 1980’s. In short, any product bearing the mark has been traded according to a set of internationally agreed standards and the supply chain has been audited to ensure that these rules are being adhered to. There are certain core ideas that apply to all products. For example, Fairtrade traders must: • Pay a price to producers that covers the cost of sustainable production and living • Pay a premium that producers can invest in development • Make partial advance payments when requested by producers • Sign contracts that allow for long-term planning and sustainable production practices.

Behind these core ideas are two underlying sets of standards. One ensures that small-scale independent producers receive a decent and stable minimum wage for their crops, while the other applies more to estate growers and focuses primarily on issues related to the pay and conditions of the workers.

The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent nonprofit organisation that licenses the use of the Fairtrade mark on products in the UK. As well as licensing products they also aim to bring Fairtrade into communities by allowing schools, towns, universities and workplaces to become Fairtrade accredited. A Fairtrade university is one that has made a commitment to supporting and using Fairtrade. It ensures that Fairtrade products are available in as many places as possible and raises awareness of Fairtrade among students and staff.

To find out more about Fairtrade and Fairtrade universities please visit www.fairtrade.org.uk

Kent has been a Fairtrade university since 2006.

As a Fairtrade university, Kent ensures that Fairtrade tea and coffee is served exclusively in every outlet on campus and other Fairtrade products including clothing, fruit juice, flapjacks and cotton wool are widely available. Every year, the Fairtrade steering group works with the local Canterbury District Fairtrade Network to organise a number of events to promote Fairtrade which in the past have included; Fairtrade music nights, free tasters of Fairtrade products and stalls at the Freshers’ fair.

Collectively, as schools and departments, staff should actively support the University’s Fairtrade status by ensuring that Fairtrade tea and coffee is bought and that staff uniforms are made from Fairtrade cotton. Individually, there are many ways to get involved in Fairtrade from joining the Fairtrade Steering Group, promoting Fairtrade to your colleagues and getting involved in Fairtrade Fortnight.

Fairtrade Fortnight This year, Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 28 February – 13 March so keep your eyes open for any Fairtrade events on campus during that time.

If you or your department or school would like to get involved in Fairtrade Fortnight please email c.morris@kent.ac.uk

Degrees Cooler update The Degrees Cooler project is now well into its second year and this year we have over 20 schools and departments signed up to the Green Impact scheme. Green Impact, which last year was jointly won by Kent Enterprise Hub and the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (UELT) is an environmental accreditation scheme which allows staff across the University to make positive environmental changes and rewards them at the annual awards ceremony at the end of the year.

In order to find out more about what people think about environmental issues on campus and to engage staff from across the University, we are asking for staff to send their suggestions for energy saving ideas to greenimpact@kent.ac.uk.

Please ensure that you include your school or department in your email.

Students from the University are able to participate in Degrees Cooler through ‘Going Greener’ the climax of which is Go Green Week which is held in the second week in February.

KENT Magazine

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Human Resources

Strategy update The University of Kent is a successful organisation which has developed due to the efforts and talents of its staff. The University values its very good employee relations and its excellent record of encouraging staff to achieve their ambitions.

Developing leadership capabilities

The feature article Working to Plan (KENT December 2010) mentioned the work that has been done to develop a new HR Strategy to support the University’s Institutional Plan. The HR Strategy was written with a view to supporting staff to continue to develop and excel, and to ensure their contribution to the success of the Institutional Plan, and focuses on six themes. Some key developments from 2010 and highlights of initiatives beginning in 2011 are summarised below; over the course of the year, we plan to keep you updated through interviews in KENT with people who have taken part in some of these initiatives.

Supporting workforce planning

The University launched a revised version Human Resources, Finance and of the Heads Leadership & Management Information Systems have been coProgramme in September and hosted a operating in initial project scoping work successful half-day event for newly promoted that is necessary for the longer term senior staff in December 2010. We are also project to develop improved workforce building on the success of the Academic Division’s reporting through a new HR/Payroll System. leadership pilot programme by conducting a With a view to continuing to develop a more year-long series of focus groups with participants joined-up approach to data gathering and from the first programme and have launched a reporting, the Higher Education Statistics cross-University Leadership Programme for Agency (HESA) was invited by Human Professional Services Managers that will Resources to conduct a training session for continue throughout the year. A number of HR and staff from a range of departments, participants from the first pilot will be including Finance, the Planning and Business directly involved in facilitating sessions Information Office and Information Systems, in and sharing knowledge during late 2010. Work to support the University’s the 2011 Universityannual planning process, using the wide pilot. resources available with our existing system, has already begun.

Providing people management and development opportunities

Improving employee communication and consultation

Promoting equality and diversity Briefings were held across the University on the new Single Equality Act and a pilot senior leaders’ workshop on the topic of equality and diversity has now been incorporated into the Heads Leadership & Management Programme.

An online equality and diversity learning tool was launched and a website for new international staff will be launched shortly. Additionally, the University has committed to the Athena Swan Charter which focuses on the advancement and promotion of the careers of women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) in higher education. In 2011, work will continue in all of these areas. The University has also recently joined Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme which promotes equal treatment and a good working environment for those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual.

A number of new initiatives were created in 2010 to support staff at the University. A new internal recruitment process was implemented for administrative Effective communication has been roles and a more structured job evaluation panel review a key priority for senior staff at process has begun, with a view to ensuring consistency and the University and regular producing benchmark role profiles, such as those that have updates are being provided to been created for School Administration Managers. Improved staff via the Manager’s Forum. induction materials were developed and a new Probation The Joint Staff Negotiation and Scheme for academic staff was launched. An Consultation Committee and Staff Organisational Change policy, Redeployment policy and Policy Committee membership was a policy to assist with the management of performace refreshed in 2010 and a consultation issues were created and supported with briefings and exercise was carried out about the workshops during 2010. Work will continue in 2011 proposed changes to USS. Human in all of these areas, including a review of the Resources developed a regular feature appraisal and administrative staff repage in KENT magazine in 2010 grading processes and the and will continue to review its introduction of a mediation website in 2011. scheme.

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KENT Magazine

Ensuring HR systems and processes are efficient and effective Human Resources is conducting a review of many of its administrative systems and processes to ensure that they are both efficient and effective, and will also be participating in the ‘University-wide Process Improvement Centre’ Triaster software project during 2011.

For more information about the HR Strategy, see: http://www.kent.ac.uk/human-resources/ strategy/index.html

Staff profile

Robert Grimer

Robert is the Chef de Cuisine at the University, which means he is responsible for all food across campus. He came to Kent in 2005, having previously owned Augustines Restaurant for seven years and prior to that worked for the Roux brothers.

What would be your perfect day?

Going to Blean Woods in the morning looking for cep mushrooms and finding some! Then I would love to go shrimping in the afternoon at Sandwich Bay. To finish off my perfect day, I would like to have a dinner of potted shrimps, fillet steak with ceps, and sticky toffee pudding, followed by a visit to my local pub.

seemed to want to kill most chefs. I would work from 6:30am to midnight, and then go back to a shared room with a smelly room-mate.

What is your favourite item of clothing, either now or in the past?

My white T-shirt.

recent years. I would love to visit South-East Asia, in particular Vietnam.

What is your favourite TV or radio programme?

Radio 6 music – the variety is superb.

What was your earliest ambition?

What (if anything) would you like to change about yourself?

To own my own restaurant.

An Aston Martin Vanquish.

I would like to be able to speak a second language.

I like to pop open a bottle of bubbly.

How do you relax?

Who was your first pin-up?

What is your greatest achievement?

Listening to music or going to a restaurant.

I didn’t have one.

Owner of Augustines Restaurant in Canterbury.

This was a dream come true.

What was your worst job?

Which country would you most like to visit?

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

In a hotel in Harrogate working under a screaming, paranoid German head chef who

I love to travel – not that I have done much of it in

How do you celebrate good news?

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t become a hairdresser!

KENT Magazine

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Kent in the news

Staff at the University continue to make a strong contribution to international, national and regional news. Over the past few months there have been contributions from those in the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), The Centre for Sports Studies, Kent Business School (KBS), the School of Arts, the Centre for Journalism and the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR).

Leading the amount of coverage gained was Medway-based criminologist Professor Alex Stevens of SSPSSR. His research on Portugal’s policies on drug users gained extensive coverage, particularly in the US. The story was covered by the Washington Post, CBS and Fox News as well as a host of other newspapers and broadcasters across the US. And his Canterburybased SSPSSR colleague, sociologist Professor Frank Furedi, was also making the headlines. He featured in the Daily Telegraph on his book Paranoid Parenting and in The Guardian on what lies ahead for higher education in 2011. Visiting Professor of Criminology Marian Fitzgerald had a letter published in The Times.

Medway-based professor of journalism Tim Luckhurst also featured prominently. He took part in a number of broadcast interviews, including on Channel 4 News, commenting on the Wikileaks story, and BBC Radio 5 Live on the European Commission’s ruling on Rupert Murdoch’s bid for BSkyB. He was also interviewed for the New York Times on developments surrounding The Independent and Evening Standard titles.

Canterbury-based Kent Business School professor of leadership, Dennis Tourish, had an opinion piece published in Times Higher Education, while his colleagues Luca Cacciolatti and Professor Andrew Fearne were covered in the Organic & Natural Business and the Cambridge News, respectively.

A keynote speech by Bank of England Chief Economist Spencer Dale was cancelled due to bad weather, but the text of his speech still attracted many national mentions for Kent Business School, including in The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times.

Stuart Harrop, professor of wildlife management law and Director of DICE, featured in Eurasia Review, while his PhD colleague Brett Lewis featured in The Daily Telegraph on his seal sightings study.

Medway-based Centre for Sports Studies researcher Dr Sakis Pappous, gained widespread coverage in Kent’s media for his research link-up with a foundation established by Spanish football giant Real Madrid. Other contributions came from Jonathan Friday, Head of the School of Arts.

The University has also been receiving coverage in Canterbury media for its plans to develop a new £60m student accommodation, hotel and conference facility on a part of the Canterbury campus known as Chaucer Fields. Medway media including the Medway Messenger, covered the University’s sponsorship of the annual Pride in Medway awards.

This is just some of the recent coverage gained by the University. For more information, visit Kent in the News on Campus Online or contact the Press Office at PressOffice@kent.ac.uk

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KENT Magazine

Obituaries

It is with great regret that the University reports the deaths of Liz Tanner, Professor (AW) Brian Simpson FBA and Professor David Bradby.

Liz Tanner Liz Tanner, Master’s Assistant in Keynes Master’s Office, died following a road traffic accident on 17 December. Liz worked in a number of positions in the University before becoming Master’s Assistant in Keynes College, firstly with Dave Reason and latterly with Anthony Ward. She was a hugely efficient and supportive colleague, who ran the Master’s Office with great care and consideration for the College’s students, as demonstrated by the many messages of sympathy received from students past and present. Liz was a lovely person who will be missed very much by students and by colleagues across the University. Our thoughts are with her family to whom we extend heartfelt condolences.

Professor (AW) Brian Simpson FBA Professor Brian Simpson, FBA, Emeritus Professor of Law, passed away on 10 January 2011. Brian Simpson was Professor of Law from 1973 to 1985 and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences from 1975 to 1978. In more recent years, Brian was the Charles F and Edith J Clyne Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School and he has held professorships at the Universities of Cambridge and Chicago, and, previously, at the University of Ghana. Brian had an MA and a Doctorate from the University of Oxford and his many other awards included an honorary degree from Kent conferred in

2003. He was an Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, a Fellow of the British Academy and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In June 2001, he was appointed Honorary Queen’s Counsel. Brian was immensely distinguished and much loved by staff and students; Law alumni returning to the University always remembered him. He will be greatly missed.

Professor David Bradby Professor David Bradby passed away on the 17 January 2011.

David will be remembered as one of the founders of the Kent Drama department in 1970, as co-editor of Contemporary Theatre Review for many years, alongside his prolific work as a world-leading scholar of European theatre with a principle interest in French theatre and directors’ theatre. From Kent, he moved on to become Head of the Theatre Department at the University of Caen in Normandy before taking up the Chair at Royal Holloway from 1988 to 2007. The Bradby Studio, in Eliot College, will remain as a very small memorial to the great work and legacy of this fine scholar, and friend, who will be sadly missed.

We plan to publish fuller obituaries for Professor Simpson and Professor Bradby in the next edition of KENT, published in April.

Sport and culture

Vice-Chancellor’s Cup update Samba band Cocoa Xpress and a DJ set. There will also be a cocktail bar, chillax zone, VIP zone and a Worldfest information desk. Tickets are available from the Sports Centre.

Xercise Factor

The Vice-Chancellor’s Cup was launched on Wednesday 12 January with the dodgeball competition.

Competition between the 12 teams was fierce – and a good time was had by all. The winning points were shared between the Human Resources team, Wii not fit, and the Psychology team, The Psycho’s.

There has been a great response to this interdepartmental staff competition with 14 departments signing up so far. You can follow the progress of the teams at www.kent.ac.uk/sports/vc. The next event is racket sports and will be held

in April. If you have not already signed up and would like to get involved as an individual or a team, contact Mel Clewlow (M.Clewlow@kent.ac.uk).

Zumba Worldfest party University of Kent Sport are hosting a Zumba party on Thursday 24 February as part of Worldfest. The party will include a Zumba master class in the main hall, with our own Zumba instructor Jeni Dexter and a select team of Latino students. This will be followed by live music from

Five Kent Sport members are embarking on a six-week fitness and exercise plan in an effort to change their health and lifestyle habits as part of Xercise Factor. The lucky five will be mentored by two members of the Fitness Team, as they are first assessed, and then supported, through a strict regime which aims to help them achieve their goals. The contestants will discuss their efforts via blogs on the Kent Sport Facebook page, and also via our website www.kent.ac.uk/sports. If you are inspired by our Xercise Factor contestants and would like help with your own health and lifestyle goals, Kent Sport offers fitness assessments and personalised exercise programmes. Further details are available on our website or from the Sports Centre reception.

Shadows of the Wanderer The University’s Studio 3 Gallery is hosting an exhibition

by Brazilian artist Ana Maria Pacheco. It marks the latest in a series of major exhibitions to be held at the exciting new gallery space at the award-winning School of Arts Jarman Building.

Ana Maria Pacheco’s Shadows of the Wanderer is on display until 17 May 2011. Shadows of the Wanderer is a multi-piece figure sculpture in polychromed wood. In it a group of larger than life, darkly robed figures witness the struggle of a young man to carry an older man on his shoulders. The figures of the young man burdened by the old suggest a reference to the beginning of Virgil’s Aeneid, where the hero Aeneas carries his lame father Anchises out of the burning city of Troy. Shadows of the Wanderer initiates a journey into unknown territory, a journey that the beholder is invited to participate in.

Ana Maria Pacheco has lived and worked in Britain since 1973. She was Head of Fine Art at Norwich School of Art (1985-89) and Associate Artist at the National Gallery (1997-2000). She has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, and her work is represented in a number of major public collections, including those at the British Museum and British Council .

Shadows of the Wanderer has been described as ‘a major new sculptural work by perhaps the most powerful and original of significant artists practising in this country’ The exhibition is open Mondays to Fridays from 9am-5pm and is free and open to all. There is disabled access to the Gallery.

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KENT Magazine

15

What’s on

Music events Friday 18 February, 7.30pm, Gulbenkian Theatre. ‘Have a blast’, the University of Kent Concert Band and Big Band, conducted by Ian Swatman, play everything from Broadway tunes to big band standards and vocal numbers. Tickets available from the Gulbenkian Booking Office.

Wednesday 23 February, 6pm, Gulbenkian Theatre. Open Lecture with award-winning conductor Charles Hazlewood titled, ‘Six Degrees of Separation – what connects JS Bach to Prodigy’. Admission free.

8pm, Gulbenkian Theatre. The Brodsky Quartet, with Diana Baroni, perform a celebration of South American music to launch this year's Worldfest. Tickets available from the Gulbenkian Booking Office.

Friday 25 February, 7.30pm The Crypt, Canterbury Cathedral. The University of Kent Chamber Choir presents ‘This Scepter’d Isle’, including pieces by Vaughan Williams, Macmillan and Skempton, conducted by

Daniel Harding. Tickets are available from the University Music Office, T:01227 827335 or email musictickets@kent.ac.uk Saturday 12 March, 7.30pm, The ColyerFergusson Cathedral Concert at Canterbury Cathderal Nave. For this year’s concert, the University of Kent Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Susan Wanless, perform Wagner’s Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919 version) and Mozart’s Requiem. Tickets are available from the University Music Office, T:01227 827335 or email musictickets@kent.ac.uk

Gulbenkian Theatre highlights

The new projector will enable the Gulbenkian to screen digitally re-mastered BFI classics and also gives additional functionality previously only dreamt of. Subtitled screenings (particularly for the deaf and hearing impaired) will be held every week on a Tuesday. 3D screenings will now also be possible, launching on 21 March with the spectacular The Green Hornet (pictured right).

Future plans include screenings of the best of British theatre and opera, broadcast live to the Gulbenkian screen.

As part of the new installation, the Gulbenkian has also upgraded its sound system with the

Thursday 17 March 7.45pm Alan Price Set Wednesday 9 – Friday 11 March 7.45pm T:24 present A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Gulbenkian Cinema highlights Friday 18 February – Thursday 24 February Black Swan (15) Friday 25 February – Thursday 3 March Biutiful (15)

Monday 14 February 7.45pm Daniel Kitson, ‘The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church’ – the story of a death postponed by life.

Friday 4 March – Thursday 10 March Brighton Rock (15)

Thursday 24 February, 7.45pm, The Plasticine Men present Keepers

For full details of times and ticket availability, please go to www.thegulbenkian.co.uk

Gulbenkian Cinema goes digital The Gulbenkian is delighted to announce the installation of a new digital projector, thanks to a generous grant from Digital Screen Network and the University of Kent.

Friday 25 February 7.45pm, Shazia Mirza Multiple Choice

latest Dolby Digital Stereo equipment. With full digital surround sound, the Gulbenkian Cinema now offers a rich cinema audio experience so sharp you can hear a pin drop – so imagine what an explosion will sound like!

However in with the new does not mean out with the old. The Gulbenkian is retaining its 35mm projector to continue screening classics in their original format.

With so many exciting developments and a fabulous array of films ahead in the run up to the Oscars, the Gulbenkian Cinema experience has never been so good.

For more information about upcoming films and performances please see our website www.thegulbenkian.co.uk

Monday 7 March Peeping Tom (18)