KENT Staff magazine April 2013

Staff

KENT The Magazine for the University of Kent | April 2013

Scaling new heights How should we reason?

Welcome Dear colleagues, You may recall that in the last KENT staff magazine, I introduced some of our new buildings, specifically those on Chatham’s Historic Dockyard. I am pleased in this issue to announce that those state-of-the-art facilities will now be home to a new School. The School of Music and Fine Art will take a key role in the Medway campus’ creative and professional programmes, while maintaining links with the School of Arts at Canterbury. Continued investment in our academic Schools, and the development of engaging programmes of study, are essential to our core university mission.

Following the close of the main UCAS application period in January – when the University has a firmer sense of its position in terms of home and EU recruitment to our undergraduate programmes – we learned that we are in a strong position. I am delighted to be able to say that our applications are up, and by significantly more than the national university sector. This is great news, and demonstrates that we continue to be a successful university, and one that is highly desirable to prospective students.

The deadline for assessment of our research is getting nearer. Many academic colleagues have been preparing our submissions for the Research Excellence Framework; there is still more work to do ahead of the autumn submission deadline, but thankfully the end is in sight for this exercise. I am proud of the quality of the work that has gone on so far – not least the research outputs – and know that colleagues have put significant time and effort into the additional elements of the process, including the new ‘impact case studies’.

Earlier this academic year I, along with my Executive Group, decided to take on ‘champion’ roles as part of an institution-wide commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity. I am the champion for LGBT, and you can read more about this role on p13. EG members will share their roles in later issues.

The University’s commitment to supporting its staff was confirmed recently with the award to Kent Hospitality of the Investors in People gold award (see opposite). This is the first time that any employer in the county has won the award for the second time, and a badge of pride for all involved. Once again, our community has much to be positive about: I hope that you enjoy reading more about the breadth of our successes in KENT magazine.

Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow Vice-Chancellor

3 News 6 Feature: How Should We Reason? 8 Research 10 Staff profile 11 Fundraising 12 Human Resources 14 Enterprise 15 Environment 16 Digital updates 17 Sport/Hospitality 18 Kent in the News/Books 19 People 20 What’s on Special thanks to: Lesley Farr, University Design & Print Centre. Photographs by Daimon Beail, Image Works, Suzanne Ridley, Karen Weatherley, Matt Wilson, Nobuyuki Yamaguchi.

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KENT We have set up a new group for staff to have their say on all aspects of internal communications, including KENT staff magazine. If you would like to become a member, please get in touch with us via communications@kent.ac.uk.

Gold Investors in People success for University department

KENT staff magazine is also available online at www.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/kentmagazine.

Please email communications@kent.ac.uk if you would prefer not to receive a printed copy.

Kent Hospitality has become the first employer in the county to be reaccredited with a highly coveted Investors in People (IiP) gold award.

Editorial team: Wendy Raeside, Communications Officer, Corporate Communications (Editor); Karen Baxter, Press Assistant, Corporate Communications, University of Kent. To contact us or submit a story, email kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk.

The department was first recognised as an IiP organisation almost 14 years ago, achieving gold status in March 2010.

Next issue: the deadline for the next issue is 10 June with a publication date of 5 July 2013.

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In March 2013, after six days of rigorous assessment by IiP, Kent Hospitality was informed that it had been reaccredited with gold. It was also commended for its commitment to staff development and training, continuous improvement since its last assessment, and its engagement with social responsibility programmes and activities such as apprenticeship schemes, health and safety in the workplace, and environmental issues including recycling.

Confirming that Kent Hospitality staff are fully committed to and engage with the University’s equality and diversity policies and strategies, the assessment also noted that these policies were embedded throughout the department. There were many demonstrable examples of this, ranging from recruitment and induction to workplace adjustments, flexibility in employment, promotion criteria, and reward.

Simon Westerman, Kent’s Director of Commercial Services, said: ‘This award is thoroughly deserved recognition of my staff’s dedication to delivering excellent customer service with passion, pride and professionalism.’

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Denise Everitt commented: ‘On behalf of colleagues across the University, I would like to congratulate Kent Hospitality for this tremendous achievement, which reflects a sustained determination to work with all staff to develop both their own performance and that of the whole department.

This is reflected in the high standards that are maintained by Kent Hospitality year after year.’

With a team of over 260 people, Kent Hospitality provides housekeeping, catering, bar and reception services for the University. It manages residential accommodation across the Canterbury and Medway campuses for over 5,500 students and in vacation periods operates a thriving conference and events business. Plans for almost 800 more bedrooms at the Canterbury campus over the next couple of years will generate further growth for the department, which has a current turnover of £26 million.

Staff

KENT The Magazine for the University of Kent | April 2013

Scaling new heights How should we reason

Cover story Scaling new heights: Staff profile on climber Emma Harrington (p10).

National Student Pride award for Kent

Vice-President (Welfare) of Kent Union, and Emily Simpson, President of Kent’s LGBT society.

Kent was named ‘University of the Year’ at the inaugural National Student Pride awards.

Presented in association with the National Union of Students, the National Student Pride awards are designed to celebrate the positive work around LGBT issues in the student movement.

Nominations for the awards were submitted by students, with the award winners voted for by those students attending the event.

The event, which took place in Brighton in March, involved LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) students from colleges and universities across the UK. Among those representing the University were Colum Maguire,

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News

Kent, which was shortlisted in its category alongside the universities of Bedford, Brunel, Sheffield and Warwick, was voted the winner due to its support for LGBT staff and students, Kent Union’s efforts to make its organisation more inclusive, the proactive work of the student groups at the University with events and peer support, as well as its strong record of campaigning activity on issues such as equal marriage.

Professor Alex Hughes, Pro Vice-Chancellor (External), commented: ‘The recognition of the National Student Pride awards provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the excellent work of the LGBT Student Society and Kent Union, who continue to work in close partnership with other members of the University to develop an ethos of inclusivity and diversity within our staff and student community.

‘Among its numerous successes, this collaboration has contributed to the University’s latest Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Report, which contains a review of our 2011/2012 activities and initiatives, and 2012/2013 work plans for staff and students.’

See p13 to find out more about Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity at Kent.

New MA with Institute of Contemporary Arts The University has announced a new Master’s programme in a unique collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London.

The MA in the Contemporary, offered by the University’s School of English in collaboration with its School of Arts and the ICA, will provide students with a deep understanding of the relationship between disciplines in the arts.

The Master’s degree will also provide students with an appreciation of the ways in which interdisciplinary thinking makes it possible to grasp and respond to key issues in contemporary culture.

Students taking the MA in the Contemporary will be taught at both the University’s Canterbury campus and the ICA in London, choosing modules from English Literature, Creative Writing, Film, Drama and History and Philosophy of Art.

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The new programme will also offer students an internship at the ICA, as well as free ICA membership during their studies. The Master’s degree aims to provide students with an unparalleled opportunity to pursue postgraduate study in the contemporary period, while gaining invaluable experience at a prestigious arts venue.

Brussels students help with new EU Rights Clinic Students studying migration law at the University of Kent at Brussels are helping provide advice for EU citizens at a new EU Rights Clinic.

Working in partnership with qualified citizens’ advice rights lawyers, the Clinic is helping to provide members of the public with free advice on European legislation and other legal issues.

Modelled on the University’s successful Kent Law Clinic, the EU Rights Clinic has been jointly established by its Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS), Kent Law School and the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS).

The University recently received an EU Jean Monnet grant to develop a new module titled ‘Teaching EU Migration Law Through Clinical Legal Education’. Students taking this module study EU law in action by working at the new EU Rights Clinic.

The EU Rights Clinic is currently based at the ECAS office and advice meetings need to be arranged by appointment. It is hoped a public ‘walk-in’ service will be on offer when a suitable new building is ready in January 2016.

Missing Patrick Heron artwork discovered at Kent One of several portraits of TS Eliot by British artist Patrick Heron has been discovered at the University.

The artwork, thought to be one of few pieces painted with Eliot present, had been assumed missing by the Heron Estate until a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery prompted the University to announce its whereabouts.

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The University acquired the piece of art in 1979 with assistance of a grant from the Linbury Trust.

The portrait will shortly go on display in a temporary exhibition within the School of Arts’ Jarman Building on Canterbury campus.

Dr Jon Kear, Lecturer in History and Philosophy of Art, said: ‘The painting is a remarkable portrait of one of the great modernist writers by one of the best and most admired modern British artists of the post-Second World War generation. The series of portraits of Eliot, begun in 1947 and completed in 1949, are considered among his greatest paintings.’

Double shortlisting for major architecture award The University has achieved a double shortlisting for the 2013 RIBA (Royal Institution of British Architects) South East Regional Awards.

Kent has been shortlisted for its new ColyerFergusson Music Building, and its Crit Building within its Kent School of Architecture (KSA), both of which opened in autumn 2012. Winners will be announced on 12 June.

Designed by Tim Ronalds Architects and located at the heart of the University’s Canterbury campus, the £8 million Colyer-Fergusson Music Building is notable for its wide range of innovative design features. These include: a purpose-built, flexible performance space; outstanding, adjustable acoustics; fully retractable seating for up to 500 audience members; external live broadcast provision; and five practice rooms. The building also features a variety of social and office spaces.

News 1 Patrick Heron artwork 2 Sky News Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship

KSA’s Crit Building provides architecture students with one of the most advanced learning environments of its type in the UK. Its eight 70inch U-Touch screens with HD resolution enable up to six students and tutors to interact on each screen and contribute to ‘crit’ presentations. The new facilities, designed by Guy Hollaway Architects in association with KSA, have radically changed the way that Kent students present their work for discussion and feedback.

Medway School of Pharmacy shortlisted for national award Medway School of Pharmacy, which is jointly run by the Universities of Kent and Greenwich, has been shortlisted for a prestigious Training Provider of the Year award by a national science skills council.

The shortlisting – by Cogent, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Nuclear, Life Sciences, Petroleum and Polymer Industries – is for the School’s unique three-year Foundation Degree (Fd Sc) in Applied Bioscience Technology.

The UK Life Sciences Skills Awards will be announced at an event in May being opened by David Willetts MP, the Minister for Universities and Science.

Dr Scott Wildman, Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences at the Medway School of Pharmacy, said: ‘Our foundation degree is unique in that it provides a very flexible work-based, e-learning experience for individuals employed in bioscience-related industries which can stand alone, or be incorporated into a higher apprenticeship.’

2013 Bob Friend Memorial Lecture BBC Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders made a plea for people to ask ‘stupid questions’ about economics, when she presented the fifth annual Bob Friend Memorial Lecture at the University’s Medway campus on 28 February.

During her lecture, ‘Lessons of the global financial crisis for economists and economics journalists’ – hosted by the Centre for Journalism – Stephanie Flanders spoke about the responsibility economics journalists have for

Service Excellence shortlisted for THE awards The University has been shortlisted in the Times Higher Education (THE) Leadership & Management Awards 2013 for ‘Outstanding Departmental Administration Team’.

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engaging a wider audience and increasing public understanding of the economy.

The event also saw Neil Dunwoodie, Executive Producer, Sky News, present first-year journalism student Georgia Fry with the 2013 Sky News Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is among the most prestigious prizes available to an undergraduate student of journalism in the UK. Georgia will receive £3,500 towards her tuition fees and is guaranteed a fully-funded fourweek placement at Sky News later in the year.

3D landscape sculpture marks start of community project A spectacular 3D landscape installation marked the start of a unique community arts and science project, with workshops run by students from the University’s School of Arts in Medway.

The workshops aim to inspire pupils to explore their cultural identity and engage with a wider community arts project running until 2014. All 1,200 pupils from Medway’s Brompton Academy created their own object during hands-on sessions held at the school in March. Each object then became part of an impressive 3D sculpture and centrepoint of a light show on the final day.

The installation is the start of the ‘Lines’ project, run by the University’s Partnership Development Office and Brompton Academy, which will undertake a number of community-focused activities. These will include family arts and science workshops during the summer, as well as free adult evening classes run by the School of Arts at the Chatham Historic Dockyard. You can follow the lines project via its dedicated blog: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/skyline/

This award aims to recognise outstanding work in departmental administration, with excellent communication and balanced delivery based on the needs of students, academics and the University’s central administration among the judging criteria. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday 20 June.

At Kent, the departmental administration team operates across all academic Schools and Centres and seeks to provide the best possible service to students. To enhance this provision and to meet the challenges of the changes to HE from 2011-12, the team developed an ambitious and innovative initiative known as Service Excellence. The University's Learning and Development Unit were partners in the development and implementation of this project.

Benefits to Kent students include: improved access to Schools’ support; more active participation in the University; and improved communications.

Public workshops lift curtain on theatre research A new series of public workshops and talks providing an opportunity to learn more about theatre skills and practice, as well as the benefits to health and well-being that theatre can bring, is taking place at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre Studio from 29 April to 1 May. Hosted by the University, the ‘Lifting the Curtain’ programme also includes a range of activities designed to give people an insight into the latest theatre practice and research undertaken at Kent’s School of Arts.

Open to all ages and experience, the sessions explore theatre as an art form, a way of unveiling history, and a tool for developing health and wellbeing. Topics covered include actor training, the ways in which British theatre survived during the First World War and how drama can help autistic children. Find out more at: www.kent. ac.uk/arts/drama/lifting-the-curtain.html

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Feature

‘Because good reasoning is a reliable way of making decent decisions, there is a real incentive to determine what counts as good reasoning.

And the Centre for Reasoning provides a unique environment in which to study reasoning because it offers opportunities for researchers from various disciplines to interact with one another and become aware of alternative approaches to the study of reasoning. My own research has benefitted a great deal from the intellectual environment created by the Centre for Reasoning. Moreover, my research would not have been possible were it not for funding provided by the Centre for Reasoning.’ Michael Wilde, a former Reasoning MA student, now a PhD student at the Centre

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Feature

HOW SHOULD WE REASON? This is a question that all academics face when trying to grapple with the research methods of their own disciplines, and when trying to pass these methods on to their students.

It is a question that is particularly pressing for those who study reasoning – including researchers in artificial intelligence, law, logic, philosophy, psychology and statistics, for example. But these individuals are spread out across a university and it can be hard for them to identify each other in order to exchange ideas and share good practice.

The Centre for Reasoning was set up by the Philosophy Department in 2007 to provide a forum for all those at the University who are interested in the study of reasoning, inference and method. It now has around 50 staff members, spread across 17 disciplines. Head of the Centre Professor Jon Williamson (above right), told KENT staff magazine more about its work.

A reasoning hub The Centre for Reasoning brings researchers together by hosting seminars, workshops and conferences, and by advertising other reasoning-related events on its webpage, www.kent.ac.uk/reasoning. For instance, a recent conference, ‘Evidence and Causality in the Sciences’, featured researchers from various disciplines talking about causal reasoning in their research fields. Forthcoming workshops include ‘What can category theory do for philosophy?’, ‘Inductive logic and confirmation in science’ and ‘Inferentialism and the epistemology of logic’. The Centre also occasionally runs reading groups: in the autumn term, there will be a group reading David Christensen’s Putting Logic in its Place: Formal Constraints on Rational Belief. The Centre runs an interdisciplinary Master’s programme, the taught MA in Reasoning, with core modules provided by Philosophy and options from psychology, computing, statistics, law, social policy, biosciences and history.

The Reasoning Club The Centre for Reasoning leads an international network of allied research centres, the Reasoning Club. This network seeks to develop a sense of community for researchers spread geographically as well as across disciplines.

Currently, the Club has 18 member centres from 12 countries. Researchers affiliated to a member centre are encouraged to travel freely between the various member centres. The director of the Reasoning Club, Julien Murzi, recently established a series of Reasoning Club conferences, the first of which was organised

‘Reasoning and decision making are very largely done intuitively. Traversing the path to understanding them, and formalizing them, began 2,000 years ago, and we continue to make slow progress. The final test of success will be simple: in order to design a genuine artificial intelligence that can reason and make decisions comparable in quality to our own, we will have had to first understand our reasoning and to formalize it. I aim to take us a small way farther down the path.’

Kevin Korb, director of a Reasoning Club member, the Centre for Research in Intelligent Systems, Monash, Australia, and currently visiting the Centre for Reasoning

by the Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science in Brussels last September. The next will be hosted by the Non-Classical Logics Group in Pisa in June, with the Centre for Reasoning aiming to run the 2014 conference.

The Reasoner The Centre publishes a monthly gazette, The Reasoner, which features exciting new research on reasoning, inference and method. This gazette, available at www.thereasoner.org, acts as a forum for the global community of researchers in this area. A typical issue will contain an interview with a leading figure in the field, several short peer-reviewed features, news items, a monthly column or two, and announcements of conferences, jobs and studentships. The Reasoner has over a thousand regular subscribers and helps to entrench the University’s position as a leading player in this field: in 2012, its webpage was the most visited page on the website of the School of European Culture and Languages after the School homepage itself.

All are welcome to attend Centre for Reasoning events. To join the mailing list, contact j.williamson@kent.ac.uk. Find out more about the Centre at www.kent.ac.uk/reasoning KENT Magazine

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Research

Kent research reveals lost lion populations going unnoticed Dr Black added: ‘The research will not only help us manage lions descended from the Moroccan Royal Collection, possibly the last of the Barbary Lions, but highlights the need for continued conservation of the extremely threatened and rarely observed remnant lion populations in Central and West Africa.’

The research paper – available at http://dx.plos. org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060174 – is coauthored by Dr Amina Fellous, Agence Nationale pour la Conservation de la Nature, Algeria and Dr Nobuyuki Yamaguchi, University of Qatar.

Life-size puppet explores man’s links with objects

New research by conservationists from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) has revealed that not only could the now-extinct Barbary Lion have persisted until the 1960s in North Africa, but also that this unique sub-species was left unnoticed for over a decade towards the end of its existence.

Published in open access journal, PLoS ONE, the research found authentic records of lions existing in North Africa as late as 1956; considerably later than the well-quoted accounts of the 1920s and 1940s.

Using information gathered from old hunting records, photographs, museum specimens, published articles and recent interviews, the research by Dr Simon Black and Dr David Roberts also revealed a lion’s behaviour does not change as populations get smaller. Instead, lions continue to form prides even up until they become extinct.

Dr Black, Conservation Research Associate, said: ‘Colonial hunters such as Sir Harry Johnston (who famously discovered the Okapi) embarked on trips to Algeria specifically to hunt the last Barbary Lions, but never saw them. Even though Johnston suspected a few lions still

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existed there in the early 1900s, he would never have guessed that a small population could have clung on for a further 50 years.’

Dr Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation, said: ‘When a species becomes very rare as it heads towards extinction, it can go unnoticed for a long period of time. Because of this, it is unlikely that the last record of a species was the time it became extinct; it probably existed for years or even decades before finally disappearing.’

Using statistical models developed by Dr Roberts, it is thought that the Barbary Lion may have survived into the 1960s. The few remaining lions descended directly from the Moroccan Royal Collection, and still living in a few zoos in Morocco and Europe, may therefore be more closely related to wild Barbary Lions than previously thought.

An impressive, life-size puppet was attached to a Kent student for two weeks in an exceptional art project to explore the literal relationship people have with objects.

‘LIFE-SIZE ME’, by Peter John-Morton from the School of Arts, consisted of a self-made puppet permanently attached to his body for 14 consecutive days in March. During this time, the puppet chose a name, explored Canterbury, and slept, showered and lived through Peter.

Research

Made predominantly from wood and bamboo, the puppet’s body comprises over 34 components, which are connected by bolts to replicate joints, allowing it to move in a similar way to a human. The puppet was attached to the front of Peter’s body using belt-like straps, which were then padlocked. The face of the puppet, a latex, skin-like replica of Peter’s face, was attached to a solid band which went around his head. In total, the puppet took over 150 hours to make within an intensive six-week period. Find out more at: peterjohn-morton.weebly.com/lifesize-me or facebook.com/LifeSizeMe

Lap-dance clubs near homes and schools cause concern A year-long research project into people’s attitudes to lap-dance and striptease clubs in towns and cities in England and Wales has found that most people are only concerned by them if they are situated too near their own homes or local schools.

Lead researcher Professor Phil Hubbard, of the University’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, found that although many residents consider lap-dance clubs ‘lower the tone’ of neighbourhoods, most do not consider clubs located in town centres to be a source of nuisance.

Women, people over the age of 40, those who have lived in their current home for over five years and those with children are most likely to argue there are too many lap-dance clubs in their town, the research found.

The research – funded by a £118,000 grant from the Economic and Social Research Council and jointly carried out by Dr Rachela Colosi of the University of Lincoln – is the first of its kind to study the regulation of the 241 lap-dance and striptease clubs in England and Wales and their impact on people’s feelings of safety at night. It was prompted by the introduction of new powers to regulate Sexual Entertainment Venues under the Policing and Crime Act 2009.

Kent research could shape new Common Agricultural Policy Research from the University could help shape changes to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) being considered by the European Parliament.

Professor Sophia Davidova, of the School of Economics, is leading an international team of researchers looking at proposals for a new CAP package for the period 2013-20.

Professor Davidova is studying the value of semi-subsistence and small family farming to communities across Europe, using case studies in countries such as Italy, Portugal and Poland – as well as the example of Scotland’s crofters.

Her colleague, Dr Alastair Bailey, will investigate the contribution of small farms to the rural environment and traditional landscapes.

Around 66 per cent of Europe’s farmers – 8 million out of a total 12 million – receive direct payments under the current CAP arrangements.

Around 70 per cent of farm holdings in the EU area are less than five hectares. However, very small farms are currently excluded from the CAP. The research – to be presented to the European Parliament in May 2013 – will evaluate the effectiveness of the proposals on the table for the CAP after 2013 and make recommendations on policy measures to enhance the capacity of small farmers across Europe to deliver public good.

Starring role for Kent engineers The University has been involved in one of the world’s largest astronomy projects which saw the completion of the most complex ground-based telescope on 13 March.

As a result of two decades of work from institutions all over the world, including engineers from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, the telescope will enable scientists to probe parts of the early universe for the first time.

The telescope – named ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre Array) – comprises a giant array of 66 radio antenna dishes. These dishes can effectively operate as a single antenna with a diameter of approximately 16 km, while also

being installed at over 5,000m above sea level in the Chilean Andes.

The Kent team contributed by helping to develop the system for distribution of the synchronised reference signals over an optical fibre network.

This involved extensive research defining which fibre cable types to use. Fibres are affected by movement and environmental variations, such as temperature, and defining the conditions for their deployment is critical in ensuring the reference signals reach the 66 antenna at the same time.

University invited to join UK’s new cyber research institute The University has been selected to join the UK’s new Academic Research Institute for cyber threats.

Funded by a £4.5 million grant, a School of Computing team will work alongside other worldleading researchers to investigate new ways of automatically analysing computer software to reduce its vulnerability to cyber threats.

The University’s involvement in the institute will focus on two research projects. One will look at malware – malicious programs – and how to automatically assess the threat they pose. The second project will focus on the development of scientific techniques to pinpoint in computer code where memory handling can inadvertently leak secret information.

The Research Institute has been established by GCHQ, one of the three UK intelligence agencies, in partnership with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through the Research Councils UK Global Uncertainties Programme and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Recent research awards Professor Mark Smales (Centre for Molecular Processing), £342,147 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for ‘Tailor-made expression hosts depleted in protease activity for recombinant protein production’.

Dr Stéphane Launois (School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science), £199,484 from the European Commission for ‘RTQASL: Representation theory of quantum algebras and their semiclassical limits’.

Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby (School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research), £188,766 from the European Commission for ‘Innovation and Policy Learning for Resilient Labour Markets in Europe (INSPIRES)’.

Dr Konstantinos Sirlantzis (School of Engineering and Digital Arts), £166,877 from Interreg IV Channel Programme (South) for ‘COgnitive Assisted Living Ambient System (COALAS)’.

Dr Jim Ang (School of Engineering and Digital Arts), £162,689 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for ‘Creativity Greenhouse: Digital Brain Switch’.

KENT Magazine

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Staff profile

Emma Harrington Emma joined the University of Kent at Medway in 2006 as an administration assistant and receptionist for Central Administration. In 2011, she became an assistant for the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and Master’s Assistant.

What would be your perfect day?

A sunny spring day walking with my Labrador, Jayda, in the countryside, followed by an afternoon of rock climbing!

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

I like my quality of life, but if I could have a positive attitude all the time, then that would improve anyone’s quality of life. Never underestimate the power of your mind.

Which word or phrase do you use most?

‘Jayda No!’ What is your favourite item of clothing, either now or in the past?

I have two sides to me. The outdoor side of me who loves my walking boots, warm practical waterproof jackets and stretchy comfy climbing tops, and then I have the other side of me with a large selection of girly dresses and my favourite pair of high heels!

What was your first job?

My very first job was working as an apprentice for Kent Regional Newspapers. I studied for an NVQ while I was there. I thought gaining a qualification, work experience and getting paid all at the same time was the right direction to go.

How do you spend your time outside work?

My main time spent outside work is climbing. I train for sport climbing three times a week. My nearest indoor sport climbing wall is in London, so I would go more often if I could! In the summer months, I spend my weekends climbing outside, either in the Peak District, Sandstone in Kent, or Portland on the south coast. Spring and autumn are dedicated to climbing trips abroad like Spain, Sicily or Mallorca where it’s still sunny but not too hot.

I am very into outdoor activities. My Labrador even has her own strength-rated belay harness so she can access areas that were previously difficult for dogs to access, like being lifted up gullies safely and in comfort.

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I also have my own surf board and go surfing as often as I can with my partner. We head down to Cornwall and Devon for long weekends and pray the surf will be good! We eat lots of Cornish pasties, ice cream and enjoy the joys of camping.

I was part of the Banff Film Festival World Tour Trail Team, promoting the short films from the world’s leading adventure film-makers. The tour came to the University’s Canterbury Campus for the first time in February 2013. It showed films of the world’s great wild places, remote cultures and amazing footage of adrenaline-packed action sports such as climbing, kayaking, skiing and mountain biking. Watch out for it touring again next year with new adventure films!

What is your greatest achievement?

I do not have one specific greatest achievement.

I could say that in climbing I have surpassed all my expectations and gained my personal best through hard work, determination and love of the sport. I am by no means the best as I am still improving. I would like to thank my partner who has guided and supported me immensely with climbing and other aspects of my life.

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

‘Whatever happens, life goes on. Go and enjoy it!’

I had a climbing trip planned to Mallorca which I was going to cancel as my dad was terminally ill with cancer. I will always remember one of our last conversations. He told me, I must go on my trip, whatever happens life goes on, go and enjoy it! A few days later he passed away. I went on my trip like he wanted me to. I went with friends and my partner who is the Rockfax climbing guide author for Mallorca, and new climbing routes were put up in my dad’s memory; a whole wall was dedicated to him called ‘Terry’s Wall’ which will appear in future guidebooks.

Emma supports Climbers Against Cancer (CAC) charity, which aims to spread awareness of cancer and raise money for Cancer Research. You can find out more at www.climbersagainstcancer.org/

Fundraising 1 From ‘Bond to Basie’ concert 2 Alan Le Grys and Micky Dalzell at Medway campus

3 Danika Jarrett and Judi Rowbotham from IS 4 Oops Upside Your Head at the Gulbenkian

5 Car-washing students at Medway 6 Chris Morrison from IS

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Staff and students across Kent’s campuses were busy fundraising for the Comic Relief 2013 charity appeal during March.

Here are some of the different activities that took place, from a concert to cake sales and a staff car wash…

The Music Department hosted a concert by the University Concert and Big Bands, to raise over £300. A packed audience was treated to a vibrant concert taking them ‘From Bond to Basie’ under the suave leadership of conductor Ian Swatman. The enthusiastic audience obviously enjoyed themselves and generously donated at the end of the gig.

At Medway campus, £276 was raised from a bake sale, book sale, cake raffle – won by Alan Le Grys – and staff car wash. Student volunteers helped with the car wash, washing 19 cars in four hours.

d n a f f s a t t n S ude ds st e fun ic s i a r r Comf fo Relie

Gulbenkian staff dared to join the rest of the country to ‘Do Something Funny for Money’ with an attempt to set the world record for the longest Oops Upside Your Head line, a bake sale and a guess how many M&Ms are in the jar.

A total £128.50 was raised.

Back in Canterbury, there were some tasty treats thanks to a ‘Great HR Bake Off’. HR staff baked all week and asked for donations in return for a piece of cake. On Red Nose Day, HR staff also dressed in red, to raise a total £331.

Staff in Kent Innovation and Enterprise continued the tasty theme by hosting a bake sale and a ‘bring & share’ lunch in their Rothford Building to raise £83.36. Staff in Student Records and Exams Office, Income Office and Student Planning raised £290.57 from a bake sale, while an Information Services (IS) bake sale raised £357, and was featured in the Kentish Gazette’s Red Nose Day round-up.

Staff in Kent Business School paid £1 to wear red for Red Nose Day and took part in two national sweepstakes to raise £130.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

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Human Resources

Learning and Development Awards 2013 The Learning and Development Awards Ceremony took place on 24 January in the Darwin Conference Suites. Kent Hospitality provided and sponsored a buffet lunch for all award recipients, their guests and presenters.

The ceremony was very well attended with approximately 120 awards presented, making this the largest Learning and Development awards ceremony to date.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow presented the awards, which ranged from accredited professional qualifications, such as AAT Accounting awards, to the University of Kent Staff Erasmus Placement participation award, and included participants from the University’s leadership programmes from 2011 and 2012.

Recipients celebrated their achievements over lunch with their guests and representatives from Human Resources, Academic Division, International Development, Commercial Services, Safety, Health and the Environment, the Centre for English and World Languages, and Information Services.

Photographs and further information are available on the Learning and Development website www.kent.ac.uk/hr-learninganddevelopment/ documents/local/awards2013/awards12.html

New UCU Branch President and Secretary Steve Holland and John Fitzpatrick recently stepped down after many years of service as Secretary and President respectively of the University of Kent branch of the University and College Union (UCU). The new Secretary is Owen Lyne (SMSAS) and Sian Lewis-Anthony (Law) is now branch President. They are available to represent and advise their members on all employment issues. Membership is open to all academic and academic-related staff, including those on hourly-paid and/or temporary contracts.

Subscription rates are graduated according to income levels. To join, please see the UCU website (www.ucu.org.uk) or contact Owen (o.d.lyne@kent.ac.uk) or Sian (s.lewisanthony@kent.ac.uk).

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Staff received certificates for successful completion of professional and technical qualifications.

UCU activities include individual casework: attending meetings with heads of school, representing members at meetings with HR and senior management, drafting grievances, attending dismissal and disciplinary proceedings, negotiating redundancy packages etc; and collective work: negotiating with senior management on university policies and procedures such as the treatment of hourlypaid staff, the reform of university statutes and ordinances, and redundancy etc. Nationally, they represent University of Kent UCU at UCU Congress and other meetings, feeding into UCU’s national negotiating over issues such as pay and pensions. Training is available for all members who would like to take an active role in UCU.

Mentoring in a changing environment There is a growing recognition across the University of the potential of mentoring in supporting and developing members of staff.

A new Mentoring Network was launched on 19 March to provide an opportunity for members of staff from across the University to learn more about mentoring and its values, to discuss and share experiences and good practice and,

hopefully, to build new mentoring relationships by bringing together potential mentors and mentees.

The network meeting was well attended by a range of staff groups and schools/departments from across the University. Participants were invited to talk in groups about their understanding and experiences of mentoring and to explore ways in which a network of this kind can be instrumental in actively developing and extending effective mentoring.

The groups came up with a range of ideas on the role of a network and a number of key action points have been identified. Learning and Development is working with this material to develop a plan for taking the work forward.

If you would like to find out more about Mentoring in general or would like to get involved with the network, please go the Learning and Development Mentoring pages at: www.kent.ac.uk/hr-learninganddevelopment/ mentoring/index.html or contact Jena Dady on ext 3395, J.Dady@kent.ac.uk. We would also be interested in hearing from members of staff who have positive stories to share about mentoring.

Human Resources

Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity New induction event for staff at Medway Learning and Development has been working with Professor Nick Grief, Sub-Dean for Medway, to design a new welcome and induction event at the Medway campus for Medway-based staff.

The first event will take place on Wednesday 26 June and invitations will be sent out shortly to all Medway-based members of staff who have joined the University since the beginning of the academic year 2012/13, including those who have already been to an earlier induction event at Canterbury.

The event will offer presentations from Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Mander, Nick Grief, and representatives from Safety, Health and the Environment, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity. An informal networking lunch will follow to which all Medway staff will be invited, including Medway managers and staff from key Medway service areas to provide information about their facilities and services.

Participants will be asked to provide feedback on the usefulness and value of the event to help make improvements for 2013/14 and beyond, and we would urge all Medway members of staff to come along, meet new colleagues and find out more about what’s available for staff.

Further information on times and venue will be published shortly, but for general information please contact Lucy (ext 4348) or Naomi (ext 3487), or email ldev@kent.ac.uk.

This event will be supplemented by the Annual Planning and Strategy induction event, at Canterbury on 5 July, to which all Kent staff who have joined the University since 1 September 2012 will be invited.

HR policies The Disciplinary Policy & Procedure for UKbased staff in grades 1-6 has been updated.

To view the documents, please visit the Human Resources website – www.kent.ac.uk/humanresources/

Valuing diversity and inclusivity is integral to Kent, and is a key principle within our Institutional Strategic Plan for 2012-15.

The Plan states: We will promote diversity and inclusivity within the University community by offering fair treatment and equality of opportunity to every member of the University (staff and students), keeping morale high.

Kent is firmly committed to the prevention of discrimination and the advancement of equality, and has invested in resources that will help to take forward the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) agenda for both staff and students. To supplement the formal EDI structure, which is outlined in detail at www.kent.ac.uk/about/plan/ equality.html, each Executive Group member has agreed to take on the role of EDI Champion, acting as advocates and actively promoting all protected aspects of equality and diversity.

The Champions are: • Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow – gender, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) • Professor Keith Mander – disability for staff • David Nightingale – disability for students • Denise Everitt – age • Professor Alex Hughes – race/ethnicity • Professor John Baldock – marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity • Karen Goffin – religion and belief.

We will feature interviews with individual Champions in KENT staff magazine. First to be interviewed is Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow about the LGBT aspect of her champion role.

How do you sum up your role as LGBT Champion?

JMG: It is important for me and my colleagues on Executive Group to be aware of the issues which face our staff and students. By each taking on a champion’s role, we can help ensure that all groups are given the necessary support, appropriate to their circumstances.

What have you done in your role so far?

JMG: It is still early days, but I have met with the LGBT Staff Network to give them an avenue for raising issues of interest. I have lent my support

to the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on 17 May. We will fly a rainbow flag on the Templeman Library, and we are already inviting speakers to next year’s LGBT History Month. I am very fortunate to have such an active and enthusiastic group. My role is to support the group’s work, as well as be the EG voice for LGBT issues.

How well do you think Kent supports LGBT staff and students?

JMG: I am pleased to say that I think we do a good job in this area. We were recently named University of the Year in the inaugural National Student Pride Awards (see p3). This is a fantastic achievement, which reflects the hard work of staff, and of students, particularly Kent Union.

What new initiatives are in the pipeline for LGBT people at the University?

JMG: In addition to supporting the overall work of the University to embed the principles of equality, diversity and inclusivity throughout our work, the LGBT Staff Network is currently looking for staff members to come forward to act as role models – people who would like to take the opportunity to talk about their roles within the University and LGBT issues that affect them more widely. This is a chance to celebrate our talented LGBT staff in the hope that the campaign will also inspire others – locally and further afield – and to promote recognition of the diversity that we have at the University of Kent.

Further information about the role models project will be forthcoming. In the meantime, the LGBT Staff Network can be contacted at lgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk.

EDI Report 2011/12 The Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Report 2011/12 and 2012/13 Work Plan for Staff and Students was published in March and is available at www.kent.ac.uk/about/plan/ equality.html

EDI networks and e-learning Join an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) network or brush up on your knowledge of EDI by accessing the Diversity in the Workplace e-learning module: www.kent.ac.uk/hrequalityanddiversity/documents/equality-anddiversity/EDInetworks&elearning.pdf KENT Magazine

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Enterprise

Kent students share social media expertise with Medway businesses Student IT consultants from the School of Computing recently shared their social media knowledge at a hands-on workshop for local Medway businesses.

At the workshop, held on the Medway campus, the students – who are part of the Kent IT Clinic – shared their expertise with small and mediumsized organisations (SMEs), giving them tips on how to incorporate social media services into their business strategy.

The event was organised by Kent Innovation and Enterprise (KIE) as part of the University’s Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise (ICE) workshops in support of SMEs. Students discussed services such as Twitter, Topsy Analytics and Bufferapp, providing an introduction for businesses to develop their social media and online collaboration skills.

Businesses at the workshop included Produced in Kent, Maco (UK) Ltd, REd Teachers and Paragon Office.

Lesley Chater, Business Development Manager at KIE, said: ‘We had a great spread of attendees from different sectors, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.’

Julie Hills, attending from Paragon Office, described the event as ‘an informative overview and helpful in allowing us to decide what might be useful for our requirements.’ Petita Wiles, from Maco (UK), tweeted the next day ‘@KentITClinic Great workshop last night, really enjoyed it.’

Students on the Computer Science courses become consultants for the Kent IT Clinic as part of their final-year studies, developing their employability skills, and helping them stand out to prospective employers. For more information on the Clinic, visit: www.kitclinic.com Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise (ICE) opens up opportunities to share innovative and creative ideas, and provoke discussion and debate on innovative solutions to business problems and growth. It is made up of three intertwined concepts that, for many organisations, represent the principles of competitive advantage.

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ICE champions value-added, multi-disciplinary collaboration between academia and business, addressing some of the key issues that all organisations face. This approach inspires creativity, innovation and enterprising ways of working.

The University’s holistic approach has been established to build networks with the business community, nurture local clusters and create national and international relationships. It focuses on sharing and developing innovative ideas to form new partnerships and collaborations.

Our next ICE Showcase event is scheduled for June 2013 where we plan to bring together our network of businesses with all three faculties.

For further information on the University’s ICE network initiative, email KIE at enterprise@kent.ac.uk

Economics student wins two Santander competitions Ryan England, a final-year economics student, impressed the judges with his convincing business idea, breath.loud, during the University’s ‘Big Ideas’ presentations on 21 March sponsored by Santander Bank.

Not only did Ryan win a fully-funded trip to the USA to represent Kent in the prestigious ‘Global Student Business Concept Challenge’, but also a fully-funded office in the Kent Enterprise Hub for one year upon graduation, support from a Santander business mentor and £500 to help with start-up costs.

Seven teams out of a total 46 applications from across the University were shortlisted and presented their business ideas to a panel of four judges. These included Gareth Anderson, Relationship Director at Santander Bank; Gill Smaggasgale, Partner at patent attorneys WP Thompson; Dr Gary Robinson, Senior Commercialisation Manager at the University; and Carole Barron, Director of Innovation and Enterprise at Kent.

Despite the tough competition, the judges were unanimous in their decision. Ryan’s well thoughtthrough business case, financial projections, presentation and competence during the question and answer session left them with no room for doubt.

Ryan said: ‘I can’t believe I’ve won. I am so excited about this fantastic opportunity and especially representing the University in Virginia in August. It’ll be a real privilege to go.’

The University has participated in the Global Challenge for the past three years and achieved the runners-up prize twice. If Ryan wins the ‘Global Student Business Concept Challenge’, he will receive a cash prize of $25,000. Ryan’s business idea will also be entered by the University in the Santander Entrepreneurship Awards later this year.

To find out more about business competitions and student enterprise activities, email thehub@kent.ac.uk.

Ryan England receiving his certificate from Stephanie Barwick, Senior Enterprise Manager.

Environment

Top environmental certification success

1 Bernard Angus receiving the award from Emma Fawcett-Jones of Certification International 2 Anne Rushworth and Cindy Vallance at the Fairtrade roadshow, Dolche Vita

The University has now achieved certification to ISO 14001, an international standard that provides a framework for organisations to manage and improve their environmental performance.

This marks a major step forward in Kent’s efforts in managing its sustainability. This externally audited award, which encompasses the University’s many buildings across the Canterbury and Medway campuses and more than 3,000 staff, was obtained through the introduction of an environmental management system (EMS) that enabled the University to identify all its environmental impacts and put into effect strategies to reduce them.

Staff from both the Safety, Health and Environment Unit and the Estates Department make up the Environmental Sustainability Team who have worked with staff from across the University to put measures in place to reduce our impacts. Areas at the University covered by ISO 14001 include: environmental awareness; energy efficiency and carbon reduction; waste management and disposal of all types of waste; recycling; water usage and management; whole life cycle procurement, wherever possible; and the continuous improvement and management of records.

Examples of recent steps by the University include: • Installation of photo-voltaic panels on the new Colyer-Fergusson Building • Campus-wide improvements to recycling facilities • Improved environmental communications to all staff through regular news updates and redesigned webpages • Introduction of a new biodiversity plan to ensure campus green spaces are maintained and protected • Introduction of environmental awareness training for all staff.

Bernard Angus, University Director of Safety, Health and Environment, received the Award from Emma Fawcett-Jones, International Business Manager for Certification International, on 1 March in front of the University Council.

He said: ‘ISO 14001 is the cornerstone of a series of international standards on environmental management. It provides a framework for the development of an environmental management system and the supporting audit programme.

‘All business leaders are aware that managing the environment is about managing a balance between the needs of the business and the needs of the environment. I am confident that the University’s achievement of ISO 14001 standard for environmental management demonstrates our commitment to getting that balance right.’

Certification is only the beginning; expect to see lots more about our Environmental Management System and related sustainability projects in the future. For more information on the University’s Environmental Management System and ISO 14001 certification, see www.kent.ac.uk/safety/env

the opportunity to find out more about how Fairtrade benefits producers across the world.

The steering group then took Fairtrade on the road with a Fairtrade roadshow visiting outlets across campus. Volunteers from the steering group promoted the benefits of Fairtrade, asked people to make pledges to swap to Fairtrade products and gave out samples of Fairtrade chocolate.

The University’s Fairtrade steering group is currently looking for volunteers who can help us to promote Fairtrade across campus. From organising music events to handing out chocolate samples, or just persuading colleagues to switch to Fairtrade, they need passionate individuals to help raise awareness.

There is no time commitment involved. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Catherine Morris (c.morris@kent.ac.uk) or visit www.kent.ac.uk/fairtrade for more information.

Did you know?

February’s Fairtrade flavour This year’s Fairtrade Fortnight kicked off in style with the University’s Fairtrade Steering Group sponsoring the Fitness Fest event at the Sports Centre. Over 150 people attending the event received a free Fairtrade orange juice and had

Since Kent became a Fairtrade University in 2006, all of the tea and coffee served across campus is 100% Fairtrade. Last year, we made the switch to Fairtrade bananas too!

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Digital updates

New on the web Online guide for students

Interactive Medway map

Health & Wellbeing website

Corporate Communications has launched a new set of webpages, called the Student Directory, for current students.

A new map to help students explore places of interest across Medway has been launched by a Kent student.

Kent’s Health & Wellbeing website was launched on 22 March to help staff find out about University resources that help contribute to their work-life balance.

The aim was to create a central place for information that students might find useful while studying at Kent. The Student Directory includes everything from study advice, to what students can do on and off campus.

Jack McDonnell, a third-year student from the School of Arts at Medway and the face behind the @UKMStudent Twitter channel, has created a new interactive map using Google. The map highlights key buildings and places of interest across the Medway area and the University’s campus, including supermarkets, bars, eateries, cinemas and other leisure activities.

The Student Directory was launched in Beta format, to gather both staff and student feedback via a usability questionnaire, student focus group, and range of web analytics. Testing results were very positive, with students commenting on how easy it was to use and how they will continue to use it throughout their studies. The webpages will be further developed to ensure the best online experience for our students.

Take a look at the new webpages at www.kent.ac.uk/student/ and please tell your students about it.

Jack said: ‘It has already been shared by current students so I hope it will help them find more of the great spots in the area, as well as point the next set of first-year students to some of the excellent places on offer in Medway.’

The custom maps have been created for both Medway and Canterbury campuses, following a special arrivals map for new students in Canterbury, which received over 8,000 views.

Take a look at http://goo.gl/maps/9mYcI

These can include flexible working, familyfriendly policies and exercise facilities (Kent Sport). The website also aims to be an introductory knowledge base to subjects relating to physical and psychological health. News and details on health promotion initiatives taking place on campus can also be found in its pages.

You can explore the website at: www.kent.ac.uk/healthandwellbeing/ Occupational Health manages the website and they are keen to hear on what you think. Get in touch with your views and what you’d like to see as upcoming promotions or articles. You can email them at occupationalhealth@kent.ac.uk.

Europe Day The University’s annual Europe Day celebrations take place on Thursday 9 May at the Gulbenkian, Canterbury campus, from 11.30am to 3.30pm.

This year, the event will also feature the launch of the Global Europe Centre, an inter-disciplinary and cross-campus research-led learning centre with a strong student voice (www.kent.ac.uk/ politics/gec/index.html).

Activities include: • ‘European Challenge’ student/school quiz • EU careers presentation • Global Europe Centre fellows’ debate on ‘What future for Europe?’

• Student photo exhibition: ‘What does Europe mean to you?’

• Information stands on European careers, Kent’s European activities (Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, European partnerships), our European centres, the Centre for English and World Languages, and European Societies • Concert by local music group

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other Kent departments including Research Services, the Centre for English and World Languages, Kent Sport, the Careers and Employability Service, and University centres at Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome.

What is Europe Day?

• • • •

European-themed food in Gulbenkian Café European quiz European sporting event European film-screening in the Gulbenkian Cinema • European research event.

The event is being organised by International Development and the School of Politics and International Relations, with contributions from

9 May, or Europe Day, is the anniversary of the ‘Schuman declaration’. Speaking in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman (the French foreign minister) proposed a new form of political co-operation for Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable. Schuman’s proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union and 9 May is celebrated as a key moment in the EU’s creation.

Everyone is welcome to come and celebrate.

Find out more at www.kent.ac.uk/international/ europeday.html or email Jan Lowe, International Development, j.lowe@kent.ac.uk.

Sport

New sports facilities open next term Great news! Phase two of Kent Sport’s new facilities, including the Functional Wellness Suite, Strength and High Performance Training Suite and the Group Exercise Studio will all open in time for the summer term.

High Intensity Interval Training, Yoga, Pilates, Abdominal & Core, and Balanced Bodies, as well as all the usual popular classes.

The third sports hall will be available in the summer after exams, with the Physiotherapy Clinic and online bookings coming later in the year.

The Functional Wellness Suite will include a selection of cardio equipment, fixed resistance stations, and cutting-edge Human Sport cabled resistance machines. It also has a short plyometric sprint track and open functional training space, with the latest in functional fitness equipment including kettlebells, medicine balls, TRX suspension trainers, and core bags.

The new Strength and High Performance Suite will house the free weight dumbbells and barbells, as well as a selection of new plateloaded lifting stations. This suite will have a bespoke bodyweight training frame offering users a variety of functional exercises to develop their performance. The Strength Suite also houses ‘The Pit’ where a dedicated zone houses four floor-level Olympic lifting platforms equipped with Eleiko Olympic lifting equipment and two power-lift half racks.

Look out for details of open days and taster sessions next term to try the new facilities.

Improve your game!

Join one of our six-week courses for some professional coaching to improve your game.

Introduction to Golf is on Mondays from 5.30 to 6.30pm and starts on Monday 13 May at the Pavilion outdoor pitches.

The new larger studio will also be open for the start of next term and can be split into two spaces for smaller classes. Fitted with the latest in light and sound technology, including four mirrored disco-balls, the new studio will create a colourful and motivating environment for group exercise.

Improvers Squash is on Mondays from 1 to 2pm, starting Monday 13 May at the Sports Centre.

There will be increased class provision with a more diverse timetable for the summer term offering members a range of new classes including Spinning (Studio Cycling), Boxercise,

Courses cost £10 for members or £30 for PAYG members. For further details and to download a booking form, see our website – www.kent.ac.uk/ sports/

All menus for the delivered catering service have been updated and now also include a healthy option buffet lunch and a range of Kentish wines.

Full details are available on the Catering website at www.kent.ac.uk/catering/other-services/ entertaining-on-campus/available-menus/ index.html

In response to clients’ requests and to offer greater flexibility, the Conference Office has introduced three new price packages for its Event Management Service. The Bronze package is suitable for small one-day events; the Silver package is for larger non-residential events; and the Gold package offers a full service for residential events lasting more than one day.

Organising an event can be a very timeconsuming process and the Event Management Service provides academic departments with a cost-effective solution to arranging conferences and events both on and off campus.

Our virtual tours, enabling students and visitors to look round all our campus accommodation, have been upgraded and now work on iPhones and iPads. The Colyer-Fergusson Building and new sports facilities will be added shortly.

Using the Kx Registration software provided by Kinetic Solutions, the Event Management Service can now offer an individually customised website for events and conferences and greater flexibility of choice to delegates attending.

The combination of new suites including integrated Physiotherapy Clinic, as well as the existing first-floor Cardio Suite, will ensure that Kent Sport offers probably the best equipped strength and conditioning facility in the county for any level of aspiring athlete.

Introduction to Tennis is on Wednesdays from 5.30 to 6.30pm, starting Wednesday 15 May at the Indoor Tennis Centre.

Hospitality New services

To find out more about the Event Management Service, contact Louisa Grillo in the Conference Office, ext 8000, L.Grillo@kent.ac.uk.

KENT Magazine

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Kent in the news

Books Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust: The Jimmy Savile Scandal

Frank Furedi, Palgrave Macmillan A new book and work of public sociology by Frank Furedi, Honorary Professor of Sociology at Kent, explores the precarious status of trust in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Kent experts continue to feature strongly in international and national news coverage. There have been contributions from, among others, the Schools of European Culture and Languages, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Anthropology and Conservation, and Law. International broadcast coverage of University research and expert comment included: Dr Nicholas Newton-Fisher, of the School of Anthropology and Conservation, who featured in a story on chimpanzee and human behaviour, with a particular focus on the nature and role of alpha males in both species, for National Geographic’s Blink Films. Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor David Nightingale and Dr Annie Trégouët, of the School of European Culture and Languages, were interviewed on France’s national France3 News as part of a feature on the National Student Survey.

National broadcast coverage included: Dr Ellie Lee, of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, who took part in a debate on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour on the issue of men’s rights in abortion decisions; Professor Tim Luckhurst, of the Centre for Journalism, who was interviewed on various BBC programmes including The World Tonight and Radio 5 Live News on the implications for the BBC of the Jimmy Savile scandal and the resignation of BBC Director General George Entwistle; and Dr Charlotte Faircloth, of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, who was interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on a UNICEF report into breastfeeding.

The book examines the sociological meaning of the sudden transformation of Jimmy Savile – charity fundraiser, household name, cultural icon – into the personification of evil. It also considers the important role scandals usually play in clarifying the moral issues preoccupying society and how, in the wake of the Savile affair, the absence of moral consensus only bred uncertainty instead of restoring moral order. Consequently, the ‘febrile atmosphere surrounding the exposure of Savile as a paedophile’ should be considered a moral crusade rather than a moral panic.

By situating the scandal in a wider historical perspective, Professor Furedi not only outlines the distinctive feature of this particularly 21st century moral crusade, but also goes on to form a surprising conclusion: that the concerns unleashed by the Savile affair will no doubt serve to intensify the climate of mistrust and encourage moral crusaders to expand their activities – a climate that has led to at least one public figure being falsely accused of the sexual abuse of minors.

Find out more at www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=675020 The King’s Jockey

Lesley Gray (Solis Press) The King’s Jockey offers a fresh perspective on events surrounding the death of a suffragette at the 1913 Derby. It tells the story of the life of royal jockey Herbert “Bertie” Jones and the dramatic events that followed his fatal collision with suffragette Emily Wilding Davison 100 years ago.

This debut novel by mature student, Lesley Gray, was written while she studied part-time for her BA (Hons) in Comparative Literature at the University’s Tonbridge Centre.

Lesley said her studies at the University had provided inspiration and informed her work. ‘The course covers such a range of beautiful literature; exploring these works has helped enormously in the struggle to find my own voice as a writer.’

Find out more at www.solispress.com/9781907947612.html

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KENT Magazine

People

Appointments and awards Welcome to…

Congratulations to…

Encore for Estates Team Choir

Dr Ward Blanton, Reader in Biblical Cultures and European Thought (Religious Studies); Dr Rachel Calogero, Reader in Psychology (School of Psychology); Professor Anna Corrias, Reader in Chemistry (School of Physical Sciences); Professor Geoffrey Craig, Director of Research and Professor of Journalism (Centre for Journalism); Professor Steven Gao, Professor of RF/Microwave Engineering (School of Engineering and Digital Arts); Professor Tom Henry, Professor of History of Art (History and Philosophy of Art); Professor Richard King, Professor of Buddhist and Asian Studies (Religious Studies); Professor Wendy Parkins, Professor of Victorian Literature (School of English); Professor Karla Pollmann, Professor of Classics (Classical and Archaeological Studies); Dr Dean Sayle, Reader in Chemistry (School of Physical Sciences); Professor Yvonne Sherwood, Professor of Religious Studies (Religious Studies); and David Williams, Reader in Developmental Psychology (School of Psychology).

Carole Barron, Director of Innovation and Enterprise has been elected as Vice Chair of AURIL (Association for University and Research Industrial Liaison) Council. Carole will serve a term of two years before becoming Chair of AURIL Council in January 2015. AURIL is the professional association representing all practitioners involved in knowledge creation, development and exchange in the UK and Ireland who work to ensure that new ideas, technologies and innovations flow from their institution into the marketplace. It is the largest knowledge transfer association in Europe, with more than 1,600 members from universities, NHS Trusts and public sector research establishments.

Members of the Estates Team Choir took to the stage for a second time on 27 March. Their lunchtime concert, on the foyer-stage of the Colyer-Fergusson Building, included the songs I Got Rhythm (Gershwin), Dream a Little Dream (made famous by Mama Cass) and California Dreamin’ (Mamas & Papas). The Choir was joined by percussion Scholar Cory Adams on kit.

Kent Business School appointments signal ambition Kent Business School has signalled its ambition to strengthen its position as a leading business school with two new senior appointments.

Leading expert on business and innovation Professor Martin Meyer joined in April and will take over as Director in July. He comes to Kent from the University of Sussex, where he has been Head of Business and Management.

Robin Gill, Professor of Applied Theology, has been appointed editor of Theology, a research journal published six times a year which offers a forum for conversations between the church and academia in all areas of theological enquiry.

Alongside lecturing within the University’s Department of Religious Studies, Professor Gill has written extensively on Christian ethics and on relationships between theology and sociology.

Professor Gill’s first issue as Theology editor will appear in January 2014.

Professor Mark Green, Head of the School of Physical Sciences, has received a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. The esteemed five-year award, jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, supports excellence in research across the sciences. Professor Green is one of 24 newly-appointed Wolfson Merit awardholders from selected universities across the UK.

The Estates Choir was set up in November 2012 and held its debut concert in front of other staff at Christmas. Since then, the Choir has met once a week at lunchtime for rehearsals, led by Deputy Director of Music Dan Harding, with piano accompaniment by Miles Banbery.

Members of the Choir are unanimous in their enthusiasm for their new pastime.

‘Once people get over the initial embarrassment of singing in front of colleagues, it’s really rewarding.’ Sarah Cooke, Administration Services Manager ‘It’s great fun, and I’ve not done anything like this since school.’ Mark Crutchlow, Postal Assistant ‘I joined for a bit of fun, and it’s a nice way to relax once a week.’ Paul Griffiths, Grounds Maintenance Manager ‘I wanted to do something with office staff as there’s not much chance to interact with them.

I get quite into it and I’m still singing on the way home!’ Kate Norton, Cleaner ‘We’re a mix of staff from different sections so we don’t normally get together – that’s the whole point of it really.’ Karen Weatherley, Planning & Property Services Assistant

Professor Meyer’s research has focused on knowledge exchange, academic patenting and emerging science-based technologies. He has a particular interest in innovation and nanotechnologies and the way technologies and knowledge can transfer between universities and business.

In a further move to enhance its research and teaching base, Kent Business School has welcomed Professor Veronica Wong to head its marketing group. Professor Wong has also joined Kent from the University of Sussex, where she led in a number of research areas, including knowledge and innovation management.

KENT Magazine

19

What’s on

Music

warped sense of right and wrong. Suitable for ages 14+.

Saturday 5 May, Colyer-Fergusson Hall, 11am-5pm, A Musical Guide to the Galaxy.

As part of the Sounds New Festival, treat yourself, your family and friends to a day of new music, song, art, workshops, dance and drama at Canterbury’s Gulbenkian and the Colyer-Fergusson Concert Hall.

Sunday 12 May, 7.30pm, Blofeld & Baxter’s Memories of Test Match. Insert Theatre presents two titans of UK cricket with side-splitting memories from the Test Match Special commentary boxes.

Saturday 1 June, Colyer-Fergusson Hall, 7.30pm, Summer Timbre! A great opportunity to hear John Harle, the world’s leading classical saxophonist, performing with the Festival Chamber Orchestra an exciting programme of music for a summer evening.

Monday 3 June – Sunday 9 June, Summer Music. Watch out for exciting events in the Colyer-Fergusson Hall and foyer, around campus and beyond to celebrate our year of music-making at the University, including a Big Band Gala (with special guests), the University Chamber and Cecilian Choirs and a Music Scholars’ lunchtime concert. The grand finale will be a Sunday afternoon concert, including the University’s Concert Band, Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, and cream teas.

Sunday 30 June, 3pm, Colyer-Fergusson Hall, Centrally Heated Knickers presented by The Homemade Orchestra. A compelling new production performed by legendary children’s poet Michael Rosen.

Gulbenkian Theatre Thursday 2 May, 7pm, The Watery Journey of Nereus Pike, a new show by Fringe First award-winning comedian, storyteller and theatre-maker Laura Mugridge.

Wednesday 8 May, 7.30pm, The Masks of God. Moving Visions is the research-based MA performance company of Rambert Dance School. The work is based on thinkers including Jung, Grotowski and Wittgenstein.

Friday 10 May, 7.30pm, Sugartits. Treading the line between comedy, cabaret and a gothpop-catwalk nightmare, Bourgeois & Maurice defy categorisation. They set out to solve every issue of the 21st century using a piano, plasticky instruments and a very

Monday 13 May, 7.30pm, UK Touring Theatre presents Miss Julie by August Strindberg in a new translation for the 21st century directed by Denis Noonan. Suitable for ages 14+.

Thursday 16 May, 7.30pm, That Is All You Need To Know. Idle Motion will take you back to 1940s England and the secretive worlds of Station X at Bletchley Park, using personal testimony, inventive staging and multimedia projection. Followed by a post-show discussion Friday 24 May, 11am and Saturday 25 May, 2pm, My Brother the Robot. Tall Stories (the company that brought you The Gruffalo, Twinkle Twonkle and The Snail and the Whale) presents its brand new show, combining humour, music and storytelling for everyone aged four and up.

Saturday 1 June, 7pm, Varmints. Travelling Light presents an East London Dance, Sadler’s Wells and Stratford Circus production, based on the award-winning book by Helen Ward and Marc Craste. Suitable for ages 8+.

Gulbenkian Cinema Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 May, Good Vibrations (15) Friday 17 – Tuesday 21 May, The Place Beyond The Pines (15) Friday 31 May – Monday 3 June and Wednesday 5 June, I’m So Excited (Los Amantes Pasajeros) (15) Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June, Compliance (15) Saturday 1 June, The Odd Life of Timothy Green (U) Thursday 13 June, NT Live: The Audience Friday 14 – Sunday 16 June, Promised Land (15) Friday 14 – Thursday 20 June, The Great Gatsby (3D) (12A) Tuesday 18 June, Pompeii Live From the British Museum

Studio 3 Gallery A new exhibition of Palestinian contemporary art from artists based around the world is running at Studio 3 Gallery until 18 May 2013.

The exhibition, entitled ‘Resilience and Light: Contemporary Palestinian Art’, is open to the public and admission is free. Bringing together art from Gaza, London, Venice, Paris, Zurich and Dubai by leading figures in contemporary art, the exhibition explores a number of themes of Arab culture. It also showcases how art is interpreted within, and out of, its historical, social and political context. Find out more at http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/studio3gallery/

University calendar online You can now see all University events at: www.kent.ac.uk/calendar/ The online calendar includes events from across the University including term dates, meetings, lectures, training courses, cultural events and exhibitions.

You can also: • Share events with friends and colleagues through Facebook, Twitter, email and more • Add events to your web or desktop calendar including Outlook About the calendar The calendar is compiled directly by staff across the institution, managed by Corporate Communications and developed

by Information Services.

Adding your events Are your school and department events in the calendar?

If you think your events are missing, email eventscalendar@kent.ac.uk and you can have direct access to add your own events.

Did you know?

Kent web authors can use the events calendar to power their own webpages using a Dreamweaver snippet – email eventscalendar@kent.ac.uk for more information.