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ULIP and Goldsmiths launch 'Localities of Welcoming in Hostile Times'
The University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP), in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London, has launched a new network linking researchers and activists engaged in neighbourhoods of welcome across Europe. Both universities have contributed to key research in this area, as well as led work with their own local refugee communities. Formed by ULIP’s Professor Anna-Louise Milne and Goldsmiths’ Professor Sue Clayton, ‘Localities of Welcoming in Hostile Times’ aims to connect people across Europe who are involved in refugee welcoming and support. The project is characterised by an effort to work across the boundaries between academic exploration and activist engagement, seeking to promote and exchange information, discuss long-term strategies for welcoming and working with refugee communities, and develop a critical framework of key research areas in this field. Particular interest lies in the intersections between refugee-oriented work and other strategies for critical opposition, including Black Lives Matter actions, or the Gilets noirs in France.
With the pandemic having a devastating impact on the human rights and living conditions of refugees, COVID-19 became the key topic of the network’s second online meeting, which took place on 9 July 2020. The meeting linked those in the UK with attendees in Serbia, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Croatia, and Malta, giving attendees the opportunity to exchange information and discuss key topics.
Library exhibition honours the life of Charles Dickens
Senate House Library, the central library for the University of London and School of Advanced Study, has marked the 150th anniversary of Charles Dicken’s death with an online exhibition, celebrating his life and work as one of the world’s most renowned writers on childhood.
Childhood in Dickensian London explores Victorian London from the 1830s until the turn of the 20th century, focusing on Dickens’s child characters and exploring the role of his writing in helping to create a better childhood for all. Through the online galleries, visitors can browse some of the rare and unique items in the Library’s collections, including works by Dickens and items related to his life, alongside examples of legislation that affected the lives of Victorian children. The online exhibition, which runs until the end of 2020, also features a video about Dickens’s London legacy with Lucinda Dickens-Hawksley, Dickens’s great-great-great granddaughter, as well as a series of blog posts written by the exhibition’s designers, curators and experts in the field. For details on Senate House Library’s exhibitions, visit london.ac.uk/senate-house-library/exhibitions-and-events
School of Advanced Study research helps identify loss of smell and taste as COVID-19 symptom
On 18 May 2020, the UK joined the US, Europe and the World Health Organization by including loss of smell or taste as an officially-recognised symptom of COVID-19. However, the ENT-UK, the professional association of ear, nose and throat surgeons, had been calling for anosmia (complete loss of smell) to be recognised as a marker for asymptomatic carriers of the virus since 24 March.
As the UK lead for the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research (GCCR), Professor Barry Smith, who is director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses (CenSes) – part of the University’s School of Advanced Study – played a key role in bringing together the clinical and scientific evidence that led to the UK recognising anosmia as an official COVID-19 symptom, and in designing a survey to capture new data. The survey can be taken at: bit.ly/UoLCovid19survey
CenSes helped to create a previous GCCR global survey of COVID-19 patients from around the world, which provided convincing evidence of the link between COVID-19 and the loss of smell, taste and chemesthesis (the kinds of tingling, burning sensations we get from herbs and spices like horseradish and peppermint). The survey had entries from 45,350 participants representing more than 40 countries, and the findings were published in the May edition of the journal Chemical Senses.
In September 2020, Professor Smith joined experts to discuss the emotional side of COVID-19 smell loss in a webinar organised by AbScent, a charity for people with anosmia. A recording of the event is available on YouTube at: bit.ly/AbScentwebinar
UoL launches new online degrees
During this challenging time for higher education, and for students everywhere, the University of London has continued to develop a wide range of new programmes with the expertise of our Member Institutions and commercial partners. The University’s fully online degrees offer the same quality provision as equivalent campus-based programmes, but with the flexibility to fit your studies around your commitments. Many programmes are split into courses or modules that can be studied individually, and may be used as a credit towards a full qualification. Whether you want to enhance your skills to progress in your career, or study for personal interest, these online degrees cover a wide range of topics to suit your needs.
Sam Brenton, Director of Education, Innovation and Development at the University of London, said: “We’ve been doing distance learning since the 19th century and, with today’s technology, we keep pushing at the boundaries of what’s possible. We know, too, that with the closure of campuses around the world, high-quality online education has a vital role to play in society, the global economy, and the lives of many millions of students everywhere. We’re proud to play our part in that effort, and to work with our world-leading partners to make it happen.”
For more information, visit: london.ac.uk/new-courses
A lasting legacy, remembering John Lucas
John Lucas
Over the years, the University of London has been incredibly fortunate to benefit from the generosity of alumni and friends who have left a gift in their Will in support of the University.
One of these former students was John Lucas, who studied a BSc Engineering at Northampton Polytechnic, now City, University of London, through what was then called the ‘External System’. After graduating in 1947, he started his career at a company called Foster Wheeler, a large engineering consultancy in the oil industry and, after progressing through the ranks of the company, he eventually was appointed as director. During his long and distinguished career, John was able to travel extensively, spending large amounts of time in the Middle East, South Africa, the USA, Colombia and Europe.
John generously donated 25% of his estate to the central University of London, as well as leaving 25% to City, University of London. The University is truly honoured to have received this generous bequest, which will have a lasting and significant impact to benefit generations to come.
Legacy gifts play a vital role in the future of the University and, in turn, the lives of our students around the world. For more information, please visit: london.ac.uk/legacy-giving
Shaping the future of cultural memory
This year, the Warburg Institute, part of the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, held two special exhibitions in Berlin dedicated to the Institute’s founder Aby Warburg and his most famous work, the Bilderatlas Mnemosyne.
The exhibitions ran until 1 November 2020 at the Gemäldegalerie, and until 30 November 2020 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. For the first time since 1929, all 63 panels of the Bilderatlas were reconstructed using Warburg’s original materials for display at the HKW, whilst at the Gemäldegalerie visitors could see over 50 original artworks from the collections of the State Museums Berlin chosen by Warburg for inclusion in his encyclopaedic ‘image atlas’. You can take a virtual tour of the exhibitions via the Institute’s website at: bit.ly/WarburgVirtualExhibition2020
Founded by Aby Warburg in Hamburg, the Warburg Institute became part of the University of London in 1944 and is now one of the world’s leading centres for studying the interaction of ideas, images and society. Through the Warburg Renaissance, the Institute is embarking on an intellectual and architectural transformation, creating opportunities to open its collections and expertise to new audiences, provide a haven for endangered scholars and special collections, and connect with digital partners to shape the future of cultural memory. The capital redevelopment will improve spaces for collections, students and visiting fellows, as well as introduce a new public hub featuring: a greatly expanded lecture theatre; the Institute’s first gallery for physical and digital exhibitions; and a digital lab where students and visitors can explore Aby Warburg’s pioneering work on images, including a touch-screen version of his Bilderatlas Mnemosyne.
For more information, visit: warburg.sas.ac.uk/warburg-renaissance
