Salford
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
FROM
ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2017/18
WE ARE
50
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SALFORD
CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON LAUNCHES NEW DEMENTIA HUB OSCAR WINNING ANIMATOR FONZO ROMANO PLUS: ALL YOUR REGULAR NEWS, UPDATES AND WAYS TO GET INVOLVED 1
STAY
CONNECTED As a Salford graduate you are a valued member of our global alumni community of over 160,000 alumni. Your University is committed to supporting you throughout your life and career by providing continued access to a variety of benefits and services, such as: / Lifelong access to the University’s careers service / A calendar of social and networking events / Reduced rates for the University’s leisure facilities / Continued use of the libraries on campus / Volunteering opportunities / Use of meeting rooms and conference facilities / Competitive discounts for postgraduate and CPD courses
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS TO BE KEPT UP-TODATE ON ALL THESE EXCLUSIVE OFFERS AND MORE:
WWW.SALFORD.AC.UK/STAYCONNECTED Your alumni team: t: +44 (0)161 295 4265. e: alumni@salford.ac.uk w: www.salford.ac.uk/alumni
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
CONTENTS
Your Vice-Chancellor Every year at Salford is exciting as we continue to change and grow, but this year is extra special – we’re celebrating 50 years since we received the Royal Charter and became the University of Salford!
FEATURES 4 It’s Been Another Busy Year At Salford 6 Get Involved 20 Christopher Eccleston launches new Dementia Hub 22 Industry Collaboration Zones 24 From Salford To Shanghai… 30 We Are 50 32 Changing Lives With Philanthropy 36 Browse the University’s art collection 46 The launch of our new crowdfunding platform FundUs 47 Take Your Seat In The New Adelphi Theatre…
OUR ALUMNI 18 Social Entrepreneur and writer Nadia Gasper 28 Alumni success stories 34 Oscar winning animator Fonzo Romano 40 Psychologist Dawn Smail
REGULARS
This year is the perfect time to come back to campus and see how far we’ve come: take a look around our beautiful New Adelphi arts and culture hub; visit our ‘library in the park’ at Clifford Whitworth, and find out about the Maker Space in our new Engineering Showcase. Peel Park itself is also undergoing a £2.5 million redevelopment to restore it to its former glory. Our single strategy priority – Industry Collaboration Zones (ICZs) – is now well established with a number of high profile partnerships operating between the University and local, national and international businesses, providing invaluable real-life experiences for our students. This strategy is already paying off, as the results from this year’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DHLE) survey saw the number of our graduates in work or further study reach 92% - an increase on last year of 5%. The results of the government’s new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) were released in March, and we were awarded Bronze. However, I’m confident that we’re well on track to achieving Silver in the near future – as well as improving employability rates, we climbed 19 places in The Times Higher Education’s (THE) 2017 Student Experience Survey. We’ve had some fantastic wins this year: our academics were awarded Research Project of the Year by the THE; we’ve created new ways for students to learn with our two-year accelerated degrees and Degree Apprenticeships, and our Patient Simulation Suites were recognised as a centre of excellence. We value all of our alumni – those of you who graduated 50 years ago to those who only left us last year -as you continue to amaze us with your achievements and inspire us with your visions for the future. Here’s to the next 50! Best wishes,
8 University News 26 Alumni Events 38 This Year’s Honorary Graduates 44 Alumni Achievement Awards 2017 48 Your Benefits & Services 50 In Memoriam
Professor Helen Marshall, Vice-Chancellor
From Your Alumni Engagement Manager We are 50!
PERSPECTIVES 41 Compulsive Buying Explained 42 Knocking-Out Cancer Stem Cells 43 Landmark Study Looks at Patter of Tiny Feet
Welcome to the latest edition of ‘From Salford’ during this landmark year for your University. Much has changed in 50 years and this special anniversary is a great opportunity to celebrate all the successes of the University and of you, our graduates. There’s a selection of Salford memories in the centre pages, on our whistlestop tour of the past 50 years. I’d also like to extend a special welcome to our jubilee anniversary graduates – the class of 2017! It’s been a busy year, including holding alumni receptions all over the world (see page 24), but if you haven’t managed to join us yet there’s still time! On Thursday 7th December we will host our Annual Alumni Celebration in our fantastic ‘New Adelphi’ arts building. The event is a great social occasion and we look forward to seeing many of you there.
Editor: Paul Butlin, Alumni Engagement Officer (Communications & Events) Produced by Marketing & External Relations
I hope you enjoy all the updates and news in this year’s issue, as well as the features about our alumni community, including the latest Alumni Achievement Award winners (page 44). You can also find out more about our graduate services on page 48 and ways to get involved with the University on page 6, so please keep in touch and remember to follow us on social media and update your contact details at www.salford.ac.uk/stayconnected
Many thanks to all our contributing staff, students and alumni. Gareth Pettit, Alumni Engagement Manager
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
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FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Here’s a quick rundown of our main achievements, events and news stories since the last issue of From Salford. Last September saw the opening of New Adelphi, our flagship arts centre and cultural hub on Peel Park campus. The building houses cutting-edge facilities for students of the School of Arts and Media and the new Architecture programme. (1)
Honorary graduate Robert Powell delivered a workshop for students in October, saying he was ‘gobsmacked’ by the new facilities and admitted to being “deeply jealous because when I was a student, we never had facilities like these!”
In December we signed an agreement with the BBC Philharmonic that will give Salford students first access to cutting-edge musical technology, turning classic concerts into immersive musical experiences. (4) Paralympic gold medallist and Sports Science student Hannah Russell was made an MBE in the New Year Honours list, in January, for her services to swimming.
March was an exciting month for Salford as our fashion programme was shortlisted for a prestigious Guardian University award, following an innovative collaboration with a Chinese fashion institute. (8) In April we were named by the Times Higher Education as one of the top 200 most international universities in the world, for the second year running. In the same month we were also named one of the top 200 young universities in the world by the Times Higher Education, grading up particularly highly on our ‘international outlook’.
Our marketing team scooped the Best Use of Social Media prize at the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards in April for their fun Tinderstyle ‘Match Made in Salford’ app, which matched clearing students with their perfect course. (11) Salford fashion student Val Kristopher Galbo won an international competition run by denim giants Levi’s, beating off competition from nearly 500 students from 84 design schools across the world. (9)
In February we unveiled our new coat of arms to celebrate fifty years since we received the royal charter and became a university in 1967.
Mother and daughter Helen-Louise and Katrina Winstanley received their degrees together last July, receiving a first-class degree in Business and Management and a Masters in Marketing respectively. We held the Salford Science Jam in October as part of the Manchester Science Festival, where families explored the Forest of Curiosity, got to grips with Lego robots and dived into the Sensory Sound Pit. (2) In November former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper) held a series of workshop sessions with our final-year Performance students, exploring social issues and responding to political events such as Brexit and Donald Trump’s inauguration. (3)
February saw the launch of a new Bachelor of Engineering degree in partnership with Siemens, to help address the engineering skills shortage affecting UK industry. (5)
In May, the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work and Social Sciences changed its name to the School of Health and Society, in order to make the school more recognisable to UK and international industry partners. (10) Our partnership with Manchester Storm ice hockey team has been extended after a successful first year, which has seen three players complete their MBA with us.
In March Salford’s Sports Analytics Machine (SAM) predicted the outcomes of the top European leagues, correctly calculating that Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Monaco would come out on top. (6) In March the QS World University Rankings placed our Architecture and the Built Environment programme 36th place (climbing 10 places since last year) and Civil and Structural Engineering in the top 200 globally. (7)
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FEATURE
GET
INVOLVED As the holder of a Salford degree, you are connected to a global network of over 160,000 other alumni through your shared educational experience. This network is a community of peers that provides endless opportunities for you to continuing learning from and supporting one another, long after graduation.
HOW YOU CAN HELP… You can continue to support your University and our current students, as well as connect with your fellow alumni. ● Share your story and complete our testimonial form
Alumni like you also hold a vast amount of knowledge, experience and insight that ● Become an alumni ambassador and speak to prospective students at open days and recruitment represents an essential resource for the events University and our current students. Getting involved with our activities is immensely ● Share your experiences on a careers panel or by providing live briefs and work placements rewarding and is a great way to give back, as well as helping you grow your ● Attend alumni events and network with your fellow alumni own network of contacts. - see page 26 ● Find a friend - we can help you track down your old classmates. ● Reunions and campus visits - get the gang back together and come and take a tour of campus; we can help to facilitate your visit - find out about a recent reunion on page 49 Find out more or volunteer your time by visiting www.salford. ac.uk/alumni/get-involved, emailing us at alumni@salford. ac.uk or by phoning +44 (0)161 295 4265.
“It is always important to stay connected with other graduates socially through events. It can open doors as networking is an essential way to do business in the current world”
Jeffrey Poole (BSc Civil Engineering, 1981)
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FROM SALFORD 2017/18
INDUSTRY ADVICE SCHEME This year we’ve re-launched our Industry Advice Scheme, our mentoring programme which matches current students with alumni in professions related to their studies or career ambitions. Running from February to November, all mentors receive training and engage with their mentee once a month over the 10 month period. These relationships work best when students can meet their mentors face-to-face, so we tend to seek mentors who live in the Greater Manchester area. Each mentor/mentee relationship is unique, as each student has different needs and challenges. Some may be looking for guidance on breaking into a particular industry, feedback on their final year projects and dissertations, or advice on different career paths and getting noticed by potential employers. This year we have matched 25 mentors and mentees, and we’ve got ambitions to make next year’s scheme even bigger, helping more students on their way to their perfect career. We’re looking for mentors from a range of industries and working at all levels of seniority – you don’t need to be running the organisation you work for to be a mentor! If you think you could inspire and motivate a Salford student, get in touch with the alumni team at: alumni@salford.ac.uk, or call +44 (0)161 295 4265.
DEGREE APPRENTICESHIPS At Salford, we’re continuously looking for new ways to create courses that fit the changing needs of both students and industry, to provide modern and flexible learning options that encourage more people from a range of backgrounds into higher education. Now, we’ve been awarded funding to develop degree apprenticeships, which combine academic study with on-the-job training in the workplace. These degrees are designed in partnership with industry, and offer students the chance to earn a real salary while studying towards a Bachelor’s degree at Salford. Plus, there are no tuition fees to worry about as the apprenticeships are funded by the employer and topped up by the government. We currently offer degree apprenticeships in the following areas: / / / / /
Chartered Surveyor - Quantity Chartered Surveyor - Building Junior Management Consultant Project Manager Operations/Departmental Manager
/ Chartered Manager / Senior Housing/Property Management / Health Care Science Practitioner The government has committed to achieving three million apprenticeships by summer 2020, paid for by a funding levy on employers with pay bills of over £3 million. The scheme is an excellent way for organisations to attract promising new talent, and can help boost retention by tailoring learning to their specific needs while giving employees the chance to develop and progress. If your organisation is paying into the levy, the only way to utilise these funds is via offering apprenticeship training to new and existing staff. The government will ‘top up’ monthly levy contributions by 10%, meaning you really can get more out than you put in – a great opportunity to develop your workforce. For further details, contact apprenticeships@ salford.ac.uk or visit:www.salford.ac.uk/ degree-apprenticeships
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
SALFORD CELEBRATES PRINCE’S
The School of Arts and Media at Salford continues its proud tradition of curating unique and inspirational events that attract visitors from around the world.
IN
May, the School partnered with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to hold the world’s first conference dedicated solely to the late funk legend - Prince. More than just a pop star, Prince defined a generation and defied conventions of music, gender and sexuality, making a lasting impact on millions of people around the world. Academics from New York, Harvard, and Stanford University, the Smithsonian museum, as well as from Amsterdam, Poland and New Zealand all came to Salford to discuss his work, influence and legacy.
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Sharon Davis, who travelled from the USA to visit the conference, said: “I wish to send you a HUGE thank you for arranging and putting together the first Purple Reign Conference. It was a pleasure to be part of and amongst wonderful people. I could see it was a huge team effort and everyone involved did a great job. “It has been inspirational for me. The topics and range of areas covered were huge. I wish I could have split myself into three to go see them all.”
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Fans were treated to a talk by special guest Dez Dickerson, who sang backing vocals and played guitar in Prince’s original band. Dez touched upon his experiences touring and recording with the star, while HOME Manchester housed a packed screening of the 1986 musical drama, Under the Cherry Moon, directed by and starring Prince. Our music students lent their talents to the conference by performing some of Prince’s hits at the closing party, while Peel Hall and MediaCityUK were lit up in purple lights to create a truly magical atmosphere. Dr Kirsty Fairclough, Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Media and champion of the conference, said: “Prince touched the lives of thousands of people and so we wanted this to be much more than simply an academic conference. “In the same year as we marked our 50th anniversary, this was a truly landmark event which meant something very special to everyone who attended.” This fantastic event demonstrates the breadth and variety of events that the School of Arts and Media hosts. Why not take a look at our events calendar – we’d love to see you at one of our upcoming performances, shows or conferences! Go to: www.salford.ac.uk/events
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
Salford Business School’s aim is to be the most industry-relevant business school in the UK”
THE ‘DRAGON’S DEN’ COMES TO SALFORD AT INNOVATING FUTURE BUSINESS 2017 The entrepreneurial spirit of Salford was alive and kicking at the final of the Innovating Future Business Competition (IFB) 2017 event held at MediaCityUK in May.
THE
event, organised by Salford Business School’s Alex Fenton, was a huge success which brought together influential industry speakers, investors and students. The competition final marked the end of this new initiative which began in January, where 40 individuals and teams entered the local heats at Salford. Throughout the competition, entrants took part in Business Planning and Pitching workshops and received mentoring from our skilled advisors, with 16 teams awarded cash towards kick-starting their businesses. The finals were the first of their kind, as 11 universities from around the country sent teams of their best entrepreneurs to compete for a pool of prizes and potential investment in a ‘dragon’s den’ style pitch. Salford’s final team, Pathways, walked away with a fantastic £500 prize to help get their business up and running. Pathways aims to change the way people navigate large buildings such as hospitals, avoiding late appointments and saving time and resources for both patients and the NHS.
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Alex Fenton, lecturer in digital business said: “It was a great day, with loads of good business ideas. Pathways have got a great idea and deserved their win. They have worked so hard on getting their business off the ground in only a few short weeks. It was a really valuable experience for them and gives them great experience for the future.” Salford Business School’s aim is to be the most industry-relevant business school in the UK, which means bringing our students as close to industry as possible. Events like this, which are devised and brought to life by our academic staff, provide real opportunities for our students to gain exposure to industry insiders, demonstrate their knowledge and skills, make new connections and get others on board with their bright new business ideas. The feedback from the event attendees was all positive, with 100% reporting they enjoyed the event and wish to return next year. If you or your company would like the opportunity to inspire and support the next generation of business leaders, we’d love to hear from you. To get involved in our upcoming events, contact Alex Fenton at a.fenton@salford.ac.uk.
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
SALFORD LECTURER’S DEVICE PROVIDES DIGNIFIED CARE FOR DISABLED YOUNG PEOPLE Staff at the School of Health Sciences are dedicated to improving the lives of those around them, through research and innovation that finds new ways to treat and manage all kinds of health conditions.
AFTER
years of experience working with children and young people with disabilities, JoAnne Webb, senior lecturer in Occupational Therapy, has designed the Klip-2-Lift system in collaboration with Barbara Ackley from the Disabled Living Centre charity. The system will allow young people living with conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy to become more independent, by making it easier from them to be transferred from their wheelchair to a toilet.
Penny Townsend, a paediatric physiotherapist who has been using the Klip-2-Handle jacket with young people in Huddersfield, said: “These jackets are excellent for people who are unsteady on their feet, and they allow carers to safely handle children with challenging behaviours, without having to physically hold or support their limbs to stop them running into the road or getting into other potentially dangerous situations. As well as being safer, using the jacket is much more dignified for the young person.
Traditional sling systems are difficult to remove once the person has been transferred and so for ease, the bulky slings are often left beneath them all day, causing difficulties as the straps can get caught in the wheelchair wheels. Also, the sling can “bunch up”, leading to problems with discomfort and pressure ulcers. Jo-Anne’s new system involves a waistcoat-style jacket, which the young person wears throughout the day and which can be clipped onto a hoist, along with a pair of detachable leg straps. The jacket does not extend below the waist and so toileting is much easier and more dignified.
The University’s Technology Transfer team worked with Jo-Anne to patent her innovation and negotiate a license with care equipment specialist Lynch Healthcare Group, who are now selling it through their www. greentrousers.com website. It is now available to charities, hospitals and other organisations providing care across the UK and Europe.
She said: “This has always been a bugbear of mine. Carers transfer young people from a wheelchair onto a bed to take their clothes off, and then hoist them onto the toilet. That tends to be too difficult for a lot of carers, so the disabled young person is often just put in a nappy all day, which is incredibly undignified for them.”
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David Lynch, Managing Director of Lynch Healthcare, said: “We are delighted to be selling exclusively the Klip-2-Lift product range. After having personally been involved in moving and handling equipment for 18 years, I know this product has a great future ahead.”
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
SALFORD HELPS TRANSFORM UGANDAN HEALTH CENTRE Students and academics from the School of Health and Society have helped transform a Ugandan health centre, meaning women in the area can safely deliver their babies.
THE
Kagote Health Centre in Uganda’s remote western Kabarole District had not delivered a baby for over 16 years, meaning women had to travel long distances for care. Thanks to improvements made by the Knowledge for Change charity, based at the University and run by Professor Louise Ackers, along with their partners One Brick at a Time, the centre is now delivering around 44 babies every month. Previously, women faced having to pay to travel to larger hospitals, or risk a home birth without access to midwives. If they made it to a hospital, they would have faced huge queues and may have had to deliver without a bed – a so-called ‘floor case’ – before seeing further delays waiting for postnatal treatment. This created a dangerous situation for both mother and baby.
Professor Louise Ackers, chair in social justice at the University of Salford said: “The insight into healthcare which our students are able to gain while working in Uganda is unlike anything they will be able to get in the UK, but the work they’ve done there is also having a major impact on the lives of women in the country.” Supported by British midwifery volunteers, improvements made by the charity included building a patient waiting area, upgrading laboratory facilities and enlarging the delivery room to provide greater privacy. They also fixed plumbing, provided new beds and created a kitchen for patients and their families to use.
Salford, while back-up midwives were provided to cover their training period. Officials have been so impressed by the transformation that the facility has been chosen to host the national celebrations on International Day of the Midwife on Friday May 5. Around 1,000 people are expected to visit the facility including senior representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Kabarole District. Louise said, “The fact that the Ugandan Health Ministry will be visiting this health centre really demonstrates the significance of what’s been done there, and the difference that Knowledge For Change have been able to make.”
Three midwives from the centre have been awarded Commonwealth Professional Fellowships to study at the University of
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
The School of Computing, Science and Engineering recently received our largest ever single donation of an incredible £500,000 from local engineering recruitment company Morson.
MADE IN SALFORD OVER
the years, we’ve built a strong relationship with the company’s founder, the late Gerry Mason, who established the Gerry Mason Excellence Scholarships shortly before he passed away in 2015. These awards are designed to encourage and support the development of students studying engineering at Salford and it is in this same spirit that Morson have now made this latest generous donation. Group CEO Ged Mason said the role of universities was critical in “helping to build the future higher skills pipeline in engineering”. This funding will directly support our agenda to ensure that students have opportunities to gain valuable real-world experiences as part of their programme of study; providing them with access to the most up-to-date equipment in our very own ‘Morson Maker Space’, enabling them to work together with industry partners and gain experience of industrial processes and techniques. All of which will have a significant impact on their learning experience and work-readiness once they graduate. Professor Sunil Vadera, Dean of the School of Computing, Science and Engineering, said: “This is a great example of the University’s strategy to put industrial collaboration at the heart of teaching and research. This remarkable gift from our friends at Morson will enable the University to train highly-skilled engineers in professional facilities and in collaboration with the industries that will employ them.” “We have a long-standing relationship with Ged Mason and with his late father Gerry, and we are so grateful for this latest act of generosity and the deepening of the relationship between our two organisations that it will facilitate.” The Morson Group, which employs 800 people, has a strong tradition of giving back to the local community, as well as supporting the development of the next generation of engineers. Chief Executive of Morson, Ged Mason said: “We have several key engineering projects in the North West, not least HS2, and it’s critical that we work to bridge any skills gaps by attracting the best new talent.” If you’d like to engage with the School as an industry partner get in touch with alumni@salford.ac.uk.
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Dr Maria Stukoff
Michael Walsh
MEET THE MAKER SPACE TEAM We are delighted to welcome Dr Maria Stukoff as Director for the new Morson Maker Space and Michael Walsh as the new Maker Space Manager. Maria has previously worked as Head of Digital at the BBC Academy and as Head of PlayStationFirst, Sony’s Game Development Academy, where she was responsible for bringing PS4 and PSVR tools to the next generation of PlayStation developers. Michael, who has worked on over 100 commercial prototypes whilst working at the renowned Fab Lab Manchester and has a wealth of expertise in prototyping, 3D design and digital fabrication, said: “At Salford University I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing the ‘maker movement’ ethos into a higher education setting for the ultimate benefit of the student’s learning and experience. I enjoy the variety of working on new products for industry and educating future makers.”
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
£425K EU GRANT RECEIVED TO CREATE ENERGY EFFICIENT CITIES The School of the Built Environment recently received a £425k grant from the EU to help create more energy efficient cities. Our experts will be collaborating in a larger €8.7 million project, with other industry and academic partners from the UK, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Greece and Estonia.
Existing buildings within cities are generally not very efficient and waste huge amounts of energy, but currently on 1-2% of these are upgraded or ‘retrofitted’ each year. In order to meet the EU’s emission reduction targets by 2050, this will have to increase to 2.8% every year. Retrofitting processes can be expensive and face many uncertainties and complexities. This new project will explore innovative components, processes and decision making methodologies to guide all value-chain actors in the building renovation process; including a specific knowledge based tool for Real Estate Industry. Professor Fernando, Director of the School of the Built Environment’s THINKlab and an expert in digital visualisations and simulation, said: “This project offers us further funding to continue our work on designing energy efficient buildings and neighborhoods that we have been doing over the last three years as a part of the Design4Energy project. “We plan to apply our knowledge in advanced visualisation and collaboration in creating an interactive platform for the stakeholders involved in the retrofit market to create innovative solutions that can not only enhance the energy efficiency of the building but also the value of the property.”
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
CHERNOBYL STUDY NAMED RESEARCH PROJECT OF THE YEAR
A groundbreaking research project from the School of Environment and Life Sciences was so well received that it earned the prestigious title of Research Project of the Year at the Times Higher Education awards.
THE
award winning project, led by Dr Mike Wood, explored the impact of nuclear radiation on animal life inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and has led to world-wide acclaim. Chernobyl was the centre of a nuclear disaster in 1986, leading to the complete evacuation of the city. As the area is still heavily contaminated, it’s now an abandoned ghost town where nature and wildlife have taken over. Dr. Wood worked alongside Dr. Paul Kendrick from the University’s Acoustics Research Centre to place special recording devices across the area, as well as over 250 motionactivated cameras. These cameras captured
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more than 15,000 days of footage over a year, recording images of animals such as brown bears, elk, wild boar and wolves. The network of cameras gathered data that will help scientists decide which species to fit with collars that will then record the level of radioactive exposure the animal receives as it travels across the zone. “We want an animal that moves over areas of different contamination - that’s the key thing we need,” Dr. Wood explained. “So we would consider some of the larger animals, such as wolves, because they would be ideal because the way the animal moves through the areas actually affects its contamination levels.”
Dr. Wood worked with Dr. Simon Campion and Dr. Michal Cieciura from the University’s THINKlab to create an interactive display at the Museum of Science and Industry during Manchester Science Festival. The installation used virtual reality technology to enable visitors to explore the sites Dr. Wood studied. His work has been covered in the media, with a documentary piece about the project for Channel 4 News, and articles on the BBC News website and in New Scientist, The Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Earlier this year Dr Wood presented his fascinating research at our annual alumni lecture in London, featured on page 27.
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Many of our Arts and Media alumni will have benefitted from our strong relationship with Manchester’s Cornerhouse, gaining industry knowledge and experience whilst studying with us.
ARTS AND MEDIA STUDENTS MAKE THEMSELVES AT HOME SO
when the organisation evolved to become HOME, we were proud to be one of their founding supporters. The new partnership began in 2015, and since then has provided a number of opportunities for students and academics from the School of Arts and Media. The partnership supports Salford’s ‘Industry Collaboration Zone’ strategy by forging strong, long-term links with organisations that give our students the opportunity to learn first-hand how the arts industry works, and helping them to make connections with people in the industry, acting as a springboard for their careers. Dr Andy Willis, reader in Film Studies, has been seconded to work with HOME’s film team to curate and programme a range of events, and Dr Kirsty Fairclough has also been involved with developing the academic activities between HOME and our students. Andy is a longstanding member of the programming committee for the annual Spanish film festival, ¡Viva!, assisting with the selection of films and chairing Q&As with visiting international directors. For the 2017 edition, Andy is leading on the selection of films
The partnership supports Salford’s ‘Industry Collaboration Zone’ strategy by forging strong, long-term links with organisations.” inspired by Spain’s transition to democracy in the 1970s. Through his role at HOME, Andy has also been able to continue his work with the Chinese Film Forum UK network, sitting alongside key academics from the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. This has included various screenings for which he has produced introductory talks, and to celebrate Chinese New Year 2017, he has collaborated with the Hong Kong International Film Festival to present a series of short films by leading Chinese directors. Every month, Andy features alongside HOME’s Artistic Director for Film, Jason Wood, in a recorded podcast highlighting the upcoming film releases. This has proved to be a hugely popular digital resource for HOME with an average monthly listener figure of just over 600. In November 2016, the Arts and Media Engagement team were approached to advertise an Assistant Theatre Director
placement opportunity working on a young people’s theatre project at HOME, in partnership with Community Arts Northwest. Three students from across BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance Practice and BA (Hons) Media and Performance were shortled for interview. Final year student, Beth Castletown, was the successful applicant who undertook a four-month placement at HOME. The placement saw her supporting the development of the theatre project, working with a challenging and very diverse group of 20 young people, culminating in a performance on HOME’s Theatre 1 Stage in April as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival. Members of the HOME film programming team have visited the MediaCityUK campus to speak to students on two occasions since the formal partnership began, with one session around film exhibition and the other focusing on film festivals.
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OUR ALUMNI
“I AM MOST FREE WHEN I WRITE” 18
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Seeking new experiences, Nadia Gasper moved from East London to Salford to embark on her degree - originally beginning a programme in Journalism and English Literature, before switching to Journalism. It’s this same attitude of trying new things and getting as much experience as possible that has allowed her to build a successful and eclectic career. She now runs her own social enterprise, Scribble Ink Story Consultancy, which offers workshops, online courses and personal mentoring for anyone who loves to write, helping them to discover and develop their creativity. Scribble Ink has hosted workshops for the BFI, and members have gone on to achieve great success, such as Jonell Rowe whose short film was screened at Cannes in 2015. Nadia said, “I am most free when I write and when I deliver writing classes through Scribble Ink. I love that my job is also my number one passion. Being able to mentor young people, support new writers and nurture those who never realised their literary talents until they joined one of my writing programmes, has made the risk of taking the ‘portfolio career road’ so worthwhile.” It’s been a journey with twists and turns since she graduated: backpacking for a time; arts and media projects in Manchester; working for the British Council in London; freelancing here and there; taking paid and unpaid internships; receiving a Prince’s Trust grant, and completing a Master’s degree at London South Bank University. However, it was studying at Salford that gave Nadia the initial exposure she needed to find projects that she was really passionate about. She explained, “Salford University was my springboard to cherished writing and personal growth opportunities. Through Salford, I found
Contact Theatre and Commonword Publishing – organisations that offered me creative industry breaks, including having my first play staged and publishing my dissertation.” Through an invitation from the University alumni team, Nadia recently attended a prestigious conference at the House of Lords. Here she met with other academic, technological and entrepreneurial figures from around the country, to explore the role of creativity in education and how it can be applied to the real world. Nadia is returning to Salford to run a life brief for students on the BA Television and Radio programme, who will be challenged to produce original video content to support her online resources. She’s excited to visit us again, saying, “When I compare Salford to other universities I’ve visited as a guest student or guest lecturer, I often use Salford’s facilities as a benchmark, and more often than not, Salford is that bit more impressive. I really think the relationship Salford has with Media City allows for students to have the crème de la crème of academic and professional experience.” Nadia has some encouraging words for both undergraduates and alumni about the road ahead of them: “Don’t feel obligated to see these as the best years of your life – many of you are still young, so if the best years are behind you by the time you graduate at 20 and you’ve got another 60 years to go, that sucks! See the university experience as a prologue in a book that’s only just being written…and the subsequent chapters are likely to be magical because of it.”
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FEATURE
CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON LAUNCHES
NEW DEMENTIA HUB
In May, we opened our new Dementia Hub at the Allerton Building on Peel Park campus, with special guest, alumnus and honorary graduate Christopher Eccleston speaking at the official opening ceremony.
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FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Support will only improve if things like the Salford Institute for Dementia at Salford University are publicised and spoken about.”
THE
Salford-born actor and former Dr Who star shared a very personal and moving account of his father’s experience of dementia. Ronnie Eccleston, whom Christopher has credited for passing on his love of language that sparked his passion for acting, lived with dementia for 12 years before he passed away in 2012. Christopher spoke about some of the most difficult moments that he and his mother Elsie experienced together, when Ronnie’s condition meant that he no longer recognised his son. “My father threw me out of his home on Christmas Day, which upset my mother, Elsie, deeply. He didn’t know who I was. I made him afraid, so I understood I needed to leave, so he could be more comfortable. My mum was very upset by that and I had to gently say to my mum, ‘look, that wasn’t my dad. My dad would never throw me out of his house - that was his condition’.”
centre for the public to access the latest research and ideas about living well with dementia. The £300,000 centre features a dementia friendly garden, a visitors’ centre designed to look as much as possible like a home, and a special kitchen that uses the latest designs such as a glass-fronted fridge and cupboards to help people with dementia understand the environment. People with dementia and their carers can visit the Hub to take part in activities such as gardening and dance, and to get guidance from others who have experienced the condition, while researchers from across the University will also be able to use the facilities for their work. Prof Anthea Innes, Director of the Institute, said: “The new hub will put the University of Salford at the heart of the community and provide a real focal point for people living with dementia as well as their carers.”
Christopher also spoke of the physical and emotional strain that caring for Ronnie had on his mother, and called for more recognition for carers. “If you are in a caring role you need support from the government, community, and social services, and that support will only improve if things like the Salford Institute for Dementia at Salford University are publicised and spoken about. The government needs to have an initiative where carers are paid and celebrated and acknowledged.”
There is currently no cure for dementia, and the condition is expected to affect one million people in the UK by 2021. Recent political debates over the cost of caring for those living with dementia have demonstrated the pressing need for more research into treatment, which has historically been underfunded.
Building on the vital research conducted since the launch of the Salford Institute for Dementia in 2013, this new facility aims to be an outreach
Salford is proud to be at the forefront of pushing the research agenda, by creating a space that allows researchers from a range of disciplines and members of the public to come together to tackle the many questions that surround dementia.
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FEATURE
When looking towards the future, we considered our past: why we exist as an institution; what we aim to achieve for everyone associated with us; what we do best, and how we want to be recognised by those around us. That’s why in 2016, we launched our new strategy: Industry Collaboration Zones (ICZs).
OUR
founding ambition in the late 19th century was to equip local working people with the knowledge and skills they needed to succeed in the industries of their time. Today, although the industries around us have changed, this aim remains the same. This aim is at the heart of the ICZ programme – getting students work-ready by creating courses that are developed hand-in-hand with industry, responding to the everchanging conditions and emerging challenges of the working world. This, coupled with support, advice and direction from staff throughout our students’ journey with us, is what will set Salford apart as a university that does things differently. Our four ICZs focus on the key areas where we can really make a difference.
Digital & Creative The Digital and Creative economy is rapidly expanding, growing 32% faster than the overall UK economy, generating new careers and industries. Many sectors are now experiencing a digital skills gap, which our graduates will be ready to fill. Since opening in 2011, our campus at MediaCityUK has become one of the most respected digital, media and broadcasting facilities in the UK, providing unparalleled real-world learning opportunities. We’ll build
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upon on existing partnerships and forge new ones across all schools, meaning that students of every discipline will be ready for the changes that digital advancement will bring to their careers.
Engineering & Environments Salford is perfectly placed to respond to the needs of the construction and engineering industries, which are currently facing a large shortage in graduate talent. With Regional Devolution gathering pace, we will ensure a pipeline of skilled graduates who are ready to step up and make Greater Manchester a modern, vibrant and thriving city-region. Our School of the Built Environment is already making great strides towards achieving these aims, as it climbed an incredible ten places in the prestigious QS World Rankings to reach 36th position, and have also moved up seven places in the Guardian League Table. Additionally, our Architecture programme was recently granted accreditation by the Architecture Registration Board.
Sport Manchester has a reputation as one of the world’s most important sporting cities, and our proximity puts us in an excellent place to partner with international sporting brands and facilities. We’ve already created ongoing partnerships with a number of clubs, including Lancashire County Cricket Club, providing a wide range of opportunities for all
students – not just those on sports-related programmes. We’ve also set up the Centre for Sports Business, where our academics are putting Salford on the map as a global leader in Sports Business Analysis. Their Sports Analysis Machine has been used to create the Player Performance Index, the official ratings system of the Barclays Premier League.
Health, Wellbeing & Society We’ve always taken our role in improving social mobility, employment and living conditions for the communities around us extremely seriously. Through partnerships with local, national and international organisations, we can further knowledge and advance economic and social development to tackle issues such as our ageing population, preventable illnesses, and antibiotic resistance. In 2013 we set up the Salford Institute for Dementia, in order to help advance our knowledge and understanding of this disease which is predicted to affect one million people in the UK by 2021. We recently opened the Dementia Hub, where academics from across the University as well as those living with dementia and their families can meet to exchange knowledge and access advice and support. To stay up to date with the latest ICZ news, visit Salford.ac.uk/ICZ
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
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FEATURE
SALFORD TORONTO NEW YORK WASHINGTON D.C
VC Prof Helen Marshall led the visit to North America Alumni joined Prof Marshall and the team at three events in the USA and Canada. The trip also included visits to some of our many partner institutions across the pond. ABUJA ACCRA
LAGOS
DVC Richard Stephenson led the team visiting Ghana and Nigeria He said, “It was a very special opportunity for us to visit our alumni in West Africa and continue to build those relationships in the region. The visit had particular significance to me, as I was actually born in Nigeria. It was a wonderful experience to revisit the country of my birth”
FROM SALFORD TO SHANGHAI… 24
! n e e w t e b n i e r e h w y r e v And e
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
BEIJING
SHANGHAI HONG KONG
COLOMBO
Prof Hisham Elkadi led the team visiting Sri Lanka This event was combined with the in-country graduation ceremony held annually for students studying Salford courses at the Colombo School of Construction Technology.
VC Helen Marshall led the team visiting China, HK, USA and Canada She said, “The alumni events have been invaluable in terms of developing international partnerships and forging those links with industry that will ultimately impact the student experience and the employability of our graduates”
KUALA LUMPUR This event was combined with the first in-country Graduation ceremony in Kuala Lumpur for students studying with our partner college, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.
Prof Allan Walker led the team visiting Malaysia
THIS
year the University of Salford celebrates its 50th anniversary, and we’ve been travelling the globe to visit our far-reaching and diverse global alumni communities who continue to fly the flag for Salford. We were recently recognised by the Times Higher Education as one of the top 200 universities for our percentage of international students, reflecting just how global Salford truly is. We reconnected with our international alumni to find out what they’ve been up to since graduation, and spoke to them about new opportunities to work together and create even stronger international links. We shared our vision for the ICZ strategy (page 22) and talked about how they could continue to get involved with us. A group of senior members of the University’s leadership visited a number of cities across the world, holding events ranging from small, intimate drinks receptions to large-scale dinners for over 100 people.
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ALUMNI EVENTS
SALFORD ALUMNI ANNUAL CELEBRATION 2016 It was great to see those of you who joined us for our Annual Alumni celebrations in December, where we presented our Alumni Achievement Awards over a few glasses of mulled wine and some fantastic entertainment. This year we welcomed back comedian, magician and alumnus Barrington Powell who wowed us with his spectacular illusions show. We were also treated to a vibrant music and dance performance by Volya Ukrainian Male Voice Choir and Podilya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, who recently appeared on Sky One’s Got to Dance. Based in Manchester, the group combine traditional elements of Ukrainian folk music and dance with a contemporary style. Every year we honour the outstanding achievements of our alumni, and this year we awarded Academy Award nominated film director Jamie Donoughue, and Furat Ahmed Mahmood Al-Faraj, who has carried out vital work to provide clean drinking water to the displaced people of Iraq.
GLOBALISATION, GLOBAL DEBT, BREXIT AND BEYOND In February we welcomed alumnus and former director-general of the British Chamber of Commerce, John Longworth, BSc Environmental Health, 1980, to Salford for this year’s Annual Alumni Lecture. John led a discussion on the timeline from the 2008 financial crash to the Brexit referendum in 2016, where 17.4 million people voted for the UK to leave the European Union. The talk, which focused on economics, was followed by a lively debate chaired by Professor Karl Dayson, Dean of Research.
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FROM SALFORD 2017/18
EXPLORING THE WILDLIFE OF THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE Our third annual London Alumni Lecture transported us to Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Through his lecture, ‘Life in the shadow of Chernobyl’, Salford’s Dr Mike Wood led us on a journey through the disaster zone, where wildlife has taken over. After the talk, attendees had the opportunity to explore the Exclusion Zone using cutting edge virtual reality technology. Dr Wood and his team’s findings are challenging some recent publications on the effects of radiation on Chernobyl wildlife. The five-year study won the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Research Project of the Year award in 2016 and has attracted worldwide acclaim.
SALFORD ALUMNI SUMMER REUNION Our Alumni Summer Reunion was extra special this year, as we celebrated 50 years of success at Salford. The reunion, held on Saturday 17th June, saw our alumni from across the years get their gang back together for a day of family fun. Deputy Vice Chancellor Richard Stephenson welcomed everyone to the day, reflecting on the amazing achievements of our alumni and how proud we are of the impact they have within their communities. We had fantastic weather on the day, meaning our free BBQ and ice cream went down a storm, and our alumni and their families enjoyed the bouncy castle and bucking bronco. Attendees were also treated to a campus tour and demonstrations of some of our new equipment, showcasing our state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, including the Energy House, MediaCityUK, Bodmer Laboratories and Acoustics facilities, including the anechoic chamber. If you didn’t take part in the alumni reunion but would like to organise a visit with your old classmates, get in touch with the alumni team.
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OUR ALUMNI
ALI NOWROOZI BEFORE
coming to Salford, Ali was a General Manager at Dimples, a leading distributor of wigs for people with hair loss in the UK and Europe. Keen to extend his knowledge in business management and marketing, he completed his Master’s degree in 2009 and went on to found his own business, Avakino Limited, in November 2016. Through its brands Masumi and Purity, Avakino designs and supplies headwear for people who have lost their hair through conditions such as alopecia, and as a result of cancer treatment. Reflecting on his Salford days, Ali said: “The tutors were extremely professional, knowledgeable, friendly, approachable and easy to talk to. We could cover so many things, and the fact that I could combine my study with my work was a great help.” “I loved the way that we discussed real business cases and could connect with the real world of business but at the same time, learn about the theories and facts.” Since its launch, the Manchester-based company has gone from strength to strength. Ali said: “After only 6 months in trade, we are already supplying many hospitals including The Christie Hospital Manchester along with 40 salons in the UK. We have distribution in New York, Spain, France, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Finland and are an exclusive designer and are a supplier to the Teenage Cancer Trust. One of the things Ali values most about the business is the impact his products have on his customers. He explained: “We have been told that we are inspiring many people, bringing smiles and hope and giving identity through fashion into their life.” Ali continues to give back to Salford by providing two internship opportunities for undergraduate students, through our partnership with Santander Universities. The partnership allows students to undertake paid work placements for up to 10 weeks, giving them invaluable experience that boosts their employability and prepares them for the working world. “I owe a lot to my university for what they have done for me, and I am so happy that I can now give something back in return. I am very humbled to be able take our first intern from the University and it is great to be able to be back here and do something in return for our community!” This year we were delighted to offer Ali an Alumni Achievement Award this year. You can find out more about the Alumni Achievement Awards on page 44-45.
If you or your SME would like to offer internships through our Santander Universities partnership, please contact business@salford.ac.uk. 28
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
JENNIFER HENRY BA Journalism Graduate Jennifer Henry recently won the News category at the Royal Television Society’s Student Television Awards for her animated report, Life as a Refugee. The report, aimed at 6 to 12-year-olds, used stop-frame animation to bring to life a powerful interview with a child who had fled to the UK from Libya. Jennifer explained: “The child had to be anonymised, and rather than using a silhouette which is the normal television technique, I taught myself stop frame animation so I could bring it to life and make it as colourful as possible, and turn it into something young children could really relate to. “I wanted to make a piece for children as a challenge, so I had to make it very visually appealing, and get my interviewees to explain things in very simple terms. Children often take whatever their parents say as the truth, and I wanted to make something that gave them a better understanding of the issues so they could make up their own minds.”
GEORGI MANOLOV Georgi Manolov has turned his childhood dream of working in aviation into reality thanks to an internship with Lufthansa Technik, set up by the University. Georgi undertook the internship as part of his degree in Aviation Technology, and was offered a full time position at the company after graduating with first class honours. He said, “My love of aviation started when I was six years old when my father took me to the airport to board a pleasure flight.” Whilst on placement, Georgi worked in the engineering department as an on-site planner, and really became part of the team. “During my placement I was invited to a team building event, during which I socialised with the other employees. My colleagues were very friendly, and keen to show me new things.” Georgi is particularly grateful for the assistance provided by Ali Kadir, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, and International, European Placement and Exchange Director. Georgi said: “He told me about the opportunity to join the team of Lufthansa Technik Sofia, which provided me with the unique opportunity to gain experience in both local and central planning - he presented me very well to the company.”
ERIK MERRIMAN English and Film Studies graduate Erik Merriman has been awarded the coveted annual essay prize by the Society of Name Studies in Britain and Ireland for his essay, Time Gentlemen Please! A Toponymic Investigation Into The Public Houses of Manchester And Their Contribution To The Linguistic Landscape. Erik, who received a first class degree last September and is now training to become a teacher, originally wrote the essay for his third year module The Language Of Names before being encouraged by his lecturer to submit a revised version to the competition – which calls for entrants which make an original contribution to their subject. Erik said: “These are fascinating old pubs which are so important to Manchester’s history, and places like the Briton’s Protection and the Peveril Of The Peak are fascinating because they seem to stand untouched, surrounded by so much modern development.”
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FEATURE
WE ARE 50 2017
marks 50 years since we received the Royal Charter, allowing us to become the University of Salford. Since then we’ve seen thousands of students come through our doors, going on to achieve fantastic successes and making a real difference to the communities around them.
Visit of Prince Philip to the Newton Building, 1978.
Both the University and city of Salford have changed a lot in the past 50 years – for some of you the landscape will look quite different from your uni days! Here we take a quick look back over some of the most memorable moments…
Visit of Her Majesty The Queen to the Royal College of Advanced Technology, 1961.
Student protesters, 1977.
1970s The University went from strength to strength in the 70’s, with sporting wins including the 1971 UAU Championship, where our rugby team beat Sheffield University in the final. The University’s Musical Arts Programme was founded in 1976 to support young student talent, and some of the most iconic names in music graced the stage of Maxwell Hall, including the Who in 1968, the Kinks in 1972 and Blondie in 1978.
1960s The end of the 1960s saw major social change take place across Salford, with the demolition of the Victorian era terraced housing and the decline of the Salford docks.
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1967 was the most memorable year for our institution, as the Royal Collage of Advanced Technology was given the royal charter by Her Majesty the Queen, to become the University of Salford. Our first Chancellor was Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who remained in the post until 1991.
The Newton Building was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1976 as the home of Computing, Science and Engineering. The Open Day in 1977 had approximately 10,000 attendees, and several new honours degrees were established including Geography in 1975 and Arts and Social Studies in 1979.
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
1980s The Salford landscape continued to change in the 80s, with the closing of the docks in 1982, and the opening of Salford Crescent train station in 1987. The 1980s also saw a cohort of students graduate to become highly influential in their respective sectors, such as Javid Khan, the Chief Executive of Barnardos, Andrew Bond, former CEO of ASDA, and Dr David Tupman, former Vice President of hardware engineering for iPhone and iPod.
Salford entered the digital era in the 00s, as Professor Bob Wood led us boldly into the new Millennium with the UK’s first inaugural lecture delivered live over the internet. Our campus began to transform with the opening of several new facilities, including our nursing and health sciences suites at Mary Seacole in 2006 and the new home of Salford Business School, Lady Hale building in 2008.
Construction also began on our campus at MediaCityUK 2007, which would open for students in 2011. In 2009 we opened our Human Performance Lab, where our students work alongside both elite athletes and the public to develop strength and conditioning programmes.
2000s
Below: MediaCityUK, Salford Quays
Above: Salford College of Technology fashion and art expo, 1987. Margaret Thatcher arriving to open the Industrial Centre, 1982.
2010s 1990s
of honorary degree, 1992. Below: Salford Lads Club serving the community since 1903.
The 1990s ushered in the age of ‘Madchester’, and reflecting Greater Manchester’s prominence in the British music scene, we launched the UK’s first ever honours degree in Popular Music and Recordings. In 1996 we opened our new Department of Midwifery, beginning our legacy of training passionate and successful midwives.
In 2014, Salford Business School won Business School of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards, reflecting over 25 years of excellence in business management and education. We also opened our award-winning Patient Simulation and Therapeutic Counselling Suites in 2016, allowing our students to learn in a near real-life setting whilst being supported by our expert staff. Today our campus continues to evolve. New Adelphi, our state-of-the-art building opened its doors in 2016. New Adelphi is the driving force for the creative and cultural life of the University, underpinning our creative and digital Industry Collaboration Zone (ICZ).
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FEATURE
CHANGING LIVES WITH PHILANTHROPY Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and friends, we can continue to fund scholarships and bursaries for gifted individuals who would otherwise have not been able to attend university.
Philanthropy also supports cutting-edge research and special projects on campus that have real impact on the communities around us, and it provides experiences that enrich the learning and personal development of our current students during their time at Salford. These three projects are just a snapshot of the many ways in which the generosity of our alumni and friends have transformed students experiences at Salford.
FORMULA SALFORD Formula Salford is a shining example of the diversity of student projects taking place across campus. Formula Student - one of the biggest student competitions in the world, organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Our team of students are from mechanical, civil and aero engineering backgrounds, as well as Salford
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Business School, and from all levels of study from first year undergraduates to PhD. Working together to build an F1 type car, and competing against hundreds of other teams from around the world, they must demonstrate that their prototype is not only high performance and reliable on the track, but also that it is a viable business model for hypothetical manufacturing firms. The competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers and encourage more young people to take up a career in engineering. The benefits of the competition are impressive: students gain vital experience of working as a team, time management, project management, budgeting and presentation, giving them the edge when approaching potential employers. Formula Student graduates also find that the professionalism they gain as practising engineers means they are well equipped for their future engineering careers.
The Salford team have achieved impressive results so far; competing in 2016 they came 18th out of 34 teams in class 2, despite being the smallest team at the competition. They also competed at Formula Student 2017 in class 2 at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, on 20-23 July. Nathan Hall, Business Director at Formula Salford said, “We would like to thank the donors that have allowed us to bring this project forward even closer to reality; allowing us to build a team and build the foundation for the future of engineers in Salford. By no means is this the end result; only the start of an extensive project with the potential to impact hundreds of students. During this journey, the generosity of the fund will be remembered by promoting the good it has caused.�
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
INSPIRING YOUNG CHEMISTS AT THE SATURDAY SCIENCE CLUB The Saturday Science Club is the creation of Dr Steven Rossington and his PhD students, who were passionate about sharing their love of chemistry with young people. Since 2012, Dr Rossington and his postgraduates have opened up Salford’s state-of-the-art chemistry labs to GCSE and A-level students aged 14-18 years old. These free sessions give them a unique chance to discover more about chemical sciences and gain valuable laboratory skills.
understanding of course material by teaching others. The scheme provides valuable experience for students considering a future career in teaching, while at the same time encouraging more young people to continue studying chemistry at university level.
Salford students working alongside Dr Rossington also get the chance to develop their demonstration and communication techniques, as well as show their
If you know a local young person with a love of chemistry, you can find out more at: www.srossingtonchem.com/saturdaychemistry-club.html
Since the Saturday Science Club started, over 240 students from years 7-13 have taken part in over 60 sessions.
SUPPORTING WELLBEING WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID The Salford Psychological First Aid workshop is a one-day training course, developed by Dr Mark Widdowson, senior lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy and a psychotherapist with over 20 years’ experience. Since the workshop began, over 25 staff, students and members of the local Salford community have been trained in psychological first aid. The course covers a range of topics around mental health, to give participants a better understanding of conditions such as anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders, as well as advice on how to respond effectively to others in distress. This will better equip them to help members, friends, colleagues, and others around them. Mark developed the workshops after being asked for advice from friends who had found themselves in situations where they had needed to support someone, and were worried about saying the wrong thing. Mark was also worried at the growing trend for worsening mental health amongst students, and wanted to give the community practical tools to help one another.
/ GET INVOLVED There are various ways for you to get involved with the great work we’re doing at Salford: Keep in touch with us by making sure your details are up to date – go to: www.salford.ac.uk/stayconnected If you’d like to make a donation to us online, you can do so here: www.salford.ac.uk/donate Or if you’d like to come back to campus and get involved with a project, let us know via: www.salford.ac.uk/alumni/get-involved
Dr Mark Widdowson winning the first ever International Transactional Analysis Association’s Research Award in 2017
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OUR ALUMNI
“WINNING AN OSCAR WAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE” Despite only graduating six years ago, Fonzo Romano has already reached what is probably the highest achievement for an animator – winning an Oscar for his work on the 2016 Disney film The Jungle Book.
“WINNING
an Oscar was the best experience of my life. It’s a great sense of accomplishment having a dream to animate things for others to see and so early on in your career that something you animated has won the biggest award in the world for animation.”
final year project. He says the key to this success was all in the planning. “I knew it was a one-person project so I knew I would have as much time at each step, from the modelling to the texturing to the animation. So I tried to keep things as simple as possible and as realistic as I could to my skills at the time. In the end I was able to finish it and be proud of it and win an award.”
Fonzo first came to Salford as an Erasmus student whilst studying Cinema back in his home country of Portugal. He was sold on the 3D Animation element of the course, and fell in love with Salford too.
Since his first job animating the children’s TV show Babar, he’s built an impressive CV with blockbuster films such as Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men Apocalypse and Life.
“Since I joined I knew this was my place. I like the city here so much, the student life so much. So I asked for a transfer and they accepted and it was two wonderful years of being here. It’s amazing all the memories I have from here. It’s definitely a second home for me.” Fonzo has been winning awards for his work since his uni days, when he won a Royal Television Society student award for his
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Following this incredible success, Fonzo has an even more exciting project coming up – the live action/3D animation remake of The Lion King. “It was the first movie I watched as a kid in the cinema, so it’s very special to me. It’s also my favourite movie of all time. After the experience of The Jungle Book, I’ll come back as a better animator. I’m really excited to start work, it should be really cool.”
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
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FEATURE
WHAT’S IN
STORE?
FOR THE UNIVERSITY’S ART COLLECTION As part of our year-long 50th anniversary celebrations, the University’s Art Collection was exhibited at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery, broadening our partnership with our neighbouring cultural hub.
OUR
Collection began in 1969 and now contains around 700 works ranging from: traditional prints by LS Lowry and Adolphe Valette; bold prints by Modern British Artists Patrick Hughes and Bridget Riley; to contemporary artworks by local and international artists such as Sarah Hardacre and Cao Fei.
ambitious and innovative in their programming and provides unique opportunities for audience and student engagement, and ensures a long term legacy. The Art Collection Team have established strong relationship with significant arts organisations, including Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA), HOME and Castlefield Gallery.
The exhibition charts the life of the Collection from its beginnings, including the Collection’s first artwork, a painting by a Mexican artist Alfonzo Padilla, through to artworks acquired recently which reflect the three current collecting strands of ‘Chinese Contemporary Art’, ‘From the North’, and ‘About the Digital’.
Through the collecting strands and collaborations with partners the curatorial direction is to establish and develop a collection which is distinctive and tells the story of ‘now’; giving current audiences access to contemporary art whilst also leaving a legacy for future generations.
A distinct aspect of the Collection is that there is no permanent gallery in which to display the works; this has led to interesting and rewarding ways of working for the Art Collection Team. Now, and over the past four years, artworks for the Collection are co-commissioned or purchased through working with and developing local, national and international partnerships with arts organisations and artists’ studios: with the artworks exhibiting at the partner venues before entering the University Art Collection. Working collaboratively allows the Art Collection Team and its partners to be more
The partnership with Salford Museum and Art Gallery is broadening and plans for future projects are planned. Earlier this year an agreement was signed between the University, Salford City Council and Arts Council England outlining the commitment to put culture at the heart of the regeneration of Salford.
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Adolphe Valette, Romiley (1916)
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Sarah Hardacre, Arms Open to Welcome the Sun (2012)
To find out more, visit: artcollection.salford.ac.uk/whats-in-store Keep up to date with Salford’s arts team on Twitter: @UoSArts 37
HONORARY GRADUATES
INTRODUCING THIS YEAR’S
HONORARY GRADUATES
Each year we award Honorary Degrees to individuals with a link to the University, our work, or the Salford region, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to society. This is one of the highest honours the University can bestow, and we are delighted to say that many of these individuals also studied at Salford.
PROFESSOR JUERGEN MAIER,
ALICE WEBB, DIRECTOR,
BEHROOZ BARZEGAR,
Chief Executive, Siemens plc Doctor of Science, honoris causa
BBC Children’s and BBC North Doctor of Arts, honoris causa
previous role as VP at Airbus Doctor of Science, honoris causa
Juergen joined Siemens in 1986 with a BSc in Production Engineering from Nottingham
Alice has been the Director of BBC Children’s since February 2015, adding the BBC in the North to her remit in May 2016.
Alumnus Behrooz Barzegar was born in Tehran, in 1953. He joined Salford University to study Aeronautical Engineering Science and continued to a Master’s degree (MSc) in 1979.
Trent University, and was appointed Chief Executive of Siemens in July 2014 after holding senior roles within the company in the UK and Germany. He was made an honorary professor of Engineering at the University of Manchester in March 2014. He is a passionate advocate of the UK engineering industry, and has supported many UK-wide initiatives championing manufacturing, improved infrastructure and engineering skills. He has recently been asked by the Government to lead a new review on Industrial Digitalisation for UK Manufacturing. Juergen also supports the modern reindustrialisation of the Northern Powerhouse, and is Chairman of the North West Business Leadership team. He is also a board member of Greater Manchester LEP, as well as the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
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Passionate about the BBC’s presence in the north, Alice’s extended role sees her driving creativity, collaboration and local partnerships across the whole of the North of England. Prior to joining BBC Children’s, Alice was Chief Operating Officer (COO), BBC England, and previously Chief Operating Officer (COO), BBC North, where she worked alongside Peter Salmon to successfully orchestrate the huge move from London to Salford in 2011. Alice supports a range of organisations, as a member of the Royal Foundation’s Cyberbullying Taskforce and a Trustee of BBC Children in Need, as well as the Greater Manchester Art Centre (HOME).
Behrooz joined the Scottish Division Aerodynamics and Flight Test team of British Aerospace. He quickly rose to the position of Chief Aerodynamicist for all British Aerospace civil projects. He went on to become the Head of Flight Engineering and was in control of the maiden flight of the Jetstream41 from the control tower. In 1996, he was seconded to Indonesia to spearhead the development of the N250 aircraft, where he led 8000 strong engineering workforce. In 1998, Behrooz joined Airbus and became a member of the double-deck super jumbo project. He was appointed as Vice President Aerodynamics, leading 500 scientists across four sites in Europe.
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
NICOLA MENDELSON, CBE,
NIKI BIRRELL,
MIKE FLEWITT,
Vice President, Facebook EMEA Doctor of Arts, honoris causa
British Paralympic sailor Doctor of Science, honoris causa
Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Doctor of Science, honoris causa
Nicola Mendelsohn has been the Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Facebook since 2013.
Alumnus Niki has been sailing since the age of 7, when his parents bought him and his brother their first boat.
In addition, she is currently the co-chair of the Creative Industries Council alongside Secretaries of State for DCMS and BEIS – a joint forum between the UK creative industries and government. She is also a Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and serves on The Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board. She and her husband are copresidents of the charity Norwood.
Whilst studying at Salford, the pair competed at the 420 World Championships finishing mid fleet. Following his graduation in 2007, he became a full-time member of the British Sailing Team in the Paralympic Sailing Team.
Alumnus Mike Flewitt joined McLaren Automotive as Chief Operating Officer in June 2012 and became Chief Executive Officer in July 2013. Since becoming CEO, he has presided over the significant growth of the business, in terms of product development, turnover and profit.
In 2015, Nicola was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the creative industries in the UK.
Niki competed in his first Paralympic Games in 2008 in Beijing where his team finished fifth. After training hard for a further four years, they competed at London 2012, winning a Bronze Medal. Four years later, they were fortunate enough to be selected again to represent the country at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Prior to joining McLaren Automotive, Mike held senior roles at Ford, WR Group Limited, AutoNova AB and Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars Limited. He qualified in Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering in 1987 and completed a post-graduate qualification in Management and Project Management at University of Salford in 1996.
MARNIE MILLARD,
CAT LEWIS,
DAVE COOKE,
Chief Executive, Nichols PLC Doctor of Science, honoris causa
Executive Producer and Chief Executive, Nine Lives Media Doctor of Arts, honoris causa
Teams 4 U
Marnie is Group Chief Executive for Nichols PLC, the home of Vimto. She joined the company in 2012 as Managing Director of the UK Soft Drinks Division and was appointed to her current role in May 2013. Nichols PLC supports Warrington Youth Club in their aim to support and inspire young people to achieve their goals and dreams. To support this tremendous charity, Marnie and a group of 11 women from Vimto climbed Kilimanjaro in March 2016 to raise over £50k.
Cat Lewis is an Executive Producer and CEO of Manchester based independent production company, Nine Lives Media, which she launched in 2007. The company makes documentaries, factual-entertainment formats, drama documentaries, children’s programmes and current affairs for all the major UK broadcasters and for American channels.
Doctor of Letters, honoris causa Moved by the harrowing images of Romania’s orphanages in the 1990s, Dave and his friends established Operation Christmas Child (OCC). Just two months later, a convoy of 9 trucks departed Wrexham heading for Romania with over £600,000 of aid. Operation Christmas Child has since become the largest shoebox operation in the world.
Cat has won two BAFTAs, two national Royal Television Society awards, an International Emmy and many other awards.
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OUR ALUMNI
DAWN SMAIL Dawn came to Salford as a mature student and single parent, unsure of where she wanted to go in life. Having taken a course in counselling, she felt inspired to become a psychologist.
THROUGH
Salford’s alternative entry scheme, Dawn was able to use her life and work experiences to access her degree course, giving her the opportunity to pursue her dream. “I got through the process and I really valued my place and knew I had to put 100% into it because I’d been given a chance,” she said. “The first year I felt totally out my depth because lots of students came straight from their A-levels and had a background in psychology. That first year I did terribly, but it motivated me to do better and in the second two years I flourished, and I ended up doing my dissertation on computerised CBT.”
One student said that if they hadn’t taken part then they probably wouldn’t have stayed in university.” 40
Drawing on her own life experiences, Dawn became interested in using CBT to help those in financial difficulty, as she noticed that many people in debt suffered from stress and anxiety. After completing her Master’s she became a full-time money support advisor at a housing trust, and began to pitch for funding to develop her own model of CBT that could help support those in debt. She won the funding and with the help of her supervisor, piloted the
scheme with Salford students. “There were so many positive outcomes, there were positive behaviour changes in the students and they had the confidence to be able to approach their financial difficulties. It was amazing hearing the stories at the end of it; one student said that if they hadn’t taken part then they probably wouldn’t have stayed in university.” “The paper was published which was amazing and now we’re piloting it in the community working with two organisations who have come on board to help me with it. Some other organisations that are interested in working with me are colleges and schools, so I’ll be adapting the programme to suit a younger audience too.” “Networking is key and I love bringing people together, which I think it one of my assets. One opportunity leads to another. That’s what I’d tell students; just get as much experience as possible. From having a little seed of an idea to getting a mentor I’ve pursued my dream and it’s help me to understand a business and led me to where I am today.”
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
PERSPECTIVES RESEARCH AND ENTERPRISE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD Research at Salford spans a diverse and fascinating range of disciplines, with one unifying aim: furthering knowledge to improve the lives of those around us.
COMPULSIVE BUYING
EXPLAINED MANY of us have been guilty of compulsive buying at one time or another – when we’re feeling low, splurging on something new can help pick up our mood for a while. But for some, compulsive buying can spiral into an expensive addiction with serious consequences.
New research led by Agata MaccarroneEaglen, senior lecturer in International Marketing at Salford, could help explain compulsive buying and develop a new screening tool to diagnose and help people avoid the worst consequences of the condition. Compulsive buying is a complex behavioural addiction which compels people to purchase things they don’t need, in order to reduce anxiety or bolster low self-esteem. Recent estimates suggest that the condition is becoming more widespread, with about 1.9% of the population severely affected, particularly in lower income and younger age groups. It
can have profound psychological and financial consequences for sufferers and their families. The new study, just published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, has re-examined compulsive buying, tested existing screening tools and developed an effective way for the condition to be diagnosed. Agata explained: “What seems to be happening is that compulsion to buy is an uncontrollable reaction to anxiety and/or low self-esteem, having similar characteristics to addiction; it makes people buy things and spend excessively and they are unable to rationalise their behaviour.” She adds: “Our study develops a new screening tool for compulsive buying and provides improved opportunities for more effective diagnosis and intervention, which will enable people to resolve the underlying issues and avoid the potentially devastating consequences of the disorder.”
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PERSPECTIVES
SALFORD DISCOVERY DELIVERS ONE-TWO PUNCH FOR CANCER STEM CELLS SALFORD researchers have discovered a new way to tackle the growth of cancer stem cells, which fuel the growth of fatal tumours. In a new experimental strategy, the researchers have shown how a one-two combination of antibiotics and vitamin C were surprisingly effective at killing the cancer stem cells in the lab. The antibiotic, Doxycycline, followed by doses of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), effectively deliver what in boxing terms would be the equivalent of two blows delivered in rapid succession; a lefthand jab, followed by a right cross. The researchers say their method offers a new explanation for how to prevent cancer cells from becoming treatment-resistant and how combinations therapies can be developed to overcome drug resistance.
STARVING CANCER CELLS Professor Michael Lisanti, who designed the study, explained: “We now know that a proportion of cancer cells escape chemotherapy and develop drug resistance; we
established this new strategy to find out how they do it. “We suspected the answer lay in the fact that certain cancer cells – which we call metabolically flexible - are able to switch their fuel source. Thus, when the drug
WHEN THE DRUG TREATMENT REDUCES THE AVAILABILITY OF A PARTICULAR NUTRIENT, THE FLEXIBLE CANCER CELLS CAN FEED THEMSELVES WITH AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE treatment reduces the availability of a particular nutrient, the flexible cancer cells can feed themselves with an alternative energy source.” This new combination approach prevents cancer cells from switching their fuel source – making them metabolically inflexible - and effectively starves them. The team at the University of Salford’s Biomedical Research Centre added Doxycycline in ever-increasing doses over a three-month period, to induce metabolic inflexibility. The result was to leave the cancer cells alive, but severely weakened and depleted, so that they would be much more susceptible to starvation, by a second metabolic “punch”.
AN EFFECTIVE COMBINATION The Salford team recently showed Vitamin C to be up to ten times more effective at stopping cancer cell growth than pharmaceuticals such as 2-DG, but
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they say that when Vitamin C is combined with an antibiotic, it is up to ten times more effective, making it nearly 100 times more effective than 2-DG. As Doxycycline and Vitamin C are both relatively non-toxic, this could dramatically reduce the possible side-effects of anti-cancer therapy.
HOPE FOR CLINICAL TRIALS The Salford team also identified eight other drugs that could be used as a “second-punch” after the antibiotic regime, including berberine (a natural product) – and a number of cheap non-toxic FDA approved drugs. Professor Lisanti added: “This is further evidence that Vitamin C and other non-toxic compounds may have a role to play in the fight against cancer. “Our results indicate it is a promising agent for clinical trials, and a as an add-on to more conventional therapies, to prevent tumour recurrence, further disease progression and metastasis.”
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
Researchers are looking for parents of babies to take part in the first study its kind aimed at transforming our understanding of how young children’s feet develop as they learn to walk.
SALFORD STUDY TO UNDERSTAND PATTER OF TINY FEET DO you have a little one just learning to walk? If so, you could take part in an ambitious new study by Salford researchers which aims to understand more about how children take their first steps. The five-year scheme consists of two studies: ‘Small Steps’, which will establish an understanding of foot development as children learn to walk, and ‘Little Footnotes’, which will build up a picture of how parents and guardians get information about children’s foot health. Small Steps is the most ambitious study of its kind to date. Purpose-built ‘baby spaces’ have been designed to look as much as possible like nurseries, creating a natural setting for the study. The team will invite parents to return over the course of a year to look at how their children’s feet continue to develop as they grow and begin to walk with more confidence. As part of Little Footnotes, the team will talk to groups of parents and carers, as well as looking
at data from online forums and chatrooms to find out what factors influence decisions around buying shoes. They will also be talking to major footwear brands and health professionals such as Health Visitors and Podiatrists. The outcomes may be used to inform parents and carers about issues such as how and when they should buy their children’s first shoes. Professor Chris Nester, Research Programme Leader at Salford, said: “Buying your child’s first pair of shoes is such an important moment, but there’s a huge gap in our knowledge about how children’s feet develop during this crucial time. “This research will enable us to build up a detailed understanding of children’s foot development and our findings could have huge implications in the future – by providing parents with accurate advice, helping footwear manufacturers design better products, and enabling health professionals to give appropriate support.
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OUR ALUMNI
This year we are delighted to award a very special group of alumni with an Alumni Achievement Award. These awards allow us to celebrate and recognise the many diverse achievements of our growing and vibrant alumni community – locally, nationally and across the world. Winners are invited to receive their award at a special ceremony held in December.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2017
SAVE THE DATE Join us on Thursday 7th December as we present this year's winners at our annual Salford Alumni Celebration event.
DR. SUKUMAR DEVOTTA,
AFONSO (FONZO) ROMANO,
HEATHER OGBURN MBE,
Master’s in Chemical Engineering, 1984
BA Animation, 2011
BSc Sociology, 1979
Dr. S. Devotta, Former director of CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur (2003-2008) serves as a Chemical and Environmental Engineering Consultant. He has contributed immensely to the field of Energy and Environment and continues to serve in many prestigious National and International Committees such as the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) on Hazardous Waste. Most notably, in 2007, Sukumar was working for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) alongside Al Gore Jr, when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change”. Dr. Devotta also co-authored a highly acclaimed book “Thermodynamic Design Data for Heat Pump Systems.” As an appreciation for the technical and scientific leadership in Environment Protection, he was awarded the prestigious United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) “Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award” for 1997.
Fonzo Romano is an Oscar-winning animator, who has worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, Exodus, Xmen: Apocalypse and the Jungle Book - for which he won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He is currently working on a live action version of the Lion King, which is due to be released in 2019. In six years since his graduation, Fonzo has achieved the most significant award possible in his industry at just 27 years old. You can find out more about Fonzo on page 34.
Heather has worked in education for 38 years, firstly as a teacher and now as a Senior Education Adviser. In this time she has been instrumental in supporting thousands of young people through their learning, including regular volunteering to ensure pupils have access to outdoor learning; the world of drama and dance, plus engaging in major civic and city events to foster citizenship and community integration. In recent years, since taking responsibility for Service and Veterans’ children in Plymouth, she founded and leads the international Service and Veterans’ children’s voice group, MKC Heroes (MKCH). For her dedication to the Armed Forces community and education, she received an MBE in 2015. Participation in the scheme has grown considerably under Heather’s leadership, rising from 40 local children to 10,000 across the UK and beyond. Beyond MKCH, Heather is working with a focus on developing the voice of young people in their community through our Plymouth City Youth Council.
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FROM SALFORD 2017/18
PROFESSOR ADRIAN HOBBS CBE, BSc Honours Mechanical Engineering, 1969 Professor Adrian Hobbs CBE is a worldrenowned expert in road and vehicle safety. He was initially an engineer and later Chief Research Scientist at the Transport Research Laboratory. His research led to the mandatory wearing of seatbelts, the development of a comprehensive frontal crash test and the car safety organisation EuroNCAP. Adrian also provided advice to organisations such as the World Bank, World Health Organisation, European Commission. At its 20th anniversary in 2017, Euro NCAP was credited with having saved in excess of 78,000 lives in Europe and is generally acknowledged as having been the most effective measure in reducing road accident casualties.
Rising Stars This year we introduced a new category, ‘Rising Star’, to celebrate our upcoming alumni talent who are on their way to great success. TERESA MCMAHON, BA JOURNALISM: MULTIMEDIA, 2016 Teresa came to Salford as a mature student and single mum of a nine-year-old daughter. Throughout her degree she managed to secure placements with Manchester Evening News, the BBC and ITV. After graduating with a first, she was offered a prestigious trainee scheme from both the BBC and ITV, choosing the latter and going on to win an ING award for her web coverage of the Boxing Day floods for Granada Reports. She currently produces the morning, lunch and evening bulletins for Granada and travels the country giving advice to potential trainees.
MICHAEL MAYREN, BACHELOR OF ARTS IN FASHION: IMAGE MAKING AND STYLING, 2012 On graduation Michael immediately came to the attention of fashion magazine editors with his photographic series of young boxers in Northern England. Michael’s portraits helped herald a new male aesthetic characterised by emotional complexity, diversity and authenticity. Since then Michael’s work has been published in international fashion titles Dazed & Confused, i-D, GQ Style and L’Uumo Vogue. Continuing his pioneering vision, Michael founded the Manchester male casting agency Brother, which represents boys from all backgrounds, races, religions and sexualities for major international brands such as Stella McCartney, Lee Jeans, Kenzo and Nike. Meanwhile Michael has never stopped supporting Salford, taking students as interns and giving inspirational talks.
ALI NOWROOZI, MSc Business Management and Marketing (Management Practice on RE), 2009
MARK AIREY BEM, BSc Sports Rehabilitation, 1990 After graduating from Salford, Mark set up his own gym and rehabilitation business employing numerous Salford graduates. He then went on to work at the military rehabilitation centre at Headley Court. Whilst there he set up the charity Team True Spirit, which trained injured military personal to be able to undertake Ironman triathlons. Mark’s work with both his own charity and with Help for Heroes earned him an OBE. He continues to work for Help for Heroes at their rehabilitation centre at Catterick.
Ali was General Manager for Dimples Ltd, a distributor of wigs and hair systems for cancer and alopecia patients. You can find out more about Ali on page 28.
Ali graduated from Salford Business School in 2009 with an MSc in Business Management and Marketing, and with the help of Manchester’s Business Growth Hub he set up his own business in 2015. Avakino Ltd – Purity headwear by Masumi, is a headwear designer and supplier, which now has over 40 clients including two of the biggest NHS cancer trusts in the country. The company has also secured distributors in Denmark, Spain, Sweden, France, Ireland and New York, and is currently designing and creating an exclusive collection of Masumi products for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Before this,
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FEATURE
FundUS
MAKES STUDENT PROJECTS STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
IN OUR
50th year we’ve launched a new now launched a new and innovative way to help fund vital student and community projects, with our very own crowdfunding platform, FundUS. You may already be familiar with crowdfunding, or even given to a project yourself. Now, it’s taking the world of university fundraising by storm. Crowdfunding our projects allows you to donate directly to causes that are important to you, with regular updates on how your donation is being used to bring the greatest benefit to current and future students. FundUS will support a wide variety of projects that have been carefully selected by the Alumni Engagement & Development team, including projects to sponsor students to go on placements, to help provide resources to our many clubs and societies, or ensure that student groups can really achieve their full potential. Our first fundraising project was Salford Knowledge 4 Change, which is already helping to improve lives in Uganda through our work at the Kagote health centre, which you can read about on page 13. We have successfully crowdfunded for a team of six Prosthetics and Orthotics students to travel to Uganda on a four-week placement, to support Ninsiima, a woman whom the team
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first met when helping to deliver her baby. Ninsiima lost both of her hands in a domestic dispute with her partner and is now struggling to care for her children as a result. The team travelled to Uganda in August to complete their work with Ninsiima and fit the prosthetics. Now that the first crowdfunding project has been completed, the Alumni Engagement & Development team are welcoming pitches from student groups from across the campus, to find the next worthy project. The students are asked to formally pitch their ideas and compile a project plan, allowing them to practice budgeting skills and maximising their social media reach, thus providing participants with real world skills that equip them for their future careers.
Ninsiima, beneficiary of the Salford Knowledge for Change project
We hope to bring you even more news of our successes in providing much needed funds in order for student initiatives to take flight. Watch this space for news of the next crowdfunding project by following the Salford Alumni social media channels.
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
TAKE YOUR SEAT IN THE NEW ADELPHI THEATRE… Name a seat in the New Adelphi Theatre to commemorate a special moment, as a dedication to a loved one or as a unique gift idea.
YOU
now have the opportunity to name your very own seat in the 350-seat New Adelphi theatre on Peel Park campus. New Adelphi is our state-of-the-art hub for creativity and culture, reflecting our ongoing commitment to nurturing young talent at Salford and providing a rich environment for students of the arts for years to come. By naming a seat, you’ll be making a gift to your University, whilst leaving a lasting legacy on campus. You can choose which of our priority areas to support with your donation, which will help countless students to realise their potential and take advantage of all that a Salford education has to offer. In recognition of your gift you will receive: / A personalised plaque attached to the seat, bearing your chosen message / Acknowledgement of your support on our website and in publications /A certificate with the name for your plaque and your message, for you to keep or give to the person you wish to recognise To find out more and to name your seat online please visit newadelphiseat.salford.ac.uk Gifts of £500 are recognised with a named seat in the front row stalls. As the theatre seating configuration is flexible, front row stalls seats guarantee that your seat will be front row in all seat configurations. Gifts of £350 recognised with a name plaque in standard seating. All seats will be named for 10 years, allowing you to be part of our future for years to come. If you would like to discuss your support or have any questions regarding naming a New Adelphi Theatre seat please contact: Claire Green on 0161 295 6538 or email c.l.green@salford.ac.uk.
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FROM
Salford
BENEFITS& SERVICES As a Salford alumnus you’re part of our community for life – meaning you can access a range of invaluable benefits and services any time you need them. We’ll also let you know about our latest news and events, so you can stay connected with your university. HEALTH CLINICS The School of Health Sciences have stateof-the-art facilities to help you improve your fitness and performance at competitive rates. Take advantage of the Podiatry Clinics, Running Performance Clinics, and Sports Injury, Exercise and Rehabilitation Clinics. Please visit www.salford.ac.uk/health-sciences/facilities
SPORTS CENTRE You can access the University’s Sports Centre at fantastic rates and enjoy facilities including the swimming pool, sauna, spa and fitness classes. Find out more at www.sport.salford.ac.uk
With Salford’s Campus Leagues programme you can stay involved in team sports, playing against staff, students and other alumni in a fun, social and semi-competitive league, or in the Castle Irwell Cup, our annual alumni vs students sports event. Find out more www. salfordstudents.com/sport/campus-leagues
£
FEE DISCOUNTS
As a Salford graduate, you are eligible for a 25% loyalty discount on postgraduate study. Graduates are also eligible for a 10-15% discount on continuing professional development courses by Salford Professional Development. Please visit: www.salford. ac.uk/onecpd
YOUR UNIVERSITY – YOUR CAREER Our careers service isn’t just for current students – as alumni, you have lifelong access that you can call on at any point in your career. 48
WIN
CAMPUS LEAGUES
RECENT GRADUATES COULD WIN £500 FOR JUST TEN MINUTES OF YOUR TIME. The Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education survey (DLHE) is a national survey which all universities conduct to find out what graduates are doing six months after leaving university. It asks about your employment, further study and other activities you are involved in. Make sure you complete DLHE when you get the email in December. Find out more here: www.salford.ac.uk/dlhe
YOU CAN: / Access careers consultants / Book CV writing workshops and interview prep sessions / Attend careers fairs / Advertise your vacancies / Access start-up expertise / Find jobs on an exclusive portal
FROM SALFORD 2017/18
ALUMNI REUNIONS At Salford, we understand that the University holds a very dear place in the hearts of our alumni. In May we were delighted to host a very special reunion for a group of Civil Engineering alumni, all of whom graduated in 1971. The group, who from left to right are Alan Buckley, Barry Fletcher, Frank Ince, Martyn
Veal and Roger Bravey, were taken on a tour of the campus and even took the opportunity to recreate a photograph originally taken when they were students here over 45 years ago. If you are thinking of getting the gang back together, or would just like to take a trip down memory lane we would be very happy to hear from you.
We can assist you in the organisation of your reunion by arranging a tour and even help track down those fellow students you may have lost touch with. Please contact alumni@ salford.ac.uk or call 0161 295 4265 for more information.
THE ‘LIBRARY IN THE PARK’ Inspired by the beautiful green surroundings of Peel Park, our Clifford Whitworth Library is undergoing a £6.2 million redevelopment, to create ‘the library in the park’. The first phase of the project has already been completed, with two of the three floors transformed with bright, fresh study areas, new furniture, lighting, PCs and power outlets. These changes were made in response to students’ concerns, and initial feedback has been very positive. Sam Grogan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Student Experience, commented, “The whole redesign
has a much lighter, more spacious feel to it, whilst at the same time retaining the opportunity for students to find a cosy quiet corner to work. I was struck by the way the areas were being used by students – individual students using the same spaces very differently and yet happily co-existing without disrupting one another.” As Salford alumni, you can use any of the reference books, community access PCs, quiet spaces and study rooms, and take out up to four books at a time. So why not pay us a visit and see the changes for yourself – you might end up losing a few hours enjoying the view of campus from one of our new deck chairs!
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FROM
Salford
In memoriam
Here we remember and celebrate the lives of our colleagues, alumni and friends of the University who have recently passed away. DAVID COLLINS We were all immensely shocked to hear of the sudden passing of our colleague Professor David Collins last September, who was an extremely knowledgeable and passionate member of our School of Environment and Life Sciences. As David joined Salford as Professor of Physical Geography in 1999, there will be many of you who will remember him.
to help others achieve their goals. His legacies include the community of students, graduates and fellow academics whose careers and experiences have been supported and enhanced by his wealth of knowledge and expertise, vibrancy and generosity. David’s loss is felt profoundly at Salford, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family.
FRAZER REID We were extremely saddened to hear of the loss of Frazer Reid to cancer in October 2016. Frazer graduated from BSc Media at Salford in 2003, under the academic leadership of Walt Denning and Laurence Murphy.
David began his career after graduating from the University of Cambridge, completing his PhD at the University of Nottingham and holding various academic posts at Liverpool, Manchester and Oxford. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science by the University of Manchester in 1997, and in 1998, received the Busk Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. He worked with generations of students to maintain the longest, most detailed record of Alpine meltwater quality in existence, at Gornergletscher between June and September each year for over 40 years. In the 2000s, his attention also turned to climate and water resources in the Himalayan headwaters of the Indus and through the EU High Noon project on the Ganges. David was known for being extremely generous with his time and would go above and beyond
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university days, visiting locations for student film shoots and remembering drinks at the Drive Bar - he never forgot the spirit of the city. Frazer married his best friend Anna Louise Baker in September 2016 in the Surrey Hills of Guildford, and died a month later under the compassionate care of the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, aged 41.
ANTHONY WILLIAM QUINNEY CEng CSci MIChemE BSc Chemical Engineering, 1976 Tony graduated with an honours degree in Chemical Engineering from Salford in 1976. He began his career as a chemical engineer at Robinson Brothers, chemical manufacturers in West Bromwich. When he retired through ill health just before his death on 17th July 2015, Tony was the site engineering manager for the company. Tony is very sadly missed by his wife, Linda, their daughters, Eleanor and Frances and their families and his many friends and colleagues.
SIMON, (SI) HANDS 1983-2017 He forged an outstanding career in the 13 years after graduation, spending four years working at the BBC in Aberdeen, before moving to the South East to work on outside broadcasts at Twickenham, Premier League fixtures, and racing at Ascot and Cheltenham. Major broadcast projects included Wimbledon, The London 2012 games, the Glasgow Commonwealth games, and the Royal Wedding in 2011 where Frazer scaled Westminster Abbey’s bell tower to capture incredible aerial shots of Kate Middleton’s bridal train. 12 years after graduating, Frazer returned to Salford and Manchester to reminisce about his
Si Hands, who has died at the age of 33, was a Media and Performance student between 2005 and 2009. He left to develop a number of interests, including his work as a talented graphic designer and photographer. It is his work as a youth leader, however, at youth camps in Britain and around the world, that has left an indelible impression on hundreds of people. The outpouring of grief and the gratitude and admiration expressed in the many tributes paid to him testify to Si’s extraordinary gift for forging friendships and encouraging good work in others. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered as a funny and adventurous source of energy and inspiration to many.
However high you set your sights – taking the next big leap in your career, honing your skills in a specialist area, or taking a new path altogether – studying for a postgraduate qualification with us can help you get there.
As Salford graduate, you’re eligible for a
discount on postgraduate courses.*
POSTGRADUATE STUDY AT SALFORD DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN NOW APPLY FOR A LOAN TO COVER THE COST OF POSTGRADUATE STUDY? All taught or research Master’s are eligible, and you can borrow up to £10,280 to help with fees and living costs. Loans are available for full-time Master’s lasting up to two years and part-time Master’s lasting up to four years. Repayments start once you’re earning over £21,000, at 6% of your income over this amount. Interest will be charged at RPI+3%.
For more information, visit:
www.salford.ac.uk/study/ postgraduate Or, come visit us in person at one of our Postgraduate Open Days: 29 November 2017 28 February 2018 23 May 2018 *Discount applies to courses commencing in 2018
Alumni Engagement University of Salford The Crescent Salford, M5 4WT United Kingdom t: +44 (0) 161 295 4265 e: alumni@salford.ac.uk
www.salford.ac.uk/alumni