DialogueWLV SPRING/SUMMER 2013 ISSUE 18
17 What price peace?
23 Do the Catwalk
28 Game of Two Halves
An insight into the effects of the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Stunning designs from the University’s fashion students.
Wolverhampton’s Jacqui Oatley on her rise to Match of the Day.
Battling Brain Tumours World leading research tackles brain cancer page 12.
DialogueWLV Welcome I’d like to welcome you to the all-new Dialogue WLV. For those of you who are regular readers, you will have noticed we have undergone a transformation – we hope you like the results. Dialogue WLV aims to showcase the very best the University of Wolverhampton has to offer from its world class research, broad range of academic expertise, student successes and how we operate with the wider world whether that be in education, business or the community.
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In addition to that we want it to be interesting, thought provoking, informative and appealing on the eye to boot. In this issue we look at Northern Ireland 15 years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement with the help of two of our academic experts in the area. We highlight the fantastic work done at the University of Wolverhampton’s Brain Tumour Research Centre and how we’re helping retrain people who have been made redundant or retired from the armed forces. You can see the creative talent of some of our fashion and photography students, while we share an insight into the latest technology we can expect to be the next big gadget. We have a new columnist and the subject of women in sport is examined, which includes an interview with the female voice of BBC football coverage and proud Wolverhampton girl Jacqui Oatley. Finally, we’re celebrating 21 years as a University this year with a series of celebrations and events. If there is one near you please come along and help us mark the occasion.
03 In the News – whistle-stop tour of University headlines. 05 whowhatwherewhenwhyhow – are the questions and we give you this edition’s answers.
07 From AtoB – University of Wolverhampton Senior Lecturer in English Media and Cultural Studies, Aidan Byrne’s view on the world. 08 Technology and Gadget Buzz – Senior Lecturer, Dr Tom Hartley from the University’s School of Technology gives the inside track on what the next big gadget will be. 09 Preparing for Civvy Street – with armed forces
personnel being made redundant, Dialogue WLV takes a look at what’s being done to reskill them.
12 Battling Brain Tumours – a look at the University’s world class research from its Brain Tumour Research Centre.
15 Spring of Summer Love – a splash of colour to get us in the mood for a vibrant new season.
17 How do you solve a problem like Northern Ireland? – 15 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, is the peace process here to stay?
22 What happened in 1992? – the University is celebrating its 21st birthday this year. We cast our eyes back to 1992.
23 Fashion – unveiling the Aegis Collection. 25 Spring-Summer Prediction – fashion forecast for 2014. Geoff Layer Vice-Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton
27 Game of Two Halves – Hannah Dingley from the University’s School of Sport, Performing Art and Leisure talks about women in sport.
28 Jacqui Oatley – Wolverhampton born and bred and now the female voice of football on the BBC. 29 In pictures – captures events from across the University.
IN THIS ISSUE...
12 09 ARMED FORCES
22 21 AND PROUD
28 JACQUI OATLEY
How the armed forces are changing for those who serve.
We take a look at what was happening in 1992.
Jacqui tells us what is was like being the first female commentator on Match of the Day.
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Inthenews... 01 Sweet remedy Sugar is a commodity that few of us give much thought to when we are adding it to our tea or coffee or baking a cake. But a University of Wolverhampton lecturer is hoping to change the face of modern medicine using this simple everyday substance. Moses Murandu grew up in Zimbabwe and his father used granulated sugar to heal wounds and reduce pain when he was a child. But when he moved to the UK, he realised that sugar was not used for this purpose here. Now he is carrying out a research trial into the effectiveness of sugar when used on hospital patients with wounds such as bed sores, leg ulcers and even amputations. Moses simply applies the sugar direct to the wound and then places a normal dressing on top. The treatment works because bacteria need water to grow, so applying sugar to a wound draws the water away and starves the bacteria of water. This prevents the bacteria from multiplying and they die. One of the patients who received treatment as part of the research was Alan Bayliss, who was an inpatient at Moseley Hall Hospital’s amputee rehabilitation ward, part of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust. He underwent an above-the-knee amputation due to an ulcer on his right leg at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in January 2013, and as part of the surgery a vein was removed from his left leg. For his post-surgery rehabilitation, Mr Bayliss was moved to Moseley Hall Hospital where standard dressings were used but the left leg cavity wound was not healing effectively. Nurses contacted Moses and Mr Bayliss began receiving the sugar treatment. Within two weeks, the wound had drastically reduced in size and is healing well. Mr Bayliss, a 62-year-old electrical engineer, says: “It has been revolutionary. The actual wound was very deep – it was almost as big as my finger. “When Moses first did the dressing he almost used the whole pot of sugar, but two weeks later he only needed to use 4 or 5 teaspoons. “I feel that it has speeded up my recovery a lot, and it has been a positive step forward. I was a little sceptical at first but once I saw the sugar in operation and how much it was drawing the wound out, I was impressed.” For Moses, a Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing at the School of Health and Wellbeing, this is the best news possible. He says: “It is very pleasing for me to see the results, especially now that the nurses are able to take over and administer the treatment after I have made the initial assessment, and also that the patients are experiencing the benefits.
“I believe in the sugar and the nurses and doctors who see the effects are beginning to believe in it too. I’d like to thank the University and the School of Health and Wellbeing for their support and also the patients for taking part.” Moses Murandu is halfway through a randomised control trial at three West Midlands hospitals – Moseley Hall, the QE Hospital and Manor Hospital in Walsall – into the effects of the sugar treatment. So far 35 patients have successfully received the treatment, with no adverse effects reported.
02 Changing the face of City Campus
The skyline of Wolverhampton will be changing over the next two years as part of a redevelopment of the University’s City Campus. The creation of a new £25m science centre in Stafford Street and a flagship new home for the University of Wolverhampton Business School in Molineux Street is all part of a £45m scheme to improve facilities. It is also very much part of the city’s wider regeneration programme. A City Centre Prospectus was launched last year to highlight what Wolverhampton had to offer to potential investors including key areas for redevelopment. Plans have been submitted to redevelop the current MB building, creating a six storey contemporary building to house state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for more than 2,500 students. It will also include an area from Stafford Street through
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which the public can view the inside of the building and see experiments and teaching in action. It is hoped work will start in May and the new building would re-open in phases, with the first part opening in September 2014 and the remainder in December 2014. Meanwhile plans for the new £15m Business School building are being developed. It will provide a dedicated home for the School and include teaching, office and meeting space as well as a café and social learning areas. Situated at the heart of the City North Campus it will also form part of the city’s plans to regenerate the Molineux Quarter. And the former Varsity pub, which the University bought last year and re-named The George, is being brought back to life as a one-stop shop for advice and information for the public and current students.
03 You do know what you’re doing! The days of being able to sway a referee with some creative chanting and loud boos look to be a thing of the past, according to University experts. Research has found that home advantage and the resulting roar of the crowd now have less influence on today’s referees than in the past.
The radical transformation of training for officials since World War II was identified by experts as the main reason behind the change. The biggest decline in home advantage was observed in the lower divisions, which have smaller crowds, suggesting that large football crowds do still have some impact on referees. Experts devised a mathematical formula to analyse results for teams in the professional English Leagues and Scottish Premier Leagues since World War II. Factors such as home team advantage and a team’s ability were taken into account. Professor Alan Nevill, from the School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, led the study, which was published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise.
04 From farm to fork The horsemeat scandal could have been avoided if a system developed by the University of Wolverhampton to trace food was in use, according to experts. The University, alongside eight partners across Europe, carried out the Farm to Fork research project, a pilot €3.6m project which developed and utilised a range of technologies including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), to identify and trace
food information across Europe from producer to consumer. The system works by identifying individual items of food and tracking precisely what happens to them during the production process. When the product reaches shops, consumers can scan the code with a smartphone, tablet or in-store scanner and the system generates a web page in real time. This gives detailed information such as where it originated from, where it was processed, packed and stored, how it was transported and at what temperature and how many miles it’s travelled. During the two-and-a-half-year project the system was successfully tested with a range of producers of meat, dairy, fish and wine products in countries including the UK, Spain, Italy and Slovenia.
05 We’re 21 and Proud It’s celebration time as the University of Wolverhampton marks its 21st birthday this year. On 17 June 1992, Wolverhampton Polytechnic became the University of Wolverhampton as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act. To mark the occasion the University is holding a series of 21 and Proud celebrations and events during the year for staff, students and alumni at Wolverhampton, Walsall and Telford. Celebrations include a heritage event, publication of a history book, family fun day, alumni reunion, special public lectures and an international networking conference in Sri Lanka.
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I believe in the sugar and the nurses and doctors who see the effects are beginning to believe in it too. Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing at the School of Health and Wellbeing
Professor Alan Nevill
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Moses Murandu
The training of referees has undergone a complete transformation.
Professor in Research School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure
Alongside this, a time capsule will be buried containing messages from current day staff and students, three sculptures will be produced by the School of Art & Design, a photographic exhibition, 21 trees and benches will be located around the campuses and a stand-up comedy night was fronted by Wolverhampton graduate Harriet Dyer to coincide with Red Nose Day. For more information and for the latest details of upcoming events visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/21andproud
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whowhatwherewhen Paul Mason
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Going from downtown Wall Street to Stafford Street, Wolverhampton, may seem like a huge contrast for many but not for Paul Mason.
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WHO?
As a journalist it is usually my job to simplify things but the lecture allowed me to explore and go into much greater depth.
Paul Mason
The Technical College won a competition in 1957 to house the Harwell Dekatron and renamed it the Wolverhampton Instrument for Teaching Computation from Harwell (WITCH). It was used in computing education until 1973. After being rediscovered by the TNMOC in 2008, the WITCH has been restored to full working order over the last three years.
WHERE?
ESTIA, France ESTIA is the Ecole Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées, in Bidart, France. The University has delivered an MSc Advanced Technology Management at ESTIA since 2005 and a graduation ceremony is held there every year. The BBC Newsnight Economics Editor could be forgiven for suffering whiplash from the huge financial crashes he’s reported on. The collapse of Enron and Lehman Brothers and the ensuing financial tsunami that has engulfed the global economy has meant the former music teacher has barely had chance to catch his breath in the last few years. Then he was made a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Wolverhampton, an honorary role which will see him give a keynote lecture every year. He made his bow before an audience of 250 people at the University at the end of February by examining the reasons behind the current global fiscal depression, looking at the history and patterns of global crises and what dangers lie ahead.
WHAT?
The WITCH computer The WITCH computer was recently recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest original working digital computer. Now housed at the National
Image credit: The National Museum of Computing www.tnmoc.org
Museum of Computing (TNMOC), the WITCH spent 16 years at Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Technical College, now the University of Wolverhampton.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer, attended this year’s event and also signed an agreement to create an associate campus as a joint venture with the Chamber of Commerce for the Basque region of France. This will involve Wolverhampton working closely with ESTIA and EGC (Ecoles de Gestion et Commerce) in Bayonne to develop courses, create student and staff exchange opportunities and to work together on research and business projects.
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whyhow WHY?
WHEN?
A drug that has been used to treat alcoholic patients could potentially help treat the most common and deadly brain tumour in adults. Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumour and is extremely hard to treat, with only around 27 per cent of patients in England surviving for one year or more after diagnosis.
The magic of science and engineering is once again being brought to the University of Wolverhampton with a week of activities designed to enthral and wow.
Anti-alcohol drug could treat cancer
June 2013: Scifest
Scifest 2013 will take place in June with a series of school days and a family day which is open to the public. For the first time the organisers are also hosting a day of street science in Wolverhampton city centre on Friday, 14 June 2013. The school days will take place on Tuesday, 18 June (GCSE Day), 19 June (A-level Day) and Friday 21 June (Primary Day), with a wide variety of workshops on offer, created to enhance and support the science curriculum at both primary and secondary level.
One of the difficulties is that only a handful of conventional drugs are able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, so when Glioblastoma patients develop resistance to existing treatments, there are very few alternatives that doctors can try. But now researchers from the University of Wolverhampton, funded by the Brain Tumour Charity, have shown in lab studies how an anti-alcoholism drug called Disulfiram, which can potentially cross the blood-brain barrier, might help sensitise cancer cells to respond to existing chemotherapy treatments.
Then on Saturday, 22 June 2013 the free Scifest family fun day will take place at the University’s Wolverhampton City Campus. With a wide variety of exciting workshops, events, activities and science and engineering stalls on offer there will be something for everyone. Among the activities confirmed is a welcome return for TV star Dr Bunhead, who has appeared on shows such as Sky One’s Brainiac and BBC’s Blue Peter, and was a huge hit at Scifest 2012. The full programme will be available online at: www.wlv.ac.uk/scifest
HOW?
Creating an app for the App Store The company VOiD Games was formed by a group of University of Wolverhampton graduates. Managing Director Chris Carter explains how they devise apps: “It starts with an initial idea for a game mechanic or behaviour, like do we have the game based around swiping, tilting, high score beating or will it be level based. “We start to prototype the game to get a feel of how it plays, design the characters and environments, tweak and change the gameplay, while independent testers feedback on how it works and then we polish the gameplay accordingly. “Once it’s ready we submit it to Apple for certification and once it goes on sale we gain feedback from users and target areas for future updates.”
Dr Aidan Byrne Senior Lecturer in English, Media and Cultural Studies
FromAtoB Perhaps it’s a little unorthodox to start a column in a glossy magazine with an obituary, but in the year of this University’s 21st birthday, the life of my recently, tragically deceased colleague Nick Musgrove is a shining example of what makes this place so special. Nick embodied the spirit of this University. He worked in the scrap trade for years before he bulldozed his way on to an access course at a further education college without having anything near the right qualifications – and he passed with distinctions in almost everything. He came to Wolverhampton and gained a first-class BSc before working here as a specialist in adaptive technologies for students with disabilities. While spending most of his life making the institution open to these students, he also pursued his passion for conservation and wildlife through to completing a PhD and applying his skills out there in what we’re supposed to call the Big Society. The greatest thing about this institution is its openness. In the face of government contempt and ignorance, we’re open to those who’ve missed, struggled with or been excluded from other educational opportunities, and to those whose talents have not yet been identified. Nick benefited from our refusal to let people slip through the cracks, and he applied that to his job. Utterly devoted to the students, he fought for their rights to education against the bureaucracy and anyone else he saw getting in their way – but he expected them to grasp their chances in the same way he had. He had the confidence of a man who’d had a hard-won life outside the rarefied atmosphere of a university and must have been the terror of management. He was that kind of guy: he stamped his personality on his surroundings and colleagues, and you were always grateful he was on your side rather than coming for you. This University is and must be defined by its ability to find room for the quirky, the awkward and those for whom the regimented corporate world has no use. Without the square pegs, new ideas, new
Aidan Byrne
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inventions, new ways of thinking and acting will never transform our society, ‘Why does the river of genius so seldom burst its banks, so seldom surge high and roar upon you and shake and astonish your souls?’ asks Young Werther in Goethe’s novel. Because, he says, ‘placid gentlemen’ fear the new and the inconvenient. This is more applicable now than in 1774: everywhere I look, I see the ruins of an economy run by economists from their Canary Wharf towers and businesses eking out their profits not by innovating or by taking risks but by cutting costs: wages, research and investment. British Leyland might be a fading folk memory, but the ethos that led to it certainly isn’t: too many employers think that hiring minimum wage drones is the way forward. And perhaps, in the short term, it is: share prices can be temporarily inflated and bonuses paid. But the lesson of Silicon Valley and Hyderabad are that it’s the weirdos that change the world. Some universities know this, and Wolverhampton needs to become one of them: we need to foster the random, the dissenting, and the oblique instincts in our students. One only has to endure a single episode of The Apprentice to understand that we don’t need any more clones in cheap suits sounding like they’ve swallowed an airport management manual. The market’s saturated in chancers recycling tired old mantras for the likes of Sir Alan. Instead, we need to give the lateral thinkers the space, time and tools to turn outré thinking into solid ideas. A company
fighting to stay afloat day-to-day simply hasn’t, in the current climate, got the resources to fund speculative thinking: but a university has. Businesses are good at a lot of things, but they naturally tend towards monopoly and conservatism. Rather than universities being led by businesses (the current depressing political mantra), universities like ours should have the guts to drag businesses along behind us, kicking and screaming if necessary. For too long, we’ve tugged our forelocks to lazy mantras about market forces. If the HE sector starts to lead the way on ideas once more, industry will (eventually) thank us. As we look upon the senseless ruin of our industrial economy and the wreckage of fiscal capitalism, we should remind ourselves that the source of the river of genius is here, in this university, and add to its flood rather than hold back the tide with tired, conformist thinking. We’re the University of Wolverhampton, and this is what we do.
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Dr Tom Hartley Senior Lecturer in Computer Science
TechnologyandGadgetBuzz: What to watch out for in 2013 CES, acronym for Consumer Electronics Show, is a major international trade show held every January in Las Vegas. The show hosts, launches and previews the hottest new technology products. As the dust settles on this year’s show I thought it would be worthwhile reviewing the technology and gadgets to watch out for in 2013 and beyond. Sensor enhanced and connected gadgets One of the biggest trends at this year’s CES was the number of sensor enhanced and connected gadgets being previewed. One of the biggest splashes at the show was HAPIfork (pronounced “Happy fork”), a smart fork that vibrates if you eat too fast and tracks how many bites you take. After collecting data about your eating habits you can upload the stats to your computer via USB or Bluetooth.
HAPIf ork
Spree is a biometrics headband that monitors your heart rate, body temperature, movement, speed, time and calories burned during your workouts. It uses Bluetooth to send real-time stats from the headband to a smart phone App. Muse is a brainwave sensing headband that has sensors on the forehead and behind the ears. It allows you to interact with content using your mind. Muse measures brainwave activity using four EEG sensors. Your brainwaves are converted into a digital signal that is sent by Bluetooth to a PC, smart phone or tablet. You can view your brain activity in real time and see if your brain is active or relaxed. Through the power of your mind the headband allows you to control games, reduce stress and improve memory and concentration.
Ultra High Def TVs Ultra High Def is the next generation of high-definition for TVs. The new Ultra HD TVs boast resolutions of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is four times the pixels of current HD TVs. Ultra HD TVs are finally becoming available to consumers; however, I wouldn’t rush out and buy one just yet. There are currently no Ultra HD broadcasts or purchasable movies. Sony will be launching a download service soon; however, you’ll need large bandwidth and fast download speeds.
Personal 3D printing 3D printing is the process of making solid 3D objects from a digital model. They work by continually adding thin, horizontal layers of a material until the object is created. At this year’s CES Cubify’s new CubeX 3D printer (below) won the best emerging tech award. The CubeX can print “basketball size” objects in ABS plastic (ie the stuff
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Lego bricks are made from) and PLA (polylactic acid) (ie the stuff some plastic cups are made from). 3D printing has been around for over 30 years; however, only in recent years has the price of 3D printers dropped to affordable levels for the general public. The CubeX, which is a top range model, will set you back around $2,500. However, you can pick up 3D printers for less than $1,000. 3D printing allows the general public to make objects themselves. For example, in the near future we will be able to create a custom toy car for our children or download a model from the internet. We would then print the model off on our 3D printer.
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PreparingforCivvyStr ARMEDFORCES A career in the Army used to mean a job for life. You could enter straight from school, receive training to prepare you for combat or other roles and many personnel did not even have to think about where they would live as this was part of the package. But in June, 5,300 redundancies will be set out as the Army tries to reduce the number of regular personnel from 102,000 to 82,000 by 2017. For many, the world outside the forces is unknown, with its job applications, interviews and mortgages, and they will face numerous challenges to make the transition to civilian life.
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eet Lianne Bradbury is well aware of how much of a shock to the system leaving can be. Now the University’s Armed Forces & Uniformed Services Co-ordinator, she left the Army after more than 20 years in an exciting career that included logistical planning of Ministry of Defence (MoD) and United Nations Operations, including Operation Ellamy in Libya and Operation Herrick in Afghanistan.
“I served 22 years and thought I was prepared for civilian life when I left. But I missed it so much. When you leave there is a gap because service life is all you know. The armed forces are your family, wherever you are in the world,” she says. That’s why she’s in a great position to liaise between the University and the MoD to identify and develop career
and professional development opportunities for armed forces personnel. She understands they have different needs than civilians, and her role includes working with University staff to develop a better understanding of what these are. It also involves helping service personnel and veterans to recognise that they have skills for academic study and employment, whether they have existing qualifications or not. She says: “Armed forces personnel sometimes sell themselves short because they don’t think they have transferable skills. But they can transfer what they have done in their military career. The University will look at what previous experience they have and help with future careers. “You find that they have skills in management, organisation, communication, leadership and team building. They also have a hard work ethos, and for both employment and study they are very committed to what they want to do.” There are numerous service personnel and veterans currently studying at the University with at least 30 students who are claiming Enhanced Learning Credits (ELCs) from the MoD. The MoD’s ELC Scheme is an initiative to promote lifelong learning amongst members of the Armed Forces. The University is registered with the Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) which provides the administrative support for the MoD ELC Scheme. In addition, Wolverhampton is a preferred supplier to the Career Transition Partnership, which manages resettlement services for the MoD.
University graduate Ian Pringle
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they apply. Particularly popular are teaching, sport and business courses. The institution is also looking into short courses, distance learning and developing specific subject areas that Armed Forces personnel are interested in pursuing. There is also a business start-up course which has been specifically designed for armed forces personnel, ‘SPEED in Uniform’, which is run by the Wolverhampton Business Solutions Centre with the Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education (SPEED) project.
This is something that Ian Pringle decided to do something about before leaving the RAF. Ian enrolled on a Post Compulsory Education course delivered at RAF Cosford, which gives military staff who
already have a great deal of teaching experience within the service the opportunity to work towards a civilian teaching qualification. He was part of the RAF Outreach team, so his role involved visiting educational establishments across the West Midlands region to provide team-building and leadership workshops. As part of his University course, lecturing staff from the School for Education Futures visited him regularly to carry out teaching observations. When he retired in June 2012 after 22 years service, he moved onto a new challenge in teaching and is a member of lecturing staff in the Public Service faculty at South Staffordshire College.
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A lot more service personnel now realise that a military career is not for life like it used to be, and they are more aware that they may have to undertake further academic study so they are employable after they leave.
He says: “My teaching role allows me to use my previous service experience in the RAF Police to help those learners looking to join HM Forces, the police or fire service in the future.
“I found the course not only enjoyable and rewarding but it has also given me the professional qualifications to move on to an exciting new career in teaching.”
Ian’s preparations before he retired paid off, and this is certainly where things are moving for service personnel. Lianne explains the resettlement phase normally starts two years before the end of a service person’s contract; this is reduced considerably to between 6-12 months for those leaving under redundancy. The MoD believes it can take individuals up to two years to transition into a new career after leaving the Armed Forces. Preparation for leaving the services in the resettlement phase is essential for a successful transition to civilian life. This doesn’t just apply to finding a new career. Support is needed in other areas, and the University has signed the Armed Forces Community Covenant with Wolverhampton City Council which aims to help military families integrate into the local community.
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Ian Pringle
I found the course not only enjoyable and rewarding but it has also given me the professional qualifications to move on to an exciting new career in teaching.
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Armed forces personnel and veterans can study normal degree programmes at the University, which will take into consideration their military experience and accredited qualifications when
Lianne says: “Service personnel are used to everything being provided for them – their housing, their jobs, their finances. When they leave they are responsible for themselves so employment can be extremely challenging, and if they don’t find a job then it can be difficult for them and their families. Successful transition is needed for them and their partners and children to enable them to settle into a new school and community.” There are therefore many challenges facing armed forces personnel when they leave the services, not least what they do next. But by recognising the valuable skills and experience they have developed in their military careers, the University of Wolverhampton is helping them to find a new direction and a brighter future.
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Being diagnosed with a brain tumour is devastating, but world-leading researchers at the University of Wolverhampton are carrying out vital work to find new ways of treating this killer disease. Vickie Warren reports.
Battling braintumours
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But there are some types of research that are crucial to communicate effectively, and you could argue that the experts have a moral duty to find a way to explain their latest breakthroughs. People who support cancer research often do so through personal experience; whether it is their own diagnosis or that of a family member or friend who is undergoing treatment or has passed away. And that support, through fundraising and building awareness, often lasts years after a person has first encountered the effects of this devastating disease. The Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Wolverhampton is one such place that realises the importance of opening the doors to the mysterious world of science. Home to a team of world-leading experts in brain tumour research, the Centre opened in 2009 and hosts open days to enable valued supporters from organisations such as the Brain Tumour Charity (formerly Brain Tumour UK) to visit the labs and see first-hand how their donations are being spent. Reader in Neuro-oncology, Dr Tracy Warr, is Co-Director of the Centre, along with the University’s Dean of Research Professor John Darling. They share the view that they have a responsibility to communicate their findings to those people who support the work of the Centre. “I think one of the most important things that a scientist can do if they are taking money from patients, families, carers and memorial funds is not to remain in an academic ivory tower but to share where their money is going and what is being done,” Tracy says. “Patients realise that it is not going to help them because of the timescale. We have people who come to us that have lost family members. They are grateful to know that somebody is doing research and hopefully other families don’t have to suffer in the same way.” Tracy joined the Centre in 2009 from the renowned Institute of Neurology in London. Supported by the Brain Tumour Charity, research at the Centre focuses on three areas – ‘high grade’ brain tumours in adults; childhood brain tumours and so called ‘low-grade’ gliomas. Childhood brain tumours have now
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overtaken leukaemia as the biggest cause of deaths through cancer for children under 16. There are 300 cases per year in the UK, which may not sound very many, but there is a high mortality rate. By the nature of where a brain tumour is located, interventions like surgery and radiotherapy can have an effect on the neurological development of the child.
Two PhD students are looking to develop treatments that are more effective and have less toxic sideeffects. They have found a potentially effective treatment in the lab, which has a massive impact on the growth of the tumour cells over a number of weeks, stopping the tumour growing while having no effect on normal brain cells. ‘High grade’, or malignant glioma (GBM), are the most common type of tumour in adults and provide the biggest clinical burden. There are hardly any longterm or five-year survivors, with people diagnosed with high grade tumours surviving for 12 months on average. Work at Wolverhampton has focused on new therapeutic methods based on the molecular make-up of tumours. Through genetic analysis, interventions have been identified to ‘turn off’ the genes with a 60% reduction in the growth of a tumour during lab tests. Tracy adds: “We are working with chemists at the University of Central Lancashire to develop a drug that can target this gene and be administered to patients. We are now starting to translate our lab findings to things that can really benefit patients.” The third strand of work is rather under-represented in current research as it looks at low grade glioma, which typically affect adults in their 20s and 30s. These will progress and kill a patient, but there is no indication of timing. It could be maintained for five or 10 years, or progress within eight months of diagnosis. Again, collaborations are crucial to moving this research on. Tracy says the team at Wolverhampton is working with The Walton Centre in Liverpool to collect fresh tumour tissue during surgery from patients who have consented for their tumours to be used in research. So far, they have had a 100% success rate at growing these tumour cells in the laboratory, enabling the team to use them in experiments. The PhD student working on this project is comparing tumours that progress in less than two years and those that are stable for a long period of time. But even while discussing the scientific research going on inside the lab, Tracy is mindful of the patients who are affected by the devastating diagnosis and the
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There is a slightly higher incident of brain tumours in men, and it can affect them when they are at the peak of their career and earning capacity, often with young families. And there are unseen effects, such as personality changes. It has such a profound impact on areas of your life that other cancers don’t.
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Scientific research is not always the easiest subject to communicate to an audience of non-experts. There are often unusual, unpronounceable terms to describe complex ideas and processes and sometimes the act of simplifying doesn’t sit easily with the scientist.
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emotional and physical effects of the treatments. “It is a rare disease compared to breast and lung cancer and families can feel quite isolated, particularly as they don’t see the same high level publicity campaigns as the breast cancer charities are able to do.” Brain tumours are the 10th most common cancer in adults, but research has suffered from a lack of funding because it is less prevalent than breast and lung cancer. Tracy explains there will never be a single cure, and this is not where efforts are focused. There are 117 different types of brain tumour, which all have different molecular changes so there is not going to be one treatment that fits all. Tracy explains that this is why it is so hard to treat, as one part of the tumour might respond to treatment while another does not. Looking ahead, Tracy believes that treatment of brain tumours is moving towards personalised medicine and this could happen within the next five to 10 years. This would involve a bespoke cocktail of drugs based on the molecular make-up of the specific tumour. Whatever direction research takes next, Tracy is steadfast in her belief that supporters are crucial to the work of the Brain Tumour Research Centre. In particular, there are many people in the Black Country, Birmingham and Shropshire who provide valuable local support to its work. “Local funding allows us to follow an exciting lead that we may not be able to within the constraints of a grant, for example. “Our local supporters are proud that the research is happening here in the Black Country rather than the perception that all research is happening in London, Cambridge or Oxford. “It is so important for the younger members of our team to meet families at open days and talk about their research, so they have an understanding of the impact their research may have to patients.” To donate to the Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Wolverhampton, please email Dr Tracy Warr (t.warr@wlv.ac.uk).
15 Dialogue WLV
Sp
ringofsummerlove It’s time to rub your eyes and shake off those winter shackles as we emerge from what has seemed like a Narnia-esque never-ending cold season. Like an explosion of colour spring is here. And so to the optimism of lighter evenings, the smell of fresh cut grass and the hopeless wish for cloudless skies and short sleeves. And then onto those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer - we can but dream.
Image: Lisa Cox, BA (Hons) Fine Art, 2012
Dialogue WLV 16
17 Dialogue WLV
Howdoyouso likeNorthern For many the recent flag riots in Belfast demonstrate that peace in the province is forever on a knife edge.
start digging around the edges whether the Northern Ireland question was actually answered by the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
For some it highlights that civil unrest and violence is never far away.
For University of Wolverhampton academic colleagues Dr Eamonn O’Kane and Dr Christopher Norton, whose research and expertise centres on the North, the answer is a resounding yes.
For others that many inequalities still exist that have yet to be addressed or reconciled. But whatever side of the sectarian divide people fall upon or whatever politics have shaped their views Northern Ireland is a very different place than it was in 1998. However, there remains an undercurrent. When Northern Ireland features in the news it is often due to dissident attack or rows over sectarian differences, or the annual marching season furore. The question remains when we
Dr O’Kane, a Senior Lecturer in Politics and War Studies and the author of several books on Britain and Northern Ireland, said: “For me it’s changed a huge amount on two levels. 1998 wasn’t the start of things, it was more a staging post, not the beginning but a continuation of what had already begun back in 1994 with the IRA ceasefire. “Look at the big picture now and the two main parties are the
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein. They demonstrate the two extremes of Northern Irish politics but they were no more than bit part players at the time of the Good Friday agreement. “It was in fact the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) that negotiated the agreement, but since then both have been decimated. “The GFA, is it a solution? It was never sold as such it was much more about conflict management than anything else. “Violence did not work. The peace process is a gain for everyone. The union is guaranteed for the foreseeable future. The politics of Northern Ireland now focuses on consent not force.”
Dialogue WLV 18
Image credit: pictures courtesy of Belfast Telegraph
The Troubles have claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people in Northern Ireland since 1969 and left large parts of communities in Ulster polarised, with hate and suspicion engrained for a generation. So 15 years on from the Good Friday agreement has anything really changed? James Allen reports
lveaproblem Ireland?
Bono with David Trimble and John Hume. Image c/o: Belfast Telegraph Dr Eamonn O’Kane and Dr Christopher Norton at Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s Northern Ireland collection
19 Dialogue WLV
Running alongside the pleas for a cessation of the violence was another narrative – that such scenes were bad for the economy and bad for the newly formed image of the country, putting off potential tourists from visiting and companies from investing.
Martin McGuiness, 2007, by Conrad Atkinson Below: Border incident, 2004, by Willie Doherty, c/o The Artist, Matt’s Gallery, London and Alexander & Sons, New York
For Dr Norton, a Senior Politics Lecturer whose research focuses on the history and politics of Northern Ireland, there is one significant change that stands out. “There is peace. The paramilitaries’ campaign of violence has ended. During that time thousands of people were killed, so in those terms it has to be seen as a massive gain. “It has demonstrated that the campaign of violence failed and democracy can triumph. The absence of violence makes the accommodation of politics possible. “A problem remains in that the GFA was designed by politicians in the middle ground, from the centre and the likes of Sinn Fein and DUP were at the periphery or not involved at all.” A good barometer of how far Northern Ireland has come since ‘98, are the flag riots seen in Belfast during 2012-13.
It would seem brand management and reputation is the new rhetoric rather than the gun and the bomb. Many judge the success of the peace process on how successful the country has been in terms of regeneration, the economy and opportunities for young people. Having forged its reputation on heavy manufacturing and traditional industries such as ship building, linen production, rope manufacture and agriculture, like many other European nations the country had to change as developing countries offering cheaper costs came to the fore. The service industry accounts for the majority of employment now with tourism, retail, the financial sector, ICT and food processing the new goods yards and textile mills. Engineering remains a staple with the aerospace industry as does agriculture. The once thronging shipyards of East Belfast which spawned the Titanic have gone through decline and decay. Following a £1bn regeneration programme, the area is now The Titanic Quarter, housing an interactive museum dedicated to the ill-fated White Star liner, alongside waterfront shops, housing and offices. The city centre too has undergone a recent multi-million pound overhaul. But is that enough or is it simply papering over the cracks? Dr O’ Kane said: “Northern Ireland has increased prosperity and significantly reduced levels of violence. There’s been a full five year period of devolved Government – it is on a positive and upward trajectory. “Now it is time to reflect on the
politics and the structures and institutions. Politicians use their version of the past to justify the direction for the future. “The peace process wasn’t a result of economics but we need to be careful to ensure that economic problems don’t undermine it now. There is an element within the working class protestant community who feel the peace process is abstract to them – they’ve not seen the boom just decline. “It’s fortuitous in many ways that the economy didn’t collapse before now as it allowed people to get used to peace and they liked it. “The real challenge for the political parties is whether they can refute their past and create a new narrative to show where they are going now and in the future. If they stray too far from their constituency you tend to have to start defending what’s happened in the past. “The benefits of the peace process far outweigh any negative aspects but Northern Ireland is still in transition.” As someone who grew up in Belfast at the height of the troubles Dr Norton says it is like a different world. “Belfast is unrecognisable from the city I grew up in as a boy. The town centre used to close down at 5pm and if anyone knocked on your door after 6pm you wouldn’t answer it through fear. Violence was a daily occurrence. “Young people growing up today are very different and have a very progressive outlook but many can’t wait to get out. They hate the sectarian tension that still exists. They just want to have a good time, irrespective of what people’s backgrounds are. Many leave each year and never come back. “That’s bad for Northern Ireland as we’re losing talented people who are the future of the country.” It’s clear that Northern Ireland is changing. This is all the more
Dialogue WLV 20
apparent when you look at the results of the 2011 Census, which was published late last year. The population as a whole rose by 7.5 per cent to 1.81m since 2001 but more intriguingly was the data provided on religion and identity. The gap between the once Catholic minority has narrowed greatly with 45 per cent of people saying they were Catholic while 48 per cent being classed as Protestant.
A total of 40 per cent said British only, while 25 per cent said Irish Total Deaths Gender = 3530 only. Those that felt they were Northern Irish only was 21 per cent – showing a growing feeling of greater collective identity.
“Ingredients such as the civil rights movement followed by the end of the Cold War coincided with the end of the IRA’s military campaign and you can observe a positive trajectory for the republican movement towards the peace process and beyond but it can be argued that the foundation for that had already been laid.” Irish Security 5
{ {
We do look back to make sense of Not Known 81 the present – particularly in politics. The argument that the ballot Irish Security 5 British Security 363 box has won the day against the rhetoric of separation seems Loyalist Paramilitary 1,024 Not Known 81 compelling.
6
1
52
6
5
0
500
38 -1
Republican Paramilitary 396
=
25-
British Security 1,114
29
=5
Loyalist Paramilitary 169
59
20-24 = 715
Civilian 1,841
500
I rn
6
2000
559
59
5
=7
52 Responsibility claimed for deaths 0
1000
20
1
Not Known 81
= and rel
30 -
= 29 25-
39
=
76
British Security 363
720
Catholic = 1 ,522
500
Irish Security 5
Other/not f rom No rth e
Loyalist Paramilitary 1,024
= nt ta
88 1,2
559
2000
38 5
1500
=
59
1000
=7
17 -1 9
40-
17
-1 9
=
Source: Sutton index of deaths 14 July 1969 - 31 December 2001. Malcolm Sutton.
500
0-16 = 1 56
38
5
0
Not Known = 9
6
Not Known = 9
0-16 = 15
193 60-99 =
88 1,2
3,530
= nt ta
0
Republican Paramilitary 2,057
Pro te s
500
193 60-99 =
= nt ta
I rn
Female 322
17
-1
9
=
= 29
Total Deaths Gender = 3530
British S 38
60-99 =
-3 9= 30
25-
1000
1500
76 1
720
Pro te s
1500
1000
40-
Religion of those killed
2500
Total Deaths Gender = 3530
500
193
= and rel
0
Not Known = 9
Pro te s
Republican Paramilitary 396
0
0-16 = 15
720
Irish Security 10
Female 322
1000
3000
2000
1500
17
1500
Total deaths by gender 3,530 Male 3208
1000
Loyalist Paramilitary 169
Total Deaths Gender = 3530
76
= and rel
{
I rn
=7
Other/not f rom No rth e
3500
Loyalist Paramilita
2500
9
20-24 = 715
-3 9
2000
Status of those killed
Irish Security 10
2000
30
1500
=
2500
Not Known = 9
193 60-99 =
3000
0-16 = 15
52
59
1000
5
Male
9
=7
40-
500
38
=
3500
3208 group Death by age -1
Deaths between July 1969 and 31 December 2001
Republican Paramilitary British Security 363 2,057
0
17
Not Known = 9
60-99 =
mN or th e
“The ideologies of the past are no longer as enticing, as generally, the violence and problems are no longer there.
0-16 = 15
THESTATISTICS...
193
Total Deaths Gender = 3530
59
“Northern Ireland has changed for Catholics hugely. There is more parity, no discrimination and cultural recognition. They are doing very well out of the peace process. They haven’t abandoned their nationalism. They feel that they can feel Irish within Northern Ireland.
“Partly this could be down to factors such as the collapse of the Irish economy in the south. This all leads to any chance of a united Ireland being extremely unlikely.” For Dr O’Kane, Northern Ireland has mirrored the change in wider society.
Male 3208
40-
“Northern Ireland’s politics makes sense in and of itself.
“In a recent Belfast Telegraph survey a majority of people said a united Ireland wasn’t a preferred option and 38 per cent of those were Catholic.
Also a new question about identity was introduced over what nationality people classed themselves as.
Female 322
This shows the change in society according to Dr Norton.
52
40-
Irish Security 10
2500
21 Dialogue WLV
But has that come at the expense of the soul of what made Northern Irish politics stand out from the crowd as unabandoned, passionate and terribly tribal? In short, has Northern Irish politics become a bit boring? Not necessarily according to Dr Norton: “When you look back on what many may see as the colourfulness of politics during the Troubles many others would see as statements of bigotry. The politicians of the day were shocking and meant to shock. They were negative and bigoted. “Fortunately there seems to be a healthy cynicism among young people today where they are not moved by the rhetoric and in fact are much more likely to question views. “Stability and democratic politics may be boring to some but they still deal with serious issues and maybe the fault of politics becoming dull is the fault of the actual politicians.” Dr O’Kane said: “George Mitchell (The US Senator who helped facilitate the GFA) once said his hope for the future of politics in Northern Ireland was that he would return and it would be boring. On his return some years later the debates were all about water rates and public health. I don’t think you’ll not see the likes of an Ian Paisley again. “There will always be interesting characters in politics that have shone due to the backdrop of tragedy and destruction. Most of the politics when you examine it were negative but that is very much a human coping strategy. “One of the political issues is that there is no opposition, all parties are in the cabinet – it would liven things up if there was some form of opposition outside of the
cabinet which may encourage difficult decisions to be taken. “Britain took the difficult decisions in the past but now power has been devolved, it’s led to internal problems and Gordon Brown and now David Cameron are far less receptive to requests for intervention from Stormont.” The move towards a democratic and relatively peaceful society in Ulster is something that people in the main seem to have embraced. However the shadow of dissident groups always remains on the horizon. This constant shadow along with the difficulty in unshackling itself from its past is something that Northern Ireland has to contend with as it looks towards the future, according to Dr Norton. He said: “The legacy of violence is more significant than the reality. Many suffered terribly and will never forget that, and that’s always going to be a big issue in Northern Ireland. “Dissidents continue to be involved in violence that shocks, such as murders and attacks on the police or armed forces, but this is on a very low scale compared to before and is somewhat sporadic. “They do remain a threat. The thing you notice about Northern Ireland today is the absence of any obvious signs of security forces or police in normal day-to-day life. “But the shadow remains and that is the legacy of violence – there
has been no reconciliation on that score and no-one, neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein has really addressed that problem, maybe because it is just too difficult. “Tony Blair undoubtedly won the prize and resolved the Northern Ireland question but since that time Northern Ireland is not seen as a major issue anymore in Westminster. “The truth of the matter is no-one in the rest of the UK is really interested in Northern Ireland.” 15 years on, Northern Ireland has certainly come a long way since the Good Friday Agreement. Democratic politics is mainly the order of the day but there are still problems, there still remains a divided society. Reconciliation for some will never come. Peace exists and for the majority, day-to-day life in Northern Ireland is so much better. But there remain elements in society who are disenfranchised, who wish to continue the old war for the fourth province of Ireland or resist the rise of Catholics into power and retain the union – depending on which side of the Shankhill Road you sit on. The Troubles will never be forgotten and the hope must be that we continue to look at the lessons of the past to ensure continued peace in the future.
Dialogue WLV 22
With the University of Wolverhampton celebrating its coming of age this year, Dialogue WLV takes a wander down memory lane to 1992.
Whathappenedin1992? The year got underway with the start of what was to turn out a bloody conflict in Yugoslavia with the Bosnian-Serb War. The following month saw the signing of the Maastrict Treaty, thus founding the European Union.
Take That started their domination of teenage girls’ bedroom walls while, shows such as Noel’s House Party, Gladiators and Mr Bean were a beloved staple in Britain’s front rooms.
An April General Election was called by the then Prime Minister, John Major. Despite the economy being in a mess and the country in recession plus the fact that Neil Kinnock and Labour led the opinion polls, the Tories triumphed for a fourth term and The Sun famously declared: “It was the Sun Wot Won It.” West Bromwich MP Betty Boothroyd was chosen as the first female speaker in the House of Commons, while later in the year William Jefferson Clinton was named as the 42nd President of the United States. It was a bit of a rubbish year for the Queen. In fact it was so bad she called it by a nasty sounding Latin name, which demonstrates how bad it was. Annus Horribilis was proclaimed after a year of family scandal including the marriage break-ups of the Duke of York, Princess Royal and Prince of Wales. This was all topped off with a huge fire at Windsor Castle. In sport the Olympics were held in Barcelona. Team GB picked up five golds – the lowest total since 1976. Main image: Alex Grimm/AP/Press Association Images
23 Dialogue WLV
UnveilingtheAegis w collection eddinginvitation
nick & amy
Budding fashion designers at the School of Art & Design were tasked with creating a collection inspired by the word ‘Protection’ for the Clothes Show Live.
As a group, they have produced a number of unique garments inspired by their key words of cocoon, drape and architectural. The project was a live brief and the Aegis collection was showcased on the catwalk at the Clothes Show Live event in December. Follow the students’ journey on: www.wolverhamptonfashiongroup.tumblr.com
mjit B & Par reys h p m e Hu Layc
The BA (Hons) Fashion and Textiles students explain that within the range, there is a contrast between soft and hard materials and colours include black, greys and white with subtle metallics.
adhan
Edgy, sharp and structured, the Aegis collection was designed for Autumn/Winter 2013/14 season.
Dialogue WLV 24
Hayley Rock
A fashion trendsetter that seeks an edgy style to create a statement look, this design could be seen on a fashionable celebrity and fashion follower such as Alexa Chung.
The inspiration for our designs came from key words such as: cocoon, protection, armour, and structure. The outfit we have produced has been created for autumn/winter. The proposed market level for this collection and this outfit in particular is high-end. We could see a celebrity as sophisticated and stylish as Cheryl Cole wearing this outfit. The look we have tried to create in this outfit is metallic, fitted and textured armour-like leggings alongside an oversized, cocoon-like cape as a statement piece.
Wah
Our design is inspired by armour silhouettes, with bold structure creating a statement look using metallic fabrics and heavy embellishments. By using fabric manipulation and folds within this design, we created a feel for the structure and panel detail of the armour. The use of woollen fabrics added a soft texture against the hard metallics which showed the inspiration of a cocoon.
Bhavik Sharma & Hannah Richardson
g&
Rocio de la Joya & Katie Peake
that dares to be different.
on hV Yis
The inspiration came from the project theme, ‘Protection’ which represented the studded embellishment on the cropped top. This was to emphasise the protection of the minimalistic dress.
Taking inspiration from armour, we took the concept of structure forward in our designs. We were interested in adding volume and shape to the garments and focused on detail by exploring into tucks and embellishments. We wanted to go for an edgy and contemporary look that will be worn by a young fashionable trendsetter
a llei
Layce Humphreys & Parmjit Badhan
Wah Yish Vong & Antonina Calleia
Ca
My dress was inspired by armour and the idea of protecting the body. I used studs and matt sequins for detailing down the centre panel to create a sophisticated edge. I wanted to create something that was different to what you would see on the high-street, creating a new style to what is on-trend at the moment. I can imagine a woman who is in a highly powered job wearing this dress on a night out with a pair of killer heels!
i na Anton
Hayley Rock
Rocio de la Joya & Katie Peake
25 Dialogue WLV
Bhavik Sharma & Hannah Richardson
Dialogue WLV 26
Be the first to get on board with spring/summer 2014 trends as University of Wolverhampton Fashion and Textiles students Charlotte Ellery and Jennifer Foster set the scene. The now commonplace use of computer technology has led to the emerging trend – new digital technology (NDA) which brings the digital world to life through fashion print and fabric. NDA is influenced by pixellation, distorted graphics and faceted synthetic surfaces.
Colour Watch out for bright neons combined with washed light summer pastel tones which give a sense of playfulness while varnished effects and oil on water iridescence add shimmer and sparkle.
Silhouette Minimal shapes, precision cuts and a touch of futuristic sci-fi, spring/summer 2014 will bring digital fantasy to the fashion fore. Misplaced seams, odd proportions and layering create new and exciting silhouettes that push the
boundaries of design. This trend is also inspired by childhood dress up, combining different pieces to create a cartoon oversized style of dress.
Print NDA blends both the virtual and the physical to create fabric prints that are pixellated, polarised with soft focus images and textures, blocked shapes and cartoon graphics, bringing back a sense of childhood play. Prints are inspired by illusion and deception, bold expressive and unreal designs.
Fabric Dream-like blurred sheers, plastic coated synthetics and pastel metallic leathers are combined to create both feminine and futuristic options.
Images by University Photography students Sam Dunn, Hannah Lunn and Lee Rolfe.
SPRINGSUMMER2014TREND FORECAST-NEWDIGITALAESTHETIC
27 Dialogue WLV
Gameoftwohalves By Hannah Dingley, Lecturer in Sports Coaching The London 2012 Olympics were a fantastic advertisement for women’s sport. Great Britain’s first medal was won by cyclist Lizzie Armitstead and rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won GB’s first gold. For the first time every nation that sent a delegation sent at least one female athlete and Team USA, who topped the medals table, had more female athletes competing than male! However if you open any newspaper today I would suggest that you would find very few, if any, reports on women’s sport. Although sport still appears to be a predominately male dominated domain, the landscape is certainly changing. Jacqui Oatley, who hails from Wolverhampton, is now a regular commentator on Match of the Day. In 2012 Shannon Eastin became the first woman in the NFL’s 97-year history to officiate a game and there is talk of 23-year-old Sarah Taylor playing men’s second XI county cricket. I would be lying if I said that it is easy for women to progress in the world of professional sport. Indeed Gabby Logan’s documentary Women in Football outlined a number of barriers faced by women including being banned from press briefings and tunnels simply for being female. I myself experienced an unsavory incident recently when coaching a men’s Non-League football team. I received a tirade of sexist abuse from an opposition manager standing no more than a few feet away from me. However, unlike maybe 10 years ago women are now not accepting this type of behaviour and the sporting authorities are having to act to try and stamp out discrimination. I would like to implore any women interested in getting involved in sport in any capacity – be it as a player, coach, referee, physiotherapist, sports scientist or journalist, to please do so. It is a fantastic industry and I am sure that for all the difficulties they have faced, given the choice, all the women I have mentioned above wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again. At the University of Wolverhampton we are proud to boast one of the county’s best female coaches, Laura Harvey, as one of our graduates. She led Arsenal Ladies to four League titles, two FA Cups and three League Cups in her time in charge there and she is now manager of Seattle Reign FC who play in the new professional league in America. Take a look at our range of Sport and Physical Activity courses and in a few years’ time that could be you!
Dialogue WLV 28
But sitting at home with her leg in the air having suffered a dislocated knee from playing football, that’s exactly what Jacqui Oatley did. Now well-known for being the female voice of football on the BBC she has come a long way from that sofa. Jacqui was born and raised in Codsall, going to St Dominic’s in Brewood and Wolverhampton Grammar School.
JacquiOatley It’s not many people who at 27 decide to totally change their career path and are willing to spend their life savings in order to achieve it.
After university she took a post with an intellectual property company in London, a job she admittedly “just fell into.” It was while in London she suffered a dislocated knee playing football for Chiswick Ladies, spending 10 months rehabilitating and being told by surgeons she was finished with sport as a result. “I had a lot of time to think. Being told no more sport was devastating. I realised what I was doing was not for me. “I loved sports and had grown up listening to 5Live at matches so I started researching biographies of sports commentators and saw many of them got into it via journalism.”
Jacqui in the commentary box. Below: with David Pleat and Martin Keown.
After taking some basic journalism courses at night school, Jacqui gave up her job to be involved with a restricted licence station, before starting a Postgraduate Broadcast Journalism course.
“All the attention I got was horrible. The phone didn’t stop ringing and I was getting half a dozen interview requests an hour. I couldn’t leave the house. It was really frustrating because as any commentator will tell you a key part of the job is your preparation – and I wasn’t able to prepare properly. “People make assumptions on my gender. They ask how I can be passionate about football without even knowing me or my background. “I’d grown up going to football home and away for years as well as playing. A woman could present a sports programme or read sports bulletins but
could she offer opinion, give analysis and examine tactics? “There was a lot of bile spouted at the time but it’s a very subjective issue. There will be people who like you or don’t whatever your gender but my outlook is just to be myself.” Since then she has gone on to commentate for radio and TV on numerous matches including both men’s and women’s World Cups, the football at the London Olympics as well as the odd Black County Derby. “The highlight would have to be commentating in South Africa for the World Cup in 2010. It’s a beautiful country and where my Mum’s from and I was sitting alongside great summarisers like Graham Taylor doing the Cameroon v Holland match. “I really had to pinch myself that I was there and it was work. It was a real honour and privilege.
“It seems mad but I really wanted to be involved with the station and I gave up my job for an unpaid position. It also meant giving up my flat. I wanted it so badly and was in love with my new venture.”
“My advice to budding sports reporters is you’ve got to work so hard, as it is so competitive out there with people vying for work. There are unsociable hours and a lot of travelling, at times earning next to nothing. You have to be determined.”
Jacqui freelanced at BBC local radio stations presenting and reporting before getting a role on her beloved 5Live in 2003.
*Jacqui Oatley will be speaking about Women in Sport as part of a lecture at the University of Wolverhampton in April 2013.
Then in 2007 she got the call from Match of the Day. Her first match at Craven Cottage should have been a pretty low-key affair between Fulham and Blackburn. But she was the programme’s first ever female commentator, which soon became big news.
29 Dialogue WLV
INPICTURES... 01 - 09 The University of Wolverhampton’s ninth service celebrating justice in the Black Country at the Collegiate Church of St Peter’s in the city. 10 - 11 The launch of the national STEP programme to help provide students and graduates with work experience.
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12 - 13 Campaigner Peter Tatchell visits the University of Wolverhampton for an event celebrating LGBT History month. 14 - 24 The annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture at the University.
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THANKYOU...
Everyone who has helped create this issue of Dialogue WLV. I’d like to say particular thanks to Vickie Warren for her contribution in writing a lot of the articles and helping plan the issue and graphic designer Kulbir Entwistle for her fantastic re-design. Also to Asia Mela, Debbie Prewitt and Patrick Campbell for proofing duties. Thanks also for the contributions from Aidan Byrne, Tom Hartley, Hannah Dingley, Eamonn O’Kane, Christopher Norton, Tracy Warr, Lianne Bradbury, the School of Art and Design, Charlotte Ellery, Jennifer Foster, Steve Hall Photography, VOiD Games and Gore and Ball.
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And finally to Paul Carson at the Belfast Telegraph, Wendy Law at The Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Andrew Frost at John Frost Newspapers and Conrad Atkinson and Willie Doherty for the use of their artwork. I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition. See you in the autumn for the next one. James Allen Dialogue WLV Editor 20
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