UNIVERSITY OF WALES INSTITUTE, CARDIFF
AT H R O FA P R I F Y S G O L C Y M R U, C A E RSubheading DYDD here Subheading here
Issue 03 – 2011
alumni The University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Alumni Magazine
Also inside… Dilly Dance page 2
Sensory Development through Design page 7
Performance Analysis page 9
Green Economics page 11
Alumni Networking page 13
Online Education page 15
45 minutes to a new you! page 3
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Welcome
Win tickets to see Lee Evans in Cardiff! As the legendary Lee Evans embarks on his most ambitious tour to date, we are delighted to offer 2 pairs of tickets to see Lee at his fully sold-out show Cardiff in November. To be in with a chance to win these tickets, which have kindly been donated by the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, just email us with your thoughts on the magazine, with contact details for a friend, or with a
quick update on where you are and what you’re doing! We currently only have emails for about half our readers, which means half of you are missing out on our quarterly e-newsletters, invitations and updates on events. Don’t delay, email us today! Two winners will be chosen at random on Friday 2nd September.
Welcome from the Alumni Office Welcome to the 2011 Edition of the UWIC Alumni Magazine! As ever, I am delighted to have the opportunity to showcase some of the wonderful stories we have discovered both within UWIC itself and among the achievements of our alumni.
Above: Claire Grainger, UWIC Alumni Officer 1
If you’re receiving this for the first time, either because you have recently graduated, or because we have recently re-established contact with you, then I extend a special welcome! The UWIC Alumni Society has grown to approximately 36,000 members over the last year. We’ve found additional former students from the Cyncoed Class of 1971 and at Llandaff, we’ve been helping Environmental Health graduates from the 1990s get back in touch with each other and their old lecturers. If you’d like to organise a reunion, please take a look at our article on page 17.
Honorary Fellows
Where would we be if it wasn’t for Dilly Dance? The world would be a less happy place, that’s for sure. That’s why we’re delighted that this year UWIC is including Mrs Dilys Price, OBE among our Honorary Fellows. Dilys joined the teaching staff at Cyncoed in 1960 as a senior lecturer. She taught Dance to generations of dancers, trainee teachers and PE students and was instrumental in the creation of the Human Movement Studies course which began in 1981. Her research included the benefits of movement and dance for students with special educational needs. As a natural progression of this work, she pioneered the first British Adapted Physical Education courses for Physical Education and Movement Studies, trained teachers in this field and advised on governing bodies for special needs sports throughout the UK. Dilys was part of a team which raised money to build the Wales Sports Centre for the Disabled at UWIC in 1994. After retiring from UWIC, Dilys set up Touch Trust. She wanted to create a ‘happiness centre’- a beautiful place, easily accessible for adults and children with disabilities, where touch therapy and sensory stimulation could be provided, and where carers could be trained in this life-changing programme. Initially working from home, running sessions in rooms and spaces all over Cardiff, the big break came in 1998 when it was invited to become one of the resident companies in the wonderful
flagship centre for the arts in Cardiff Bay, the Wales Millennium Centre which opened in 2004. The Touch Trust now has a beautiful purpose-built suite of rooms including a sensory room and is committed to excellence, diversity and inclusiveness for people from all parts of Wales. In July 2003 Dilys was awarded the OBE for Services to People in Wales with Special Needs. There are now Touch Trust Centres of Excellence all over Wales run by Touch Trust-trained staff. Dilys and her team advise groups at home and abroad on new courses in further education colleges and how to set up similar centres locally. Dilys’s ultimate goal is to set up a Community Centre and College of the Arts for young school leavers in Wales who are hungry for a more stimulating educational and recreational environment. One of Dilys’s most unusual hobbies is her love of skydiving. Over the years, Dilys has completed more than 1100 skydiving jumps, raising money for Touch Trust – and at the age of 78 generating lots of publicity. In 2003 she was named the oldest female skydiver in the world. At that time she said: “When I first took up skydiving, I never thought I’d be jumping at 70, but it’s a real passion of mine and I have absolutely no thoughts of giving up!”
Dilys Price, OBE UWIC’s latest Honorary Fellow
Dilys on one of her many sky dives
Other Honorary Fellows to be nominated are:
Colin Jenkins international educationalist
David Worthington graphic designer
Rt. Hon. Dr Kim Howells politician and art critic
Professor Sir Lesek Borysiewicz Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
Professor Sir Steve Smith Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter
We wish Dilys all the very best for her Fellowship, her next skydive, and for Touch Trust!
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Cardiff School of Health Sciences
45 minutes to a new you!
If you could change your life in 45 minutes with proven scientific reasoning to back up your changes, take no pills and enjoy only positive side effects then of course you would jump at the chance. Researchers in the Diabetes and Metabolic Health research group within UWIC’s Cardiff School of Health Science - themselves graduates of the school’s Biomedical Science (BMS) degree - are gathering data which suggests that lifechanging health benefits can be gained from just 45 minutes of exercise, 3 times a week. Their ultimate aim is to prove not only that “exercise is good for you” but that there should be a scientific rationale for prescribing exercise to patients, alongside - or even instead of - drugs. José Ruffino (BSc BMS 2009) and Nia Davies (BSc BMS 2008; MSc BMS 2009) are in their 2nd and 3rd years respectively of their PhDs. Their research focuses on the specific health benefits of exercise, by looking at the effects of exercise on a particular gene called PPARγ, which is often targeted by drug companies to control diseases such as type II diabetes (T2D). If their research continues to
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produce the effects they have found so far (ie. that exercise triggers a similar activation of PPARγ to that which is triggered by anti-diabetic drugs), then they will be able to provide evidence backing up the proposal that recourse to expensive medicine should be a last resort, with physical activity as the primary solution. Physical activity is linked to a diverse range of health benefits: reduced risk of developing T2D, coronary heart disease, hypertension and colon cancer; enhanced mental health; maintenance of healthy muscles and bones, and of independence in older adults. Conversely, due to its impact on public health, physical inactivity represents a huge economic burden, both directly, via increasing expenditure by the NHS for the treatment and management of diseases such as T2D, and more indirectly as a result of economic inactivity through poor health. Unfortunately, levels of physical inactivity are high in Wales (more than one third of Welsh adults exercise less than once a week, and only 29% meet official guidelines for physical activity). Thus, the “diabetes epidemic," and other disorders that arise from sedentary lifestyles disproportionately affect Wales.
Cardiff School of Health Sciences
Yet completing 45 minutes of exercise, 3 times a week, is not an impossible goal. For most people, the hardest part is finding the time – the activity itself does not have to be too strenuous. Staff at UWIC were encouraged through the ‘Health and Well-being’ scheme to volunteer for the exercise study led by Nia and José, who designed exercise programmes tailored to the abilities of each participant. Twenty two participants completed the 8 weeks of exercise, most of them women aged 35-50, who felt they ‘just needed to do something.' They all saw tremendous effects, not just on their physical fitness levels, but on their weight, waistline, and general sense of wellbeing. The most strenuous activity ‘prescribed’ was brisk walking, and yet they all saw the benefits. José likes the fact that the exercise is low-intensity. “People need a gradual, tailored programme to help them get into an exercise programme, and they often feel pressure to achieve too much too soon. Our aim is to promote a healthy lifestyle, rather than a diet and exercise programme, so that people feel they can keep going with it. And for us as lab-based researchers, it’s amazing to see the real-life benefits.”
Nia also felt the interaction with the participants in the group was hugely influential. Having initially thought she might remain in the lab, her sights are now set on a more public-facing health promotion role in the future. José on the other hand, would like to go into government policy once she’s completed Post-Doctoral work in the same field. “Some of the government choices promote laziness” she explains, with reference to a recent news article suggesting that everyone over the age of 55 should take statins as a precaution. “These people should be encouraged instead to reap the full benefits of a healthier lifestyle, with more physical activity such as walking, cycling, even shopping (though not online, of course!), gardening or housework.” There is currently a whole cohort of studies around this hugely important public health issue within the Diabetes and Metabolic Health research group. Another UWIC graduate, Lee Butcher (BSc SHES 2005) devoted his PhD (2005-2009) to researching how walking can help lower LDL cholesterol and the group’s work also features ongoing communitybased exercise research. A further study (scheduled to begin summer 2011) will involve participants partaking in
high-intensity cycling, whilst taking a routine anti-oxidant dietary supplement. The aim is to investigate whether the supplement – aimed at promoting one set of health benefits – will actually cancel out benefits to the PPARγ gene that the cycling would otherwise have. The group is also expanding into the clinical sphere by collaborating with clinicians based in local NHS Trusts to study the ways in which patients whose glucose intolerance puts them into the ‘pre-diabetes’ risk category may also benefit from exercise. In terms of public policy, the implications are clear: these PhDs are being funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the EU Social Fund, in collaboration with the Valleys Regional Park, a body comprising more than 40 partners, including Groundwork Wales, Local Authorities, Sport Wales, and Countryside Council for Wales, which is seeking to regenerate the South Wales valleys primarily though capitalising upon the outstanding natural environmental assets of the area. Why not take up your own 45-minute challenge today - and let us know how you get on!
Helen Campling: “I was asked to take part in the Walking study for PhD students Nia and José. I have recently returned to work after having a baby so thought this would be a good way to kick start me back into exercise and losing some of the baby weight. I really enjoyed taking part in the study. I could see the improvement every session, I was able to walk further and quicker. The worst part of it was giving blood. Since finishing the study I have continued walking at home in the evenings and I have joined the UWIC gym, I’ve lost weight and feeling much fitter and healthier.”
Ray Newbury: "I started the programme as someone that rarely took any organised exercise and clearly needed to lose weight. Committing to the programme was not difficult as José and Nia were great and encouraged us all the way. The outcome of the programme is that I now feel a lot better physically and have continued with the exercise by making use of some nice walks around my home everyday. I am continuing to lose weight which is a major plus for me. I have clearly benefited from the programme and wish José and Nia well with their research."
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UWIC Foundation
Are you being called? “Hi, I'm Yasmin. I'm a student at UWIC and I would like to talk to you about...”
Cardiff’s calling…again! We were so delighted with the success of the alumni telephone campaign in 2010 that we have decided to do it all over again. During the last campaign, student callers spoke to nearly 1,000 alumni over the course of 4 weeks. It was such a great opportunity for them to speak to graduates who had studied the same course and many received great career advice and tips on how to make the most of their UWIC experience. Our alumni also pledged more than £30,000 to support the UWIC Annual Fund, which will help support current and future students in their studies. We would like to say a big thank you to all alumni who participated last year, it was fantastic to get your feedback and hear about what you are doing now. This year, we intend to run the campaign during October and November and we will write to all alumni that we intend to call. Unfortunately, we lack telephone numbers for many of you so please get in touch via email at uwicfoundation@uwic.ac.uk or call us on 029 2020 1590 if you would like to take part!
UWIC Annual Fund
Yasmin (BA (Hons) International Hospitality and Tourism Management) student caller from telephone campaign 2010
This year the telephone campaign will be raising vital funds for the UWIC Annual Fund. The Annual Fund distributes all the money is raises on an annual basis to support new scholarships and bursaries, new student resources and ground breaking research. Every gift, whatever its size, can make a real difference. Not only that, when you give to the Annual Fund, your name is added to our Supporters List and having a long list of supporters really helps us to attract alternative sources of funding.
Matched Funding Scheme The matched funding scheme run by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, which aimed to increase philanthropic donations to universities, comes to end on 31st July 2011. This 3 year scheme enabled UWIC to claim at least 50p for every £1 donated and we have been lucky enough to receive more than £50,000 from this fund! Even though the scheme has ended, your donations are just as valuable and we can still claim 25p for every £1 you donate under the Gift Aid scheme.
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UWIC Foundation
Why is UWIC Fundraising?
College house home of the UWIC Foundation
Andrew Walker, Director of Development
I'm often asked by our stakeholders and friends, "Why is UWIC Fundraising?" My reply is that Higher Education in Wales owes its existence to the support of the local community. More than 100 years ago, Welsh farmers, miners and quarrymen tithed, giving what they could so that the generations that followed them could escape poverty through education. Our reliance on people who believe in supporting education remains unchanged. Today we need the generosity of people who understand the value of what we do, and are determined to help
us protect and expand it, in days when education funding is more endangered than any of us can recall. Now, nearly every University in the UK seeks to bring in philanthropic income from its alumni, charitable trusts, businesses and other individuals who share a passion for education. UWIC is no different, which is why we established our fundraising office – the UWIC Foundation in 2009. The more we achieve at UWIC, the more we realise we can achieve. We would be delighted if you felt moved to become a part of our vibrant future.
For some who studied here, contributing is an opportunity to express gratitude and solidarity. For others, who did not, donating to UWIC is a way to express a belief in the importance of education, to empower people whose talents might otherwise go undeveloped and to contribute to the growth of a beacon of educational excellence here in Cardiff.
From scholarships and student resources to significant world-ranked research, there are many areas where your gift can make an impact. See www.uwic.ac.uk/ uwicfoundation for more information.
You may not think that you can give much, but every gift makes a difference. If all our alumni donated only £20 each annually, we would raise £1,000,000!
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Cardiff School of Art & Design
Sensory Development Through Design Watching your own movement, sound or touch translate into images on a screen is something we are becoming more used to in the age of gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Wii, Xbox Kinnect and iPad. But it isn’t just hardcore gamers and technology boffins who are excited by this type of technology; it is social innovators, teachers, clinicians and designers who really making the most of what it can offer. In a small school in Penarth, an extraordinary mix of art, technology and education is coming together to change children’s lives.
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Cardiff School of Art & Design
Wendy Keay-Bright Reader in Inclusive Design, CSAD
Wendy Keay-Bright is a Reader in Inclusive Design and Senior Lecturer on the Graphic Communication degree course at UWIC’s Cardiff School of Art and Design. Her work in the area of Participatory Design and Interactive Technologies demonstrates how the involvement of end users can reveal exciting and interesting ways for people to interact with each other and their environment. Wendy and her design partner Joel Gethin Lewis recently won the Include 2011 award for Best Inclusive Design Innovation. In this particular project, students at Ashgrove School in Penarth with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are involved in a pilot scheme to develop interactive software for use within
the school environment. The project focuses on the playfulness of the children as they interact expressively with technology. “Children with severe ASC are often disenfranchised when it comes to the co-creation and application of new technologies,” Wendy explains. “They often have little motivation for verbal language, experience high states of anxiety and a heightened sensitivity to environmental stimulation.” The project has been generously supported by the Rayne Foundation. Using a laptop, projector and X-Box Kinect technology, Wendy and her team of talented software designers have converted a space within the school into a
‘Reactive Room’, an interactive space where pupils can control their environment through movement and sound. They have developed a suite of fun, interactive and colourful applications where a clap replaces a click of a button to make shapes appear on the screen. A walk, wave or shout replaces a swipe of the mouse, moving the shapes or creating new ones. Pupils control what happens on the screen according to their own ability or comfort level, providing reassurance for the more timid, less able students and boundless possibilities for the more adventurous. One of the teachers, Ben, described the work: “I teach film-making, as part of an integrated approach designed to enhance the pupils’ communication skills, behaviour and selfesteem. This project is a perfect extension of that. Some of our pupils are very closed up and find it hard to deal with the external world. So for some of them, raising an arm to make something happen on screen represents a real breakthrough, and they get a real sense of achievement from that. The more they express either verbally or physically - the more feedback they receive on
screen. It also helps to develop their understanding of the concept of cause and effect, because they are making things happen – or not happen – on screen.” Another teacher, Ruth, noticed that the project had initiated exploration with some of the children. Pupils who previously had shown little interest in their surroundings, were observing and imitating their peers. Though the students had only used the software 2 or 3 times, both teachers and technical staff working on the project were able to give examples of clear progress in student behaviour. Some of the reactions observed – copying, observing, participating, taking turns - may seem insignificant to the casual observer, but they represent huge milestones for students with more severe ASC. At the other extreme, students demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the limits of the system, testing it by remaining still until the display cleared, or finding the edges of the room where the sensors could no longer track them. As Wendy says, “It's just so
rewarding watching these extremely challenged children getting inventive and coming up with games using the software. These outcomes are totally unscripted and often unexpected.” Whilst the teachers have high hopes for the software, and the new ‘reactive room,’ they admit it’s hard to say at this early stage how it will affect the students in the future. The room will be set up for 6 weeks for the school to use, to see how it might be beneficial on a developmental level, and to encourage the students to express themselves. Potentially, these applications can directly benefit the users by improving their confidence, self awareness, positivity and creativity over time. This indirectly benefits their families, carers and teachers. It also promises a contribution to new knowledge on models for inclusive technology design and sensory teaching environments. As Ben summed up, “I think it’s wonderful. We’re at the start of something huge here.”
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Cardiff School of Sport
Performance Analysis at UWIC Performance Analysis has found itself at the forefront of sport science support in recent years. Although a relatively new discipline, advances in technology have seen Performance Analysis become an increasingly important factor when aiming for consistent, optimum performances from elite athletes and top sports teams.
Dai Greene (BA (Hons) Leisure & Sport Management, 2008) celebrates winning the men's 400m hurdles for GB at the European Athletics Championships in July 2010. Photo by Mark Shearman.
UWIC’s Centre for Performance Analysis (CPA) is leading the way in Performance Analysis research and teaching. With a dedicated team of top coaches, analysts and technicians, CPA is constantly pushing the boundaries of Performance Analysis, and training the next generation as part of their postgraduate courses. Director of the Centre is Darrell Cobner (BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, 1998) who has been a lecturer at UWIC’s Cardiff School of Sport for five years. Darrell was previously part of the support team that took England to Rugby Union World Cup glory back in 2003. The CPA team has recently been reinforced by the appointment of Huw Wiltshire (BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies 1985), who has a wealth of experience in high performance sport, most recently with the Welsh Rugby Union. 9
Cardiff School of Sport
What exactly does Performance Analysis involve and why is it so important? Performance Analysis involves the collection, analysis and communication of video and statistical data. It is used to inform the coaching process, to assist decision making and direct interventions in a way that positively impacts on player, athlete or team performance. Is it used across the board in all sports? Analysis of video footage has become a crucial coaching activity in all sports, with the coach-analyst relationship becoming increasingly important. Coaches work with analysts before a match or training session, to determine what aspects of play they want to focus on. To take basketball as an example, the coach might want to see what happens when a player blocks an opponent's shot. As play begins, a live video stream is fed into the analyst's computer. The analyst
attaches appropriate tags to the video, then the coach can watch all the relevant clips one after the other, with no need to rewind or fastforward long reams of footage. The assistant coach of the Great Britain women's basketball team and UWIC Archers Head Coach, Damian Jennings, explains, “It's become part of the fabric of what the players do here. We get information fast and can instantly respond to players' questions - perhaps about us getting outrebounded by the opposition - rather than saying 'I'll get back to you tomorrow.' It becomes interactive, so they can ask to see specific aspects, and we can do that at the touch of a button." In addition to real-time monitoring, performance analysts can create a permanent, interactive database that develops the next generation of players/ athletes through long-term, regular monitoring of progression.
What is the background to the Centre for Performance Analysis at UWIC? The CPA is an enterprise initiative established in 1992 by Keith Lyons, who subsequently went on to lead Performance Analysis in the Australian Institute of Sport. The CPA has reemerged over the last few years, engaging in applied consultancy work for clubs, national governing bodies and local, national and international teams. We also offer bureau operations to code large volumes of matches, short-term assistance at tournaments, and professional development for practitioners. In addition to consultancy work, the CPA is also engaged in applied research to discover, understand and challenge new technology and techniques. Long-term relationships with high profile clients have created an extensive network of external links that allow cutting edge ideas and
coaching solutions to be developed and shared with clients as methods of best practice. How much do you work with students? Cardiff School of Sport offered the first MSc in Performance Analysis in the world. Designed to meet the growing demand for performance analysts, the MSc prepares skilled and experienced analysts with sound scientific principles on which to base their work. The programme is unique in its combination of theoretical ideas, practical experience and exposure to the growing spectrum of commercial hardware and software. UWIC has produced a huge number of analysts, many of whom have been recruited directly by the CPA, with others appointed to roles in elite sport, such as Welsh regional and English Premiership rugby teams and national institutes of sport. CPA staff are also UWIC lecturers, and sports students
are regularly involved in paid work experience at the Centre to facilitate the delivery of Performance Analysis services to clients. What are the future plans for the Centre? A key mission of the CPA is to raise awareness of the functionality of the analytical processes among a wider range of potential users; with an underlying goal of creating more career opportunities for UWIC graduates. Alongside some pending contracts with elite sports worldwide, external collaboration with our software partner Jon Moore (Analysis Pro) is also delivering opportunities to transfer our experience and abilities into other emerging non-sporting domains, such as fire & rescue. For further information on Performance Analysis at UWIC please contact them on 029 2020 1141 or visit http://cpa.uwic.ac.uk
Who does CPA work with? Recent clients come from a variety of sports ranging from local to International teams, with minor interventions into individual sports, such as Athletics and Squash. Rugby Union: Gloucester RFC, Wasps RFC, Welsh Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby Union, Fiji Rugby Union, Rugby Canada. Football: Sporting Clube de Braga (Portuguese team) Hockey: England Hockey Rugby League: South Wales Scorpions Adam Cullinane, Darrell Cobner, and Huw Wiltshire CPA staff and UWIC Alumni
Basketball: UWIC Archers, GB Basketball
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Cardiff School of Management
How green is your weekend?
Holidays, shopping, golf. How we relax and find time for ourselves can make a huge difference to our lives. For some, a Saturday trip into town could be heaven or hell, likewise a round of golf! But how often do we consider the wider impact of our weekend activities, or our week in the sun? Within UWIC’s School of Management can be found the Centre for Visioning Sustainable Societies (CViSS). Green Economics is a large part of the Centre’s research, which in turn has been influential on policy within Wales. CViSS research is led by Dr Dino Minoli, John Dobson, Dr Molly Scott Cato and Dr Sheena Carlisle. Here is a quick introduction to how their research is looking at your ‘quality me time’ in a whole new light!
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Cardiff School of Management
Golf Dr Dino Minoli is a Senior Lecturer within the Cardiff School of Management and Consultant in Business and Sustainable Development. His research interests are in environmental programmes as instruments in support of environmental policy. In his capacity as a Sustainability Associate at the Golf Environment Organisation, Dr Minoli’s work focuses on the ‘Greening of Golf', in relation to management, events, and tourism. Golf clubs around the world
are increasingly participating in environmental programmes to address their environmental impacts, and to help the global golf community establish leadership in environmental enhancement and corporate responsibility. Dino recently advised the Marriott Hotel and Country Club, Chepstow, and presented at the South West, Green Keepers and Club Managers Association Educational Seminar.
Shopping Dr Molly Scott Cato, who leads Cardiff School of
John captures a great white shark approaching a boat on his recent trip to South Africa
Management’s New Economies research theme, is a Reader in Green Economics and an expert in the social and cooperative economy. Her research questions our consumption and asks whether, in a world of finite resources, we can find ways to achieve greater happiness while buying less stuff and using less energy. How can we ensure that such decisions are made democratically rather than solely on the basis of ability to pay? Molly’s new book The Bioregional Economy: Land, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, to be published next year, proposes a higher emphasis on local provisioning and seeks to move away from our dependence on products from far-flung places, with the economic and environmental costs that are incurred. In simple
terms, shopping at your local farmer’s market is helping to save the planet!
Holidays Dr Sheena Carlisle conducts research into the implications of tourism development for poverty alleviation and social justice in Africa and other Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs). The effects of globalisation and foreign investment, as well as the social and cultural impact of tourist presence in such countries, create a set of complex social,
economic and political conditions. Sheena’s research contributes to critical thinking surrounding the challenges facing governments and the tourism industry to contribute more effectively to sustainability, development and poverty reduction. It is in this area that Corporate Social Responsibility, Collaborative Planning, Fair Trade principles, Public and Private Sector Partnerships and resident involvement and empowerment become particularly important for effective destination management to take place. Exotic holidays need not be a bad thing, but sensible policies must be implemented in order for real benefits to be created for the local economy.
SOS - Save Our Sharks! John Dobson’s work in the Centre has a little bit a bite to it! John is conducting research into how tourism can be used to educate people about sharks, in an attempt to help promote the conservation of the species. Research indicates that sharks are often persecuted, and have little legal protection against unsustainable fishing practices, simply because they are feared around the world. 12
Alumni Networking
What is the UWIC Alumni Society?
One of our International Alumni Ambassadors, Desiree Jones (BSc (Hons) Psychology, 2003), is based in Canada, and would love to get in touch with any alumni living nearby:
If you’re receiving this magazine for the first time, then this question has probably crossed your mind. The UWIC Alumni society is the ultimate social network – one you can refer to with pride. The UWIC Alumni Society is an extension of the UWIC community which embraced you for the year or more during your studies here. Part time or full time, undergrad or postgrad, the friends you made here and the skills you learned will always be there. However, your university experience does not just stop the moment you finish your final exam, or the second you step off stage at graduation. Your university days leave a lasting legacy, one that we aim to enhance and develop as your career takes off. 13
Consider some of the areas where UWIC excels – Podiatry, Biomedical Science, Food Safety, Environmental Health, Hospitality, Coaching, Nutrition, Education, IT, Management, Tourism – wherever you work in those industries you will come across people who studied here, who share your respect for your lecturers, for the courses, for the opportunities they provide. As you graduate, you might know a few years’ worth of fellow students – as you join the Alumni Society, suddenly you have the whole ‘back catalogue’ of former students opened up to you. From a chef at the Fat Duck to the CEO of B&Q, from local craftspeople and designers to your next overseas contract – UWIC graduates are shaping Cardiff, South Wales, Britain and the world.
Name a hotel in Cardiff which doesn’t employ UWIC grads. Name a town in Wales that doesn’t have a teacher who trained at Cyncoed. Name a rugby team in Britain that doesn’t employ one of our coaches, players or performance analysts. You’re connected to them all, simply by virtue of having studied here. And we’re here to help make that network work for you. But I wasn’t at UWIC! If you studied at one of UWIC’s predecessors – South Glamorgan Institute, Llandaff Tech, Cardiff College of Education, Cardiff College of Art, or similar – and you attended Colley Ave, Llandaff, Cyncoed or Howard Gardens, then you’re one of us! Name changes come and go, but the place remains. If you’re receiving this for the first
time, then we’re delighted we found you (or maybe you found us?!) and we hope to keep in touch for a long time to come. But I’m nowhere near Cardiff! If you live abroad, you may like to join one of our growing overseas groups headed by our International Alumni Ambassadors. We have them in a growing number of cities around the world, with the aim of creating local events and opportunities to connect – both socially and for professional reasons.Take a look on our website to find out if there is a group near you!
“I am a very proud UWIC graduate, and I would be delighted to help support any former students living in Canada to connect with each other. I think it would be wonderful to have events based here especially in Ontario where I live - so that we can gather alumni together for dinners, day trips, etc. I'd be delighted to share my knowledge of the local area and customs with newly arriving alumni: being part Canadian and part Welsh, I feel I can assist with any difference of cultural norms here.”
Alumni Advice
Alumni Offers and Options How do I get involved? Join LinkedIn. We have a group online dedicated to career networking. No photos, no ‘likes’ - just access to the people you want to work with.
Join Facebook. Your student groups will always be there for you online, but will you follow them now you’re not in the team? Join the UWIC Alumni group and Page on Facebook and stay connected with relevant information – and yes, photos, likes and discussions a-plenty.
Follow us on twitter @UWICalumni News, comments, events, reminders, photos, and sometimes even job opportunities!
Alumni Offers As UWIC Alumni, you can access a range of benefits, some of which are offered in-house, such as reduced-rate access to the UWIC libraries, and careers advice for those first few years after graduation. Other offers are available from a range of thirdparty suppliers, many of whom are now our own alumni, offering discounts on the products and services they provide. Take a look at the “External Benefits for Alumni and Staff” link on our website www.uwic.ac.uk/alumni for further details. If you would like to offer UWIC alumni a discount on your products, please get in touch.
All UWIC alumni, regardless of location, have the opportunity to sign up to GradSpace. This is a brand new initiative provided by the Learning and Teaching Development Unit, designed to support the transition from university
into the workplace and professional development in business and management. Once you are registered, you will be able to discover and use a wide range of bite-sized learning resources, both subject-specific and generic, including transitions into the work, learning in the workplace and reflection.
You will have access to your own personal space using an e-portfolio, where you can record your achievements, build a profile, develop action plans, add evidence of your learning, build networks with other UWIC alumni and collborate with friends on learning tasks.
associated with a new job • supporting your lifelong learning and professional development • improving your employability as you continue to develop skills, knowledge and the capability to learn from your experiences
The benefits of using GradSpace include: • the opportunity to gain Masters level credits • minimising the learning curve
If you are interested in registering, please contact the Alumni Office on: alumni@uwic.ac.uk
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Cardiff School of Education
21st Century Teaching
Cyncoed’s Online Fantasy
For all those who remember hours spent in lecture theatres, recent developments at Cyncoed may seem somewhat futuristic. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Fantasy Literature are taken on a voyage of discovery following the launch of two exciting new on-line courses at UWIC. The courses are taught by Dr Dimitra Fimi and are open to students and adult learners all over the world. Fantasy Literature: From Victorian Fairy Tales to Modern Imaginary Worlds explores the fascinating world of fantasy literature, from its Victorian roots to its latest examples. J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth and Middle-earth in Context examines J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, from his much-loved The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings, to his extended mythology. We caught up with Dr Dimitra Fimi to talk about her work: “It’s very exciting to be part of this growing area of literary research. Some people think that the fantasy genre is not worthy of serious academic research, but I disagree. The genre has developed so much in the last century in particular, and attracts so many readers, and now there is a growing body of academic interest. These accredited, research-led courses first ran in October 2010, and we started the most recent 10 week block in May 2011. There are no formal entry requirements, with some people participating
Dr Katharine Cox, Dr Kate North and Dr Spencer Jordan, Cardiff School of Education
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Cardiff School of Education
purely for love of the novels, and others using them as a taster, to see if they really want to study literature full-time. 50% of the participants choose to go for the credits, which they can use to supplement other degree courses, and one of the students on the Masters level course is in the process of submitting a PhD application. “The development of online materials has been both exciting and demanding, particularly in relation to electronic resources and copyright issues. We’ve been able to enrich UWIC’s electronic library (ebooks, e-journals, etc) which is also available all our ‘home-taught’ students. These resources were used extensively by the
students, as were digitised documents from printed books and journals. We were also able to create streamed video podcasts using Adobe Connect. “There were also certain challenges, such as learning the ins and outs of copyright law and obtaining permissions to upload secondary sources via our online student learning portal. Highlights include the very lively discussion board which the students have to participate in, and the weekly debate and critical discussion of the students. It’s very exciting working outside of the usual lecture room model. Students were attracted from a variety of cultural and educational backgrounds, which proved to be a real
strength as I and the rest of the class had the opportunity to meet and share views in a virtual environment with people we would have never met otherwise.” Matthew Taylor, UWIC’s Head of Enterprise said: “The Training Development Fund was introduced to help academics develop new professional development courses, delivering 20 in the last two years. Dimitra’s courses are a good example of how successful this has been. This is a testament to UWIC’s commitment to providing flexible online courses.” Look out for more exciting online developments in the future.
Literary Tourism Building on this research and interest, Creative Writing lecturers Dr Kate North and Dr Spencer Jordan together with English lecturers Dr Dimitra Fimi and Dr Katharine Cox are exploring the engagements between literary tourism and the city of Cardiff. Their work is currently focussed on Cardiff Bay and the team, along with colleagues Professor Annette Pritchard and Professor Nigel Morgan of the Welsh Centre for Tourism, are researching, writing and developing a Smart Phone Application (app). Dr Katharine Cox clarifies, "We're really excited by this research direction, it's an opportunity to work with colleagues in other subject areas and create an app that will mediate visitors' experience of the Bay. We've been lucky enough to be supported internally to get this project moving and we look forward to using this app with our students before launching it to the public."
Staff Profile Dr Dimitra Fimi is a Lecturer in English Literature. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Athens, Greece and continued with postgraduate studies at Cardiff University, where she gained an MA in Early Celtic Studies (2002) and a PhD in English Literature (2005). Her doctoral thesis focused on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and has now been revised and published as a monograph, titled Tolkien, Race and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008). The book won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies and was also shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award. Dr Fimi has also published a series of peer-reviewed articles and has contributed book chapters and reference entries to various books and encyclopaedias.
Dr Fimi is also leading a literary walk in the Black Mountains on Tolkien's Wales, one of a series organised by Literature Wales this summer. What better way to immerse yourself in the fantasy writer, than through the magic of the Welsh countryside? Details of future tours led by academics from UWIC will be made available on the alumni website.
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• MA English & Creative Writing • MA Creative Writing
Calling
• MA English
all writers!
More information can be found at:
uwic.ac.uk/humanities
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Events & reunions
Alumni Events & Reunions Events & Reunions As we go to press we are eagerly awaiting not one, not two but three reunions in July! Saturday 9th July 2011 Cyncoed Class of 1968/71 3-11pm, Cyncoed Student Union. Celebrating 40 years since graduation, we’re looking forward to the Ruby Reunion for the Cyncoed Class of 1968 – 1971, to be celebrated in style at UWIC's Centro bar.
Saturday 16th July 2011 Environmental Health 1991 Graduates Radisson Blu Hotel, Cardiff
Friday 22nd July and Saturday 10th September 2011 We are celebrating Cardiff School of Sport's Diamond Jubilee - 60 Years of Sporting Success! As such, we are delighted to invite former students who have studied or played sport at UWIC, Cyncoed or The Heath over the years to join us for an evening of celebration on one of two dates. The venue will be the new student union facility at Cyncoed, the Campus Centre, which caters for around 200 people. These dinners offer a fabulous opportunity for your own mini-reunion with lifelong friends, in the company of lecturers past and present who have shared your Cyncoed experience. Booking forms have gone out for both dates – if you have not yet reserved your seat at the hottest table in town, we are still taking bookings for the September date.
Professorial Lectures Alumni and friends are welcome to join us next term as our newly-elected Professorial staff introduce their chosen subject. Details will be made available over the summer.
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Career Networking Event On Wednesday 8th June we hosted our first ever Alumni Career Networking event in the Cardiff School of Management at Llandaff Campus. To break the ice for first-timers, we organised the first hour of networking, with tables hosted by alumni and UWIC supporters who are well established in their own careers. On the night, we were thrilled to introduce Zoe Harcombe, UWIC Governor, former HR director and dietician, Andy Harcombe, entrepreneur extraordinaire, Rob Oyston (PGCE, 2008) and Alex Lock from the sports coaching company Regional Sports Schools, Liam Giles and Elwyn Davies (both BA Graphic Design, 2005) from the design agency Spindogs, and Sridhar Ponnuswamy (MBA, 2002) from the Welsh Assembly Government. Representing a range of industries, table hosts chatted for 10 minutes to each group, with hints and tips on writing CVs, making business contacts, professional development, and advice on internships and volunteering. After the group networking, there was an opportunity for more informal networking over a glass of wine and canapés, allowing the more experienced alumni an opportunity to connect. Thanks to all who participated – we hope you can join us next time!
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