news &views THE UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER MAGAZINE
September 2009
In this issue:
Additional places snapped up Worcester's popularity continues p.3
Campus gets summer makeover Brothers make a splash
Bulgarian duo shine at national trials p.5
news
Female hockey scholars
welcomed national
The University will welcome its first two female hockey scholars this September, in a partnership with Worcester Hockey Club.
L
ast year saw the University welcome its first two male scholars, and this year Sophie Stock and Sherry Clifford are the first females on the scheme. Sophie, aged 18, of Chelmsford, Essex, said: “I’m really pleased to get this scholarship. I am really looking forward to playing hockey and studying in Worcester. I think it will be a great opportunity for me.” Sherry, aged 25, from Lugwardine, near Hereford, added: “I have been playing for Worcester Hockey Club since February and they told me about the scheme. I’m looking to get into teaching, so this was a great way to combine studying for a degree with my love of hockey.” Worcester Hockey Club has a range of competitive teams for men and women with both of its first teams playing in the Midlands Premier Division.
Mary Travers, Link Officer for the scholarships at Worcester Hockey Club, said: “The Club is delighted that Sophie and Sherry are joining us on a Sports Scholarship. It represents a major step forward in the partnership between the University and the Club."
Michael aims high for
award A University of Worcester student is in the running to win a prestigious award for his work with local schools as an Aimhigher Associate.
Michael Saunders, aged 21, of Evesham, is one of 10 students shortlisted to win the National Aimhigher Associate award at the 2009 Aimhigher Conference in October. He was nominated in recognition of his work going to schools and encouraging young people to go to university who might not otherwise apply. He said: “I was really surprised to find out I’d been nominated. It’s a fantastic opportunity just to be able to go to the awards ceremony.
Mick Donovan, Head of Sport and Exercise Science, said: “There are now an increasing number of talented athletes entering Higher Education and at Worcester we are committed to helping potential performers at all levels to follow their dreams whilst also gaining academic qualifications in the process.”
to play the Dive Alternative rock band Ash will perform live at the Students’ Union later this year as part of their new tour. The Northern Irish rock band, whose hits have included Oh Yeah and Girl From Mars, will present an intimate gig at the SU’s Dive bar on Thursday, November 19. The gig will form the ‘W’ in their new A-Z tour, which will see the band perform in a town for every letter of the alphabet. The Students’ Union's Philip Roberts said: “It’s a real coup for us getting such a big band to come and play at the Dive bar. We’re really excited about it.” The gig is open to all members of the public and tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be booked from the Students Union ticket office at www.worcsu.com/ priced at £17.50.
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“My main purpose as an Aimhigher Associate is to inform young people about the importance of Higher Education and guide them towards the right option. In a lot of cases, the ability is there but the motivation is not.” Michael received national recognition earlier this year when The Guardian ran a piece on a trip he organised for young people to go to their local Connexions centre. He said: “I try to help by informing young people of the various different aspects of life at university, such as available courses and finance.” Catherine Smith, the University’s Aimhigher Projects Officer, nominated Michael after being impressed with the work he did with the King Charles I School in Kidderminster. She said: “Although this is the first year of the Aimhigher Associate scheme, Michael consistently went over and above what was expected of him.” Michael, who is currently in the third year of a Business Management degree, got involved with the scheme after seeing an advert on the University website. Michael is a great example of an enthusiastic young student who is willing to put time back in to help his local community. Catherine Smith Aimhigher Projects Officer
COVER STORY news
WELCOME Welcome to September 2009’s News & Views. As the campus starts to bustle once again, many returnees are realising that more than a little sprucing up has taken place over the summer months. Turn the page for our overview of the St John’s Campus’s £1.5 million makeover and come back next month for a peek inside the new halls of residence and Charles Darwin building. Of course, news is being made by the University’s people as well as its buildings, and this month we feature more than our fair share of success stories from the lecture theatre and beyond. As always, we need your news, so please keep us informed via: newsandviews@worc.ac.uk
Additional places P
rospective students snapped up additional places at the University of Worcester in the first few days of Clearing.
The Clearing Hotline rang non-stop with those looking to secure a place to study this September. Registrar and Secretary John Ryan said: “We are delighted to be in the fortunate position of being one of the few universities in the country able to welcome more well qualified candidates through clearing this year, due to our continued expansion.
first few days of Clearing and courses are filling rapidly, as more and more students want to come and study here at Worcester.” Student Nazia Chowdhury joined through the Clearing process last year. The 21-year-old, from Birmingham, who is studying for a BA (Hons) in Education Studies, said: “Before Clearing, I had already accepted a place at another university but I had a change of heart at the last minute and decided not to go there. Applying to Worcester through Clearing was unbelievably simple.
“We have been extremely busy in the
Musicians and Cleaning expertise academics gather for
conference
Music enthusiasts are being invited to enjoy an evening of American roots music this September. The event, run in association with The Fold at Bransford, is an evening of performances on Saturday, September 12. There will be performances from Michael Roach, a well-known American-born performer who is the founder of the European Blues Association, American fingerstyle guitarist Duck Baker, and guitar, fiddle and banjo player Will Kaufman, who performs Woody Guthrie’s story. The concert at The Fold, which starts at 8pm, follows a day conference at the University, titled Transatlantic Routes of American Roots Music. The conference, organised by the University’s Head of English and Cultural Studies, Dr Jill Terry in association with the University of Gloucestershire, will feature talks by Paul Oliver, Tony Russell and Brian Ward as well as other speakers on Blues, Folk and Dylan from the US and the UK.
recognised University cleaning supervisors have recently completed a professional qualification. Six members of staff undertook a British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) accredited course to enable them to fully train and assess new cleaning staff joining the University.
Director of Physical Resources Mark Hughes said: “We are raising and professionalising our standards so that we can continue to offer a first class service. This will allow us to now offer professional qualifications and training to all of our cleaning staff.” Cleaning supervisors under took a five-day course in Cheltenham run by Premiere Products, and accredited by BICSc.
“My first year went surprisingly well and I’m really glad I came to Worcester. “I’ve had some really great opportunities in the one year I’ve been here so far. Thanks to the University I’m actually going out to Thailand later this month to teach orphans."
contents Feature story St John's Campus gets summer makeover 4
news First female hockey scholars 2 Ash to play the Dive 2 Michael aims higher 2 Additional places snapped up 3 Musicians gather for conference 3 Cleaning expertise recognised 3 Brothers make a splash at national trials 5 Student nurses meet minister 5 Dawn achieves her ambition 5 Conference exlores critical perspectives 5 Australian academic visits 6 Uni-cyclists get Motov8-ed 6 WBS helps to rebuild economy 6 Student goes into business 7 Worcester lecturers published 7 Nicole scores blogging job 7 Two wheels good, three wheels better 8 University's new herb garden 8
newsandviews@worc.ac.uk / SEPTEMBER 2009 / 3
cover story
Campus gets summer makeover
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he summer break has seen the start of a £1.5 million programme of refurbishment works to the St John’s Campus.
The work, being carried out by West Midlands firm GTH Construction, includes improvements to halls of residences, classrooms and seminar rooms and the creation of a new sports injury/training room. It also includes a £115,000 revamp of the Peirson library and works to the former Regency High School buildings, which the University purchased earlier this year.
“We have new state-of-the-art science laboratories, high quality residences, along with an extensive programme of works to improve the library and classrooms. “The great majority of the people employed on the projects come from our region. We are using a local West Midlands firm to carry out the summer works, much of which we have brought forward to this summer to aid the construction industry and help to create jobs in this very difficult time” Phil Surtees, Director of GTH Construction, added: “We are delighted to be carrying out the refurbishment works at the University of Worcester, which is providing work for around 14 local trades people.
Of course, this month also marks the opening of the University’s new £7 million science laboratories and National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit constructed by Leadbitter, plus new halls “GTH Construction Limited has a reputation for and prides itself on providing the highest quality of finish, produced within the contract of residence on both the St John’s and City campuses, constructed programme, no matter how fast or restrictive that programme by Morgan Ashurst and Costain respectively. might be.” Professor David Green said: “This investment will improve the Internal works to the former Royal Infirmary buildings at the University’s teaching facilities for our students, the majority of University’s City Campus are due to begin later this month, prior to which are local. We will also have new scientific testing facilities its opening in September 2010. which will help local firms gain a competitive edge.
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Brothers make a at national trials Two University of Worcester students have returned from the Bulgarian national swimming trials with an impressive haul of medals. national team by a couple of seconds each. Brothers Ivo and Sergey Mandradzhiyski won a total of seven medals at the trials “The competition was very tough – a couple which were held last month in the Bulgarian of the competitors went on to represent capital of Sofia. Bulgaria at the international championships Ivo, 22, said: “Individually, I was very happy as in Rome.” I won a silver medal in the 200m freestyle.” However, the brothers, who are going into “Sergey was especially pleased as he won his the final year of a sports coaching degree at Worcester, are still hopeful to qualify for first men’s national gold medal by coming the Bulgarian national team in time for the first in the 200m back stroke and picked up 2012 London silver in the 200m individual medley.” Olympics. The brothers, who come from the city of Plovdiv in Bulgaria, also both won gold medals in the men’s 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays. Ivo said: “The trials went very well and we only missed out on qualifying for the
Student nurses
face to face with health minister A delegation of Worcester student nurses has been advising the Government’s Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery. Nursing students Donna Martin, Nicky McBarnet, Rachel Richards, Eleanor Forrest and Dan Norris all attended a prestigious event chaired by Health Minister Ann Keen MP last month. The students were involved in discussions concerning the future of the industry, especially looking at public perception of nurses and midwives. The University’s Vice Chair of Governors, Professor Tamar Thompson OBE, is one of the commissioners. She said: “I’m delighted that student nurses from the University of Worcester were invited to attend the event and share their thoughts with the team. “The future is bright for nursing, with education, continuous professional development and careers bringing the profession bang up to date. We want nursing and midwifery to be the careers of choice for the empathetic and able from all backgrounds.”
NEWS
dawn finally achieves her
ambition A mature student has realised her lifelong ambition by achieving a degree at aged 45. For the last two years, Dawn Lucas has been Studying at the University for a BA in Education whilst also teaching Childhood Studies at the Worcester College of Technology. Dawn came to Higher Education later in life said: “When I got my results I was thrilled to bits and went round telling absolutely everybody! The last couple of years have absolutely flown by although at times, I don’t know how I managed to juggle my family life, my job and my studies. My degree means so much to me – I’ve finally proven to myself that I am academically capable of achieving this level of education.”
Conference
explores critical perspectives
on practical realities The University is set to host a conference entitled ‘Personalisation: critical perspectives on practical realities’ in partnership with North East Worcestershire College and Community First.
Taking place on Friday 11 September, the conference will feature keynote speeches from Professor Luke Clements, a human rights lawyer and academic, and Dr Mark Lymbery, an associate professor at Nottingham University. Parallel sessions will include service user and carer voices and contributions from practice, including safeguarding, workforce development and implementation. Running from 9.15am until 4pm, the conference costs £20, including lunch. If you are interested in attending, please contact Lesley Slater on 01905 855362 or email l.slater@worc.ac.uk
newsandviews@worc.ac.uk / SEPTEMBER 2009 / 5
news
australian academic visits worcester The University is playing host to one of Australia’s most respected environmental health scientists. Dr Paul Beggs, of Sydney’s Macquarie University, is spending time at the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit (NPARU). He is an expert in environmental health, climate and atmospheric science. Dr Beggs and NPARU’s Director Professor Jean Emberlin have many research interests in common including the link between climate change and health, especially looking at the way it affects allergens and allergic diseases. Dr Beggs’ most recent research project examined the effects of pollen and peanuts on sufferers of asthma and food allergies in Australia and elsewhere. His research in this field led to him winning the highly coveted 2009 Australian Museum Eureka award for Medical Research earlier this month.
Uni-cyclists get Motov8-ed Local charity Motov8 is geared up to peddle their recycled wares as a new bike sale partnership is set to launch on campus. The Motov8 cycle shop will be open every Wednesday, from noon to 2pm, on the St John’s Campus and will give students, staff and members of public the opportunity to buy refurbished bicycles and accessories. In addition, Motov8 will offer its ‘Dr Bike’ service which will enable staff and students to get their bikes repaired and also offers bicycle maintenance advice. Katy Boom, Head of Sustainability and Development, said: “The cycle shop will offer students the opportunity to choose a mode of transport that not only benefits their health, but is also extremely environmentally sustainable.” Motov8 is a Worcestershire-based charity that takes some of the County’s most disaffected and hard-to-reach young people and teaches them mechanical skills in addition to furthering their literacy and numeracy abilities.
He said: “Worcester is a young and quickly growing university. I’m very impressed with the University’s support for the NPARU through the investment in the world-class facilities in the new Charles Darwin building.”
worcester business school
helps to rebuild economy The idea of Dr Beggs’ visit first came about when Dr Beggs met Professor Jean Emberlin, at the World Biometeorology Congress conference in Tokyo in September 2008. Professor Emberlin said: “We’re very pleased to welcome visitors from abroad and we hope that this will encourage lots of collaborative research between the two institutions in the future. I am especially pleased to be hosting Dr Beggs as we share such similar areas of academic interest.” My visit to Worcester has definitely opened the possibility of ongoing joint research between the two universities in similar areas of interest. Dr Paul Beggs Macquarie University
Five new members of staff are joining Worcester Business School this September, bringing new talent to the region.
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he Business School has already grown by 125 per cent in the past three years as the University takes a more critical role in rebuilding the region’s economy. The new staff members are Jamie Wells (accountancy), Benedetta Cappelini (marketing), Roger Saunders (marketing and advertising), Antonius Raghubansie (marketing and advertising) and Holly Andrews (HR). During the past 12 months the Business School has already taken on six new members of staff, across its varying range of courses.
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Mark Richardson, Head of Worcester Business School, said: “We are attracting more and more UK and international students through our course offering and expertise, and these new members of staff will help us to expand further. “All of our lecturers have extensive business experience. Many are active practitioners or consultants to local, national and international organisations.” The Business School will move into the former Royal Infirmary buildings at the new City Campus in Castle Street, in September 2010.
COVER STORY news
International
student goes into business Worcester lecturers
published Worcester lecturers Donna de Haan and Dr John Dutton have contributed to The Complete Textbook of Animal Health & Welfare. The textbook is a core text for students in animal care, animal technology or animal science programmes, and a supplementary text for related equine, wildlife and veterinary courses. Donna co-wrote two chapters – The animal and equine industry and Animal welfare and the law – with former colleague Lucy Dumbell, while John wrote one chapter – Principles of Ecology. Donna said: “Working with a co-author meant there was always someone to bounce ideas off and to help with proof reading. This was the first time we’d written chapters for a student textbook and the target audience spans both Europe and USA.” John said: “The intention of the book was to provide a key resource for students studying Further Education, particularly at National Award, Certificate and Diploma levels. As such most resources were either too academic, being aimed at undergraduate students, or overly simplistic, as their intended audience was the general public. Thus the intention was to ensure that one book provided a good level of detail on the variety of topics studied in the animal health and welfare field."
An international student is establishing her own business as a wedding planner after receiving funding through a University of Worcester initiative.
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lina Mihaela Lita has set up White Lilies Events, which will specialise in weddings, engagement parties, anniversary parties and consultations.
The 22-year-old Romanian has just completed a BA (Hons) in International Business through the top-up programme. While taking part in the course, she learned about the SPEED (Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education) programme, which helps students to start their own business. “Through this programme I have been able to establish my business using funding and expert help,” she said. “I never imagined when I left Romania to come and study here that a year later I would have my own business.” Alina received a grant of £4,200, including £500 for training and membership with the Chamber of Commerce, £700 for promotion and a further £3,000 to start up and develop the business, paid in instalments. “I am really excited about starting my own business,” she said. “This gives me a wonderful opportunity to do something I have always wanted to do.” Anyone interested in finding out more about White Lilies Events can contact Alina at whitelilies.events@yahoo.co.uk or on 07882 585450. Alternatively visit Alina’s blog http://whiteliliesevents.blogspot.com
Nicole scores with football blogging job
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football-mad journalism student has been made one the Daily Mirror’s official football bloggers. Nicole Carroll, 20, from Droitwich Spa, will be reporting on the fortunes of Birmingham City in her section on the Daily Mirror’s football website.
She said: “I really enjoy writing about football anyway but it’s amazing to be able to write about my club on a website like the Mirror’s football site.” Nicole, who is starting the final year of a joint honours Journalism with Media and Cultural Studies degree, is a season ticket holder and lifelong fan of the club.
“I was seven when I first went to see them play but back then I was more interested in reading the programme than watching the game,” she said. “Thankfully, I’m now more interested in the football itself. “When I go to the games, I will still be getting into the matches but I’ll also now be remembering key moments in the match and making notes for my next piece.”
newsandviews@worc.ac.uk / SEPTEMBER 2009 / 7
Two wheels good, The University has stepped up a gear in its drive for sustainable transport by investing in an electric tricycle for the Facilities department.
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he trike will mainly be used by the cleaning team to transport cleaning supplies and tools around the Campus.
Cleaning Supervisor Angela Lancaster said: “I think it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s perfect for us going back and forth between halls of residence – I can do a whole circuit of the campus in a much shorter time than I used to.
“Because we make up the rooms in the halls of residence, we can now carry the heavy bundles of towels and sheets on the trailer.” The trikes use a combination of traditional pedal power and a small electric motor, powered by an onboard battery. The battery charges quickly from mains electricity but also recharges whenever it is pedalled. The battery allows 30 miles of travel from one charge so could also be used to transport supplies to the new City Campus. Katy Boom, Head of Sustainability and Development, said: “The University has a long history of using electric vehicles to move
things around our campuses. Getting an electric trike that can go inside as well as out was a natural development. “We can have all the benefits of getting things and people moved about the campus, but without adding much to our carbon footprint.” Darren Holder, another of the University’s cleaning supervisors said: “I think it’s a very good idea as it’s much quicker and easier but it’s also eco friendly. It’s good to have more green transport. It’s also great fun to get University’s new around on – it definitely gives people a bit of a laugh Fresh herbs have been planted around the when they grounds of the St John’s Campus, ready for first see it.” the return of students in September.
herb garden
The first garden has been planted at the foot of a tree next to the Wyvern Halls with herbs such as mint, rosemary, coriander and basil growing there. There are plans for several more herb gardens throughout the grounds.
Our next Open Day takes place on Sunday 27 September and we want you to help ensure it’s our best ever. If you would be interested in helping out on the Welcome Desk, taking campus tours or just generally making the day as successful as possible then we want to hear from you. Contact Annabel Kray on a.kray@worc.ac.uk to find out more, including rates of pay.
OPEN DAY 27 September 2009, 10am-3pm
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The concept was realised by Head of Sustainability and Development Katy Boom. She said: “The idea of planting the herbs is part of the University’s ongoing commitment to a lifestyle that is not only sustainable, but healthy too. “Making locally-grown produce available to the students means that the University is supporting local businesses and reducing food miles.”