Extinct parrots research

University plan

KENTThe Magazine for the University of Kent | April 2012

Welcome

Special thanks to: Lesley Farr, University Design & Print Centre. Photographs by Chris Barron, Melissa Bradley, Liz Culmer, Pat Coogan, Jim Groombridge, Gregory Guida, Jeonghee Han, Jim Higham, Julian Hume, Joris Wiersinga, Oxford University Press.

Dear colleagues,

I continue to be amazed how quickly the University year progresses. I cannot believe that, once again, we have had the

wonderful Colyer-Fergusson Concert in Canterbury Cathedral, and that we are now making plans for the annual garden

parties and the July congregations at Canterbury and Rochester cathedrals. These events perform many roles. They are

often unforgettable moments for our students and, when I talk to alumni, many can recall singing or playing in the

Cathedral – however many years ago. They also bring students and their families together. If you go to some of the

concerts – whether it’s the Chamber Choir or Big Band – you see families rightly proud of their sons and daughters, just

as you do at the degree ceremonies.

These events also offer an opportunity for those outside the University, especially those who live locally, to see us at our

best – celebrating the academic or other success of our students and staff. I think it is important that we consider the

impact we have on our local region. In economic terms alone, we contribute £0.6 billion to the economy each year and

we are a very large employer in a region beset with increasing unemployment. However, we see our responsibility to the

region as being more than purely economic; we also make a considerable social and cultural impact and you can find

out more at www.kent.ac.uk/impact

This issue contains an update on the current Institutional Plan and, as many of you know, we are currently working on

the Plan for 2012-15 which takes us to our 50th anniversary. Given the changes currently underway in higher education

in England, I think it is timely for us to reflect on the type of university we want to be. I believe we should focus on

academic excellence and social responsibility and continue to look outward – regionally, nationally and internationally.

We cannot do this on our own so we will need to work in partnership with others. We are very keen to ensure all staff feel

able to have input to the new Plan, and Keith Mander, Posie Bogan and I have been holding meetings around the

University to this effect. However, I would urge you to make the most of opportunities to feed into the Plan’s development

as your involvement is crucial to its success.

Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow DBE, CBEVice-Chancellor

3 News 6 Feature: Extinct parrots research 8 Human Resources10 Research 12 Enterprise 13 Feature: Working to plan 14 Kent inthe news/Green update/Obituary 15 Sport/Small ads 16 What’s on

3KENT Magazine

News

Law Teacher of the Year award for University lecturer Dr Karen Devine from Kent Law School (KLS) has been named Law Teacher of the Year 2012.

The £3,000 award – sponsored by OxfordUniversity Press – is a national award recognisingthe vital role that teachers play in the education oftomorrow’s lawyers and rewarding achievementin teaching. Since its launch in 2004, the successof the award has relied on those who know thecandidates best – teachers and students – tosend in their nominations. Shortlisted candidateswere selected on the basis of criteria whichincluded the need to display an active interest inthe development of teaching that influences,motivates and inspires students to learn, and todemonstrate commitment to and support for thedevelopment of students as individuals.

Dr Devine joined Kent as a lecturer in September2010, having previously been an Access student,an undergraduate student and a PhD student inKLS (she is the only person known to havecompleted her entire legal education at Kent). Her research interests lie primarily in the area of medical law and ethics, particularly in theremoval, use and storage of bodily materials andthe legal obligations that this may generate. She isalso Undergraduate Study Skills Co-ordinator forLaw at the Medway campus and personal tutor tostage two and three Medway students.

Dr Devine said: ‘I am extremely honoured to bechosen as Law Teacher of the Year among suchwonderful shortlisted candidates and to havehad the opportunity to showcase Kent LawSchool. This was very much a team effort – fromthe fantastic staff who have taught and inspiredme over the years, to my students past andpresent, particularly those at the Medwaycampus who fed into the judging process. Theyreally did me proud. This is the third consecutiveyear that a teacher from Kent has reached thefinal and it is an unbelievable privilege to ‘bringthe trophy home’ at last.’

Kent has an excellent reputation for its dynamicand challenging academic environment, as wellas its collaborative research with universitiesaround the world. Many of its programmes havea strong international focus and it is the only UKuniversity to lead two prestigious ErasmusMundus Joint Doctoral programmes. It alsooperates thriving specialist postgraduate centresin Paris (humanities), Brussels (internationalstudies) and Athens (heritage management).

The University’s specialist Graduate Schoolworks to enhance the quality of the postgraduatestudent experience and ensures a supportiveand vibrant postgraduate community across allits campuses.

Further information on the 50th AnniversaryScholarships is available at www.kent.ac.uk/50th

KENTWe have set up a readers’ panel for staff. Pleaseget in touch if you would like to become a member.We are keen to have your feedback and letters arewelcome from all our readers. Simply email theeditorial team at kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk

Kent is also available online atwww.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/kentmagazine

Editorial team: Posie Bogan, Director of CorporateCommunications; Wendy Raeside, Press &Corporate Publications Officer (CorporateCommunications); Karen Baxter, Press Assistant,(Corporate Communications), University of Kent.

Next issue: the deadline for the next issue is2 May, with a publication date of 13 June 2012.

Extinct parrots research

University plan

KENTThe Magazine for the University of Kent | April 2012

Cover storyThe endangered Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula echo) has been rescued from the brink of extinction (see p6).

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50th anniversary doctoralscholarships The University, in preparation for its 50thanniversary in 2015, has established 100 doctoral scholarships for UK, EU and international students. The recipients of the new scholarships will be known as Kent’s 50thAnniversary Scholars.

The scholarships, which will be awarded annually from 2012, will complement the alreadysignificant investment the University makes in itspostgraduate community. Kent’s scholarshipfund now exceeds £5.5m and is supplementedby funding from the leading UK researchcouncils and external bodies, bringing the totalfunds it has to support postgraduate research toover £8m.

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News

University launches Gurkhascholarship Former or serving Kent-based Gurkhas wounded in action and the dependents of Kent-based Gurkhas wounded or killed in conflict willbe among those eligible for a new scholarship.

The University of Kent Gurkha Scholarship forStudy will be made annually for a period of fiveyears and is open to those wishing to study atundergraduate or postgraduate level. The awardwill cover the cost of tuition fees for all categoriesof students (UK, EU, overseas fee paying).

Gurkhas originate from Nepal and have beenrecruited to serve in the British Army for almost200 years. The Royal Gurkha Rifles battalion,stationed near Folkestone, and two fieldsquadrons of the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers,stationed in Maidstone under the 36 EngineerRegiment of the Royal Engineers, are a vital partof the British Army and continue to play a crucialrole in modern-day conflicts, peace-keepingmissions and humanitarian causes.

Professor Alex Hughes, Pro-Vice-ChancellorExternal at the University, said: ‘Gurkhas havelong formed a welcome, integral part of the localcommunity and, on the national stage, haveplayed a significant role in recent and morehistoric conflicts. As Kent’s regional University, we recognise our responsibility both to the largeNepalese community that has settled in Kent andto the Gurkha units based in the county. TheUniversity is committed to achieving recognitionfor these soldiers and their families. It thereforegives me great pleasure to launch the Universityof Kent Gurkha Scholarship for Study.’

Improving computer scienceteaching in schoolsKent has announced an extensive programme of teacher CPD (Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment) courses that will strongly supportthe goal to improve computer science teaching in UK schools.

This goal has been recognised as one of theimportant challenges for UK education by theRoyal Society in its report Shut Down or Restart?The Way Forward for Computing in UK Schools,and recent policy statements by the EducationSecretary.

opportunity to obtain a valuable postgraduate(MA) qualification in one of a range of innovativecross-disciplinary programmes while studying intwo of Europe’s most historic cities: Canterburyand Paris. The Paris modules, which are taughtduring the University’s spring term, are designedto be specifically relevant to the experience ofliving and working there, and students areencouraged to integrate the city’s culturalresources into their studies.

Dickens experts celebratebicentennial in Medway Dickens experts from the University were among those gathering in Medway to mark thebicentenary of the great author’s birth. They were taking part in a ‘travelling’ conferencevisiting four major Dickens sites.

The conference, titled Dickens and the Idea of‘Dickensian’: A Tale of Four Cities, involvedacademics from all over the world, and arrived in Medway after sessions in Paris andBoulogne/Condette. It concluded in London on 8 February, the day after the bicentenary.

Conference participants spent the first part of theday at Medway visiting various Dickens locations,including the Guildhall Museum, Rochester. Theafternoon was devoted to discussions ofchildhood and the idea of the Dickensian andconcluded with a birthday-eve dinner in the StGeorge’s Centre, Chatham Maritime.

One of the organisers of the Medway event, DrCatherine Waters, Reader in Victorian Studies atthe University, said: ‘Chatham and Rochester arethe places where Dickens spent most of the firstpart of his childhood, during what seem to havebeen largely happy years when his convivialfather was employed by the navy as a pay clerk.The focus here, not unnaturally therefore, is theDickensian ideal of the child.’

Print collection boosted bymajor donationsThe University’s art print collection has receivedtwo major new donations from artists withinternational reputations.

Both Ana Maria Pacheco and Art & Languageheld successful exhibitions during 2011 at theUniversity’s Studio 3 Gallery and have marked thiswith donations to the institution’s Kent PrintCollection.

Designed and delivered by the ComputingEducation Research Group in the School ofComputing, the CPD courses will take place fromsummer 2012 at the Canterbury campus, withonline support. Content will include programmingwith Scratch, Greenfoot and other educationaltools, the pedagogy of computer scienceteaching and practical techniques for applyingnew material in the classroom.

Honour for psychologycontributionDiane Houston, Professor of Psychology at Kent, has been elected a Fellow of the BritishPsychological Society (BPS) for her outstandingcontribution to the advancement anddissemination of psychological knowledge.

An applied social psychologist, ProfessorHouston has research interests spanningwomen’s work participation, equality and gender stereotyping, as well as personality andacademic performance. She has been an advisorto a number of UK Ministers for Women and wasacademic advisor to the UK’s Women and WorkCommission which reported to the Prime Ministerin February 2006. She has also worked in anadvisory capacity for the Chartered Institute ofPersonnel Development and the EqualOpportunities Commission in the UK.

Professor Houston joined the University in 1994.Following three years of secondment to theDepartment of Trade and Industry as Researchand Strategy Advisor, she became Head of theSchool of Psychology in 2006, a position she helduntil taking up her current role as Dean of theGraduate School in 2008.

Paris named as best city tostudy inThe announcement that Paris has been namedthe world’s best city in which to study (QS WorldUniversity Rankings 2012) has been welcomedby representatives of the University of Kent atParis (UKP).

Based on a set of measures taken from publicinformation, population sizes, number ofeducational establishments and their quality, therankings are the first ever independent measureof the best cities to study across the world.

UKP was launched in 2008. Located at Reid Hallin Montparnasse, it offers students a unique

5KENT Magazine

News

Pratt Contemporary has donated an etching anddrypoint by Ana Maria Pacheco from her seriesDomestic Scenes (2000). The print, the fifth of agroup of ten, draws on Chaucer’s CanterburyTales and depicts the Wife of Bath. The artist’ssculptural group Shadows of the Wanderer wasdisplayed in Studio 3 Gallery during the first fivemonths of last year and remains the best-attended exhibition since the gallery opened in2010, with over 2,000 visitors.

Michael Baldwin and Mel Ramsden, the artistswho make up Art & Language, have donated aset of five silkscreen prints entitled Maps toIndicate… (2002). The series develops Art & Language’s long-standing interest in theconventions of mapping, playing with thematic,proportional maps so that they representphilosophical concepts rather than purely socialgeographical. The Art & Language installationPortraits and a Dream was exhibited in Studio 3Gallery from October to December 2011.

Both works are on public display in the School of Arts’ Jarman Building at the University’sCanterbury campus (open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).

Iron Gym project to link Medwayheritage sites An exciting project to create an exercise traillinking the Medway campus with some of thearea’s most popular heritage sites has beenlaunched.

Organisers of the Iron Gym project have receiveda £17,000 grant from Arts Council England todevelop the innovative initiative that will involvelinking local heritage attractions such as theHistoric Dockyard Chatham, Fort Amherst and the Royal Engineers Museum and Library in

Gillingham with the University to form a series ofexercise opportunities. Each site would makeuse of existing features and relevant architecturalsalvage to form an installation or sculpture thatcould be used by the local community forexercise.

Students from the Centre for Sports Studies aswell as the Schools of Architecture and Arts areinvolved in the project, which is being led by DrIan Bride, of the School of Anthropology andConservation.

Prestigious SPIE Fellowship Adrian Podoleanu, Professor of BiomedicalOptics at Kent, has received a prestigiousinternational award.

Professor Podoleanu was made a Fellow of theInternational Society for Optics and Photonics(SPIE) for his pioneering work in ophthalmicimaging and optical coherence tomography.

SPIE was founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies and now has over 180,000members in more than 170 countries.

Kent expert advises BBC onGreat War programmes Mark Connelly, Professor of Modern BritishMilitary History at Kent, is advising the BBC onprogrammes to mark the centenary of thebeginning of the Great War in 1914.

The BBC is working with the Arts and HumanitiesResearch Council (AHRC) to bring togetherleading academics to plan a series ofprogrammes. Professor Connelly has beenselected to be part of the joint advisory body.

He said: ‘After all these years, the Great War is a conflict that still resonates for many differentreasons and I’m delighted to have been asked to assist the BBC in this way.’

Sky News correspondentaddresses Medway lecture Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawfordmade an impassioned plea for female journaliststo continue to be treated equally as war reporterswhen she delivered the annual Bob FriendMemorial lecture on 21 February.

In her lecture, titled Alex Crawford: A Reporter’sStory, the three-times winner of the coveted Royal Television Society Television Journalist of the Year award said there were now morefemale journalists than ever working as foreigncorrespondents. Referring to incidents in Egyptand other Arab Spring locations when femalejournalists had been targeted and assaulted, Alex Crawford said any suggestion that womenshould not be sent to war zones was wrong.

The event, at the Medway campus, also saw Rob Kirk, Editorial Development Manager for Sky News, present first-year student JemmaCollins of the Centre for Journalism with the 2012 Sky Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship.

Both the lecture and scholarship wereestablished in 2009 in memory of Bob Friend, the original face of Sky News and a long-servingBBC journalist. The scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated outstandingacademic and professional merit and showsgreat potential for a future career in journalism.Jemma Collins will have her first-year tuition feespaid and is guaranteed a four-week placement at Sky News.

The University’s regional impactThe University of Kent is worth nearly £0.6 billioneach year to the south east – a figure that hasdoubled over the past five years. We also have amajor cultural and social impact through, forexample, our investment in music, theatre and art.

A new publication, The University of Kent/Regional Impact, details the full extent of ourregional impact, including case studies ongraduates’ continuing links, students’ volunteeringand work with partner schools. For an onlineversion, see www.kent.ac.uk/impact Or, for a hardcopy, contact the Corporate CommunicationsOffice, email communications@kent.ac.uk

1 Shadows of the Wanderer exhibition2 Memorial lecture and Sky News scholarship

1 2

6 KENT Magazine

Feature

An insight to some of theworld’s most intriguing, butleast well-known, bird specieshas been revealed by Kentresearchers. Dr JimGroombridge and his team in the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology(DICE) have analysed tissuesfrom 200-year-old bird skins toreveal exciting new informationabout extinct parrot species.

Dr Groombridge told KENTmore about the research:The islands of the Indian Ocean, including thoseof Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion once heldsome of the richest biodiversity in the world,such as the iconic Dodo from Mauritius and theextraordinary Solitaire from Rodrigues. Sadly,both of these species are now extinct.

However, these islands were also once home to alarge number of other bird species, including aremarkable diversity of parrot species, most ofwhich are now extinct and known only fromsubfossil bones and just a handful of preservedskins in museums. Almost nothing is knownabout the biology or ecology of most of thesevanished parrots because no one has ever seenthem alive. Records about them written byhistorical naturalists are rare or non-existent andoften the only sources are faded paintings thatare centuries-old.

Unlocking the secretsof extinct parrots

Seychelles parakeetTwo species of parrot in particular, theSeychelles parakeet (Psittacula wardi) and theMascarene parrot (Mascarinus mascarinus) fromReunion, have confounded evolutionarybiologists and ecologists. The Seychellesparakeet became extinct sometime during the1800s, possibly as a consequence of humanimpacts of habitat loss on these isolated islands.The question of how this species evolved onSeychelles has intrigued biologists for centuries.Millions of years ago, were the Seychellesislands (some of the oldest granitic islands in theworld) colonised by parakeets that flewsouthwards from India or did they use the islandsof Mauritius and Madagascar as steppingstones to radiate eastwards from Africa?Discovering the pathways and routes used bybirds to travel across oceans and colonise theglobe has become crucial to understanding how,over millions of years, the extraordinary diversityof bird species that we see today has evolved.

The Mauritius parakeet is the last island form of its kind. Two other island species of Psittacula parakeets have recently become extinct, including the Seychellesparakeet and the Rodrigues parakeet.

7KENT Magazine

Feature

Mascarene parrotUnlocking the evolutionary secrets of themysterious Mascarene parrot from ReunionIsland has presented an even greater puzzle.The existence of this extinct species is knownfrom only two preserved museum skins in theworld, both now over 200 years old andextremely fragile. These extremely rare skins,alongside artists’ impressions, suggest that theMascarene parrot had a plumage unlike anyother parrot and a powerful beak which, alongwith the other parrot species that evolved onthese islands, would have had an ecological rolein breaking open and dispersing seeds acrossthe island’s endemic forests. Studying theevolutionary relationships of these extinct parrotscan help conservation biologists to understandhow the remaining parrot species that survive onthe islands have evolved into their own uniqueforms. For example, the endangered Mauritiusparakeet (Psittacula echo) and Seychelles blackparrot (Coracopsis nigra barklyi) are close to thebrink of extinction, with population sizes of only350-600 birds.

DNA sequencingIn collaboration with a network of museumcollections – including those of the NaturalHistory Museum, London and the UniversityMuseum of Zoology, Cambridge – Dr SamitKundu, postdoctoral researcher in DICE, tooktissue samples from the fleshy pads at the baseof the feet of these rare preserved parrot skinsand extracted and sequenced DNA from them.He then acquired similar samples from the manyother parrot species that are known within the‘old world’ and sequenced the same region ofDNA, enabling a detailed phylogeneticcomparison of the differences in DNA sequencebetween the species.

The results, published in the journal MolecularPhylogenetics and Evolution, have revealedremarkable evolutionary patterns among theparrots of the Indian Ocean. DNA evidencesuggests that the extinct Seychelles parakeetevolved via an evolutionary pathway from India,while the extinct Mascarene parrot appears tobe most closely related to the Coracopsisparrots, an unusual and ancient group of parrotsfound only within the Indian Ocean.

The evolutionary histories of these extinct parrotsrevealed by their DNA also appear to agree withancient patterns of change in sea level that canbe reconstructed from geological records overthe past millenia. The Seychelles islands are agranitic ‘chip’ that split off from continental Indiasome 120 million years ago, and are unusual

because they are known to be one of the bestplaces on earth from which to measuregeological changes in sea level. By combiningthe DNA analysis with this information on sea-level change, my team has revealed how thebrief creation of ancient land-bridges andpreviously existing islands in the Indian Oceanwould have enabled the extinct parrots tocolonise the region by using them as ‘stepping-stones’ through evolutionary time.

Next stepsWe are now hoping to build upon this work byextracting DNA from tissue and subfossilremains of the other extinct parrots that onceinhabited the Indian Ocean islands. Bonesdiscovered during palaeontological excavationsand known to belong to extinct parrots show thatsome of these vanished species had powerfuljaws that were larger than any known livingparrot.

To find out more about the work of Dr Groombridge and his DICE team, see:www.kent.ac.uk/sac/research/projects/survival/completed/jg_parrots.html

Kent’s Museum DNA Laboratory is able to refinetechniques to extract DNA from specimens over200 years old.

All that remains of the extinct Mascarene parrot, a species known only from Reunion Island, are two preservedmuseum skins dated 1806 and artists’ impressions of what the bird may have looked like.

We are here to support you in creating an environment whereyou can think about your learning and development and thatof your team.

8 KENT Magazine

Human Resources

Continuous learning for a In Learning and Development, our v

the University of Kent to grow as a ‘Continuo

Individual ability to learn Personal and collective respons

Formal Learning Our menu of over 50 training courses, some delivered by externalexperts, range from Appraisal to Media Training, and fromEnterprise and Impact Training to Understanding Dyslexia. Formallearning can take place on a large or small scale, and can betailored to individual needs or involve collaborative work with groupsattending the same programme. For example, on the LeadershipProgramme for Professional Service Managers (LPPSM), 30participants learn together and meet regularly between workshopsto embed learning into day-to-day roles, supplemented by Personal Development Plans (PDPs). Many collect theircertificates from the Vice-Chancellor at the annual Learning and Development Awards Ceremony. Learning and Development isfunding 115 staff this year from all campuses to obtain qualificationsand participate in CPD programmes. Over 220 staff attended theAcademic Division Service Excellence Conference in January 2012.

Informal LearningLearning can be unstructured or informal, and can take place througha variety of social settings. There is a range of development optionsavailable, from networking to buddying, from project work to innovationand creativity on the job. Learning and Development has guidelinesavailable on its website to support mentoring at work, including tools,models and frameworks to support a coaching culture. Over the lastyear, 125 people have taken part in Action Learning Sets (also a formof collaborative learning); so far, these have supported internalleadership programmes and women in academia. During a recentInformation Fair, 70 new members of staff from professional servicesand academic schools browsed 22 stalls showcasing Universityservices. New staff were able to network over lunch and find out moreabout working at the University, and the wide array of support servicesand benefits available.

Path FindersCreativity Qualifications Leadership

Tom Ritchie, President of Kent Union, speaking at the Academic DivisionService Excellence Conference

Meet the Learning and Development team:

Informal learning at the Induction Information Fair for new staff, October 2011

9KENT Magazine

Human Resources

a changing environment vision is to create the conditions for

ous Learning Organisation’ with a focus on:

sibility for personal development Empowered teams

Collaborative Learning Collaborative learning is a situation in which two or more people learnor attempt to learn something together. Collaboration is not always theright answer, but it works well for diverse groups, cross-University workand when innovation and creativity are critical.

University initiatives, such as Creative Campus and Social SciencesChange Academy, bring together academic and professional servicesstaff with students and are founded on the firm belief that we arestronger together when we inspire collaboration. You can get updatesand join in the dialogue through the Social Sciences Change Academyblogs and Twitter feeds by following @UniKentCreative and@cdvallance.

Collaborative learning also takes place when staff membersparticipate in University-wide initiatives such as Green Impact, and getinvolved with internal partners or other learning organisation partnerssuch as the Association of University Administrators (AUA).

The Value of Learning Learning and Development is supporting the University in meeting thechallenges towards 2015 by:

• encouraging creativity, curiosity and innovation• enabling staff to reach their full potential• recognising that learning comes in many different shapes and forms,not just courses

• acknowledging the need for reflective time and space• recognising and celebrating achievement• engaging line managers in the development of their teams and inmaximising the impact of learning and development

• developing a range of tools to evaluate learning and developmentactivities effectively

• demonstrating the impact of learning and the transfer of learningacross the University

GoalsGreen Impact

We are producing a range of Pathfinders to help you explore a learning and development route that suits you best.‘Researcher Development’ and the ‘Open Learning Programme’ are already available at www.kent.ac.uk/hr-learninganddevelopment/pathfinder/

Further information is available at www.kent.ac.uk/hr-learninganddevelopment/

University of Kent delegation to the AUA Conference, April 2011

10 KENT Magazine

Research

New published research fromProfessor Douglas MacMillan ofthe School of Anthropology andConservation has shed light on oneof the most contentious issues inglobal conservation – the sale ofskin, blubber and meat fromwhales caught accidentally.

In South Korea, commercial and subsistencewhaling have been illegal since 1986, althoughdomestic sales of protected Common Minke Jproducts are allowed if the whales are caughtaccidently. However, due to the high price ofwhale meat these regulations are believed byconservation groups to have encouraged‘deliberate by-catch’, whereby whales areintentionally killed through drowning and other

means or left to die by fishermen when theybecome trapped in their nets, for financial gain.Consequently, during the past ten years alone,cetacean by-catch in South Korean waters hasaccounted for 33% of global whale mortalityfrom by-catch – a level that has allowed a thrivingbusiness and culture based on the consumptionof whale meat to develop in South Korea.

Based on price data from whale meat auctions,official by-catch harvest statistics andinformation taken from interviews with localfishermen, maritime police and restaurantowners, Professor MacMillan believes thatdeliberate by-catch may take place but not on asignificant scale. However, this legal ‘loophole’may have also encouraged the illegal hunting of whales by criminal gangs using specially-adapted fishing boats.

As evidence, Professor MacMillan points to themarked fall in whale meat prices in South Koreabetween 2006 and 2010, a time when by-catchrates were relatively stable. ‘This fall in price,’ hesaid, ‘at a time when demand for whale meatwas increasing and the supply from by-caughtwhales was steady, can only be explained by a rapid and substantial increase in whale meatillegally sourced. Illegal whaling rather than by-catch may actually be the more serious threat tothe survival of the J-stock Minke whale in Koreanwaters.’

Professor MacMillan also concluded that,despite most local people being sympathetic tothe notion of cetacean conservation, the intensityof local feeling about the cultural role of whalemeat and the potential for by-catch to providefishermen with significant additional income at atime when catches are diminishing are such thatit is probably not politically feasible for the SouthKorean government to prohibit the trade in by-caught whale meat.

‘Instead,’ he said, ‘the best immediate strategywould be to significantly improve the monitoringand management of the by-catch trade toreduce opportunities for illegal meat to betraded. Another option would be to reduce thefinancial incentive for deliberate by-catch andillegal hunting by introducing a tax on the sale ofwhale products at auction, with revenues raisedbeing reinvested in a local community fund andused to provide fishermen with equipment suchas ‘pingers’ which will help avoid accidental andcostly whale entanglements with fishing nets.’

The implications of this research go beyond theissue of cetacean by-catch as it highlights thedifficulties of attempting to protect endangeredspecies using poorly designed laws andenforcement measures arising from internationalagreements that are in direct conflict with localeconomic forces.

New research sheds lighton whale by-catch in theKorean peninsula

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Research

More cutbacks mean more riots New research by Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby inthe School of Social Policy, Sociology and SocialResearch has shown that across 26 developedwelfare states between 1980 and 2005, greaterpoverty, privatisation of public services and jobinsecurity has led to increased social disorder.

His research provides the strongest possiblesocial science evidence across a range ofcountries, and for a considerable time-period,that the kinds of changes the UK government is pursuing generate social disorder.

For the study, Professor Taylor-Gooby, who haspreviously advised the UK government on publicpolicy reform, analysed the relationship betweensocial disorder and increased poverty, greaterjob insecurity and privatisation in developedwestern countries such as France, Germany andthe USA. When societies are compared, thosewith rapid increases in the numbers in povertyare on average in the top third by the number ofmajor incidents of civil unrest. Similar relationsare found for job insecurity and reliance onprivate rather than welfare state services.

Data on poverty, privatisation and job insecurityfrom established international sources preparedby the Organisation for Economic Co-operationand Development (OECD), were used for thestudy. Social disorder was measured on a scalewhich summarises data prepared by HarvardUniversity.

Professor Taylor-Gooby said: ‘The UKgovernment’s social programme involves themost profound policy changes for at least twogenerations. It is now beginning to bite.Projections by the Institute for Fiscal Studiesindicate that about 500,000 more children will bein poverty by 2015. The reforms to the NHS andsocial care, the harsh cutbacks in funding forSure Start and for local government and thepolicy of contracting services like the WorkProgramme to the commercial sector willprivatise a substantial part of state services.More stringent eligibility tests for benefits andchanges to employment protection in a contextof rising unemployment mean greater jobinsecurity.

‘As 2012 progresses, we will see furtherincreases in poverty, rising unemployment,greater insecurity for those in work and moreprivatisation as the welfare state is cut back. We will also see more riots, demonstrations and strikes disrupting our cities.’

Bringing 3D to older peopleOpening up 3D virtual worlds to older people isthe aim of a new research project within theSchool of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA).The School has obtained £97,397 funding fromthe Engineering and Physical Sciences ResearchCouncil (EPSRC) to explore Kinetic UserInterfaces, which allow users to interact withcomputers through movement.

Dr Jim Ang, who is leading the research withinEDA, commented: ‘Older people may experiencea decline in physical and cognitive capabilities,which could result in deterioration of their socialrelationships and quality of life. It is thereforecrucial to find novel ways that motivate them tohave a more active lifestyle. One possibility is 3Dvirtual worlds, providing a creative and socialspace for users to engage in various activities.’

The research, which starts in April 2012, will see the EDA team working closely with AgeUK,Silverfit (a Dutch company that developsrehabilitation games) and older peoplethemselves. The researchers will design anddevelop a prototype, and assess theeffectiveness of Kinetic User Interface-based 3D design in a virtual world.

1.2 million euro research award Dr Anneli Albi, Senior Lecturer at Kent LawSchool (KLS), has been awarded 1.2 millioneuros by the European Research Council for afive-year research project titled The Role andFuture of National Constitutions in European andGlobal Governance.

The funding is from the Council’s IndependentStarting Grant programme, a highly competitive

scheme designed to support frontier research byleading young international scholars. The projectaims to revisit the role of national constitutions ata time when decision-making has increasinglyshifted to the transnational level.

According to Dr Albi, ‘national constitutions haveoften come to be seen as somewhat old-fashioned bulwarks of sovereignty. However, theproject will explore other constitutional valuesthat seem to have a continued importance in thecontemporary globalising world, for example theprotection of constitutional rights, the rule of law, legitimacy and democratic checks andbalances. Concerns have increasingly beenvoiced with regard to a certain degree of erosionof classic constitutional safeguards in Europeanand global governance.’

Research awards listSome recent research awards

Dr Jim Griffin (School of Mathematics,Statistics and Actuarial Science): £104,922from the Engineering and Physical SciencesResearch Council (EPSRC) for ‘AdvancedBayesian computation for cross-disciplinaryresearch’.

Dr Dan Mulvihill (School of Biosciences):£119,321 from the Royal Society for‘Development of simultaneous multi-planeacquisition imaging systems’.

Dr Duska Radosavljevic (School of Arts):£20,513 from the Arts and HumanitiesResearch Council (AHRC) for ‘The role ofensemble theatre in redefining ‘playwriting’and ‘writing for performance’ in the 21stcentury’.

12 KENT Magazine

Enterprise

A helping hand fornew businesses The Kent Enterprise Hub is theUniversity’s dedicated incubationfacility for student and graduate start-ups and academic spin-outs.

Since January 2010, we have helped in the creation of 45 new companies, whichtogether employ a total 97 staff. Thisrepresents a direct impact on the localeconomy of approximately £3m. Apart fromfully furnished subsidised office and labspaces, we offer meeting room and hot-deskfacilities as well as free-of-charge businessadvice sessions.

Among new businesses helped by theEnterprise Hub is Venomtech Ltd, founded inMarch 2010 to supply venom for biologicalresearch. Venomtech is the only commercialvenom lab in the UK and moved into TheEnterprise Hub in January 2012 tostrengthen its links with the University andexpand its business.

The company’s principal function is to collectvenom from snakes, spiders, scorpions,centipedes and other bugs and insects. Itcurrently has 490 animals covering over 150 species. Collected venom is put intophylogenetically and geographically diversescreening arrays for the discovery of newtherapeutics for diseases such as cancerand cardiovascular disorders, and for painrelief.

Venomtech director Steven Trim worked as aresearch associate in comparative genomicswith Professor Darren Griffin in 2010. He stillhas links with staff in the School ofBiosciences as they conduct much of theirresearch with the venom he supplies.

Steven Trim commented: ‘The EnterpriseHub allows us to have more space for ourresearch which helps us to improve ourproductivity. We also have many good linkswith Biosciences.’

To discuss your business idea, or for furtherinformation on the Kent Enterprise Hub,please get in touch with Stephanie Barwick,Business Engagement Manager,s.r.barwick@kent.ac.uk or 01227 827094.

Enterprise andImpact Training Responding to thechallengeIn May, staff will have the opportunity to attendthe University’s Enterprise and Impact Training.

UK universities are moving into an environmentwhere far more will be demanded of them interms of the economic impact of their activitiesand the extent of their interactions with external,particularly commercial, organisations. At thesame time, universities will be subject tostringent financial and resource constraints. To respond to this challenge, the University’sEnterprise and Impact training programme wasdeveloped and piloted very successfully lastyear and is now included in the University’soverall staff training offering.

What will the training offer?The training offers all University of Kent staff the opportunity to equip themselves with theknowledge and tools to successfully engage inadded-value enterprise activities. Specifically, the programme will help participants to:

• understand the range of knowledge exchangeactivities and how to engage with these

• define and demonstrate economic impact • increase their profile through knowledgeexchange and enterprise projects

• increase the potential to generate unrestrainedincome

Who should attend?The training has been developed for staff whowant to gain new insights and tools to generateimpact from research activities and engage inadded-value enterprise activities. Deans from all three faculties support the programme andbelieve it will be of benefit for academics toattend.

Feedback from participants so far hasbeen very good:‘Overall the course has been motivating andinspiring and has encouraged me to move my innovation projects ahead.’‘Practical and focused.’‘Learned to think in a different way. Highlightedthe important points in collaborating withindustry and their emphasis.’‘Such a wonderful and concise course. Simpleand straightforward, hitting on the right topics forcreating impact for research as well as makingbusiness sense of it.’

More details The programme will run over two half-days on 3 and 30 May 2012 at the Innovation Centre,Canterbury Campus. Places are limited soplease book as soon as possible by emailingLearning & Development ldev@kent.ac.uk orphone 4348. Further information is availableunder ‘Latest News’ at www.kent.ac.uk/hr-learninganddevelopment/ For advice on thecourse suitability, contact Christina Schönleber,c.m.schoenleber@kent.ac.uk, ext 4804.

New Enterprise Awards for autumn term 2011

Amanda Klekowski SSPSSR Survey data consultation £3,148von Koppenfels

Julie Beadle-Brown SSPSSR CFU Leadership £14,000

Andrew Fearne Kent Business School Sunrise Unilever Oxfam partnership £22,000

Darren Griffin School of Biosciences Sustainable protein production £439,808

Andrew Fearne Kent Business School Town centre review £40,000

Robbie Sutton School of Psychology Coastal communities study £17,380

13KENT Magazine

Feature

During 2010-11, we made good progress against theUniversity’s Plan for 2009-12 which is based aroundsix key messages:

• A leading UK universityKent has continued to perform strongly in theNational Student Survey and underlined itsacademic and research excellence with, forexample, high-quality publications andsignificant grant funding. Admissions forpostgraduate programmes have beenparticularly strong, with a 13% increase inhome and EU full-time taught applications and22% increase in overseas applications. Wehave partnerships with over 100 universitiesacross Europe, and our China and Hong KongPortal project is a badge of our internationalambitions. We continue to work closely withthe Brompton Academy in north Kent, as wellas overseeing wide-ranging curriculumactivities with our 19 Partner Schools and FEcolleges. At Medway, we have strengthenedour academic provision by appointing sevennew professors and locating two majorresearch groups there, Value ChainManagement and Future Computing. Withinthe School of Arts, Music and Fine Art arebeing relocated to the Chatham HistoricDockyard.

• A strong international impactThe University’s Internationalisation Strategyhas been embedded through our strategyboard, Internationalisation task force, annualFaculty roadshows and the StudentExperience committee. We are continuing towork with international strategic partneruniversities via our Global Partnershipsnetwork and membership of the exclusiveSantander European Universities group.Overseas student numbers continue to grow –2011 was a record year for overseasregistrations – and we are enhancing ourinternational student experience.

• An inspiring studentexperience Building on our Student Ambassador scheme,we are making good progress in combiningvoluntary, paid and credit-bearingopportunities for undergraduates andpostgraduates. We have also significantlyenhanced employability activity by, forexample, piloting a career preparation moduleon Moodle and an Employability Pointsscheme. We have increased employer links,placement opportunities and studententerprise activities.

• Innovative, world-leadingresearchAround 75% of our academic staff are eligiblefor the forthcoming Research ExcellenceFramework and new research leaders havebeen appointed at Medway. Postgraduateresearch acceptances are increasing steadily– in 2011, overseas applications were up 64%and home applications rose by 29%. TheCentre for Molecular Processing continues towin major awards and we successfully bid torun the ESRC Doctoral Training Centrecollaboratively with the universities of Surrey,Royal Holloway and Reading.

• Valuing innovation, enterpriseand creativityKey achievements have included the Loveyour Campus campaign with Kent Union,launch of internships and placements andextension of Social Hubs Research toMedway. There is increasing externalrecognition for our Creative Campuscampaign and the Innovation, Creative andEnterprise (ICE) initiative continues to producenew leads.

Working to Plan• Operating in an effective,efficient, sustainable andprofessional wayThe University’s financial performanceremains strong. We have introduced newdevelopment programmes to support staff inleading and managing others. A stakeholdergroup has been created to provide feedbackon over 40 new and revised HR policies. Wehave supported equality and diversity by, forexample, joining the Athena Swan Charter(promoting women in science) and Stonewall(supporting LGBT staff and students). On theCanterbury campus, there has beensubstantial redevelopment of Keynes College– including 500 new bedrooms – and theColyer-Fergusson Music Building opens laterthis year.

Institutional Plan 2012-15Work on the Institutional Plan for 2012-15 is alsounderway. The new Plan will take forward manyof the themes of the 2009-12 Plan, but withadditional emphasis on the University’sdistinctive values and vision, its academicdirection and its many partnerships (internaland external). The Vice-Chancellor and DeputyVice-Chancellor (Professor Keith Mander) havevisited all academic schools and professionalservice departments over the last few months,resulting in many helpful discussions about thenew Plan. Keith Mander is now working with theDirector of Corporate Communications (PosieBogan) to draw the threads of thosediscussions together in a draft Plan. This willreceive further discussion across the Universityover the coming months, prior to approval bythe University Council at the end of the summerterm.

14 KENT Magazine

ObituaryKent in the news

Kent experts continue to feature strongly in international and national newscoverage. There have been contributions from, among others, the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), School ofBiosciences, Kent Law School and the Centre for Journalism.

International broadcast coverage of University expert research andcomment included Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby, of SSPSSR, beingfeatured for his research on how austerity may mean more riots, onEuradioNantes (France); Professor Sally Sheldon, of Kent Law School, onsex selection in abortion for the BBC World Service; Professor Chris Rootes,of SSPSSR, discussing the development of Greenpeace during its first 40years for Austrian Radio FM4 and the significance of Occupy London forVoice of Russia; and Professor Tim Luckhurst, of the Centre for Journalism,interviewed on James Murdoch’s resignation for American National PublicRadio.

National broadcast coverage included Professor Darren Griffin, of theSchool of Biosciences, being interviewed on the Male Y chromosome forBBC Radio 2’s Simon Mayo Show; Professor Sally Sheldon, of Kent LawSchool, featuring on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme on sex selection inabortion; Professor Frank Furedi, of SSPSSR, on BBC Radio 2 discussingthe Criminal Records Bureau and protecting children; and Professor TimLuckhurst, of the Centre for Journalism, interviewed on arrests at NewsInternational and the future of The Sun for BBC1’s Breakfast News and theBBC Politics Show, respectively.

Professor Frank Cioffi, 1928-2012Professor Frank Cioffi was born in New York City on 11 January 1928and died at his home in Canterbury on 1 January 2012. After a spell withthe US army in Japan just after World War II and a brief period in Paris,he entered Ruskin College Oxford. He then became an undergraduateat the newly founded St Catherine’s College, where a friendly AlanBullock helped him to negotiate his way through the various universityformalities. He was tutored in the philosophy part of PPP by FriedrichWaismann and Anthony Quinton. After his degree, he spent some timeresearching in social psychology at Oxford with Michael Argyle. From1956 to 1965, he was lecturer in philosophy at the University ofSingapore.

Frank came to England as one of the founders of the University of Kentin 1965 and it was here that I met him in 1966. As was the case withother new universities at the time, Kent was inventing new combinationsof studies in an attempt to overcome too early specialisation. Part One,which initially lasted four terms, consisted of a course entitled Britainand the Contemporary World, in which students had to study acombination of literature, history and philosophy. Frank, with hisimmense range of reading in all three areas, was eminently fitted forteaching such combined studies and was inspiring for both staff andstudents. His wonderful introductory lectures to philosophy inducedmany students who did not know the subject to take it in Part Two. Hehad a wonderful way of delivering his lectures spontaneously, withpowers of anecdote and humour which, however, never detracted fromtheir deep seriousness. Often, they were applauded at the end and,when the timetable permitted, students would ask him to continue. In hispublished work, he made important world-recognised contributions tothe study of Wittgenstein and the criticism of Freud.

When Frank was offered a professorship at the University of Essex andthe chance, in effect, to found the new department of philosophy there,a group of teachers and students at Kent went to the Dean ofHumanities and the Vice-Chancellor asking that he be given aprofessorship here. The request did not succeed and Kent’s loss wasEssex’s gain, for he went on to found an extremely successfuldepartment there. After his retirement in 1994, he and his wife Nalinicame back to live in Canterbury and he became an Honorary ResearchProfessor here. No one who knew Frank will ever forget him. Sadly, hiswife Nalini (whom he had devotedly cared for in her illness) died on 18February.

Edward Greenwood, retired Senior Lecturer in English Literature

Green updateIt’s been a busy few months for environmental activities at Kent.

This year’s Green Impact scheme has been a great success with 23 teamscompeting from the Canterbury and Medway campuses. For FairtradeFortnight, from 27 February to 12 March, the University’s Fairtrade steeringgroup organised a host of events including a talk by the Director ofCommunications and Policy for the Fairtrade Foundation and an exhibitionon Fairtrade history.

The University’s Environmental Co-ordinator Catherine Morris returned frommaternity leave in February to a new role working full-time for the University(previously a split role between the University and Kent Union). Over thenext year, she will be focusing on two main areas – firstly, improving thecommunication and raising awareness of the University’s environmentalperformance by upgrading webpages and utilising newer technologiessuch as blogs, Twitter and Facebook and, secondly, helping Kent obtainISO14001 certification. This standard will enable the University to controland improve its environmental performance, and will be a real boost to ourenvironmental credentials.

For further information, or to get involved in anything mentioned here,please contact Catherine Morris (c.morris@kent.ac.uk).

15KENT Magazine

Sport

Kent Sport Shaw Award – rewarding ‘commitment through adversity’

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The Shaw Award, designed to honour Kent Sportmembers who demonstrate ‘commitment throughadversity’, has been presented for the first time.Its recipient, Martin Lawrie is a frequent visitor tothe fitness suite, despite his diagnosis withmultiple sclerosis.

The Shaw Award was launched by Kent Sport in2011 in memory of the late Maria Shaw who,during her treatment for cancer, demonstratedtremendous commitment through adversity andcontinued to attend the Sports Centre. Mariastudied Physics & Astrophysics at the Universitybefore completing her Masters in Electronics andgraduating in 2000. Maria was always a keenKent Sport user as well as an active member ofthe Kendo and Astronomy societies.

Maria’s legacy is a partnership between KentSport and Howard Shaw (Maria’s husband). The Shaw Award trophy, which Howard helped

design, symbolises the steps taken to achieve agoal. The Shaw Award collaborates with KentSport’s GP Referral Scheme, where localmedical practitioners refer clients for a 12-weekfitness programme. The Shaw Award wascommissioned with this in mind and potentialrecipients are nominated by their dedicatedfitness instructor to the Kent Sport SeniorManagement Team.

The inaugural recipient, Martin Lawrie wasreferred to and joined Kent Sport in 2008 and isone of the first members through the door on hisearly morning workouts. His routine was adaptedto suit the equipment available and his ownlimitations; his commitment to exercise hasimproved his range of movement, strength, co-ordination and balance as he now completesexercises both in and out of his wheelchair.Martin’s confidence has grown immensely sinceusing the fitness suite, and as he returns weekafter week training on his own he has becomean inspiration to others.

Martin was presented with the Shaw Award on30 January by Director of Sport Graham Holmesat a small presentation with Martin’s wife and theKent Sport team. Martin is the first name in thebook commissioned to accompany the trophy,which is on display at the Sports Centre.

Kent Sport would like to congratulate Martin onhis achievement and hope that his commitmentwill be an example to all.

Kent Sport continues to work with local medicalpractitioners supporting the GP ReferralScheme. For more information on the award orreferral scheme, please contactsportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk or your local GP.

Exercise referral availablefrom Occupational HealthThe University’s Occupational Health nurseshave been accepted onto the NHS Easternand Coastal Kent Exercise Referral Scheme.This means that we can refer staff with healthissues who would benefit from exercisedirectly to the Sports Centre for a three-month programme. Only a small charge ismade and you do not have to be a memberof the Sports Centre.

Research has demonstrated that regularexercise improves health and wellbeing. If you have a condition that fits the criteriabelow and you are not used to any structuredphysical activity, you may be eligible.

• Alcohol or drug rehabilitation• cancer• cardiovascular disease• diabetes• family history of heart disease• heart failure• high cholesterol• high blood pressure• joint/mobility/musculoskeletal problems• mental health and wellbeing• obesity• overweight• smoker

If you think that you could fall within thisscheme, please contact OccupationalHealth, ext 4691, to make an appointmentwith one of the nurses to assess yoursuitability. For more information onOccupational Health at Kent, see:www.kent.ac.uk/safety/oh/

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What’s on

Music Friday 30 March, 12.30pm, LunchtimeConcert at St Peter’s Methodist Church, StPeter’s Street, Canterbury. Conducted byDaniel Harding, the University SiroccoEnsemble and Chamber Choir present aprogramme including Gounod’s PetiteSymphonie, and choral works by Whitacre,Vaughan Williams, Brahms and others,bringing the spring term’s music-making to alively conclusion. Admission free, with aretiring collection.

Gulbenkian TheatrehighlightsSaturday 14 April, 2pm, Big Wooden Horseand Theatre Royal Winchester presentThe Way Back Home. Oliver Jeffers, award-winning author of How to Catch a Star andLost and Found, returns with an inter-galactictale about a little boy seeking adventure.

Saturday 14 April, 7.30pm, Mitch Benn andthe Distractions, Ode to the Warrior. FromBBC Radio 4’s Sony-nominated Now Show,BBC1’s One Show and BBC1’s Watchdog,multi-award winner Mitch Benn and his bandtake to the road in a two-hour show packedwith new songs and old favourites.

Thursday 19 April, 7.30pm, Ballet Central.This exciting programme of ballet,contemporary, jazz and narrative dance will

Gulbenkian CinemahighlightsFriday 13 – Monday 16 April, TheDescendants (15)

Friday 13 – Sunday 15 April, Extremely Loud& Incredibly Close (12A)

Saturday 14 April, Cars 2 3D (U)

Sunday 15 April, The Iron Lady (12A)

Tuesday 17 April, Rigoletto – live broadcastfrom The Royal Opera House.

Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 April,J Edgar (15)

Friday 20 – Sunday 22 April, The Woman inthe Fifth (15)

Friday 20 – Thursday 26 April, Bel Ami (15)

Saturday 21 April, Big Miracle (PG)

Sunday 22 April, The Help (12A)

Monday 23 April, Ghost Rider: Spirit ofVengeance 3D (12A)

Friday 27 April – Thursday 3 May, Trishna(15)

Friday 27 – Sunday 29 April, In Darkness(15), Polish with English subtitles

Saturday 28 April, The Muppets (U)

Sunday 29 April, The Artist (PG)

Monday 30 April, Contraband (15)

Friday 4 – Sunday 6 May, The Kid with aBike (12A), French with English subtitles

Friday 4 – Thursday 10 May, Salmon Fishingin the Yemen (12ATBC)

Saturday 5 May, We Bought A Zoo (PG)

Friday 11 – Monday 14 May, This Must BeThe Place (15TBC)

Saturday 12 May, The Lion King 3D (U)

For full details of times and ticket availability,please go to www.thegulbenkian.co.uk

also feature live accompaniment by MusicalDirector Philip Feeney.

Thursday 26 April, 7.30pm, Lee Hurst, Man VWoman. Back on the road after 10 years, Lee isbest known as one of the stars of BBC1’scomedy sports quiz They Think It’s All Over.

Friday 27 April, 7.45pm, Wasted by KateTempest. A debut play, by the UK’s most excitingperformance poet, about love, life and losingyour mind.

Thursday 3 May, 7.30pm, Ballet Theatre UK,Sleeping Beauty. This spectacular productionuses Tchaikovsky’s glorious music and stunningclassical choreography to reawaken the magicof the world’s favourite fairy tale.

Thursday 10 May, 7.30pm, Icarus TheatreCollective present Macbeth. ‘Something wickedthis way comes…’ The vicious, barbaricundercurrent in Shakespeare’s epic tragedysurfaces in this kinetic, bloodthirsty production.

Friday 11 May, 7.30pm, EDge 2012 featuringthe postgraduate performance company ofLondon Contemporary Dance School.

Tuesday 15 May, 7.30pm, Spiers and Boden,Founders of Bellowhead… Described by TheGuardian as ‘the finest instrumental duo on thetraditional scene’ and twice winners of the BBCRadio 2 folk award for Best Duo.