Orchid discovery

Employability success

KENTThe Magazine for the University of Kent | July 2013

Staff

Welcome

Special thanks to: Lesley Farr, University Design & Print Centre. Photographs by Cognitive Media, Alastair Fyfe Photography Ltd, Simon Jarrett,Martin Motes and Matt Wilson.

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to say proudly that the University is now a top-20 UK institution following the publication of theGuardian newspaper’s University Guide for 2014 (see opposite). This is the result of excellent work on the partof colleagues across the institution, supporting students’ academic progress together with the wider studentexperience. At Kent we continue to produce leading research alongside our supportive and enriching studentexperience; our students enjoy their time and our research-led teaching prepares them for their future. Thank youall for your continued contribution to this success.

What the University does to enhance the student experience is ever more important and you will read in KENTstaff magazine examples of the innovative activities which the University offers to our students (see p6). TheEmployability Points Scheme goes from strength to strength with around 2,500 participants, up a quarter on lastyear, and 111 businesses involved. The Scheme is highly valued by our students, and part of a rich package ofextra-curricular support available at Kent.

The University’s staff and students form a valuable part of the local community, whether at Canterbury, Medwayor Tonbridge, or at our European centres. This year, students clocked up over 100,000 hours of volunteering. Thisis a great achievement, and just one of the many ways in which the University enriches life in Kent and beyond.Our commitment to the wider, non-academic community was also demonstrated in June with the launch of theUniversity’s strategy for Public Engagement with Research (p4). This approach, backed up by targeted funding,will ensure a better structured way to support academic colleagues to achieve positive transformational changefor their research.

As a very successful academic year comes to an end, I wish you all the very best for the summer and lookforward to working with you in the coming academic year.

Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow Vice-Chancellor

3 News 6 Feature: Employability success 8 Research 10 Enterprise 11 Feature: Teaching methods 12 Staff profile 13 Equality, Diversity &Inclusivity 14 Feature: A day in the life of 15 Environment 16 Feature:Gulbenkian 17 Sport 18 Kent in the News/Books 19 People 20 What’s on

3KENT Magazine

News

Kent enters top 20 of UK universities The Guardian University Guide 2014 hasplaced the University among the top 20universities in the UK.

Kent’s 20th position in the 2014 Guide representsa rise of two places from the previous year and isa continuation of the University’s general upwardtrend in league table rankings.

The Guardian University Guide also highlightsKent’s strength across a broad range of subjectareas, with 42% of its 31 subjects measuredappearing in the top 10 nationally.

Kent’s other league table positions include 28th out of 124 UK institutions in the CompleteUniversity Guide 2014 and 28th in the SundayTimes League Table 2013. It was placed third for

overall satisfaction in the most recent NationalStudent Survey (2012).

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame JuliaGoodfellow said: ‘This result representsinvestment, over a number of years by allcolleagues, in a range of areas which havecombined to such spectacular success. It alsoreflects the dedication and expertise of our staffwho work hard to ensure that we provide thebest possible student experience.

‘The Guardian league table also highlights yetagain our reputation for high quality research-ledteaching. I would like to thank all those who havehelped make Kent one of the best universities inthe UK.’

KENTWe have set up a new group for staff to have theirsay on all aspects of internal communications,including KENT staff magazine. If you would like tobecome a member, please get in touch with us viacommunications@kent.ac.uk.

KENT staff magazine is also available online atwww.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/kentmagazine.Please email communications@kent.ac.uk if youwould prefer not to receive a printed copy.

Editorial team:Wendy Raeside (Editor), KarenBaxter and colleagues in CorporateCommunications, University of Kent. To contact usor submit a story, email kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk.

Next issue: the deadline for the next issue is 6 September with a publication date of 30September 2013.

Orchid discovery

Employability success

KENTThe Magazine for the University of Kent | July 2013

Staff

Cover storyKent research helps identify a new species oforchid in Komodo (p8).

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RIBA National Award for Kent’sMusic Building The University’s Colyer-Fergusson MusicBuilding has won a RIBA (Royal Institute ofBritish Architects) National Award 2013.

It is one of only two buildings in the south east towin a 2013 RIBA National Award for architecturalexcellence and one of 43 to win nationally. It willnow go forward for RIBA’s top award, the StirlingPrize, with the shortlist being announced on 18 July.

Designed by Tim Ronalds Architects, the£8 million Colyer-Fergusson Music Building isnotable for its wide range of innovative designfeatures. These include a purpose-built, flexibleperformance space; outstanding, adjustableacoustics; fully retractable seating for up to 500audience members; external live broadcastprovision; and five practice rooms. The buildingalso features a variety of social and officespaces.

Continued overleaf

4 KENT Magazine

News

Dockyard becomes hub of artand creativity A full-sized conservatory, a ‘crashed’ car and thehull of a ship were among large-scaleinstallations featuring in a new exhibition by Kentstudents at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Titled ‘Joining the Docks’, the Fine Art DegreeShow was officially opened on 25 May byVictoria Pomery, Director of the TurnerContemporary, Margate.

Alongside pieces from Fine Art students, theexhibition, open to members of the public, alsofeatured works by students from the Music andAudio Arts, and Creative Events, Design andProduction courses.

You can find out more about Joining the Docks atwww.joiningthedocks.co.uk

Kent reinforces commitment topublic engagement withresearchA panel event reinforced the University’scommitment to public engagement with the widerange of research conducted at its campusesand centres.

Hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor DameJulia Goodfellow, alongside keynote speaker,Matthew Dodd – Head of Speech, Programmingand Presentation at BBC Radio 3 – the event tookplace at the Canterbury campus on 12 June.Among those attending were other seniormembers of the University including Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research Professor John Baldockand more than 100 staff and invited guests.

Public engagement describes the many waysthe University connects its research activities tothe general public, ranging from public talks andexhibitions to press and social media activities.With a long tradition of public engagementthrough numerous events, activities andexhibitions, the University has now pledged aformalised commitment to encourage furthercollaboration between its researchers and thepublic.

To find out more, visit: www.kent.ac.uk/publicengagement/launch.html

Kent recognised by EuropeanCommission for researcherdevelopmentThe University’s commitment to recruit, developand retain high calibre research staff has beenrecognised with the European Commission’s HRExcellence in Research Award.

The award focuses on Kent’s implementation ofspecific actions, which deliver commitments toresearch excellence, set out by the EuropeanCharter for Researchers and Code of Conductfor their Recruitment. The award will beincreasingly expected by the Research CouncilUK (RCUK) and EU funders, as well as researchcollaborators and job applicants.

The award also recognises how Kent is engagingwith research staff across all three faculties toidentify key areas for improvement.

The University will show a continued commitmentto researcher development via a cross-FacultyWorking Group, chaired by the University’sDirector of Research Services and its Head ofOrganisational Development.

Kent is one of seven UK universities recognisedwith the award in 2013. The awards wereannounced by Vitae – the UK organisation whichchampions researcher excellence in highereducation – at the ‘HR strategies for researchers:future directions and good practice acrossEurope’ event in London in May.

Find out more about the Kent initiative at:www.kent.ac.uk/human-resources/excellenceinresearch/index.html

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Funded entirely from philanthropic donations, theColyer-Fergusson Music Building was madepossible with a generous donation from theColyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, a legacy fromSir James Colyer-Fergusson, donations from over200 other individual donors, and a contributionfrom the Higher Education Funding Council’sMatched Funding Scheme.

Professor Keith Mander, the University’s DeputyVice-Chancellor with responsibility for physicalresources and arts policy, said: ‘The University isthe custodian and nurturer of exceptional extra-curricular musical talent which students bringwhile studying for degrees in subjects other thanmusic. The Colyer-Fergusson Building has raisedthe standard of the University’s music-making tonew levels and provided many moreopportunities for students to rehearse andperform. The University is delighted that thebuilding’s architectural distinction has also beenrecognised.’

Students break record forvolunteering hoursOver 103,950 hours of volunteering have beenlogged by Kent students during 2012/13 – thelargest total ever recorded in one year at theUniversity. The number surpasses last year’s totalby over 20,000 hours and was achieved bystudents at Canterbury and Medway campuses.

More than 50 local organisations benefit from thefree time donated by Kent students who go‘above and beyond’ for the local community.Organisations involved include Barnardo’s, KentPolice, Challenging Behaviour Foundation,Strood Community Project, Medway YouthOffending Team and Caring Hands in theCommunity.

The record-breaking total was announced atannual awards ceremonies at Canterbury andMedway. Over 800 students were recognised forthe support they give to organisations throughtheir volunteering activities, receiving Gold +,Gold, Silver or Bronze prizes, depending on theamount of hours they give. The Kent StudentCertificate for Volunteering (KSCV) scheme alsoincludes a Platinum module presented tostudents who gain recognition for theirvolunteering hours in the form of degree credits.

5KENT Magazine

News

YouTube animation reaches10,000 hits in first 24 hoursThe second animation in a series of educationalcartoons on Ancient Rome by Ray Laurence,Professor of Roman History and Archaeology,has launched on YouTube to over 10,000 hits inthe first 24 hours after release.

Titled Four Sisters in Rome, the cartoon followsProfessor Laurence’s first animation – A Glimpseof Teenage Life in Ancient Rome – which hasbeen watched by over 190,000 people to date.Four Sisters in Rome focuses on what life waslike for young girls in the city almost 2,000 yearsago and seeks to respond to a demand forknowledge of the role of the young in the city atthat time. You can view the cartoon at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQMgLxVxsrw

University congratulates KentUnion award-winnersVolunteering, local community work and sign-upsto a crucial donor register were just a handful ofactivities recognised at a special awardsceremony held at the University on 15 May.

The Kent Union Awards 2013 celebrates theachievements of its students for the outstandingwork they undertake while members of KentUnion (KU) clubs and societies. The event alsorecognises the contributions of the University’sstaff and among winners this year were: BestTeacher – Govinda Clayton (Politics andInternational Relations); Fantastic Feedback –Peter Klappa (Biosciences); Best Supervision –Kate O’Brien (SSPSSR); and ProfessionalServices – Jo Dunn (Psychology).

Cartoon archive among top 100websites worth preservingThe website of the British Cartoon Archive (BCA)at the University has been chosen by librarycurators and other experts from the Capturingthe Digital Universe project as one of the top 100 UK websites worth preserving for futuregenerations.

The BCA site was chosen as it is ‘a voluminousand essential resource into social and politicalhistory’ and ‘essential reading for futuregenerations researching our life and times in2013’.

Launched in April, the Capturing the DigitalUniverse project is the result of new powers toarchive the entire UK web having been awardedto the British Library, the National Library ofScotland, the National Library of Wales, theBodleian Libraries at Oxford, CambridgeUniversity Library and Trinity College Dublin.

New lease of life for NorthernPortal of Crab and Winkle Line The University has completed significantrestoration works to the Northern Portal of theTyler Hill Tunnel, part of the original route of theCrab and Winkle Railway Line that linkedCanterbury and Whitstable.

The Grade II-listed portals and tunnel, which runsouth under the main part of the Canterburycampus, are steeped in local locomotive history,including association to pioneering engineerssuch as George Stephenson and IsambardKingdom Brunel.

The renovation included the introduction of landdrainage behind the parapet and wing walls, aswell as the careful dismantling, rebuilding, repairand repointing of the brickwork. A new approachfootpath and fencing has also been provided tomake the site more accessible.

The renovations, which have cost in excess of£50,000, have been funded by the University andco-ordinated by its Estates Department. TheUniversity has worked closely with CanterburyCity Council, structural engineers, ecologists,local support groups and the main contractor, tocomplete the work.

Kent filmmaker in CannesspotlightA film by Clio Barnard, Reader in Film at Kent,was chosen as one of only two films to representthe UK in the Directors’ Fortnight line-up at the2013 Cannes Film Festival in May.

Titled The Selfish Giant, the film is an adaption ofOscar Wilde’s famous short story of the samename. Now set in a housing estate in Bradford, it tells the tale of two outcast teenage boys whoget caught up in the world of copper theft. TheSelfish Giant follows Clio Barnard’s criticallyacclaimed debut feature, The Arbor (2010) which won several awards.

Cathedral Library treasuresopened up to publicA collaboration between Canterbury Cathedraland Kent’s Centre for Medieval and Early ModernStudies has enabled the public to view for thefirst time some of the many treasures storedwithin the Cathedral Library’s archives.

The ‘Picture This’ collaboration features amonthly online post of a carefully selected image from one of the Library’s books with anaccompanying descriptive article written by astudent or researcher at the University.

Published at http://canterbury-cathedral.org/conservation/library/picture-this/,these articles hope to provide a fascinatingcommentary on the symbolism of medieval art,as well as an explanation and understanding ofhidden language that can give an insight into theworkings of the medieval mind.

1 Joining the Docks exhibition2 Ancient Rome animation

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6 KENT Magazine

Feature

Employability – a Kentsuccess-story Ninety three per cent of Kent’sgraduates are in work orfurther study six months afterthey graduate. This is thanksto the commitment of our staffto make sure Kent studentshave the necessaryknowledge and skills to thrivein employment. Allie White, forKENT staff magazine, outlinessome of the ways theUniversity is helping ourstudents gain the best jobs.The Employability Points Scheme, Global SkillsAward and Careers and Employability ServiceMoodle Award are just three of the innovativeschemes available to students at Kent. They canalso gain new skills and valuable workexperience through Kent Union’s Jobshop.

With University support, students can sign-up asan ambassador, peer mentor or School/Facultyrepresentative, or learn languages from Arabic toMandarin. They are then able to keep track oftheir work-related experience, and reflect on theskills they’ve learnt, through MyFolio or KentUnion’s Employability and Volunteering toolkit.

Kent continues to enhance the employabilitysupport it provides to students with theintroduction of new services, including drop-insessions at Templeman Library, an employabilityblog and bursary scheme for short-term unpaidwork experiences.

The Careers and Employability Service iscurrently preparing for the biggest employabilityevent Kent has seen – Employability Week. From4 – 8 November 2013, we will welcome hundredsof international, as well as local, employers toKent. The event will not only provide studentswith the chance to find out more about theopportunities after university, but will enable staffto network with employers on campus too.

Paris and Brussels SummerSchool ScholarshipsAnother new initiative in 2013 is a SummerSchool Scholarship for 50 of our students tostudy in Paris and Brussels as part of Kent’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. The successfulstudents, who were chosen from more than 400applicants, started their Summer School at theend of May.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Hughesdescribes the Summer School as ‘an excellentopportunity for our students to enhance their CV,gain valuable skills and have a lot of fun at thesame time’.

She adds: ‘With centres in Brussels and Paris,Kent is in an ideal position to provide ourstudents with an international study experiencethat is intellectually and culturally enriching.’

Pride in our student successesThe University’s commitment to employability isreflected in the success of our alumni. In therecent Employability Points Rewards Ceremony(see right) Physics PhD student David Stibbardsreflected on his experience with Coca-ColaEnterprises as part of the Employability PointsScheme. As a result of this work experience,David was chosen from 400 applicants for agraduate position at the global giant.

Our students’ success is something we are veryproud of at Kent, and we recently celebrated this in a campus-wide poster campaign. Thecampaign showcased amazing achievements byindividuals and groups of students, including ourstudent volunteers who logged over 100,000hours last year and Kent alumni who worked onspecial effects and screenwriting for the latestJames Bond film Skyfall. You can view theposters on Flickr: bit.ly/proudtobekent

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7KENT Magazine

Feature

Leading employerssupport innovativeEmployability PointsSchemeCoca-Cola Enterprises, Tesco and EnterpriseRent-a-Car are among the 111 leadingcompanies and organisations who are engagedin Kent’s innovative Employability Points Scheme(EP) and offer work experience, internships andskills development sessions as prizes to Kent’shighest achieving EP students under this year’sscheme.

In a Rewards Ceremony, sponsored bySantander Universities and held on 31 May in thenew Colyer-Fergusson Music Hall, some of thehighest-achieving students in the scheme werecongratulated on their achievements.

A record number of nearly 2,500 studentsparticipated in this year’s EP scheme that servesto encourage, support and enhance the extra-curricular personal and work-skills developmentof individual students through activeengagement in a range of self-selectedactivities.

These include student mentoring, volunteering,part-time employment, international study andlanguage study. Points are then awarded foreach activity and at the end-of-year ceremonystudents with the highest points are presentedwith prizes such as training programmes, paidinternships and vouchers, all of which aresponsored by organisations or companies.

At the ceremony, Professor Alex Hughescommented: ‘This scheme helps our studentsgain valuable experience and I’m delighted thatso many leading employers continue to support

it in this way. We rely on our partners andsponsors and the success of this eveningdemonstrates the extent to which they value ourstudents.’

Cristobal Sanchez of Santander Universitiessaid: ‘Santander believes education is the future.This initiative encourages enterprise andemployability and as a bank we want to invest in that.’

Other sponsors include: Skanska, MerlinEntertainment Group, Kent County Council,Ruskin Air Management, Canterbury CityCouncil, Canterbury Cathedral, aBode, the KM Group, Medway Council, Kent Police, theNational Trust, Waterstones and ShepherdNeame.

You can find out more about employability atKent at: www.kent.ac.uk/employability

1 2013 Summer School Scholars in Brussels2 EP sponsors, Cristobal Sanchez and Jason Bushelfrom Santander Universites, with Kent’s StephanieBarwick, Professor Alex Hughes and Carole Barron

3 Kent alumni contributed to the James Bondblockbuster Skyfall. Image courtesy ofSony/MGM/Eon

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8 KENT Magazine

Research

Revelations from a major Kent-led project haveprompted Police Scotland to investigate the useof the country’s airports for rendition flights.

The Rendition Project recently produced a newdatabase that has tracked over 11,000 flights by more than 120 aircraft linked by pastinvestigations to renditions. It also containsdetails of over 50 private companies contractedfor or by the CIA in relation to rendition flights.

The database is the latest addition to theRendition Project, an online project designed toanalyse the global system of rendition, secretdetention and torture initiated by the USA. Thenew database enables users to search for, andvisualise, underlying data contained within theRendition Project via an interactive map showingrendition flights. Flight data underpinning thedatabase is collated from more than 40 separatesources.

Launched in May 2012, the Rendition Project ispart of wider research to collate and analysehuge amounts of data on the global renditionsystem. Funded by the Economic and SocialResearch Council, it is led by Dr Ruth Blakeley,Senior Lecturer in International Relations atKent’s School of Politics and InternationalRelations, and Dr Sam Raphael, Lecturer inPolitics at Kingston University. They work closelywith Reprieve, a UK-based legal action charity.

Kent-led research resultsin police probe intorendition flights

New Komodo orchid identified A new species of orchid has been identified onthe South East Asian island of Komodo despitebeing wrongly named for the past 300 years.

According to research by Dr Dave Roberts of theDurrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology(DICE), the orchid – named Vanda perplexa –had originally been confused with other similarspecies but has only now been officiallyidentified and described as an entirely newspecies. The orchid which has big round pinkflowers, large stems and grows in trees, is from a group that is particularly popular with growers.

Co-authored by Dr Roberts and Martin Motes, aworld-renowned orchid grower, the findings havebeen published in a paper in Kew Bulletin, titled‘Vanda perplexa (Orchidaceae): a new speciesfrom the Lesser Sunda Islands’.

Dr Roberts said: ‘The mystery of Vanda perplexabegan with the work of Georg EberhardRumphius, a blind German botanist. Rumphiusdescribed a number of species of orchids and itis under one of these, Vanda furva, that our newspecies has been masquerading. Over thesubsequent 300 years, various species havebeen attributed to Rumphius’ Vanda furva,including this species, but it is only now that ithas been officially described and given its ownname.’

University founder member ofnew academic health sciencenetworkThe University has been chosen by the NHS tobe a founder member of a new Academic HealthScience Network (AHSN) for Kent, Surrey andSussex.

NHS England announced on 23 May that it wasestablishing 15 new AHSNs, which would ‘havethe potential to transform health and healthcareby putting innovation at the heart of the NHS’.

The University will be closely involved in thedevelopment of the Kent, Surrey and SussexAHSN as a founding member of the network’stransition board. Its academics will also becomeinvolved in collaborative projects with healthcarepractitioners and other agencies once thenetwork begins its work.

Professor Peter Jeffries, Director of KentHealth,the University department that co-ordinates itsregional health-related activities, said: ‘I am verypleased to confirm that the University is nowplaying a full role in the healthcare landscapeacross our region and look forward to Kentacademics participating in the many activitiesthat the new network will foster. The aim of theAHSN in bringing industry, healthcarepractitioners and the universities togetherresonates perfectly with that of KentHealth.’

9KENT Magazine

Research

Research Design Service SouthEast – a helping hand for NHSresearchThe NIHR Research Design Service South Eastteam at CHSS (pictured above) donned colouredbadges and showed their ‘helping hands’ tosupport a campaign to raise public awareness ofNHS clinical research.

International Clinical Trials Day on 20 May was achance for NHS researchers around the countryto promote a message from the National Institutefor Health Research (NIHR) that it’s ‘OK to Ask’about clinical research.

Bridget Carpenter, Co-Director Business for theResearch Design Service South East (RDS SE)said: ‘A recent poll showed that only 21% ofpatients and the public would feel confident about asking their doctor about clinical researchopportunities. The NIHR OK to Ask campaign is a chance to change this, and we in the RDS SEwork every day with NHS researchers to involvepatients and the public both in the design andprocess of health and social care research.’

The RDS SE is part of a national service fundedby the NIHR. It supports research teams todevelop and submit high quality applied healthand social care grant applications to NIHR andother national peer-reviewed fundingprogrammes. It offers specialist advice free of

charge on all aspects of an application includingdesign, research methods, identifying suitablefunding sources and involving patients andpublic in research design.

For information about the support offered by theRDS SE, visit: http://www.rds-se.nihr.ac.uk

Assessing future tree and plantdisease risks A new method for assessing the impacts andrisks of potential future tree and plant pest anddisease outbreaks has been developed by theUniversity’s Professor Robert Fraser as one ofthe key recommendations of the Governmentreport into biosecurity announced on 20 May.

Robert Fraser, Professor of AgriculturalEconomics within the School of Economics,developed the new methodology as one of tenexperts from leading universities sitting on theDepartment for Environment, Food and RuralAffairs’ (Defra) Tree Health and Plant BiosecurityExpert Taskforce.

The Taskforce’s final report includes arecommendation to develop a ‘prioritised UKPlant Health Risk Register’ – which suggests use of a new ‘horizon-scanning’ methodologydeveloped by Professor Fraser – as one of its key findings.

Motivation for corporatephilanthropy differs acrosscompany hierarchyA new paper by Dr Beth Breeze, Director of theUniversity’s Centre for Philanthropy, highlights adistinct difference in perspectives on corporatephilanthropy between those at the bottom andthe top of company hierarchy.

In the first study of its kind, Dr Breeze found thatboard and senior managers emphasise thebusiness case for corporate philanthropy – suchas reputational benefits and strategic alignmentswith suitable charity brands. Conversely, ‘shop

floor’ staff prioritise charitable causes with whichthey have a personal connection in order toprovide enjoyable fundraising experiences thatbreak the monotony of the working day.

In her paper, titled ‘Corporate philanthropy on theshop floor: what drives employee fundraising?’,Dr Breeze presents findings from researchcarried out using observational methods andinterviews in ten workplaces in south eastEngland. It was undertaken for the Centre forCharitable Giving and Philanthropy (CGAP),which is a consortium of universities funded bythe Economic and Social Research Council.

Recent research awardsDr Zaki Wahhaj (School of Economics),£372,450 from the Australian Agency forInternational Development for ‘The role ofsecondary schooling and gender norms inthe long-term opportunities and choices ofrural Bangladeshi women’.

Professor Frank Wang (School ofComputing) £261,484 from the EuropeanCommission to ‘Re-discover a periodic table of elementary circuit elements’.

Professor Douglas MacMillan (School ofAnthropology and Conservation), £171,317from the Darwin Initiative for ‘Reviving socio-ecological landscapes for biodiversityconservation and climate changeadaptation’.

Professor Dominic Abrams (School ofPsychology), £100,796 from the EuropeanCommission for ‘Mobilising the Potential Of Active Ageing In Europe (MOPACT)’.

Professor Katie Truss (Kent BusinessSchool), £74,323 from the National Institutefor Health Research (NIHR) for ‘Enhancingand embedding employee engagement inthe NHS’.

10 KENT Magazine

Enterprise

Strategic relationship createsinnovation opportunities for Schools

Dstl is a large organisation of researchers delivering research andadvice to the Ministry of Defence and across wider government. It aims to maximise the impact of science and technology on UKdefence and security. At present, around 60% of the approximately£400 million Defence Science and Technology Programme, managedthrough Dstl, is delivered by industry and academia.

electroactive polymer gels, novel materials fornew battery configurations, and lecturing onelectrochemistry applications.

Professor Wilson said: ‘Working with Kent hasprovided Dstl with a range of new, innovative and exciting ideas demonstrating the truly highly creative environment across a range ofdisciplines spanning all faculties.’

The School of Psychology has developed a close relationship with members of the HumanSystems Group at Dstl. Dr Tim Hopthrow, Directorof Learning and Teaching within Psychology,said: ‘With the support of Kent Innovation andEnterprise and the School of Psychology, workingwith Dstl has become a key part of Psychology’sresearch and engagement strategy.’

Psychology has a full-time Dstl-funded researchfellow, Amy Murphy, seconded to Dstl in PortonDown. In addition, the recent appointment ofDstl’s Laura Spear as an Honorary ResearchFellow in Psychology at Kent will be invaluable inhelping the School deliver research and advice to Dstl. Among current research projects withinPsychology are ‘The use of mental simulation to improve influence’ (Dr Tim Hopthrow andProfessor Dominic Abrams), ‘The science ofapology’ (Dr Roger Giner-Sorolla), and ‘Theimpact of conspiracy theories’ (Dr KarenDouglas).

The relationship with Dstl has also promotedmore interdisciplinary working between Schoolsand with external organisations. Dr KarenDouglas from Psychology has worked with DrJim Ang and Dr Farzin Deravi from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts on a projectexamining cultural differences in onlinebehaviour. They have also been working withRoke Manor, which is contracted by Dstl, looking at social influence on Facebook.

Farzin and Jim commented: ‘The project allowsus to expand our research work in cyberbehaviour, looking into how people areinfluenced online and how information spreads in social networks.’

Kate Gill, currently the Group Leader for the AirVehicles Group in the Air and Weapons SystemsDepartment of Dstl, has been appointed aVisiting Professor within the School ofEngineering and Digital Arts. Kate has been a strong contributor to the Dstl systems skillsdevelopment programme and will be deliveringlectures, case studies and workshops at Kent on Systems Project Management.

Other Schools engaged with Dstl include Sportand Exercise Sciences. For example, ProfessorSam Marcora is working with Dstl on hisresearch into reducing fatigue and improving the performance of endurance athletes.

He said: ‘The Dstl project gave me theopportunity to apply my research to a differentkind of “athlete”: the fighting soldier. Bychanging the way they train, the aim is to makesoldiers more resistant to the mental fatigue thatdevelops during prolonged operations. As aresult, it should be easier to spot improvisedexplosive devices (IEDs) and avoid the horrificinjuries and death they cause.’

Both the University and Dstl are looking for newlinks with academics that can provide valuablesources of expertise and advice. To explore thisfurther, email Kent Innovation and Enterprise –enterprise@kent.ac.uk.

A joint networking event between Dstl andresearchers at the University of Kent took placein 2010 to highlight clusters of activity across key science and technology areas in bothorganisations. At the event, Kent’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Denise Everitt and Dstl agreed to support joint working across bothorganisations. This has already resulted in £618,000 of innovation funding – directly fromDstl and via defence industry contractors – aswell as other activities such as engagement withundergraduate and postgraduate students andpathways for research impact.

Both organisations have dedicated resources to opening up access to Kent’s researchexpertise in areas, such as human capabilities,materials/energy and cyber security, wherecollaborative working could benefit the defencesector. It is already clear that the University offersa significant UK defence resource covering awide range of capabilities of relevance to Dstl.

The School of Physical Sciences, for example,has worked with Dstl on a study into metal-freefibre batteries, and is recognised as an approvedsupplier for research linked to the Materials andStructures, Science & Technology Centre (MAST-STC) within Dstl. Professor Jim Wilson, PrincipalScientist at Dstl, has recently been appointed asa Visiting Professor at Kent, working on

Kent and Dstl staff working together

11KENT Magazine

It has been widely reported bythe media that the advent ofmassive open online courses(MOOCs) will spell the demiseof traditional campus-basedteaching methods. However, arecent study-aid pilot at theUniversity reveals that thereare aspects of traditionalcampus teaching thatstudents continue to prizehighly. Laurence Goldstein,Head of the School ofEuropean Culture andLanguages, tells KENT staffmagazine more about thestudy.Students within the University’s Faculty ofHumanities are entitled to individual (one-to-one)short tutorial sessions for receiving feedback ontheir essays. When an essay is submitted, theteacher notes queries and points to bediscussed in the subsequent tutorial. This isobviously more educationally valuable thanwritten comments alone, because there is a real-time dialogue for which the student needs toprepare.

However, some students find it inconvenient totravel to campus for a 15-minute feedbacksession that is not on their regular timetable. Forthis reason, the Faculty developed an option–tutorial by video link. Within this system, two‘talking heads’ – student and tutor – occupy arelatively small screen area; the student’s essayis displayed in high resolution on both screenswith scrolling under the tutor’s control. Electronicbooking and queuing, with the possibility ofrecording the session, are all integrated with theUniversity’s virtual learning environment.

Student demand for ‘traditionalteaching methods’ remains strong

I believe that the system offers great flexibility;student and teacher can be in different locationsand the tutorial can be at any time convenient toboth. I expected 100% enthusiastic uptake bystudents who, after all, regularly use technologyin their academic and personal lives.

It was therefore with some surprise that mycolleagues and I discovered that, although themajority of students have now embraced video-linked individual tutorials (VLIT) and make use ofit quite happily, a significant proportion favouredthe old-fashioned method of face-to-face office-based feedback. A similar result was reportedby Dr Mario Weick in the School of Psychology.This raised the question: what would explain apreference for office-based feedback over theconvenience afforded by technology?

I conducted an informal survey of staff andstudents but given that some of the reasonsoffered against VLIT did not stand up to scrutiny– for example, one respondent said: ‘I don’t wantmy tutor seeing inside my house’ – I consultedwith colleagues in Psychology.

Feature

Among those who helped throw light on thequestion was doctoral student Lynsey Mahmoodwho pointed to some research that wouldindicate that perhaps the real underlyingconcern of the student quoted previously mayhave been that she did not want to see inside herteacher’s house, for glimpsing too much of theteacher’s domestic circumstances would makethe relationship less formal. It would not besurprising if some students wanted to retain asomewhat more distant relation with the teacher.Of course, what is considered to be acomfortable distance will vary from student tostudent, and this is what makes a campus aperfect academic environment. It is home to aclose-knit community where students and staffintermingle, but where a student can choose tointeract with a teacher formally in seminar roomor office, or informally over a cup of coffee.

So, despite the media reports, it is unlikely thatthe rich variety of learning experiences offeredby a good campus university will be displacedby an array of online resources.

12 KENT Magazine

Staff profile

Etienne studied Computer Science atKent before joining the IT team here in2006. In April, he was appointed WebPublishing Officer within CorporateCommunications.

What would be your perfect day? A brilliantly clear winter’s day, spent walking inthe British countryside, all wrapped up, andending in a cosy evening by the fire.

What single thing would improve thequality of your life? Definitely more time. I would love more time to be able to trek around the world, visitingremote countries and learning about the localcultures.

What is your favourite item of clothing,either now or in the past?My Icebreaker jumper. I bring it with meeverywhere I go, it’s the most incredible thingI’ve ever worn. It is made of wool and keepsyou warm when it’s cold and cool when it’shot. As an outdoor enthusiast, you can’t ask for more.

What is your favourite TV/radioprogramme? Firefly by Joss Whedon. Cowboys in space,what’s not to like?!

Etienne DonzelotWhat is your greatest achievement?Receiving my Gold Award for Duke ofEdinburgh. I spent around two years workingon completing the five key skills: physical, skill,volunteering, residential, and expedition. Thelast two of these skills involved a life-changingtrip to South Africa and Mozambique. The tripconsisted of spending three weeks in remoteareas, teaching in a local school and hikingalong the Mozambique coast. Not only did Ilearn about the local cultures and day-to-daylife, but also a great deal about ecology andwilderness preservation. The most memorableexperience was spending five days on foot outin the middle of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, with asleeping bag and a guide. We camped underthe stars with only the sounds of the animalsaround us. It was amazingly peaceful.

How do you celebrate good news?In a very traditional French way: lots of foodand lots of wine!

What is the best piece of advice you’veever been given?‘Do what makes you happy and be yourself.’ I don’t see the point in hiding who I am or whatI like to do just because there’s a possibilitythat someone out there may or may not agreewith it. That just seems bonkers to me.

What country would you most like to visit?I would love to visit Australia. I’ve got somefriends there who constantly tease me withphotos of the places they’ve been to, like Uluru(Ayers Rock), so it would be marvellous to finallyvisit some of them.

What was your first job? My first job was working in the TemplemanLibrary as part of the IT & Library Support Deskwhile I was studying for my undergraduatedegree in Computer Science. I made manyfriends there and learned many skills that I stilluse.

How do you spend your time outside work? The majority of my time is spent outdoors. Sincecompleting my Gold Award for Duke ofEdinburgh, I’ve been increasingly active. Most ofmy time is spent either running or rock-climbingwith Kent’s Mountaineering Society. But I’malways partial to a bit of cycling, swimming, orsailing when the opportunity arises! I’ve recentlycompleted training courses in skiing and scubadiving, so I’m looking forward to doing more ofthose too.

I’m just as comfortable, however, relaxing athome with my partner and a glass of wine.

13KENT Magazine

Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity

In April 2013 the Universitysubmitted its application for abronze Athena SWAN Award.

Bronze awards demonstrate that an institution asa whole has a solid foundation of policies andpractices to eliminate gender bias and supportsan inclusive culture that values female staff. Itshows commitment to the journey towardsadvancing women in SET (Science, Engineeringand Technology); identification of the startingpoint and the resources needed; identification ofwho is leading and supporting the process; andthe monitoring of progress.

The submission was a collaborative effortbetween staff in the Faculty of Sciences and theHR team. The application includes an action planwhich was prepared by the Kent Athena SWANWorking Group. It was produced with input fromthe institution at many levels internally and wasalso informed by the expertise of externalconsultants. The plan creation was led by thecore Athena SWAN team and was circulated forinput to the University Senior Management Teamand all Heads of School in the Sciences Faculty. It was also heavily influenced by a reportcommissioned from Oxford Research and Policystaff who carried out a Sciences staff survey, the results of which informed the actions putforward. The action plan addresses issuesspecifically in relation to gender, but also aims toachieve broader outcomes tied to our overall aimof encouraging a diverse and inclusive culturewithin the institution and the Faculty of Science.

We will be told in September about the results of our application. A staff post will be created to support the University and Schools in theirindividual applications for silver accreditationand a website is being developed to support the initiative.

The annual Athena SWAN Awareness Day is open to all staff and will be held on 16September 2013. Be sure to mark your calendarand watch for further details.

IDAHO Day The University marked International Day AgainstHomophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on 17 May with activities that included the flying of a rainbow flag on Templeman Library and acelebration including rainbow cupcakes and anaddress by Deputy Vice-Chancellor ProfessorKeith Mander to staff and students. The LGBTStaff Network successfully organised its firstLGBT History Month activities in February thisyear and has achieved a great deal since it wasformed to represent LGBT staff. These events willcontribute to raising its profile even more. Seehttp://blogs.kent.ac.uk/lgbtstaff/ or contactlgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk to find out moreabout the network.

Upcoming EDI Staff NetworkdatesBe sure to get in touch withequalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk if you areinterested in attending any of the upcoming staffnetwork meetings which are open to all staff:

19 June 2-4pm LGBT Staff Network26 June 2-4pm Disability Staff Network3 July 12.30-2pm Women’s Network 23 October 12-2pm LGBT Staff Network 6 November 12.30-2pm Women’s Network 13 November 2-4pm Disability Staff Network

All network meeting dates will also appear in theupcoming University Calendar for 2013/14.

Athena Swan Bronze Awardapplication

14 KENT Magazine

Feature

our answer when John talked about the ‘Quin’s’English, and places he’d sin and bin to visit! Itwas a pleasure to interview someone with somany interesting local features.

5pmAs we went back to Faversham rail station afterwe’d finished, one of the producers mentionedto Alastair that he felt this was one of the bestand most opinion-forming of the accent pieceswe’ve done so far. We were all delighted to findthree really distinct accents within 50 miles ofeach other. Overall, the day was a great success.The informants were amazingly good, and Ifound plenty of interesting material to work with.

Dr Hornsby was accompanied by Press OfficerKatie Scoggins during the filming for The OneShow. More recently, Dr Jon Mills from the Centrefor English and World Languages appeared inthe Alistair’s Accents series discussing theCornish accent.

Colleagues who would like to engage with themedia, including providing expert commenton a topical news story, should contact theUniversity’s Press Office atpressoffice@kent.ac.uk or (82)3985.

It’s not every day that you find yourself in the companyof a well-known comedianwhile filming for a primetimeBBC TV programme… unlessyou’re Dr David Hornsby fromthe School of EuropeanCulture and Languages. As a sociolinguist in the English Language andLinguistics Department, David spends much ofhis time researching the relationship betweenlanguage and society, and the causes oflanguage change. These are questions whicheveryone has an opinion about, and fascinate the media, so in the course of his work he hasundertaken a number of radio and newspaperinterviews talking about the origins anddevelopment of British accents.

His latest media appearance took place in Aprilwhen he was asked by BBC1’s The One Show tobe the ‘accent expert’ during an episode in theirseries with Alistair McGowan called ‘Alistair’sAccents’. He told Katie Scoggins for KENT staffmagazine about his day’s filming.

8.30amI arrived smartly dressed for a day in front of thecamera in east London – our first filming locationfor the day. The schedule consisted of meaccompanying the film crew (a cameraman/sound technician, and the producer/director)alongside TV funny man, Alistair McGowan, as wemet people from East London and talked accents.The aim of this episode was to show how ‘downfrom London’ hop-pickers introduced ThamesEstuary accents to younger generations,compared to the rural accents of their parents.

10.30amAfter sitting down with our first set of informants,organised by the BBC, we discussed theirbackgrounds and a little about them. This helpedme get an idea on how they spoke and pick up onhow their accents differed. We ended up gettinga lovely contrast between Cockney speakers and

A day in the life of a...sociolinguist

younger Multicultural London English (MLE)speakers in Hackney. This told us that MLE isstarting to displace Cockney in London, butinterestingly Cockney is displacing the traditionalKent accents in our next location – Faversham.

2.30pmMoving further into Kent, our next stop wasJittermugs coffee shop on Faversham HighStreet. Here, we were to speak to one of thecoffee shop’s waitresses, Charlotte, as well as anelderly gentleman, John. The BBC researcherswarned me that John’s Kentish accent wasn’tparticularly strong, and that we might not havemuch to work on. In fact, he was an idealinformant, offering a perfect contrast to Charlotte.He had some residual ‘rhoticity’, meaning he stillpronounced the ‘r’ in words like horse, and therewas evidence of a vowel chain shift, in whicheach of his vowels was displaced by oneposition from that of RP, or standard Englishpronunciation. So, the vowel in market (maakutfor John) corresponded to a longer cat vowel formost south-east speakers, meaning the ‘a’ inFaversham was raised to ‘e’ (Feversham). Thismeant the Kent vowel had to raise too, to Kint inJohn’s speech. What, we wondered, happenedto the vowel in been or seen? Fortunately, we had

15KENT Magazine

Environment

Staff and students makinga Green Impact on campus

The University celebrated the culmination of the fourth successful year of its Green Impact programme on 15 April. More than 70 students and members of University staff from more than 25 teams, gathered tocelebrate their achievements helping to make a real and positive shifttowards environmentally responsible behaviour in the workplace.

The University Green Impact teams progressedthrough online workbooks fulfilling criteria inthree categories from Bronze through Silver toGold. These covered a range of environmentalcategories from recycling to promotingsustainable transport and supporting localwildlife.

Twenty six departments, Schools and cateringoutlets took part in the scheme this year with 166staff directly involved in a Green Impact team. To date, over half the staff working for theUniversity have been either directly or indirectlyinvolved with Green Impact through their Schoolor department. After just four years of taking part in Green Impact, this is an outstandingachievement that everyone at the University ofKent can be proud of. This year for the first time,students were formally involved in the scheme as Green Impact Project Assistants placed within staff teams to support them as theyimplemented change. Twenty one students wereinvolved in various ways, including trainingrecognised by the NUS in Sustainability,

WinnersGold AwardMedway Student Services – Overall WinnerEnrolment Management Services – HighlyCommended

Human ResourcesResearch Services

Silver Vice-Chancellor’s SectionKent Innovation and EnterpriseSchool of Politics and International RelationsCentre for English and World LanguagesFinance DepartmentSchool of Engineering and Digital ArtsRutherford KitchenGulbenkian CaféOrigins Bistro

BronzeDevelopment OfficeKent SportUndergraduate OfficeSchool of European Culture and LanguagesKent Business School AdminSafety, Health and Environment UnitSchool of Mathematics, Statistics and ActuarialScience

Darwin KitchenKeynes Catering – Highly Commended

Working TowardsInformation Services Facilities ManagementSchool of Economics

Special AwardsBest New Team: Judith Broom (School ofMathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science)

Sustainability in the Catering Sector: Mark Finch(Rutherford Kitchen)

Best Student Engagement: Govinda Clayton(School of Politics and International Relations)

Behaviour Change and Environmental Auditing.Many more students were informally involvedthrough being part of their Schools’ internalGreen Impact team.

The awards ceremony took place in the DarwinConference Suite and was followed by animpressive buffet lunch prepared by our chefsusing local, seasonal and sustainable produce,from Kentish Corker sausages to rhubarb brulée.It was hosted by the Green Impact project teamof Environmental Co-ordinator Catherine Morrisand Sustainable Behaviour Assistant AlexMetcalfe, with words on carbon managementand sustainability at the University from AssistantDirector of Estates Nick Swinford. The awardswere presented by Pro-Vice-Chancellor ProfessorAlex Hughes. Each team was presented with abespoke award crafted from a repurposed slatetile taken from a demolished house in Wales.

Green Impact 2013/14 will launch for its fifth yearduring the autumn term. For more information onthe project or to get involved, please contactgreenimpact@kent.ac.uk.

1 Students from the School of Politics andInternational Relations collecting their SilverAward from Professor Alex Hughes

1

16 KENT Magazine

Gulbenkian is more than an arts venue. It is fast becoming acentre of artistic opportunity through its commitment tosupporting and investing in young people.

Gulbenkian’s youth revolution

Feature

In summer 2012, Gulbenkian launched acollaboration with the University’s School of Artsand Wide Eyed Theatre (made up of Kentgraduates) to start a youth theatre. The youththeatre is now approaching its first birthday andhas proved an exciting and popular project with100 places taken up by local under-18s.

Gulbenkian has recently been classed as anArts Award Centre, with all senior staff artsaward-trained and able to offer local schools andyoung people accredited awards up to silverlevel, working with Wide Eyed Theatre. Additionalinvestment is helping to provide 10 places on thearts award scheme and youth theatre fordisadvantaged young people, who mayotherwise struggle to engage with the arts.

Gulbenkian is also home to ART31, a KentCounty Council pilot project to encourage youngpeople to take part in creative cultural activitiesappropriate to their age. Under ART31, a group

The Gulbenkian programme has been reviewedto emphasise working with young people incollaboration with new partners. These includeSouth East Dance on MOKO Mix and KentDancing weekend in September 2013,specialists in performances for two- to four-year-olds Oily Cart, and Catherine Wheels TheatreCompany who will be bringing their new works,Mr & Mrs Moon and White, to Canterbury nextseason.

Find out more at www.thegulbenkian.co.uk, orchat to one of our team face-to-face or on thephone: 01227 769075.

of 14- to 21-year-olds recently took overGulbenkian – planning, booking and contractingevents, managing front-of-house, workingbackstage and compering some of the events.They even taped over Director Liz Moran’s name-plate and replaced it with their own!

‘ART31 is an incredibly inspiring andcreative group of young people and we allfelt so privileged to work with them on theirfestival. Gulbenkian has very exciting timesahead with ART31 taking the lead andshaping our future.’ Liz Moran, Director

Earlier this year, Gulbenkian secured fundingfrom Kent County Council to employ a Youth ArtsApprentice. George Etheridge joined theGulbenkian in May and will play a key role in thedrive to involve more young people in the arts.He described it as a ‘fantastic opportunity’ thathe is ‘determined to make the most of’.

17KENT Magazine

Sport

With the completion of a significant upgrade atKent Sport as part of its commitment to fitnessand wellbeing, an array of brand new andrefurbished facilities is now available to membersat the Canterbury campus.

This includes a major expansion of the FitnessSuite with three distinct areas for general fitness,wellness and rehabilitation, and high-performance training, creating a unique workoutexperience. Fitness and dance classes are nowheld in the new, larger studio, with enhancedlighting and sound. The studio can be split intotwo for smaller, more intimate sessions. There areclasses to suit all interests, from Boxercise® to

Spinning® and Yoga.

Along with the new Indoor Tennis and NetballCentre, a third large sports hall has been added,providing the opportunity for a wide range ofactivities such as badminton, basketball andtable tennis. Kent Sport members can also enjoytwo squash courts, outdoor grass pitches, 3Gand astro pitches and cricket pitches andpractice nets.

Director of Kent Sport Graham Holmes said: ‘Ournew facilities are superb, and I am delighted tobe able to provide first-class sporting

positive, and we got started straight away with afitness test. Much to my relief, it wasn’t the scarybleep test that I remembered from school, butlots of questions about my typical exercisehabits, diet, and some starting bodymeasurements.

‘My first personal trainer session was arevelation, as Liz mixed up cardio with weightsand toning machines, and we worked throughintervals of harder and harder exercises that“loaded” specific muscle groups. We do intervalsprints on the treadmill and spinner, climb theWashington monument on the vertical climber (akiller!), “tone and firm” on the cross-trainer, raceon the rowing machines, and mix in squats, sit-ups, and reps with weight. My favourite thing isthat all these activities involve an element ofcompetition for me to go further, beat my owntimes, and push harder – which keeps memotivated! I feel that I’ve already learnt so much,and will definitely be sticking with these changesto my exercise routine.’

If you are interested in a fitness or nutritionconsultation or a tailored exercise programme,please contact Kent Sport reception on 01227823623 or email sportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk.

SummerZoneIf you are wondering how you will keep thechildren busy in the summer holidays, Kent Sporthas the answer. SummerZone is the University’saffordable one- to two-week-long summer sportscamp for five- to 12-year-olds, run by doubleOlympian Mel Clewlow.

SummerZone is packed with football, KwikCricket, rugby, hockey, tennis and other activitiesand is led by qualified instructors. The energeticcamp runs from Monday 12 – Friday 16 Augustand Monday 19 – Friday 23 August, from 9am to3pm with early drop-off, late pick-ups, daypasses and discounts available.

For full details and bookings, visitwww.kent.ac.uk/summerzone, emailsportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 823623.

Kent Sport’s £4.8 milliondevelopment is complete

opportunities on campus and I encourageeveryone to join in and enjoy all that Kent Sportcan now offer.’

Additional developments coming soon includethe introduction of online class bookings; and anew physiotherapy clinic integrated into theFitness Suite allowing a seamless service, fromacute injury right back to full fitness.

For further details visit www.kent.ac.uk/sports;and to keep up to date with the latest offers,information and photos, like Kent Sport onFacebook at www.facebook.com/unikentsports

Fit for the BeachPsychology Lecturer Dr Heather J Ferguson wasselected for this tough and results-orientatedfitness programme in May and describes herexperience here:

‘I’m now in my third week of the Fit for the Beachtraining programme – and it’s going great! Afterthe sports team contacted me to say that I’d wonone of the places, I was invited in to meet mypersonal trainer – Liz. She was very friendly and

18 KENT Magazine

BooksKent in the news

The University continues to receive significant local, regional, national andinternational press coverage (beating the universities of Warwick, Surreyand Sussex in a recent benchmarking exercise). This includes regionalcoverage for its league table achievements, as well as the Colyer-FergussonMusic Building winning a RIBA national award. Other recent local/regionalcoverage included: BBC South East interviews with Professor RichardWhitman (Politics & IR) and Professor Tim Luckhurst (Journalism); and ITVMeridian News interviews with Dr Julio Hernandez-Castro (Computing), DrAnne Logan (SSPSSR) and Dr John Batchelor (Engineering & Digital Arts).

Head of Careers and Employability Tim Reed spoke to BBC Radio Kentabout career changes and options, while Debbie Kemp (Kent BusinessSchool) and Professor Roger Vickerman (Economics) gave interviews on,respectively, KBS’s role in the Medway High Street Shopping Survey and itssubsequent work with local retailers, and the 20th anniversary of theChannel Tunnel.

Kent was represented nationally by SSPSSR’s Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby,who appeared on BBC R4’s Thinking Allowed, Dr Jennifer Fleetwood (BBCRadio 5 Live), Dr Dawn Lyon (Guardian), Dr Beth Breeze (BBC Daily PoliticsShow) and Dr Ellie Lee, who spoke to various media on parenting issues.Others to receive national media coverage included Dr Oliver Double (Arts),Dr Michael Collins (English) and Dr Feargal Cochrane (History).

International appearances included: SSPSSR’s Dr Adam Burgess, whogave interviews on the popularity of flu masks in Japan; Psychology’s DrZara Bergstrom, for her research on incriminating memories; Psychology’sDr Karen Douglas and Dr Robbie Sutton on conspiracy theories; andMichael Hollington (English) on Dickens and Dostoevsky. The Universityalso received extensive coverage, including a Guardian cover story, forupdates to the Rendition Project, co-led by Dr Ruth Blakeley (Politics & IR).

Campus maps updateCorporate Communications and IS, in conjunction withTimetabling, are pleased to announce that the new campusmaps system is now live at www.kent.ac.uk/maps/ The new maps offer significant improvements over the oldformats, with information on teaching rooms across all Kentcampuses and DisabledGo (www.disabledgo.com/en/org/university-of-kent) details for key Kent facilities in the UK.

We are currently considering several potential extensions,including integration with Google Street view (www.kent.ac.uk/accommodation/virtualtour/) and Hospitality's virtualtours (www.kent.ac.uk/conferences/virtualtour/index.html). Feedback on any aspects of the new maps is welcome viacommunications@kent.ac.uk.

The Science Myth – God, Society, The Self, and What We Will Never Know Dr Dominique Chu, IFF Books

Lecturer in Computer Science Dr Dominique Chu provides freshinsights into the relationship between science and society, as well as shedding light on topical aspects of modern life. His new bookchallenges the commonly held view that science or the ‘scientificmethod’ is somehow a privileged or more reliable way to generateknowledge than other human activities.

Dr Chu describes science as a social system and explains howfashions, beliefs and fads can shape the ‘science of the day’ as muchas experimental data does. The book also discusses how a belief inscience can influence and constrain decisions; sometimes evenpreventing new and effective solutions to real-work problems. Thebook concludes boldly that there are no rules to science, and hencethere is no such thing as the ‘scientific method’.

Britain had Talent: A History of Variety TheatreOliver Double, Palgrave Macmillan

Britain’s long love affair with variety theatre is due to its combination of the personality of performers, the rapport they enjoy with theaudience, their skills, and a touch of novelty according to a new bookby Head of Drama Dr Olly Double.

In the first major academic work to examine British variety theatre, Dr Double’s book offers an analysis of variety theatre and its place inBritish culture during the 20th century as it continues its reprieve in thelatest television series of Britain’s Got Talent. The book’s publicationcoincided with an exhibition in the Gulbenkian Theatre of varietymemorabilia collected during Dr Double’s research.

Britain’s Quest For a Role – A Diplomatic Memoir from Europe to the UNDavid Hannay (I.B.Tauris)

These memoirs by leading diplomat, and member of the UniversityCouncil, David Hannay, provide fascinating frontline information andinsights into Britain’s complex relations with Washington and Europe.From his early career in the Middle East to his role as a top diplomat,Lord Hannay presents a detailed and authoritative narrative of Britishforeign policy in the second half of the 20th century.

A key player in European policy-making, he was directly involved inbringing about the UK’s entry into the European Community, as wellas being closely involved in the Annan plan while he was the UK’sSpecial Representative in Cyprus. Lord Hannay illuminates vitalthemes in the early relationship between Britain and the EU that areincreasingly relevant today: British membership, EU enlargement andBritain’s contribution to the European budget.

19KENT Magazine

People

Appointmentsand awardsWelcome to…Professor James Carley, Professor of the Historyof the Book (School of History); ProfessorAmanda Kessaris, Professor of Law (Kent LawSchool); Dr Seán Molloy, Reader in InternationalRelations (School of Politics and InternationalRelations); Professor Colin Robinson, Professorof Biosciences (School of Biosciences);Professor Dermot Walsh, Professor of Law (Kent Law School); and Dr David Williams,Reader in Psychology (School of Psychology).

Congratulations to…Dr David Haney, of the School of Architecture,has been awarded a prestigious book prize bythe Society of Architectural Historians (SAH). Dr Haney was awarded the Elisabeth BlairMacDougall Book Award 2013 at a ceremony in

ObituaryJenny Harries Jenny Harries lived with her husband inChartham Hatch, a small village just outsideCanterbury, surrounded by the woodlands andopen Kentish countryside that she loved somuch.

Jenny was an active person with a great manyinterests, including walking, gardening, wildlifeand local history. In 2007, Jenny was one of theauthors of a book entitled Chartham Hatch –From Village School to Village Hall, and went onto produce a DVD Chartham Hatch – A KentishVillage – Seven Stories. Jenny was very active in the Chartham Hatch community; she wastreasurer of the village hall, and a member ofthe local drama group and gardening club.Jenny was always busy supporting the villageand organising fundraising events such as quiznights, open days and exhibitions.

Jenny was equally industrious at work whereshe was a vital hub in the School of Engineeringand Digital Arts. As well as holding the key post of PA to the Head of School, Jenny wasresponsible for several important functions,such as managing the graduation prize-givingceremonies, exam paper preparation, workloadallocation, co-ordinating research publicationsand grant applications. Jenny was a dedicated,hard-working member of the School andsupported staff and students in so many ways.Jenny also took a leading role in the less formalactivities in the School; she was treasurer of theTea Bar, arranged the Christmas lunch, anddepartmental fundraising events for charity such as cake sales and musical evenings.

Jenny Harries died suddenly on 7 April. Sheleaves a husband, Norton, and a daughterJosie.

Professor Sarah Spurgeon, Head of the School of Engineering and Digital Arts

April for his book When Modern Was Green: Lifeand work of landscape architect LeberechtMigge. Dr Haney’s book is the result of five years’PhD research undertaken while he was living inBerlin, and is the first major biographical study ofthe German landscape architect.

Dr Nicola Barker, of Kent Law School, has wonthe annual SLSA-Hart Socio-Legal Book Prize for her book, Not The Marrying Kind: A FeministCritique of Same-Sex Marriage. The bookprovides a comprehensive exploration of thesame-sex marriage debates in several countries,including Australia, Canada, South Africa, the UKand the United States. It was judged to be themost outstanding piece of socio-legal scholarshippublished in the UK during the 12 months prior to30 September 2012. Dr Barker received the prizeat the Socio-Legal Studies Association’s (SLSA)annual conference in March.

First graduates in Applied Professional Practice BA/BSc and Professional Practice MSc The Centre for Professional Practice is delighted to announce that the first cohorts of theApplied Professional Practice BA/BSc and Professional Practice MSc will be graduating at theJuly Congregations. These individuals, including several members of University of Kent staff,made it over the finish line after a concerted effort.

Head of Centre Debbie Reed said: ‘Balancing a part-time degree and a full working schedule is not an easy task, and this achievement truly demonstrates an outstanding commitment bythese individuals to the development of their own professional practice. We will be proudlycheering for them on graduation day, congratulations to all.’

If you are interested in studying for a Professional Practice MSc, please contactcppmedway@kent.ac.uk. We are recruiting now for the October 2013 intake.

What’s on

MusicSaturday 14 September, Colyer-FergussonHall, 7.30pm, John Harle & Festival ChamberOrchestra in Summer Timbre! ConductorAnthony Halstead, Leader Jeremy Ovenden.A programme of wonderful summer musicwith the world’s leading classicalsaxophonist, John Harle, includingGlazunov’s bewitching Saxophone Concertoand Chick Corea’s Children’s Songs. John isalso a talented composer, and has recentlywon the 2013 Ivor Novello Award for hisscore for Lucian Freud – Painted Life (BBC2)and we are very pleased he will be playingInterpretation of Dreams from this score. TheFCO will also perform Stravinsky’s PulcinellaSuite for Small Orchestra, Donizetti’sConcertino for Cor Anglais & Orchestra andSchubert’s Symphony No. 5.

Gulbenkian Theatre Saturday 10 August, 11am–5pm, bOunce -Gulbenkian’s Family Day. Join us for a fantasticfamily day at the Gulbenkian. Enjoy and getinvolved with all activities showing throughoutthe day including Pop-Up Tent’s Tea Time,Little Cauliflower’s The Machine, BoogieWoogie Baby – daytime disco, ART31 andothers. A range of fun and free activitiesavailable throughout the day with familypicnics, healthy snacks and a special familyfriendly menu available at the Café.

Monday 26 – Friday 30 August 10am-4pm,Wide Eyed Theatre invite you to come andhelp us explore and be creative at Playschool– a five-day summer ‘school’ for 11- to 21-year-olds. Develop skills includingacting, writing, set design, technical theatreand movement. £75 for the week.

Saturday 31 August, 11am, 1pm and 3pm,The PoetryJoe Show. Join the star ofCbeebie’s Rhyme Rocket, performer, writerand poet, in his light-up, pop-up world offabulous foods, beastly bugs and peculiarpets.

Friday 6 September, 7.30pm, ZoieLogicDance Theatre in Echo, with five male dancersexploring the theme of lost innocence, againsta stunning set and original score by award-winning Ivan Stott.

Friday 26 – Sunday 28 and Tuesday 30 July– Thursday 1 August, Before Midnight (15).

Monday 29 July, Royal Opera House:Macbeth Opera (recorded).

Friday 2 – Sunday 4 August, Summer InFebruary (15).

Friday 2 – Sunday 4 August, Much AdoAbout Nothing (12A).

Monday 5 August, Royal Opera House: La Fille Mal Gardee (recorded).

Friday 9 – Thursday 15 August, MonstersUniversity (UTBC).

Sunday 11 August, Globe On Screen: The Taming of The Shrew.

Thursday 22 August, Great Expectations(recorded).

Sunday 25 August, Glyndebourne BillyBudd (recorded).

For a full listing of events across theUniversity, see www.kent.ac.uk/calendar/

Important reminderThe University is currently working on aproject to decommission the Student Portal.

The project, led by CorporateCommunications, was initiated by studentssaying how they were confused by all thedifferent systems and would prefer a morestreamlined approach.

Please tell new students, and those returningin September, to go to the Student Guide,www.kent.ac.uk/student, from now on. Also,please remove any references to the Portal onyour webpages and in publications, includinginduction materials.

Saturday 7 September, 7.30pm, Absent madePresent/The Bespoke Residency. Award-winningchoreographer Freddie Opoku-Addaie bringsexceptional and surprising dance into the heartof the community with a unique dance happeningin Canterbury.

Sunday 8 September 3-5pm, The Big Tea DanceBall.With live music and a dash of glamour, joinour ballroom hosts who will guide you through thesteps so you’ll be jiving and waltzing in no time!

Friday 20 September, 7.30pm, Live Nation &MHA in association with United Agents presentStewart Francis, Craig Campbell & Glenn Wool inThe Lumberjacks. Following a hugely successfulrun at the Edinburgh Festival, the Canadiancomedians hit the road to each perform their ownset, side by side. Suitable for ages 16+.

Saturday 21 September, 2pm and 4.30pm,Sunday 22 September, 11am and 2.30pm, TallStories presents The Snail and the Whale. A tinysnail longs to see the world, so she hitches a lifton the tail of a humpback whale. But when thewhale gets beached, how will the tiny snail savehim? Suitable for ages 4+.

Sunday 22 September, 7.30pm, Gilad Atzmon &The Orient House Ensemble, one of the world’smost inspirational jazz groups.

Monday 30 September, 7.30pm, SteveWilliamson, saxophonist with Union Dance inMusic Movement Oracle. The work evokes andencompasses a broad palette of musical andmovement styles, ranging from the contemporaryand complex jazz forms to the dynamic modernhip-hop and dub step. Funded by Arts CouncilEngland.

Gulbenkian Cinema Sunday, 14 July, Globe On Screen: Henry V.

Friday 19 – Sunday 21 and Tuesday 23 –Wednesday 24 July, Behind the Candelabra(15).

Saturday 20 July, Macbeth live from ManchesterInternational Festival.

Monday 22 July, Royal Opera House: Rigoletto(recorded).

Thursday 25 July, Glyndebourne: Hippolyte etAricie (live opera).