King’s relatedNewsletter of the Family Programme Issue 11 | Autumn 2011

W ith a diverse membership of over 2,750 King’s students, the King’s College London

Business Club (KCLBC) was named ‘Enterprise Society of the Year’ by the National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs. Students Sarah Chen (outgoing President, second left) and Nicolas Bendt (incoming President, middle) were presented with the award, which

recognises the impact of young entrepreneurs, at a gala dinner in central London.

KCLBC is a club for students, led by students. Through initiatives and competitions, it has inspired and engaged students in business activities, challenges and careers. Sarah Chen commented: ‘Being endorsed as the number one enterprise society in the UK is a significant milestone. It’s a great testimony to the work of the team.’

Bearing the torch for London 2012

University consists of more than classroom discussions and writing essays. While striving for academic excellence is paramount, universities should

offer ways for students to engage with their community. This is especially appropriate at King’s College London, with its commitment to ‘service to society’.

King’s offers a wide variety of volunteering opportunities for students. King’s Students’ Union (KCLSU) works with nearly 150 organisations, including Saving Londoners’ Lives, which sends student medics and nurses into schools to teach first aid.

King’s Health Partners – which includes the College and several leading London hospitals – offers many opportunities for students to participate in fundraising events, such as a 10-kilometre Santa Run and the London to Paris Cycle.

Students interested in learning how they can support the local community should visit the KCLSU website (www.kslcu.org) or contact giving@kcl.ac.uk

I hope that you enjoy this issue of King’s related. Professor Sir Richard Trainor, Principal

Welcome from the Principal

A s the official drug testing centre for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, King’s is

delighted to have been selected as one of 30 UK institutions to participate in the Olympic Torch Relay. Winding its way across the UK, the relay will take 70 days to complete its course. A total of 8,000

people will bear the torch in stretches of 300 metres and the College has been invited to choose two students to play a part in this historic event.

Students who have ‘gone that extra mile’ or have excelled academically are invited to nominate themselves for the relay. Visit www.kclsu.org/news for more information.

‘Enterprise Society of the Year’ award

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One of the toughest moments for young nurses and doctors is the first time they need to speak

with a patient who is dying. Nationwide few nursing and medical students receive training in how to converse with terminally ill patients and their families, a shortfall cited by both the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Through the generosity of its supporters, the College is addressing this situation by awarding an Annual Fund grant to the Medical School and Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery at King’s to enhance students’ confidence when speaking with patients and their families in end-of-life situations. The £6,276 grant will create a simulation tool to improve students’ communication skills, allow them to role play in a variety of scenarios and receive feedback. The project will involve up to 72 students during the pilot stage, but may benefit more than 900 students annually when fully implemented.

King’s announced 26 Annual Fund grants in July, distributing a total of £160,000 to student organisations and academic programmes, with an additional £155,000 directed to scholarships. The Annual Fund Committee received more

than 70 applications. Among the approved grants:• £12,525 to the School of Arts &

Humanities to create an online resource to improve students’ archival research skills, advancing academic literacy.

• £12,500 to the Simulation and Interactive Learning Centre to purchase a lifelike manikin that simulates delivery of a live baby; the manikin breathes, has a pulse, and is able to generate blood pressure.

• £5,500 to the Boat Club to purchase eight rowing machines.‘I am exceptionally grateful to the friends

of King’s who kindly donated to help our students this year,’ says Professor John Pepper MChir FRCS (Medicine, 1971), Chairman of the Annual Fund Committee. ‘The committee has been able to direct these gifts to a wide range of highly innovative projects and valuable activities which otherwise could not take place. Students’ learning, as well as their more rounded experience of university life, is greatly enhanced by the Annual Fund.’

King’s Annual Fund touches thousands of students’ lives every year. To learn more about the Fund, or to make a donation to support King’s students, please visit www.alumni.kcl.ac.uk/giving

Supporters enhance university life

The Careers Service at King’s provides impartial advice to assist students and graduates in not only securing a job but also achieving job satisfaction. The service also helps organisations recruit and retain King’s graduates. King’s Careers Service is part of the Careers Group, University of London, the largest higher education service in the country.

Practical advice on exploring and choosing careers, building a CV and performing in interviews is available online and can be used in conjunction with the materials and support offered by the Careers Service. A comprehensive careers library is available at the Strand Campus and a range of careers fairs, in which students can talk to prospective employers, are held throughout the year. The Careers Service also brings employers and students together via its website, on which employers can advertise job vacancies and internships.

Increasingly close relationships are being forged between the Careers Service and academic departments across the College. As a result, many more degree courses at King’s are emphasising employment skills, and there are opportunities for employers to engage directly with specific groups of students. More information on the Careers Service can be found at www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/careers

Caring about careers

The Careers Service also brings employers and students together via its website

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King’s midwifery students simulate a delivery

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As the College community counts down the days to the completion of the new home of the School of

Law and an exciting new cultural hub in the renovated Somerset House East Wing, we take a look at the other events and activities on offer at this iconic London landmark and King’s neighbour on the Strand this autumn and winter.

Guided ToursFree guided tours take place every Thursday at 13.15 and 14.45 and every Saturday at 12.15, 13.15, 14.15 and 15.15. You’ll discover evidence of Tudor intrigue and Georgian enlightenment, scientific curiosity and naval power, extravagant entertainments and 'the King's Shilling', as you are led from the airy lightwells of graceful staircases to the atmospheric Deadhouse.

Courtauld GalleryThe Courtauld Gallery is described as ‘one of the finest small museums in the world.’ Its collection stretches from the early Renaissance into the 20th century and is particularly renowned for the unrivalled collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. The Gallery also holds an outstanding collection of drawings and prints and fine example of sculpture and decorative arts. This autumn and winter the featured exhibition is The Spanish Line: Drawings from Ribera to Picasso, which runs from 13 October 2011 to 15 January 2012.

ExhibitionsThe Embankment Galleries host a programme of temporary exhibitions that focus on contemporary fashion, architecture, photography and design. Free public

displays run alongside major exhibitions in the Terrace and Courtyard Rooms.

Winter Ice Rink ‘The cobbled courtyard has become one of London’s most beloved rink locations for good reason. Surrounded by elegant neoclassical buildings, boasting a colossal Christmas tree and illuminated by glacial blue light.’

– Time Out Visitors Guide, 2010/11 Experience the magic of this winter wonderland from 22 November 2011 to 23 January 2012.

Eating and shoppingMichelin starred chef Tom Aikins offers two exciting eateries in Somerset House. Serving the best of British produce, Tom’s Deli

allows visitors to create their own plate from the menus and food on display, whilst Tom’s Kitchen brasserie boasts three adjoining rooms with rustic and informal style dining. The Courtauld Gallery Cafe offers morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea with a menu of traditional British and popular European dishes.

Looking for a special read? The Rizzoli Bookshop can offer up signed and limited edition titles along with author talks and signings. In the Courtauld Gallery Shop you will find a wide selection of merchandise inspired by the gallery’s works.

To find out more about the renovation of Somerset House East Wing please visit www.kcl.ac.uk/somersethouse. For more information on events at Somerset House, please see www.somersethouse.org.uk

Explore King’s ‘front door to the world’

Helping students todayThe King’s Buy-a-Book Fund helps to ensure that students have access to the very best academic and clinical texts. The College is committed to putting more and more books in the library every week. With the invaluable help of our supporters, we can ensure that we provide the books that students are reaching for, as well as offering the specialist and challenging texts that allow them to dig deeper into their subject.

We invite you to join other parents of current students in making a gift to support

the Buy-a-Book Fund. A gift from you will purchase books in any field of study that you choose, so that students today will benefit immediately.

Gifts to the Buy-a-Book Fund are recognised with a bookplate, either in your name or in the name of the person you would like to honour. To donate to the Buy-a-Book Fund, please complete and return the accompanying gift form; call +44 (0)20 7848 4701; email family@kcl.ac.uk; or donate online at www.alumni.co.uk/giving. Thank you for your support.

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Contact details: Editorial enquiries: Amanda Calberry Tel +44 (0)20 7848 4703 Email amanda.calberry@kcl.ac.uk All other enquiries: Tel +44 (0)20 7848 4701 Email family@kcl.ac.uk King’s College London, Ground Floor Office, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 Strand, London, WC2R 1HH

In good companyAmongst our student and alumni community we have a number of successful young writers and journalists who are achieving critical acclaim. Here is a selection:

’Toyin Ajao Former Peace & Security Fellow

’Toyin writes a widely read blog, Gender and Me (genderandme.blogspot.com), focusing on equality

and justice. Early this year she was one of three bloggers – out of 250 applicants – selected as winners in a global public health competition.

Tammy Ho PhD Literature student

Tammy is co-founder of the online literary journal Asian Cha. Launched in 2007, it has received a number of

international awards, including storySouth’s Best New Online Magazine award in 2008, and has featured in a number of Asian publications including Time Out Hong Kong and China Daily. In her spare time Tammy writes poetry.

Ayesha Durgahee Geography, 2001

CNN International Correspondent Ayesha was awarded Business Travel News Journalist of the Year 2010 at the British Travel Journalism Awards, winning for her CNN report on the quality of cabin air on flights. CNN Europe & Africa’s Managing Editor described Ayesha as ‘an exciting new talent, who has a very bright future ahead of her’.

Alexi Duggins Philosophy, 2003

Now Time Out London’s TV columnist, Alexi cut his teeth working first on ROAR, the King’s student

newspaper, and then editing London Student, the newspaper of the University of London. ‘With that on my CV, employers suddenly started taking me seriously as a journalist. The experience taught me how much I enjoyed playing with words and my philosophy degree gave me the ability to pick holes in people’s arguments which proved invaluable when interviewing people. Who says that career paths are set in stone?’

A fter a day of cramming for an exam or putting the finishing touches on a paper, how best to mellow out?

The answer is obvious for one group of King’s students: playing their ukuleles. These students are members of the King’s Ukulele Society, a year-old organisation dedicated to the diminutive instrument popularised by the likes of George Formby and George Harrison.

‘Playing the uke is definitely one of the best ways to unwind,’ says Katherine Moe, a founding member of the society.

According to Katherine, the club’s first president, the idea for a King’s Ukulele Society grew out of a conversation after an evening of strumming the ukulele with two friends in the spring of 2010. They wanted to find more ukulele aficionados at King’s, so they decided they should establish a KCLSU-sanctioned club.

‘It was just a really random idea,’ says Moe, who took up the instrument three years ago after coming across a video showing Bob Marley playing a uke. ‘We weren’t sure what to expect. We thought maybe it would be just the three of us and a couple of our friends.’

Members of the fledgling society set up a table at the 2010 Freshers Fair – and received 175 email enquiries. Active membership during the club’s first year fluctuated between 20 and 30.

‘There has been a growing interest in the ukulele in general. The ukulele is a fun, easy and happy instrument to play,’ says Katherine. She adds that with frequent practice new ukulists need less than a month to become competent at a handful of songs – favourites include Hey Jude, Bad Moon Rising and a mash-up of Valerie and Kung Fu Fighting.

After jamming as members of the King’s Ukulele Society the students often top off their Wednesdays by bringing their instruments to a pub where they’re joined by even more ukulele players, many of them local businessmen in smartly tailored suits.

The King’s Ukulele Society hasn’t played often in public. However, members busked for the Read Society – which sends books to impoverished regions of Africa – outside of the Piccadilly Circus Tube Station in December and raised £500 in four hours. Find out more about King’s societies at www.kclsu.org

Ukulele fever!

The ukulele is a fun, easy and happy instrument to play

There has been a growing interest in the ukulele in general