ALUMNI IN ACTIONRagheb Aga, Hala Jawad, Katie Ledger, James Payne and Amy Scarth

STOLEN IDENTITYDon

,t get caught out by

online catfish

EffectThe

Issue 32

Donations given to the University of Brighton by our many alumni and friends help to ensure that higher education remains a choice for everyone, regardless of their circumstances.Thanks to your philanthropic support, we are able to provide scholarships, grants and prizes that make university more accessible and recognise outstanding achievement, as well as supporting research projects that could change and save lives globally.

Recently, questions have been raised in the media about charity fundraising and we want to reassure all alumni and friends.

• Your data is safe. We will never give your details to a third party or use agencies to contact you.

• We adhere to fundraising best practice and data protection legislation.

• If you would prefer not to be contacted about fundraising, just let us know and we will remove you from any future campaigns.

Each and every donation we receive is valued and can make a huge difference to our students and research teams. Thank you for your support!

If you would like to discuss our fundraising activities in more detail please contact our head of fundraising, Nikki Mason at n.f.mason@brighton.ac.uk.

Find out more about our fundraising projects at www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni/helping-us and read our full fundraising code of conduct at www.brighton.ac.uk\Codeofconduct.Exempt charity: HMRC number XR70998

Did you know that theuniversity is a charity?

Welcome 01

02 New beginnings Welcome to Professor Debra

Humphris, our new Vice-Chancellor.

04 News round-up Catch up with what our alumni,

students and staff have been up to.

18 Learning curves What's been happening in the

School of Education?

20 Stolen identity How much do you really want people

to know about you online? Beware of cyber crime.

22 Alumni in action We celebrate the achievements

of some of our alumni and look at what they have been up to since graduating.

32 The Great Debate David Dimbleby chaired a public

discussion on the role of the university in the community.

33 Why I am #BrightonForever Andrew Davidson explains why

keeping in touch with the university is so important to him.

34 Staying power We take a look at some of our

graduates working at the university.

36 All about you Check out your alumni benefits and

services.

38 Good to see you At-a-glance round-up of the last

year’s reunions and events.

40 Farewell Tribute to Professor Sir David

Watson.

The Brighton Effect is published for our global community of alumni and friends by the University of Brighton Alumni AssociationThird Floor, 154–155 Edward StreetBrighton BN2 0JG, UK+44 (0)1273 642600alumni@brighton.ac.ukwww.brighton.ac.uk/alumniThe views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Brighton.

Editor Sarah GrantDesigner Anna GattContributors Faye Brown, Kerry Burnett, Andrew Davidson, Sam Davies, Solveig Grover and Phil Mills.Printer SterlingCover image Katie Ledger (PRDN Adult Nursing diploma 2011) photographed by Jim Holden

© University of Brighton 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior consent of the publishers.

Contents

PHOTO

It gives me great pleasure to preface this alumni and friends magazine on the back of a year where I was incredibly proud to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton. I came to the university as a mature student, keen to update and extend my understanding of the fast-paced software industry. My resulting masters degree was just the springboard I needed to move to more senior roles and ultimately an executive position in IBM.

The university has enormous pride in the achievements of its alumni and friends, and this issue reflects on the diverse achievements of some of our former students making a real difference in their own arenas. Throughout the magazine, you will read personal accounts of what the Brighton effect has meant to alumni and how it has stood them in good stead in their lives. However, the university is not only concerned with the experiences of its students, alumni and friends – it is also on a perpetual quest to address social and scientific challenges though its research. You will find information on some of these inspiring projects throughout the magazine.

What effect did your education at the University of Brighton have on you? Or if you are a friend of the university, what does your relationship with us mean to you? Let us know.

With very best wishes

Mandy Chessell CBE FREng CEng FBCS IBM Distinguished Engineer

Welcome to The Brighton Effect

I am so pleased to have the opportunity to reach out to our almost 150,000 strong community of alumni and friends across the world in this, the latest issue of The Brighton Effect.

Since joining the university at the start of December 2015 as its third Vice-Chancellor – taking over from Professor Julian Crampton CBE who retired after a very successful decade in post – I have been busy getting to know our community – our students, staff, partners and alumni. One of my priorities is to increase our engagement with you, either directly or interactively with our alumni and friends who are situated across the globe in more than 120 countries, and I’m keen to hear your stories.

The value of a global community of alumni and friends is that it can greatly enrich the experience of our current students and staff. I am committed to continuing our efforts – through the university’s alumni association – to involve as many of you as possible, in the life and work of the university today.

There are numerous means by which you can be involved – on a genuinely meaningful basis – in line with availability and expertise. Ranging from opportunities that take just a few minutes of your time to more formal roles that will see individuals become closely engaged with the challenges that face us and our plans for the future. Similarly, we want to provide options for involvement no matter where you are based in the world, and which clearly demonstrate mutual benefit.

Some of the challenges ahead of us – such as recruitment, retention, employability, satisfaction, rankings and internationalisation – all can be positively impacted through the voluntary involvement of our alumni and friends. Going forwards, I would like to see successful and effective volunteer engagement that not only results in professional and personal fulfilment for the volunteer, but also supports the university’s ambitions.

A key priority for me is the development of a new university strategy – a strong and clearly articulated vision that will bring everyone within the university community together in pursuit of collective goals. As part of the university community, I will be seeking ways to engage you in the process as we develop our new blueprint for the future.

I am excited by the potential of this institution and I am proud to be the Vice-Chancellor. I know you are proud of your university too. Regardless of when you graduated or the nature of your association with us, this is your university and your involvement and support will be critical as we step up and move forward.

Professor Debra HumphrisVice-Chancellor since 1 December 2015

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In profile

Qualified as a Registered Nurse and later held positions as Senior Research Fellow at the South Thames Regional Health Authority and at St George’s Hospital Medical School.

In 1999 she achieved her PhD which considered the implementation of policy into clinical practice.

Joined the University of Southampton in 2000 as Director of the New Generation Project, a role which explored inter-professional education in health care programmes.

In 2003 she was appointed Director, Health Care Innovation Unit at the University of Southampton, a position which focused on education innovation in health and social care.

From 2008 Professor Humphris was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) while at Southampton. She was appointed Professor of Health Care Development.

Became Pro-Rector (Education) at Imperial College in October 2012.

In August 2013 she was appointed Vice-Provost (Education), responsible for the creation, leadership and delivery of the university’s education strategic plan, which emphasised enhancing the student experience and the importance of graduate employability. As Vice-Provost (Education), she had overall responsibility for educational strategy and the quality of the educational provision across the university.

1 December 2015, began work as the University of Brighton’s Vice-Chancellor.

New beginnings

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This is your university and your involvement and support will be critical as we step up and move forward.

04 News roundup

Across the university

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS!

Nominations for the University of Brighton Alumnus Award 2015 split our judging panel and we had two winners: Dr Gary Brickley 01 and Norman Cook 02 (aka Fatboy Slim), who received their honours at our February awards ceremonies.

Both have achieved great success in their respective careers of Paralympic cycling coaching and on the international music scene.

SILVER SCREEN SUCCESS

Last year, we debuted our congratulatory video at the awards ceremonies. It features alumni, friends and honorary graduates welcoming new graduates to the alumni association.

This cheerful video provided an opportunity to congratulate everyone on their success as well as demonstrating the diverse community they had joined.

Not only was our short film warmly received by our graduation audiences, it also won an international award. The video, introduced by international DJ Fatboy Slim (aka British Studies alumnus Norman Cook) impressed the judges with its fun and friendly tone and scooped a Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Silver Award. You can see the award-winning video here: http://tinyurl.com/UoBcongratulations.

EAST MEETS WEST

In September, the university hosted a delegation of senior officials from Taiwanese universities who were interested in finding out more about our economic and social engagement activities.

The group, comprising 13 presidents, three vice presidents and 15 senior staff from 17 of Taiwan’s top technological universities was led by the British Council, in response to the Taiwanese government’s call for universities to increase the profile of technological and vocational education. 03

GATWICK DIAMOND EXPERTISE

The university opened a research and enterprise office on the Manor Royal Business District in Crawley, West Sussex, to service its business and community partners in the Gatwick Diamond area.

A team of our economic and social engagement experts will develop new partnerships with the local businesses, including collaborative research, curriculum development and community engagement. There is also a hot desking space for those who are in the local area. 04

Services include knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) programmes, specialist training, peer-to-peer mentoring groups, seminars and business networking with university experts. To find out more or to attend the monthly drop-in coffee mornings, contact Debra at d.viceholt@brighton.ac.uk / 01293 510222.www.brighton.ac.uk/gatwickdiamond

THE WRITING’S ON THE WALL

Web developers Steven Parker (3D Crafts BA(Hons) 1999) and Alan Donohoe (Biological Sciences BSc(Hons) 1999) 05 livened up Brighton station in May with The Waiting Wall – a screen displaying live messages submitted anonymously by members of the public.

Commuters had to look twice when personal messages flashed up on the large digital screens

In brief

Goodbye to Professor Bruce Brown, latterly Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and also former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Architecture who retired in December 2015.

Professor Julian Crampton, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Brighton (2005–2015) was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to education in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Professor Ruth Sarah Farwell, former Head of the university’s strategic planning office received a CBE for her services to higher education in the New Years’ Honours List.

Honorary graduatesIt was our great pleasure to confer honorary degrees upon the following people in 2015:Mandy Chessell CBE (Doctor of Technology)Luke Cresswell (Doctor of Arts)Sean Duggan (Master of Science)Kathryn Flett (Master of Letters)Emily Gravett (Doctor of Letters)Steve McNicholas (Doctor of Arts)Nicholas Owen (Doctor of Letters)Indra Sinha (Doctor of Letters)Francoise Tulkens (Doctor of Laws)Margaret Wallis (Honorary Fellow).

40 years of KTP In November 2015, the university proudly celebrated 40 successful years of delivering Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). In that time, more than 250 companies have worked with the university and high-calibre graduates to help businesses and budding alumni careers develop. http://bit.do/KTPbrighton

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interspersed with the regular terminus information. The two graduates, working as digital company, Free The Trees, devised the project as part of the Brighton Digital Festival.www.freethetrees.co.uk

MORE GRADUATES FINDING JOBS

According to figures released from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, more than nine out of 10 of our graduates (92%) who completed their first degree in 2013–14 were in employment or further study within six months of completing their course, with over two thirds employed at a managerial or professional level.

This figure showed a steady increase from 89% the previous year. Graduate employability is a top priority at the university and we are committed to helping all students achieve their academic and career goals which is why we offer lifelong access to our professional careers services. www.brighton.ac.uk/careers

GREEN BUSINESS BOOMING

A year since its launch, the university’s Green Growth Platform has already signed up more than 500 businesses to its services.

Social enterprises or businesses wishing to reduce their environmental impact are offered a unique package of business support, events, innovation and training delivered by a team of industry experts, business advisors and leading academics.

The network delivers one-to-one business advice, innovation and research and development support, events and skills development. It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England

(HEFCE) and services are free or heavily subsidised. The platform is helping businesses in areas such as marketing, procurement, sales strategies, research and development, business planning, training, recruitment and funding applications. To date, its work has contributed to the development of 40 local jobs and 13 new environmental products or services. Contact greengrowthplatform@brighton.ac.uk.

BUSINESS BOOST IN BRIGHTON

A national programme to boost the prospects of entrepreneurs has arrived in Brighton. NatWest’s Entrepreneurial Spark was launched in September 2015 and has already recruited more than 80 start-up entrepreneurs from the Brighton area.

The Entrepreneurial Spark scheme includes a full programme of workshops, pitch practice and action-centred development as well as providing start-ups with office space for six months

Professor Chris Pole, Deputy-Vice-Chancellor, said: “The university will be working in close partnership with NatWest to extend this vital support to the next generation of entrepreneurs in the city, to help them make a success of their start-up businesses. This initiative is all about harnessing and accelerating talent and we are delighted that several of our graduate entrepreneurs will be part of it.”

For more information, or if you would like to be in the next cohort of entrepreneurs benefiting from this programme contact Judith Badger j.badger@brighton.ac.uk / 07984 122195.www.entrepreneurial-spark.com

Open lectures

Throughout the year, the university hosts a series of lectures showcasing the work of our newest professors. The free events are part of our commitment to making our research relevant and accessible to the wider community. Email alumni@brighton.ac.uk if you would like to go on the invitation mailing list. You can catch up on any of them at http://bit.do/brightonlectures including:

Sport and tourism: creating a global dreamlandJohn Nauright, Professor of Sport and Leisure Management

Writing with lightFrancis Hodgson, Professor in the Culture of Photography

Human rights can save lives, but whose?Marie-Benedicte Dembour, Professor of Law and Anthropology

On words, signs and spacesJeremy Aynsley, Professor of Art and Design History

Thermal Management in MicrogravityMarco Marengo, Professor in Engineering

A new method for modelling liquidity in light of the financial crisisAndros Gregoriou, Professor of Finance

More years of good health and wellbeing: mission impossible?Jorg Huber, Professor of Health Sciences

Breast cancer treatment – whose choice?Malcolm Reed, Dean of Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Professor of Surgical Oncology

A dialogue with the future: design thinking and the 21st century imaginationPeter Lloyd, Professor of Design

05pic credit: The Argus

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Arts and humanitiesIn brief

Lauren Alderslade (Fine Art Painting BA(Hons) 2013) was named a finalist in the prestigious National Open Art exhibition.

Joan Alexander (Photography MA 2012) was awarded the Product runner-up prize in the Beepurple Annual Enterprise Awards 2015 for her mini shadow puppet theatre in a box.

Nathalie Boobis (Critical Fine Art Practice BA(Hons) 2008) curated a yodelling sound and video installation – Hear My Voice and Answer Me – in Covent Garden featuring fellow alumnae Rachael Finney (Critical Fine Art Practice BA(Hons) 2007) and Anna F C Smith (Critical Fine Art Practice BA(Hons) 2007).

Cressida Cowell (Narrative Illustration/Editorial Design MA 1996) announced the end of best-selling book series, How To Tame Your Dragon.

Brothers Danny Daley and Matt Daley (both Digital Media BA(Hons) 2012) set up their own creative marketing agency Circulate Digital. http://circulatedigital.com/

Lauren Doss (Performance and Visual Arts BA(Hons) 2008) contributed to the art department work on the feature film Ex Machina and art directed fellow alumna Natasha Khan’s (Music and Visual Art BA(Hons) 2003) Bat for Lashes videos. http://laurendoss.tumblr.com

Professor Stephen Emmitt (Architecture BA(Hons) 1982) delivered his inaugural address at Loughborough University.

Christopher Evans-Roberts (Digital Music BA(Hons) 2007), Managing Director of Ithaca Audio Ltd, won the Best Sound Design in Radio Advertising at the Music and Sound Awards 2015.

TOP AWARD FOR PARIS

Writer, TV personality and transgender activitist Paris Lees 01 (English Language and English Literature BA(Hons) 2009) was named 2015’s Young Campaigning Journalist of the Year.

Paris collected her award at a gala event hosted at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts from Gary Devine, Chief Executive of MHP Communications. Paris said: “This award is lovely on a personal level, but, more importantly, it validates a cause I’m so passionate about – human rights for trans people.”

Paris was previously honoured by the university for her outstanding intellectual and public contribution in a variety of media to subjects surrounding transgender issues. Paris, who has presented on Channel 4’s Creative Diversity, has met with executives at the Daily Mail, EastEnders and BBC Comedy through her awareness-raising project All About Trans. In 2014 she was named Ultimate Campaigner at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Woman of the Year Awards and was invited to a reception at Downing Street with Samantha Cameron. She has also topped the Independent on Sunday’s Pink List.

EXCELLENCE THROUGH RUBBISH

The Waste House project, led by senior lecturer Duncan Baker-Brown 02 (Architecture Diploma 1992) picked up a Special Prize at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)’s annual Stirling Prize ceremony after being shortlisted for the 2015 Stephen

Lawrence Prize. It was shortlisted for the Excellence in and Innovation in the Arts Award in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.

The Waste House, completed in 2014, is Europe’s first permanent public building made almost entirely from materials that have been thrown away or not wanted. It supports the university’s ambition to exceed EU targets for a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions and become an exemplar for the city and the region in sustainable design and practice. 

FUELLING THEIR IMAGINATION

Melanie Smith 03 (Graphic Communication FdA 2012) reached the finals of the Santander 60-Second Pitch competition with Story – a mini suitcase full of ideas to help children find their imaginations and to develop stories. The story book product enables young children to create their own stories.

Melanie received support developing her business plan from beepurple, the university’s free entrepreneurship programme for students and alumni, and road-tested the kit on her daughter, Violet. Melanie said: “It addresses the decline in creative thinking and free play amongst children by combining storytelling with play – making literacy and self-discovery fun for children, especially those who struggle with traditional learning techniques.”www.wearestory.co.uk www.beepurple.co.uk

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KEEPING IN PRACTICE

Six recent alumnae – Nikki Davidson-Bowman (Art and Design BA(Hons) 2013), Lyn Dale (Art and Design BA(Hons) 2013), Louise Michelle Evans (Fine Art Critical Practice BA(Hons) 2014), Marie Ford (Fine Art Contemporary Practice FdA 2013), Julia Mitchell (Art and Design BA(Hons) 2014) and Katy Oxborrow (Art and Design BA(Hons) 2014) – were determined to continue their arts practice after graduating. 04

They have maintained an active art network through art sessions, networks and courses since graduating and set up a monthly critique group where they share their work and ideas. In spring they curated their own show, 6unfold, in Eastbourne and following its success, were then invited to exhibit in Hastings. If you would like to form and maintain groups after graduation, do get in touch as we can help set these up. Email alumni@brighton.ac.uk

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

When every breath you take is thanks to someone else’s gift of life via organ donation, it does something to your perspective. Amanda Chalmers 05 (3D Materials Practice BA(Hons) 2011) was born with cystic fibrosis (CF) and needed oxygen 24/7 when she was studying. Two years ago she underwent a double lung transplant and upon recovery, ran the Brighton Marathon to raise money for the CF Trust.

Intent on giving even more back, in the summer of 2015, Amanda climbed the world’s highest active volcano, Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador and amassed £11,000 in sponsorship. Alongside other transplantees and transplant medics, she completed the epic 19,000 foot challenge to raise awareness about the life-giving result of donating organs and to raise funds for organ care equipment, used to transport and preserve donated organs and which will increase the number of organs available for those in desperate need. Amanda said: “I am only here due to the incredible generosity of my donor and their family, and am proof that organ donation truly changes lives.”

STRICTLY PARTNERS

The University of Brighton has entered into a partnership with South East Dance to support the development of a new dance centre in the heart of the city.

The Dance Space will comprise three studios, artist accommodation and space for creative industries. It is part of the wider development of Circus Street in our city centre campus, and is expected to inject £200m into the economy and create 400 jobs. The Dance Space is expected to attract 75,000 visitors each year. 06

In brief

Adam Fairweather (3D Design BA(Hons) 2005) was featured in The Guardian for his innovative sustainable business making coffee waste into furniture.

Fox Fisher (Sequential Design/Illustration MA 2005) co-wrote a children’s diversity book – Are you a boy or are you a girl? – which challenges gender stereotyping.

Sophie Giblin (Music and Visual Art BA(Hons) 2013) successfully published a free A–Z manual for crowdfunding creative projects and opening pop-up galleries. www.kollektivgallery.com/manual

Max Gimson (Fine Art Painting BA(Hons) 2012) staged a solo exhibition of his work New Animals at the Brighton Media Centre in June 2015.

Darrell Hawkins (Fine Art Painting BA(Hons) 2007), who exhibited at Saatchi Gallery in 2014, generously donated work to the Challenging Behaviour Foundation fundraising auction.

Tom Heatley (Photography BA(Hons) 2015) won the Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN) South East’s Platform Graduate Award 2015 for his photography.

Shona Heath (Fashion Textiles Design with Business BA(Hons) 1997) featured in Vogue’s Power List in May 2015.

Emma Howie (Fashion Media and Promotion BA(Hons) 2012) was crowned the UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (UKBFF) British Championships – making her the number one bikini fitness model (over 169cm tall) in the country.

Veronica James (Expressive Arts and Media Production exchange student 1979) played a leading role in Momsters: When Moms Go Bad with Roseanne Barr.

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Arts and humanities

RED CARPET STYLE

Hunger Games actress Natalie Dormer turned heads at the premier of her latest film with a dress created by Ong Oaj Pairam 01 (Fashion Design with Business BA(Hons) 2008). The Game of Thrones star wore the black and white chiffon gown at the London premiere of The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2.

The dress was from Ong’s autumn 2015 collection. Ong, who worked with Proenza Schouler in New York and Roland Mouret in London before setting up his own label in 2012, works and lives in Brighton.www.ong-oajpairam.com

PEEPSHOW SCOOPS EMMY AWARD

A team of Brighton alumni celebrated their success at the 2015 Primetime Emmy awards when they picked up the award for Outstanding Motion Design. Miles Donovan, Chrissie Macdonald, Pete Mellor, Andrew Rae, Lucy Vigrass and Spencer Wilson all graduated from the Illustration BA(Hons) course in 1998, followed by Luke Best in 1999. 02

They won the award for their work on the TV series How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson. Working as Peepshow Collective, they created the animated graphic sequences for the six-part series. The show, which aired on PBS in the USA and on BBC2, explored the legacy of great ideas. Miles Donovan commented: “We had a brilliant experience at Brighton. We all learnt how to problem solve visually on those early illustration assignments at Brighton. They are the transferable skills we use every day.” www.peepshow.org.uk

In brief

Alison Lapper MBE (Fine Art BA(Hons) 1992) spoke out for disabled artists on ITV in October 2015. http://bit.do/alilapper

Former Alumnus Award winner, Chris Riddell (Graphic Design BA(Hons) 1985) was named as Children’s Laureate 2015–17.

Megan Leckie (Film and Screen Studies BA(Hons) 2014) delivered an innovative speech at TedX Brighton about town planning using the gaming medium of Minecraft.

Toby Loughton (3D Design for Production BA(Hons) 2004) was profiled in the Daily Telegraph for his work creating models for engineering projects.

Terry Manyeh (Television Production FdA 2015) had his tongue-in-cheek article about being a Brighton student published in The Huffington Post. http://tinyurl.com/tmanyeh

Chloe Meineck (3D Design BA(Hons) 2012) commercially launched her award-winning Music Memory Box – a box containing favourite music and objects to trigger memories for dementia patients.www.chloemeineck.co.uk

Tom Munson (Interior Architecture BA(Hons) 2011) and Carly West (Interior Architecture BA(Hons) 2010) won the inaugural Association of University Directors of Estates’ Impact Award for their work on the university’s Social and Informal Learning Space (SILS) project in the Watts building.

Dr Lucy Noakes, Reader in Modern History in the School of Humanities, shared her expertise regarding the use of London Underground stations as shelters during the Blitz on BBC One’s The One Show in October 2015.

A LEGACY OF LEARNING

Leslie Willmot 03 , a former University of Brighton librarian, who sadly passed away in March 2014, left a generous gift to the university. Leslie served as a librarian at the former Brighton College of Art from the early 1960s. Leslie and his team were credited with creating the beginnings of a first-class modern library for the arts and humanities, subjects Leslie was known to have been very passionate about. 

Leslie’s bequest, amounting to £400k, will be directed towards the new academic building for the arts and humanities, including a specialist library. The university will put in place the means to properly recognise and celebrate Leslie’s vision of providing access to dedicated resources for aspiring artists and humanities scholars.

To find out more about bequests to the university, contact Dave Smith, Leadership Giving Officer d.smith4@brighton.ac.uk or 01273 878372.

MINT DESIGN

Laura Clancy 04 (3D Crafts and Design BA(Hons) 2000), attracted global praise with her design for a Royal Mint coin. Laura created the reverse side of a new £5 limited edition coin honouring 150 years of The Salvation Army.

The coin was so well received by the global community of The Salvation Army’s members that it sold out within two weeks of going on sale.

Laura said she felt honoured to work on the design: “It is very special to work on a project that commemorates such an organisation. I wanted to create a design that commemorated The Salvation Army’s achievements: something classic, celebratory and with something we all know and recognise at the heart of it.”

THE IPHONE AMPLIFIER

Camilla Lee Lambert 05 (Design and Craft BA(Hons) 2014) reached the finals in the 2015 New Design Britain awards with her iPhone amplifier designs. The amplifiers – made from walnut wood, ceramics and terracotta – feature on the awards’ sponsor, ACHICA’s online store.

In addition, Camilla was awarded the Cockpit Arts/National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies’ David Bell Memorial Award which supports craft makers with product ideas connected with music. Camilla’s designs stemmed from her studies into music therapy: “I learnt that by using organic materials we can enhance the beneficial qualities of sound. I wanted to translate this in a contemporary way and started playing around with what a variety of materials sound like, experimenting through the creation of xylophones using different species of wood to create different tones.”www.camilla-lee.com

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In brief

Caitlin Price (Fashion Design with Business Studies BA(Hons) 2010) was tipped as one to watch for her sports luxe collections by CLASH magazine.

Katie Richardson (Performance and Visual Practices MA 2013) aka Lotta Quizeen entertained comedy lovers at the Brighton Fringe with her one-woman show, Pull Your Socks Up Britain. www.lottaquizeen.biz

Oliver Riviere (Architecture BA(Hons) 2014) won the prestigious RIBA Serjeant Award for Excellence in Drawing at Part 1, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for his project The Institute of Concrete Poetry.

Jessica Starns (Photography FdA 2010) won the Beepurple Annual Enterprise Awards 2015 Community Project prize for her support group for young people with dyspraxia.

Dr Catherine Watts, Principal Lecturer in the School of Humanities has been appointed a National Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of her services to education in her field.

Christopher Wiles (Fine Art BA(Hons) 2001 / Printmaking and Professional Practice MA 2004) launched The Woodland Project – a public project which engaged over 1,000 schoolchildren and volunteers to plant sustainable new woodland in Lincolnshire. www.christopherwiles.co.uk/the-woodland-project

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10 News roundup

Hastings

HASTINGS DIGITAL HUB OPENS

BBC TV news anchorman and University of Brighton honorary graduate Nicholas Owen 01 returned to open the university’s brand new media facilities at the Hastings campus in October 2015.

The new facilities support the courses which form the Journalism and Digital Media Hub, which is a collaborative venture between the campus, the School of Sport and Service Management, the School of Computer, Engineering and Mathematics and the School of Art, Design and Media.

As well as the newsrooms, the project includes television and radio studios plus editing suites which are open to all students studying at the university.

During his visit, Nicholas gave a talk to journalism students and took questions from the audience. He then toured the new facilities in the Havelock Road and Priory Square Buildings before declaring them officially open.

TV SUCCESS FOR ANNABELLE After completing her studies in Hastings, Annabelle Monks 02 (Broadcast Journalism BA(Hons) 2014) leapt straight into some plum roles in television. To date, she has worked as a runner on BBC’s Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir, Gareth Malone’s Naked Choir, Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side, Channel 4’s First Dates and The John Bishop Christmas Show as a production secretary.

Annabelle, who has her eye on a research role next, credited the strength of her course for her success: “The skills I learnt on my course have directly helped

me in some of the TV jobs I’ve done. I don’t think I would have got into TV if I hadn’t done my work experience module which was on Mary’s Silver Service in 2013 with Mary Portas.”

COLLABORATE TO REGENERATE

Hastings Borough Council and the University of Brighton signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) to collaborate on economic and social engagement in Hastings and St Leonards.

There will be a number of areas of partnership including low-carbon economy, culture and community-led regeneration, fisheries and the Hastings Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) legacy, housing and urban development, the visitor economy, business engagement, support and inward investment. These joint areas will also include academies and improving educational achievement for young people and opportunities to improve the skills and employability of university students and graduates.

The partnership will bring mutual benefits to both towns and the university by identifying and supporting areas for economic growth. It will also establish Hastings as a university town that benefits from the growth of its student population.

STUDENTS COVER ELECTION

When the General Election took place in May last year, students from our Hastings campus were part of the crew bringing live coverage of it to the southeast. It was a testament to the calibre of the multimedia broadcast journalism course, when 12 second and third year

In brief

Bryony Abbott (Broadcast Media FdA 2015) and Anna Mannion (Television Production FdA 2015) undertook work placements as part of their course with the BBC Cuffs programme and Tiger Aspect (an independent television production company), and were offered paid positions upon graduation.

Natalya Cullen and Emma Le Teace (Mathematics and Business BSc(Hons) 2015) were headhunted by Markerstudy Ltd, part of the Markerstudy Group, which was named 11th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2014.

Charlie Eustice, a final year Sports Journalism student, had his work published while he was on placement at The Independent.

Upon finishing her placement at The Sun, final year Sports Journalism student Harriet Fuller was told there would be a desk waiting for her when she graduates.

Joshua Godden (Digital Games Production BSc(Hons) 2015) secured a job at Ash Gaming as a games developer where he had undertaken a placement during his studies.

Alice Humphreys (Broadcast Media BA(Hons) 2014) secured a runner’s job at ITV Creative thanks to a showreel she produced whilst on her course.

OverTime Online – the university’s student-led website – has been recognised by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) as one of the top four student websites in the country. www.overtimeonline.co.uk

Alex Teoli (English Literature and Sociology BA(Hons 2015) published a freelance article in the Times of Malta.

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students worked alongside ITV Meridian to film declarations at the counts and interview the successful candidates. 03

Their footage was sent to Meridian for broadcast on national and local ITV bulletins and their reports and photos were edited for Meridian’s website. The students, based at the university’s campus in Hastings, covered results in Eastbourne, Lewes, Worthing, Haywards Heath, Tunbridge Wells, Battle and Bexhill. The students were supported by Hastings-based Joanna MacDonnell, Director of Education (Arts and Humanities), Jackie Errigo, Senior Lecturer and Adrienne Rosen, Senior Lecturer.

As a result of this opportunity, George Fuller (Broadcast Journalism BA(Hons) 2015) was offered a year’s fully paid internship at ITV Meridian News.

HASTINGS BITES BACK

The Brighton and Sussex Universities Food Network (BSUFN) launched a collaborative cultural and social research project in October 2015. Called Hastings Bites Back, the project encourages visitors to propose food research topics and to pose questions they feel strongly about. 04

Abigail Wincott, Senior Lecturer at the University of Brighton, who is leading the project, said: “Unlike many community partnerships, Hastings Bites Back is not a closed collaboration between the university and one community group, but is open to all in the Hastings area.”

The work from this group will be used to bid for seed funding from the Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) to further research on local food issues.

EMMY SUCCESS FOR BASIA

It was a great year for Basia Lalik 05 (Broadcast Media FdA 2009) who worked on some of the world’s best TV programmes in 2015. She was post-production coordinator on political comedy VEEP which won five Emmys including the Best Comedy award and on the cult drama series, Game of Thrones which scooped a record-breaking 12 Emmy awards including Best Drama. The Emmy awards celebrate excellence in national primetime programming.

Basia said of her success: “I’m extremely proud to be part of both super-talented and hard-working teams. I believe they are the best shows on TV and the success is fully deserved … I’m thankful for the opportunity and excited to be working with the top industry professionals.

“The broadcast media course helped me to gain knowledge and necessary skills for my first running job in Envy Post Production in Soho which I started the day after the end of term. During my time in Hastings I was made aware of numerous roles within the industry which I would not have previously considered. Being taught and supported by industry professionals gave me a great understanding of the media industry and confidence to pursue my goal.”

TRIBUTE TO LOCAL COUNCILLOR

The university community was saddened by the passing of Hastings Councillor Jeremy Birch in May 2015. Councillor Birch worked closely with the university on collaborations to bring economic and social regeneration within Hastings and St Leonards. He was committed to creating opportunities for young people in Hastings.

In tribute to Councillor Birch, a new student prize was established at the Hastings campus – the Jeremy Birch Award for Achievement recognises the student who achieves the highest overall mark in their graduation year. The award was made for the first time at the Hastings campus graduation celebration event in July 2015 to Joshua Godden and Thomas Howard.

AWARD-WINNING PARTNERSHIP

Ven Fitchett 06 (Applied Social Sciences student) and her mentor Fay Fellows, Student Programme Officer at Pestalozzi International Village were recipients of the Roffey Park Award for Momentum Partnership of the Year.

The mentoring exchange was part of the university’s Momentum programme which is run to support black and minority ethnic or disabled students as well as those lacking in confidence.

Fay volunteered to become a mentor as part of her professional development plan. Her role at Pestalozzi includes planning and organising the extracurricular programme, and providing pastoral care, tutoring and academic counselling to help the students at Pestalozzi International Village apply for university scholarships.

Ven, who applied to the Momentum programme during her second year, said: “With Fay’s help, this programme has helped to broaden my horizon with regards to future career plans. It has also helped me to grow as a person, and has increased my confidence as well as my grades.”

If you are interested in mentoring a student contact momentum@brighton.ac.uk.

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Health sciencesIn brief

MPharm student Afsoun Abassian and Professor Hal Sosabowski featured in a recent Aljazeera documentary, Chemistry: The Search for the Philosopher’s Stone. The show explored how the work of medieval chemists has impacted the evolution of modern chemistry.

Beatrice Awotayo (Pharmacy MPharm 2013) reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent with her choir, Revelation Avenue. http://tinyurl.com/BGTchoir

Goodbye to Professor Shirley Bach who retired from her post as Head of the School of Health Sciences in 2015.

Gillian Bendelow, Professor in Sociology of Health and Medicine in the College of Social Sciences, was named NHS Outstanding Collaborative Leader of the Year for her collaboration between health and local government.

Michael Chowen, honorary Doctor of Science, received a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2015 for his charitable services.

Esther Collyer (Pharmacy MPharm 2014) raised money and built a classroom for a community in rural Kenya.

We bade a sad farewell to Professor Martin Fisher, the Chair of HIV Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), who died unexpectedly in April 2015.  

Kevin Hall (Physiotherapy BSc(Hons) 2002, Manipulative Physiotherapy MSc 2012) was awarded a prestigious NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellowship to conduct research into shoulder impingement at the University of Brighton and Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

LIFE-GIVING WATER PROJECT

Professor Huw Taylor and Dr James Ebdon of the Aquatic Research Centre were shortlisted for a prize in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards for the International Collaboration of the Year Award.

The researchers were commissioned by UNICEF to work with colleagues at the University of Malawi to investigate options for providing safe water in rural Malawi. One thousand children aged under five die from water-related illnesses every month in Malawi. This mortality figure could be reduced by nearly 90% through improving drinking water and sanitation. The significance of this project is that it provides a blueprint for new ways to reduce water-borne excreta-related diseases. 01

Huw’s work has attracted two funding boosts to improve the management of sanitation in disaster zones. The Body Shop Foundation has given £20,000 to create and launch a multilingual emergency sanitation manual for use by non-government organisations (NGOs) around the world. USAID – the lead US government agency that works to end extreme global poverty – has provided £80,000 to the university to finalise laboratory validation of its unique low-cost sanitation method, trialled successfully in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

The project is due to be completed by the summer of 2016. To help support this life-saving project visit http://tinyurl.com/BrightonWASH.

HEALTH SCIENCES SCHOLARSHIP

A local resident has used an inheritance to enable health professionals from low and lower to middle income countries to study at our Falmer campus. The newly established

Forward Bound Scholarship will provide recipients with full support to study a masters programme in health promotion, including tuition fees, accommodation, air fare and day-to-day subsistence – (worth £25,000 per annum). It is the donor’s intention that the award exists in perpetuity.

The donor’s father sadly passed away in February 2012. On learning of the inheritance from her father’s estate, the donor set her mind upon creating an award that would reflect her own interests in terms of education overcoming disadvantage, especially in developing economies. The Health Promotion MA equips students to operate effectively in contexts here and across the world, and to make a tangible difference to their community when they return home. It is the donor’s intention that the award exists in perpetuity.For more information about this scholarship or to enquire about setting up prizes and awards for students, contact Nikki Mason, Head of Fundraising n.f.mason@brighton.ac.uk.

PETER AIDS DISASTER RECOVERY

After the Nepalese earthquakes struck last year, Peter Skelton 02 (Rehabilitation Science MSc 2008) played a hands-on role in the subsequent relief effort to help people by the ensuing disaster. Peter worked as part of a team of British medics in Kathmandu, Nepal, helping to restore vital services at a Kathmandu hospital following the damage wrought by the earthquakes.

Peter’s involvement was through the UK’s International Emergency Trauma Register which was sent to Nepal by the British government. The register comprises health professionals from across the UK health services who are available to assist with major international health crises within 24 hours.

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ZAMBIA NURSING AWARDS

Sussex philanthropist and honorary graduate Michael Chowen CBE presented awards to students who completed our first paediatric nursing course in Zambia. The course was developed by the university’s partners in Zambia with support from our School of Health Sciences and with funding from the Tropical Health Education Trust and the Brighton-Lusaka Health Link charity. 03

Michael and his wife Maureen helped sponsor the course alongside contributions from the Brighton and Sussex Universities Hospitals NHS Trust.

Jill Durrant, Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences, collected an Excellence in Community Engagement award at the university’s graduation ceremony at the Brighton Dome for her year-long work in helping to develop the course. She is also in discussion with project stakeholders about developing Zambia’s first neonatal course. Jill said: “This is a very important issue – neonatal mortality at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, has been as high as 60% over the last year.”

SMART BURNS DRESSING

A new smart medical dressing that glows when it detects bacterial infection is a step closer to saving the lives of burns victims. The collaboration between University of Brighton researchers, the Queen Victoria Hospital and Blond McIndoe Research Foundation in East Grinstead has developed a prototype dressing that will detect infection by changing colour. The simple colour change is triggered by infection-causing bacteria and will alert healthcare professionals so that they are able to treat the affected area quicker. 04

Around 5,000 children and 13,000 adults a year in England and Wales are treated in hospital with serious burns. Infection is a common and serious complication for these patients, but at present it is difficult for doctors to diagnose these infections, and confirmation can take several days.

Dr Brian Jones, Reader in Molecular and Medical Microbiology at the university’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, said: “The dressing technology being developed here could be of real benefit to many patients. This could not only enable clinicians provide the best possible treatment for patients with burns, but could also help us understand how wound infections begin and how they affect the normal healing process.”

TV APPEARANCE FOR ROBOTIC SEAL

Paro 05 , a robotic baby seal, caught the attention of the BBC when it featured a series on robots. The furry medical device, which responds to touch and speech, is part of a research project about bringing therapeutic benefits to the care of people with dementia.

Dr Penny Dodds, a lecturer practitioner in the School of Health Sciences, is leading the research project which uses the Paro the baby Harp Seal to lessen stress and anxiety, promote social interaction, facilitate emotional expression and improve moods and speech fluency.

Penny said: “There are similarities to pet therapy but Paro has the advantage of being more available, does not have the immediate association of a cat or dog and is easier to supervise.

“We have also seen how it can help people express themselves verbally and emotionally. Promoting wellbeing and enhancing the experience of people in ways which help reduce the need for medication is important.”

In brief

Goodbye to Dr Inam Haq who left his post as Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning at Brighton and Sussex Medical School to move to Sydney, Australia.

The university’s Multiple Sclerosis Aqua Research Team (MSART), comprising a team of academics and physiotherapy students from the university’s School of Health Sciences and clinicians from the Burrswood Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, won the Evidence in Practice category of the Quality of Delivery of Service in Multiple Sclerosis Awards 2015.

The National Institute for Health Research awarded the university funding for 30 Clinical Research MRes studentships over three years. http://tinyurl.com/pjmdrjs

The University of Brighton joined an international effort to find ways of killing superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics. Dr Marjorie Bardiau, Marie Curie Researcher with the university’s Environment and Public Health Research Group, joined experts from other UK and Indian institutions including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The agenda was to develop rapid diagnostics for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and ways to overcome it.

Dr Yoko Nagai at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) has developed a digital form of behavioural therapy to help epilepsy patients. The therapy, Autonomic Cognitive Rehabituation Training (ACRT), uses both physiological and psychological approaches to develop skills to control epileptic seizures.

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14 News roundup

Life and physical sciences

SAVE THE RHINO

University ecologists are leading new research to fight the decline in the rhino population in South Africa. Rhino horn is worth more than gold on the black market and with an average of three rhinos killed by poachers every day. Experts fear the species will be wiped out in 10 to 20 years. 01

Dr Dawn Scott, Assistant Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, together with colleagues Dr Rachel White, Dr Angelo Pernetta and Dr Anja Rott, will be working with South African ecologists to study the impact of rhinos on their environment and how it could be affected by their disappearance. Dawn said: “Rhinos play an important role as ecosystem engineers and understanding this impact on the environment will help conserve and manage rhinos in South Africa.”

The study, sponsored by the Earthwatch Institute and the Lounsbury Foundation, will be the first in South Africa to look at the ecosystem services of rhinos and the impact of management on rhino behaviour – information that will help protect them.

SUSTAINABILITY BAGGED UP

Inventor and entrepreneur Richard Simmonite (Product Innovation and Development MSc 2013) partnered up with Brighton shop, HiSbe (How It Should Be) to help customers reduce shopping bills and save on waste.

HiSbe offered Richard’s award-winning hybrid recycled shopping bag, Bag Re:Born at the till. The multipurpose carrier bag can convert into a 60-litre bin liner or recycling sack when shoppers get home, or be re-used many times at the checkout till. Bag Re:Born helps shoppers avoid the 5p tax that was introduced on single-use bags in stores across the UK. Richard’s project was supported by the University of Brighton Enterprise Growth Grant and its Green Growth Platform.www.bagreborn.com

@BagReborn

ECOSYSTEM BIODIVERSITY

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the university is teaching students skills to help protect the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems are the most threatened of earth’s ecosystems, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

However, the taxonomy skills needed to conduct research into freshwater biodiversity are in short supply nationally. Dr Gary Bilotta 02 , Head of the university’s Aquatic Research Centre and Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography was awarded funding from the university’s Springboard Grant programme to provide students with the specialised training. Gary explained the end goal: “Ultimately, with more graduates trained in applied taxonomy, society will be better equipped to tackle the issues of freshwater biodiversity loss.”

To find out more about the Springboard Grants Programme email philanthropy@brighton.ac.uk.

NATIONAL APPOINTMENT

The University of Brighton has been chosen to forge partnerships between industry and researchers to keep the UK at the forefront in the development of low-carbon engines.

It was selected as the spoke for internal combustion engine thermal efficiency by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), formed in 2013 from a commitment between the government and automotive industry to bring together those with good ideas and those who can bring them to market.

Morgan Heikal 03 , Professor of Thermofluids at the university’s School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, said: “The spoke gives us a great opportunity to develop and coordinate more teams to meet the need of the UK automotive industry and to enhance its standing.”

In brief

Dr Samer Bagaeen, Principal Lecturer at the School of Environment and Technology was elected to the board of Britain’s oldest town planning charity – the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA).

George Barnes (Electrical and Electronic Engineering FdEng 2012) launched his graduate recruitment job site – Our Graduates. www.ourgraduates.co.uk

Trevor Baylis, honorary Doctor of Technology, was awarded an OBE for services to intellectual property in the New Year’s Honours List 2015.

Will Blandin (European Computing/Dest Infomatique BSc(Hons) 2010) sold his Silicon Valley company, Wit.ai, to Facebook.

Dr Pierfrancesco Cacciola, Assistant Head of the university’s School of Environment and Technology, developed ViBA – a vibrating barrier that can be installed within areas of towns and cities to protect them from earthquakes.

Mandy Chessell received a CBE for services to engineering in the New Year’s Honours List 2015.

Esther Collyer (MPharm 2014) raised money and built a classroom for a community in rural Kenya.

Cloud9 Insight, founded by Carlene Jackson (Digital Television Management MSc 2005), was inducted into the Microsoft President’s Club. www.cloud9insight.com

Adam McCann (Software Engineering BSc(Hons) 2005) has founded Europe’s largest independent video game media and community site, VideoGamer. www.videogamer.com

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The University of Brighton is a centre of excellence in the field of automotive research and received approval from Brighton & Hove City Council’s Planning Committee to build a £14m Advanced Engineering Building on its Moulsecoomb campus. The facility will allow the university to establish world-class specialist teaching facilities alongside research laboratories with its long-term partners.www.brighton.ac.uk/advanced-engineering/index.aspx

BLAZE OF GLORY

It has been a bumper year for Emily Brooke 04 (Product Design with Professional Experience BA(Hons) 2011) whose startup Blaze has attracted £1m from investors. Emily’s invention, Laserlight, is a bike light which has been hailed as a major breakthrough in tackling the issue of poor visibility for cyclists on roads and improving their safety. It projects a green laser image of a bike onto the road up to six metres ahead of cyclists to warn drivers of their presence. Laserlight has become so successful that is already selling in 52 countries.

Emily has picked up a host of awards including the 2014 NatWest everywoman Iris Award, sponsored by IBM, and the 2015 New Generation Award at the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Awards. The university’s enterprise support programme, beepurple, worked with Emily to help bring her product to market. Contact beepurple@brighton.ac.uk if you need startup advice.http://blaze.cc/

INVENTION WINS TOP AWARD

A device that ensures you never leave your mobile behind won engineering students a national award and a £1,500 prize. Prince Ansah 05 , a mechanical engineering student, led a team of engineering students to produce Recall – a wristband that sounds an alarm should you stray 10 metres from your phone.

The Recall team collected first prize in the Santander Universities’ 60-second pitch awards which support and encourage university students and graduates to present their business ideas in a creative manner. Prince and his student co-founders Johnny Herrera, Alex Harrison, Atharsh Jeyanandam, Benedict Bowen, James Thompson and Kevin Raivire-Grisot, received support from beepurple, the university’s entrepreneurship programme.

SCHOOL WINS EQUALITY AWARD

The university’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences has received a national award for its commitment to promoting the careers of women. It received a Bronze Medal from the Equality Challenge Unit’s Athena SWAN Charter, which was established in 2005 to encourage efforts to advance women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine employment in higher education and research. Athena SWAN now supports equality for all.

Carol Burns, the university’s Registrar and Secretary, said: “This achievement recognises the university’s ongoing commitment to equality and diversity, a commitment that has also resulted in Bronze awards for Brighton and Sussex Medical School (run jointly by the universities of Brighton and Sussex) earlier in 2015 and the university as a whole in 2012.”

LONG-LASTING LEGACY

The University of Brighton (or Brighton Technical College as it was then) left such a strong impression on an American army captain, that he left it $10k in his will. Mario Grano 06 lived in Brighton for six years after serving in World War Two and gained an Economics BSc while he was here.

A plaque was installed at the entrance to St Peter’s House Library where Mario’s bequest is being used to establish a permanent endowment with the annual interest used to purchase new books for the library.

In brief

Jake McLewee (Architectural Technology BSc(Hons) 2012) received the Service runner-up prize in our Beepurple Annual Enterprise Awards 2015 for his service which turns 2D architectural drawings in to lifelike 3D images.

Logan Osborne, who has autism, gained his Geographical Information Systems and Environmental Management MSc in 2015. Logan credited the “excellent” support he received from the university’s Disability and Dyslexia team.

Dr Bhavik Patel (Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences BSc(Hons) 2002), Reader in Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences won the 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Science Award.

Tobias Rush (Sports Product Design BSc(Hons) 2012) won the inaugural Drapers Footwear Graduate of the Year Award.

Seven thousand pupils attended the fourth Big Bang science festival run by the university’s STEM Sussex project which encourages young people to engage with science, technology, engineering and Mathematics (STEM). www.stemsussex.co.uk

University researchers in the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics are working with international organisations to develop a software system that warns people when their privacy is in danger of being breached. The ‘VisiOn: Visual Privacy Management in User Centric Open Environments’ project will provide visual ways to support people in deciding about their data security.

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Social sciences

WINNING CEO

When Rod Flavell 01 (Human Movement/Human Biology BA(Hons) 1981), founder and CEO of FDM, was originally nominated for UK CEO of the Year, the judges decided it wasn’t a high enough accolade, so they elevated Rod’s award to recognise his achievement across the IT industry on a global scale! The European CEO Awards celebrate leaders who are making strides in the European and wider economies.

Rod founded FDM in 1991, with a vision to create a unique IT and business services company that combined training and commercial experience. His aim was to eradicate the catch 22 that graduates face and in turn, supply clients with a talent pipeline for the future. As the UK’s leading IT graduate employer, FDM has already employed over 550 graduates globally so far. www.fdmgroup.com

CRIME PAYS

Peter Squires 02 , Professor of Criminology and Public Policy, was elected as the new president of the British Society of Criminology (BSC). Peter said: “I originally joined the BSC Executive because it felt important to try to help communicate a better understanding of crime and justice, and crime-related problems, to a wider audience. Now, as president I hope it will be possible to continue to develop that agenda.”

John Lea, Visiting Professor of Criminology at the university, was awarded a prestigious British Society of Criminology (BSC) Outstanding Achievement Award lifetime achievement award for his contribution to criminology. The award was in recognition of his work toward the development of criminological theory and research on victimisation and police racism.

GOOD HONEST GRUB!

Five years after graduating, Tom Barton03 (Business Management with Marketing BA(Hons) 2010) has landed a £7m funding deal for his burger business.

Tom co-founded Honest Burgers with Phil Eeles on a shoe-string budget in 2011 in Brixton Village. Such was its success that Honest Burgers added nine more restaurants across London and now employs 260 people. The chain’s simple but high quality menu offering beef, chicken or vegetarian burgers with distinct sides and garnishes has garnered rave reviews.

Tom’s confidence in the market expansion is backed up by the £7m investment he has secured to open another eight restaurants. He said: “The burger boom will only get bigger and bigger. The days of frozen burgers are gone.”www.honestburgers.co.uk

GET ON THIS BIKE

University of Brighton honorary graduate and Great Britain paracycling gold medallist Darren Kenny OBE 04 has launched a custom-made bike brand.

Darren, who was coached by senior lecturer Dr Gary Brickley at the university’s Eastbourne campus, started the idea of six years ago as a hobby and has now taken Estrella Bikes to market.

The six-times paralympic cycling champion said: “Our aim has been to create a superb quality bike that stands out from the crowd and is a joy to ride, something we are the perfect partnership to deliver, with top quality frames at the heart of all the models throughout our range.”www.estrella-bikes.com

In brief

David Adade (Economics and Finance BSc(Hons) 2014) set up Nibboxx, a premium nutritional snack box online service – www.nibboxx.com.

Professor Elizabeth Margaret Beaty, former Head of the Learning and Teaching Unit at Falmer, received an MBE for services to higher education in the New Year’s Honours List 2015. Alessia Fioranzi (Business Management with Marketing BA(Hons) 2008, International Event Management MA 2013) took the Service Winner prize in the Beepurple Annual Enterprise Awards 2015 for her pizza business that uses compacted vegetables, sourced from Italy, to make all the bases gluten free.

Sheila Flavell (Marketing MA 2002, MBA General Management 2004), Chief Operating Officer at FDM Group was named in Computer Weekly’s 50 most influential women in the UK IT industry 2015.

Brighton Business School’s Industrial Placements Officer, Virginia Goodwill, was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to the community.

Nick Juba (International Business BA(Hons) 1998) was appointed the new chief executive of City College Brighton and Hove.

Della Lawson (Physical Education with QTS BA(Hons) 2015) won a place at the prestigious Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance to study postgraduate community dance.

Dr Hong Lu (Teaching English as a Foreign Language MA 1996, Languages PhD 2007) was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the Chinese community in the UK and community relations between the UK and China.

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EPIC VOYAGE

Tom Caulfield 05 (Sports Journalism BA(Hons) 2012) spent the year in arduous training to accomplish a major charity challenge. The Tempest Two – aka Tom and his best friend, James Whittle – began a 3,000-mile rowing expedition across the Atlantic in December 2015.

The duo are rowing unaided from The Canary Islands to Antigua, journeying up to 12 hours a day for up to 70 days. During the two-month challenge they face storms, swells, sharks and whales, with a goal of raising £100k for charity.

Tom commented on the expedition: “We want to tell a story that normal people can do extraordinary things. We are not elite athletes, or rowers, or even adventurers. We are two mates who want to do something cool – it’s as simple as that.”

RUGBY FEVER

Last autumn the Rugby World Cup took the UK by storm. The university was delighted to play host to the Samoan team at the Falmer campus and the South African team on our Eastbourne campus. 06

The coveted world cup trophy – the Webb Ellis Cup visited the university during the opening of our new sports pavilion at Falmer. England world cup winner Will Greenwood attended the celebration, along with junior rugby teams from Shoreham, Lewes and Brighton & Hove.

The new pavilion which houses sport seminar rooms and changing facilities, was nominated for a national award for its pioneering waste water heat recovery system that reduces energy consumption by 58%.

Amidst the rugby fever, the university also launched Rugby 4 Peace – using sport to bridge conflict in troubled communities.

OUR ALUMNI MEAN BUSINESS

Six of our 2015 graduating cohort received special awards from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for their high achievements. All of the alumni graduated with the dual qualification of the Graduate Certificate in Management and the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership.

The winning alumni were Alan Knipmeyer, Neil Parsons, Carlota Romero Aznar, Laura Ruaux, Bethan Whittingham and Radwa Zaky. Peter Stock (Business Research Methods MPhil 1996), Assistant Head at Brighton Business School, said: “Our overarching goal as a university business school is to enhance the employability and aspirations of our students by partnering with CMI as the leading professional chartered body in the generic management field.”

HANDLE ON THE FIFA SCANDAL

The FIFA scandal in November 2015 provoked a flurry of media requests for academic input. John Sugden, Professor of the Sociology of Sport, was inundated with media interviews following suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s suggestions that an agreement had been made for Russia to host the World Cup 2018 before the official vote took place.

John participated in six BBC radio and TV interviews in one day. John spoke about how England’s failed bid resulted in funding cuts to community football initiatives such as Football 4 Peace, which was co-founded by the University of Brighton.

In brief

Woods for Learning, an outdoor experience company, set up by Gary Marlow (Physical Education with QTS (BA(Hons) 2003) won Best Holiday Club in UK and Best Overall Provider UK award from Kallikids.

Jill McDonald (Business Studies BA(Hons) 1986) was named as the new chief executive of Halfords, one of the few women at the helm of a London-listed company.

Peter Marchant (PGCE (Secondary) Physical Education 1998) took up the reins as the new head teacher of the Cavendish School in Eastbourne.

Kelly Nash (Retail Marketing BA(Hons) 2005) received glowing media reviews for her successful one-stop boutique, Any Occasion, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. http://anyoccasionboutique.com

J P Omari (International Business BA(Hons) 2003) won The Argus’s Community Stars Youth Group of the Year award with his hip hop dance school, StreetFunk. www.streetfunk.co.uk

Brighton lecturer, Dr Penny Simpson (Research Methodology PGDip 2006) received a joint accolade with Emeritus Professor Tom Bourner for their paper Action learning and the pedagogy of professional doctorates which was Highly Commended in the 2015 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence.

Nora Vongerichten (International Hospitality Management BA(Hons) 2009, International Event Management MA 2010) returned to the university in her role as e-commerce manager with Intercontinental Hotels to give a careers talk to our students.

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LEARNING Curves

Often described as a vocation, teaching is seen as a fundamental foundation for empowering communities. As a profession, teaching translates many transferable skills into opportunities to transform lives through learning.

Our School of Education has a strong reputation for its teaching courses and was rated ‘outstanding’ in its most recent Ofsted inspection. It also operates on the potential of the far-reaching effects of education. The Brighton Effect looks at a few aspects of how education changes lives.

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OPERATION REBUILD

In 2011, the university opened the School for Malagiri in a remote hamlet in Nepal. The school was founded by Kevin Fossey, former senior lecturer in the School of Education and was supported by his friend Pema Dorjee, a Tibetan monk and educationalist. In that time it has gone from strength to strength in providing much-needed education for children aged three to eight years old and has consequently benefited the immediate village community.

However, when the devastating earthquakes of 2015 struck Nepal, the school and the village it serves were in peril. Following the immediate turmoil of the quakes, the University of Brighton sent an urgent appeal to staff, students, alumni and friends of the university to help the villagers in Malagiri. Through your generous responses, £18,000 was raised to address the urgent repairs in the school structure and provide security to the villagers.

We are still in the process of rebuilding the remote community in Malagiri and securing the future of the school. To safeguard the vital work the university conducts in this village, we need to raise at least £10,000 each year to maintain, equip and staff the school. Please help us to continue providing hope and education for our adopted community in Malagiri so its people are better equipped for the future.http://bit.do/Malagiri

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TROOPS TO TEACHERS

Following the success of its flagship course, the university’s School of Education has taken the frontline in leading a national scheme to induct service leavers into the teaching profession.

In 2015 Education Secretary Nicky Morgan announced the University of Brighton as the lead institution for the Troops to Teachers (TtT) national programme. The prestigious scheme is targeted at talented service leavers who have the potential to become outstanding teachers.

The programme will be delivered through a consortium of universities and lead delivery schools across England. It is a two-year, employment-based advanced standing programme which results in an honours degree with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and continuing professional development.

Troops to Teachers is one of a range of school-based routes into teaching intended to make it easier for career changers to enter the profession, bringing with them the personal skills and experiences gained through their previous careers, including in the services.

The programme has been specially designed to support the particular needs of those leaving the services and will focus on developing trainees’ knowledge and skills through classroom experience, school-based training and dedicated study days. Troops to Teachers forms part of the Department for Education’s commitment to the Military Covenant, which helps ensure service leavers get the support they need to make a successful transition back into civilian life.http://tinyurl.com/BtonTtT

USE YOUR DEGREE TO TEACH! 

Teaching is a wonderful profession; it’s hard work but the rewards and benefits make it a popular choice for those starting out on a career path as well as those looking to change.

There are many great reasons to pursue a career in teaching. It offers a competitive starting salary with excellent opportunities for rises linked to performance not length of service. The average salary is now over £34,000. Teaching offers a great work-life balance, a generous holiday allowance of up to

13 weeks and the second largest public sector pension scheme in the country.

Enviable job security is another benefit that comes with teaching. On average nine out of 10 newly qualified teachers are employed within six months of completing their training and three quarters are still in the profession five years later.  

Inspire the next generationIt is hard to beat the job satisfaction that comes from teaching. You’ll inspire young people on a daily basis using your skills to help them fulfil their potential. Plus you can indulge your hobbies and interests by getting involved in after-school clubs, trips or sport.

The University of Brighton’s School of Education has been training teachers for over 100 years and offers a variety of postgraduate routes into teaching across the age phases. 

Training bursaries and scholarshipsFinancial support for trainee teachers has never been better – for training starting in 2016 you could get up to £30,000 tax-free. The amount you will receive will depend on your

chosen subject and degree classification; more information can be found at getintoteaching.http://education.gov.uk/bursaries

At Brighton you can train to teach from early years through to further education and our primary and secondary courses are both rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. We offer 14 specialist subjects at secondary level.

Fast track for graduatesAs a graduate you can complete a one-year postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) for primary, secondary or further education. During this intensive course you will spend two-thirds of your year teaching in schools alongside university-based training. Our primary and secondary courses lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which qualifies you to teach in England and Wales.

You also have the option of training with us through the School Direct programme. We partner a large number of schools who recruit and select their own trainees with us providing the training.

EARLY CAREER AWARD WINNER

Two years after qualifying, Stephen Feeney (Primary Education PGCE 2012) won the award of Sport Teacher of the Year 2014 for his achievements in significantly increasing the range of sports and activities at Goldstone Primary School in Hove.

Stephen said: “After doing a bit of research it was clear that the University of Brighton was a highly regarded educational institution – this was important to me as you want to know that you will be coming out with the best qualification possible.

“My training taught me that the child always comes first in learning. The lecturers were so passionate about the impact teaching has and you couldn't help but be inspired by that. The lessons I learnt at Brighton will form a big part of how I will approach the rest of my professional career.”

Find out moreApplications are open for courses starting in September 2016. You can find out further information on the teacher training courses at www.brighton.ac.uk/courses.

20 Feature

After graduating in 2011 with an International Hospitality Management BA(Hons), Ruth secured a job at a large multinational company and emigrated to Dubai in 2014. She married Ben Graves and like many twenty-somethings, she used social media to keep her friends and family updated with her life abroad. However, in January 2015, things took a startling turn for Ruth.

IMPOSTER

Ruth explained: “I was at home, browsing through social media accounts and a friend from university contacted me to show me a picture her friend had found on Instagram. The picture was of her and me on a night out from a few years ago. However the picture had been taken from an account called leahpalmerfashion (not my own account) and slowly but surely, my friend then started sending hundreds

of pictures of me or my friends from this same account. It was clear at this point that something was wrong as the captions from the pictures were self-deprecating, a bit cruel and just slightly odd!“

It turned out that a stranger had created a fictional online persona using details from Ruth’s social media accounts. The hoax account had been operating for three years, with ‘Leah Palmer’ passing herself off as Ruth.

Brighton alumna, Ruth Palmer, hit the headlines when she discovered her identity had been stolen by an internet scammer who posed as Ruth in order to trick people into a relationship. Her experience was like a storyline from Catfish, the MTV show, which exposes these online predators and confronts them with their actions.

Stolenidentity

XXXX 21Feature 21

DARK DEPTHS OF DECEIT

Ruth’s initial reaction was to call her husband Ben in a panic: “I noticed that the fake account had been able to find out personal details about me, my family, my friends and where I had been over the past three to seven years. This was incredibly unnerving and trying to rationalise and find an answer, I had thought maybe that this was down to hackers. However, it was only when I started digging deeper into everything, I realised the severity and twisted nature of it all.” 

Using Ruth’s photos, ‘Leah Palmer’ had also conducted intimate online relationships with men as well as creating a professional persona for herself in fashion. One particularly sinister example was when ‘Leah’ had posted photos of Ruth’s husband claiming he was her fictional dead brother.

It took Ruth almost a month to gather evidence from all social media accounts and from people who had been involved (or hooked into) the hoax. Ruth recalled: “Once I had the help from people who had been speaking to this imposter on a daily basis, I started to understand how far she had gone to replicate my life as her own.”

CATFISH AT LARGE

Chillingly the perpetrator was never brought to account. Ruth’s efforts to get help were frustrated when the police said they couldn’t do anything as the imposter hadn’t actually taken any of her commercial details (ie bank account). Ruth explained why it was so infuriating: “If I had walked into a room and found that someone had marked on a map everywhere I had been from the past three years, had thousands of pictures of me, my family and my friends, plus many other personal details, they would be prosecuted for stalking, harassment or for the intention of potential harm. But because this all happened online, it was as good as brushed under the carpet!” 

Although being a victim of catfishing has made Ruth incredibly cautious, she still maintains an online presence: “As an expatriate, I couldn't say that I stopped using social media accounts as this is a very quick and instant way to stay in touch with friends or loved ones. However I certainly vetted all friends on my account and deleted in the region of 700–900 friends from accounts. I also maximised all my privacy settings. I made myself unfindable on all social media accounts, changed my name etc so that only real friends could keep in touch.” 

Ruth soberly warns others to take heed from her experience: “If you do use social media you need to be so careful. Be aware of what happens when you upload details and pictures and the fact that anyone in the world can claim to be your new online friend. Be wise, learn everything you can, be private and keep your online activity and footprints to a minimum to avoid something like this happening to you.” 

THE CATS ARE FISHING. COULD YOU BE NEXT?

Paul Levy (MPhil 2004) is a senior researcher at the Centre for Research in Innovation Management at Brighton Business School. Author of the book, Digital Inferno, Paul has frequently been cited in the media, warning of the dangers of digital addiction. Here is Paul’s take on Ruth’s experience.

What happened to Ruth is becoming an increasing problem. Identity theft isn't new. We are constantly told to keep our data safe behind secure passwords, in order to prevent our bank accounts being rifled for cash, and even our very identities stolen and used for business fraud and faked passports. These warnings have mostly alerted us to the dangers posed by hackers – skilled internet ‘burglars’ who break into our online ‘houses’ and take what they want, leaving damage in their wake. But ‘catfishing’ (as it is called) doesn't even need us to create an unguessable password.

A catfish is defined as someone who lures another person into a relationship by adopting a fictional online persona. What is perhaps most shocking is that they don't need to be a hacker at all. All it takes is to gather photos and other information from your Facebook and LinkedIn pages, to follow you on other social media sites and apps such as Twitter and Instagram, and then to impersonate you. Ruth found her images and personal details on several ‘profiles’

online. Ruth was, of course, shocked. Many people are traumatised for years afterwards.

Some catfishing involves sharing sexually explicit materials, but it can also be aimed at enticing someone into parting with money. There have always been con artists. What the internet has done is to make people's information more public, and catfishing can be done easily and often very anonymously.

At a meeting I facilitated last year for the Digital and Social Media Leadership Forum in London, a cyber security expert shocked us all by seeking a volunteer from the audience and then, within minutes he told the volunteer where he lived, where he worked, about his social life, things he had bought recently, even what his kids had been up to the day before! All of this was done with clever research into what the volunteer was already sharing publicly online. Add a bit of hacking and your life is laid bare to identity theft and catfishing.

Those who engage in catfishing are often lonely, disturbed and unable to form real-world relationships. They can become extremely clever at faking the identity of another person. It is easier the more the ‘target’ person shares online. The reasons for catfishing are hard to pin down. One catfisher could be a disturbed fantasist, another could be bored and lonely. Another could be engaged in a carefully planned attempt to get money by fraud.

If you encounter an online profile that is clearly someone attempting to impersonate you, contact Action Fraud, the UK's national centre for fraud and online crime. Also, consider the risks of sharing your entire personal life online. Be smart with your privacy settings and be careful who you accept as ‘friends’. If you make your online life an open house, then you are throwing open the doors of your personal life to anyone. And fraudsters and identity thieves, like cats, are waiting to pounce.

… it was only when I started digging deeper into everything, I realised the severity and twisted nature of it

Stolen

22 Alumni in action

GOOD ADVICEDISPENSING

Hala Jawad is gaining a reputation for herself in the pharmaceutical industry – and for all the right reasons. She is on a mission to broadcast the benefits of community pharmacy by promoting it through social media platforms. Hala graduated with an MPharm in Pharmacy from the University of Brighton in 2011.

ALUMNI IN ACTION

Alumni in action 23

Her work on raising the profile of how pharmacists enhance public healthcare has been publicly endorsed by industry agencies such as the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association Respiratory Group and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Neal Patel, Head of Corporate Communications at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society praised Hala’s commitment to raising the profile of pharmacy, describing her as “an energetic, committed and forward-thinking pharmacist”. He commended her dedication and innovation: “Hala is also raising the profile of the profession with her short videos and networking on social media. Hala recently supported us during our annual conference by live broadcasting a number of the sessions using Periscope. This was an extremely successful new venture for us that helped us share our conference with a wider audience”.  

Hala explained how this came about: “I work as a community pharmacist and a public health moderator for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) network. In addition, I joined the steering group for RPS Surrey, becoming an advocate member for the RPS, with an involvement in social media, live broadcasting and video blogging. A recent extension of my pharmacy work is as a community pharmacist in a busy GP practice.

Pharmacists play a major role in providing high quality patient-centred care and involving patients in the decision-making process throughout. Pharmacists have a significant involvement in managing patients with long-term conditions, improving patient care and medicine adherence.”

CONTINUED BRIGHTON EFFECT

Throughout her professional journey, Hala has remained closely connected with the university and credits some of her professional experience to her ongoing relationship with the university: “I attended a Local Professional Network (LPN) for Pharmacy meeting at the university. The role of the LPN is to ensure a holistic approach to commissioning services, to deliver improved outcomes, reduce inequalities, reduce service variation and ensure quality of access to high quality, efficient services for the population of the UK.

“While I was studying at the University of Brighton, we had summer placements to gain experience and also in the final year we had extensive support when applying for pharmacy preregistration positions which included information about all the opportunities around us. The university played a major role in helping me and my cohort to get a job.”

Having gained some professional acumen since graduating, Hala is pleased to provide support and encouragement to help others develop their careers. Hala credits her career growth to the professional links she made whilst at university:

“Professional networks open doors, which is important for career advancement and business development. You can learn a tremendous amount from the experience and expertise of the people in your network. For me, it makes sense to keep up to date with happenings at the university, as well as news of success achieved by other alumni and friends.”

A VERY PUBLIC SERVICE

In June 2015 Hala created a YouTube channel – I PHARMACIST UK – which has already attracted more than 11,000 viewers. Hala said: “The key role of the YouTube channel is promoting health and wellbeing. I’m very interested in the public health topics so this means I’m keen to improve the health of the whole population as well as that of the individual.

“The idea behind the YouTube channel started with a video blog (vlog) which I filmed and edited with my iPhone. I had the opportunity to work with Dr Andrew Whittamore, a GP at Crookhorn Surgery in Portsmouth, who is the Primary Care Lead (Wessex AHSN Respiratory Programme) and Co-chair of PCRS-UK Conference. He took me under his wing to help me to experience the delivery of respiratory care in the community and through this, I had the opportunity to work within the practice providing routine asthma reviews.”

GETTING THE DOSE RIGHT

In an industry which requires meticulous knowledge and expertise, Hala’s determination to deliver an efficient and effective service to customers and businesses is tangible: “It is vital to gain a good understanding of lifestyle effects on people’s health and wellbeing to counsel people on how to improve their long-term outcomes. Every individual is unique … addressing personal concerns, expectations and needs.”

Why is it so important to Hala to highlight community pharmacy? She replied: “It is well understood that collaboration in joint care by pharmacists and GPs can only be good for patient outcomes. In my view, pharmacists, GPs and other health professionals working together as a team in the community will play

In my view, pharmacists, GPs and other health professionals working together as a team will play a role in the future development of the NHS.

In 2016 we mark 30 years of the MPharm class of 1986, 20 years of the class of 1996, 15 years of the class of 2001 and the tenth year of class of 2006.

To mark this occasion we have been contacted by various alumni to organise their reunions. We are looking at hosting a great celebration event in the summer. If you would like to be involved, please email alumni@brighton.ac.uk

You can reconnect with other pharmacy alumni and lecturers on our Pharmacy LinkedIN group – http://tinyurl.com/pharmalumni

Calling all pharmacy graduates – from 1986, 1996, 2001 and 2006

a role in the future development of the NHS. Building long-term cohesive partnerships with GPs by complementing each other’s skill sets will ultimately improve the care of their patients.”

MODERN FACE OF PHARMACY

Hala is determined to continue reinforcing the pharmacist’s role online to encourage the public adoption of new approaches to improving health. “Through providing new services to support patients, we can encourage healthier behaviour and empower patients to take more control over their own care or treatment.” It is clear she is comfortable with becoming an ambassador for her profession as she says cheerfully: “Take every opportunity with a smile on your face and more opportunities will come your way.”http://tinyurl.com/iPharmacist

@jawad_hala

24 Alumni in action

Cricket fans may already be familiar with all-rounder Ragheb Aga, whose stellar ascent once saw him tipped by legendary Kenyan cricketer Steve Tikolo as ‘the future of Kenyan cricket’. His impressive debut for Kenya in the 2003–04 Carib Cup in the West Indies began with Ragheb captaining the under-19 side. After taking four wickets in the game, he earned a call up for the 2004 Champions Trophy.

ALUMNI IN ACTION

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Ragheb grew up with an unquenchable passion for sport. In 2003, he enrolled at the University of Brighton and graduated with a Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) in 2006.

Besides his obvious penchant for sport, London-based Ragheb describes himself as an enthusiastic cook and entrepreneur who expounds the power of poetry. His mantra is simple: Do something special today.

ELITE SPORTS SCHOLAR

Ragheb was one of the first recipients of the University of Brighton’s inaugural elite athlete sports scholarship. How much impact did this have on him and why did he choose the University of Brighton? “Looking back, it was a combination of the quality of the scholarship I was offered (and the opportunities that I felt it would bring) plus the relationship I had with the university. The university made a real effort, the recruitment team was professional yet personable, and on visiting the campus, it made my decision very easy.

“The effect the scholarship had is difficult to quantify in a few sentences, because it has helped in so many ways. The immediate impact was that it enabled me to complete my degree whilst playing for Kenya. I would return to a professional and personalised training environment and keep developing my skills and fitness. I received support with my academic ambition and was continually engaged. 

“The scholarship taught me how to manage myself whilst playing professionally: it taught me a lot about professionalism, time management, discipline, working smart and working hard – it also taught me about life. I still feel the benefits today running my own business!

BOWLEDVER

Photo credit: Silvena Toncheva

Alumni in action 25

“In 2015, I attended a ceremony where the University of Brighton signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sussex County Cricket Club. The agreement sets out to develop a strategic partnership through a series of collaborative activities between the University of Brighton and Sussex CCC which includes sports science; sports coaching; physical education and schools; business management; Community University Partnership Programme activity (CUPP) and the museum and education. I will act as an unofficial ambassador as a link between the two organisations. This is a wonderful relationship which benefits both organisations and I am very excited to see how it develops.” 

INNINGS AND WINNINGS

During his cricketing career, Ragheb has played for and captained Kenya under-19s, Kenya A, Kenya and Sussex County Cricket Club (SCCC). He was, understandably, very proud to be Kenya’s youngest captain.

Ragheb shared some of his favourite cricket memories: “In no particular order, helping win games for Kenya and Sussex will always stay with me. My most memorable moments include making my debut for Sussex at Lords and beating Holland to progress to the knockout stages of the world cup qualifiers 2015. Also bowling nine overs, taking three wickets for zero runs against Kent (including the best ball I’ve ever bowled to dismiss Martin Van Jaarsveld for a golden duck).”

CHALLENGING TIMES

Unfortunately injury has hampered Ragheb’s cricketing career and cast a cloud over his future cricketing aspirations. In 2011 he underwent major surgery on a shoulder injury he sustained while playing professionally for Sussex CCC.

Ragheb sheds a humble insight into the process of coming back from numerous injuries: “Recovery isn’t done on your own: you have a support network around you, so I can’t take credit for it. All I had to do was remain disciplined and positive. I would like to mention the support I received from the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) and the PCA benevolent fund who helped me recover from my potentially career ending shoulder injury in 2011.

“As with every challenge, you learn more about yourself. I learnt to be patient and remain focused, how to keep myself motivated, and how to keep things in perspective – you recognise what really matters to you.”   

EYE ON THE BALL

Ragheb is currently directing his energies on his company, Imitor Graphica Ltd – a personalised support function offering data processing and document production services. The company aims to give businesses of all sizes a competitive advantage by transforming big data into meaningful outputs so companies can concentrate on their area of expertise. He accredits his experience at the university to his career ethics: “My time at the University of Brighton helped me define what the word professional means to me.”

What effect has Brighton left on Ragheb? “It helped me mature. It has directly and indirectly presented opportunities in cricket and in business. It was key to helping me deal with the challenges I have faced since graduating.”

NOT OUT

As far as Ragheb’s cricketing career is concerned, he remains open-minded: “I am uncertain of my future ambitions in cricket. I have not achieved what I set out to achieve in the game. I would love to still be playing but the combination of injury and setting up my own business mean my priorities have changed.” 

One thing he remains resolute about is his enthusiasm for promoting participation in sport to young players and to be instrumental in Kenya’s development as a cricketing nation. “I would like to give back. Sport is a vehicle that changes lives and is a great teacher for life.”

For now, it’s a matter of watching this space: “Who knows, I may have the opportunity to show what I can do in the future ... you never know.”

I feel very honoured to be a recipient of the scholarship, and am getting more involved in giving back to the university and particularly the scholarship.

There is an increasing recognition of the important contribution universities make in supporting our top athletes. At Brighton, Sports Scholarship recipients have performed on the Olympic stage, at the Commonwealth Games and at the World Student Games. Away from the sports field, this level of high performance is also acknowledged as a key driver to success both academically and professionally.

Ragheb’s story demonstrates what can be achieved through our sports scholarship programme. It has created a tradition for the university, one which not only supports talented sportspeople, but inspires them to keep the momentum rolling through to the next generation.

To date, over 280 scholarship athletes have benefited from this programme. They include a four-times world champion, a Paralympic gold medallist, an Olympic team captain and numerous national champions. We are extremely proud of the talent we have nurtured here since our Sports Scholarship Programme began over a decade ago. As part of our commitment to sporting development, this programme provides outstanding students with the support they need to excel both in their chosen sport and academically, as well as inspiring those around them.

With your help, we can build on this momentum. We hope to raise £50,000 each year to continue our Sports Scholarship Programme and enhance the wider sporting opportunities we provide to all our students and staff.

To find out more, contact Dave Smith on +44 (0)1273 878372 / d.smith4@brighton.ac.uk.

CHAMPION OUR CHAMPIONS

Alumni News

26 Alumni in action

“I thought I’d be working for a large organisation with a nice pay cheque: I’m not quite sure how this happened!” joked Amy Scarth (Tourism and International Development MSc 2005) about her sustainable development enterprise in Africa, Big Beyond.

BROADENEDHORIZONS

Amy caught the travel bug as an undergraduate student when she spent a semester at an Australian university. After dedicating her undergraduate dissertation to the impact of tourism in Indonesia, she spent the next summer there. This sparked her passion for research and a desire to develop her understanding of different parts of the world, which resulted in a two-year shoe-string tour of Asia, New Zealand, Australia and Africa.

The experience was revelatory for Amy: “I recognised the powerful influence of tourism, which could be incredibly positive and incredibly negative.”

ARDENT ABOUT AFRICA

It was during a chance stopover in Africa that Amy became transfixed with the continent. She explained: “It has an unusual aura for me which

although challenging and frustrating at times, has a unique charm and strong magnetism. Even today, whenever my aeroplane’s wheels hit African soil, a buzz runs through me. I see enormous potential in Africa and its people.”

Amy was so compelled by the continent that she gave up her job in marketing to apply for a masters course at the University of Brighton. “I wanted to become a specialist in my field with a stronger ground to shape opinions and

ALUMNI IN ACTION

We work hard to understand the cultures and dreams of the communities and guide them towards achieving their goals themselves.

Alumni in action 27

find solutions. The course at Brighton was accredited by the World Tourism Organisation which had great appeal for the line of work I wanted to head towards.”

In 2012 Amy founded Big Beyond. It is a social enterprise facilitating bespoke international volunteer programmes and managing grassroots development and conservation projects in East Africa – operating from two project sites in Uganda and Ethiopia. Amy was quick to credit the impact her course had on her business success: “I apply a lot of what I learnt during my masters degree – it definitely helped teach me what hard work was too! It was the platform for me to specialise in a subject I had become passionate about.

“I do everything from having long discussions with village elders, developing project strategies from tourism to health initiatives, facilitating think-tanks with our volunteers, managing our team of 25, dealing with government and communities, writing impact reports, marketing and recruiting volunteers, designing volunteer programmes, tackling issues big or small and having the hard task of living in stunning parts of Africa!”

THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERS

Having volunteered in Uganda previously, Amy had a solid understanding of what she wanted to do. The core premise of Big Beyond is investing human (volunteer) resources into remote rural communities next to national parks to shape sustainable development and conservation projects.

For Amy the point was fine-tuning self-funded volunteering to offer skills-based programmes with genuine impact. “Our volunteers come from all walks of life and come for different reasons: maybe a travel adventure, for philanthropic reasons, to focus on their interest, to build skills or work experience. Volunteers

who join Big Beyond choose us because they share our core philosophy of providing lasting opportunities for Africa. They are also usually up for an awesome adventure.”

Each volunteer contributes a fee to Big Beyond which sustains the projects. In return, volunteers receive a creative, bespoke and usually skills-based volunteer programme depending on the individual, plus all their accommodation, food, water, day-to-day management, translation and an unparalleled responsible travel adventure off the beaten path in Africa.

The Uganda operation is based on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – a stunning location where half the world’s population of wild mountain gorillas live. However Amy pointed out the downside to this area’s conservation: “The communities see very little benefit from the work despite that fact that gorilla tourism is growing all around them, allowing outsiders to access their ancestral homelands, when locals are not able to have access to it anymore.”

In Ethiopia, Big Beyond works in the Omo Valley with the Hamar Tribe and Mago National Park. Volunteers work across a range of projects from education, health, business, tourism, culture and conservation, helping to empower local people to achieve their own ambitions.

Amy explained the work further: “Tourism is a big part of our project work in both Ethiopia and Uganda crossing all the sectors I’ve just mentioned we work in. Big Beyond is a platform for problem solving, ideas sharing and knowledge building. We work hard to understand the cultures and dreams of the communities and guide them towards achieving their goals themselves. Both the local communities and the volunteers leave enriched – it’s so brilliant to see that happen.”

CHALLENGES AND REWARDS

Aside from the physical challenges of running a business in remote Africa areas such as the limited access to technology, power and running water, Amy also had to master all the rudiments of running her own business including finance, marketing, law and management. These weren’t the only issues though: “I have had to fight local politics a number of times … understanding very different cultures and ways of thinking.

“There have been challenges from a business and operations perspective, figuring out how to sustain financially and building a brand in a controversial, wrong or rightly misunderstood and competitive sector. Working in Africa has definitely strengthened me as a person. The biggest challenges have been the seriousness of bureaucracy, especially in Ethiopia. However Big Beyond is all about seeing challenges as opportunities and not falling at the first hurdle.

“The communities we work with are remote, undeveloped and sometimes familiar with more traditional charitable models. We have had to fight to change mind-sets towards more sustainable solutions, which is challenging but also extremely rewarding when you see results.”

For Amy, the hard work is worth it: “Pretty much every day I get to see with my own eyes positive change in either volunteers or local people in Africa – and I definitely continue to learn something new myself which is very enriching.

“I get to inspire other people and empower them to take the lead. I wake up every day to the sounds of nature: my commute to work might be an hour’s walk through a lush green valley on the edge of a rainforest or side by side with a Hamar guy with a large feather sticking out his head. I can learn from different cultures and know that all the effort put into my previous academic or professional career was worth it.”http://bigbeyond.org

Current figures suggest that over 1,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer each day. It’s a grim statistic and while scientists and clinicians work fervently to combat and eradicate this disease, around the country thousands of health practitioners work on the front line to help people affected by cancer.

My time at university had a strong and lasting effect on me. It has inspired me to try always to make a real difference in what I do daily.

ALUMNI IN ACTION

gentle touchThe

The Brighton Effect caught up with Katie Ledger (PRDN Adult Nursing diploma 2011) who is a staff nurse on the oncology ward at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and found out a bit more about her career in nursing local cancer patients.

Katie summarised her role: “My profession is caring. I look after people who are suffering with cancer, going through chemotherapy and other

treatments and their side effects. Part of my job is also providing end-of-life care.” 

In a person-centred profession, it is difficult to describe a usual working day, but Katie outlined some of her more regular work. “My day is completely patient-centred. This means there is slightly less fixed routine (obviously routine medication is always given on time) but we do a lot to ensure our patients’ needs are met in

terms of pain control, end-of-life care, active treatment and controlling side effects. The journey of a cancer patient is very emotional and stressful: it is my job to be what my patient needs – even if it’s sometimes just a shoulder to cry on.”

Nursing is frequently described as a vocation and with good reason: it is hard to imagine the emotional demands of caring for people

Alumni in action 29

CHANGING AND SAVING LIVES

Stress and cancerBy the end of 2016, more than 1,000 people a day will be diagnosed with cancer in the UK. New evidence suggests that stress itself could be a major factor on the efficacy of different treatments.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer, affecting one in eight women.

Dr Melanie Flint is leading a university research group to investigate the effects of stress, in particular the link between stress and patients’ responses to breast cancer treatment. This vital information could enable cancer clinicians to create bespoke treatments which could have an enormous impact on the success rates of personalised treatments. The results could be transferable to many other cancer treatment plans.

The C-Stress Project investigates how stress and stress hormone levels affect the treatment of breast cancer. It looks at how reducing stress and stress hormone levels by psychological or pharmacological intervention may improve outcomes in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

With your support, this ground-breaking project could ensure more people respond positively to their personalised treatments by considering the effects that chronic stress has on the effectiveness of breast cancer treatments.

There are many ways that you could be involved. Every donation will make a difference to this project, no matter the size, and can be made via http://bit.do/BrightonCancer.

If you would like to see our research in action, you are welcome to attend one of our laboratory open days, or to discuss other ways to support the C-Stress Project contact Claire Kidd on 01273 878386 / c.l.kidd@brighton.ac.uk.

with serious diseases. Katie described how she handles that challenge: “Seeing people suffering, vulnerable and uncertain about what is happening does affect you, but it is part of my job to remain professional and to concentrate on patients’ clinical as well as emotional needs. My course partially prepared me for it, but nursing is an emotional job and you just have to find a coping mechanism that works for you.

“Having amazing colleagues really makes a huge difference to how I manage on a daily basis and remain focused. It is hard (I’d go as far to say it’s impossible) to try to leave the ensuing emotional stress at work. The only way I can do this is by indulging in my hobby: horses and horse riding. It helps to have the support of an amazing partner and family too of course!”  

CONTINUED BRIGHTON EFFECT

Katie recently returned to the university to undertake a postgraduate course. “I am currently studying for my mentorship module, which means I can mentor student nurses at a higher level and will be competent to assess their practical skills as part of their qualification process. The University of Brighton and the hospital are well linked which means there is a strong collaboration for completing the course and the assignments. These links make it easier to complete further development training.”

“My education at Brighton is what got me here today. I am lucky that I chose a course that led me to this career. Because of the links between the hospital and the university, we received guidance and assistance with job opportunities.”

Katie has remained in contact with other alumni from her course, some at study days and some who also work at the hospital. “I think it is the kind of profession where you build strong bonds. Because we all have different work patterns, Facebook is an easy way to keep in contact.

“What I do is undeniably hard work – whether that is helping my patients deal with emotional stress or coping with staff shortages and trying to keep things running as smoothly as possible – but I can’t imagine doing anything else. My time at university had a strong and lasting effect on me. It has inspired me to always try to make a real difference in what I do daily.”

GOOD CAUSES

Seeing the impact that cancer has on people’s lives inevitably spills over into Katie’s life outside of work. As such, she has frequently participated in sponsored events to raise money for cancer research and local hospices. She also supports the university’s C-Stress campaign – a research project linking the effects of stress to the personalisation of cancer treatments – which she described as “amazing”.

“I think this study is fantastic. From my experience, people’s mental state and attitudes have a huge impact on how they cope with their diagnosis and treatment. People with a positive and forward-thinking attitude always fare better with what they have to go through. It makes complete sense to me that stress would impact people’s treatment and prognosis so I am looking forward to the outcome of this campaign.”

The journey of a cancer patient is very emotional and stressful: it is my job to be what my patient needs.

James, who graduated with a Visual and Performing Arts BA(Hons) in 1994, was responsible for scripting EastEnders’ thirtieth anniversary live episode in February 2015. Over 12 million viewers tuned in to witness the fallout of the Who killed Lucy Beale? reveal.

We caught up with James to discuss cliff-hangers, plots and open air theatre.

DRAMAA BIT OF A

30 Alumni in action

All there in black and white…

The old adage ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ certainly rings true when you can murder and incriminate characters with a flick of your wrist. One person who knows all about this is alumnus James Payne, who has mastered the art of keeping a nation on the edge of its seat with his wordsmithing.

ALUMNI IN ACTION

James and his best friend, the late Adrian Bunting, founder of BOAT

He charted his journey from performing arts graduate to writer of shows including Mr Selfridge, Ashes To Ashes, Hustle, Death in Paradise, The Musketeers and of course, the iconic soap, EastEnders: “I grew up in East London and being a scriptwriter was never a career I’d considered. Something clicked for me at sixth form college. I wrote my first play after seeing a lunchtime show at the college’s theatre. From there I started performing stand up, drawing cartoons and writing more plays.”

SETTING THE SCENE

“When it came to choosing a university, I wanted somewhere that combined elements of art with performance. The Visual and Performing Arts course at Brighton fitted the bill perfectly.”

Clearly James’s time at Brighton had a profound effect on him: “The course had so many wildly different elements from performance art to the study of the theatre of the absurd – it gave me a very wide understanding of what was possible in the performing arts.”

It was also at the University of Brighton that James met the late Adrian Bunting (Building BSc 1988) and became part of the Zincbar collective. They made films, mounted solo shows and cabaret nights, and went to Edinburgh and

Glastonbury with The World’s Smallest Theatre street installation. 

All the time, James continued writing; winning the BBC First Bite Radio Festival, the IRDP Young Radio Playwrights festival and the London Arts Board radio playwright award while still a student. Even after these early successes, it took another five years of writing and knocking on doors before James edged his way in to writing for TV.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKED

In 2009 James received a call out of the blue from a producer, offering him the chance to travel to Beirut, Lebanon to work on the world’s first Arabic web drama. With five young writers from Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine, James helped create Shankaboot. The drama chimed with a young audience in the months preceding the Arab uprisings and went on to win the Reflet d’Or in Geneva and an International Digital Emmy in 2010.

I believe all the best stories emerge from character.

SOAP AND STORYLINES

James’s scripts are inspired by people: “I believe all the best stories emerge from character.” Between 2002 and 2009, he wrote 70 episodes of EastEnders, including some memorable highlights in the soap’s history. “I wrote Barry’s death at the hands of Janine in 2004 as well as Dennis Jnr’s murder outside the Queen Vic in 2005. I loved writing EastEnders – growing up in East London, it was always my dream job – but after seven years I felt I needed to do other things.”

However in 2013, James was lured back for the Who killed Lucy Beale? storyline. He recalled: “The material was just too good to turn down. There was an enormous amount of secrecy surrounding the story. I was one of seven people who knew the truth. It was exciting to keep the secret. I watched the live episode at BBC Elstree Studios alongside 500 people from EastEnders’ past and present. The whole thing went like a dream.”

LOCAL LEGACY

James retains a strong affinity with the city of Brighton & Hove and is a founding trustee of the Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) –  www.brightonopenairtheatre.co.uk. He explained why the project is so important to him: “In 2013 my friend Adrian Bunting was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died four weeks later. He had a determination to leave a legacy. He loved theatre and in particular, the relationship between performer and audience. He wanted to express that in a dedicated open air theatre for Brighton.

“He left us his life savings, designs and an ideal location: the old bowling green in Dyke Road Park. Two-and-a-half years later it’s a reality. Adrian was a one-off: it’s right that part of him lives on in this extraordinary space. The Globe opened the venue with Romeo and Juliet in the Brighton Festival in May 2015: seeing the place full up and watching a brilliant show made me feel I’d honoured the promise that I made to my old mate.”

When it came to choosing a university, I wanted somewhere that combined elements of art with performance. The Visual and Performing Arts course at Brighton fitted the bill perfectly.

photo credit: Kieron McCarron

James continues to write prolifically, stating matter factly: “You must keep going, doing something new, something better than the last thing.” To the next time you are hooked on a TV drama, check the credits – it may just be one of James’s creations.

@James_Payne_ @BOATheatre

James will be talking about his career at the Hastings campus later in 2016.

To register your interest for a place at this free public talk email alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

A packed audience of staff, students, graduates and members of the public took part in the debate which was chaired by the BBC’s David Dimbleby, at our Sallis Benney Theatre. Topics discussed included how the University of Brighton can do more to support local business, how the university can be a better neighbour and make its facilities open to the public, and how it could provide more entertainment spaces for its students.

The audience heard how the university is planning more purpose-built accommodation for its students, how it has a dedicated community liaison team to work through any student issues and how it works on more than 200 community projects. It also contributes and generates £700m annually for the south-east economy and supports more than 7,000 jobs.

David Dimbleby – an honorary graduate of the university – said: “It was a fascinating debate. It was really interesting to discuss difficult, serious and sometimes contentious issues. There is a desire to improve relations between the university and the city and a feeling that this is happening.”

Professor Crampton said: “We launched this debate series because we want to hear from local people about how the university can make a difference in their lives. This mutually beneficial partnership will both improve our efforts as a university and enable us to give back to the community that we belong to.”

32 Feature

In November 2015 the university hosted its inaugural public debate which focused on the role of universities in the wider community. Norman Cook (aka DJ Fatboy Slim) (British Studies BA(Hons) 1985) and artist Alison Lapper MBE (Fine Art BA(Hons) 1992) were guest panellists alongside the university’s outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julian Crampton CBE and former Students’ Union president and current student, Candice Armah.

Top: Bespoke illustration of The Great Debate by Children’s Laureate 2015–2017 Chris Riddell (Graphic Design BA(Hons) 1985).

Hospitality was kindly provided by North Laine Brewhouse.

Nothing says Brighton to me like my best friend Alice – we’ve been inseparable since we met on day one of our degree in 1997. Well, I say inseparable, but she’s been living in Argentina for the past five years so her visit to the UK in January was a real treat.

We had a mini-reunion at our favourite Piccolo’s (where the set menu has crept up a whole pound since our day), drank at our old haunts and partied like it was 1999. They say your university friends will be for life; 18 years on, I’m beginning to think that might be true.

Our student days may be far behind us but, in my experience, gaining a degree was not a moment set in time and consigned to the past. My degree stays with me as I progress through my career and life.

I’m at an age now where my contemporaries are looking ahead to their own children’s university options. I always recommend Brighton, naturally. I want young people to be inspired to choose Brighton and – leaving aside the fees that I was extremely lucky to avoid – to have the same opportunities I had to explore my interests, develop my skills and to discover my future. But I’m not being entirely selfless. I want them to study hard, do well and get good jobs. Because…

When the university does well, I do well.

Being a Brighton graduate is not just on my CV or LinkedIn profile, it’s part of who I am. Even though I relocated to London for work a decade ago, Brighton is part of my story, of my personal brand, if you like. And brands need to be built and crucially, maintained.

Sure, I’ve got enough experience now that my degree in itself is unlikely to be what gets me a new job or client. But it is a calling card of sorts.

It works both ways. I think of myself as an ambassador for the university and I want to present us both in the best possible light because our reputations are linked. For me, this creates a virtuous circle. So…

When I do well, the university does well.

And if this all sounds a bit cynical, please don’t get me wrong; for me, there is a genuine emotional connection to the university. Celebrating my birthday in July with my family, where else but Brighton (well, Hove actually), it strikes me over lunch that they hold fond memories of my students days – wandering the Lanes, discovering the Downs, my degree show and graduation – just as  I do. They’re also part of the community that is the University of Brighton. I don’t think my two-year-old niece will be able to study anywhere else!

So, whilst my closest friends are still those I met as a student, when I’ve attended alumni events this year – a lecture in March, the degree show in June, networking drinks in October – it’s not them I’ve met up with. It’s been a whole raft of fellow alumni, working in every job you can think of in every industry out there. You never know who you’ll meet, but we all have something in common – we’re part of something – a network, a tribe even, but above all an alumni family.

My mind is still buzzing from the inaugural Great Debate (November 2015), chaired by honorary graduate, David Dimbleby, about the importance of the relationship between the university and the city (plot spoiler: it’s important!). For me, the highlight of the evening was a comment from the audience: ‘The university has got alumni all over the world and a life far beyond the campuses.’ Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Why I am #BrightonForeverBy Andrew Davidson FRSA Visual Culture BA(Hons) 2000

What Brighton means to me 33

Andrew Davidson is a creative education consultant and communications advisor to the Sorrell Foundation. He began his career at PR agency Hobsbawm Macaulay. Then after a stint organising VIP events at The Guardian, spent 12 years in education policy and communications at the Department for Education and Skills, Institution of Civil Engineers, Creative and Cultural Skills and Design Council. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, served as a school governor for eight years and won Best in Show at his local flower and produce show two years running.

They say your university friends will be for life; 18 years on, I’m beginning to think that might be true.

Being a Brighton graduate is not just on my CV or LinkedIn profile, it’s part of who I am.

For many alumni the university is a great place to launch and develop their careers. The university’s investment in its staff by offering continuing professional and academic development opportunities also furthers the virtual circle in terms of staff alumni choosing to support the university’s charitable goals. We asked a number of our alumni who work here what the university means to them and why giving back matters so much.

Changing the educational landscapeWendy Heasmer 01 (Applied Social Science BA(Hons) 2008) works as a Widening Participation Outreach Officer at our Hastings campus and is committed to advancing the university’s policy of inclusion and aspiration: “Without the University of Brighton, I wouldn’t have a degree or a job. I was a widening participation student and I am proof that the flexible admissions policy works. I now work in helping to raise other students’ aspirations by showing them the possibilities a university education can offer.”

Having worked at the university for 25 years, Lorraine Harrison 02 (Geography and Education BEd(Hons) 1979 and Social Sciences MPhil 1999) said: “It has been a major part of my life and has framed my professional identity.” For 11 years she was Head of the School of Education: “This role allowed me the opportunity to influence the broader educational landscape. The university has been training teachers for over 100 years and I hope that I have helped to sustain its reputation in this respect.”

Now working as Programme Coordinator and Contract Manager for Train to Teach, Lorraine remains firmly committed to the university’s Nepalese charitable project – A School for Malagiri – and has been involved in many of its fundraising activities. She said: “This project very much mirrors the values that are embedded within the School of Education, so it is very important for me to continue to support it.”

Changing lives

Professor Andrew Lloyd 03 (Pharmacy PhD 1990) is Dean of the College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences and has regularly donated to the university’s philanthropical projects. For Andrew, education and charity go hand-in-hand: “Universities transform lives for the better. In giving to my almae matres, I support their endeavours in this respect: whether this means advancing knowledge through research, supporting disadvantaged students to benefit from higher education or through universities’ contributions to regional development and regeneration.”

Combining work and education gave Dr Katie Piatt 04 (Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences PhD 2006) the best of both worlds when she undertook her doctorate part-time as an employee. As e-Learning Services Manager, Katie leads the delivery of our students’ interactive learning experience. She said: “One of the great advantages about working at the university is the opportunity to develop yourself. As an alumna I like to hear about new opportunities to give something back to the university. Following the Nepalese earthquake, I was happy to donate to help repair the school and keep this excellent work going.”

In her role as a Student Support and Guidance Tutor, Lorraine Roberts 05 (Education PGDip 2005) has witnessed the tangible work the university does to help with regeneration, especially at the Hastings campus where she is based. She recently established a memorial award: “I set up an award at the Hastings campus in memory of my beloved brother. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to support another student with similar aspirations: namely a student who has worked really hard to achieve in spite of adversity.”

34 Feature

After qualifying, a lot of our alumni choose to stay in Brighton, Eastbourne or Hastings, with some returning later to work at the university. A significant number of University of Brighton staff also become graduates of the university themselves while working here thanks to the flexible continuing professional development the university offers.

It is a wonderful feeling to be able to support another student with similar aspirations.

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Staying power

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I was a widening participation student and I am proof that the flexible admissions policy works.

Giving back

Student Engagement Officer, Ed Bending06 (Physical Geography BSc(Hons) 2010 and Geographical Information Systems and Environmental Management MSc 2012) has put his experience to good use: “I have remained involved in the university’s hockey team, where I now coach the ladies’ Brighton-based team. Giving back to university sport is so important, as it was such a large part of my own experience whilst studying.

“The university has been a fantastic starting point for my career. I think it shows great confidence in its own courses and graduates that the university employs so many alumni and it is a pleasure to work alongside many who studied here!”

Being the recipient of a university award ignited a passion to give back in Claire Kidd 07 (History, Politics, Culture BA(Hons) 2013) who now works as the university’s Regular Giving Officer. “I donate on a monthly basis to the alumni and friends fund. It’s not a huge amount, but I really wanted to give something back. In my final year, I was fortunate to receive a modest grant from the hardship fund. I was working over 20 hours a week and the extra funding I received enabled me to cut down my working hours and to focus on my dissertation and final year exams. The proudest day of my life was when I was awarded a first class honours degree.”

As Head of the Careers Service, Sam Rhodes 08 (Public Service Management MBA 2010) highly valued the opportunity to undertake his MBA as an employee. He also turned it to good use: “I gained a lot from my

course, which in turn enhanced the benefits I could offer the students from improved service management. I was pleased to become an alumni donor to give something back to the university. One of my duties is to administer an employability fund which gives small grants to students who need funding for an activity which supports their employability. It is rewarding to see firsthand how alumni donations can benefit current students.”

Continuing the Brighton effectReader in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr Bhavik Patel 09 (Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences BSc(Hons) 2002) was originally admitted through the clearing system and highly valued the opportunity it afforded him. Bhavik said: “I am very passionate about the education I received. Alumni are important representatives of a university and will always be judged on the institution they graduated from. It is therefore vital for alumni to be engaged with the work of the university to assure its high standards.”

“Studying here was a life-changing experience for me,” says Leadership Giving Officer David Smith 10 (English Language and Literature BA(Hons) 2008). “I not only left with my degree, but with lifelong friends, an advice network and a career.

“The university has a huge impact upon society. Donations of all values are vital to the future growth and success of the University of Brighton; they help build and develop what is special about studying at Brighton and that is something I wanted to be a part of.”

If you would like to know more about any of the projects mentioned or about postgraduate study contact alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

Feature 35

Retired Staff AssociationWe realise that the university has a profound impact on the lives of its employees as well as its students and alumni. As such we are eager to set up a retired staff association to provide our former colleagues with an opportunity to continue to be involved with the university in a number of ways. With annual events, volunteering opportunities and plenty of other options to remain part of the community, there is something for everyone. Contact Faye Brown, f.brown@brighton.ac.uk for more information.

In November 2015, almost 40 former colleagues convened for the inaugural retired staff association event at The Hub on the Varley Halls campus. They exchanged news and views on how to take the association forward over a very convivial lunch. The association will be directed by its members and will focus on ways to remain engaged with the university.

It is rewarding to see first-hand how alumni donations can benefit current students.

I think it shows great confidence in their own courses and graduates to employ people who studied at the university…

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Your graduation is the beginning of your professional journey and one which we aim to support through a multitude of ways. Here’s a few reasons why you may want to keep in touch

36 Feature

We'll save you money

Apply for your NUS Extra card via the alumni association and continue being eligible for student discounts. This is a popular perk for our alumni and we are still one of the only universities to offer this to our graduates. What’s more, every card sold means a donation goes to our Students’ Union’s fundraising projects.

Lifelong careers offer

Whether you graduated months or decades ago, we are committed to providing you with a full range of careers services. If you are looking for your first

position or want an entire change of profession, we offer one-to-one advice, events, online tools such as the digital career connector (www.brighton.ac.uk/careersconnector) and professional guidance to all our alumni.

If you graduated recently, please check your inbox for an email from our careers team regarding the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey or call +44 (0) 1273 641289.

www.brighton.ac.uk/careersconnector

Shout about your achievements!

Have you written a book? Tell us about it and we will add you to our Alumni Authors board on Pinterest. (https://uk.pinterest.com/brightonalumni)

Are you planning an exhibition or launch? Send us the details and your Twitter handle and we will tweet about it from @brightonalumni.

Have you advanced in your career or received an award for something? Please share your news and we will spread the word amongst our university community.

Be enterprising!

Let’s face it, you need a sense of adventure to launch your own business. Our beepurple team understands that, which is why it is fully equipped to support you and your enterprise,

whatever it may be. Throughout the year, the team offers workshops, advice, skills sessions, awards and competitions to help graduate entrepreneurs realise their business dreams. Interestingly, the same skills mean you’re more employable, so if you’re looking to get a job in an SME (small to medium-sized enterprise), then beepurple is also for you.

For more information, visit www.beepurple.co.uk, email beepurple@brighton.ac.uk or call 01273 643224.

Add mentoring to your skills set

Are you ready to share your experience and boost a student’s confidence? Our Momentum and BME Education mentoring programmes yield great dividends for both students and alumni

mentors from a professional development context. Full training and support is provided. Email Beth Thomas-Hancock at bt11@brighton.ac.uk for more information.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Build on your new qualification by getting professional and academic support in a graduate-level partnership position with a company. You apply

your knowledge to a fixed-term project in a paid role with a professional company and receive support from an academic team at the university. It’s a win-win for graduates and businesses. It also frequently leads to some fantastic permanent job offers!

www.brighton.ac.uk/KTPjob

Grow your business

The University of Brighton has teamed up with the Brighton Entrepreneurial Spark to help develop more enterprises in the city. To date, the partnership has already supported nearly 80 high-growth start-ups.

Entrepreneurial Spark provides free office space for six months, assigns an advisor who helps drive your business forward, and hosts bi-weekly mandatory events to encourage best practice. Open to businesses from any sector or genre, there are two programme intakes a year in February and August. Find out more from www.entrepreneurial-spark.com.

Be a sport!

Alumni are eligible for the discounted Associate Membership rate (£180 per annum) at the university’s sports facilities. This includes a vast array of life fitness equipment, gym, classes and swim access at any of our sites.www.sportbrighton.ac.uk

New alumni, don’t forget…

If you graduated recently, the following services are still accessible to you up to one year after your course finishes.

• Access to your Office 365 account so you can transfer contacts, download documents and forward useful emails, as well as your studentfolio profile and blog so you can export your records to another eportfolio service

• The choice of spending remaining funds on your Unicard at university outlets, or applying for a rebate (subject to a £10 administrative charge).

• A year’s free external membership to the library and a discounted rate of £40 each year after.

• The opportunity to apply for a Vice-Chancellor’s alumni scholarship to pursue postgraduate study here.

To find out more about any of these services, email alumni@brighton.ac.uk for more information.

All about you

Feature 37

This photo: Get fit and take advantage of the discounted membership fee for our sports and fitness facilities.Below: Prize winners and staff from beepurple’s enterprise ideas competition 2014–2015.

38 Reunions and events

No matter how long ago our students graduated, it’s great to know that the Brighton effect remains with them and that they are always pleased to get together or return to campus. Here is a snapshot of some of the reunions and events that our alumni and friends have taken part in over the year.

Capital networking event (March) 01

Over 30 alumni attended a professional networking event at the FDM offices at London Bridge kindly hosted by Rod Flavell (Human Movement/Human Biology 1981) and Sheila Flavell (Marketing MA 2002, General Management MBA 2004), who are Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of FDM respectively. Tim Brady, Professor of Innovation, gave a talk about project management before guests enjoyed refreshments and met with other University of Brighton alumni working in the city.

Gathering of the legal eagles (May) 02

Eager law students and alumni gathered to meet local legal professionals at a cheese and wine networking event in Brighton . Local vintner Henry Butler (alumnus of University of Brighton partner college Plumpton) provided the wine for the evening which was very well received. If you studied law at Brighton and would like to join our ever-expanding law network, email alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

Graduate art show (June) 03

It only took a couple of hours for nearly 300 arts and humanities alumni to snap up tickets to the private view of the annual degree show. Guests were treated to a stunning exhibition of final year students’ work. We hope to make next year’s show even bigger and better with the inclusion of our new city campus venues. Look out for more information in May.

Class of 1995 pharmacy (July) 04

A dozen pharmacy alumni who graduated in 1995 returned to Brighton for a class reunion in the Cockcroft Building and met for dinner with their former chemistry lecturer Dr Roy Daisly. They aim to meet every five years and aspire to make each event bigger and better. If there are any class of 1995 pharmacy alumni who wish to connect with the group, get in touch via alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

Good to see you

Class of 1965 DipCivil reunion (July) 05

Half a century after graduating, we were delighted to welcome back 11 civil engineering alumni. Following a canteen-style student lunch in the Cockcroft restaurant, our alumni listened to a presentation by Dr Pierfrancesco Cacciola, Assistant Head of the university’s School of Environment and Technology about the current civil engineering course, research and developments at the university. This was followed by a tour of the laboratories and a look at the equipment – some of which our guests remembered fondly!

The alumni talked nostalgically about their days at the university and all agreed that civil engineering provides a fantastic and varied career path.

Nigel Rush (Civil Engineering 1965) summed up the experience: “Thank you for the assistance, support, organisation and lunch: it was very much appreciated. It was fascinating to meet up with those whom one has not met for 50 years and yet in some ways time had stood still and I felt that it was only yesterday that we had left Brighton.”

Hong Kong and Singapore reunions (August) 06

In August, Dave Smith, the university’s leadership giving officer, visited alumni in Hong Kong and Singapore, to hear about their Brighton experiences and to share news on the direction of the institution and the exciting changes for the future. In a whistle-stop tour of the countries, Dave met with up with alumni for a series of individual and group events, where they explored volunteering and philanthropic opportunities as well as setting up a Hong Kong and Singapore chapter of the alumni association. If you are based in either of these countries and would like to get involved, please email alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

Volunteering thank you event (August) 07

On a balmy summer evening at our partner college in Plumpton, we had the pleasure of hosting alumni and friend volunteers for a thank you event. The event was our way of acknowledging their contributions of time

and gifts to the university. Nineteen guests enjoyed a tour of the grape vines, followed by a demonstration and talk about the wine making process. The evening was rounded up by some cheese and wine and the chance to chat to fellow volunteers.

Class of 1968 education assemble (October) 08

Five education alumnae returned to the Falmer campus for a journey of discovery and a trip down memory lane. Mandy Williams, Centre Coordinator for the School of Education took them for a tour of the campus.

The ladies recounted a lot of their student antics and shared a selection of photographs as well as a lot of laughs! They also enjoyed seeing the how the campus had developed since they studied there 50 years ago.

Black History Month (October) 09

The university’s equality and diversity team led a packed programme of events to celebrate Black History Month. One of the main attractions was The Next Chapter: Our future in black and white – which comprised a film screening of Absent from the Academy followed by a panel discussion. Cece (Serena) Abbassi (Performance and Visual Arts BA(Hons) 2011) was the mistress of ceremonies.

Goodbye and thank you (November) 10

In November 2015, the university marked the end of an era as it said goodbye to outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julian Crampton CBE DL. At a packed retirement party, Professor Crampton announced his own parting gift to the university via the creation of a new staff awards programme. The programme will recognise colleagues across the university who go above and beyond in their everyday roles, ensuring a positive experience for students, staff, university partners and visitors alike.

During his 10-year tenure, Professor Crampton helped drive forward the university’s research opportunities, as well as continue its commitment to widening participation, and progress local regeneration, especially in the Hastings and St Leonards areas.

Reunions and events 39

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Fancy a get-together?We can help! If you would like to meet up with your former classmates, return to your old student stomping ground or find out how things have changed since you graduated, do get in touch. We help arrange and host reunions throughout the year and are always happy to discuss how to accommodate your reunion requirements. Email alumni@brighton.ac.uk or call+44 (0)1273 642600.

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Sir David was Vice-Chancellor between 1990 and 2005. He played a major role in shaping the institution as it transitioned from Brighton Polytechnic to the University of Brighton in 1992. When he left Brighton, Sir David became Professor of Higher Education at the Institute of Education in London before joining the University of Oxford in 2010 as Principal of Green Templeton College and Professor of Higher Education.

The university’s Board of Governors has backed a proposal to name a new academic building and library to be built as part of the Circus Street development, adjacent to the university’s buildings in Grand Parade, Brighton, after Sir David. Our recently retired Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julian Crampton CBE said: “This will be in recognition of Sir David’s contribution to the success of the University of Brighton, the higher education sector more generally, and the cultural life of the city of Brighton & Hove.”

In October 2015, the university’s Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) hosted a memorial lecture for Professor Sir David Watson. The lecture was delivered by Professor Emeritus Stuart Laing and included a panel discussion. More than 100 people attended the event, including staff, former colleagues, alumni and key influencers in the community and HE sector.

Sir David was a staunch advocate of the accessibility of education for all and the Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) is testimony to the legacy he fostered. In honour of Sir David, the university has established an awards scheme to acknowledge outstanding community-university engagement across the globe in his memory.

The world of higher education keenly felt the loss of one of its heroes in February after the untimely passing of Professor Sir David Watson, following a short illness. Tributes flowed in from across the UK university community to an educational stalwart, who was widely considered as ‘the students’ friend’ and described as one of the foremost academic leaders of his generation.

Civic engagement presents a challenge to universities to be of and not just in the community: not simply to engage in ‘knowledge-transfer’ but to establish a dialogue across the boundary between the university and its community which is open-ended, fluid and experimental.

Share David’s vision

Farewell to an educational giant

This landmark international award has been created in memory of our late former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Watson, honouring his leadership in the area of community-university engagement. The annual award will recognise the combined efforts of community and university partners towards making a difference to the lives of people in their shared community.

Community-university partnerships are still an emerging field of action, making effective and respectful partnerships

in research and policy development between community movements and academics often difficult to achieve. The award will offer visibility and a modest financial contribution enabling participants to share the stories of their combined work, deepening impact locally and helping to build the movement globally.

In supporting this award, you will have the satisfaction of encouraging innovative collaborations between leaders in communities and academia

40 Tribute

Professor Sir David Watson

The Professor Sir David Watson Award for Community-University Partnerships

Professor Sir David Watson

working together on some of the complex challenges facing our communities.

You will be part of a transformation in the way that higher education institutions work with their local communities tackling issues of social justice, resilience and equity – all over the world.

To find out more, contact Sam Davies on 01273 642600 / sam.davies@brighton.ac.uk.

http://bit.do/BrightonWatson

Make the most of your online alumni network

They say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know and when it comes to building your professional connections, nothing could be truer. Completed fully, LinkedIn is your professional portfolio online and it showcases your career history, your areas of expertise and your recommended strengths. Use it to your advantage and get connected with fellow professionals – and especially fellow Brighton alumni – who may help advance your career.

1. Create an effective profile on LinkedIn. Include a good quality, professional looking photo – it makes a big difference! Be relevant, concise and honest.

2. Add University of Brighton to your education history. This automatically links you to the University of Brighton page where over 52,000 students and graduates are already connected. http://tinyurl.com/BrightonLinkedIn

3. Explore the careers of more than 46,000 alumni by using the LinkedIn alumni search facility, filtering by profession, locality, company or skills.

4. Is there someone in your industry or in a company with whom you would like to connect, learn from or exchange ideas with? Make a tactful approach and invite them to join a discussion.

5. Increase your network: join conversations, ask questions, seek opportunities to learn more or share information on the alumni page http://tinyurl.com/LinkBtnAlumni

6. As you gain experience, offer to share your knowledge or useful articles with newer alumni or students.

Did you know that all University of Brighton alumni can apply for the NUS Extra card, irrespective of when they graduated?

The card qualifies you for discounts of up to 25% at retailers including high street shops, entertainment, travel and online purchases. On a student’s budget alone, it is estimated the card saves you over £524 a year.

What’s more, every card sale raises funds to help Brighton Students’ Union services – which means you are creating a better experience for today’s students.

It’s a win-win situation – you save money and support our students at the same time.

To get your card, email alumni@brighton.ac.uk or tick the NUS Extra card box when you update your details at www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni/update.

Psst… Want to save money?