ENERGY PLANS FOR A 21st CENTURY CAMPUS

Special presentations outlining Keele's plans to develop sustainable energy resources took place this week on campus. Staff, local residents and representatives from local and regional organisations attended presentations and an exhibition about potential energy developments on the campus and new development site.
 
The University is exploring a range of exciting options for alternative energy sources building on its existing successes in effective energy management. Directly related to the University's teaching and research expertise these technologies would contribute to an innovative research hub for the study and development of sustainable forms of energy.

Presentations included the University's Renewable/Sustainable Energy Strategy by Phil Butters, Assistant Director of  the Commercial and Facilities Management Directorate, and Mike Leech, Head of Estates, and the Keele Hub for Sustainability by  Professor Pat Bailey, Dean of Natural Sciences, and Professor Peter Styles, Director of the Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics and Professor of Applied and Environmental Geophysics in the Applied and Environmental Geophysics Research Group, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences.

"The emphasis will be on a mix of energy sources rather than a reliance on any one single source," said Professor Bailey. "We aim to reduce external energy consumption by 50 per cent within five years and to become completely 'carbon neutral' in our energy usage within ten years. In addition, we will create a campus community with sustainable energy at the heart of its ethos and values."
 
Phil Butters said: "The University has taken a disciplined approach to the maintenance of energy related control equipment. We have conducted a staff awareness campaign to reduce end-user electricity consumption and piloted solar hot water generation in halls of residence. The combination of disciplined 'house-keeping' and utilities management with leading-edge research and practice puts us in a strong position to achieve our ambitious energy reduction targets."

For more information on the plans see: http://system.newzapp.co.uk/GLink.asp?LID=MTY4MTU2Niw5.

SEMINAR FOR OUTSTANDING FELLOW

A special seminar in Irish Studies took place in the Moser Centre last week to mark Professor Charles Townshend's election as a Fellow of the British Academy in July 2008. The Fellowship recognises outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences and is the most prestigious award for British historians.

Professor Townshend is an internationally renowned scholar of war and political violence, who has made major contributions to the history of modern Ireland, of Palestine under British rule and of terrorism. His recent books include Terrorism. A Very Short Introduction and Easter 1916.

The main speaker at the seminar was Professor Roy Foster, FBA, the Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University, whose paper on 'Irish Literature, Politics and Politicization' discussed early nineteenth century Irish writers such as Maria Edgeworth in a 'British' context, with illuminating comparisons to Walter Scott in particular. The meeting was chaired by a former PhD student of Charles Townshend's - Richard English, Professor of Politics at Queens University Belfast, and Chair of the Irish Studies International Research Initiative. Further contributions were made by Professor Marianne Elliott, FBA, Director of the Institute of Irish Studies at Liverpool University. The seminar, supported by the Research Institute for Humanities and the School of Humanities, ended with a wine reception and a dinner in Keele Hall in honour of Professor Charles Townshend, FBA.

KEY FUND CALLERS GO INTO ACTION

The Keele Key Fund received a boost last week as sixteen Keele students completed their training to become callers for the second Keele Key Fund telethon. The callers are mostly third year undergraduates – half of them earned their spurs in the successful first telethon in 2007 and asked to take part again. They have been joined by seven new callers gaining valuable work experience in an enjoyable and rewarding activity, working in two calling teams under the guidance of Robin Cross, Fundraising Officer, and John Easom, Alumni Officer.

Callers learned about Keele's heritage and the unique ethos that alumni share across the generations, about the Alumni Relations programme and the Keele Key Fund; they also learned and practised the best ways to conduct respectful, enjoyable and effective calls with alumni.

The first calling session took place last week as callers sought to establish relationships and conduct conversations with alumni from the 1980s and 990s. Further sessions will continue until the end of November.  The primary aim of the telethon is to improve our contact with alumni, to learn about their affinity for Keele, to hear about their experiences during and after their time at Keele and to encourage a relationship that will benefit both alumni and Keele University.  Calls do not focus on fundraising alone – a proportion will not even broach the subject – but where alumni are well-disposed to the idea of supporting Keele, they will be invited to make donations to the Keele Key Fund.

Several projects to enhance the student experience at Keele have already received awards from the Keele Key Fund and more are anticipated as the Fund continues to grow.

RECOGNISING SOCIAL CARE INFORMATICS

Professor Michael Rigby, School of Public Policy and Professional Practice and the Research Institute for Public Policy and Management, initiated and led a workshop at the European E-Challenges conference in Stockholm on the issues of Social Care Informatics.  This is the use of electronic personal records in social care, as an adjunct to, but very different from, electronic health records.

Apart from Professor Rigby's initial paper on governance principles, there were situation analysis papers from England, Finland and Sweden.  By the end of the workshop, representatives from eight countries had signed up to form the nucleus of a network.  This is thought to be the first time that Social Care Informatics has been recognised as a distinct subject, with Finland and England appearing to be the most advanced.  The intention is to maintain liaison, seek to develop joint projects and generate further publications.

PERILOUS PROGRESS OF FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY

The Annual Yette and Boris Glass Foundation Lecture was last week given by Professor Pamela Taylor, at the Medical School lecture theatre on the hospital campus.  Professor Taylor is Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at Cardiff University, Visiting Professor at the Institute of Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry Advisor to the Chief Medical Officer of the Welsh Assembly.

Professor Taylor's lecture "Bad cases, good research – the perilous progress of forensic psychiatry" focused on the emergence of forensic psychiatry, the real contributions and challenges to it now and some crucial areas where research has started and should be taken forward energetically.  An enthusiastic audience learned about the extent to which serious violence and mental disorders co-occur at any one time in any one community, including references to recent headline cases in the USA, the UK and Japan. 

Professor Taylor spoke of the many factors that may influence the relationship between violence and mental disorders, such as community demographics and societal differences in definition, detection and recording of crime and patterns in substance abuse.  In this field, it remains hard to find funds for research or apply its results. Independent reviews which argue the case for innovation or reform do provide some bridge between individually case driven change and application of knowledge, and Professor Taylor concluded by focusing on the opportunities for greater understanding and for 'natural experiments' in delivery of improved health and safety.

The Foundation also awards bursaries to undergraduate medical students undertaking elective periods in Africa or other third world countries, or undertaking intercalated degrees.  This year's lecture was preceded by last year's winner of a bursary, Serena Salamat, who graduated from Keele in July. Serena, now in her Foundation Year training as a junior doctor, gave a short but fascinating talk about her experiences on her elective period in Kenya in 2007-8.

KEELELINK KS4 EARTH SCIENCE DAY

The Widening Participation Unit this week hosted its KS4 Earth Sciences Day for Queen Elizabeth Mercian School and Phoenix High Schools, Tamworth. For the 40 students who attended, the event provided an extension to their current GCSE syllabus as well as broadening their knowledge of the topic.

Sessions delivered by Dr Ian Stimpson were 'Earthquakes don't Kill people' in which the students attempted to construct earthquake proof buildings using spaghetti and jelly babies! Their second sessions 'Asian Tsunami: Forecasting a Disaster' saw the students working together as a tsunami warning team to test if they could predict a tsunami in time. Their day was topped off with a tour of campus led by WP student mentors. Both staff and students commenting how much fun they had had at keele.

PROMOTION TO READERSHIP

The Professorial and Readerships Promotions Committee met this week and agreed the following promotion to Readership level which is, as always, subject to the formal ratification of Senate and Council.

Dr Lorna Lloyd in the Research Institute of Law, Politics and Justice and SPIRE has been promoted to Reader.

This is in recognition of her research and scholarship in Diplomatic Studies.  Dr Lloyd has established an international reputation for her research on the League of Nations, the United Nations, and the Commonwealth. Crossing the boundaries of law, history and diplomatic studies, she has written authoritatively on international organisations and countries such as South Africa, Canada, India and Britain. 

Her most publication 'Diplomacy with a Difference: The Commonwealth Office of High Commissioner, 1880-2006', was published last year.

WEDDING WEBSITE SUCCESS

A website dedicated to weddings at Keele was last week a finalist at the Venuemasters Marketing Awards – the only marketing awards to recognise best marketing practice in the academic sector.

The Keele Conferences team was thrilled to be a finalist for the fifth consecutive year at a competition where the judges are independent industry professionals and competition is fierce amongst the venues.

Keele Hall is a popular wedding venue for locals, ex-students and staff. Marcus Wilson, Keele Conferences Sales and Marketing Manager, decided that it needed dedicated website to help people make that all important decision and it has already proved extremely popular.  You can see the website here.

MAKING LANGUAGES WORK

An evening event for Year 8 pupils from 11 Stoke and Staffordshire schools, their families and teachers took place at Keele this week. The programme included talks and presentations followed by a buffet of German food.

The event was part of a three year project (now in its second year) organised by the Centre for International Exchange and Development and Staffordshire Languages Group, as part of the West Midlands Consortium for Routes into Languages. The aim is to promote modern foreign language learning in the region and the focus of this introductory evening was on the use of languages in employment and the enjoyment of learning a foreign language.

The welcome address from Professor Chris Phillipson was followed by an interactive power point presentation, using coloured voting cubes that engaged the children in a guessing game about languages in the UK and worldwide.

The keynote speaker, Steven Fawkes, Independent Languages Advisor, engaged children and adults alike in a lively interactive presentation during which the audience learnt to count in Russian with the help of gestures, sang along in Italian and tried their luck with a German tongue-twister.

A parent ambassador gave advice on the advantages of higher education, and two pupils from NCHS reported on the second phase of this event, to be held in April - a German meal for these same pupils and their parents, after which the pupils stay overnight and then participate in language workshops the following day.

KEELELINK UNIVERSITY INFORMATION DAY

Widening Participation held a KS5 University Information Day last week for a 40 strong student cohort from Norton Canes. The students took part in a variety of workshops aimed at allowing them to explore Higher Education as a feasible option to them post A' level. Senior WP mentors led sessions looking at learning styles and managing student finances.

The students also had a talk from Mandy Firth, Academic Services, on how to write a good UCAS personal statement. The students commented that they now felt more confident about applying and attending University in the future thanks to their experience at Keele.