PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL TEACHING FELLOWSHIP FOR KEELE LECTURER

A Keele lecturer has been awarded a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy.

Dr Jonathan Parker is one of just fifty lecturers and learning support staff to be chosen from 203 nominations submitted by further and higher education institutions across England and Northern Ireland. He will receive an award of £10,000, which may be used for professional development in teaching and learning or aspects of pedagogy.

Dr Parker is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at Keele, where he has taught since 1996. 

He specialises in teaching introductory subjects and research methods to students in modules on American politics, mass media, public policy and student volunteering.  His research speciality is in public policy and higher education.  He received the Keele University Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching in 2005.

Dr Parker has also been prominent in academic leadership at Keele.  He co-authored Keele's new learning and teaching strategy, assessment strategy and the new degree structure.  He has pursued his interest in curriculum design and research methods beyond Keele.  He is active in C-SAP, the politics subject centre of the Higher Education Academy, where he participates in the politics reference group and specialist groups on both e-learning and assessment. 

He is currently leading a project on the shape of the politics curriculum and its approach to assessment for C-SAP and the Political Studies Association.  He also led an ESRC study on international benchmarking of social science research methods in undergraduate degrees, which highlighted the importance of integrating methods training with actually doing research at undergraduate level rather than concentrating upon isolated theoretical training.  He has published articles and presented at conferences and workshops in the U.K. and internationally on the design and teaching of research methods in undergraduate degrees. 

The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme is part of an overall Academy programme to raise the status of learning and teaching in higher education. The individual strand of the scheme aims to raise the profile of learning and teaching, recognise and celebrate individuals who make an outstanding impact on the student learning experience and provide a national focus for institutional teaching and learning excellence schemes.

Further information about the NTFS:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/professional/ntfs

SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY GROUP SHORTLISTED FOR GREEN GOWN AWARD

Keele's Science for Sustainability group, Professor Mark Ormerod, Dr Zoe Robinson and Lucy Gallagher, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, was among those shortlisted for the prestigious 2009 Green Gown Awards in the Social Responsibility category for their "Sustainable Approaches for Sustainable Communities" projects over the last two years.

The team has developed effective strategies and approaches to helping catalyse more environmentally-sustainable practices within the local community at both individual and institutional levels, driving attitudinal change through increasing awareness of the important role that individual and community actions can play in achieving a more sustainable future. The awards were announced at a prestigious annual awards dinner held at Imperial College London this week in the presence of UK Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, David Lammy, MP.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT AWARDS

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Rama Thirunamachandran, presented certificates to  members of Keele staff who  have recently successfully completed a range of staff development programmes. Those who attended were representatives of the 40 staff who have completed the research supervisors' training programme and the 23 who have completed Institute of Leadership and Management accredited courses in coaching, first line management and team leading.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor congratulated staff on their achievements and highlighted the importance of staff development in providing valuable insights and experiences and in contributing to growth at Keele, as well as developing individual skills which would be useful throughout a career.

MAKING RESILIENT POPULATIONS: THE BIOPOLITICS OF RESILIENCE

"The Biopolitics of Resilience", the second of a series of four research workshops on Contemporary Biopolitical Securities, was convened by the Biopolitics of Security Research Unit at Keele, led by Dr Luis Lobo-Guerrero (School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy / Research Institute for Law, Politics and Justice (RI-LPJ). The workshop was co-organised by Dr Lobo-Guerrero and Dr Peter Adey (School of Physical and Geographical Sciences / RI-LPJ) with the collaboration of doctoral student Christopher Zebrowski.

The event was attended by 35 researchers of different career stages, who discussed different genealogies of resilience and the current implementations resilience technologies in the UK and other parts of the world. End users of the UK security sector were also present. Professor Pat O'Malley (University of Sydney) delivered the keynote address entitled "The Advanced Military Warrior: A Genealogy of Military Resilience".

INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS' ADVISER VISITS FROM GERMANY

Xenia Mercier, Advisor for International Scholars in the Freidrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, spent this week at Keele as a guest of the University's seven research institutes. Her visit was part of the European ERASMUS staff exchange programme and she gave a presentation on Erlangen University's role in supporting international scholars.

The main purpose of Xenia's visit was to explore how Keele attracts and hosts international visitors, particularly visiting academic staff. She spent time with the management teams in RIs in each faculty, with Keele Finance, Human Resources, Research Services and the Centre for International Exchange and Development.

Mark Smith, Research Manager for the Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, who organised the programme, said: "It has been very useful to meet Xenia and share best practice with Erlangen University on how to organise international collaborations, which are so crucial to most cutting-edge research today. Having her come to listen to colleagues here at Keele, to understand how we work with many overseas partners, really makes us all think through the best way of attracting future visitors and making sure their time here is the most productive and enjoyable."

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF DISTANCE LEARNING

More than 40 alumni last weekend celebrated the first 20 years of distance-learning courses in industrial relations at Keele. This year's event, supported by the Alumni Office, was structured around talks by leading practitioners and academics, including current and previous Keele lecturers. Kevin Brandstatter, a former Certificate and MA student, and now a GMB union official, analysed the issues in unionising the new wave of migrant workers.

Alumni from the 1989 intake were present. Alan Roe, then an unskilled printing worker, who later gained his PhD at Keele and is now the Regional Manager of UnionLearn in Yorkshire, said: "Opportunities to do such courses are extremely limited and I applaud the TUC's continuing provision of bursaries to Keele students."

Ann Joss, who graduated in the 1990s and is now Strategic Support Officer with UnionLearn, said: "Events like this are really useful for union officers and managers involved in industrial relations. It helps to broaden our outlook and informs our approach to daily concerns." All involved agreed to continue future gatherings.

COLLEGE AWARDS CEREMONY

This week Keele Hall saw another first as it hosted Stoke-on-Trent College's 'Celebrating Success' Awards Ceremony.

The ballroom provided the stage for the presentation and a number of performances by current and visiting students.  The awards celebrated the students' achievements, from both an academic and personal point of view. Students were commended for their performance across numerous courses, as well as for extracurricular activities, such as a "Challenge South Africa" trip, plus a number of special awards which included 'Achieving Despite Difficult Circumstances' and 'Sporting Achievement'.

KEELE TAKES MASSIVE LEAP IN NATIONAL GREEN LEAGUE

Keele University has jumped 41 places in the Green League 2009 published this week.

The table provides UK universities with a comprehensive guide on sustainability and looks to recognise excellence in environmental performance. It is based on information submitted by universities to People & Planet, the largest student network in Britain campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment.

The People & Planet network consists of groups at universities, colleges and schools, plus many other individual supporters.

Universities have been awarded degree-style classifications based on their environmental management and performance. Keele was placed 35th and was awarded a 2:1, with excellent scores in environmental staff management (10 out of 10) and publicly available environmental policy (7.5 out of 10) and maximum points for Fairtrade Accreditation (2) and maximum points for the environmental impact of the Students' Union (2).

The full league can be seen here.

RESEARCH GRANT

Dr. Brian O'Driscoll, Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics, has been awarded a Royal Society International Travel Grant (£2,800), for laboratory work to be undertaken with collaborators at the University of Maryland in September.

 
The project, entitled 'Platinum-group element enrichment in a ~400 Ma ophiolite: implications for metasomatism and mantle processes' will investigate how Platinum metals in the Earth's mantle migrate, concentrate and how they are ultimately emplaced into the Earth's crust as ore deposits.

DAMEHOOD FOR JOAN STRINGER

Professor Joan Stringer, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Napier University, who is a Keele graduate and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University in 2001, was made a Dame in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

She has been recognised for services to local and national higher education.

PAPER AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Dr Carole Thornley, Keele Management School and Research Institute for Public Policy and Management, presented a paper last week at a prestigious international conference on the future of the auto industry, held at the Sorbonne University and Luxembourg Palace in Paris. 

The conference, organised by GERPISA, a French-based international network of researchers in economics, management, history and sociology focusing on the auto industry, attracted industry experts from around the globe, with contributions ranging from discussions on the current impact of the global crisis, to environmental and policy sustainability for the future.

IN THE TELLING

A poem by associate lecturer in creative writing, Phil Emery, has been published in the Cinnamon Press anthology, 'In the Telling'. 'Jettison' was selected from four thousand entries, poems that offer a new take on old tales.

The lyrical stories pick up the threads of folk tale and myth and show that narrative poetry is thriving.

CIPD CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT

Keele Conferences Management team showcased their expertise at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Centre's conference 2009, held at the East Midlands Conference Centre this week.

Having impressed the organisers last year, the Conference Management team was again chosen to plan and organise this year's conference.

The three day event, attended by more than 500 delegates, saw Keele Conferences Management set up a bespoke website to give delegates access to online registration, whilst retaining the facility for paper registration. The team also undertook all communication on behalf of CIPD with the venue, delegates and speakers.

The programme was aimed at tutors running or lecturing on CIPD-approved programmes and involved syndicate sessions and a gala dinner on Thursday evening.