PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIPS

Two members of Keele's School of Nursing and Midwifery have been awarded prestigious fellowships.

Andrew Finney has been awarded a Clinical Doctoral Fellowship by the National Institute for Health Research. The research fellowship award of £300,000 will enable Andrew to undertake a PhD focusing on "Multi-disciplinary support for self-management of Osteoarthritis (OA) in primary care".

The PhD will review and evaluate treatments delivered by health care professionals for OA in primary care, whilst evaluating whether a multi-disciplinary approach can be successfully implemented. Andrew will be seconded from the School of Nursing and Midwifery on a full-time basis for three years and will undertake the PhD at the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre. The award is a fine example of collaboration between the Research Institute for Primary Care Sciences, the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Haywood Hospital.

Julie Green has been awarded a West Midlands Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Research Training Fellowships to continue with her PhD studies.

Julie is currently coming to the end of the second year of her PhD on a part-time basis which, to date, has been funded by an innovative two year Link Fellowship programme between the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Research Institute of Primary Care and Health Sciences. This significant award, worth about £120,000, will enable Julie to complete her patient centred study entitled: 'Does a patient focus to consultations in chronic venous leg ulcer care improve patient satisfaction and health related quality of life?'

HORTICULTURE LINK AWARD

Drs William Kirk and Gordon Hamilton, Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine (ISTM) have been awarded a Defra Horticulture LINK grant to study "Biological, semiochemical and selective chemical management methods for insecticide resistant western flower thrips on protected strawberry". The five-year project is worth £875,000 and is in collaboration with East Malling Research, ADAS UK Ltd, Warwick University and the Natural Resources Institute, as well as more than 10 companies, including Bayer CropScience Ltd, Berryworld Ltd and Tesco Stores Ltd.

Thrips are major crop pests and the Keele research will focus on developing an easy to use pheromone monitoring trap for thrips in tunnel-grown UK strawberry crops. Dr Kirk, pictured above, and Dr Hamilton, pictured left, are the named inventors on a Keele University patent for the use of pheromones to control thrips. The Horticulture LINK scheme enables industrial-academic consortia to carry out innovative, high quality and pre-commercial collaborative research and development that has the potential for significant practical impact in the horticulture industry.

TELETHON 2010 - A RECORD BREAKING SUCCESS

The 2010 autumn telethon finished last weekend with the 26 student callers smashing their target of £90,000. Keele Alumni pledged over £147,000 towards the Keele Key Fund and it is expected to rise to £150,000 once all the gifts have been received.

Support for the Keele Key Fund was tremendous with almost half of those called during the three-week campaign agreeing to make a gift.

Robin Cross, Fundraising Officer, said: "Our student callers can be very proud of themselves as Keele has achieved excellent results in a difficult economic context. Awareness of the Keele Key Fund amongst alumni is now widespread, with the vast majority expressing interest and approval for the Key Fund projects".

At an awards evening on Wednesday, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, praised the talents and teamwork of the best ever team of student callers and recognised some exceptional performances with special awards.

• John Easom, Alumni Officer, has been invited to speak at the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Annual Giving Conference in Manchester next Wednesday to describe how a smaller university can achieve great fundraising results by encouraging strong alumni affinity.

NEW SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PROJECTS

The Science for Sustainability environmental education group, led by Dr Zoe Robinson, left,  and Professor Mark Ormerod, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences/ Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics, has started two major environmental education research projects aimed at driving sustainability improvements in schools and their local communities.  The projects, funded by Staffordshire County Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council, will take place in the Anglesey ward in Burton and the Blake area in Cannock, two of the four identified Priority Areas in Staffordshire, which aim to raise economic, social and educational standards within the county. 

The projects will involve a range of educational activities carried out by Nicola Ruston, Science for Sustainability Environment Education Officer, including workshops for schoolchildren, from infant school to sixth form age, on a number of sustainability themes; environmental baseline reviews and action plans for sustainability improvements within the schools; and a series of school-based community events.

The projects develop from previous work funded by Staffordshire County Council, providing innovative and interactive sustainability workshops to a number of primary schools in socially and educationally disadvantaged areas, and will yield important research findings on the barriers to achieving attitudinal and behavioural change and pro-environmental behaviour in such communities.

PROJECT SUCCESSES REPORTED AT LATEST 3ME WORKSHOP

Members of the Modelling Methods for Medical Engineering (3ME) initiative held a workshop at the Keele Management Centre to share the first results of some of the projects supported at its "sandpit" meetings held in the last two years.

The 3ME Initiative has spent £50,000 on a series of projects to nurture new ideas and collaborations between members of Keele's research institutes of Science and Technology in Medicine and Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics. Speakers included the 3ME Researchers in Residence, who presented the results of mathematical and computer-based modelling and imaging work relevant to the study of cells and tissue engineering. A new call for small project proposals will be issued shortly. For details see the 3ME website at www.keele.ac.uk/research/3me or contact Maria Kyriacou (e-mail: m.kyriacou@istm.keele.ac.uk).

Members also discussed ideas for another major off-campus scientific meeting before the core funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ends next year. Total support from EPSRC and Keele of over £300,000 has provided a wide range of activities, including fellowships, project grants, seminars, workshops, and international visitors.

Six of the speakers are pictured above, from the left: Dr Josep Sule-Suso, Mr Michael Lutiyanov, Dr Nigel Cassidy, Dr Sarah Griffiths, Dr Frank Rutten and Dr Shailesh Naire.

CUTTING EDGE SCIENCE

The Science Learning Centre last week welcomed teachers to 'Bringing Cutting Edge Science into the Classroom: Astrophysics'.

Dr Rob Jeffries introduced teachers to the newly refurbished facilities at Keele Earth and Space Observatory and explained the work undertaken there by the University's astrophysicists. Unfortunately the freezing cold and fog prevented use of the telescopes but did not dampen the enthusiasm, particularly as the participants were able to stay overnight ready for the course the next day.

Dr Raphael Hirschi worked through stars and planets with them, David Martin gave examples of practical work on the moon and craters for use with students in school, and Dr James Reeves led a session on observing the universe.

PHILOSOPHY FORUM ANNUAL LECTURE

Professor Stephen Engstrom, Pittsburgh, last week delivered the 2010 Annual Lecture of the Keele Philosophy Forum on "Universal Legislation as the Form of Practical Knowledge". This was followed by a conference, attended by more than 35 scholars from the USA, Europe and the UK, on "The Morality of Law: Kantian Perspectives". The opening was given by Professor Chris Phillipson, Director of the Research Institute for Social Sciences.

The 2010 Annual Lecture and Conference, in the Claus Moser Research Centre, (www.keele.ac.uk/philosophyforum/Events.htm) were organised by Dr Sorin Baiasu and colleagues in the Keele Philosophy Forum, with the support of the Research Institute for Social Sciences, the Kantian Standing Group of the European Consortium for Political Research, and the School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy at Keele. Delegates emailed enthusiastically after the events, praising both the quality of papers and discussion, and the organisation.

MAKING LANGUAGES WORK

One hundred Year 8 pupils from 12 Stoke and Staffordshire schools, their families and teachers took part in a Making Languages Work event in the Westminster Theatre.

It was part of a project organised by the Staffordshire Languages Group, in conjunction with Keele, which is 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.

Steven Fawkes, from the Association for Language Learning, engaged children and adults in a lively interactive presentation during which the audience learned to count in Russian, sang along to a clip from the High School Musical in Italian and tried a German tongue-twister. Professor Marilyn Andrews, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning and Student Experience, gave the opening address and guest speakers included representatives from industry. The second phase of the event will take place in April 2011.

BBC COUNTRYFILE FILMING

BBC Countryfile joined the Staffordshire RIGS (Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites) group to film geoconservation of a regionally important geological site in the Peak District.

The event, run by Dr Sarah Taylor (Lecturer in Ecology at Keele) and Patrick Cossey (Staffordshire University), cleared encroaching vegetation and fallen rocks that prevented access to the rock face at Lee Cutting.

The site is located on the old Manifold valley railway, which forms part of the Hamps and Manifold Geotrail.

They unearthed a fold and fault, and lots of fossil crinoids, which have probably not been seen since the heyday of the railway in the 1920s.

Patrick's interview will be aired on BBC1 this Sunday, 5 December, at 6.30 pm.

For more information on Staffordshire's RIGS see here. Hard copies of the Geotrail leaflets are available from Richard Waller, email:  r.i.waller @esci.keele.ac.uk.

ASSOCIATE RESEARCH FELLOW

Professor Fiona Cownie, Law, has been appointed as a Senior Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, which is part of the School of Advanced Studies of the University of London.

As well as developing some of her own research projects, Professor Cownie, pictured above, is working with the Institute's Archivist to further develop the archive of the Society of Legal Scholars.

'INTO THE WORLD' FAIR VISIT

Dr Lucy Munro, English and Research Institute for Humanities, pictured, made a short visit to Canada, where she gave research papers at Dalhousie University and at a workshop on Shakespeare, Language and Performance at McGill University. 

She also attended Dalhousie's annual 'Into the World' fair, where she spoke to a number of students about the study abroad programme, assisted by Emily Tickner (English and American Literatures), who is studying at Dalhousie this semester.

SHARING EXPERTISE

New Yorker Adam Konowe, who pursued a one year exchange programme at Keele in 1988-1989, returned to the University last week to share some of his expertise and knowledge.

Once a TV director and producer, and now a public relations executive, Adam, an adjunct Professor at American University, Washington DC, pictured above, presented two guest lectures on Public Relations for the School of Management, led a seminar with KUSU sabbaticals, conducted two stage combat workshops with KUSU Drama Society and also led an alumni-student networking event.

A keen volunteer with the alumni programmes at Rochester (NY) and American (DC) universities, Adam's visit demonstrated ways in which alumni can support schools and students at Keele.

NEW ACADEMIC APPOINTMENT

The following academic appointment commenced in post this week:

School of Medicine

Dr Alan Harper, Lecturer in Bioscience, who was previously a Junior Research Fellow at St Catherine's College, Cambridge.

HOLLYWOOD AND BOLLYWOOD BALL

Keele Hall hosted a Hollywood and Bollywood Charity Ball where 250 guests were treated to live music, entertainment and an Indian style meal.

The event was in aid of the Sanja charity, whose aim was to raise money for Alzheimer's and Dementia charities.

Keele also embarked on its first of 12 parties for local companies and private groups to celebrate Christmas. Throughout this festive period Keele will serve up 5,000 covers.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Thirty-six years ago -

HRH The Princess Margaret is to visit the University Observatory on 5 December 1974 to open the new extension donated by William Boulton Ltd, Engineers, of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.