INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA

Keele marked the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia this week with an event that saw staff, students and visitors come together to explore and recognise the importance of raising awareness of gender and sexual orientation issues.

All sessions were well attended and feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive.  The Vice-Chancellor, Professor  Nick Foskett, attended the event and is pictured with one of the speakers, Chris Hall from the Equality Challenge Unit (left) and Ian Munton, Head of Student Support, who opened the event.

The speaker sessions covered hate crime, trans awareness, the journey of LGBT equality in higher education and insights from past generations of gay men and women.  The student forum gave LGBT students the opportunity to discuss and feedback to staff their experiences.  Stalls run by charities, societies and other organisations, provided information on the work they do within the local area for LGBT people.

Claire Appleby, Director of HR, Organisational Development and Student Support, said: "I was utterly inspired by all the speakers and really want to do more to support this agenda.  We need to work together to change attitudes and behaviours and to advocate properly for understanding and respect."

The University is in the process of establishing a new LGBT Staff network.  The network will be staff-led and will provide a supportive space for raising awareness and discussing issues relevant to the group.  All staff are welcome to volunteer for membership, please contact Claire Norris (ext 33505 or c.h.norris@per.keele.ac.uk) to register.

LEVERHULME SUCCESS

Professor Andrew Dobson (School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy) has been awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship worth £39,169 over 19 months to carry out research on 'Democracy and Listening'.

'It is curious,' says Professor Dobson, 'that although good listening is much prized in daily conversation, it has been almost completely ignored in that form of political conversation we know as democracy'. 

He will aim to show that both democratic theory and democratic practice would be re-invigorated by attention to listening.  His discussion of why listening has been ignored will lead him to enquire into the very nature of politics, and to suggest a range of ways in which listening could both improve political processes (particularly democratic ones) and enhance our understanding of them – including where they don't always work as well as we might want them to. 

Professor Dobson has secured a contract with Oxford University Press to publish a book on Listening for Democracy, and there he will argue that whatever conception of democracy we are working with, the act and art of listening is (or should be) an integral part of the democratic process.

RAS COUNCIL ELECTION

Astrophysics PhD Student Mandy Bailey has been elected to the Council of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). Mandy is a mature student studying the small scale structure of the Interstellar Medium (ISM) by observing the Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) in the spectra of early type stars.

As an elected RAS Councillor, Mandy will work alongside professional astronomers and geophysicists on the RAS Council and sub committees to help the RAS achieve its aims of encouraging and promoting the study of astronomy, solar-system science, and geophysics.

The RAS does this by publishing research in its journals, organising scientific meetings, awarding medals, prizes and grants, supporting education through grants and outreach activities and representing UK astronomy nationally and internationally by responding to government and other consultations.

NEW INNOVATION CENTRE DEVELOPMENT

Staffordshire County Council has approved an investment of £6 million in a new development at Keele's Science and Business Park. The IC5 development will see 30,000sq ft of office space built for high technology industries.
 
County Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Prosperity said:  "This is another success story for Staffordshire and sets us out as a major player in terms of locating high end business, as well as our commitment to work with our universities who play a leading role in important areas of research and technology."

Jenny Tucker, CFM Director, pictured, said: "We have worked very closely with Staffordshire County Council over the last two years to develop a partnership to support the county's drive for economic growth, building on Keele's successful track record, and reputation, in developing the Science and Business Park."

CHRIS PIKE RETIRES AFTER NEARLY 40 YEARS

Friends and colleagues gathered together this week to toast Chris Pike, Director of Quality Assurance, who has retired after nearly 40 years service at Keele.

Secretary and Registrar, Simon Morris, paid tribute to Chris' 'long and distinguished' career at Keele as 'a very able teacher and an extremely gifted administrator'.

He said Chris joined Keele in 1973 as Lecturer in the Department of Russian Studies. During his long service, Chris had undertaken a number of important roles as Dean of Humanities, Director of Quality Assurance and Acting Director of Academic Services (on two occasions). In doing so, he worked with many members of the University, both academic and administrative.

The picture shows Chris and his wife Nicola with Simon Morris and guests.

PHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH SOCIETY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Physiotherapy Research Society annual conference was held in the School of Health and Rehabilitation with keynote speakers from Keele. Professor Krysia Dziedzic, Arthritis Research UK Professor of Musculoskeletal Therapies, Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, pictured left, spoke about "Musculoskeletal therapies in primary care: From Park Bench to Bedside"; Professor Julius Sim, Professor of Health Care Research, spoke about "Informed consent in health care research"; and Dr Jonathan Hill, Post-doctoral Lecturer in Physiotherapy, Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre,  spoke about "Targeted treatment for back pain: results of the STarT Back clinical trial".

The conference attracted 46 physiotherapy researchers, clinicians and students from across the UK and Europe. Prizes for the best presentation and best poster, sponsored by Primary Care Sciences (Keele) and PALtechnologies, were awarded to Jennifer Muhaidat, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Barbara Introwicz, School of Health and Rehabilitation, Keele.

PERRY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP TO IMPROVE HONEY BEE HEALTH

Richard Bridgett, a Keele graduate from 2010, has been awarded a PhD scholarship from the Perry Foundation.

The Perry Foundation, named after the late Lord Perry, first Chairman of the British Ford Motor Company, awards Postgraduate Scholarships in Agriculture and related subjects that are of definable benefit to UK Agriculture. This study, which aims to improve the taste of artificial diets fed to honey bees, has been awarded with annual 'seed-core' funding (£17,600) from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA).
 
Richard will work together with Dr Falko Drijfhout, pictured above, and Dr William Kirk at Keele and Dr David Aston, Chair of the BBKA's Technical and Environmental Committee, to study methods to enhance honey bee health by looking for substances in pollen that stimulate bees to feed. BBKA members will be taking part in the final stages of the project.

VISITING PROFESSORS LEAD GREENTHINKING

RI for Social Sciences Visiting Professor, Marcel Wissenburg (Radboud University Nijmegen), together with successful Keele PhD student Carme Melo Escrihuela (who is in fact presiding the panel), will be running an European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR) panel in Reykjavik, Iceland on "The Concept of Nature in Politics" from 25 to 27 August.  The workshop will look at the various role(s) that the once central, now often neglected concept of nature can and should play in shaping political theory and the study of politics.
 
With another RI for Social Sciences Visiting Professor, David Schlosberg (University of Sydney), Professor Wissenburg has also had a workshop accepted for the ECPR Joint Sessions in Antwerp in April 2012.  This panel is on "Animal Politics and Political Animals", and will look at the place of animals and the non-human realm in environmental politics.  Anyone interested in participating in this workshop should contact Professor Wissenburg on M.Wissenburg@fm.ru.nl.

INDIAN PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS VISIT

The School of Health and Rehabilitation, in collaboration with clinical colleagues from Wrexham Maelor Hospital, hosted four PG physiotherapy students from the SRM University (Chennai/Madras, India). The students undertook a range of clinical placements for four weeks, supported by additional learning opportunities within the School.

The students were accompanied by the Dean of Physiotherapy, Professor Rajarao Sivakumar, who had discussions aimed at improving research collaborations between the universities.

The visit was the first of what is planned to be an on-going series of student and staff exchanges and activities between Keele and SRM physiotherapy programmes. A reciprocal visit by the School's Clinical Education Leads (Paul Firth and Pam Smith) is planned during August.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP BURSARIES

Drs Claire Fox, pictured, and Sue Sherman, from the School of Psychology, have each been awarded a British Psychological Society (BPS) Undergraduate Research Assistantship bursary of £1,600 enabling two 2nd year Psychology students to get 'hands on' experience of research during the summer vacation, to gain an insight into scientific research and to encourage them to consider an academic career.

Claire will be working with student Lucy James on a project to examine the links between children's humour styles and the problem of bullying in schools, whilst Sue will be working with student Katie Wright-Bevans examining the creation of false memories for television advertisements.

The BPS scheme is a prestigious award (only 10 are awarded each year across the country) that marks the students out as future researchers and potential academics. In the award letters, the Chair of the BPS Research Board stated that both applications were 'exceptional'.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN HYPER-EXPENSIVE NEW THERAPIES

Dr David Hunter, Centre for Professional Ethics at Keele, presented a commissioned report on the Ethical Issues in Hyper-Expensive New Therapies and the Prioritisation of Research and Development for the Forward Look Seminar held by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in London yesterday.

The Forward Look Seminar is an event held by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics to determine which areas that the council might focus on for research and future reports. The report, co-authored with Dr James Wilson from UCL, argues that Hyper-expensive treatments raise many ethical issues that require examination and resolution, for example issues in allocating scarce health care resources, patenting and the production of new pharmaceuticals.

WRITING HEARTLANDS AND QUEBEC CITY

Dr Ceri Morgan, School of Humanities, has been awarded a Faculty Research Program award of $3,000 Cdn from the International Council for Canadian Studies, for a project entitled 'Writing Heartlands and Quebec City'.

Combining travel writing and critical analysis, the project looks at representations of Quebec City in literature written in French and English,  whilst thinking about shifts in the make-up of Quebec's regions over recent decades.

NEW SCIENTIST FEATURE

Research into creating false memories by Dr Sue Sherman, School of Psychology, which was presented at the British Psychological Society conference in Glasgow, has been featured in the latest edition of the New Scientist.

The research makes advertisers aware that whenever they showcase their brand it also activates competitors' brands in the minds of a target audience.

Ninety-six people were shown a list of familiar banks and when asked whether a familiar, but non-listed bank, was on the list, 71 per cent said yes. Dr Sherman says one explanation for this false memory effect is that when we see or hear a list of associated words it awakens other semantically related concepts in our minds.

INFORMING CLINICAL PRACTICE

The National Physiotherapy Research Network and the Physiotherapy Research Society held a joint evening event on the topic of 'Using evidence to inform clinical practice'.

Presentations included Professor Nadine Foster (Professor of Musculoskeletal Health in Primary Care, Keele) on "The challenges of using evidence to inform clinical practice in low back pain"; Kay Stevenson (Consultant Physiotherapist, University Hospital of North Staffordshire) on "A practical example of how to integrate evidence into practice"; and Carole Doyle (Musculoskeletal Clinical Liaison Research Physiotherapist, Keele) on "Evidence into practice: the role of the Physiotherapy Research Facilitator".

The event was attended by physiotherapy researchers, managers and clinicians from the NHS and private practice, and prompted much discussion about how best to use evidence to inform clinical practice.

MAGISTRATES' ASSOCIATION SEMINAR SERIES

Magistrates and academics came together last week at Keele Hall to discuss how the courts can encourage desistence from offending. Presentations from academics in the fields of criminology, law and social work contributed to a lively debate.

This is the first in a series of seminars sponsored by the Magistrates' Association, organised by Dr Helen Wells, Dr Mary Corcoran, Professor David Gadd and Professor Barry Godfrey, pictured above. The next two seminars will be held in Manchester and London and will discuss "the role of short sentences" and "the future of local justice".

This collaboration between academics and practitioners has been widely praised, and we look forward to more of these kinds of events at Keele.

READING AND WRITING LIVES

The interdisciplinary Reading and Writing Lives Seminar series continued with postgraduates from the Research Institute of Social Sciences and the Research Institute for Humanities speaking on a variety of topics, including the lives of prostitutes in Liverpool between the wars; the activities of a notable police officer in Victorian Cumbria; an African Chieftain in the Congolo; and the lives of female offenders in Victorian Stafford.

The seminar teased out some of the methodological issues involved in historical biographical research, and showed how this approach can reveal startling and fascinating insights into the lives of ordinary people and royalty in the past.

PUBLIC LECTURE AT NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Dr Peter Adey, pictured, David Cox and Professor Barry Godfrey presented a talk in the public lecture series at The National Archives last week.  "Morale and Morality during the Liverpool Blitz" discussed how morale was commodified and measured during the war, and how crimes such as looting, and blackout offences, served to undermine public confidence.

The talk combined theoretical and empirical approaches to produce a talk which was enthusiastically received by an audience of academics, archivists and the general public. The talk will soon be available as a podcast on the National Archives website and on iTunes.

TOP QUALITY

The Education Commissioning for Quality Framework is a Department of Health requirement for non-medical education quality assurance in relation to commissioned education providers. The process is undertaken with all Higher Education Providers on an annual basis.

It is designed to ensure that the provision of healthcare education is reviewed, quality assured, performance managed and is meeting the requirements of NHS Deaneries. In the West Midlands, the NHS West Midlands undertakes the process on behalf of the West Midlands health economy.

In the 2010-11 process, Keele (School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Health and Rehabilitation), achieved an overall average score of 86% for programme quality (Keele scored highest out of all the West Midlands HEIs); and 100% achievement against previous reporting years' action plan (2009-10).

FOOD HYGIENE RATING

Commercial and Facilities Management have announced that its recent National Food Hygiene Rating Scores have placed all kitchens at either  4 or 5 stars.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Forty years ago -

A research team headed by Dr David Morgan (Chemistry) has been awarded a £3,000 grant by the Ministry of Defence to try and find out more about the hormone that makes barnacles grow.

Barnacles grow on ships' hulls and can slow down a ship's speed, making it less efficient than it might otherwise be. The Ministry hopes scientists will discover a means of controlling the barnacle population. At present, barnacles are held at bay by treating ships' hulls with copper paint, which wears away. 17 May 1971.