WORK SET TO START ON UNION SQUARE TRANSFORMATION

Work on two major new projects that will transform the centre of the Keele campus starts next week.

The proposals for Union Square will create an exciting new space that will provide a holistically designed area for meeting, relaxing and playing together, with a pedestrian space that helps integrate the differing architectural styles of the existing buildings.
 
The scheme will enhance the area for formal events such as graduation days, conferences, open days and will also make provision for the installation of temporary marquees. The works are scheduled to be complete in September 2012. The Students' Union car park will be closed while the work is being carried out. Additional temporary parking has been provided at the Covert and further alternative parking is available at Horwood and Lindsay car parks.

Refurbishment of the ground floor of the Students' Union also gets underway. The scheme will make use of the vacant former Union Square Bar to increase the space allocated to key student functions, with the drive to create improved accessibility and the feeling of an open welcoming environment. Changes include a re-located reception, opening up of the existing central staircase at ground floor level, laptop bar spaces and additional social and catering seating spaces.

KEELE STARS ON BBC2 STARGAZING LIVE
   
Keele's planet-hunting research had a starring role on the BBC's "Stargazing Live" programme with Brian Cox on Wednesday.

The exoplanet-themed programme included a live link from the studio at Jodrell Bank to Keele's WASP-South observatory in South Africa, including an interview with postdoc David Anderson. WASP-South runs robotically, so David and Keele's Professor Coel Hellier set up a link allowing presenter Dara O'Briain to send a command triggering WASP-South into live action.

Keele Observatory also took part in the Stargazing Live extravaganza. Doors were open to the public from Monday through to Thursday and despite the poor weather most visitors were able to gaze at Jupiter and its moons through the 138-year old giant telescope, whilst daytime visitors watched some spectacular solar flares.

For many of the 1,000 visitors this was their first experience of looking at the sky through a telescope. Observatory staff and Keele astronomers showed people around the observatory and talked with them about the many mysteries of the Universe. Media coverage of the events at Keele Observatory included interviews on BBC Radio Stoke and Radio CrossRhythms and an article in The Sentinel.

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT BRIEFINGS

More than 90 members of staff from Faculties and Directorates this week attended two postgraduate research briefing events led by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Professor Mark Ormerod.

These two new style events, organised by the Learning and Professional Development Centre, are part of an attempt to increase communication and dialogue on postgraduate research matters, and provided an update on the tremendous success in growing our postgraduate research activity, the national postgraduate research landscape, and developments and changes in relation to postgraduate research at Keele, including research training provision and funding, Acorn funding, research student liaison, split-site and remote location PhDs, administrative structures, and the significant revisions to the Code of Practice, which were covered by Professor Trevor Greenhough, PGR Director, ISTM.

Postgraduate research student numbers have grown dramatically in the last year across the institution to record levels, with a record intake and research student population last year, and an equally strong intake to date this year, with the total number of full-time equivalent research students projected to exceed 350 by the end of this academic year, a 40% increase on previous levels. The very positive engagement with these briefing events reflects the engagement of colleagues with this increasingly important and successful activity.

SCIENTISTS' EXCHANGE WITH CHINA

Two years ago ISTM began an exchange of researchers with Tsinghua and Sichuan Universities in China, funded by a European grant award to Dr Nicholas R Forsyth and Professor Alicia El Haj.

So far, Keele has welcomed four students, Qiang Peng, Jianfeng Han, Jing Zhou and Cui Ling Dong, to its tissue engineering labs at the Guy Hilton Research Centre. ISTM has also hosted senior Chinese staff, Professor George Chen from Tsinghua University and Dr Xun Xun from Sichuan University, who exchanged ideas and presented their research during their stay. The picture above shows Jing Zhou and Jianfeng Han working in the ISTM laboratories.

Meanwhile, three Keele PhD students, William Webb, Tina Dale and Alex Lomas have spent periods of several months working in Beijing. Dr Forsyth and Professor El Haj have both now presented invited research seminars at Sichuan and Tsinghua universities, and last summer Dr Forsyth supervised a research team at Tsinghua. He delivered a number of invited seminars around the Beijing area with the additional support of an ISTM Research Fellowship. Jing Zhou, Alex Lomas, William Webb and Cui Ling Dong are pictured above at the Guy Hilton Research Centre.

The Keele team is already planning more placements, details are on the HYANJI SCAFFOLD website http://www.keele.ac.uk/hyanjiscaffold/  and a dedicated Facebook page.

OSTEOARTHRITIS: PATIENT OBSERVATION IN THE COMMUNITY – INAUGURAL LECTURE

Professor George Peat, Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, this week delivered the second lecture in the University's series of Inaugural Lectures for 2011-12.

Recent advances in osteoarthritis have suggested a more proactive view of the condition by debunking traditional notions that it is simply "wear and tear", "just your age" and inevitably progressive. In his lecture, "Osteoarthritis: patient observation in the community", Professor Peat, pictured above with the Vice-Chancellor, drew on the experiences of observational studies undertaken in the past decade - involving local practitioners, patients and members of the public - to examine how patient observation in the community can contribute to better primary care for osteoarthritis.

The other lectures in the series are:

Tuesday, 7 February, Professor Gordon Hamilton, Life Sciences, "Sex pheromones of male insects and disease control"; Monday, 27 February, Professor Richard Luther, Politics, "Political Parties: who needs them?"; Tuesday, 20 March, Professor Robert Ladrech, Politics, "Political Parties and the European Project"; Tuesday, 17 April, Professor Robin Jeffries, Astrophysics, "A star is born"; Tuesday, 8 May, Professor Carole Thornley, Management, "Why are the low-paid always with us?"; Monday, 11 June, Professor Andy Hassell, Medicine, "The patient with arthritis, the medical student and the rheumatologist: influencing tomorrow's doctors".

KEELE WORLD FESTIVAL OPENS

A roundtable discussion on 'Internationalisation of Higher Education and UK Universities: Deficiencies and Opportunities', organised by the Dialogue Society, Birmingham, was held at Keele this week.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, used the roundtable as an opening event on the Keele campus of the World Festival. His talk emphasised that internationalisation is not just about having international students at an institution, but more importantly about Internationalisation at Home, giving all students experience of an international curriculum and the provision of facilities and services appropriate to the multi-cultural and diverse nature of the student body. He highlighted the refurbishment of the ground floor of the Students' Union becoming an alcohol-free zone and the range of food being served in the catering outlets. He also saw that internationalisation abroad would encompass developing a range of very strong partnerships with like-minded institutions and the development of a range of activities with them.

The Dialogue Society is an organisation of research and civic engagement, working to develop and deliver new ideas for dynamic, effective and meaningful dialogue to advance intercultural relations, community cohesion and positive change. For more information visit their website http://www.dialoguesociety.org/

For more information about the full programme of events during the Keele World Festival please visit the website at http://www.keele.ac.uk/worldfestival/

GLOBAL HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCES

The first event of the Keele World Festival took place at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Education Centre.

Rama Thirunamachandran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, presented on Internationalisation at Keele and Dr Annette Kratz, Head of Keele International, reflected on the work of Keele International. Over 60 students and staff were welcomed by Pauline Walsh, Head of School.

There were a wide range of stimulating presentations by student nurses, academic, administrative and clinical staff. Their recent global health care experiences were in a wide range of countries including Afghanistan, Ghana, Iceland and Sweden.

The afternoon, chaired by Dr Wynne Thomas, School International Champion, aimed to help staff and students be more internationally aware of global trends in health care, the cultural differences, and the differences and similarities in health care delivery from a global perspective. This is now an annual event at the School.

Pictured above are: Alex Goffe, ICT Services;Jacquie Collin, Lecturer; Yvonne Flood, Lecturer; Dawn Moss, Practice Development Nurse; Lindsay Freeman, Student Nurse Child Branch, and Hannah Barber, Child Branch Student.

NEW ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

The following academic appointments commenced in post this week:

Keele Management School

Dr Shiva Sikdar has been appointed a Lecturer in Economics and was previously an Assistant Professor at Yonsei University, South Korea.
 
School of Public Policy and Professional Practice

Dr Damian Breen has been appointed a Lecturer in Education and was previously a Lecturer in Sociology at Leicester University.
 
Dr John Howlett has been appointed a Lecturer in Education and was previously a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge.

School of Sociology and Criminology

Miss Samantha Weston has been appointed a Lecturer in Criminology and was previously a Research Associate and Course Tutor at the University of Manchester.

BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN FUNDING

Professor Gwyn Williams, Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine / School of Life Sciences, pictured below, has been awarded a three-year research project grant of £201,587 by the Breast Cancer Campaign.

The award will fund the work of Dr Mark Pickard investigating newly discovered mechanisms which control breast cancer cell survival and division.

This project forms part of the research programme of the Keele Apoptosis Research Group, which aims to identify novel mechanisms involved in the control of cell survival and to investigate their importance in breast cancer, leukaemia and other cancers.

This programme is intended to improve understanding of the genetic defects which result in cancer development and ultimately to produce improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP FOR KEELE LECTURER

Dr Anthony Carrigan, Lecturer in English, School of Humanities, has begun a five-month research fellowship at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich.

Funded by the Center, the fellowship will allow him to develop his current research project, entitled 'Representing Postcolonial Disaster: Conflict, Consumption, Reconstruction'.

This examines the ways in which writers, intellectuals, and artists working in non-western contexts have depicted the social and environmental dimensions of a number of post-World War II crises, and explores how postcolonial aesthetics can enhance disaster management and sustainability planning.

Dr Carrigan was also invited to give a talk on the same topic at the Center's research colloquium this week.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR AN AGE FRIENDLY WORKFORCE

The Active Ageing project has been awarded a grant of £25,000 in partnership with Manchester Valuing Older People to develop an ageing studies in-service professional development programme. 

The project has developed out of work already undertaken by the active ageing project with Manchester, including the development and delivery of a six week programme introducing social gerontology to older citizens.

The current project has developed an eight week, modular programme covering a range of topics and intended for an inter-disciplinary audience.

A successful pilot has now been completed which attracted over 100 applicants and included participants as diverse as the Education Director at the Halle Orchestra, storytellers, disability rights workers and community arts workers. 

The project is due to report its progress over the course of the year and will subsequently be rolled out to a wider audience.

DEMENTIA CARE CERTIFICATE DEVELOPED

A six-module professional development programme has been developed and successfully delivered by the active ageing project. 

The course has been attended by care managers, nurses, team leaders, care and support staff and community workers.

Evaluations following participation in the course have been very positive and the modules have been successfully taken through School and Faculty Learning and Teaching Committees to enable participants to gain academic credit for their efforts, if they want to. 

The course offers a valuable opportunity for practitioners to develop their knowledge, skill and practice and responds to the urgent need for improved training and professional development in this area.

TOP POETRY PRIZE FOR KEELE POSTGRAD

A Keele Postgraduate has won the Second Annual Roy Fisher Prize for Poetry.

Lauren Bolger, currently completing an MA in Creative Writing, has been named as the winner of the prestigious competition.

The prize is a pamphlet competition endowed by Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, pictured below, and will be awarded annually during the 10 years of her Laureateship.

The winning poet's work is published as a pamphlet by Long Face Press.

The judges said Lauren showed "an eerie ability to keep sound and sense within uneasy touching distance, in poetry whose searching and experimental nature seems very appropriate for a prize bearing Roy Fisher's name."

The win will be celebrated at a prize-giving event at Keele on Monday, 12 March, including a reading by the winner, and some of the shortlisted poets.

Lauren's pamphlet will be available for purchase on the night.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Forty-five years ago –

 
Mr Peter Cheeseman, director of the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, is to receive the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University in recognition of his work in theatre.

13 January 1967.