INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY AT KEELE

International Women's Day was celebrated at the Sustainability Hub yesterday with a series of events including workshops on entrepreneurship, empowerment and employability. 

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Marilyn Andrews, led a morning session where colleagues in academia and administration talked about their career paths under the banner 'Inspiring Women'.  They heard how each of the speakers had taken advantage of opportunities that had arisen during the course of their careers, and a common theme was their passion for their academic subject and the inspirational role models who had a significant influence on the choices they had made.  Alongside this, sixth formers from local colleges attended a WP organised session on female role models in science.

Sara Parkin, Founder Director of Forum for the Future, gave a stimulating talk in the main lecture theatre over the lunchtime period to staff, students and external attendees, focusing on sustainable leadership, and raised the challenge of how to ensure that women were enabled to take up senior roles in industry and the public sector.

Visitors were able to browse displays of Women in Science and the Athena SWAN Charter, take advantage of Indian Head Massages, offered by Occupational Health, and have a coffee and cake in support of the charities Breast Cancer Research and Embrace.  A total of £120 was raised for the two charities on the day.

The picture shows the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, with, left to right, Sara Parkin, Dr Sharon George, Ximena Canter and Dr Zoe Robinson.

US JOURNAL CLUB RECOGNITION FOR KEELE RESEARCH

Four members of Keele's Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine are authors on a research paper that has been selected as a feature article by the US Clinical Chemistry Journal Club programme. The selection will immediately bring it to a very wide audience of current and future practitioners around the world. It will be circulated to several university Journal Clubs in the USA for discussion, together with a slide presentation and podcast, and will be posted online as a teaching resource.

The article, entitled "Inappropriate requesting of HbA1c is widespread: Assessment of prevalence, impact of national guidance and practice-to-practice variability", follows a theme of research in Professor Tony Fryer's group looking at increasing demand for clinical biochemistry services, drawing on experience from the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. The corresponding author for the paper is Professor Fryer, and the first author is Dr Owen Driskell, holder of a fellowship from the National Institute for Health Research. The other authors are Mr David Holland, of Keele's National Pathology Benchmarking Service, Dr Fahmy Hanna and Professor Peter Jones, ISTM, Dr Martin Tran, Department of Clinical Biochemistry at UHNS, and Mr John Pemberton, from Diabetes UK's North Staffordshire branch. Professor Fryer, Dr Driskell and Professor Jones are pictured above. An abstract of the paper can be found here.

JAPAN SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF SCIENCE VISIT TO KEELE

The Director, Professor Kozo Hiramatsu, and International Programme Coordinator, Polly Watson, and Yuta Matsuo and Ryoko Kaga, from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) visited Keele to hold a funding programme information event.  JSPS is the largest funding organisation in Japan to support basic scientific research, supporting researchers at all stages of their career, larger research projects and international seminars and conferences, in all fields of 'science', including the humanities and social sciences.

The event, hosted by Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Professor Mark Ormerod, covered current funding programmes and opportunities for research collaboration with Japan, and was aimed at colleagues interested in developing or enhancing research links with Japan and obtaining funding to develop existing collaborations and establish new ones.  It was very well attended by academic staff and research managers from all five Research Institutes. The event is one of a series of initiatives aimed at raising internal awareness of research funding opportunities and Keele's external profile with research funding bodies and external organisations. 

Pictured with Professor Ormerod, centre, from left to right are Ryoko Kaga, Yuta Matsuo, Professor Hiramatsu and Polly Watson.

EXTERNAL EXAMINER IN SAUDI

Professor Peter Styles, School of Physical and GeographicalSciences and EPSAM, together with Dr Bill Gaskarth, Accreditation Officer of the Geological Society of London, met with members of the academic staff of the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mining, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia after their successful Accreditation by the Geological Society.

The Department at Dhahran will soon form a new Petroleum Geosciences Institute with the Department of Petroleum Engineering, with the support of Saudi Aramco (the biggest Oil Company in the world), which is funding the project with a $100 million grant.

Professor Styles, Dr Gaskarth and Dr John Powell, British Geological Survey, had the previous week been the external examiners for the Faculty of Earth Sciences at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

SENATE - 7 MARCH

Senate received an overview of the admissions position for 2012-2013, which showed that applications to Keele have remained buoyant, which is an extremely positive achievement in the first year of the new fee regime.  Applications to Keele are -6.56% on 2011 but +21.79% on 2010.  Keele experienced a +28% increase in 2010 against a sector increase of +4.5%.  Applications to Medicine have seen a decrease as a result of an increase in entry standards to reduce applications and control the intake.  If applications to Medicine are taken out of the equation, the current position is a drop of just -2% against an average drop of -8.3% by Keele's benchmark group.  The student number control limit for Keele in 2012-2013 is 1363 in contrast to last year's limit of 1673.  Students with entry qualifications equivalent to, or higher than, grades AAB are no longer included in the student number control and the government will allow unrestricted recruitment of these students so Keele is working hard to maximise recruitment in this area.  Senators were encouraged to participate fully in the forthcoming Visit Days this weekend.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), Professor Mark Ormerod, presented the University's Research Strategic Map, which was approved.  It underpins the first and third Strategic Aim of the University as set out in the University's Strategic Plan 2010-2015, namely "to be a broad-based University of about 10,000 students, recognised internationally for excellence in education and research" and "to deliver international excellence and impact in focused areas of research".  It also underpins the University's ambitions as a research-led University.  The Map summarises our key strategic research aims and objectives under the headings of quality, impact, people and environment, focus and resources. 

Senate agreed to adopt the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) at Keele, which is designed to promote public confidence in academic standards through consistency and transparency about expectations of achievement represented by the higher education qualifications.  This is displayed within a series of general qualification descriptors, which summarise the levels of knowledge and understanding and the types of abilities.  The levels of study at University become 4-8 rather than 1-5.  This brings Keele in line with a large proportion of the sector and full compliance with the Quality Assurance Agency's FHEQ requirements.

A paper was presented, which summarised the proposed arrangements for the development and implementation of changes to the pay review process for professorial and managerial and specialist grade 10 staff.  A comprehensive consultation process has been undertaken, the results of which were included in the paper.  The response was universally supportive of the move towards an open and fair process for the equitable reward of our senior staff based on an objective assessment of the contribution required of the post and/or postholder.  The final recommendations will be presented to Council for approval on 26th April 2012.

Senate received a report from the University Learning & Teaching Committee, which included details of a guidance document on the management of dyslexia, an update on the Distinctive Keele Curriculum, changes to examination arrangements and maximum periods of registration.   

A report from the Research Committee was also received, which included research income, a record number of PGR students, REF final panel criteria and working methods, the approval of a new European Research Funding Officer post in Research and Enterprise Services and research grant award highlights since the previous meeting.

NETWORKING AND EXCHANGE GRANT

Dr Anthony Carrigan, English/ RI Humanities, has been awarded a Research Networking and Exchange grant under a joint initiative by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to enable collaboration between UK and Dutch researchers.

The network addresses 'The cultural politics of catastrophe: (Post)colonial representations of Southeast Asian and Caribbean disasters, 1800-2012' and pertains to the research councils' shared strategic theme of 'Sustainable Communities in a Changing World'.

Developed and hosted in partnership with Dr Alicia Schrikker (History, Leiden University), it will explore how historical perspectives on, and cultural responses to, natural disasters in areas with British and Dutch colonial histories can contribute to understanding the challenges of sustaining community in the context of catastrophe. The network will be organised around four workshops hosted alternately at Leiden and Keele between January 2013 and March 2014, and will draw on expertise in both institutions alongside internationally renowned academics from the humanities and social sciences, cultural sector workers, and charity representatives. The network will be interdisciplinary in scope and method, and will also provide a forum for postgraduate and early-career researchers to establish bilateral connections and build on the potential for sustained cross-empire and intra-empire work on this theme.

PRO-CHANCELLOR APPOINTED LORD-LIEUTENANT

The Queen has appointed Keele Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council, Ian Dudson, CBE, as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for Staffordshire, to succeed Sir James Hawley, KCVO, who retires on 28 March.

Keele graduate, Helen Nellis, BA 1971 Law and Psychology and MA 1983, Criminology and Criminal Justice, has been appointed as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for Bedfordshire.

Helen is an international senior executive search professional, with a legal and academic background and has extensive experience working with the public, charity and private sectors. 

KEELE ASTRONOMER ON INTERNATIONAL PANEL OF EXPERTS
 
Keele astronomer, Dr Joana Oliveira, has been invited as an international expert onto the panel selecting applications for facility time at the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

ESO - a consortium of 14 European nations, Chile and Brazil - operates a suite of telescopes at three different locations in Chile, including the 4 x 8-m Very Large Telescope at Cerro Paranal, and receives over a thousand applications each semester.

Joana is recognised for her expertise in the area of star formation and astrochemistry.

The panel meet at ESO's headquarters near Munich.

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AWARD

Dr Jamie Pringle, Lecturer in the School of Physical Sciences and Geography, has been awarded the William Smith Fund for 2012 from the Geological Society of London (founded in 1807). 

This is an award recognising excellence in published contributions to applied and economic aspects of Geology within ten years commencement of the recipient's career (see www.geolsoc.org. uk/gsl/awards).

LEAD EDITORIAL

Calum Paton, Professor of Health Policy, was commissioned to write the lead Editorial in the British Journal of General Practice (published by the Royal College of GPs), March 2012 issue, which is just out.

It is about the government's health reforms, and is entitled, 'Competition and Integration: the NHS Future Forum's confused consensus" (pp 116-117, Vol 62; No 596).

Professor Paton says it attacks "policy-as-mutual-appreciation-society" within the "London consensus", and draws attention to how lessons from even the most recent past have been ignored in a flurry of warm words from think tanks, such as the King's Fund and Nuffield Trust, which are now far too close to power and the 'market consensus'.

AHRC REVALUING CARE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH NETWORK

Dr Rosie Harding and Dr Ruth Fletcher, School of Law, have been awarded an AHRC Research Networking grant worth £35,987 to establish the 'ReValuing Care: Perspectives from Gender, Sexuality and Law' international research network.

The network builds on academic connections initially developed through the AHRC-funded Research Centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality, and will facilitate the strengthening of links between centre partner institutions, (Keele, Kent and Westminster) and the creation of new research collaborations with the Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender at the University of Adelaide, alongside other new international and interdisciplinary academic collaborations that arise through the network activities.

The grant funds the development of the network through two workshops and a website, and will run for two years from March 2012.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Nine years ago -

The School of Medicine hosted the Royal Society of Medicine Careers Day in Keele Hall.

It was the first time the prestigious event had been held outside London, and some 265 year 10 - 12 delegates attended the event, which was called "So you want to be a doctor".

The day was aimed at pupils contemplating a career as a doctor and was attended by young people from all over the country.

The event offered guidance from experts on choosing a career in medicine right through to the realities of medical life and specialist selection. 10 March 2003.