PRESTIGIOUS NATURE JOURNAL PUBLICATION FOR ISTM PHD STUDENTS

Final year PhD students, Kiren Yacqub-Usman and Cuong Duong, were delighted to learn that their submission: The pituitary tumour epigenome: aberrations and prospects for targeted therapy has been accepted for publication in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology. The journal is in the top 3% in the field of Endocrinology.
 
Kiren and Cuong are PhD students in the Epigenomics group within the Research  Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine (ISTM). Their supervisor, Professor Bill Farrell (corresponding author on the publication), pictured, said the publication (an invited review) was a reflection of their ground-breaking studies at postgraduate level and also of published collaborative studies with Dr Alan Richardson (a co-author on the publication) in the School of Pharmacy. See:  http://www.nature.com/nrendo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT ACTIVE AGEING CONFERENCE

Professor Chris Phillipson, Professor of Applied Social Studies and Social Gerontology,  gave the keynote address to a conference on Active Ageing held in the Flemish Parliament in Brussels as part of the European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity between Generations.

Professor Phillipson reviewed the development of policies to support active ageing across Europe and some of the demographic and economic challenges with which these are associated. He identified a number of new policy initiatives in relation to areas such as education, employment and the environment, these linked with strengthening ties across generations. The conference was supported by a range of organisations in Belgium, in association with the Free University, Brussels.

IN ADDITION MATHS SERVICE OPENS

The Student Life and Learning Team invited Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Marilyn Andrews, to officially open the 'In Addition' Maths Open Learning Service this week.

This is a new drop in service available to all Keele students who want to further develop their maths skills. A successful Sigma STEM bid of £10,000, which the team were awarded, will be used to set up the service. A bid was submitted by the Life and Learning Team in collaboration with colleagues from Chemistry, Maths and Computer Science and the Foundation Year Office. After the launch, a number of students came to work with the tutor and feedback was very positive.

The service will initially be available on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 12.00 - 3.00, in the Careers and Employability Centre in the Walter Moberly Building. If successful the aim is to further expand the activities and opening hours next academic year.

Claire Slater-Mamlouk, Student Life and Learning Manager, said: "Please promote this service to your students and encourage them to come along. There are lots of resources, an area for individual or group work and a tutor will be on hand for advice.

ISTM POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

The Research Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine held its annual Postgraduate Symposium at the Medical School Dinwoodie Lecture Theatre this week, featuring over 20 talks on individual projects for PhD, MPhil and DM degrees, plus a range of posters.

As well as the students and their supervisors, the audience also included collaborators from industry and partner institutions around the world. The winner of the scientific poster prize was Samantha Wilson, for a poster entitled "Control of corneal stromal cell phenotype using an epithelial-stromal co-culture model" and the runner-up was Jennifer Moran.  

A new feature at the ISTM Symposium this year was a second stream for posters presented for a non-scientific audience, which attracted several entries, the best of which will be submitted to the Vitae Midlands Hub Poster Competition and feature in the Keele Community Day in June.  Winners in that stream were: 1st prize: Síle Griffin, for a poster entitled "Parkinson's Disease and Vitamins"; 2nd prize - Jacki Tickle; 3rd prize - Kate Wickens-Mitchell.

In the photograph PhD student,  Síle Griffin, discusses her prize-winning poster on "Parkinson's Disease & Vitamins" with her supervisor Dr Rose Fricker.

KEELE BACKS DIAMOND JUBILEE PAGEANT

Keele is an associate sponsor of a unique steam narrow boat that will represent Staffordshire in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant this summer.

'President', the world's only surviving steam powered narrow boat, part built in Staffordshire, will represent the county in the 1,000-boat flotilla on the Thames on 3 June.

The historic vessel will join The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant as part of a seven-mile long procession of Dunkirk little ships, historic vessels, steam boats and tugs. At its centre will be a royal barge, decorated in red and gold, carrying the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Ian Dudson, who is also Pro Chancellor of Keele University, said: "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant will be a day long remembered in the country's history.  Staffordshire has chosen to use the occasion to highlight the importance of canals to our industrial development and the products for which the county is famous. There are more miles of canal in this county than in any other and so it will be very fitting that Staffordshire will be represented by a boat that symbolises this."

The picture shows Pro Vice-Chancellor, Kevin Mattinson, at a send off for President from the Etruria Industrial Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.

PHYSICS AND THE GAMES

A lecture, "Physics and the Games: a winning formula", was delivered to over 200 14-16 year olds last week when the Institute of Pysics' (IOP) Schools Lecture Tour visited Keele.

The session explained how scientists and engineers are using physics to boost the chances of national success in the London 2012 Olympics. The lecture gave a fascinating insight into the developments in engineering and technology which have defined many of the key periods of sporting history leading up to this year's Olympic Games.

The image shows Heather Driscol and Leon Foster, who delivered the lecture on behalf of the IOP.

SALTERS CHEMISTRY FESTIVAL AT KEELE

For two days last week, Keele campus saw an inrush of new talent and enthusiasm in the form of 11-13 year olds attending the Salters Institute Chemistry Festivals.

The first festival welcomed twelve teams of four students, along with their teachers, to a day in the Lennard Jones Building. A forensic analysis activity in the morning was followed by the manufacture of different indicators of acidity in the afternoon. The indicators were made from sources as diverse as the Indigo shrub, turmeric and moss extract gave, quite literally, a rainbow of colours! Judging these excellent competitors was a real challenge for Keele's pre-Initial Teacher Education Science Subject Knowledge Enhancement students. The 'flash bang' lecture to conclude the day was given by Dr Katherine Haxton.

Friday's Festival for pupils with Special Educational Needs brought nine teams from across Staffordshire and Cheshire to the Sustainability Hub. In keeping with the venue, they tackled chemical challenges to design the best diet of food scraps for a wormery, using natural materials to dye T-shirts for their mascot teddy bears and designing a system to separate household rubbish. Dr Jane Essex, who organised the events at Keele, said: "Many thanks to Salters Institute for sponsoring the day, all those who participated, assisted and judged and to everyone whose hospitality on the campus gave our visitors a fantastic day at Keele doing Chemistry."

NATIONAL STEM CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Dr Craig Adam and Dr Jamie Pringle, both School of Physcial Sciences and Geography, separately presented their Higher Education Academy (HEA) funded projects at the 1st National STEM Conference, held in Imperial College London.

Craig presented his work entitled 'Enhancing literature review skills within forensic science undergraduate project work' and Jamie, pictured above,  presented his work, with Luke Bracegirdle, from the School of Pharmacy, on  'Geoscience educational e-gaming to provide stimulating and effective learning'. click here for details.

BEST SCIENTIST AWARD

Dr Katharine Haxton, School of Physical Sciences and Geography, won the Germanium Zone of the popular X-factor style, outreach competition, 'I'm a Scientist, Get me out of Here!'

Pitched against other scientists, Katherine battled it out to be voted best scientist of her zone over a frenetic two weeks of animated live-chats and thought-provoking sessions, see here.

MANAGING GLOBAL NETWORKS WORKSHOP

Participants at a workshop on 'Managing Global Networks', conducted by Dr Teresa Oultram and Dr Bahar Ali Kazmi, pictured, from Keele Management School, concluded that it was useful to learn and share experiences about managing cross-cultural global networks of production.

The workshop was part of the annual 'Essential Management Skills for Engineers' Conference of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers held at Keele last week.

The workshop was well received, giving participants the opportunity to share different insights from their own work experience and to develop new strategies to approach the issues they were experiencing regarding the management of global networks.

NEXT WEEK

Award winning poet Jean Sprackland will be giving a reading of her work at Keele on Monday (30 April), as part of the University's Poetry Live! series.

Her most recent collection, Tilt (Cape, 2007) won the Costa Award for Poetry. Hard Water (Cape, 2003) was shortlisted for both the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Award.

Poetry Live! Readings take place in the Chancellor's Building at 7pm. Tickets are £5 (concessions £2.50).

EASTER PARTY FUN

International Student Support and the Hawthorns Residential Manager hosted their second annual Easter Party at Keele Village Hall.

Twelve staff volunteers from across Student Support and Development Services and Keele International assisted in running the event for 70 students and family members, who enjoyed a free buffet of home made savouries and an impressive display of cupcakes and desserts. 

Adverse weather forced the games indoors but  didn't dampen the enthusiasm!  Teams took part in a pancake relay race, egg and spoon race and limbo knockout. 

The children busily made Easter Bonnets throughout the afternoon and the event ended with the presentation of Easter eggs to the talented prize winners. 

Karen Manley and Ursula Reeve, who both organised the event, were very pleased with the number of attendees and said feedback received had been very positive and very welcome. 

Karen said: "We have great fun at the Easter Party and it's great to bring together both international, EU and UK students to enjoy some good food and have fun with games that everyone can participate in."