KEELE LAUNCHES NEW ALUMNI NETWORKS IN FAR EAST

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, was joined by senior colleagues on a recent visit to Hong Kong and Brunei to celebrate the Charter Year with Keele alumni. There was a high turn-out of enthusiastic local alumni at events held in Hong Kong and Brunei.

The delegation also met with key stakeholders including agents, educationalists and government representatives from Hong Kong, Brunei and the UK. These included Mr Peter Li, Director of Hong Kong Baptist University, Ms Juhanie Cheung  from the British Council in Hong Kong, Mr Rob Fenn, British High Commissioner to Brunei, Mr Delon Hon from James Hon Marketing and Management, Brunei, and Haji Johari, from the Ministry of Health, Brunei.

The Vice-Chancellor reflected on Keele's unique educational heritage in its "50th Birthday" year and the distinctive features of the Keele experience. He also indicated the growing importance of alumni to support the recruitment of future students, extending educational and other opportunities for current students and the potential for career and business networking for graduates and alumni.

The Vice-Chancellor also announced the launch of "Keele in Hong Kong" and "Keele in Brunei", as the newest members of a select group of Keele in the World alumni networks. Agnes Wong (Class of 2007) agreed to be the named Alumni Ambassador for Hong Kong and will work with alumni from all generations to build a very significant new network. 

The new Alumni Ambassador in Brunei will be Mazlan Gapar (Class of 1993). Keele has an exceptional record of success in attracting Bruneian students in recent years, and many receive prestigious government scholarships to study in the UK.  The Bruneian students' society at Keele has been particularly active in recent years.

The Vice-Chancellor said: "These visits have given us a significant opportunity to raise our profile and to understand better how we can provide students from Hong Kong and Brunei with the best possible learning experience. We can also enhance the opportunities for UK students to study overseas in stimulating locations. As we build relationships with alumni around the world, we aim to add value to a lifelong Keele connection for students, alumni and the university."

EC EXPERT WORKSHOP INVITE

Professor Peter Styles, Applied & Environmental Geophysics Research Group, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, has been invited to contribute a presentation on induced seismicity at an expert workshop dedicated to subsurface issues (risks & risk management) associated with hydraulic fracturing, organised by the European Commission. The EC has set up a technical working group with regulatory authorities from member states to exchange information and best practices on hydraulic fracturing in unconventional fossil fuels projects.

Professor Styles has also been invited to Chair an Assessment Panel that will consider Outline Bid proposals submitted to the Radioactivity and the Environment (RATE) programme. RATE is jointly funded by NERC, the Environment Agency and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The primary goal of the programme is to rebuild UK capacity in radioactivity and the environment.

YAD VASHEM BOOK PRIZE

Dr Christoph Dieckmann, Lecturer for Modern European History (Research Institute for the Humanities) has been awarded the Yad Vashem Book Prize 2012 for his study German Occupation Policy in Lithuania 1941-1944, published in German.  The jury of Yad Vashem stated: "his book has been awarded the prize for a path-breaking book in Holocaust studies published in the years 2010-2011."

Yad Vashem was established in 1953 in Jerusalem to enshrine and preserve the memory of the six million Jews annihilated by Nazi Germany, and the thousands of flourishing Jewish communities destroyed in the process. The prize is named in memory of Holocaust survivor Abraham Meir Schwartzbaum and those of his family who were murdered in the Holocaust. It is awarded annually and the international jury looks at research on the Holocaust published in the two preceding years. Research accuracy, scholarship, methodology, originality, importance of the research topic and literary merit are considered.

The award ceremony will take place on 10 December in Jerusalem, during which Dr Dieckmann will present a lecture on his study. Dr Dieckmann is on research leave (2011 to 2013) at the Fritz Bauer Institut in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, for a study on The Stereotype‚ Jewish Bolshewism and early Jewish Reactions in the 1920s.

KEELE RESEARCH IN BRITISH NEUROSCIENCE ASSOCIATION BULLETIN

Research conducted in Dr Divya Chari's laboratory at the Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine has been featured this month in the biannual bulletin of the British Neuroscience Association - described as the 'Voice of British Neuroscience Today'.

The article features in a section entitled "Putting the Nanoscience in Neuroscience: Magnetic Attraction", and describes Dr Chari's work on the use of magnetic nanoparticles and magnetofection strategies, for neural cell transplantation therapies. This includes her work with materials chemists to develop novel 'multimodal' and neuro-compatible particles. The article can be found here http://www.bna.org.uk/about/bna-bulletin.html

BBSRC GRANT FOR RESEARCH ON THE HUMAN MALARIA PARASITE

Dr Catherine Merrick, Biology, has won a grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for research on the human malaria parasite.

The award will support a study of the unusual structure of telomeres - the ends of chromosomes - in the malaria parasite. Dr Merrick is interested in telomeres because many of the parasite's virulence genes lie at these sites. These genes help to maintain chronic malaria infections and contribute to severe disease. A better understanding of the parasite's telomeres may also help scientists to identify new drug targets in this important human pathogen.

This is the second Research Council award to Dr Merrick, who joined Keele in September 2011 and won a new investigator grant from the Medical Research Council in June 2012.

INVITED KEY NOTE SPEAKER IN TURKEY

Dr Wynne Thomas, School of Nursing & Midwifery, was an invited key note speaker at the 1st National Congress of Innovations in Nursing, held at Fatih University, Ankara, Turkey. His paper was on "Nursing – The UK perspective".

He was joined at the conference by three other international presenters: Professor Kerry Cheever, Moravian College, USA, Iris Meyenburg-Altwarg, President of European Nurse Directors Association from Germany, and Jos de Blok, Buurtzorg, Home Care from the Netherlands. In attendance were over 300 delegates mainly health care professionals, including students from a variety of Turkish health and educational organisations.

DIGNITY AND WELLBEING WEEK

A range of activities, workshops, and information sessions have been available to staff students and visitors to raise awareness and promote active engagement in the wellbeing agenda, throughout Dignity and Wellbeing week. The main event "Because you matter" hosted a range of information stalls from external agencies and saw a key note address by Dr Claire Fox, Senior Lecturer, Psychology on "From Bullying in schools to bullying among University students".

The week's highlights have included:

• A number of staff took up the 6 week weight loss challenge. It's not too late to sign up if you missed it. Contact Paula Rogerson at the sports centre on ext 33368 or email p.wallett@keele.ac.uk.
• "Personal Resilience" and "Stress awareness and management"– staff explored personal strategies to coping with stress and difficult life events.
• Cycle Challenge "Chancellors Building to the Olympic Park"  - staff and students cycled 150km in four hours on two bikes.
• Launch of a new University Dignity and Respect Framework by the Human Resources department
• Around £100 raised for Keele Night Line

For further information visit the Keele Unity web pages on www.keele.ac.uk/keeleunity.

Pictured above, from left to right: Neil Oliver – LPDC; Alex Clifford – student VP welfare; PVC Marilyn Andrews, Claire Appleby – Director HRSS, Dr Claire Fox – Psychology, Bal Everitt – HR, Ian Williamson – DOSH.

KEELE ACADEMIC ON BBC BREAKFAST

Dr Jon Herbert, SPIRE, was a guest on BBC Breakfast this week discussing the US elections.

With a viewing audience of about 1.8 million, Dr Herbert gave his assessment of the unfolding elections from the red settee in the BBC studios.

And last week he took part in the Guardian's HE Network live web chat on how student contact time with tutors can encourage independent learning.

He highlighted the Keele Distinctive Curriculum in a discussion aimed at the importance of tutorials and how one-to-one meetings can develop students' ability to work independently.

BBC NEWS

Dr Bill Dixon, Criminology/ Head of  Sociology and Criminology, was interviewed today by Matthew Amroliwala live on the BBC News Channel.  The interview was part of a day of inserts on the News Channel in the run-up to the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners taking place next Thursday.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS

In the School of Law, Professor Tony Bradney has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

YOUNG HALL OF FAME

Keele Hall Supervisor, Emma Bell, a Gold Medal winner in the TUCO /CUBO Food Service Challenge Competition 2012, has been nominated to attend the Young Hall of Fame and Apprenticeship Awards Parliamentary Reception, at the House of Commons later this year.

This is a new initiative introduced by The Hospitality Guild 2012 to highlight the achievements made each year in the hospitality industry.

Emma will be in good company and is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with some of the stars of TV who are also taking part.

She said: "I am really excited about receiving the nomination and looking forward to meeting people such as Heston Blumenthal and Michel Roux Jr."

WHAT'S ON NEXT WEEK

Saturday, 10 November - Keele University Chapel:

Keele University Concert Band - a remembrance concert featuring a variety of music and soloists, starting at 7.30pm.

The theme of the music is around war and the armed forces and the proceeds from the concert will go to the poppy appeal.

Admission is £7 for adults and £4 for concessions.

Concerts at Keele -

Wednesday, 14 November - PRESIDENT'S EVENING:
Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building at 19.30pm.

Raphael Wallfisch, Anna Noakes, and Leo Nicholson - Cello, Flute & Piano Recital.

Tickets - £14 per person (£7 concessions).

THREE COUNTIES OPEN ART EXHIBITION

Artists from Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire have been praised for the quality of the work submitted for an open exhibition in Keele University Art Gallery, which opened this week and will run to 12 December.

The Three Counties Open Art Exhibition - which received more than 400 entries -provides a showcase for artists in the region and gives visitors an opportunity to see and buy from a wide range of selected original work.

First prize of £300 went to Chris Clements, of Church Stretton, pictured above with his painting.

Four artists, Liz Astbury, Roger Chedderton, Mary Bennett and David Hunt, shared the prestigious £1,000 Arthur Berry Prize. 

The exhibition was opened by Professor Martin Crawford, Emeritus Professor of Anglo-American History.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Thirty-five years ago -

The chairman and the secretary of the Tanzanian Netball Association visited Keele as part of a British Council sponsored trip to look at netball organisation in the UK. As well as attending a Staffordshire county meeting at Keele, the visitors watched a Northwood league match between Keele and Leek ladies. 4 November 1977.