ROYAL SOCIETY WOLFSON RESEARCH MERIT AWARD

Alicia El Haj, Professor of Cell Engineering in the Faculty of Health and Director of the Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, has received the prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. 

This is a personal award of five years duration given by the World's oldest scientific academy in recognition of outstanding senior scientists.  The award recognises Alicia's research achievements in the field of stem cell biology and the associated enabling technologies for cell therapy that underpin regenerative medicine.   This technology provides the ability to replace or regenerate a patient's own cells or organs to restore function as Alicia's work in disorder of bone and connective tissue has shown.  The concept of growing cells, often on inert or biodegradable scaffolds to create entire new organs is fast becoming a reality. 

Her research is at the sharp end of molecular medicine and is underpinned by a strong desire to support and train the next generation of researchers as evidence by her commitment to training PhD and postdoctoral students, including her role as co-lead of the Doctoral Training Centre in conjunction with colleagues at Nottingham and Loughborough. 

In recognising Alicia's achievement, PVC and Dean of Health, Professor Andy Garner noted that both RI Directors in the Faculty were now in receipt of highly prestigious national awards following Professor Elaine Hay's Senior Clinical Investigator award by NIHR.

KEELELINK AWARDS 2013

Keele University's Recruitment, Outreach and Access team celebrated their 5th annual Awards ceremony this week.
The Keele Student Ambassador Awards ceremony took place this week in Keele Hall and celebrated the achievements of the 310 Student Ambassadors employed this year as representatives of the University.

Awards were presented to a number of exceptional students. The Keele Student Ambassador of the Year Award was presented to Jessica Bratt, a postgraduate Biomedical Blood Science student and Chaquita Taylor, 3rd Year Law student, picked up Keele Student Leader of the Year. Staff and students attending also enjoyed a Key Note Speech from Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Marilyn Andrews and performances from the Keele Drama Society.

The celebrations continued into the evening with the Keelelink Awards Ceremony which recognised the achievements of our Keele Academics, partner schools and colleges and learners for their excellent work on Keelelink Activities this year. Dr Nick Reyland was awarded Keele Academic of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to PhD Student, Scott Walker, for his commitment to the Keelelink Scheme over the past seven years. The event was attended by over 150 invited guests, including the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Stoke-on-Trent and the Mayor and Mayoress of Newcastle-under-Lyme, who attended as their last public appearance in office. The awards ceremonies were kindly sponsored by Bakers Coaches and Landon Road Photography.

SUSTAINABLE  FUTURE SUMMIT AT KEELE

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Rama Thirunamachandran, welcomed high profile speakers from the world of sustainability to Keele  yesterday for a debate on the risks and opportunities of creating quality lives for UK citizens in the future. They were attending the Sustainable Futures Summit, organised by Business in the Community, the responsible business charity.

Rama outlined Keele's sustainability priorities in a welcome address to more than 120 delegates before Dr Alan Knight, Sustainability Director at Business in the Community, told them: "With a population of nine billion expected by 2050, we have to be able to support high quality lifestyles for everybody. It is vital to engage with business to debate the key issues that need to be addressed to achieve this and the risks and opportunities it poses for their organisations."

Other speakers at the summit included Keele Chancellor Jonathan Porritt, Founder of Forum for the Future; Joan Walley, MP, and Chris Shearlock, Sustainable Development Manager at the Co-operative Group.

ASTON-KEELE AGEING RESEARCH FORUM

The first Aston University-Keele University Ageing Research Forum took place at Aston University Birmingham.  The aim of this forum was to provide an opportunity for junior researchers into ageing at both universities to meet and to share their work in an informal supportive atmosphere. 

During the day there were a total of 11 oral presentations and a similar number of poster presentations on topics as varied as 'Spectacle lenses and falls' to 'Older people with LGB identities'. Presenters came from a wide range of disciplines including Psychology, Gerontology, Medicine, Nursing, Business Studies, Optometry and Biological Sciences. 

Professor Michael Murray, who co-organised the event with Dr Liz Peel from Aston University, said: 'This event was a great success.  It not only demonstrates the vibrancy of ageing research across the university but also its multidisciplinary nature.'  There are plans for similar event involving researchers from other universities.

RSC SCHOOLS' ANALYST COMPETITION AT KEELE

The School of Physical and Geographical Sciences last week hosted the Midlands heat of the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools' Analyst Competition.  The competition for Year 12 students studying AS-Level Chemistry saw 8 teams from schools across the region undertaking practical analytical determinations.  The teams were tasked with solving a case of environmental poisoning using spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. They were judged on their practical skills, understanding, accuracy, and team-working skills by Keele chemistry lecturers Dave McGarvey, (pictured left) Mike Edwards and Matt O'Brien.

The RSC-funded event, held at Keele for the fourth year running, took place in the Lennard-Jones laboratories, and was organised by Chloe Harold and Laura Hancock. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and the standard of competition was very high.  The winning team from Newcastle-under-Lyme School (pictured) was awarded the £150 first prize, and will now go on to compete in the national final at the University of Sunderland.

KEELE'S RISING PROFILE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Keele is becoming increasingly popular with students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was the clear message from the University's recent exposure at the International Convention on Higher Education, organised by the Ministry of Higher Education in the Kingdom. During the four day event, alumni, universities, offer holders and over one hundred and fifty prospective students spent time finding out about the opportunities available at Keele. There are currently around forty students from Saudi Arabia studying at Keele at all levels and - given Keele's growing recognition in the Kingdom - it is likely this number will increase.

There was demand for programmes in all of Keele's facilities with a lot on interest in the opportunities at Master's and PhD levels. The extension to the King Abdullah Scholarship programme has motivated more learners than ever before to seek opportunities for educational development outside of the Kingdom. With a number of Keele graduates returning home to successful career openings, Keele is increasingly being seen as an attractive destination that provides a high quality educational experience.

The King Abdullah Scholarship programme provides state funding for Saudi nationals seeking an undergraduate degree in health sciences and postgraduate degrees in a wide variety of areas, including medical/health sciences, natural science, computer science, law, finance and marketing. Keele is therefore well placed to offer these scholarship holders the education and career development they seek. Ben Ambrose (School of Health and Rehabilitation) is pictured with Dr Faisal bin Mohammed Al-Muhanna Abalkhail (Director of the Saudi Cultural Attache to the UK).

KEELELINK E-MENTORING AWARDED APPROVED PROVIDER STANDARD

The Keelelink E-mentoring Programme has been awarded Approved Provider Standard from the Mentoring and Befriending Organisation. Keele is the first University operating an E-mentoring programme to achieve APS accreditation with MBF.

The E-mentoring Programme is run by the University's Recruitment, Outreach and Access team and pairs current Keele undergraduates with school pupils in Years 10-12, as well as applicants to Keele, via a secure online website. The aim of the project is to provide learners with practical support, advice and guidance about their studies and to help learners make informed choices about their future careers and Higher Education. The programme is currently running nationally with 89 Keele Voluntary Student Mentors, who provide support to over 200 learners across a number of Keelelink projects.

Kate Mayer, Outreach Officer and E-mentoring Programme Co-ordinator, says "We are really pleased that the programme has been awarded this quality standard. It is a fantastic programme to work on and benefits both the learners and student mentors. I am really looking forward to continuing the Keelelink E-mentoring Programme to support young people and raise aspirations to Higher Education".

UNDERSTANDING TRANSITIONS IN STUDENT DOCTORS TRAINING AND IN THEIR ENSUING CAREERS

Nearly one hundred and fifty doctors and academics met at the School of Medicine David Weatherall Building to listen to expert presentations and take part in interactive workshops looking at how the Keele Curriculum prepares our students for the many transitions our students make into complex work settings throughout their training and ensuing careers.
 
Keynote speakers included Michael Goldacre, Professor of Public Health at Oxford who described his Cohort studies of Doctors' Career Choices, Progression and Destination of over 55,000 UK Doctors spanning three decades. His challenging conclusion for medical educators was that there was variation between medical schools, medical students and teachers within medical school.

Dr Oonagh Corrigan, from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at Exeter, gave a contrasting humanistic presentation on her qualitative research looking at the transition from Student to Foundation Doctor. She concluded that medical school curricular should strive to provide cumulative exposure to clinical environments in the undergraduate curriculum recognising the emotional labour on students and a growing recognition of the need to provide emotional support.

Professor Andy Hassell, Director of Undergraduate Programmes, brought the group up to date with the Keele perspective and showed the results from the Keele University Medical School Exit and National Student Survey. Interspersed throughout the day were interactive workshops on the various transitions that students and doctors make all run by subject experts from within the School.

INTERNATIONAL POSTGRADUATE MUSIC CONFERENCE AT KEELE

The Research Institute for the Humanities and Music hosted the Theory and Analysis Graduate Symposium, a prestigious annual conference held by the Society for Music Analysis, one of the UK's most significant musicology societies. The symposium, organised by Dr Nicholas Reyland and Becky Thumpston, featured papers by speakers from throughout the UK, as well as Harvard University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

A thought-provoking keynote was given by the eminent film and popular music theorist Professor Philip Tagg, and the symposium ended in a workshop (with contributions from Professor Barbara Kelly and Dr Alastair Williams) exploring writing and presenting music analysis for different audiences.

LEAF ON THE ROAD

Last week Science for Sustainability took the new Nissan Leaf car out on the road to visit two schools in south Staffordshire. Science for Sustainability is running workshops as part of the Low Carbon School Scheme organised by Staffordshire County Council.

The workshops were based around sustainable transport, with children taking part in the solar scrapheap challenge, where they built solar powered model cars and also got the chance to take a look at the Nissan Leaf, which is powered by electricity. The pupils and teachers at Ridgeway Primary School found it all fascinating. The car will be making its way to more schools over the next few months.  For more information about environmental workshops available to schools and community groups please contact Nicola Buckley, the Environmental Education officer, on n.buckley@keele.ac.uk or visit http://www.esci.keele.ac.uk/sfs/ for more information.

KARATE MASTER CLASS AT KEELE

Keele University Athletic Union Karate Club hosted one of the largest events on the karate calendar last month. Top class international Karate instructors travelled as far afield from Estonia, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium and Finland for a Master Class given by 84-year-old Japanese Karate Master, Mitsusuke Harada Sensei, MBE, a living legend in the karate world who was a personal student of Gichin Funakoshi Sensei, who introduced karate to Japan in 1922.

The course was for senior practitioners only, so only people with black or brown belts could attend, and whilst physically very demanding, all who attended, including members of the Keele club, found it was thoroughly enjoyable and inspirational. The President of Keele University's Students' Union, Joe Turner, and Richard Whitehead, Keele Sports Centre Duty Manager, presented Harada Sensei and the accompanying international practitioners with a memento from the Keele Karate Club.

The Keele Karate club is very active and is a member of the KDS association, which teaches orthodox Shotokan Karate. The club represents the University both nationally and internationally and resident instructors coach nationally and internationally on a regular basis. Anyone interested in learning karate and joining the club should contact Mark on 07873328200 or email au.karate@keele.ac.uk.

SALTERS' FESTIVAL OF CHEMISTRY AT KEELE

More than 160 11-13 year old students from secondary and special schools in the Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire enjoyed two interesting fun-filled days of chemistry at the Salters' Festival of Chemistry to be held at Keele last week, hosted by Dr Jane Essex.

During the festival the teams took part in a competitive, hands-on, practical activity, "The Salters' Challenge" – "The Body in the Staff Room", in which they used their analytical chemistry skills.  They also competed in the "University Challenge", a practical activity chosen by the University, in which they were required to look at the effectiveness of different antacids, including making rockets and 'worms' from the indigestion remedies.  This was be followed by a fun lecture, by Dr Katherine Haxton and Dr Richard Darton,  involving 'fizzes, flashes and bangs'.

A second festival was held at Keele's sustainability hub, and offered students the chance to make paper to their own, unique design, purify water and investigate the use of solar panels. They also be made molecular models using reclaimed materials. Both days ended with a prizegiving with all participants receiving individual fun prizes and participation certificates and the winning teams prizes for their schools.

MARIE CURIE FELLOWSHIP FOR KEELE ACADEMIC

Dr Sorin Baiasu, SPIRE (RI Social Sciences), has secured a prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship, worth 310,000 euros, under the European Commission's Framework Programme 7 for research and development.

 
This 'Intra-European Fellowship' will bring a researcher from Kocaeli University in Turkey, Dr Mehmet Demiray, to work on a project with Sorin for 24 months, starting in September 2013.

Sorin, a prominent scholar in the field of Kantian practical philosophy, will lead the team and Dr Brian Doherty, a well-established scholar in the field of political sociology from Keele, is research advisor.

The research will deal with the problematical relations between modern law and religious commitments, as they have been arising in contemporary European societies and Turkey, e.g. the French ban on face-veils, Köln state-court's decision against boys' circumcision, the new Turkish law on education envisioning courses on the Koran and the life of Mohammed the prophet in public schools, and Turkish government's recent proposal of a law banning abortion and caesarean-births.

Marie Curie Fellowships are very competitive. The deadline for proposals this year is 14 August 2013.

IN OUR TIME

Ann Hughes, Professor of Early Modern History, Director of the Research Institutes for Humanities and Social Sciences, was on Melvin Bragg's 'In our Time', on Radio 4.

The programme was on the 'Putney Debates' which took place in October/November 1647, after the defeat of King Charles I in the first English Civil War. Members of parliament's New Model Army, representing the rank and file as well as officers, along with civilians from the radical Leveller movement, met to discuss the transformation of English politics and religious life following a traumatic civil war. The programme can be downloaded here.

PRESENTATION AT PARIS UNIVERSITY

Scott McCracken, Professor of English Literature, gave a presentation to the seminar Théorie(s) de la lecture/Lecture(s) de la Théorie at the University Paris-Ouest-Nanterre.

Professor McCracken's visit was part of an ongoing collaboration with Nanterre, which has already seen one PhD student graduate with a doctorate from both institutions.

He presented on Fredric Jameson's The Political Unconscious. First published in 1981, it is a text that was deeply influenced by French theory, but is still relatively unknown in France.

SPIRE IN GEORGIA AND TURKEY

SPIRE's Professor John Horton has been in Tbilisi for the latest in an international series of meetings aimed at developing University teachers in post-Communist, non-EU countries.

The year's participants came from Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Mongolia.

Professor Horton's role was to work with early career academics, including post-doctoral and advanced doctoral students, to familiarise them with developments in Western scholarship in political philosophy, and to generally engage with them about their academic development.

Dr Sorin Baiasu, Reader in Philosophy and Philosophy Programme Director in SPIRE, recently returned from an Erasmus exchange with the Philosophy Department at Middle East Technical University, Ankara. The visit, however, soon turned into a whirlwind tour of some of Turkey's most important universities.

For after giving a paper on Edward Caird's Interpretation of Kant's Idealism at the host university, Dr Baiasu was then invited to give talks by the philosophy departments at Bogazici University in Istanbul (where he spoke about "The Normative Force of Kant's Formula of Universal Law") and at Bilkent University in Ankara (where he gave a paper on "A Recent Reading of Kant's Imperfect Duty of Self-improvement").

He subsequently gave a paper ("Kant's Guarantee of Perpetual Peace") to the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Kocaeli University, where around 150 students and faculty attended.

While at Kocaeli, he delivered a talk about postgraduate opportunities in SPIRE, and met the University Dean to discuss the potential for future cooperation between Keele and Kocaeli.

Kyril Drezov, of SPIRE and the Southeast Europe Unit at Keele University, delivered a public lecture at Turkey's Istanbul Þehir University on Tuesday. This event was part of Istanbul Þehir's prestigious 'Debating the Global' Lecture Series.

Using a combination of text, maps and pictures, Drezov examined Russian, Bulgarian and Turkish interactions in the Black Sea area.

The presentation generated a lively discussion with academics and students from the host university, and a lot of interest in what Keele has to offer to those with interest in Balkan and Eurasian studies.

NEW RICHARDSON LETTERS FOUND

Dr Rebecca Bowler, British Academy Research Assistant on the Dorothy Richardson Editions Project (http:// dorothyrichardson. org/Editions/Project. html) at Keele, has discovered two new letters from Richardson to the Austrian novelist Robert Neumann. Her blog on the discovery is here.

KEELE CHARITY WORLD CUP

Barnes Hall is organising a 6-a-side charity 'world cup' football tournament on Saturday 18 May.

Those wishing to take part should pick any country they wish, on a first come first serve basis, and dress accordingly. There will be a prize for the best fancy dress team and the winners.

There is a charge of £3 per player per team and all proceeds go towards a charity supporting under privileged school children in the slums of Nairobi. The event is open to both male and female teams.

Registration deadline is 13 May, Names of teams are required to be with the Residential Support Manager Bob Dicker by 1300hrs.

For further details call 07523219418 (James) or 07895329611 (Murshad).

WHAT'S ON

PROFESSORIAL INAUGURAL LECTURE

Professor Patricia Black, School of Pharmacy, will give the latest lecture in Keele University's programme of Inaugural Professorial Lectures on Tuesday, 14 May, in the Westminster Theatre, Chancellor's Building.

The title of the lecture is "From Pupil to Professor - Reflections on a Journey in Pharmacy Education and Professional Development".

STROSS  
PREVIEW: Wednesday 15 May, 6-8pm, Keele University Gallery, Chancellor's Building.
An exhibition of art donated by Sir Barnett Stross to Keele University in 1962. With a special live performance of music created by Keele students for the documentary 'Lidice: A Light Across the Sea'.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Fourteen years ago…

Keele University's KUBE radio, which is run entirely by students, began broadcasting a mix of music, chat and features to students on campus and beyond.

Station manager Daryl Easley said: "We want to entertain, encourage, enrage and engage". 8 May 1999.