Campus News

Biosciences funding: UoN joins UK top three

February 1st, 2018

The University of Nottingham is celebrating outstanding success in securing UK government funding for world-class biosciences research.

Nottingham has overtaken the universities of Edinburgh and Oxford to rank third in BBSRC funding behind Cambridge and Manchester. Our Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council portfolio now stands at £71m.

Professor Melanie Welham, Chief Executive of BBSRC, highlighted Nottingham’s outstanding performance in the past year during a visit the University.

Read more on the Research Exchange blog.

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University Staff Oscars 2018

February 1st, 2018

The University Staff Oscars are returning for their seventh year — providing an opportunity to shine a spotlight on staff that have inspired our students and their University experience.

Every year the Awards have grown and 2018 is expected to be no different. Last year, we received more than 600 nominations from students, celebrating amazing work by staff from all corners of the University.

There are 12 categories, including Best School/Department, Best Supervisor, Best Use of Technology and Best Feedback.

Any UoN staff member can be nominated (there are categories for central staff as well as teaching staff), but nominations must be submitted by students. Nominations will close at 1pm on Monday 12 March.

Visit the website.

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Casual Staff Pay Rates Update

February 1st, 2018

The rates of pay for casual staff have been reviewed, with new rates coming into effect from 1 February 2018.

Please visit the Human Resources website to access the new rates.

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LGBT History Month 2018

February 1st, 2018

LGBT History Month 2018 is now underway — it’s the fifth year that we have celebrated this event at the University of Nottingham.

From Thursday 1 – Wednesday 28 February 2018, we’ll be holding and presenting a series of interesting and powerful events that aim to promote equality and diversity.

What is LGBT History Month, and why do we celebrate it?

First initiated in the USA in 1994, LGBT History Month was introduced in the UK 14 years ago by Schools OUT UK, a charity whose mission is to raise the issues of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and heterosexism in education.

Since 2014, LGBT History Month has also become a powerful and thought-provoking tradition at the University of Nottingham — helping us to celebrate the achievements and contributions of LGBT people whilst encouraging thought and challenging perceptions.

What’s on this year?

The theme for 2018 is ‘Geography: Mapping the World’ which in part celebrates the progress in the world over the last year to legalise same-sex marriage.

Introducing this year’s UoN programme, Dr Max Biddulph, Chair of the University’s LGBT Staff Network, explained:

“Welcome to UK LGBT History Month at the University of Nottingham. In line with the national festival of LGBT history, this year we explore the theme of ‘Geography’.

“Speaking as both a Geographer and a gay man, it’s my view that the humanity that imbues this subject goes to the heart of LGBT+ experience. Whether it’s our relations with and movement through socio-cultural space or the human processes experienced in it, our 2018 programme speaks to both historic and contemporary issues.

“Our focus is national and international, and we are delighted to welcome our Chinese guests in particular. Closer to home, our events consider local experiences in terms of the present community of LGBT+ persons and in terms of past experiences of space and the expression of desire.

“Rich experiences await. All are welcome. Enjoy!”

We hope that you enjoy LGBT History Month 2018 and continue to find it interesting, informative and stimulating.

You can view our programme of events for 2018 on Campus News

For updates throughout the month, subscribe to the People and Culture blog and join in the conversation on social media using the hashtag #LGBTHM18. You can also find out more about the University’s LGBT History Month programme by emailing the People and Culture team.

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Portland Hill — now open

January 30th, 2018

The Portland Hill is now open and available for use following completion of landscaping work.

Included on the redeveloped hill space is a new hardstanding pavilion, along with tiered steps leading down to the Portland Building that act as amphitheatre-style seating, and cascading water features.

Staff and students have already been using the space this week and a number of fantastic photos of the pavilion have already been posted online.

The area — which is named the ‘Djanogly Terrace’ — will also be used as a screening venue for events.

The landscaping works form part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Portland Building. Other works to be completed during the current phase (Phase 3) of the building’s redevelopment include:

  • The Skybridge: This bridge, located over the top of the Atrium, will link D Floor near Careers with the Food Court on E Floor.
  • The Atrium: Works are planned to help control the temperature of the Atrium throughout the year, as well as to install more games that can be used in this area during the day time.

For all the latest information on changes around campus, visit the Estates current developments webpage.

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Medical professionals needed for ‘I’m A Medic, Get Me Out Of Here’

January 29th, 2018

Healthcare professionals in the East Midlands are being urged to participate in an online competition designed to boost the number of young people from non-traditional backgrounds and rural areas applying for careers in medicine.

I’m a Medic, Get Me Out of Here! is a creative way of giving young people a direct line to become working doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and healthcare administrators. The platform is particularly aimed at helping prospective students into careers in primary health care.

The online event — taking place between Monday 5 March and Friday 16 March 2018 — targets schools and further education colleges in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands counties. These are areas with the lowest application rates for medicine in the UK.

Existing healthcare professionals are encouraged to take part in the innovative project, with the aim of inspiring young people about primary care. Practitioners who get involved with the event will create their own profile on the website and answer students’ questions about their work, background and career, as well as give advice about how to succeed when applying for medical-related training. The students will get to challenge the healthcare professionals in live text-based chats and vote for their favourite participant to win £500 to spend on further public engagement.

Dr Paul Garrud, Chair of Selection for the Medical Schools Council and Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, said: “Our country and our region need more doctors to serve our communities. We wish to encourage young people who might not have considered medicine before.

Kit Tigwell, a trainee GP who took part in a previous I’m a Medic forum last year said: “This was a great event and I really enjoyed taking part! The whole thing was extremely well organised. I would highly recommend the experience to medical colleagues.”

Nicky Coar, a teacher at Hinckley Academy and John Cleveland Sixth Form Centre, has taken part with her students and said of the online event: “I thought it was a great experience and the students really enjoyed it and were very positive about it. It’s a fantastic opportunity because health professionals are really busy and it can be difficult to get them in to speak to students.”

Healthcare professionals can apply by Monday 5 February using the following link: imamedic.uk/candidates.

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Sutton Bonington media hub up and running

January 29th, 2018

Sutton Bonington now has an official media hub complete with broadcast quality radio equipment.

Located in A8 of the Main Building, the hub is fitted with an ISDN line to enable academics to conduct down-the-line radio interviews without the need to physically travel to a broadcaster’s own studio.

The hub, which is managed by the Press Office in External Relations, completes the suite of media facilities which includes an ISDN line at Jubilee Campus and an ISDN and Globelynx camera, for broadcast television interviews, at University Park.

For information on using the equipment, or if you are approached by media for an interview, please liaise with the Press Office.

The Office has also updated its guidelines on Filming on Campus which include the relevant process for sign off and assistance with any filming you may be undertaking or approached to take. For a copy of these guidelines, please email Liz Cass.

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Vice-Chancellor’s medal — nominations open

January 29th, 2018

A call for nominations for the 2018 Vice-Chancellor’s Medal is now underway.

The medal is awarded for exceptional achievement by staff or students. Any current member of staff or current student at any of the University’s campuses in China, Malaysia or the UK may be nominated.

Criteria for the award of the medal:

  • Exceptional achievement in a particular arena;
  • Outstanding contribution to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion in University life;
  • Notable endeavour which has made a difference to the University;
  • A substantive contribution which has enhanced the reputation of the University of Nottingham;
  • Activity which has had a noticeably positive impact for students, staff or the local community;
  • An individual achievement or sustained achievement over a period of time.

Examples of exceptional achievement by staff include sporting success, leadership of a community project, exceptional service as a school governor, innovation in service delivery, notable curricular innovation or significant research impact of some kind.

Student exceptional achievement could include contributions to Hall or JCR, sporting club, student society, other Students’ Union activities or representation, volunteering in the community, as a student ambassador, student caller, fundraising, or some other activity within a School.

Note though these are just examples and not intended to limit the grounds on which someone might be proposed for an award.

Nomination and selection process:

The nomination and selection process for this year is as follows:

  • The deadline for nominations is 5pm, Thursday 29 March.
  • Normally nomination is through head of school/department or President of the Students’ Union but anyone else can propose.
  • Nominations are considered once a year by a panel, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, which includes the President of the Students’ Union in its membership.
  • Those selected by the panel to receive a Vice-Chancellor’s Medal are presented with a specially created medal and certificate at an appropriate University event during the academic year.

Nomination Process:

Each nomination must include the following information:

  • Name, school/department and email address of the nominee;
  • A summary of the staff member or student’s employment or registration at the University;
  • Confirmation of support from head of school/department and/or Students’ Union President and name, position, email address and telephone number of proposer;
  • The proposal for the award of the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal (indicating the nature of the achievement and why it should be recognised in this way). This section should be no more than 300 words but attachments may be added if helpful.

A brief form is attached here for your use.

Nominations should be submitted to the Registrar via Maria Donoghue no later than Thursday 29 March 2018.

It is expected that only a small number of Vice-Chancellor’s Medals will be presented in any year making this a very special award for University of Nottingham staff and students. Resubmissions in subsequent years will be accepted.

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USS pensions update

January 29th, 2018

USS members across the sector will be consulted in March on a proposal to move future pension benefits to a defined contribution scheme from 1 April 2019. The Vice-Chancellor has published a blog, and further details are published on the HR webpages and the Universities UK website.

The University is committed to support staff with information and access to the consultation, briefing sessions have been arranged in February with independent professional actuaries, Mercer, to help staff understand how the changes may affect them. Please book your place here.

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Research Information System (RIS) update — new functionality to launch in 2018

January 26th, 2018

The roll out of the Research Information System (RIS) development is set to continue in 2018, with new functionality being piloted and rolled out across all faculties over the coming months.

RIS provides a structured way of managing the preparation, approval and submission of grant applications, as well as providing a user-friendly interface to enable projects to be managed more effectively. RIS has already replaced pFact and will replace a number of other university systems with a single, modern, integrated tool.

The first part of the RIS programme – enabling research staff to find funding opportunities and develop funding applications – went live within all faculties last June. To date, more than 2,500 funding applications have been created using RIS. This element is currently being enhanced to enable the university’s peer review and ethics processes to be supported through the system.

RIS is now being linked to the Agresso system to automatically generate project codes and budgets and to enable expenditure to be tracked against awards. The first part of the award management process, which includes the formal acceptance of an award, is set up within RIS. Credit splits has successfully passed user acceptance testing and will be piloted within the Faculty of Engineering from the end of January.

In the meantime work is also underway for RIS to support the University’s REF 2020 submission. The first part of this work focuses on using RIS to deposit and manage outputs, which will be rolled out across the University in the spring.

The RIS project sponsor and Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Science, Prof Kevin Shakesheff, will host a series of roadshows in March to showcase the new functionality within RIS prior to its launch across the university. This will include a demo of the system as well as an opportunity to ask questions. There’s not need to sign up – just turn up on the day.

  • Tuesday 20 March, 4-5pm: A48, Clive Granger, University Park
  • Wednesday 21 March, 3-4pm: CLT2, Exchange Building, Jubilee
  • Monday 26 March, 3–4pm: B3, Life Sciences
  • Wednesday 4 April, 3:30-4:30pm: A33/LR9, Food Science Building, Sutton Bonington
  • Tuesday 17 April, 9.30am: DSN 205, School of Health Sciences, Derby City Hospital
  • Tuesday 17 April, 3:30-4:30pm: A50, Clinical Science Building, City Hospital

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