Campus News
Have your say on IT development at UoN — and earn a 10 pound print credit
November 3rd, 2014
Students – how can we improve your IT services? Could we support your teaching and research better? Tell us how and we’ll give you £10 print credit.
Information Services is running a series of informal, interactive workshops to learn more about how you use IT, from the devices through which you access our services to the way you store and share information. Can you spare a couple of hours to take part? Refreshments are provided.
Workshops are taking place on:
- Tuesday 4 November, University Park (A25, Language Teaching Room, Pope Building) 10am-12pm
- Wednesday 5 November, Jubilee Campus (A25, Language Teaching Room, Dearing Building) 10am-12pm
- Thursday 6 November, University Park (A17, Computer Teaching Room, Lenton Grove) 10am-12pm
- Monday 10 November, University Park, Student Hub, Portland Building (drop by for 30 mins any time between 1pm and 3pm)
- Wednesday 12 November, Sutton Bonington (B09, Main Building) 10am-12pm
To take part in one of the workshops, please email Susie.MacPherson@nottingham.ac.uk along with your full name, your school, whether you are a UG or PG and the session you can attend.
Tags: focus group, money, teaching, workshop
Posted in News, Opportunities | 1 Comment »
Time accolade for prison reformer
November 3rd, 2014
Former Nottingham Law student Alexander McLean is one of the ‘30 People Under 30 Changing the World’.
Alexander, 28, pictured with prisoners in Africa, made it on to Time Magazine’s prestigious list as the founder of the African Prison Project (APP). He set up the charity after witnessing prison conditions in Uganda.
APP develops high-quality, low-cost health, education and sanitation infrastructure for prisons across Africa, as well as training materials for prisoners and staff.
APP has renovated clinics, built libraries and developed educational programmes in prisons throughout Uganda. It also works with Kenya and Nigeria’s prison services and has plans to expand its work, including to South Sudan.
APP identifies and supports prisoners and prison staff who could lead change. Prisoners can gain diplomas and degrees in law by distance learning, while scholarships enable prison staff to study for masters degrees at British universities. There is also a prison staff exchange programme.
In 2013, several of APP’s law students had their death sentences overturned. Prison officers from Kenya were seconded to British prisons, while officers from Kenya and Nigeria are studying for masters degrees at universities in London and Oxford.
Alexander said of the Time accolade: “It’s an exciting recognition for the work that I’ve been doing over the last 10 years — trying to bring dignity and hope to people in prison in Africa. It’s also exciting for us as a team of people who are passionate about penal reform and it has been wonderful to work with a great group of staff, volunteers and partners during this time — including The University of Nottingham, as well as many others.
“It is also recognition of our focus as an organisation in the last couple of years, which has been how to identify, develop and equip both prisoners and prison staff who have a desire to improve the lives of those around them within prison and when they are released.”
Alexander has won a string of other awards, including The University of Nottingham Recent Alumnus of the Year in 2007, UK Charity Volunteer of the Year in 2006 and the 2007 Beacon Prize (previous winners include Sir Bob Geldof).
For more on APP, visit: www.africanprisons.org
Tags: 30 People Under 30 Changing the World, African Prison Project, Alexander McLean, APP, Time Magazine
Posted in Issue 74, People | Comments Off on Time accolade for prison reformer
Helping women to reach for the stars
November 3rd, 2014
The School of Physics and Astronomy has been recognised for its work in encouraging and supporting more young women to become physicists.
The School has been made a Juno Champion by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for showing its commitment to the Juno Project, which seeks to redress the long-standing issue of too few women at the highest levels of physics academia in the UK.
Professor Penny Gowland, from the School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “I am very proud of our Juno status; it’s great to work somewhere where everyone is so inclusive and tolerant. It’s sad that so many young women are dissuaded from studying physics, given that it offers so much in terms of intellectual stimulation and career opportunities, but at least our School is providing strong role models to help address this problem.”
To achieve the new status, the School improved its working culture by introducing more flexible working arrangements, offering provision for childcare or allowing for a more transparent organisational structure.
The school joins eight other physics departments named Juno Champions in the UK and Ireland.
While women make up around 20% of physics undergraduates, this number drops to a tiny 7% of university professors.
Following a report by the Institute of Physics, cosmologist Dr Clare Burrage produced a blog encouraging girls to study physics at A-level. She said: “If you’ve ever looked up at the night sky and been awed by the stars, I promise you that they only become more beautiful the more you understand about what they are and where they’ve come from. There’s still so much that we don’t know about the universe and so many ways in which physics will change the world we live in. Don’t let anybody tell you that you shouldn’t be a part of that.”
Professor Peter Main, Director of Education and Science at the IOP, said: “The Institute is here to support all physics departments to achieve Juno awards by providing positive and constructive feedback on their progress against the Juno principles.
“Of course, the real, tangible benefit of Juno is creating an inclusive working environment that supports the development and progression of all staff, regardless of gender.”
Tags: Dr Clare Burrage, Institute of Physics, Juno Champion, Juno Project, Professor Penny Gowland, Professor Peter Main, School of Physics and Astronomy
Posted in Issue 74 | Comments Off on Helping women to reach for the stars
Brain study’s Tourette hope
November 3rd, 2014
A brain mechanism which controls tics in children with Tourette syndrome (TS) has been discovered by scientists at Nottingham. It could herald new non-drug therapies to help young people with the condition.
The study was carried out by PhD student Amelia Draper and published in the British Psychological Society’s Journal of Neuropsychology.
Scientists believe that the tics that affect children with TS are caused by faulty wiring in the brain that leads to hyper excitability in controlling motor function.
The researchers believe the mechanisms in the brain that control tics change during the teenage years. In adolescence, around two-thirds of children with TS will find that their tics disappear or they learn to more effectively control them. Unfortunately, many remain troubled by TS symptoms into adulthood.
Amelia said if early development of the brain causes overactivity in its striatum, signals to the cortex lead to hyper-excitability and cause tics.
She said the team was looking at how to “turn down” this excitability. “This is potentially extremely important as the parents of children with tics are desperate to find a safe and effective therapy that is an alternative to drug treatments,” she said.
The team used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to stimulate motor function and induce a twitch response. By delivering TMS just before a hand movement, alterations in brain excitability are detected. Subjects with TS were least able to modulate the hyperactivity in the brain.
The team also uses transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) to study the brains of children with TS. TDS may decrease neuronal excitability and suppress tics. TDCS may also increase neuronal excitability — improving learning and memory function.
The technology could be adapted into a TENS machine-style device offering cheap, portable therapy for children with TS.
Professor Stephen Jackson, in the School of Psychology, said: “It can be applied at home while the child is watching TV or eating their cornflakes so it would reduce the amount of school they would miss and potentially we can use the TDCS to both control the tics and make that control more effective and longer lasting.”
Amelia is also using MRI technology to scan cortical excitability and a brain chemical linked to neuronal excitability in TS.
The work was funded by with a £150,000 from the James Tudor Foundation.
Chief Executive Rod Shaw said: “We’re glad to see the funding is producing some interesting and potentially useful results.”
Tags: Amelia Draper, British Psychological Society, James Tudor Foundation, Journal of Neuropsychology, Professor Stephen Jackson, School of Psychology, TMS, Tourette syndrome, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Posted in Issue 74, Research | Comments Off on Brain study’s Tourette hope
Rich experiences for Cascade students
November 3rd, 2014
These students dug deeper and went further than most when it came to enriching their experience at Nottingham by helping others.
The six Engineering and Nursing students travelled to Ghana to support an eco-sanitation project that is improving local people’s lives.
As well as building a compost toilet in a village, the students developed an understanding of water and sanitation challenges in Africa through carrying out a community survey for the Dream Big Ghana NGO.
Vicky Lonsdale, Martelle Henry and Chantelle Hughes, who are Master of Nursing Science students, and Master of Engineering students Portia Heley, Robert Parry and Joanna Stanyard, took part in the No Flush! project thanks to a £8,900 grant from the University’s Cascade fund.
Cascade – part of Nottingham: The Impact Campaign – supports students who want to enrich their experience at Nottingham while making a difference at home and abroad.
The fund, which is supported by friends of the University, allocates grants of up to £25,000 to student projects that will enhance the skills, confidence, social awareness and employability of students, while making a significant impact on communities, both locally and globally.
Dr Linda East, of the School of Health Sciences, said of the Ghana trip: “It was wonderful to see the depth of learning and engagement among the students, and great to see future engineers and nurses working together on a project with such tangible public health benefits. The generosity of Cascade supporters will leave a lasting legacy, not only among the students involved but among the villagers.”
The next deadline for applications from staff and students for Cascade funding in 2014 is 10 February, followed by 2 June and 10 November. Successful projects are normally notified within one month of these deadlines.
Head of Development (Regular Gifts) Simon Buttenshaw said: “As the co-ordinator of the Cascade fund, I never fail to be impressed at the diversity of projects applying, which I know is something that is motivating to the alumni and friends of the University who donate to Cascade.
“But whether a project takes students to rural Africa or somewhere much closer to home, what most projects have in common is that they involve students working together for a common aim, showing great initiative and leadership skills, often in some quite challenging environments.
“I hope those involved in Cascade projects reference them in their CVs, because I’m sure employers are impressed that Nottingham has given them such a rounded education.”
Click here for more on Cascade or email cascade@nottingham.ac.uk for an application form or information about how to make a donation.
Tags: Cascade fund, Chantelle Hughes, Dr Linda East, Dream Big Ghana, Joanna Stanyard, Martelle Henry, Master of Engineering, Master of Nursing Science, No Flush!, Nottingham: The Impact Campaign, Portia Heley, Robert Parry, Simon Buttenshaw, Vicky Lonsdale
Posted in Issue 74, People | Comments Off on Rich experiences for Cascade students
Shedding light on risk of Alzheimer’s
November 3rd, 2014
Researchers from the University have helped uncover a second rare genetic mutation which strongly increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
The Translational Cell Sciences Human Genetics research group pinpointed a rare coding variation in the Phospholipase D3 (PLD3) gene which is more common in people with late-onset Alzheimer’s.
The discovery is a milestone on the road to early diagnosis of the disease and improved treatment. Having surveyed the human genome for common variants associated with Alzheimer’s, geneticists are now examining rare mutations for even stronger risk factors.
More than 820,000 people in the UK have dementia. The condition, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the predominant cause, costs the economy £23bn a year, much more than cancer and heart disease.
Nottingham’s genetic experts have been working with partners from Washington University, St Louis, USA, and University College, London, to carry out next-generation whole exome sequencing on families where Alzheimer’s affects several members.
The collaboration uncovered the first rare genetic mutation implicated in disease risk, linking the TREM2 gene to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s (published in the New England Journal of Medicine). Now, a new study in the journal Nature reveals how the team’s analysis of the genes of 2,000 people with Alzheimer’s revealed a second genetic variation, in the PLD3 gene.
PLD3 influences amyloid precursor protein. Amyloid plaques are characteristic of AD brain tissue and suggest a potential therapeutic target.
The international research team used Nottingham’s Alzheimer’s Research UK DNA bank, one of the largest collections of DNA from Alzheimer’s patients, to completely sequence the coding region (exome) of the PLD3 gene. The results showed several mutations in the gene occurred more frequently in people who had the disease. Carriers of PLD3 coding variants showed a two-fold increased risk for the disease.
Leading the team at Nottingham, Professor of Human Genomics and Molecular Genetics Kevin Morgan said: “Our research is forming the basis of potential diagnostics and more importantly it shows pathways that can be diagnostic targets which could lead to therapeutic interventions. The next step is examining how this particular rare gene variant functions in the cell and see if it can be targeted, to see if there are any benefits to finding out how this gene operates in both normal and diseased cells. If we can do this, we may be able eventually to correct the defect with drug therapy.
“Even if we could eventually slow or halt the progress of the disease with new drugs rather than curing it completely, the benefits would be huge in terms of the impact on patients’ lives and also in vast savings to the health economy. The University of Nottingham has played a significant role in all of the recent AD genetics discoveries that have highlighted 20 new regions of interest in the genome in the last five years and we will continue to do so.”
Tags: Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer’s Research UK DNA bank, Kevin Morgan, Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, Phospholipase D3, Professor of Human Genomics and Molecular Genetics, Translational Cell Sciences Human Genetics
Posted in Issue 74, Research | 1 Comment »
What are you most proud of in 2013?
November 3rd, 2014
This is what the Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Greenaway, was asked by Editorial Assistant Liz Goodwin (pictured) during a Q&A session with Marketing, Communications and Recruitment staff at the end of last year. Professor Greenaway said it was a good question — but a tough one to answer. So after a little reflection, he posted a fuller response on his blog:
“I bought some time by responding ‘personally or professionally?’ since I knew the answer to the ‘personally’. It is still a really tough question. In an organisation as big, as diverse and as rich as ours, there is actually rather a lot to be proud of. So I gave several responses at the time, and I have thought further since then. Here are some highlights.
We recruit high-performing students in large numbers and it is always a pleasure to share the joy of graduation with them. But they impress and inspire in so many other ways, not least in their volunteering and extra-curricular activities. It was yet another record year for Karni, with £1.6m raised; our students had a clean sweep at the national media awards for radio, TV and print; and three of the 11 productions at the National Drama Awards were New Theatre productions.
We also recruit high-quality and dedicated staff. Here I would pick out receiving an Athena SWAN Silver Award (only the third University to do so at the institutional level); two new National Teaching Fellowships and discipline specific research awards. The year ended with the 2013 Long Service Awards, a timely reminder of the contribution so many colleagues from all job families make over such a long period to the University.
In teaching and learning I would pick out the 500th video in Chemistry’s pioneering Periodic Table of Videos; the launch of our first Nottingham Open Online Course (NOOC); and, of course, the graduation of another generation of Nottingham students.
The success of alumni was celebrated at the winter graduations, with seven Alumni Achievement Awards. Alumnus Alexander McLean was also named by Time Magazine as one of 30 under 30 who will shape our world, in recognition of his work on the African Prisons Project.
On research I am spoiled for choice! Obvious highlights are £170m in new awards; but sitting behind that is our outstanding success in the Research Councils’ Doctoral Training Centre competitions; and the numerous breakthroughs made by the research community.
Public engagement is a key part of what we do. Highlights are our gold medal-winning Food For the Future exhibition at the Chelsea Flower Show, Lakeside’s Inside Out of Mind, a moving production based in a dementia ward; and the stunning Lakeside exhibition Pop Art to Britart: Modern Masters from the David Ross Collection.
Our campuses are a distinctive feature of our University, and University Park won a Green Flag for an unprecedented 11th year in succession, whilst Jubilee Campus won its first, an outstanding testimony for our Grounds staff; both, together with Sutton Bonington, are seeing new award-winning architecture enhance our capabilities to enrich the student experience and underpin world-changing research.
We continued to make progress with our internationalisation strategy, especially at The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC). Both saw major developments: superb new teaching and learning facilities at UNMC, and unveiling of the Phase 3 development plans for UNNC during the Prime Minister’s delegation visit to China in December.
Finally, our Impact Campaign passed £100m raised in philanthropic support; and we installed our seventh Chancellor, Sir Andrew Witty.
So that is rather a lot, but could be much, much longer.
On a personal level, there is just one: spending two weeks of my leave leading the Life Cycle 3 team on a 1,108-mile challenge around the five capitals of the UK and Ireland, and raising £270,000 to support stroke rehabilitation research; tough but very rewarding.
Read the Vice-Chancellor’s blog here
Tags: Alexander McLean, Alumni Achievement Awards, Athena SWAN Silver Award, Communications and Recruitment, Doctoral Training Centre, Editorial Assistant Liz Goodwin, Green Flag, Inside Out of Mind, Jubilee Campus, Life Cycle 3, Marketing, New Theatre, NOOC, Nottingham Open Online Course, Periodic Table of Videos, Pop Art to Britart: Modern Masters from the David Ross Collection, Professor David Greenaway, Sir Andrew Witty, stroke rehabilitation research, Sutton Bonington, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Time Magazine, Vice Chancellor
Posted in Issue 74, People | Comments Off on What are you most proud of in 2013?
Ian’s firm grows with confidence
November 3rd, 2014
An entrepreneur whose company helps jobseekers get back into work is expanding his business thanks to a growth programme being delivered by the University’s Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Ian Grewcock, co-director of My Jobs Place, is one of 24 business people taking part in Growth 100, a Nottingham City Council initiative financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Growth 100, through a series of 12 one-day practical sessions, is designed to provide small businesses with the support and training that they need to expand.
In 2011, Ian, pictured, and co-directors Tim Richards and Paul Knight, launched My Jobs Place after identifying a gap in the recruitment market. My Jobs Place uses software and video to help jobseekers create online digital profiles to increase their employability skills. The business now has contracts with further and higher education institutions across England as well as relationships with Job Centre Plus.
Ian and his colleagues visit Job Centre Plus sites and work with jobseekers on a one-to-one basis to develop video profiles and provide the candidates with interview tips and employment advice.
Ian said: “Unlike the majority of job sites, My Jobs Place offers support that goes above and beyond the standard service offered by the recruitment market.”
If the applicants need further help they are referred to a course with an approved training company. Ian believes that the Growth 100 programme has been instrumental in the recent growth of his company. My Jobs Place is expanding into Derby and Birmingham and looking to grow nationally over the next five years. Ian added: “I’d definitely recommend the Growth 100 programme to other small and medium-sized businesses. The aim is simply to help businesses like mine to grow, which in turn will hopefully give us the competitive edge we need to be successful and benefit the local economy.”
Professor Simon Mosey, from Nottingham University Business School, said: “Ian’s positive experience on Growth 100 is echoed by the other participants. In addition to the more formal training elements, they have also been sharing ideas and providing help and advice to each other. As a result of their experiences, they have gone back to their businesses and are now trying innovative new ideas, which is very exciting to see.”
For more information about Growth 100, visit
www.growth100.co.uk
Tags: Growth 100, Ian Grewcock, My Jobs Place, Nottingham University Business School, Professor Simon Mosey
Posted in Issue 74, Opportunities | Comments Off on Ian’s firm grows with confidence
First global study into life behind bars
November 3rd, 2014
In the first study of its kind researchers are to examine life imprisonment on an international scale. The work will be led by The University of Nottingham’s Professor Dirk van Zyl Smit, an expert in penal law and life imprisonment.
Life Imprisonment Worldwide: Principles and Practice has been awarded a grant of £222,000 from the Leverhulme Trust.
Professor van Zyl Smit, Professor of Comparative and International Penal Law in the School of Law, said: “By understanding how life sentences are applied internationally, the researchers will be able to make recommendations and advice on when and how life sentences should be applied. This will ensure that even the worst offenders are treated justly.”
The study aims to understand which crimes attract life sentences, how they are implemented, and the conditions under which prisoners serve them. It will also look at the human rights of those serving life sentences, including whether it is acceptable to impose irreducible life sentences with no hope of release.
Professor van Zyl Smit said: “With many countries having abolished the death penalty, life imprisonment has become the ultimate punishment for the most serious crimes. In several jurisdictions, however, offenders may also be sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes that would not have attracted a capital punishment previously. At the other extreme, a few countries do not have formal legal provision for life imprisonment at all. However, indeterminate detention may be achieved in other ways.
“Norway, for example, has no life sentences. In some cases, such as that of Anders Breivik who was convicted of killing 77 people in 2011, the offender has been sentenced to the maximum allowable by law, 21 years, but may subsequently be subjected to indefinite detention for as long as he continues to pose a threat to society. This may lead to sentences being indefinitely extended, essentially leading to offenders spending the rest of their lives in prison despite never receiving a life sentence. The new study will investigate such cases of indirect life imprisonment too.”
Alison Hannah, Executive Director of Penal Reform International (PRI), said: “PRI is delighted to hear of the award of this research grant to The University of Nottingham.
“Professor Dirk van Zyl Smit is a member of PRI’s board and a leading expert on life imprisonment. As more countries move towards abolition of the death penalty, there has been a significant increase in the number of offences carrying life imprisonment, often without the possibility of parole. More life sentences are being sanctioned by courts and people serving these sentences often experience harsher treatment. It is essential that research establishes the global situation; and that evidence from the research is used to inform penal policy. We must ensure that the death penalty is not replaced by something almost as inhumane.”
The project is to culminate in a book, scheduled to be completed in July 2016.
Tags: Alison Hannah, Anders Breivik, Leverhulme Trust, Life Imprisonment Worldwide: Principles and Practice, Penal Reform International, PRI, Professor Dirk van Zyl Smit, Professor of Comparative and International Penal Law, School of Law
Posted in Issue 74, Research | Comments Off on First global study into life behind bars