Campus News

Writing a book in 10 days

March 12th, 2013

Can the quality of a book be assessed by the time it took to be written? Stephen Mumford, Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, has attracted rave reviews for his Metaphysics: a Very Short Introduction, which came out last September. It is in the prestigious Oxford VSI series, the best-selling introductory series on academic subjects. Amid 5-star Amazon reviews, one called it ‘a truly great book’, saying that only two books had ever really helped the reader understand philosophy: this one and Bertrand Russell’s The Problems of Philosophy.

“That is the highest accolade”, says Professor Mumford. “Not only is Russell one of my favourite philosophers, his book is almost universally regarded as the all-time greatest introduction to the subject.”

What is so remarkable about Professor Mumford’s book on metaphysics, however, is the fact that it was written in just 10 days, between 25 October and 5 November 2011, with the Saturday taken off as a rest day.

”I’ve written a number of books”, he says, “but none so quickly.” He continued: “Oxford’s VSIs have to be short. I had decided on 10 chapters and had them planned out at the proposal stage. So I decided to write one chapter each day of roughly 3,500 words.

“I have an approach where I sharply separate the thinking from the writing. I believe the writing benefits from being done in a concentrated burst.”

“At first I felt slightly embarrassed that the book was written so quickly. Some might infer it’s a bad book that I didn’t care about. So I am very happy at the reception. And the truth is that there was really 20 years of teaching and research in metaphysics that preceded it, so the book didn’t just come from nothing.” Whether something can truly come from nothing is one of the questions addressed in the book, as is what is a table, what is possible and what is time.”

Inspired by the success, Stephen has co-authored another in the VSI series, this one on Causation, due out later this year.

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World of student bloggers

March 12th, 2013

Sarah, Gemma and Shane are three of the six student bloggers sharing their lives on a weekly basis. The bloggers will give you the lowdown on everything from the latest YouTube sensation, places to go and what they’ve eaten and where. And, most importantly, how much it all cost. To whet your appetite take a look at a small sample of what Sarah, Shane and Gemma have to say.

Sarah Perkins
Age: 20
From: Bristol
Studying: Dietetics, Year 3
Favourite things: cooking, purple and Disney
Most likely to blog about: food and Sutton Bonington life

So I’ve had exams. And I watched Les Mis. And this is what happened…

There was a time exams were kind
When answers were clear
And MCQ’s inviting
There was a time when examiners were blind
And life was a song
And grades were exciting
There was a time (KS2)
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When free time was high
And work not my living
I thought my social life would never die
I thought examiners were forgiving
Then I was young and doing SATs
And exams didn’t really matter
There was no revision of types of fats
Nothing that left your brain in tatters

But the caffeine comes at night
With its buzzing, twitching thunder
As it tears your sleep apart
As they turn your dream to ash

I had a summer holiday that was free
I filled its days with work and play
I took the freedom in my stride
But now it’s gone, and winter came

And still I dream a first will come to me
That my life won’t be revision
But there are dreams that cannot be
And this degree was my decision!

I had a dream my exams would be
Much easier than the ones I’ve taken
So different now from what they seemed
Now exams have killed the dream I dreamed

Gemma Ubah
Age: 20
From: London
Studying: Mathematics and Economics, Year 3
Favourite things: Street dance, listening to the radio, horror films
Most likely to blog about: Food, meerkats, the latest crazes

Why I find exam rooms annoying?

Coughing: One person coughs, and it sends everyone else into a frenzy. It’s like people need one person to take the plunge and cough first, as a sort of reassurance that it’s okay to cough.

Noisy handwriting: I had one particular exam this week, where sitting next to me was a guy whose exam answers must have involved a lot of crossing of Ts, and dotting of Is. I’m sure people in the building next door could hear his frantic writing.

Invigilators that don’t notice you: Yesterday, I desperately needed more paper, but when I put my hand up, I wasn’t seen to for about a whole minute. Every minute counts in a one-hour exam you know.

Shane Chard
Age: 20
From: Bristol
Studying: English and American Studies, Year 2
Favourite things: Social media, food and Beyonce
Most likely to blog about: Technology… and Beyonce

There are three types of people in the word: the clean freaks, the lazy bodies and the ones who don’t care what state the house is in as long as their stuff is tidied away so they can’t be blamed for the mess.

As any student not living in catered halls knows (and boy do we miss those days) living with people can be… an experience, particularly surrounding the kitchen! In the grand scheme of life’s problems, kitchen cleanliness doesn’t even make the shortlist, yet for students it can be The. Most. Frustrating. Thing.

It takes less than 20 seconds to wash out a cereal bowl or coffee mug, less than five minutes to wash up everything used to make a meal. Yet such items can be found sitting on the kitchen counter four days later, forcing everyone else to work around YOUR mess (you know who you are).

blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/studentlife

tiny.cc/studentlifeblogs

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New world-class partner

March 12th, 2013

The University is to enter its first large-scale European partnership with world-class Swedish institution Lund University. The partnership will cover research collaboration, student and staff exchanges, and joint undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Twelve senior staff from Lund University, in southern Sweden, visited Nottingham to discuss the collaboration with their opposite numbers and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor Professor David Greenaway led the discussions.

Lund University was ranked 71st in the QS Worldwide University Rankings for 2011/12 and 82nd in the THE World University Rankings for 2012/13. It is also a member of the League of European Research Universities, which is made up of 21 research-intensive universities.

Professor Roger Woods, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor at The University of Nottingham, said: “This will be a large-scale and broad-ranging collaboration with an excellent university, and we are hoping that it will build into our first key partnership in Europe. Both universities will benefit from the international opportunities that will open up by pooling their expertise in key areas ranging from energy-efficient buildings and environmental policy to diabetes and cancer research.

“I drew up a specifically European Strategy for the University when I came back from my secondment as Provost of our China campus, and targeting a small number of high-ranking European universities to work with across a whole range of disciplines is at the heart of that strategy.”

Professor Woods said the two institutions have discussed  how they can strengthen their teaching and research by working together. He added: “I am grateful to all my Nottingham colleagues for doing their homework in preparation for the visit, and identifying the most promising areas for collaboration.”

Professor Woods is keen to develop further partnerships with strong European universities. He said:  “We are expecting this to be the first of a very small number of large-scale partnerships in Europe. In the age of internationalisation it is vital that we seek out the best universities to work with so that we continue to produce world-class research and give our students a truly international experience.”

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March 12th, 2013

Consumed
Border Crossings in association with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre
Date: Tuesday 19 March
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission*: £15, £12.50 concessions, £9.50 restricted view

Nottdance Festival
Apnea
Rodrigo Sobarzo (Netherlands)
Date: Saturday 16 March
Time: 8pm
Venue: Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission*: £12, £9 concessions, £6 restricted view

Nottdance Festival
Ship of Fools
Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor (Israel)
Date: Sunday 17 March
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission*: £12, £9 concessions, £6 restricted view

Little Dogs Don’t Do Ballet
Little Angel Theatre
Date: Saturday 23 March, Sunday 24 March
Time: 1.30pm and 3.30pm
Venue: Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: £6.50 all tickets

 

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March 12th, 2013

The Arco Ensemble
University
Date: Friday 15 March
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: Djanogly Recital Hall, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: £3

Brentano String Quartet
Chamber
Date: Saturday 16 March
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Djanogly Recital Hall, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: £15, £12 concessions

University Choir
Irish Connections
Date: Sunday 17 March
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Great Hall, Trent Building, University Park
Admission: £10, £8 concessions, £5 UoN students

The Old Dance School
Folk
Date: Wednesday 20 March
Time: 8pm
Venue: Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: £15, £12 concessions,
£9 restricted view

Psappha 
Contemporary
Date: Thursday 21 March
Time: 8pm
Venue: Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: £15, £12 concessions,
£9 restricted view

Trevor Pinnock Trio
Early
Time: Thursday 11 April 7.30pm
Venue: Djanogly Recital Hall, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: £15, £12 concessions

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March 12th, 2013

Thinking Forward (craft showcase)
Date: Until Sunday 31 March
Venue: Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

Water! The University’s Water Archives
Date: Until Sunday 19 May
Venue: Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

Barbara Walker
Date: Until Monday 6 May
Venue: Angear Visitor Centre, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

Michelle Stuart: Drawn From Nature
Date: Until Sunday 14 April
Venue: Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

Callum Kirkwood
Date: Saturday 6 April to Sunday 19 May
Venue: Wallner Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

The First Cut: Paper at the Cutting Edge
Date: Wednesday 24 April to Sunday
9 June
Venue: Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

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March 12th, 2013

Water!
A Year Immersed in the Water Archives
Date: Wednesday 13 March
Time: 1pm to 2pm
Venue: Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

Archaeology NOW
The Making of Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum at the British Museum
Date: Wednesday 17 April
Venue: Djanogly Art Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, University Park
Admission: Free

Institute for the Study of Slavery’s Annual Lecture
The Deadly Link: Ecocide and 21st
Century Slavery
Date: Wednesday 13 March
Time: 6.30pm to 8pm
Venue: Highfield House, University Park
Admission: Free

Department of American and Canadian Studies
Foundations of the American Century: The Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations in the Rise of American Pow
Date: Wednesday 20 March
Time: 5pm to 6pm
Venue: Room C7, Trent Building, University Park
Admission: Free

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Campus geology walk

March 12th, 2013

Geology Walk: Rock Around the Campus


Saturday 23 March, University Park, 10.30am to 1pm.

This is a guided walk,  hosted by the Friends of University Park and led by Gerry Shaw, will take in the campus’s geological highlights. Meet at the main visitors’ car park on Cut Through Lane.

To book: 07825 753993.

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Brain Matters

March 12th, 2013

Brain Matters
Saturday 16 March, Business School South, Jubilee Campus, 1pm-5pm.

Use the InflatiBrain to crawl inside a brain or move things with the power of your mind. These are some of the interactive activities at a community event marking the end of Brain Awareness Week. It will showcase cutting-edge research at the University and feature participants from charities and support groups.

The event is followed by a canapé reception and an evening with Professor Colin Blakemore (in association with The Brain Tumour Charity), for which pre-registration is advisable.

Register: http://tiny.cc/UoNbrainmatters

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Year of the Snake

March 12th, 2013

Music, dancing and a fireworks spectacular marked the arrival of the Year of the Snake at Lakeside, University Park. The Chinese New Year celebrations featured lion and dragon dances by schoolchildren and members of the Chinese community.

Sofia Nazaar-Chadwick, Lakeside Arts Centre Marketing Manager, said: “Around 3,000 people braved the weather for great performances from community groups and professional artists, celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Snake, culminating in another stunning firework display. Crescendo Fireworks outdid themselves this year and the crowds were cooing and gasping in all the right
places!”

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