Campus News
University Park’s stunning hotel
January 4th, 2013
A stunning new eco-friendly hotel, The Orchard, has opened on University Park.
Designed to complement the University-owned De Vere Venues East Midlands Conference Centre next door, the £20m hotel has been built to the highest environmental standards and includes a green roof, photovoltaic panels, and energy-efficient lighting, heating and ventilation systems.
The hotel was built on the site of a former orchard. Rare variteties of apple tree, including Nottinghamshire’s own Bramley, were carefully moved to make way for the development.
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Environment and Infrastructure, Professor Karen Cox, said: “The University is proud to open The Orchard as a unique and environmentally-driven addition to our conferencing facilities. It is a beautifully designed complex, funded entirely by the University, and will be available for use by conference delegates, university visitors, businesses and the public. The hotel will aim to achieve an ‘Excellent’ rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), which recognises low-impact buildings that incorporate the best environmental practice. The Orchard underlines our commitment to sustainable architecture and construction.”
The Orchard has 202 bedrooms, a brasserie-style restaurant, bar, terrace, gym and meeting rooms. The design by RHWL Architects was inspired by the parkland setting. RHWL associate Corrie Jones said: “We have focused on minimising the building’s impact through sustainable features and careful location within the surrounding hillside.”
The hotel has roof-top gardens and a glass atrium which is flooded with natural light. A mezzanine provides a stunning area for private hire.
To book at The Orchard, visit: www.deverevenues.co.uk, call 0844 346 1216 or email: emcc@deverevenues.co.uk.
Posted in News | Comments Off on University Park’s stunning hotel
Help share the student experience
January 4th, 2013
Giving students the opportunity to share the richness of their experience at university is more important than ever.
Rising fees are putting more emphasis on excellence in teaching, resources and experience. Increased attendances at university open days also suggest prospective students are becoming more discerning.
These changes have been reflected in the introduction of Key Information Sets (KIS), a national standard to help prospective students make an informed decision when choosing a university course.
As KIS include data from the National Student Survey (NSS), how the university experience is rated by students is becoming increasingly important.
To reflect this, the University has targeted an overall satisfaction score of 90% in the NSS and a top 20 place in each question area by 2015.
While results are improving, with satisfaction reaching 88% among final year undergraduates, more needs to be done if the University is to rise from its current NSS position of 39th overall.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for teaching and learning, Professor Alan Ford, who is overseeing the University’s ambitions for excellence in the survey, says school staff have a vital role in ensuring that students take part.
He said: “Schools across the University have a clear commitment to educational excellence; obtaining and responding to students’ views is an important means of achieving excellence and thereby meeting schools’ educational aims. With ever greater competition amongst universities for the best applicants, being able to demonstrate that courses and their delivery are tailored to students’ requirements can also be vital in attracting the number and quality of students schools need to fulfil their overall academic ambitions.
“The increased improvement seen in 2012 is a tribute to the efforts of academic and support staff to meet the needs of students and to enhance their University experience. These efforts must continue and this year we are looking to raise significantly the level of support for students in their academic skills development, review assessment practices and feedback, while continuing to invest extensively in IT and teaching spaces.
“There is more to high-quality education than is measured by levels of satisfaction — not least maintaining the highest education standards, providing rigorous intellectual challenges and gearing education to the wider needs of society. Achieving strong and rising levels of student satisfaction through listening to our students and adapting our practices is an important means of producing educational excellence.”
Schools will be kept up to date with response rates after the survey starts in late January and will be provided with examples of best practice to help them promote the survey. For more information, email: studentcommsoffice@nottingham.ac.uk.
Posted in News | Comments Off on Help share the student experience
Our Shanghai vision
December 21st, 2012
The University of Nottingham has deepened its engagement with China with the launch of a joint venture in Shanghai with the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST).
The Shanghai Nottingham Advanced Academy (SNAA) will deliver joint courses in China’s biggest city.
Primary areas for collaboration at the Academy will be in life sciences, green technology, aerospace, and global food security — key strengths of both universities.
These subjects will complement courses at the Nottingham campus in Ningbo, in nearby Zhejiang province.
Professor Hai-Sui Yu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Campuses at The University of Nottingham, said: “Our vision for the Academy is to develop an international hub of higher education, research, training and business engagement of the highest quality in science and technology through dynamic partnerships between universities, industries and government organisations.
“At the Academy, future generations of industry and academic leaders will undertake unique undergraduate and postgraduate courses and doctoral training within a research-led and industry-focused environment.
“We are confident that the Shanghai Nottingham Advanced Academy will establish a long-term partnership between the leading UK and Chinese universities and industry, and provide a major platform for international collaborative research and knowledge transfer activities, particularly between the UK and China.”
The Academy will deliver courses and training as part of degree programmes at both Nottingham and ECUST.
Undergraduates and postgraduates will spend time at ECUST, the Academy and The University of Nottingham. At doctoral level, 30 PhD students will be recruited over the next three years to research in life sciences, green technology, aerospace, and global food security. An International Doctoral Innovation Centre will also be established at the Academy, integrating innovation-led research and doctoral training, while exposing students to industry and entrepreneurship internationally.
The two universities will later work with the Fengxian District Government and industry partners to establish an R&D innovation park in Fengxian. The park, the International Translational Research and Business Engagement Centre, will work to commercialise some of the fundamental discoveries produced from the International Doctorial Innovation Centre.
Tags: East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), International Doctorial Innovation Centre, International Translational Research and Business Engagement Centre, Professor Hai-Sui Yu, The Shanghai Nottingham Advanced Academy (SNAA)
Posted in News | Comments Off on Our Shanghai vision
Pioneering presence in China wins praise
December 21st, 2012
The University of Nottingham’s work in building Sino-UK links has been praised at a national awards ceremony in Shanghai.
The British Business Awards is organised by the British Chambers of Commerce in China to promote the British business community in the country.
The University — one of only five British businesses to be nominated for the British Company of the Year award — has a prestigious reputation in China.
As well as becoming the first Western university to establish a campus in China, opening in Ningbo in 2004, the University has excellent links with businesses in the country.
The University this year entered a £1m research contract with the car manufacturer FAW. Later this year, executives from Beijing Pharma, one of China’s largest pharmaceutical distributors, will join the University’s transnational development programme in Ningbo and Nottingham.
In addition, the University has formalised research agreements with the food and drink business Wahaha, and worked with China South Rolling Stock to deliver high-impact development training.
The University is also helping develop young managers from China as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Chevening Young Leaders programme.
The University of Nottingham’s Chancellor, Professor Yang Fujia, who in 2001 became the first Chinese academic to be made a Chancellor of a UK university, said: “Being nominated for the British Business Award is a great honour. We have made huge strides in a relatively short period of time in China, and we have established an excellent reputation amongst officials and businesses in the country.”
The University is also continuing to invest in China-facing operations in the UK. Last year it set up the Asia Business Centre to strengthen partnerships with Chinese businesses. Also in Nottingham, the Si Yuan Centre for China studies is being built.
The University’s reputation in China is further underlined by Vice-Chancellor David Greenaway’s role with the UK Government’s Asia Taskforce, while Pro-Vice Chancellor Chris Rudd is on the board of the China Britain Business Council.
Tags: Shanghai, The British Business Awards, UNNC
Posted in News | Comments Off on Pioneering presence in China wins praise
When it comes to the crunch…
December 21st, 2012
Why do chocolate biscuits taste so yummy after they’ve been dunked in tea?
“Mmmm… it turns the chocolate all warm and gooey” may be the obvious answer — but that was never going to satisfy Heston Blumenthal, the self-confessed “mad scientist” of the kitchen.
So the TV chef turned to a team from the University for a more rigorous explanation.
Heston was hooked up to the MS-NOSE mass spectrometer in the Flavour labs run by the Division of Food Sciences in the School of Biosciences to explain his reactions the aroma of a dunked biscuit. And the Nanotom, an X-ray tomography scanner, looked at changes in a dunked biscuit’s structure.
Several biscuits later, Heston revealed: “If you have chocolate on one side, if it melts a bit, you get a velvety smooth texture and then the delicious flavour as a result.”
The findings were aired on Channel 4 TV series Heston’s Fantastical Food.
Dr Ian Fisk, lecturer in food chemistry and an expert on aroma and taste, said: “This is a good example, if a little quirky, of the science that exists behind normal food.”
Tags: Division of Food Sciences, Flavour labs, Heston Blumenthal, MS-NOSE mass spectrometer, School of Biosciences
Posted in Research | Comments Off on When it comes to the crunch…
These are a few of my favourite things
December 20th, 2012
Dr Dorothy Johnston is retiring from the University after 25 years of dedicated service. And, as Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections, is giving up what surely must be one of the very best job titles going — but that’s not what she will miss the most.
“It was because of its reputation that I wanted to come to Nottingham,” says Dorothy. “It is the collections that have kept me here and I suspect they are what I will miss the most in the future. And of course my colleagues — I’ve worked with some wonderful people and I shall miss them.
“I feel really lucky to have been in the profession at a time when it has moved from mainly servicing academics and graduates to making collections more open for undergraduate students too and now encouraging use by local schools and the wider community.”
Originally from Dublin, Dorothy attended Trinity College Dublin for both her undergraduate and doctoral degrees. She then completed a research placement at Queen’s University Belfast before moving onto a curatorial career. Her first role was as assistant archivist at The University of Aberdeen before moving to Nottingham in 1987. And it is here she has stayed ever since.
“I didn’t expect to stay in one job for 25 years and actually I don’t think that I have. Because Nottingham is very good at change and I think my job has changed pretty well every five to ten years.
“The core thing is absolutely the same: my responsibility is to look after the collections and make them available. But the way in which we do that has changed. When I came it was very much about people in a reading room.”
Now the department focuses on increasing access with a blog, website, digitising manuscripts, staging exhibitions, working with the community… the list goes on.
That’s why it would be easy to presume — after all that’s changed and been achieved — that Dorothy’s retiring because she has done everything she set out to do. That, however, is far from the truth.
“As an archivist, we see amazing things in collections, and there are always items that we would love to be able to work on ourselves. One of my personal career disappointments is I’ve had very little time to do it.
“I don’t expect to completely disappear but I’m going to be rid of the management and rid of the meetings. I’ve worked on a few things while at the University; I’m involved in a research project which concerns natural historian Frances Willughby and that’s a project I’m planning to do more work on after I retire.”
And, in addition to her work on Willughby, there are some projects that are way overdue — 25 years overdue, in fact.
“I’ve got things I worked on in Aberdeen that I never finished,” says Dorothy. “I’m not sure how much I’m going to be in a position to do but I’m certainly hoping to continue to work with manuscripts in some way.”
And so, after a quarter of a century at the University, Dorothy finally feels like it’s time to go.
“I must say it is with considerable regret. And there is so much more I would love to do. But there are options, different ways to go and it is going to be fascinating to see how the department continues to develop. I still think we’re the best kept secret of the University.”
One thing that colleagues throughout the University who have worked with Dorothy would tell you is that she is extremely modest. And so, appropriately, she wants the focus to be on the collections and the future — and not on her.
“I don’t know who will come to replace me,” says Dorothy. “But I feel the collections are fantastic — they’re even richer than they were 25 years ago and there’s a real challenge in making them available for our colleagues for research and to their students.
“And there are all sorts of new audiences who are really keen to get at them. The fact that digital technologies are moving in so many different ways… the opportunities are just limitless.”
Fngers crossed, the University’s next Keeper will be as passionate and driven as their predecessor.
Life of St Zitha, in the Wollaton Library Collection WLC LM 37
“It’s wonderful to discover something unexpected in an archive; it’s what we all hope for. I remember discovering a one-page paper fragment from an unknown English life of the Italian St Zita. It dates from the late 15th century. It was caught up among 17th-century natural history illustrations. Although it has now been published, a puzzle remains as to why it ended up where I found it. It’s intriguing. I still find myself hoping to discover more of the explanation.”
Satirical verses on the union of England and Scotland, Portland Literary Papers, Pw V 1261
“There are over 7,000 entries in our catalogue for the Portland Literary Papers. The collection is one of my favourites. Its strength lies in its series of literary satires of the restoration period and early 18th century, sometimes preserved in fair copies but sometimes scribbled hastily. On one brief scrap of paper there are two anonymous four-line verses referring to the Act of Union of 1707, by which the crowns of England and Scotland were joined.”
The Newcastle Collection Ne C 1708/4
“Political, military and diplomatic papers are fascinating. Often there’s a real sense of urgency and drama. One example I’ve always liked to share is the sketch map which was provided to the authorities in London after Sir John Cope’s humiliating defeat by the Jacobites at Prestonpans in Scotland on 21 September 1745. The Highlanders’ use of a pathway through undefended marsh territory is clearly shown on the plan.”
Tags: Dr Dorothy Johnston, manuscripts and special collections
Posted in Features | Comments Off on These are a few of my favourite things
Passion is the key to success
December 20th, 2012
The University of Nottingham is encouraging prospective students to follow their heart as well as their head. The Study What You Love campaign focuses on enjoying your subject — whatever that may be.
The campaign’s ambassador is philosopher Professor Stephen Mumford, Dean of the Faculty of Arts.
“It was love of the subject that led me to study philosophy. I doubt I could have done well at university without that,” said Prof Mumford.
“Although I didn’t understand exactly what philosophy was, I had a sense that it was interesting and important. The world seemed full of fundamental mysteries and it was only in philosophy that there was hope of solving them.”
Courses for subjects without an obvious career attached — such as philosophy — still shape our students into effective communicators, confident presenters, skilled analysts and innovative problem solvers. A survey by the Daily Telegraph placed philosophy graduates as eighth most employable by subject.
Prof Mumford said: “I use the analytic, rational skills of philosophy in so much else, not just my research and teaching. Good thinkers are needed in all professions and the skills are useful in every task.
“The idea of Study What You Love sends the right signal. Passion for a subject area is the best way in which to excel. In so doing, you will acquire all sorts of skills that can take you forward even in a career you didn’t anticipate.”
Prof Mumford wrote about the importance of studying a subject you feel passionate about on the Study What You Love blog. A post from Tim Smith, from law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, adds: “The subject a graduate has studied isn’t important at all, we are much more interested in the skills that a candidate can display.”
Sarah Perkins, a third year Dietetics student, said: “It means that when work is really hard, you have something that gets you through; an aim for all the work and a passion for all you learn.
“On a vocational course you have to want to work with people and you have to care about people; you can’t just get by with academia and getting good marks. Studying what you love will mean you enjoy it and this will feed into everything else you do.”
Shane Chard, a second year English and American Studies student, added: “Many people are curious about how I will turn this into a career. I always answer: my degree will equip me with an abundance of transferable skills, but what I will use to stand out from the crowd are the extracurricular activities on offer at Nottingham.”
Visit the Study What You Love blog at http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/studywhatyoulove
Tags: English and American Studies student, Professor Stephen Mumford, Study What You Love
Posted in News | Comments Off on Passion is the key to success
Genocide’s inspirational survivors
December 20th, 2012
Women who survived the Rwandan genocide are stronger and are inspiring positive changes in society, according to researchers at the University.
A high proportion of the 800,000 victims of the Rwandan genocide were men. As one survivor told interviewers, women had to find new strength: “To see my kids growing up gives me hope. Before, raising my kids alone without my husband or without a job would have been inconceivable.”
The researchers, in looking at post-traumatic growth — how individuals and societies can strive after adversity — also found that Rwandan society had become more focused on the individual. And while women do have more influence, the stigma attached to genocide victims is still holding them back.
Funded by an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award, PhD student Caroline Williamson in the University’s Department of French and Francophone Studies worked in Rwanda for a year with the Nottinghamshire-based NGO The Aegis Trust, which campaigns against genocide and crimes against humanity, and runs the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.
Caroline proofread transcripts for the Trust of survivors’ interviews which form part of the Genocide Archive. She also analysed testimonies for her own research.
After the genocide, two-thirds of the population were female. In a society where previously women could not legally own property and it was taboo for a woman to head a household, attitudes and the law had to change and evolve.
“The women interviewed saw themselves as stronger after living through the genocide,” said Caroline. “They lost husbands, sons, brothers and fathers. Often they were subjected to horrific sexual attacks. But these women often came through the experience with a raised sense of self-reliance.”
Survivors also inspired each other. “I saw people who survived unexpectedly,” one woman said. “They tried to kill them but they refused to die. They may have lost an eye, a nose or a tongue yet still they survived.”
The genocide even affected everyday language. “Through the transcripts, you can see the change in the way people speak,” added Caroline. “Where previously they would have used the first person plural, they described their experiences in the first person singular.
“But many lost their entire families. They went from being a ‘we’ to an ‘I’ in a short space of time.”
Caroline’s project — linked to a collaboration between The Aegis Trust and Dr Nicki Hitchcott of the Department of French and Francophone Studies — will increase understanding of the genocide. As Dr Hitchcott explained: “Caroline’s work at Genocide Archive Rwanda will help ensure that the voices of women survivors of the 1994 genocide are heard around the world.”
Tags: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award, Department of French and Francophone Studies, genocide, Genocide Archive, Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Rwanda, The Aegis Trust
Posted in Research | Comments Off on Genocide’s inspirational survivors
Malaysia trip teenagers will never forget
December 20th, 2012
Elephant trekking, conservation work and a daily slice of molten chocolate cake — it’s no wonder that 17-year-old Iffat Ahmad calls her all-expenses-paid trip to The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) the ‘best of her life’.
Iffat was one of five pupils from King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls in Birmingham who picked up the team prize at the University’s Academy Excellence Awards for students aged 16-19 from England’s academy schools. She was joined by fellow A-level students Merunisa Nazam, Amanpreet Nandhra, Shazia Jehan and Hajrah Zafar.
The prize included both the week-long trip and £1,000. Last year’s winners were invited to visit the The University of Nottingham Ningbo China.
“Every single day was amazing,” said Iffat. “One day we went to the elephant sanctuary in the morning and a tropical rainforest in the afternoon. I did things I’d never dreamt of doing and I learnt so much about elephants from (UNMC academic) Dr Campos-Arceiz who was really passionate about endangered species. In his words, the elephants were ‘disgustingly cute’.
“It was really refreshing to do ecology fieldwork in real life — it made me realise the importance of everyone working together to conserve natural ecosystems.”
The trip was designed to give the winning pupils a taste of culture, life and study in south-east Asia. The students took part in language lessons and observed a lecture at the University. They also completed an ecology project involving elephant relocation and a student-led activity assisting indigenous tribespeople.
Merunisa, 17, said: “The whole trip was perfectly planned to ensure we experienced as many different aspects of Malaysia as possible.”
Merunisa’s time spent in the ‘Orang Asli’ — ‘original people’ — village was a particular highlight.
She said: “They led a very simple yet happy lifestyle and certainly made me appreciate what I have. The main thing which I will always remember about Malaysia is how happy the people always were. Everywhere we went there was always a friendly happy face to welcome us. I would encourage anyone thinking about the awards to enter and just give it a go. This opportunity has changed me into a more focused and conscientious person and will stick with me forever.”
Professor Stephen Doughty, Vice-Provost for Teaching and Learning at UNMC, said: “It was a tremendous privilege to have the students visit the campus and to see campus life at first hand.
“The highlight of the visit was a project undertaken by the students on sustainable ecology. They heard about research work being undertaken by Dr Campos-Arceiz at the Malaysia campus focusing on elephant relocation and conservation, as well as seeing some student-led activities assisting marginalised indigenous tribespeople to cultivate produce to create a sustainable income.”
The trip was also an opportunity for the students to see what life is like at UNMC and to encourage them to think about studying in Malaysia or China.
Professor Sarah O’Hara, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Access and Community Engagement, said: “It’s great to hear the pupils thoroughly enjoyed their trip to The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. We know how fantastic our campuses in Malaysia and China are and the Academy Excellence Awards and this phenomenal prize are a great way of demonstrating this, as well as rewarding the hard work of students at academy schools.
“Hopefully the trip has demonstrated to the students that you can study at a top-class university like Nottingham and also take advantage of the opportunity to spend time at our campuses in Malaysia or China.”
The Academy Excellence Awards are sponsored by the David Ross Foundation and hosted by the University. Nottingham alumnus David Ross (Law 1987), Chairman of the David Ross Foundation and Co-chair of Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, has already committed £2.1m to support Nottingham Potential, a commitment to break down the barriers to higher education and a key project under the Nurturing Talent theme of the University’s Campaign.
Tags: Birmingham, David Ross, Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, Malaysia, Nottingham Potential, Nurturing Talent, Professor Sarah O’Hara, UNMC
Posted in Features | Comments Off on Malaysia trip teenagers will never forget