Campus News
How past affects our present
May 31st, 2012
Charting the heritage of a local community can be a painstaking and frustrating process for the amateur historian or archaeologist, often hampered by limited time and funding.
Now, a new project being led by The University of Nottingham could offer a helping hand to East Midlands voluntary groups interested in delving into their local history by opening up access to the expertise and resources of professional arts and humanities researchers.
The Writing our History and Digging our Past project will allow local groups to work with researchers for six months investigating a specific archaeology or history topic and could increase their chances of attracting further funding to continue their studies in the future.
Professor Liz Harvey, Head of the School of Humanities, said: “We see this as a process of genuine knowledge exchange. It will offer our arts and humanities researchers valuable experience of public and community engagement while opening up access to knowledge and resources that in normal circumstances may be out of reach of voluntary groups and societies.”
The project is funded as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Connected Communities initiative, which aims to encourage understanding of the changing nature of communities and community values and the impact which their heritage and cultural contexts have on our quality of life.
The University has been awarded £25,000 by the initiative, £5,000 of which has been earmarked as a Challenge Fund specifically for community projects. The voluntary organisations will be able to join forces with a Nottingham academic to bid for a £500 grant which will fund a specific local heritage project for six months. The funding will also be used to deliver open days and workshops showcasing research excellence and to strengthen links with organisations including Derbyshire County Archives, local libraries, Yorkshire Archaeological Trust, the National Trust and Durban House, home to the DH Lawrence visitors’ centre.
Academics at the University already have longstanding relationships with local groups and work with volunteers on existing research projects, including:
• The Victoria County History (VCH), which aims to publish a concise history of every parish in England. Academics Professor John Beckett and Mr Philip Riden have been working with volunteers to research the history of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
• John Player’s Advertising Archive Knowledge Transfer Partnership, in collaboration with Nottingham Museums and Galleries, which has catalogued a collection of more than 20,000 objects from the company’s history.
• Fieldwork in Southwell, which is combining a range of desk-based and archaeological survey techniques to examine how the area has developed since the Romans.
Dr Will Bowden, an academic lead on Fieldwork, said: “In Southwell, local volunteers work together with students in the excavation team and allow us to literally dig in their gardens, giving us the opportunity to map archaeological deposits across the town. The research simply could not happen without community involvement.”
Tags: Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Connected Communities i, community engagement, Dr Will Bowden, Durban House, Fieldwork, Head of the School of Humanities, John Player’s Advertising Archive Knowledge Transfer Partnership, Professor John Beckett, Professor Liz Harvey, The Victoria County History (VCH), Writing our History and Digging our Past
Posted in Issue 58, Research | Comments Off on How past affects our present
Come on down, the prize is right…
May 31st, 2012
The UK’s future broadcasting talent has come together to celebrate the best in student television at the site where some of the nation’s favourite programmes were created.
Studio 7 at the University’s King’s Meadow Campus was once host to such TV classics as Bullseye, Supermarket Sweep and The Price is Right, so it seemed only fitting that it should host the 39th National Student Television Awards.
The Students’ Union’s TV station, NUTS, has enjoyed success at previous awards ceremonies, taking the presenting, marketing, and drama gongs last year. This year the team was celebrating in style as hosts of the National Student Television Association Awards and accompanying conference.
More than 400 students, from 32 university TV stations across the UK attended the three-day conference, which featured workshops by leading industry figures, covering subjects The Future of Student TV, Kick-Starting Your Career and Cutting-Edge Technology.
Speakers included the creator of BBC iPlayer, Anthony Rose; Nick Shearman, the BBC Commissioning Editor for Documentary and Factual and Paul Ryan, Head of Event Operations at ESPN TV.
NaSTA, which aims to create a community of student television stations while offering support and advice to its members, also held its AGM, the NaSTIES and the Golden Bodge Screening, but it was the awards that stole the show.
A total of 22 categories were held, with all eyes on the prestigious Special Recognition; Best On-Screen Male; Best On-Screen Female; and Best Broadcaster prizes.
NUTS excelled, winning four awards:
• Best Live – The Hall: Highlights
• Best Light Entertainment – Inter Campus Cupids
• Best Sport – Varsity Ice Hockey
• Best Technical
Chris Leyland, NaSTA Conference and Awards Coordinator, said: “As with all Nottingham events we have been driven to make this the best NaSTA Conference and Awards weekend ever.
“We hope that all of the guests and VIPs have had an enjoyable weekend, while having the chance to network and receive recognition for the incredible content they have been creating all year.”
The 2012 NaSTA conference and awards were supported by Cascade. The fund provided £1,000 to help organisers add a People’s Choice category to the awards ceremony. The award, which recognises the hard work, skill and creativity that goes into developing a successful piece of student television, was won by Leicester University’s TV station for its film Come Read With Me.
The NaSTA conference and awards ceremony was held in support of Marrow Nottingham: www.wix.com/nottinghammarrow/2011.
To see a video of the awards ceremony, visit: http://nasta.nutsonline.org.
Tags: Cascade, Marrow Nottingham, NaSTA, NUTS
Posted in Issue 58, News | Comments Off on Come on down, the prize is right…
New chapter in medieval book’s history
May 31st, 2012
A rare medieval service book is being unveiled in ‘virtual form’ in the Nottingham parish church where it was used during the 15th and early 16th centuries.
The famous Wollaton Antiphonal was made for Sir Thomas Chaworth, the richest man in Nottinghamshire, in about 1430. It is a large and beautifully illustrated manuscript full of medieval liturgy and choral music and was used in St Leonard’s Church in Wollaton, Nottingham, which acquired it after his death.
The Antiphonal has been in the care of the University’s Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections to ensure its preservation but now, thanks to modern technology, a virtual version is being returned to the church so that everyone can enjoy the sounds and sights of this historic treasure.
An interactive computer application called Turning the Pages has been used to transfer digital images of the Antiphonal and some of the chants sung by the choir of St Leonard’s to a kiosk which can be used by the public to explore the medieval service book.
Rector of St Leonard’s, Canon Jerry Lepine, said: ”St Leonard’s is hugely grateful to The University of Nottingham for the conservation work on the Wollaton Antiphonal as well as the ‘virtual Antiphonal’ that will now be available in the church.
“It is thrilling to know that this magnificent volume is ‘coming home’ and can now be available to a wider public.
“It is a significant part of our story that can now be told in an accessible way to adults and children alike.”
Dr Dorothy Johnston, Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections at The University of Nottingham, added: “Giving access to the Antiphonal through digitised images has really transformed its accessibility — users of the kiosk can zoom in on the decorations, learn from notes about the meaning of the different pages, and even listen to members of Wollaton choir singing chants from the manuscript. It’s been a great project.”
Professor Thorlac Turville-Petre from the University’s School of English has carried out extensive research on the Antiphonal.
He said: “The Wollaton Antiphonal is one of the hidden treasures of Nottingham, so I was delighted when support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council gave us the opportunity to develop the ‘virtual antiphonal’ so that everyone can enjoy turning its glorious pages.”
The digitisation of the University’s Manuscripts and Special Collections to improve access is part of Impact: The Nottingham Campaign. Find out more at: http://tiny.cc/UoNImpactManuscripts.
Tags: Dr Dorothy Johnston, manuscripts and special collections, Professor Thorlac Turville-Petre, School of English, Sir Thomas Chaworth, Turning the Pages, Wollaton Antiphonal
Posted in Features, Issue 58 | Comments Off on New chapter in medieval book’s history
Sole sister
May 31st, 2012
Diana Rikasari is a woman with a passion for shoes.
In fact, the Nottingham alumna, who graduated from The University of Nottingham’s Malaysia campus with an MSc in International Business Management in 2006, is making a career out of them.
Her business, UP Shoes “shoes with a passion and purpose” has recently celebrated its first anniversary.
Based in Indonesia’s fourth largest city Bekasi, Diana’s brand, described as edgy and eclectic, is fast developing into a business success story with her handmade shoes, designed for women of all ages and for all occasions, showcased in many of the world’s top fashion magazines.
“I’ve always believed that wearing a pretty pair of shoes makes a person happy and I really want my business to spread happiness around the world. Our shoes are 100% Indonesian, they’re made-to-order which minimises waste and inventory cost and enables us to offer affordable prices.”
Diana also wants to change lives through her shoes and has donated RP5.000 from each sale as part of her own Level UP Scholarship Programme which supports the education of bright and promising young students until they complete at least nine years of basic compulsory education. The scheme is currently supporting 51 Indonesian students.
Tags: Diana Rikasari, Level UP Scholarship Programme, UNMC
Posted in Features, Issue 58 | Comments Off on Sole sister
‘Best of British, best of Malaysia’
May 31st, 2012
Prime Minister David Cameron has visited The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus as part of the first official visit to the country by a British Prime Minister in almost 20 years.
He was joined by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in a visit that served to emphasise the strength of ties between the two countries.
Both PMs attended a meeting of the Global Movement of Moderates on campus, followed by a Q&A session on global politics including around 100 University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) students.
Mr Cameron expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Najib, who was instrumental in developing the UNMC campus in his previous capacity as Education Minister of Malaysia. He said: “Thank you for inviting me to join you today and thank you for speaking about our shared interests, our shared values, our shared history.
“It is great we are able to do this at The Nottingham University Campus in Malaysia, the first full campus of a British University overseas: a really pioneering partnership that sees the full breadth of the academic study and research here in Malaysia.
“It represents the best of British, the best of Malaysia, and I am very pleased to be here today. I know, Prime Minister, that developing this campus has long been an urge of yours when you were Education Minister, so we are grateful to you, Prime Minister Najib, for your vision and support over many years in helping to bring this about.”
Prime Minister Najib said: “I am really delighted that Prime Minister David Cameron has decided to visit Malaysia, and particularly to Nottingham Campus. It is of course my Alma Mater.”
The Prime Minister toured UNMC’s campus and heard about the pioneering role it plays as a powerful symbol of successful educational collaboration between the two nations.
Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, said: “The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus is a genuine UK-Malaysia partnership. To have the Prime Ministers from both countries at the campus is a great honour, but also symbolically very powerful. It is now 12 years since UNMC was established, during which time it has helped pioneer the globalisation of higher education. We are perfectly placed to meet the future challenges set out in the MoU signed during this visit.”
The University of Nottingham made history in 2000, building on a strong relationship with Malaysia to open the first full overseas campus of a UK university.
Today, UNMC is one of the biggest success stories in global higher education, with more than 4,000 students from 75 countries on a purpose-built site near Kuala Lumpur. UNMC students study in English, for University of Nottingham degrees that are taught and assessed in the same way as those at Nottingham UK.
During the Global Movement of Moderates meeting, Prime Minister Najib and Mr Cameron spoke about moderate Islam and how fundamentalism bears no reflection on the true values of Islam and that it should not be tolerated. The Q&A session included UNMC students, where Mr Cameron and Najib answered questions on, among others, the political situation in Burma, Iran, Palestine and Israel.
The visit also saw the signing of a UK-Malaysia Joint Statement on Higher Education and Skills at UNMC by the Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, and Malaysia’s Minister for Higher Education, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Both parties pledged to continue to support emerging partnership in the context of the memorandum of understanding, and to consider additional areas of collaboration in higher education, research and innovation; announcement of a new scholarship scheme; policy and reform challenges; leadership; further education and skills development; and monitoring partners in education.
The signing was followed by a round-table meeting between key heads of universities in the UK and Malaysia. UNMC was represented by Provost and Chief Executive Officer Professor Ian Pashby and Professor Graham Kendall, Vice Provost (Research and Knowledge Transfer).
The University of Nottingham UK enjoys strong ties with Malaysia, and has one of the largest communities of Malaysian students of any UK university. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is an alumnus, graduating in Industrial Economics in 1974.
Prof Pashby said: “Today is a milestone for us, as we host two Prime Ministers on our campus for a significant global agenda in higher education. Bilateral relations between UK and Malaysia are of great significance to the continued growth of UNMC, as it is both a UK and a Malaysian university.”
Tags: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Global Movement of Moderates, Prime Minister David Cameron, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, UNMC
Posted in Issue 58, News | Comments Off on ‘Best of British, best of Malaysia’
Innovative ‘robot’ earns trio an award of excellence
May 31st, 2012
Engineers at The University of Nottingham and a colleague at Rolls-Royce have been awarded an award of excellence for a revolutionary ‘robot’.
Professor Dragos Axinte and Dr John Allen at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing Technology and Ralph Anderson at Rolls-Royce have been awarded a Rolls-Royce Submarines Excellence Through Innovation Award for their unique miniature machine tool, a Free-leg Hexapod, or FreeHex.
Their portable version of a flexible machining system promises to cut costs and improve efficiency. The miniature six-axis parallel kinematic platform can apply complex computerised milling processes to a range of in-situ maintenance jobs. It demonstrates how Nottingham UTC researchers in collaboration with European partners, such as Tekniker in Spain, tackle ‘real-world’ engineering challenges, delivering solutions through the University’s Rolls-Royce UTCs.
The idea for the FreeHex came after Rolls-Royce’s submarine business, which required in-situ repairs in confined spaces, asked for a smaller and more flexible version of its machinery, but with the same functionality.
“Many traditional machine tools are still ‘serial manipulators’ like robot arms; a chain of rigid links in a series. These serial kinematic machines (SKMs) stack independent stages to provide multi-axis movement; but this can lead to compound errors,” says UTC Director Prof Axinte. “Alternative parallel kinematic mechanisms driven by actuators, often telescopic ‘jacks’ and ball-screw drives linked in pairs, are flexible but also more complex.
“Our development of a Free-leg Hexapod, a unique parallel kinematic configuration without base platform so that the lower joints (feet) can be attached to the surfaces of various geometries, takes this kind of robotised in-situ processing machine a reality. This initial development will be continued as a FP7 EU-funded project, MiRoR, for which our key partner, Tekniker, will support the manufacture of the Walking FreeHex.”
The design has now been patented and Rolls-Royce is looking at using it in other areas, such as aerospace.
“Previous attempts to produce machines for in-situ maintenance resulted in bespoke machines designed for just one purpose,” says Prof Axinte. “Our machine has enough flexibility to tackle many tasks. The technology has great potential, and we’ve had strong interest from many businesses, including Formula One teams.”
Mr Anderson added: “The technology offers us a genuine alternative to our traditional bespoke machine designs.”
The machine weighs less than 5kg. Rather than wait for a workshop to make and deliver a part, the device brings workshop functionality on site and approaches repair tasks intelligently. Its computer numerical control ensures highly accurate and repeatable machining which can operate remotely in dangerous environments.
Combined with remote monitoring of equipment and analysis of data for predictive maintenance, this adds a new element to industry efforts to boost efficiency, reduce plant downtime and minimise costs.
Tags: Dr John Allen, Free-leg Hexapod, FreeHex, Professor Dragos Axinte, Rolls-Royce Submarines Excellence Through Innovation Award, Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Manufacturing Technology, Tekniker
Posted in Issue 58, Research | Comments Off on Innovative ‘robot’ earns trio an award of excellence
Community cash
May 31st, 2012
Students, residents and local businesses can now apply for a £500 grant from the University to make their community a better place to live.
The Community Chest Fund has been relaunched and the University is looking to help projects which will contribute to the safety, social harmony and environment of local neighbourhoods, while promoting social responsibility and community engagement among students and residents.
Off campus Student Affairs Manager Melanie Futer explained: “The University of Nottingham and its students have a shared commitment to the wellbeing of local communities. Our students have been living off-campus for decades, and the great majority respect their neighbourhoods, behave with consideration, and contribute with real enthusiasm to local life.
“Having a Community Chest Fund enables our students to work with local residents on a series of projects, which only help to increase this community cohesion. This year we are hoping to get more projects off the ground having seen the success of initiatives such as The Dunkirk Tea Party, Grab a Bag, The Street Pastor Scheme and Improvements to Radford Park.”
Past recipients of a Community Chest Fund grant include:
• The Dunkirk Tea Party, an annual event at which residents, local organisations and the University work together to develop and maintain a relationship between residents and students over a cup of tea.
• Grab a Bag, which has been running for four years, helping The Lenton Centre to collect students’ unwanted items and offer them to residents.
• The Street Pastor Scheme, whose volunteers work with police to make the city centre safer and help people to get home on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Improvements to Radford Park, where students worked with a local school and the Muslim Women’s Centre to plant 107 shrubs and add 1,500 litres of bark mulch.
The re-launch of the Community Chest Fund projects will allow projects like these to apply for funding. To find out more and to apply, visit: www.nottingham.ac.uk/currentstudents/yourcommunity/communitychestfund.aspx.
£12m investment
May 31st, 2012
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the University have formalised a collaboration to establish a new laboratory to accommodate a Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry, and to construct an innovative carbon neutral sustainable chemistry laboratory.
The GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry will be based on the University’s Jubilee Campus and its construction is being supported by a £12m grant from GSK.
The laboratory will be a Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry and will focus on research that is of particular relevance to the pharmaceutical industry and which complements established expertise at the University. It will also deliver advanced undergraduate teaching and outreach to the wider scientific community to embed sustainable chemistry principles in the next generation of scientists.
The Centre will serve as a global hub to catalyse new collaborations and will bring together leading UK academics, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers and GSK chemists, developing expertise in sustainable chemical synthesis. The focus on sustainability will be reflected in the building itself, which will incorporate the latest technologies to allow it to be carbon-neutral over its lifetime. The laboratory will be built from natural materials and energy required to run it will be met by renewable sources. Excess energy created by the building will provide enough carbon credits over 25 years to pay back the carbon used in its construction.
Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK, said: “The carbon neutral laboratory will help affirm the UK as a global hub for the future of the life-sciences industry. Our vision is that the science researched within the laboratory will be as iconic as the building itself. This is an opportunity to invest further in science in the UK, re-think how we approach the drug discovery process and play a role in contributing to environmental stewardship.”
Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, said: “This development will be transformational in several dimensions: the built form will break new ground in sustainable construction; the Centre of Excellence will shape the future of drug discovery; and innovation in training and development will accelerate the translation of discovery to application. This is all tremendously exciting and will underpin a unique partnership between GSK and The University of Nottingham.”
The announcement builds on GSK’s environmental strategy announced in 2011, with an objective that GSK’s operations will become carbon neutral by 2050. Adopting sustainable chemistries from the start of the drug discovery process will help to reduce the impact of both the discovery and subsequent manufacturing of drugs on the environment. GSK will also fund a research programme to gather information on aspects of the carbon neutral laboratory that could be transferred into the existing GSK estate to increase efficiency, reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The University is renowned for its scientific excellence, with a broad portfolio of chemistry-based degree courses. GSK has a number of existing relationships with the University including providing postgraduate chemistry studentships, delivering a medicinal chemistry module to third-year undergraduate chemists and offering opportunities for fourth-year MSci project students to participate in live GSK research programmes. The University continues to provide GSK with high quality chemists for industrial placements, graduate and postgraduate roles.
Christopher Moody, Sir Jesse Boot Professor of Chemistry at Nottingham, said: “The carbon neutral laboratory is an outstanding opportunity to put in place an innovative new research training framework and develop an ethos for sustainable synthesis that will be unique in the UK. We will investigate new methods to address problems in synthetic chemistry, whilst building a greater awareness of the environmental impact of choice of solvents, reagents and procedures.”
Construction will begin in Spring 2013 and it is expected to be completed during 2014. It will be one of the first laboratory buildings designed to Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Outstanding’ standard.
GSK’s donation is a key contribution to Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, a five-year drive to raise £150m, launched in October 2011.
Tags: CEO of GSK, Christopher Moody, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, Sir Andrew Witty, Sir Jesse Boot Professor of Chemistry, The GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry
Posted in Issue 58, News | Comments Off on £12m investment
From the battlefield to the classroom
May 31st, 2012
British servicemen and women who are leaving or have left the Forces within the last two years are being offered the chance to bring their unique skills into the classroom.
The School of Education will provide extra places from September as part of its highly successful Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP). The School has developed Troops for Teachers, which is tailor-made for graduates who have served in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force.
Troops to Teachers is part of a government scheme which pledged a package of support for ex-military personnel wanting to retrain. It was prompted by a scheme in America which found ex-servicemen and women to be excellent teachers, particularly in poverty-stricken areas and in subjects such as modern languages, mathematics and science.
Course leader Dr Lindsey Smethem said: “We have experience every year of working with small numbers of service-leavers and understand the particular issues they may encounter. It is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a cohort of servicemen and women as they embark on their new careers. Our programme, rated outstanding by Ofsted, is well placed to support them to make the best possible start in teaching“
Neil Lamont, 44, a former RAF Wing Commander, is a GTP student at Nottingham. He said: “The GTP sounded exactly the right approach to suit me. I already had experience of teaching, my military career has given me a huge amount of experience of standing in front of people and public speaking, therefore the GTP gave me the route to go straight into a school and start learning the art of teaching to children straight away. It really appealed to me”.
There are seven salary-funded places available from the end of August in the areas of chemistry, modern languages, maths and physics. The GTP is an employment-based route to achieving Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and is a one-year postgraduate qualification. Successful candidates will be employed by a school in a supernumary capacity on Grade 1 of the unqualified teacher scale, currently a salary of £15,781. Tuition fees payable by the trainees are £3,790; the government also contributes £5,210 towards the tuition fee.
Candidates are based in a secondary school and get one training day a week at the University, including expert subject-specific and generic training, networking and collaboration with 36 other GTP trainees, tailored pastoral support to address issues involved in making the transition to teaching, a university tutor and the chance to gain a PGCE and progress to a Masters degree as a qualified teacher.
A study of the US Troops to Teachers (T3) programme found over 90% of head teachers said T3 teachers were more effective in the classroom and had a more positive impact on student achievement than traditionally prepared teachers. It also found that despite the drop in pay, retention was high: 88% of those T3 who qualified in 2002 were still teaching three years later.
The study also found that most T3 teachers were male (82%) compared to traditionally trained teachers (18%), and that nearly two-thirds (62%) of Troops teachers held a Masters degree or higher; 37% of had a bachelor’s degree as their highest qualification.
More information at: www/education/prospective/teachertraining/troops-to-teachers-.aspx.
Tags: The School of Education, Troops for Teachers
Posted in Issue 58, News | Comments Off on From the battlefield to the classroom
