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Welcome to our weekly in Focus update...... |
Past Issues << | Issue 28: Monday 13 November 2006
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We made our debut at the Lord Mayor's Show on Saturday 11 November with an exciting entry entitled 'The Magic of Learning', organised in partnership with Investec, a leading international specialist banking group, the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, and local schools.
The highlight of the show was a 26-strong Samba band - comprising our world-famous 'Barking Bateria' with students, staff and 10 pupils from Godwin Junior School in Forest Gate, costumed as magicians and scholars.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Thorne, senior staff from Investec and the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators marched in full regalia behind the Samba band, representing the progression from school through university to careers in the City and beyond.
The Magic of Learning float featured a mobile ‘gallery of knowledge’, inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci and pulled by a pioneering eco-friendly bio-ethanol car provided by Ford.
The float itself featured surveying equipment, anatomical models, and 3m high colourful banners representing our Schools of learning.
Each banner also carried a coded message contained in quotes from Da Vinci's notebooks. The banners will now go on display at our campuses, and the first person to crack the 'Da Vinci code' will win a mysterious prize!
Professor Michael Thorne said: “It has been a wonderful day! We are delighted to be making our debut and honoured to have been selected by Investec and the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators as partners in The Magic of Learning. It was great to see so many friends and families turn out and support us!”
Staff and students from our Schools of Architecture and the Visual Arts and Computing and Technology worked up until the morning of the parade to finish the float, and the Samba band leaders ran samba and costume workshops at Godwin Junior School.
Paul Harrington our Charter Mark assessor visits our Stratford Campus this Wednesday 15 November and our Docklands Campus on 16 November. Charter Mark is the government award for excellence in customer service. Paul visited us in March and explained that he sees our Student Charter as being equivalent to our customer care policy.
Alan Ingle said: “Our Student Charter makes over a 100 promises about our facilities and services and the assessor will be checking that we are not only delivering on our promises but also monitoring them against our own standards as well as that of our competitors, and addressing any dips in performance.”
For more information about Charter Mark and to read our self-assessment visit http://www.uel.ac.uk/chartermark/
Get Smart! Get Charter Mark!
Meyrav Mor, our Early Years Centre Manager is pleased to report that our Ofsted accredited Children's Garden would be delighted to hear from potential parent, who would like to use our wonderful childcare facilities.
You might be starting a family tradition like Pat Berwick whose two children Sam and Cassie attended our Longbridge Road nursery, and now both work here!. Cassie, also a mum says she'd like to put her young son Ben into the Early Years Centre when he's old enough.
Children's Garden has fifty places for children aged three to six years. To find out more about the centre contact Meyrav Tel: 020 8223 7833 or Email: m.moy@uel.ac.uk or visit http://www.uel.ac.uk/studentservices/wellbeing/nursery.htm
Community places are also available so please let your friends and family know.
The Promising Researcher Scheme was developed following the 2003 HEFCE consultation on the research funding method. It was designed to enable researchers in middle ranking departments (defined as scoring 4 or below in RAE 2001) to spend time working in leading research centres/research intensive departments (rated 5 in RAE 2001). The scheme was worth £10 million in total over the two years 2004/5 and 2005/6.
This funding has now been rolled into our mainstream teaching allocation. Our allocation for this year is £100K and the restrictions on its use have been lifted.
For more information visit http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/prf.htm
Two of our six graduation ceremonies have already taken place for three Schools, Education, Architecture and the Visual Arts and Health and Bioscience. The ceremonies which include moving speeches from our staff, students and honorary award holders represent the culmination of three years hard work for our students and their friends and families.
For dates of our graduation ceremonies visit http://www.uel.ac.uk/alumni/graduationceremonies.htm
Monday 13 November Digital dressing: from virtuous to virtual design 4 - 5 pm Business School Lecture Theatre, Docklands campus
Inaugural lecture by Dr Jane Harris, Visiting Research Professor for Fashion Textiles School of Arts and Digital Industries
For details and updated programme information visit www.uel.ac.uk/lectureseries
Open Seminar: Michael Keith discusses his new book After the Cosmopolitan
Monday 13 November at 5pm Room WB.2.01
Michael Keith is Professor of Sociology at Goldsmith’s College where he directs the Centre for Urban and Community Research. He was also until recently Leader of Tower Hamlets Council and Chair of the London Thames Gateway Partnership. He has combined an academic career as one of the UK’s leading social and cultural geographers with a direct hands on policy role in the regeneration of East London and Thames Gateway. In this session he will introduce some of the main themes in his new book, drawing out their relevance for current debates about ‘sustainable community’.
The seminar is open to all staff and postgraduate students. If you wish to attend please send an email to leri@uel.ac.uk
To conduct your own search of current funding opportunities, or to set up email alerts specific to your interests, visit www.researchresearch.com. If you intend to submit an application for funding please contact Becky Whitham in the Graduate School.
The Leverhulme Trust: Research programmes
Deadline: 4pm, 12 January 2007
Programmes should explore significant issues in the social sciences, humanities and, to a lesser extent, the sciences. Research in the following areas is being invited: ceremony and ritual; the uses of higher education. Proposals may be submitted by groups of senior researchers or by existing research centres/teams with an established record of publication and scholarly achievement. Requests for funding may range between £500,000 and £1.25 million for a max. of 5 years.
The Wellcome Trust: Flexible Travel Awards
Deadline: Ongoing
The Wellcome Trust are offering Sabbatical Awards and Fellowships to provide enhanced opportunities for mobility and collaboration, and to enable successful scientists to obtain experience in new disciplines, interdisciplinary areas or in an emerging aspect of their own field.
Technology Programme Autumn 2006 Competition
Deadline: Registration of intention to submit an application - Midnight 8 January 2007
The Autumn 2006 competition for Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D) funding is now open for applications.
The Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine: Research Prizes
Deadline: 5 December 2006
These awards give young scientists the opportunity, as Lister Institute Research Prize holders, to develop their potential as research scientists by giving them flexible funding over a 5-year period.
Fantastic Offer: Eve Best, Colm Meaney and Kevin Spacey in A Moon for the Misbegotten at The Old Vic.
The Old Vic has top price tickets for just £20 (usually £45) for Wednesday matinees until 20 December.
Josie (Eve Best), a towering woman with a quick tongue and a ruined reputation lives in a dilapidated Connecticut farmhouse with her conniving father, Phil Hogan (Colm Meaney). Together they're a formidable force as they scrape together a livelihood. But Josie's softer side is exposed through her love of Jim Tyrone (Kevin Spacey), Hogan's landlord and drinking buddy - a third-rate actor whose dreams of stardom were washed away by alcohol.
‘A major triumph’ The Times
‘If you only see one production this year, make it this one’ Daily Express
To book, phone 0870 060 6628 quoting ‘moon midweek’
12pm - 1pm - Total Body Conditioning
1pm - 2pm - Stretch and Relax
These classes are open to both staff and students. All abilities are welcome. Changing & shower facilities are available in the former Royals Fitness Suite area.
Get away from your desk, get active, socialise and have fun
Students £2 Staff £2.50 Visitors £3
Salsa with Shirley is open to both staff and students. All abilities are welcome.
Get away from your desk, get active, socialise and have fun.
Students £2 Staff £2.50 Public £3
Brush up your IT skills and get an internationally recognised qualification online. Contact Greg Price, Organisational Development Manager on ext 4361 or email g.price@uel.ac.uk
Staff Development
Simply click on the link below to see Staff Development courses for November 06- January 2007
Wear it pink
Rui Goncalves our Head of student health reports that the Breast Cancer Awareness workshops were well attended and over £70 was raised for Cancer Research UK. Thanks go to all who participated.
As part of Men's Health Month, Student Services will be fundraising for a Prostate Cancer Charity, and will be displaying lots of information on Men's Health.
Sponsor a grandparent
As part of the Annual International Older Persons Day on 1 October Student Wellbeing, in co-operation with catering services, organised a collection at both Stratford and Docklands campuses. The money raised went to sponsor 77 year old grandparent Martinita Remo.
Help the Aged encourages people to support older people in poor communities such as in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Older people in these regions have often worked hard all their lives with no chance of saving for the future. When they become too frail or too ill to earn their own living, they may face bleak and desperate futures, often forced to beg on the streets.
The majority of the money raised goes towards Martinita’s care for the next three months and a proportion also provides for other community projects for older people in developing countries.
For more information about the events and activities Student Wellbeing are planning visit http://www.uel.ac.uk/studentservices/wellbeing/index.htm
For a round-up of events see www.uel.ac.uk/events. If you would like items included in In Focus Update send them to me, Karen O’Connor at infocus@uel.ac.uk
Please print off a copy of In Focus Update for those of your colleagues who may not have easy access to email.
© 2006
