|
|
Welcome to in Focus Update… |
Past Issues << | Issue 181: Thursday 27 January 2010 |
Programming ArchitectureAVA Lecturer Paul Coates has just had his first book published. "Programming Architecture" is a simple and concise introduction to the history of computing and computational design, explaining the basics of algorithmic thinking and the use of the computer as a tool for design and architecture.
Paul, a pioneer of CAAD, demonstrates algorithmic thinking through projects and student work collated through his years of teaching students of computing and design. The book takes a detailed and practical look at what the techniques and philosophy of coding entail, and gives the reader many "glimpses under the hood" in the form of code snippets and examples of algorithms.
This is essential reading for student and professional architects and designers interested in how the development of computers has influenced the way we think about, and design for, the built environment.
Good News for all students and staff at Stratford who request books from the library! For a four-month trial period from Monday 8th February, you will no longer need to queue up at the library counter to collect your hold request, but will be able to pick it up from the self-service area at any time, day or night. When you have received notification, either by email or text, that your requested book is available for collection, just go to the self-service area and follow the three steps displayed on the hold request shelf. The books will be filed in ID number order. Your ID number is printed on all student ID cards and will also be printed on your notification email Members of staff should check their emails or contact a member of Library Staff to find out their ID numbers.
Survey forms will be available at the self-collection point and online. If you have any questions or queries, please email us at f.achen-owor@uel.ac.uk
Student e-newsletter Next week a monthly student e-newsletter, On Campus, will be launched. We will be using On Campus to communicate key messages to students and keep them aware of any developments within the University. The deadline for content for On Campus is the third Monday of each month and contributions should be sent to on.campus@uel.ac.uk
Following on froma meeting last year at Docklands in which several Skills Module Leaders recognised the importance of sharing practice and discussing common issues, we have undertaken to host a series of Skills Module Leaders Fora. These will focus on each level of the Skills Curriculum.
The first in this new series of fora for Skills Module Leaders will take place on Thursday 18th March 2010, 12.00-4.30pm in UH3.12 Stratford Campus. We aim to create a forum where Skills Module Leaders have an opportunity to network and discuss issues of importance to them. The first forum will be covering areas of relevance to Level One Skills Modules; our next two forums later in the year will focus on Employability and Research. We hope as many Skills Module Leaders as possible will attend
For further information including the programme please see Skills Module Leaders Forum 2010
Please email learn-teach@uel.ac.uk to register your place at the forum, including details of any special dietary requirements
Have you registered your place at the Programme Leaders & Link Tutors Forum yet?
Our half day forums aim to give Programme Leaders & Link Tutors the chance to network, discuss issues that are important to them as well as hear from others in UEL. Some of the topics covered at the forums include Advertising and Marketing - Issues of Relevance to Programme Leaders and Link Tutors, Managing Collaborative Partnerships including the use of UEL Plus and Turnitin and Programme Committee Management and Student Representation.
We have two forums this year taking place on 24th February 2010 and 28th April 2010.
For further information including programmes for each of the forums please see - Programme Leaders & Link Tutors Forum 2010
Please email to Nina Harding in Learning & Development n.harding@uel.ac.uk to register your place at one of the forums, stating your preferred date and any special dietary requirements.
In Focus Update is now on Twitter. Follow us here. For the latest on our activities visit the news releases section of our website www.uel.ac.uk/news
8th Annual Honorary Award Holders’ Dinner Thursday 28 January 2010
Lord Rix will be hosting the 8th Annual Honorary Award Holders' Dinner at the House of Lords at the end of January. The evening is an enjoyable social occasion and gives the opportunity to find out about the latest developments at UEL and learn about our exciting development plans, including an indoor sports facility, library provision and an academic centre. It also provides an opportunity to meet other Honorary Award Holders, senior staff and members of the Board of Governors. We currently have 120 guest joining us out of a maximum of 120!
First week 1st - 5th February 2010 For February starts, see http://www.uel.ac.uk/firstweek/index.htm for more information.
Human Rights, Self Determination and Military Intervention, Wednesday 10 February 2010 4.30pm-6.30pm, DH110
Professor Michael Doyle explores these questions in a “dialogue” with John Stuart Mill’s classic (1859) attempt to outline an ethical doctrine of nonintervention and intervention. Professor Michael W. Doyle is the Harold Brown Professor of International Affairs, Law and Political Science at Columbia University - School of International and Public Affairs. He co-directs the Center on Global Goverance at Columbia Law School. This lecture is organised by The Centre on Human Rights in Conflict Spring Events Series 2010. Full details of the series on www.uel.ac.uk/chrc or to confirm your attendance contact Victoria Perry v.perry@uel.ac.uk All welcome, refreshments provided, admission free.
Quality Assurance Agency Institutional Audit (March 2010) Briefing
Briefing sessions on the forthcoming QAA Institutional Audit will be held for all staff on the following dates. Please could you make every effort to attend ONE of the sessions, to book a place email esdsadmin@uel.ac.uk:
Tuesday 2nd February from 1-2pm in room EB1.04, Docklands Campus
Thursday 4th February from 1-2pm in room RBG.13, Stratford Campus
Further information on the QAA Institutional Audit and FAQs, including a timeline for action, is available on our QAE webpage at http://www.uel.ac.uk/audit2010/faqs.htm
Public Lecture: “From Personal Property to Speaking Subjects: Youth, Gender, and the Right to Credit in an Attention Economy.” by Theresa Senft Tuesday 9 March 5.30pm Room TBC, Docklands Campus
This talk engages with the politics of female sexual self-display over the Internet, especially focusing on teens in America and the U.K. Theresa will begin by discussing a recent U.S. law suit filed by two Indiana teens against their high school principal after he punished them for posting risqué photos in a private section of their MySpace accounts. Echoing current wisdom that there is never a guarantee of privacy on the Internet, the American Civil Liberties Union (representing the girls) has chosen to frame their activities as free-speech acts, arguing that these teens were expressing themselves to themselves in two sorts of bedrooms: their real-life one, and their online one. In this talk, Theresa frames the case in terms of her recent work on a phenomenon she calls “micro-celebrity”: a new way to perform the self that combines the visual techniques of corporate branding with the distribution technologies of the Internet. Theresa is particularly interested in how sexism and ageism converge within micro-celebrity’s overwhelming investment in the so-called ‘attention economies of the Web.’ This speech returns to a question raiseded in her book Camgirls: “Why are women continually encouraged to express themselves in media through confession, celebrity and sexual display, yet punished with conservative censure and backlash when their representation becomes ‘too much’ to handle?”
Mayfest, Wednesday 5th May 2010
Our annual cultural and arts extravaganza, more information coming soon! To get involved please contact Becky Williams, events@uel.ac.uk or ext. 2884
Open Days 2010
Wednesday 21 April 2010, 4-7pm, Stratford Campus only – Postgraduate advice evening
Saturday 26 June 2010, 12-4pm, Stratford and Docklands
Wednesday 1 September 2010, 4-7pm, Stratford and Docklands
Saturday 16 October 2010, 12-4pm, Stratford and Docklands
For more information about Open Days, contact Vicky Rossiter on v.rossiter@uel.ac.uk
Key links:
Academic Board: www.uel.ac.uk/qa/committees/acaboard
UEL Chaplaincy: www.uel.ac.uk/chaplaincy
Board of Governors: www.uel.ac.uk/governors
Graduation:www.uel.ac.uk/graduation
Mayfest: www.uel.ac.uk/mayfest
Open Days: www.uel.ac.uk/openday
Public Lectures: www.uel.ac.uk/lectureseries
Stonewall Information Service, for advice on housing, parenting, school, work, partnerships, health, immigration and crime call 08000 50 20 20. For details, visit: www.stonewall.org/info
See Events Calendar for a full listing: www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/support/eventscalendar.htm
UELSports Clothing On LineUELSports have been working with clothing manufacturer and supplier, Kit Locker, to provide a range of sports and leisure clothing for staff, students and sport clubs. The site is available to view at http://www.kitlocker.co.uk/uel/ The range of clothing is mainly linked to Sports Clubs, Fitness Range and Leisure Range, providing items such as hoodies, fleeces, polo-shirts, t-shirts, etc. The site is constantly under review, and your views and comments (and even proposals) are kindly accepted. Anyone can purchase their items on line and get their clothing personalised if preferred. All clothing is embroidered with the UELSports logo. Have a peek preview today!
Join UELSports in preparing yourself for an active future.
David Cosford
Ext 6398
D.cosford@uel.ac.uk
Leverhulme Trust – Early Career Fellowships. Deadline: 11 March 2010. The Leverhulme Trust invites applications for its early career fellowships to provide career development opportunities for those with a proven record of research who do not hold or have not held a full-time established academic post in a UK university or comparable institution. Applicants should be under the age of 35, hold a degree from a UK institution and an awarded doctorate, or have equivalent research experience. Candidates from all fields of research are eligible to apply. Fellowships last between two to three years and may be based at universities or at other higher education institutions in the UK. The trust will contribute 50 per cent of each fellow’s total salary costs up to a maximum of £23,000 per annum; the balance is to be paid by the host institution. Grants for research expenses of up to £6,000 per annum may also be requested. http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/grants_awards/grants/early_career_fellowships/
European Science Foundation (ESF) European Collaborative Research Projects (ECRP). Deadline: 10 March 2010. The ECRP scheme was established to promote investigator-driven, multinational collaborative research in the social sciences in Europe and beyond. ECRP operates in the responsive-mode and its annual Call for Proposals is open to applications in all fields of the social sciences. The scheme offers opportunities to test innovative ideas, pool expertise and strengthen research capacity in line with the objectives of the European Research Area. Researchers may collaborate across participating countries on any subject which demonstrates a need for international cooperation, while the funding remains at a national level. ECRP has a one-stage application procedure and a two-stage international peer review process coordinated by ESF which sets a high quality benchmark for the funded proposals. The Call for Proposals is published in January each year. Projects are generally supported for three to five years, depending on national rules, and some centralised funding is provided by the national funding organisations to support additional dissemination and capacity-building activities once the projects are running. ttp://www.esf.org/ecrp
British Academy, Small Research Grants. Deadline: 15 March 2010. Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. The first recourse for funding should be to your own institution (where applicable). Applications will not be considered for less than £500. The maximum grant is £7,500 over two years. Applications for collaborative or individual projects are equally welcome under this scheme. Applications from international groups of scholars are welcome, provided there is a UK-based scholar as lead applicant. Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research; and to enable the advancement of research through workshops, or visits by or to partner scholars. Applicants may seek support for any combination of eligible activity and cost up to the overall limit of £7,500. The Academy will assess applications equally on their merits, with no preference as to mode of enquiry. http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/srg.cfm
University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (UK), Frederick Williamson memorial fund. Deadline: 15 March 2010. One-year fellowships and grants will be awarded to finance advanced study or research relating to the peoples of Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, and neighbouring Himalayan areas, their society, religion and material culture. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2005-06/special/06/39.html
Foulkes Foundation, Postdoctoral Fellowships. Deadline: 15 March 2010. The awards promote medical research by providing support for science graduates who need a medical degree before they can undertake medical research and, similarly, for medical graduates who need a science degree. http://www.foulkes-foundation.org/
German Historical Institute London (GHIL), Scholarships. Deadline: 15 March 2010. These fund research visits by British and German postgraduates to Germany or Britain respectively. Each year the GHIL awards a number of research scholarships to post-graduate students and Habilitanden at German universities to enable them to carry out research in Britain, and in some cases to post-graduates at British universities for research visits to Germany. The scholarships are generally awarded for a period of up to six months, depending on the requirements of the research project. Applicants from British universities will normally be expected to have completed one year's post-graduate research, and be studying German history or Anglo-German relations. http://www.ghil.ac.uk/scholarships.html
Missed an Update? All previously advertised funding opportunities are archived until their date of expiry at http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/ResearchUpdate.htm or http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/euroupdate.htm
The English Language Centre is running Academic Writing and Communication Skills Courses in every School and across most programmes this semester. This course aims to provide students with the necessary academic writing and communication skills to succeed in their chosen field, and will help them in preparing assignments such as essays and presentations.
Please check http://www.uel.ac.uk/elc/insessional.htm for information on when courses are meeting and which students are eligible. There is a course available for every International Student and every Level 1 student, as well as many Level 2&3 and PG students. Staff and students can contact the ELC at elc@uel.ac.uk or on x6253 for more information on this programme.
Bookings are now being accepted for UEL's 2010 'Be Your Own Boss' programme, which is organised by our Knowledge Dock Business Centre for February - April. If you are a recent graduate, unemployed or thinking of starting your own business then this course is a great opportunity for you. For further details or to book a FREE place please visit:
Stratford: http://bookingsatuelstratford.eventbrite.com
Docklands: http://bookingsatueldocklands.eventbrite.com
Download the 'Be Your Own Boss' flyer here.
Do you want to win research funding, present a paper at a conference or get a journal article published? Are you studying for a PGR degree, or do you supervise PGR students? Then please have a look at the courses we are offering you this semester! Course details are available at http://www.uel.ac.uk/gradschool/training.htm
To book a place, or if you have a query, please e-mail Dr Caroline Dunmore, Research Skills Development Adviser in the Graduate School, on c.dunmore@uel.ac.uk.
For details about First Aid courses, contact Frances Bronzite on f.s.bronzite@uel.ac.uk
For details about ECDL, contact Cedrick Nosa on c.nosa@uel.ac.uk
For Learning and Development Course dates see: www.uel.ac.uk/staff-development/handbook
Win Tickets To The Baby Show at ExCeL in February
Returning to London’s ExCeL in February, The Baby Show is the biggest event in the UK dedicated to babies and pregnancy. With leading baby and parenting brands on show offering new products and the latest developments from the baby world; appearances from a range of experts on everything from breast-feeding to nutrition for children; and a host of in-show entertainment – The Baby Show is the no. 1 destination from anyone with or expecting a child.
The Show features thousands of must-have products for both parents and babies from the UK’s leading brands such as Pampers, Mothercare and Tommee Tippee; expert advice on pregnancy, birth and parenting skills; and entertainment for all the family. Visitors to the show will enjoy a fantastic shopping experience and be able to test out the latest products for their little ones; whilst offering a fantastic opportunity to speak to expert midwives, nursery nurses and, of course, fellow mums and dads. With TV presenter and mum Tess Daly, baby expert Miriam Stoppard, nutrition expert Annabel Karmel, breast-feeding guru Clare Byam-Cook and others all taking to the stage to share their collective wisdom, February’s show is not one to be missed!
We’ve teamed up with The Baby Show to offer you the chance to win 5 pairs of tickets to The Show. To enter, simply answer this question:
Which TV presenter will be making an appearance at the February show?
Email your answer to info@thebabyshow.co.uk with your name and contact details.
Competition ends Wednesday 10th February.
Tickets are available now and can be ordered from www.thebabyshow.co.uk
Please send comments or contributions for in Focus Update to: infocus@uel.ac.uk
© 2010
