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Welcome to in Focus Update… |
Past Issues << | Issue 221: 18 November 2010 |
Senior members of staff from UEL and Birkbeck, University of London, came together on Monday (15 November) at Docklands Campus to witness a milestone in the partnership between the two institutions. Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee and Professor David Latchman CBE, Master of Birkbeck, joined forces and signed a memorandum of understanding in front of the enthused guests, as a precursor to the newly proposed joint education building in Stratford. The Stratford Island University Centre (a working title for the building) will provide shared teaching facilities for both institutions and their partners, which will include Newham Sixth Form College, and will house a range of departments for subjects including law, performing arts, dance, music and IT. Also in attendance were architects from ‘Make’ who were involved in the building’s design. Their ideas for the project were presented to the guests, alongside the unveiling of a scale architectural model of the centre. For more information on the joint education building in Stratford, please visit uel.ac.uk/news.
Graduates from the School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering have become the latest UEL students to celebrate academic success. Nearly 750 students attended the Barbican Centre in central London on Tuesday (16 November) where they were each personally congratulated by Mark Stephens,
Chair of the UEL Board of Governors. The event, which was streamed live online, also saw a number of dignitaries conferred with honorary degrees and doctorates from the University. England footballing legend Sir Geoff Hurst MBE was awarded Master of the Arts, whilst Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe, and former London Docklands Development Corporation Director Sunny Crouch OBE, were conferred with Honorary Doctorates in Law and Business Administration respectively. Graduates of the CITE School were addressed by Vice-Chancellor Professor McGhee, who stated, “We are preparing our students for the challenges of future employment, equipping them with the tools to compete in an ever-changing world, and we remain committed to employability and enterprise.” The vote of thanks was given by BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering graduate Kinga Owczarek, who bestowed high praise upon her tutors. The next ceremony to take place will honour graduates of the Schools of Health and Bioscience, and of Architecture and the Visual Arts, on 23 November. For more information, see uel.ac.uk/news.
Artist and UEL alumna Clare Newton is asking students and staff at UEL to take part in a collaborative project which should not only make them an integral part of a major exhibition at the ExCel Centre, but also land them firmly in the Guinness Book of World Records. Between November and the beginning of the London Olympics in 2012, Clare will be travelling throughout London collecting tens of thousands of images of people mid-jump for what will go on to be the world’s largest photograph. The photograph, which could measure up to ten metres high and one and a half kilometres long, will then be displayed at the ExCel Centre during the London Olympics. Each participant will be clearly identifiable in the final piece. All you have to do to join in is to turn up at the Computer Conference Centre on the Stratford Campus on 25 November at 11.30am or outside Oscar’s Bistro at the Docklands Campus on 30 November or 2 December and get ready to jump your way into the Guinness Book of World Records. For more information contact Shahida on 020 8223 2345, 07872 600992 or suv@uel.ac.uk, or visit jump4london.co.uk.
This Thursday (18 November) the University is providing the opportunity for staff and students to listen to UEL staff-members Sian Mooney (whose artwork 3 sisters is pictured left), Mika Nash, Vicki Fong and Lucy Jones speak about their own work as professional artists. This will be followed by presentations from textile artist Rhian Solomon, Professor Tom Klinkowstein and graphic design duo OKRM. Speeches will be followed by a Question Time-style discussion panel and will close with refreshments and a networking opportunity.
The event will be held on Docklands Campus (Lecture Theatre EB244), beginning at 2pm, with an interval at 3.45pm, and concluding in the Library Lecture Theatre from 4pm until 6.45pm. For further information, please contact Lucy Jones via l.m.jones@uel.ac.uk. Please see uel.ac.uk/news for more information.
The Children’s Garden Early Years Centre is delighted to announce their forthcoming Christmas Fair. Please help the Centre make the market a success by donating any of the following:
– lucky dip (e.g. small toys)
– fresh baked goods (e.g. cakes, biscuits, mince pies)
– unwanted gifts (for raffle prizes).
All contributions are welcome, however large or small! Food items should be brought to the Children’s Garden by Monday 6 December. Raffle tickets will shortly be available; please buy generously while stocks last. The Centre would like to thank everyone for their help so far, and hope to see everyone at the market for delicious foods, mulled drinks, Christmas gifts and stocking fillers, children’s craft activities and more. For further information, please contact Annette James at the Children's Garden via a.james@uel.ac.uk or 020 8223 2663.
Two UEL students who face serious disadvantages have received prestigious Helena Kennedy Foundation (HFK) awards, which will provide them with valuable support. Kamran Dein (pictured) and Fru Austin will each receive a £1,500 bursary from the University to support their three years of study at UEL. In addition, the University will provide a further £400 between the two to fund specialist support, which will include mentoring and work-shadowing opportunities provided by HFK. The first-year undergraduates were presented with their awards from human rights lawyer and peer, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC (pictured), in recognition of their achievements in reaching higher education. Baroness Kennedy said, “I am delighted to have presented Kamran and Fru with these awards in recognition of their huge achievements in reaching university against the odds. Each student who receives an award has been selected because they are special, and have shown real talent and determination.” Nirmal Borkhataria, UEL Pro Vice-Chancellor and Director of Finance, and HKF board member, commented, “Fru and Kamran personify an ethos that lies at the very core of UEL’s philosophy...It is our responsibility to ensure they are both supported and encouraged in their pursuit of academic excellence.” For the full story, please visit uel.ac.uk/news.
Wise Up to Health, Safety & Wellbeing 2010 was a lively festival earlier this month, with exhibitors from a range of healthcare and community organisations visiting our campuses. Staff and students at both Docklands and Stratford were offered a range of activities such as Indian head massage treatments, BMI assessments, and fire safety simulation training. Exhibitors from organisations such as the Health and Safety Executive, St John’s Ambulance and Newham Stop Smoking hosted information stands and offered individual advice. This year’s event included a unique community awareness workshop for local college students. Staff from the Education & Community Partnerships (Schools and Colleges) team delivered a health and safety workshop for fifty students from Crossways College and Waltham Forest Colleges. Del Basi, UEL’s Occupational Health and Safety Manager, said, “The annual Wise Up events are a great example of partnership working between internal and external partners. Without such support the events would be nowhere near as successful as they have been over recent years. We are most grateful to all the staff and students who supported the events”.
Reducing waste and recycling is an easy thing that you can do to be greener at UEL. There is a wide range of materials that can be recycled on campus including: newspapers, magazines, envelopes, cardboard, dry tissues/paper napkins, clean sandwich packaging, paper cups (hot drinks cups including lids), paper plates, plastic bottles (including milk bottles and lids), carrier bags, clean food packaging, plastic cutlery, cans, tins and foil.
Simply look out for bins lined with orange bags in offices, teaching rooms and communal areas. We want everyone to help improve our recycling rate and reduce the amount that goes into landfill. If you would like to order orange bags for your office, have spotted a classroom without recycling facilities or would like some bin stickers explaining what can and cannot be recycled, simply contact Assistant Campus Manager, Mollie Miller via m.miller@uel.ac.uk. Remember, orange signifies recycling and everything else is landfill waste! Visit uel.ac.uk/greenthing for more info on environmental issues at UEL. Please note, some offices may have bins with blue lids for white paper recycling only.
UEL staff and students gathered in abundance on Thursday (11 November) to pay their respects to the men and women whose lives were lost in the conflicts of centuries past, primarily throughout the First and Second World Wars. Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee addressed those present with an inspirational and moving speech in honour of the day of remembrance, commemorating both the United Kingdom and other countries whose participation also cost them dearly. Patrick recited the well-versed poem For The Fallen by Robert Laurence Binyon, which was followed by a two-minute silence at the eleventh hour.
We would like to thank each attendee for their kind attention, which made for a truly poignant Remembrance Day. Patrick wishes to make the gathering an annual event, which will alternate each year between the Stratford and Docklands Campuses.
For the latest on our activities visit the news releases section of our website www.uel.ac.uk/news
Free Eyecare Service on Campus: 16 – 22 November (Stratford Campus,
The Green beside University House), 24 – 30 November (Docklands Campus, University Square)
Eyecare Corporate will be on site to carry out free eyetests for all staff. To book your eye test at Stratford Campus, please visit
eyecareint.com/store/disp.cgi?page=lnkin.html&u=UNIV4881&p=sivott. To book your eye test at Docklands Campus,
please visit eyecareint.com/store/disp.cgi?page=lnkin.html&u=UNIV0400&p=cifili. If you have any queries about this service, please contact Eyecare Corporate in the first instance via
customerservice@eyecarecorporate.com or
020 8492 3696. If you have any specific UEL-related queries, please contact Justin Lewis (UEL Occupational Health Adviser) via
j.r.lewis@uel.ac.uk or 020 8223 6295.
‘How can future development plans for the Olympic Park help to transform the heart of East London?’: Thursday 18 November, 6.30 – 9.30pm. Drinks reception, 8.30 – 9.30pm (Cass Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, EC1Y 8TZ)
John Lock, UEL’s Director of the 2012 Office for Olympic and Paralympic Development, has been chosen as a guest speaker at a new lecture which will focus on the extent to which the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games can act as a catalyst for the transformation of East London. Visit
legacycompany.co.uk/news-events/whats-on/?event_id=11 to register. For more information, please contact Victoria Stonebridge via 0203 288 1800 or info@legacycompany.co.uk.
My story: whose story is it anyway?: 22, 24 and 26 November, 2.30pm (Duncan House, Stratford and Docklands Campuses respectively)
As part of interfaith week UEL Students' Union and Chaplaincy would like to invite you to an intimate gathering of storytelling by UEL students and members of the public from diverse faith backgrounds. Admission is free but places are limited. Please RSVP by emailing your name, telephone number and choice of campus to suv@uel.ac.uk. For
more events taking place during interfaith week, please visit uelunion.org/volunteers/content/588703/interfaith_week_21st_nov_-_27th_nov_/
Medieval Mystery Plays in the City:
Monday 22 Friday – 26 November, 6.30 and 8.30pm (St Clement Eastcheap Church, Clements Lane EC4)
Humanities and Social Sciences
Senior Lecturer Olive Stubbs will be presenting her 25th annual production of medieval plays next week. The performances
will feature her adaptation of scenes from 15th century texts from cities around the country. Please see
theplayersofstpeter.org.uk for further information, or contact Olive via
o.m.stubbs@uel.ac.uk.
As part of UEL Awards Week: Vice-Chancellor's Prizewinners Awards: Monday 22 November (Stratford Campus)
A celebratation of first- and second-year student prizewinners. For more information, please contact Dinaz Trudeau at d.trudeau@uel.ac.uk.
As part of UEL Awards Week: Volunteering Awards: Wednesday 24 November, 6.30 – 8pm (Docklands Campus)
A celebration of UEL students' commitment to volunteering over the past year. Refreshments and canapés will be served at 6pm. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to Danielle Bailey at volunteering@uel.ac.uk.
Jump 4 London: 25 November (Stratford Campus), 30 November and 2 December (Docklands Campus)
Get snapped mid-jump for the world’s largest photograph, to be exhibited at ExCel Centre! To participate, turn up at the Computer Conference Centre at Stratford Campus on 25 November at 11.30am or outside Oscar’s Bistro at Docklands campus on 30 November or 2 December and get ready to jump your way into the Guinness Book of World Records. For more information contact Shahida on 020 8223 2345, 07872 600992 or suv@uel.ac.uk, or visit jump4london.co.uk.
‘How can the sporting legacy of the London 2012 Games deliver lasting change to the East End of London?’: Thursday 2 December, 6 – 8pm, Drinks reception, 8 – 9pm (Docklands Campus)
This event will explore how the sporting legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games might transform the East End of London. It will draw on the economic lessons of previous urban sporting regeneration initiatives and explore London-wide ambitions for sporting participation. The event will include guest speakers, as well as an introduction by Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee. Attendance is free but registration is essential. To register please go to legacycompany.co.uk/news-events/whats-on/?event_id=9. For more information please contact Victoria Stonebridge via info@legacycompany.co.uk or 020 3288 1800.
Improving Progression to Higher Education: Thursday 2 December, 9am – 4pm (Mayfair Conference Centre, London, W2 2ES)
Professor John Storan, Director of the Centre for Widening Participation at UEL, will be one of six guest speakers to appear at a one-day conference, which will address the areas of understanding policy, clarifying funding structures and identifying ways to work more effectively in partnership. To register, please visit emapeducation.com/progression. For more information email educationconferences@emap.com or call 020 7554 5800. Please note this is not a University event.
Managing Your Career Workshop: ‘From Application to Interview’: Thursday 2 December, 1 – 5pm (Docklands Campus)
Organised by
the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Staff Network, the aim of this workshop is to provide participants with an insight into how recruitment and selection processes are conducted within the public and private sectors, and the skills and qualities required in order to ensure that their applications have a unique selling point (USP). The session covers completing applications and CVs, delivering presentations and psychometric assessments. It is open to all staff, but places are limited.
If you would like to attend, please contact Seta Perez (Equality and Diversity Administrator) via seta@uel.ac.uk by 26 November.
Christmas Market: Wednesday 8 December, 12 noon – 3pm (Docklands Campus,
Children’s Garden Early Years Centre)
The Children’s Garden Early Years Centre is delighted to announce their forthcoming Christmas Fair. All goods-donations are welcome, however large or small! Food items should be brought to the Children’s Garden by Monday 6 December. Raffle tickets will shortly be available. For further information, please contact Annette James at the Children's Garden via a.james@uel.ac.uk or 020 8223 2663.
Alumni Christmas Party: Thursday 16 December, 6.30pm 'til late (West Ham United Football Club)
The programme for the evening includes a DJ and disco, quizzes, raffles and live music. A festive buffet and your first drink are included in your ticket. Tickets are £10 purchased before, and £15 after, 3 December. To attend, please send a cheque made payable to ‘UEL Development Trust’and send it to Development and Alumni Office, UEL Docklands Campus, University Way, London E16 2RD, and write 'Christmas 2010' on the back. Please include a note with your name, your guest(s’) name(s), contact address, phone number and email address. A formal ticket will be sent to you closer to the event. For more information, please contact alumni@uel.ac.uk or call 020 8223 6443.
See Events Calendar for a full listing: www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/support/eventscalendar.htm
UEL Tennis club has organised a tennis tournament on Saturday 27 November between 2 and 5pm, at West Ham Park in Stratford. The tournament will run as a mixed doubles event. However, interested parties can form a doubles team on the day.
UELSports members play for free and non-members pay £4 on the day. Winners receive a full set of Nike UELSports clothing range and two sets of tennis cans.
For more information, please contact Nurudeen Isa on n.isa@uel.ac.uk
'No Strings' Badminton sessions UELSports, in conjunction with Badminton England, are in the final stages of organising a weekly casual badminton session called ‘No Strings'. The session will be a sociable, fun and relaxed opportunity to play badminton. This session will be run as a pay as you play, so no booking or membership will be required. A qualified coach will be present to ensure that participants rotate and play different people during the session, and to give guidance where requested.
Details (yet to be confirmed):
Start date: TBC (within the next two weeks)
Venue: Sarah Bonnell School (opposite Stratford Campus on Water Lane)
Day: Tuesdays
Time: 5.30 – 7pm
Cost: £4 (staff) £3 (students)
David Cosford, the University's Director of Sport, commented, "No strings badminton is a great way of keeping fit and active whilst having some fun as a group. I hope that both staff and students can support this session, as I have organised this to coincide with people finishing work and lectures. Sarah Bonnell provides a great venue, and it is really convenient for people at Stratford. They have a great sports hall and have wanted to welcome UEL use for some time".
Please sign up your interest with David Cosford via d.cosford@uel.ac.uk or 020 8223 6398.
The fitness coaches in the M-Block gym at Stratford are organising a fitness challenge for UEL staff and students called the 'Spartan 300'. Participants will complete 300 different repetitions across several exercises against the clock. Details of the event are still being finalised, but interested candidates can register with Steve Aish at steve@londonkettlebells.com. The challenge will take place during the week commencing Monday 6 December.
Cost per candidate will be £2, and all proceeds will be given to a nominated charity (tbc) on the day.
The fastest male and female will be rewarded with sports clothing, and the title of the fittest person at UEL.
UEL Sports – ‘Get involved, Join, Learn, Participate, Train, Motivate, Compete, Enjoy’
Leverhulme Trust, Study Abroad Studentships. Deadline: 10 January 2011, 4pm
Study Abroad Studentships support an extended period of advanced study or research at a centre of learning in any overseas country, with the exception of the USA. Studentships are tenable for between 12 and 24 months, and the current round of awards must commence between 1 June 2011 and 1 May 2012. Please see leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/SAS/SAS.cfm for more information.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Call for proposals. E-infrastructure: “Crossing the Chasm”. Deadline: 11 January 2011, 4pm
This is a call for networks and 'advocates' to promote the wider uptake of UK e-infrastructures by researchers in engineering and the physical sciences. Up to £750,000 is available through this call to fund a number of networks and advocates for up to three years. Visit epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/open/crossingthechasm/Pages/default.aspx for more information.
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Small Grants and Fellowships. Deadline for all: 13 January 2011
(1) Small grants provide funding for social science PhD students, researchers and knowledge transfer professionals to undertake knowledge exchange and impact generating activity. Grants are worth between £2,000 and £10,000 each. Please see esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/KnowledgeExch/KESmallGrants.aspx for more information.
(2) Third-Sector Replacement Fellowships enable social science researchers to spend time within a third-sector organisation to undertake practice-relevant research and work with the host organisation on specific projects, as well as third-sector organisation employees to work on a project in a setting where they have access to academic resources. Fellowships are worth up to £32,000. Please see esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/KnowledgeExch/ESRCThirdSectorPlacements.aspx for information.
(3) Business Replacement Fellowships enable the temporary transfer of individuals to and from business and academia. See esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/KnowledgeExch/BusFellow.aspx for more information.
Abbey Scholarship and Fellowships, Deadline: 14 January 2011
Abbey Awards are open to citizens of the UK and the US, and to painters of other nationalities who must have been resident in the UK or US for at least five years. The Abbey Scholarship offers an early-career painter a full academic year (October to June) at the British School at Rome. The Abbey Fellowships offer mid-career painters three months at the School during the same period. There is no age limit. Visit abbey.org.uk/information.php?countrytabs=1 for more information.
European Commission. Call for Proposals: i2i Audiovisual. Deadlines 11 January and 6 April 2011
The objective of this support is to facilitate independent European production companies’ access to funding from banks and financial institutions, by co-financing part of the costs of: insurance for audiovisual productions; completion guarantee for the production of an audiovisual work; bank financing for the production of a work. Please note that only independent audiovisual production companies registered in an EU country are eligible for funding. For more information, please see ec.europa.eu/culture/media/programme/producer/i2i/index_en.htm.
The European Future Technologies Conference and Exhibition (FET 11), Budapest, 4 – 6 May 2011
FET 11 is the major European forum dedicated to frontier research in future and emerging information technologies. The event will feature a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussion, conference sessions and poster sessions, as well as an exhibition, a science café and a video corner, together with a closing performance and several awards. Everything will be set up to provide an atmosphere conducive to interaction and co-operation between delegates, between Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and other sciences, and between sciences and the arts & humanities. Visit fet11.eu for more information.
Missed an Update? All previously advertised funding opportunities are archived until their date of expiry at uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/ResearchUpdate.htm or uel.ac.uk/gradschool/research/euroupdate.htm
Please send comments or contributions for in Focus Update to: infocus@uel.ac.uk
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