Summer 2010 - Alumni - Lancaster University
Transcription
Summer 2010 - Alumni - Lancaster University
LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 1 STEPS Alumni Magazine Summer 2010 College News Catch up with the latest news from your College. P3 Lost Alumni Can you help us find some of your friends? P9 Memories of Lancaster Two 1960’s graduates tell us what life at Lancaster was really like. P10 LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 2 2 Director’s Welcome Contents Director’s Welcome 2 College News 3 University News 6 In Profile - Steve Smith 8 Wanted - Lost Alumni 9 Memories of Lancaster David O’Dell and David Cooper 10 Letters 12 Development News 13 Research 14 Alumni News 16 Postgraduate Studentships 18 Trivia 19 THE TEAM Nick Fragel Director of Alumni and Development Sally Nelhams Alumni and Development Officer Jane Silvester Alumni and Development Officer Martin Knowles Alumni and Development Co-ordinator Louise Johnson Alumni Assistant Frank Wareing Database Manager Rachel Newbury Head of Annual Giving So it’s official: Lancaster is a Top Ten UK university (according to The Times, The Independent and The Guardian). Congratulations to the many hard working staff and students who have contributed to this success. Good teamwork and a clear strategic vision are two reasons why the University has done so well in this year’s broadsheet league tables; and Alumni have a vital part to play, too, if we are to maintain these lofty positions. Whether it’s through career mentoring, graduate recruitment or – yes – making a financial donation towards scholarships, bursaries, academic positions or significant research projects, every graduate can help Lancaster to be successful in its pioneering mission. More than ever before Your University Needs You, as the news is not universally positive: although Lancaster continues to thrive, it will have to shoulder its share of the anticipated cuts in Higher Education funding which will be announced in the emergency budget later this month. Student Support is a key area of concern, and we will be under pressure to “help our own”. It is no accident that scholarships and bursaries for both UK and Overseas students will form an important element of our fundraising activity over coming years. For our US-based alumni we now have an independent 501(c)3 organisation, Friends of Lancaster University in America Inc., which offers the chance to support Lancaster taxefficiently. More news of this and other important fundraising developments will appear in the December issue of Steps. I close this introduction with a farewell to Faith Cobaine, who has been FASS Development Manager for nearly four years. Faith has been a valued colleague and friend and the team will miss her, although she is not going far, as she will be staying on at Lancaster as a mature student. We wish her well. Nick Fragel, Director of Alumni and Development Rachel Davis Friends Programme Call Officer Maggie Willan Development Manager Management School Christine Parker Development Manager Faculty of Science and Technology/School of Health and Medicine Julia Resenterra Trusts and Foundations Officer CONTACT The Alumni and Development Office University House Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YW T: 01524 594109 E: [email protected] www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk Front cover: Tulips at Lancaster. Picture courtesy of Facilities Division, Lancaster University. Designed by www.fusiondesign.co.uk Keep in touch Find your friends at the click of a mouse! Over 12,500 alumni are already registered on our Online Directory. Join us at www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk Registration is free! 8 The articles printed here, to the best of our knowledge, were correct at the time of going to press. We cannot guarantee that all articles submitted have been printed and we reserve the right to edit material where necessary. Furthermore, the views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Lancaster University or the Editor. Steps is available to view online at www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk/steps as a PDF and a Word document. If you require this magazine in another format, please contact the Alumni & Development Office. LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 3 Steps College NEWS Lonsdale Lonsdale College JCR continues to put on the best socials on campus. This will climax with the Lonsdale Extrav “Night of the Lonsdale Dead”. An evening of zombies, ghouls, and other creatures of the night (and yes, I have already been told I won’t need any makeup)! Andy Shaw is still amazing behind the bar - we are lucky to have him. Our ‘irregular’ newsletter, Purple Lonnie, still makes an appearance, we have a major presence on Facebook and there is an excellent JCR web site which I strongly encourage you to check out: http://lonsdale.lusu.co.uk/ The College continues to increase its senior member involvement with theatre trips and various tastings being organised. We hosted the inaugural Inter-College SCR Quiz and I am delighted to say that Lonsdale won – brains as well as beauty! We said farewell to Paul Coulton, our Dean of the last eight years – if you knew him well then shame on you for being in trouble. He has been replaced by Richard Austen-Baker (a qualified barrister from the Law Department!) – look out you miscreants! Our performance continues to improve in the Carter Shield and we are very optimistic of beating Bowland in the ‘Founders’ inter-college sports match. At all levels we continue to go from strength to strength. I can assure all of you old Lonsdalians out there that we remain as we always were – ‘Simply the Best’! Best wishes to you all. Keith Davidson, Principal Cartmel Cartmel kick-started the year in style with a successful James Bond themed Casino and Band night for our Freshers. Our friendly JCR Exec did an excellent job of welcoming all our new students and helping them settle in. They continued their hard work throughout the year organising a varied social and sporting calendar for our students, including the Patriots Cup which we won for the second year running! The JCR is currently well underway with their preparations for this year’s ‘Grease’ themed Extrav which promises to be a night to remember. Barker House Farm was the venue for the very successful and popular comedy nights run by LUSU. The acts supplied by Off the Kerb Productions and Comedy Central Live were fantastic - a great night out! 3 WWW.LANCS.AC.UK/COLLEGES County This year saw the inaugural competition for the Michael Mullett Shield, mentioned in last year’s ‘Steps’. It was won by a team from County Main, who showed prowess in the slightly unorthodox sports of tug-ofwar, hula hooping, and lawn skittles. Another new sporting event is a competition for the Rivals Shield, involving students from County, Fylde, Grizedale and Pendle, which is to be held for the first time in summer 2010. Parts of the college still have the air of a building site, as the refurbishment of County South is not yet complete. When it is finished it will provide facilities for new catered accommodation in County and Bowland as well as academic offices and teaching space. As always we are delighted to hear from alumni, so please keep in touch and if you are ever in the area, please come and visit. We are hoping to be able to open a new social space overlooking Lancaster Square, as the ‘piazza’ is now officially named, which will be particularly useful for international and off-campus members of County. The proposal has the support of the ‘9 Colleges’ funding committee, and we are awaiting the decision of the University’s Space Management Group. Since the room in question is at present empty, and County lost unlicensed social space in the refurbishment of County Main, we believe that we have made a good, reasoned case that it should be used for the benefit of County students. As ever, sine consilio nihil. Jayne Corless, Principal Professor David Smith, Principal Cartmel bode a fond farewell to Sue Gara, who has retired after 16 years as College Administrator. She will be missed by all but remains an active member of the college and a personal tutor. Sue has been replaced by Cath Gorton, who previously worked in the Sociology Department and is settling into college life very well. Cath organised an SCR trip to Cartmel races in May which we hope will become an annual 9 Colleges event. Principals Shoot It Out at Roses! This years Roses competition saw the college Principals challenging the York Provosts to an archery competition. The Lancaster Principals took it very seriously! It is great that the senior members of both universities are keen to take part and it is always good fun for the watching students to see the College Principals show off their skills (or lack of them). Torrential rain did not quench the Lancaster spirit and the Principals easily out-shot the Provosts. A special trophy (donated by the VC) was awarded to Lancaster. The Lancaster Principals are already looking forward to defending their trophy next year – bring it on York! LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 4 4 College NEWS Pendle Our excellent JCR executive ensured that Pendle Freshers of 2009 were welcomed into the Venue of Legends in traditional style. The Christmas Ball was exceptional, with a guest appearance by ‘Full Fat Funk’ (alumnus Chad Barrigan). Plans for the Extrav, and 2010 Freshers Week are well underway. Julian Collins continues to balance being licensee for both Grizedale and Pendle and is overseeing the refurbishment of Pendle social space. The Pendle Witch magazine takes an irreverent look at both college and university life. It is available online along with the many Facebook groups which have sprung up over the last few years. Last year’s inaugural Pendle Sports Awards night was a great success. We had a visit from the Old Boys football team who very kindly donated a cash prize to be presented next year. A new sports event for Pendle, Grizedale and County has been established, the trophy has been named as the ‘Legend Shield’ so it can only sit comfortably in our trophy cabinet…come on Pendle! A netball match between the men’s football and ladies netball teams resulted in the footballers entering into the spirit of the event by wearing skirts. Some say they not only won the game, but also made a huge fashion statement. James May (Top Gear fame), a Pendle College Alumnus, has accepted an Honorary Degree and he has been invited to our graduation celebrations. The tragic death of second year student Akta Patel has subdued the college. A memorial tree has been planted and students and senior members of the college attended her memorial service in London. Fylde Carter Shield Sports Champions 2010! It’s been a few years since we have been able to begin a college report with that description. Fylde college students have always asserted that they are second to none, but for the last couple of years we have had to put up with being runners up in the inter-college competition – but not this year! Victory in the Carter Shield has capped a very successful season for both our football and netball teams (inter-college league champions yet again) and many of our elite sportsmen and sportswomen played at representative level in Lancaster’s victory over York in this year’s Roses. However, we are not just “Home of Sport”. We have one of the largest proportions of international students of all the undergraduate colleges at Lancaster and in conjunction with the Students’ Union have run some very successful international social events this year. Work on improving college facilities is continuing: the catering operation was moved down to the bar/JCR and in the coming year we hope to complete the refurbishment of the old coffee shop space, to create additional facilities for both students and staff. Fylde students are as adventurous as ever. Whether it’s sky-diving or academic study trips to the Himalayas or Alaska, Fyldeans are going to take a lead. Several college members have been amongst the first to complete the Lancaster Award this year. The award aims to recognize students’ achievements in extra-curricular activities, to record the skills and experience they have developed and so to enhance their employability on leaving Lancaster. This year will be my last as Principal, my six years has had trials, tribulations, but has been a fantastic time for me. Thank you all for your support and the great times which I shall cherish for many years to come. Finally, here is a call to all Fylde College alumni. It is Fylde’s 40th Birthday in 2011. We would love to hear from any Fyldeans who have ideas and suggestions as to how we celebrate this anniversary. Please contact the College Office if you want to help, tel: 01524-592686, email: [email protected]. Peter Scullion, Principal Frank Wareing, Principal Graduate We finished the last academic year with the return of a free GradStock, which included Bhangra music alongside the traditional rock bands and added a Family Fun Day with bouncy castles, giant sumo suits and face painting. A major focus for the year has been on improving the opportunities for research students to meet, socialise and develop their skills in a friendly environment. New events were created in Intro Week and January that enabled new students to meet and hear from existing research students and over 70 students attended the Second Annual Research Student Conference at Easter. In the summer we have a series of workshops for research students to support and reflect on their learning and look towards their future beyond a PhD. In the Autumn we launch Postscript, a research student magazine and, thanks to money received from the Friends Programme, we will be rolling out the New Ideas Festival where research students will be given the chance to talk about their subject and research to a wider audience in the City. We have also introduced an email newsletter to keep research students up to date with news and events. Much of the new activity has been funded through a small development fund instituted by the VC and additionally we received money for a new International Students online guide that will be launched in August. The Herdwick has gone from strength to strength and now has live music and Curry to complement a great pint (Grad Bar finally has a name). A refurbishment is planned but don’t worry, the Herdwick will still be the best pub on campus serving the best real ale. Jane Hulland, College Administrator gave birth to a daughter, Isabel, in December and has been off on Maternity leave: in the meantime Maureen Tanner has stepped in to keep the college functioning. Jo Hardman, Principal LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 Bowland Update The major refurbishment of the bar, JCR and games area did not go ahead as planned and plans for a joint bar and café have been dropped. Instead, there will be a redesign of the bar to create more serving and customer space, with the whole bar area being kept separate from the JCR social space, as at present. This will happen as part of a general refurbishment of Bowland Main scheduled to start this summer. The relocation of the porters’ lodge and admin facilities went ahead with fantastic results. There are now new college offices, a JCR office, off-campus students’ room, and a new kitchen. The new split-level foyer is home to the famous Bowland Tapestry that used to hang in the old SCR. The grand new college entrance on Bowland Avenue gives Bowland an outward-facing aspect for the first time. 15:06 Page 5 Grizedale The ‘Grand Opening’ of the completed Grizedale took place with a hog roast and the incomparable Prof. Bob Bliss cutting the proverbial ribbon. Bob is an ex-Principal and came over from St. Louis for the event. He spoke about the University in the old days and many an old stager among the staff felt a tear forming in their eyes. It was a great event for both old and new members of the college. Last year we won the Carter Shield for inter-college sports, which was an unusual sporting success for Grizedale. As I write we are battling to retain the cup. We are a few points adrift of Fylde just now, but however it turns out we have been well led by our Sports Reps in the JCR. Furness Furness, remains the Gryffindor of the Lancaster University College System, being the College most people secretly wish they were in! “Trevor” continues to thrive under the guidance of Martin Hulland, and is still the most popular bar on campus. We are always happy to see alumni returning. There are key events every year where graduates are especially encouraged to attend, including: The Extrav, Nick Lewis Football match and Richard Slatter Pool competition. This year Furness is 40! The Real Ale Festival, to celebrate this momentous occasion will, be held on 13th and 14th November, so put the date in your diary! Furness has welcomed Dr Ruth Alcock as our new Dean. Ruth has recruited two new Assistant Deans as we sadly say goodbye to Claire Dixon and Robin Hughes this summer. Both made a much-valued contribution to college life. We have also said goodbye to one of our porters, Fayez Boutros, and we wish him well for the future. Congratulations to the class of 2010 who are graduating this year. Please stay in touch by logging onto the alumni website. If you are a graduate of Furness, we would be delighted to hear from you. Tell us what you are doing now; send us photographs for the college website; or better still, if you are passing, please drop in the college. On the sporting front Bowland continues to outshine the competition. The Carter Shield is probably unlikely, but the college regained the George Wyatt Trophy with some stunning performances from the men’s and women’s darts and pool teams. Bowland provided the backbone of the University bar sports teams that so comprehensively demolished the Yorkists in the recent Roses clash. The annual Founders’ Weekend competitions with sister founding college Lonsdale is imminent. This summer Bowland will be saying goodbye to some hard-working college officers. Two assistant deans - Perry “Care Bear” Chuinkam and Mark Knowles - have completed their postgraduate studies and will be leaving the University. Thanks to them for the dedicated and understanding way in which they have served the College and their fellow Bowlanders. The colleges have organised some shared events this year for SCRs and students. Ours was a cross-bay walk under the careful guidance of Cedric Robinson. Although the weather was meant to be against us it turned out very nicely indeed. Barbara Glass organised the event and we were delighted to find a picnic ready for us when we got to the other side, with some welcome liquid refreshment. No-one was lost in quicksand, the odd blister was the only injury. These shared events are a new innovation and we are hoping they will build up in numbers. The building work has now been completed after three years or so of disruption. Bit by bit the college is getting back together and finding its feet in the new accommodation. Visiting Old Grizedalians are a little stunned by the standard of the new residences, but of course the usual comment is, ‘they look fantastic but it’s not the old Grizedale.’ Hugh Pollock, Principal For details of events, to nominate someone for fellowship of the college, or just to keep in touch, contact the College Office: [email protected] Reuben Edwards, Principal Furness College 40th Anniversary 13th & 14th November 2010 For further details visit www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk/Events/ LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 6 6 University NEWS Ideas Festival 2010 The Ideas Festival in April showcased some of the latest research which has earned Lancaster its international reputation. Recently appointed Professors gave presentations across a range of disciplines including arts, social sciences, science and technology, health, medicine, management and leadership. One presentation – “A Manifesto for Soil” by Professor John Quinton – was attended by Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. He visited LEC, where he met Co-Director of LEC, Professor Graham Harris, Dr Mark Bacon, Associate Director for Enterprise and Business Partnerships and Dr Brenda Howard from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Mr Miliband said: “I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen here and the enthusiasm and innovation which are being applied to problems like climate change.” Photograph of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption Volcano Experts Witness Eruption A Lancaster PhD student was able to offer an eye witness account of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Laura Hobbs witnessed the Eyjafjallajökull eruption while on a research trip. She was staying about 150 km away in Svinafell on the day the volcano erupted. Lancaster has one of the world's largest research groups studying volcano-ice interactions - as well as one of the largest numbers of PhD students working on Icelandic volcanism. Laura commented: “It was pretty amazing - a once in a life time event. We could see it on and off all day from where we were working. About midday on Wednesday the cloud cover lifted and we noticed the plume had changed direction and we watched it being blown south.” “Initially we didn’t realise how badly transport was going to be affected. We were extremely lucky and got on the last flight out of Iceland to Glasgow.” Laura is just one of the many Environmental Scientists from Lancaster who has been helping to explain the disruption caused by the Icelandic volcanic eruption to the world’s media. The Institute for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (IEED) Eddie Izzard Stand Up for Eddie! Lancaster students and staff were recently visited by comedian and marathon-running fundraiser, Eddie Izzard who had been touring the country as part of the national election campaign on behalf of the Labour Party. Eddie gave a short speech and answered questions from the crowd stating that he was visiting to ‘encourage people to vote in any direction, just to use their vote.’ IEED undertakes work in the fields of entrepreneurial research, education and business support. It has a highly successful track record in the management and delivery of business support programmes assisting more than 1000 SMEs in recent years and reporting substantial improvements in both sales and job creation. Currently IEED is recruiting for its hugely successful LEAD programme, due to start in September. LEAD is a ten month programme for owner-managers of small to medium sized businesses. To date over 200 companies have completed the IEED LEAD programme. An independent evaluation of several cohorts found that 90% of participants have seen an increase in sales turnover, employment, productivity and profits and on average, turnover was increased by £200,000. In March this year IEED launched a new programme “Innovation for Growth” (IFG) which supports 300 SMEs across the region, helping them to embed innovation within their business processes. IEED also offers other programmes, some of which tap into the Management School’s excellent student projects that are designed around the needs of small businesses. If you wish to participate in any of the programmes please see www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/ieed or contact Judith Friesl: [email protected] LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 7 Steps MSc in Cyber Security Information Security is an evolving global problem and the University now offers a taught Masters Degree in Cyber Security. The MSc adopts an interdisciplinary and skills-based approach to cyber security, combining academic teaching with the latest industry knowledge to deliver a comprehensive cutting-edge programme. Sir Bobby Charlton Sir Bobby Charlton Motivates and Inspires 7 The aim of the programme is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work within an IT security profession. Its strength and uniqueness lies in the interdisciplinary nature of the programme, drawing upon expertise from Computing, Applied Social Science, Psychology and Law and combining that with advanced technical skills. For more information please contact Dr Daniel Prince: [email protected] telephone 01524 510432 or visit www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/study/pg/csec Pre-School Impresses Ofsted Lancaster Signs New Teaching Partnership The Rainbow Room KBTU’s Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Zoya Tuiebakhova and Paul Wellings Students and staff were recently treated to a talk on campus entitled ‘Motivation and Inspiration: To find a better way’ by the football legend, Sir Bobby Charlton. Sir Bobby launched his campaign in 2009 ‘There Must be a Better Way’ to find a faster method to clear anti-personnel landmines. This initiative has been progressed in collaboration with Engineers at Lancaster. Lancaster’s particular role is the use of ultrasonic techniques to detect the presence of buried landmines. Further information contact Malcolm Joyce, email: [email protected] Lancaster in Top Ten The Guardian University Guide 2011 published in June ranks Lancaster 6th out of 118 universities and top University in the North. The tables are designed to help students who are trying to pick a course for 2011. It concentrates on teaching quality and includes a new measure of overall satisfaction by students. This latest ranking comes after high scores for student satisfaction and graduate prospects saw Lancaster break into the Times Good University Guide top 10 for the first time (a rise of 13 places) and also a rise to 8th in the Independent’s Complete University Guide. The Pre-School Centre, situated on the campus, offers unrivalled childcare facilities for students and staff. Catering for children between the ages of 3 months to 5 years, the Centre has a team of highly qualified staff who are dedicated to ensuring the children in their care achieve their full potential. The Pre-School Centre has been judged outstanding in all areas after a recent Ofsted inspection. The Centre benefits from its extensive outdoor area where the children are encouraged to explore and discover in the natural surroundings. Senses are heightened and stimulated in the Sensory Rainbow room where a myriad of colours, lights and bubbles help further develop language and communication skills. Jointly funded by Alumni via the Friends Programme the Rainbow room has proved to be a popular addition to Centre. Lancaster and Kazakhstan-British Technical University have agreed to a new teaching partnership which will see Lancaster’s Communication Systems experts deliver an MSc in mobile technology in Kazakhstan for the first time. KBTU’s Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Zoya Tuiebakhova travelled to Lancaster to sign an international collaboration agreement with Lancaster’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings in March. It is intended that undergraduate programmes will follow, as well as opportunities for KBTU’s staff to come to Lancaster for their postgraduate studies. The private university of Kazak-British Technical University was established in 2001 as a joint initiative between British and Kazakhstan governments. It has around 2,000 undergraduate students and a small number of postgraduates. F O R M O R E N E W S V I S I T W W W. L A N C S . A C . U K LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:06 Page 8 8 In Profile... Steve Smith studied Accounting and Finance and graduated from Grizedale College in 1991. He is the founder of ‘Yayasan Gunungan’, a children’s refuge and charitable organisation based in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. The area in which the refuge operates is well known as a centre for prostitution and trafficking. The refuge aims to offer children a solid foundation for their lives and help them realise their true potential. In December 2009, Steve started a Women and Children project for victims of commercial sexual exploitation and abuse, called 'Sehati' or 'One Heart'. The project is run to provide vocational training and support finding employment for these young women. Q. What was the last book you read? A. “A New Earth” (Eckhart Tolle) - still trying to awaken to my life's purpose... Now just starting “The Wisdom of Whores” (Elizabeth Pisani). Q. What is your favourite film? answer to this question would have been “a cup of coffee and a cigarette”, now I'm pleased to say it's a “cup of coffee and a piece of chewing gum”. Q. What makes you depressed? A. I don't remember being depressed. I remember once, while in Grizedale College, I was complaining about being bored. A good friend told me “Steve only boring people get bored”. I feel this is the same for being depressed. A. For the longest time the answer to this would have been “Grease” until I eventually realised the influence I believe it had on my starting smoking. “The Lord of the Rings” (the trilogy) is/(are) now my favourite film(s). I believe life “ Q. If you were given a month’s holiday and a free ticket – where would you go? is about constant change, development and growth A. I backpacked in Europe, Africa, India, South East Asia and Australia. I'm really content where I am now, here in the paddy fields of Central Java, Indonesia. I actually already have a month's holiday and a free ticket coming up, and will be using them to go back to UK for my dad's 70th birthday and baby niece's Christening (and summer solstice sunrise at Stonehenge). Q. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? A. I believe life is about constant change, development and growth. So if I had to choose something to change about myself then I would like to be more self disciplined in the quest to change. Q. What words or phrases do you overuse? A. In Indonesian - “Mandiri”and “Merdeka” - “Independent/Self-Sufficient”and “Freedom”. Used mainly when I'm on my soap box talking about the goals we are working towards for the kids at the Children's Refuge and victims of commercial sexual exploitation and abuse. Q. What did you have for breakfast? A. I would love to be able to answer “squeezed oranges, bran flakes, toast and tea”. However, I'm sorry to say that for the past 20 odd years or so the “ Having said that however, when you're looking directly into the teary eyes of a young girl, who has just told you how her own father took her out on the streets at the age of just 13 to sell her virginity to help pay off his mounting gambling debts, then you can't help but have a reaction. Q. What is your greatest extravagance? A. I live in a shack in the middle of the paddy fields of Central Java. Running water and enough electricity to run a fridge and an iron at the same time is an extravagance. “ Running water and enough electricity to run a fridge and an iron at the same time are an extravagance. My real extravagances happen when I go back to UK once a year to visit family. Then I do like a pint of real English Ale, traditional butcher's pork sausages and Branston pickle. “ Q. What is your most treasured possession? A. My soul (but I really like my mobile phone as well). Q. What did you want to be when you were little? A. Never knew the answer to this one, to the point that I never even saw life past 20, and for a long time wondered if I would actually live past it. When I did in fact survive through my 20th birthday then it started me thinking. And then I Steve Smith and some of the children at th e orphanage wanted to be everything, from a successful businessman to a long haired yogi living in a cave. Over the course of the following 20 years I proceeded to have a pretty good stab at all of them. Q What do you consider your greatest achievement? A. I'm very proud of the Charitable Organisation we have started up here and the work we are doing with underprivileged children and young women. However, to be honest, for me personally, I feel my greatest achievement was breaking free from the 'rat-race', jumping off the 'conveyor belt' and making my own path in life. Q. What’s a typical day? A. Just running around trying to keep all the plates spinning at the same time. From staff meetings at the Children's Refuge, sourcing stock donations for the Charity Shop, helping to develop work training courses and production at the Women & Children project, to looking after the accounting & administration at a local furniture export company (my part-time job), while still trying to find enough time to get some meditation in. Q. Did your experience at Lancaster have any impact on your current work? A. Lancaster gave me the Accounting degree, which led to a job with KPMG, which led to qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, which set me free, giving me the courage to leave it all behind, knowing that if everything fell apart I could always fall back on that little piece of paper. Q. What do you remember most about your time at Lancaster University? A. Almost getting thrown out, on more than one occasion. Maybe the less said about that the better. I do appreciate my time there and the lessons learnt though. For more information about Yayasan Gunungan please visit www.gunungan.org LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 9 Steps 9 WANTED! LOST A WHERE LUMNI ARE YOU? With advances in computer technology, social networking sites and digital record keeping systems, it is easy to keep in touch with people. However, when the University opened in 1964 all the records were paper based and as a result over the years some have gone astray. We are in the process of digitising our record system, but we still have some missing information. If you are reading this, then it probably means that we have a current address for you. However, over the years we have lost touch with many of our alumni (around 20,000!). With our 50th anniversary fast approaching we are keen to contact as many graduates as we can to ensure that they can get involved in the many events and activities that we are planning. Here we have listed a few of our ‘lost’ alumni. If you recognise any of the names, or are in contact with any of the people listed, please encourage them to get in touch with us. They can do this via email ([email protected]), telephone (01524 594109) or by visiting our website (www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk) Gray Michael Riley Terry Mulvey Kathleen Edgar Nicholas Hayemes Alan Steadman David Sired Roger Cottrell Robert Evans Franklin Esmail Zinnat Robertson William Torossian Garnick Cross Graham Rurak-Lilak Agustinus Bowman Kevin Chamberlain Sarah Chambers Dominic Gahan Martin Gait Amanda Hobart Helen Jones Richard Pendlebury Elizabeth Peuleve Joena Georgiou Andria Gibson Naomi Cunningham David Fennelly Joseph 1967 1967 1969 1969 1970 1970 1973 1977 1977 1979 1979 1981 1985 1985 1988 1988 1988 1989 1989 1991 1994 1996 1996 2005 2005 2008 2008 Lonsdale Bowland Cartmel Bowland Fylde County County Lonsdale Lonsdale Bowland Cartmel Bowland Cartmel Fylde Bowland Lonsdale County Fylde County Fylde Furness Bowland Grizedale Lonsdale Pendle Bowland Grizedale Economics Philosophy English Biological Sciences Economics History Economics Accounting and Finance Religious Studies Economics Classics and Archaeology Chemistry Social Administration English (Linguistics) Mathematics Geography Marketing Physics Law Women's Studies Marketing Geography Environmental Science Accounting and Finance Management English Literature History GRADUATION PROGRAMMES CAN YOU HELP? SOCIAL NETWORKING As part of our ongoing programme to find ‘lost’ alumni we have been searching our archives for old graduation programmes. Don’t forget that there are Lancaster University Facebook and LinkedIn Groups. Check these sites to find out more about our events and to help track down your ‘lost alumni’. Join ‘Lancaster University UK Alumni’ on Facebook and ‘Lancaster University Alumni’ on LinkedIn. We are missing programmes for the following graduation ceremonies: • 1970 July • 1970 December • 1971 July • 1971 December • 1972 July If you have a spare copy you would be prepared to let us have, or a copy that we could borrow and photocopy (we promise to return it) then we would be extremely grateful. This would help us to complete our alumni records and also complete the archive held in the library. In addition, alumni have created Facebook sites in Bath/Bristol and Cambridge to reunite Lancaster Alumni. 8 If you wish to create something similar in your location, please contact us at [email protected] and we will help to promote it to other alumni in the relevant areas. LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 10 10 Memories of HERE, TWO LANCASTER GRADUATES REMINISCE ABOUT THEIR TIME DURING THE EARLY YEARS OF LANCASTER. DAVID O’DELL, WHO RETIRED AS DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING AT WORTHING SIXTH FORM COLLEGE IN 2008, IS CURRENTLY A PRINCIPAL EXAMINER FOR ‘A’ LEVEL GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS. HE ARRIVED AT LANCASTER IN 1966. DAVID COOPER ALSO STUDIED AT LANCASTER AROUND THIS TIME AND SPENT 35 YEARS AT NATO. DAVID NOW WORKS AT CKV CONSULTING, A SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY OFFERING ADVICE, GUIDANCE, AND SUPPORT IN THE AREAS OF SECURITY, DEFENCE PROCUREMENT, AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS. DAVID O'DELL, ECONOMICS 1969 (COUNTY) WAS ONE OF THE FIRST STUDENTS TO STUDY AT THE NEWLY-FOUNDED UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER. HE ARRIVED, AGED 19, IN THE AUTUMN OF 1966 AND, IN 1967, WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE COUNTY COLLEGE AND BECAME ITS FIRST FULL-TERM JCR PRESIDENT IN 1968. HE ALSO PLAYED HOCKEY, SANG WITH THE ST. MARTIN'S COLLEGE CHOIR AND THOROUGHLY IMMERSED HIMSELF IN STUDENT LIFE. THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM HIS DETAILED MEMOIRS AND RECORDS THAT HE HAS COMPILED. WE HOPE TO INCLUDE FURTHER EXTRACTS IN FUTURE EDITIONS OF STEPS. “ Freshers’ Week...Wednesday 14th October, 1966, and I find myself on a train heading north with a suitcase, a duffle bag and a guitar I can’t play. I am surrounded by delegates to the Conservative Party Women’s Conference in Blackpool. Is this the real world I have heard so much about? The Observer colour magazine describes Lancaster thus: "Lancaster University is like a Gold Rush frontier town, whooping it up on all possible occasions: it is exciting," Hint of nascent Wars of Roses rivalry with York” There is no student accommodation on the campus and my digs consist of a small bedroom, with hand basin, on the second floor of a guest house in Dallam Avenue, just off the prom in Morecambe. The room is so small that I can use the hand basin without getting out of bed, but do have use of the dining room and front parlour. Only one of the three other students I am sharing digs with has put in an appearance Mike from Staines who is also reading Economics. The next day we head for Lancaster where I open a bank account with the Midland Bank - the University branch is a man with a suitcase in a room in University House. Buy a University scarf (£1/15/6d), tie (15/6d) and a bus pass (£10/10/0d) and push on to Bailrigg. It will be nice when it’s finished. Friday we pick up our undergraduate gowns which must be worn to all lectures. Go to the Societies Bazaar in the evening and on the basis of having played two games of mixed hockey at school, I join the Hockey Club (subscription 7/6d) unaware that everyone else has been playing the game properly for years. Promise to join the Table Tennis Club too because there is a good-looking girl behind the desk. Can’t find the Choral Society so adjourn to The Shakespeare Hotel, next to St Leonardgate JCR, for our first pint of Mitchells. Speechless. Saturday 17th October, and we are welcomed by the VC. Not personally, but given there are only 300+ new students, it is a possibility. Register for Economics and LANCASTER History and think UNIVERSITY IS about taking LIKE A GOLD Environmental RUSH FRONTIER Studies, but the TOWN...IT IS queue is rather long EXCITING and it’s lunchtime. The Politics queue is much shorter and so I join it, beginning a 40+ year career studying, teaching and examining the subject. The Freshers’ Ball is a revelation. Live bands! And not just any bands, but Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers who are at No. 6 in the charts with ‘Got to get you into my life’. At 12/6d for a ticket and a few drinks, The Winter Gardens, Morecambe, is a place of magic. According to the Social Committee, during the next six months they have booked The Nashville Teens, The Graham Bond Organisation, The Hollies, Monty Sunshine and his Band, Zoot and his Big Roll Band, Money and Georgie Fame. Coming from a town where the choice on a Saturday night is either the Luxor cinema, the Princess cinema or a pub, Lancaster is right up there with London and Liverpool. Sunday 18th October, along with 250 other students we have signed up for a coach tour of the Lakes, organised by the THE FRESHERS’ Student Council. BALL IS A Being new to this REVELATION. student thing, and LIVE BANDS! therefore feeling BUT NOT JUST obliged to fulfil our ANY LIVE BANDS commitments, we drag ourselves out of bed and onto one of the five buses and head even further north. But it is worth it. Hertfordshire never looked like this. Tomorrow teaching begins. My grant for the first year is £280 or £93/6/8d a term. Most of this has already gone, or is about to go. I owe £38/10/8d for bed, breakfast and full board on Sundays and £3/10/0d for the undergraduate gown and with the bus pass, hockey kit, books and the rest I have about £3/12/0d a week to last me until Christmas, not counting the train fare home. Debt is not an option, so cut out lunch for the first year. ” LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 11 Steps 11 LANCASTER DAVID COOPER, HISTORY 1967 (BOWLAND) WAS ANOTHER OF LANCASTER’S FIRST STUDENTS. HE HAS HAD WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS A ‘WONDERFUL 35 YEAR CAREER WITH NATO’. HE ATTRIBUTES THIS TO HIS INTEREST IN STRATEGIC STUDIES GAINED AT UNIVERSITY WHICH ‘SHAPED HIS CAREER AND HIS LIFE’. “ I met a guy at Euston Station on the Saturday before University opening, who is still my closest and dearest friend, Philip Byford, and we went to Lancaster in one of the last steam trains in England! I stuck my head out of the carriage and got a face full of soot! As a Southerner, I had never been further northwards than Watford. Phil and I checked into Lathom Grove in Morecambe. The University was “to start” on the Monday morning at 0900 hours. There was no university campus, but my hero, Prime Minister Wilson had insisted that the University open a year before it was built. So, on Sunday morning, Phil and I agreed that we ought to go and check out our new University. We knew that it was in “St. Leonardgate” in the PRIME MINISTER centre of Lancaster. WILSON HAD We walked up and INSISTED THE down it. There was UNIVERSITY a derelict cinema OPEN BEFORE and dreadful IT WAS BUILT hardship and slum buildings. The textile mills had all closed and the poverty suffered by the Lancastrians was awful. This is when I became a Socialist, as I still am. I finally saw a miniscule sign below street level, behind a grille – “University of Lancaster”. The building was a converted warehouse of “Waring and Gillow”, a Lancastrian furniture company. We walked up and knocked on the door. A very smart Lancastrian appeared in a suit with a huge “University of Lancaster” label on his chest and indicated that we were the first to arrive. He pointed to the derelict cinema. “That is where you will have your lectures, but wear overcoats because there is no heating”. We subsequently froze in our lectures. Not only that, but it was the old cinema lighting, so for the lectures we had to sit as near as possible to the side lights. The girls brought along blankets which we draped around us all. I suspect the population increase in the UK started at this time... There was no cafeteria, but it was great. If you wanted to eat at lunch you went to the local Chinese who did a student meal for next to nothing or the local Co-op for tea and cakes (and sometimes no bill!) There was also ‘The Crown’ with publican Alan Herbert, who smoked 80 Capstan full strength a day and whose wife would dish up soup free of charge. Wonderful, wonderful people. If we needed to eat, drink, or make merry, we had to go out and join the locals. I was taught to play darts by the local coalman and I used to babysit for a family opposite. Now, students are insulated from the real world on special campuses. We moved to the new campus in the second year, but only to study. Our digs remained in Morecambe Bay and Lancaster. The campus was a building site. One of the funniest moments came when the builders built the underpass under the University. The first L6 bus descended into it; the roof wasn’t high enough, and the bus got stuck. Over the next month, workers raised the roof of the underpass. The bus emerged but couldn’t get round the roundabout because they had built it too small. The bus remained stuck in roundabout for the next month, while said roundabout was extended. A few hundred undergraduates lining the route were in a state of total hysteria. The last anecdote relates to Bowland College of which I was a member. The first thing placed in Bowland College was the bar. Outside, fortified by many pints of Guinness, was an Irish construction crew who built a courtyard surrounded by a WE MOVED brick wall. Students TO THE NEW and Irish mixed in CAMPUS IN happy harmony. THE SECOND YEAR...IT WAS A BUILDING SITE The next morning the Irish were in a state of shock. When they finished the last brick wall they had forgotten that they had left this huge digger in the middle of the courtyard. Needless to say, the digger was entrapped. So they proceeded to knock down one of the walls... I know the world has changed since my day and I guess we have to have these space age campuses with all mod cons. But do we? Students are not a race apart. Why do they need to study and live apart? Knock down the campuses and bring Universities back into the centre of towns, even if they have to be fragmented in so doing. A plea. Diana and Jilly Flower, what have become of you? ” LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 12 12 Letters... ...IN THE LAST EDITION OF STEPS WE ASKED FOR YOUR MEMORIES OF THE BARRY LUCAS YEARS. HERE ARE SOME EXTRACTS FROM A SELECTION OF LETTERS RECEIVED: AS AN UNDERGRADUATE BETWEEN 1981 AND 1984 WITH A KEEN INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHY, I WAS APPROACHED BY FORMER ENTS MANAGER GEOFF CAMPBELL TO TAKE PHOTOS OF THE ACTS WHO PLAYED THE GREAT HALL AND SUGAR HOUSE VENUES INCLUDING JOHN LYDON OF PUBLIC IMAGE LTD IN 1983 (PICTURED HERE) Photos of other acts still in my possession include U2, Japan, The Eurythmics and The Young Ones. Perhaps my biggest regret was not photographing more of the acts who played including Human League, Tina Turner, Paul Young, Squeeze, Van Morrison. One particular memory was when The Eurythmics played around the time of the release of their single 'Sweet Dreams'. I vaguely recall the show being on a Sunday night with only about 30 people in the audience. Despite having the complete run of the front of the stage to take pictures, I managed to set the camera to the incorrect film speed and all of the close-ups of a young Annie Lennox were totally underexposed. I could have done with a digital camera! Dean Weston, Sociology, 1984 (Fylde) I WORKED WITH BARRY AND NIGEL AS A BOUNCER AT THE UNIVERSITY GIGS, BUT, BEST OF ALL HAS TO BE WHEN WE DID SOME OUTSIDE WORK FOR ISLAND RECORDS AND HELPED WITH A MOTT THE HOOPLE CONCERT IN CARLISLE. They were supported by Max Wall, of all people, complete with bendy betighted legs and large black boots. The young, drunken audience couldn't understand it at all. For me, he was better than the band and the lead singer specifically, who would lean into the audience until they grabbed him and then look round in panic for me to free him. This was before the days of crowd surfing. THE RAVI SHANKAR CONCERT IN 1972 WAS BILLED AS THE ‘ONLY EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY APPEARANCE’ AND ALSO HIS ONLY UK APPEARANCE OUTSIDE LONDON DURING HIS EUROPEAN TOUR. IN 1971, GEORGE HARRISON HAD ORGANISED THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH, IN WHICH RAVI SHANKAR PARTICIPATED, AND SO INTEREST IN HIM WAS HIGH AT THIS TIME. I went to the concert on my own and concentrated on the ‘tutorial’ Ravi gave throughout the concert about the musical techniques and philosophy. It must have held a special place in my heart as it is the ONLY concert ticket I kept and I saw many of those great acts. Just to put into perspective the 95p ticket price. During 1971/72 I shared a room in Bowland Tower with my friend Ali and we shared a kitty for meals during the week. We put in £1 each and it was more than enough to treat ourselves to a takeaway at least once a week. The ticket price today would be around £20 - £25. Other memorable concerts were Roxy Music, Country Joe and the Fish and Hawkwind – where you got stoned just breathing in everyone else’s smoke! It turned out my husband, who went to school in Bentham, also went to that concert too, but I didn’t meet him until many years later! Kirsten Ross (nee Gray) Biological Sciences, 1974 (Bowland) I REMEMBER WELL THE RUMOURS ABOUT THE STONES WANTING TO PLAY (IN 82 I THINK?) BUT BEING DENIED BY FINALS - WHAT A SHAME! There was also a great college scene and Steve Elsworth (now a successful author), Steve Packham (CEO of Chelmsford) and I used to run Cartmel’s which managed to book such acts as John Martyn and we also ran specifically gay discos, which attracted locals of a different type altogether. Memorable gigs included Elvis Costello (twice), U2, Japan (twice), Boomtown Rats, Hazel O' Connor (with Duran Duran in support), Level 42, Joan Armatrading, Thompson Twins, Scorpions, Ian Gillan Band and the Teardrop Explodes (twice, although second time round I don't think Julian Cope knew where he was!). Thanks Barry! Steve Scott, Philosophy, 1973 (Cartmel) Nick Hodgson, Economics, 1983 (Cartmel) HERE ARE MY STAND OUT MEMORIES: SEEING IAN DURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS CELEBRATING WITH ELVIS COSTELLO AND WRECKLESS ERIC ON STAGE AT THE GRAND HALL AT THE END OF THE FIRST STIFF RECORDS NATIONAL TOUR IN 1977/78. Dury finished his blistering set by producing an apparently endless string of flags from inside his jacket while belting out his idiosyncratic cockney geezer songs.. The now forgotten Wreckless Eric blew the roof off with his song "I'll Go The Whole Wide World Till I Find Her". Alison and Red Shoes were standout songs by Costello who looked young and geekish in tight jeans and over-sized specs. Finding myself standing next to Debbie Harry and the rest of the band in the queue at Cartmel fish and chip shop before Blondie played the Great Hall circa 1977/78. A memorable night...but...believe it or not…Blondie were outplayed and overshadowed by (gulp) Mungo Jerry! Barry Nelson, History, 1980 (Fylde) THERE WAS AN ICONIC GIG IN THE 1970S STARRING THE JOHNNY WINTER GROUP AND FEATURING RICK DERRINGER GUITAR ROYALTY AT THE TIME. ALSO, I RECALL ROCKING OUT TO AN UP AND COMING QUEEN STARRING FREDDY MERCURY COMPLETE WITH CHAINMAIL GLOVE A LA MICHAEL JACKSON! The University Folk Club likewise attracted future big stars including Al Stewart who continues to perform extensively in the USA. Three years after graduating in 1974, I went to live and work permanently in Seattle, USA, famous for its Native son, Jimi Hendrix. Before Seattle eventually anointed the Guitar Legend in the form of the Experience Music Project Museum, I tour guided migratory Rock fans in the mid 1990s through the remaining Hendrix shrines in the Seattle area... I am happy to report that I am still rocking out in the Great Pacific Northwest of America but now to the likes of Pearl Jam and the Kings of Leon! Ivan Hodder, Russian & Soviet Studies, 1974 (Lonsdale) LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 13 Steps 13 Development NEWS Parkinson’s Disease Legacy An ongoing Medical Research Council funded programme has been taking place under the supervision of Professor David Allsop over the past two years and has already reached its target of 200 participants. The Biomarkers in Blood Project involves newly diagnosed sufferers giving blood samples periodically to enable researchers to study molecular structure and help with clinical diagnosis. One such volunteer, Mr Geoff Worth, particularly enjoyed participating in the programme and looked forward to his appointments knowing that the work being carried out would eventually help future sufferers. Mr Worth died earlier this year and the family kindly sent donations specifically for Professor Allsop’s Parkinson’s disease research. The money has contributed towards a refrigerator which houses blood samples. The assistance of volunteers such as Mr Worth is very much appreciated by the University and it is heartening to know that his involvement also improved the last few months of his life. For further information contact: Professor David Allsop, [email protected] Discounts for World Class Arts The Nuffield Theatre, (www.nuffieldtheatre.com) Peter Scott Gallery (www.peterscottgallery.com) and Lancaster International Concert Series (www.lancasterconcerts.co.uk) are offering graduates the chance to see theatre, music and dance events featuring the highest quality national and international artists at a discounted price. For further details of the Alumni ticket offer, please email [email protected] The 2010 call team Annual Fund Success This year our Call Team is on target to set an all time record for the Lancaster Telephone Campaigns! The Friends Programme Call Team (pictured) is aiming to contact 6,000 alumni and friends of the University by telephone before the end of the academic year. The team of 30 current students is trained to make calls to update contact details and fundraise for the University through the Friends Programme. Being on the team provides students with valuable work experience and is a great way to communicate and receive feedback from Alumni. We have attracted over £135,000 in pledges and gifts which will be used across campus for projects including the colleges, student societies and important research including equipment for the Department of Biomedical and Life Sciences. This will investigate the dynamics of blood flow and benefit research into a broad range of human conditions from clinical diseases. The Friends Programme provides funding to areas which fall outside statutory funding, but are vital to the life of the University. View a complete list of projects online at www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk/ projectsfunded Peel Students Thank Trustees Four PhD students currently benefiting from Peel Studentship grants at the University recently had the opportunity to thank The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trustees in person and explain how the grants have been crucial to their work. The Peel Studentship Trust (PST), a charity wholly supported by The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust, was set up in 1964 specifically to support students at the University across all subject areas at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. In over 45 years, PST has given almost £700,000 to Lancaster students and continues to provide grants totalling over £30,000 a year. Paula Bialski (Sociology), Adam Greig (Music), Haliyana Khalid (Computer Science) and Eslam Mohamadein (Biological Sciences) attended an event in Lancaster to present information to the Trustees about their studies. The students gave lively and enthusiastic portrayals of their studies providing an excellent insight into their work whilst indicating the financial challenges they faced furthering their studies at postgraduate level. Staff and Trustees alike were impressed by the presentations and the Chairman of the Trust, Mr John Parkinson, commented “We have really enjoyed listening to the students – we are happy in the knowledge that our money is being very well spent.” For further information contact: Craig Lowe, [email protected] F O R M O R E N E W S V I S I T W W W. A LU M N I . L A N C S . A C . U K / S U P P O R T LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 14 14 RESEARCH Baby Swimmers’ Developmental Advantage Baby swimming is good for developing balance and movement in young children according to researchers. Children taught to swim as babies are better than their peers even at the age of five. The baby swimmers have better balance and are also better at grasping things. The research was carried out by Brian Hopkins, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Lancaster and Hermundur Sigmundsson, Professor of Psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NUST). Lancaster Study Shows Outstanding Benefits of Exercise to Employees A study by Lancaster’s Centre of Organisational Health & Wellbeing into the effects of exercise on Nestlé UK employees has shown that it results in outstanding physical and psychological benefits to the individual and to the employer. 1800 Nestle UK employees took part in the 2009 Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), Nestle UK’s largest ever corporate health initiative. Researchers studying a representative sample of 260 employees found that participants reported an increase in energy levels, better sleep, increased concentration and productivity when asked a series of psychological indicators about their feelings in the workplace. A health screening study of the same 260 employees also reported significant health benefits including: • 59% of employees lost weight of which the average weight loss was 2.2kg • 37% reduced their cholesterol • 51% had a reduced body fat percentage by the end of the programme The GCC challenges teams of seven to each walk 10,000 steps a day, recording their individual step counts. These are then tallied into a daily team total and plotted on the GCC website to complete a virtual walk around the world. The challenge lasts for 16 weeks and participants can virtually interact with each new location along their journey, to experience different cultures along the route. By providing a measureable, competitive team environment for employees to encourage them to build physical activity into their everyday routines, the GCC has had a wider effect on Nestlé UK employees’ travel habits. By the end of the programme, walking had become the primary form of transport accounting for 66% of all journeys. Overall they felt they were able to overcome their daily difficulties more effectively and felt less under strain as a result of participating in the 125 day programme, indicating walking can have a positive influence on stress within an organisation. For further information contact: Professor Susan Cartwright, [email protected] The study involved comparing baby swimmers against a control group of children who had not learnt swimming from an early age. The only factor that separated baby swimmers from the control group was swimming. All other factors such as the parents' education, housing and economic status were the same. The baby swimmers participated in classes for two hours a week between two to seven months old. A typical session might involve helping the baby do a somersault on a floating mat, helping the baby dive under water, jump from the pool edge and balance on the hand of a parent while reaching to pick up floating objects. Both groups were given similar exercises at age five, including walking on tiptoes, balancing on one foot, skipping using a rope, rolling a ball into a goal and catching a bean bag. The baby swimmers scored the highest in exercises that related to balance and the ability to reach for objects. For further information contact: Professor Brian Hopkins, [email protected] LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 15 Steps Software Tool Helps River Blindness Side Effects A chance conversation has assisted the development of a software tool to help health workers in Africa make real-time medical choices which could save thousands of villagers from serious side effects of a treatment for river blindness. target of treating 90 million people in 19 countries by 2015. River blindness (onchocerciasis) is caused by a worm that breeds in fast-flowing rivers. It is a major cause of blindness in equatorial Africa, where it is transmitted by the bite of the blackfly. However, the drug can produce rare, but potentially fatal, side effects in people who are also heavily infected with another parasite – Loa loa, or 'eye worm'. WHO, therefore, put in place precautionary measures in areas of high Loa loa prevalence before delivering the Mectizan treatment. The challenge is to locate these areas reliably in the absence of direct estimates of prevalence. The disease can be controlled with the anti-parasitic drug Mectizan. A World Health Organisation (WHO) co-ordinated treatment programme delivers this drug to millions in Africa every year, with a Analysis of blood samples from approximately 200 village communities enabled epidemiologists to show that local Loa loa prevalence could be partially predicted from two environmental variables available throughout Africa from remotely sensed data - height above sea-level and greenness of vegetation. Peter Diggle (Lancaster’s School of Health & Medicine) had done work in spatial statistics and thought that this might give a way of obtaining better predictions. Peter’s methods (originally used for mapping contamination levels over a South Pacific island after nuclear weapons testing) have been used to give better predictions of Loa loa prevalence and to produce a map showing the probability that local Loa loa prevalence exceeds 20% – the threshold set by the WHO for precautionary measures to be put in place. Taking blood samples and the associated laboratory analysis is slow, expensive and not entirely safe in remote areas of equatorial Africa. As an alternative to blood sampling, WHO researchers devised a simple questionnaire to estimate prevalence. Administering the questionnaire is fast, cheap and safe, but not as reliable as a blood sample. Peter Diggle helped work out the most efficient way to combine blood sample and questionnaire data to produce more precise estimates. For further information contact: Peter Diggle, [email protected] Postcards from the Edwardians At the beginning of the twentieth century there was a communications technology at least as popular as anything we find innovative at the beginning of the twenty-first: the picture postcard. This readily available, colourful and attractive object offered the opportunity for brief written messages that, with up to 10 deliveries a day, could be experienced by writers and senders as near-synchronous. It has been calculated that around 6 billion cards were sent in the Edwardian era (1901-1910). It was, in effect, the social networking tool of its day. Dr Julia Gillen, of the Literacy Research Centre and Centre for Mobilities Research at Lancaster is leading research into the Edwardian Postcard together with Nigel Hall, Emeritus Professor, Manchester Metropolitan University. They 15 are finding that the Edwardian postcard offers a unique opportunity for studying spontaneous, everyday writing in an era when universal education was impacting on society. The project offers the opportunity to learn a great deal about everyday writing at the time. Working with associates, Julia is engaged in disseminating the research through Twitter (@EVIIpc) as well as through academic and public engagement. The Friends Programme has awarded funding to this project. A Postcard Fair at the Management School will be held on Saturday November 13th 2010. Anyone wishing to visit the fair may gain free admission on production of this magazine. If you would like to donate a postcard to the collection, please contact Julia direct, [email protected] A typical Edwardian picture postcard LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 16 16 Alumni NEWS Dr. Shazneen Commissariat Limjerwala, PhD Health Research 2007 (Graduate), spoke at the first SVRI (Sexual Violence Research Initiative) International Conference in Johannesburg. Her presentation, ‘Dead or Alive: the effects of sexual violence and its aftermath on the mental health of victim-survivors’, highlighted the shame and stigma that mar rape victims. Shazneen can be contacted on [email protected] Dr David Gosling, PhD Religious Studies, 1974 (Furness) Principal of Edwardes College, University of Peshawar Pakistan, gave the Westcott-Teape lectures in Calcutta and Delhi Universities in December 2009 on the theme of ‘Darwin, Science and India’. Neville Thurlbeck - thanks go to alumnus and awardwinning journalist, Neville Thurlbeck, who visited campus in February to talk to students about careers in journalism. Neville, who is Chief Reporter at The News of the World, graduated with a BA in English & Theatre Studies in 1983. His lecture, hosted by the English & Creative Writing Department, was attended by around 80 students. Luca Petrarulo, MA Conflict Resolution, 2007 (Graduate) married Yi Qi (Irene) MSc Management, 07 (Graduate) on 27 October 2007. The couple live in Milan and are both project managers in the international development sector. Six Furness graduates who lived on ‘C’Floor Main Building in 1983 (now no longer used for accommodation!) met up for the first time in 12 years for a pre-Christmas celebration in York Ganga Ram Gautam, MA Linguistics for English Language Teaching, 1996 (Graduate) has been awarded a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship to attend a ten month non-degree leadership enhancement course in the US. Ganga is currently Associate Professor in English Education at Tribhuvan University, Nepal and is also President of the Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA). Andrew Kidd, Law, 2001 (Lonsdale) has won recognition for his achievements in the legal profession. Andrew, 29, practised as a solicitor in Lancaster before moving to London to take up a post with Silverman Sherliker LLP. Andrew was selected as a finalist in ‘the Square Mile Magazine 30 Under 30 London Talent Awards’. The awards celebrate London’s top young achievers and the success of London’s new elite under the age of 30. Mark Walter, BA French 2002 (Pendle) married Hitomi Nishida BA Philosophy, 2002 (Fylde) in June this year. Gian Fulgoni, MA Marketing, 1970 (Cartmel) recently gave the Management School’s first Public Entrepreneurship Lecture. Gian, who is Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of comScore Inc, captivated a packed audience of aspiring entrepreneurs, students, alumni and business leaders with two case studies that demonstrated how entrepreneurial flair and decisiveness had delivered spectacular results. Afterwards he joined a networking session with fellow alumni from his graduation year. Pictured L-R - Paul Simons, Tor Harung, Stephen Foster, Leigh Stops, Gian Fulgoni, John Gorman, David Shearer & Tony Garvey Neville talks to students Back L-R – Jenny Bagguley (Bowyer), Diana Nash (Toulson), Alison Drayton (Brookes). Front L-R – Barbara Daniels, Lucy Dunn(Reeves), Jane Silvester Alumni in Print Here is a selection of Lancaster graduates you can see in print! Sarah McLeavy, BA Hons French and Italian, 1981 (Lonsdale) - ‘The Secret Scroll’, a book written in collaboration with a group of gifted and talented children from a local primary school in Hampshire. More information is available at www.madaboutsnailbooks.com John J Shepherd, PhD Religious Studies, 1972 (County) - ‘Ninian Smart on World Religions’. A book about Professor Ninian Smart, who was one of the most influential scholars of religion in the latter half of the twentieth century and is available in the campus bookshop. Dr Atef A Masad, PhD Biological Science, 2008 (Graduate) – ‘New Hope in Treating Type-2 Diabetes: A Novel Mechanism for Degeneration of Islet Cells in Type-2 Diabetes’ (Publisher: VDM Verlag) Heather D,Cruz, PhD Applied Social Science, 2000 (Graduate) – co-editor of ‘Knowledge-inPractice in the Caring Professions’. The book explores the nature and role of knowledge in the practical work of the caring professions. More information is available at www.ashgate.com Laurence Canty, Economics, 1972 (Lonsdale) ‘Electric Bass Guitar – The Complete Guide’. Republished 30 years after the original publication, this time with the whole process computerised and original drawings replaced by photos. More information is available at www.electricbassguitarbook.com LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 17 Steps 17 Events Round up In Memoriam Beijing New Year Party CAPTAIN MARTIN DRIVER – BSc Physics and Philosophy 2000 (Pendle), MA Defence and Security Analysis 2002 (Graduate) died in Selly Oak Hospital on 15th March 2010, aged 31, as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Captain Martin Driver served with the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment. Over 40 alumni attended a New Year party in the Haidian District of Beijing in January. President of the Beijing Alumni Association, Professor Yang Jian, gave a short talk about Personal Investment before the guests enjoyed dinner and a party. Our warmest thanks go to Professor Yang Jian, for being kind enough to provide the venue free of charge as well as covering the cost of the dinner. Birmingham Pub Night Graduates from a variety of years, subjects and colleges gathered at All Bar One in March. They enjoyed reminiscing and comparing their university experiences! CFO Lecture Darren Shapland, CFO of Sainsbury’s, gave an engaging lecture to 90 guests in March. Darren’s personal contribution to steering Sainsbury’s through its successful “Making Sainsbury's Great Again” five-year recovery plan has been recognised by his being named both FTSE 100 and Finance Director Magazine's Finance Director of the Year for 2009. Guests were welcomed to the event by Ernst & Young partner Les Clifford, who is responsible for managing their CFO Programme. Roses Lancaster triumphed in the annual battle of the Roses challenge against York, winning by 52 points. The result sees the Carter James trophy back at Lancaster after being won by York for the past three years. Now boasting more than 100 different fixtures, nearly 1,500 athletes and around 5,000 spectators attended. Roses, held in May, has grown to be one of the most popular sporting events in northern England and one of the biggest inter varsity competitions in the UK. Visiting alumni enjoyed Pimms and Strawberries in the alumni marquee. CAROLINE CLAPHAM – PhD Linguistics 1994 (Cartmel) died on 14th December 2009 aged 67. After graduating, Caroline stayed at Lancaster teaching part-time until 2002, where she took up a post as Validation Officer at the University of Cambridge Examinations Syndicate. DR JOAN LYNESS MACHELL – BA Educational Research 1985 (Fylde), MA Psychology 1988 (Cartmel). Joan and her husband, Steven, were killed in a car accident in Scotland on 20th March. Joan worked in the Centre for the Study for Education (CSET) in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University for nearly 30 years and was one of its founding members. Joan was also a senior college tutor in Cartmel. JUDITH CLARKE – Judith worked at Lancaster University in Careers (now CEEC) and then prior to her retirement in 2000 in Student Registry. She was also the SCR Social Secretary and a great supporter of Furness College. MAGGIE CHADWICK – BA French Studies 1969 (Lonsdale), died on 14th January aged 63. Maggie held many positions including, Principal of Furness College, Barrow, Labour councillor on Lancaster City Council and non-executive director of Cumbria and Lancashire SHA. Maggie was also a Board member of Cumbria Vision, a founding member of the NWDA board and Chairwoman of NHS Cumbria. RICHARD MURRAY – BA Marketing 1987 (County) co-founder of design consultancy Williams Murray Hamm, has died of skin cancer, aged 44. Along with his partners, Richard Williams and Garrick Hamm, Richard Murray built Williams Murray Hamm into one of the UK's leading design consultancies. TRACY DRYDEN – MA Health Research 2006 (Graduate) died on 12th March. Tracey was studying for her PhD (Division of Health Research) and had been connected with the University for six years. At the time of her death she was very close to completing her doctoral thesis on mental health care practices. Mayer Brown’s stunning new offices in Bishopsgate were a superb backdrop for over 80 guests at this networking event held in May. RICHARD JAMES NORTHEDGE – BA English 1996 (Lonsdale), MA English 1997 (Graduate) died suddenly on 26th February aged 34. Richard was closely involved with the University Chaplaincy and Trinity Church in Woking. He was active in Trinity Music, amateur dramatics and was editor of the church magazine. Alumni enjoyed a welcome from Nick Fragel, Director of Alumni and Development and an update on the Law Department from Professor David Milman, Head of Law at Lancaster. Our thanks go to Mayer Brown for sponsoring the event. STEPHEN MISNER – BA Politics & IR 1981, MA English (Linguistics) 1990 (Cartmel) passed away on 16 December 2009, aged 60 after a long battle with cancer. Stephen was the author of two children’s books. London Law/Finance evening Edinburgh Fringe Production Artist Alan O’Cain (History, 1983 (Fylde) actor and theatre director David Verrey (at the time known as David Howard, Independent Studies, 1983 (Fylde) and writer Mike Elliston (Independent Studies, 1984 (Grizedale) will be premiering at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Alumni and friends can purchase tickets for the play for £7 (usual price £10). Please visit www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk for further details. F O R M O R E N E W S V I S I T W W W. A LU M N I . L A N C S . A C . U K LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 Steps 12/07/2010 15:07 Page 18 18 Postgraduate Studentships THE ALUMNI POSTGRADUATE STUDENTSHIP IS AN INITIATIVE FUNDED BY DONATIONS FROM LANCASTER UNIVERSITY ALUMNI. UP TO FIVE £1000 AWARDS ARE MADE EACH YEAR. HERE, LAST YEAR’S RECIPIENTS TELL US HOW THE AWARD HELPED THEM. Phil Allcock Eleanor Fitton Tony Hinds Rachel Morris Cath Nichols I am currently studying for an MA in Contemporary Arts Research, exploring issues relating to popular music and society. I came to Lancaster after a number of years doing my BA in Germany. I originally grew up in the Lancaster area, first in Halton, then in Cumbria. In addition to universitybased opportunities, I also wanted to get to know the area and the local community. I felt that during my undergraduate studies was the perfect time to take up these opportunities, whilst a balance could be achieved between the experiences on offer and my studies. My aim was to use these opportunities to help others, and I am extremely grateful that my efforts were acknowledged by receiving the Studentship. In 2007 I started a Research Masters. In my first two weeks I was co-opted to the Graduate Student Association, and was later elected as the Research Postgraduate Officer for LUSU and the Research Masters Representative for my department. I also spent a large number of highly enjoyable months working on numerous postgraduate projects and initiatives aimed at improving the postgraduate experience at Lancaster. Sadly I had to give this up this year when my PhD research and teaching launched their usual furious assault on free time. In 2009, I won the HRH Princess Alexandra Medal for my MA thesis, and went on to start my PhD in the Department of English and Creative Writing. Firstly, I must convey my thanks to Alumni who have given a donation; the help it has provided me cannot be underestimated. I am currently in the third year of my Physics PhD. When my department (Applied Social Science) developed the MRes Criminology programme, I leapt at the chance to take my interest in criminology to the next level and keep studying at Lancaster, the University I love. I am in my final year of a PhD in Creative Writing. I teach first years Creative Writing and although I receive a teaching bursary to pay my fees, as a mature student I have a mortgage, travel expenses and living costs to be met, and so I am very grateful for the award. It has certainly made my final year easier than it would otherwise have been. The Award is a considerable amount of money towards the costs associated with postgraduate study, and it has enabled me to concentrate on my studies rather than having to balance them with a job. The time that this frees up allows me to continue helping others. It is not just the financial element of the Award which makes it valuable; it is also the feeling of support and community (between current and past students) that the Alumni Award engenders. I’m currently researching the philosophy of power and subjectivity. The Alumni Award has helped to fund me through this year; I wouldn’t have been able to afford to start the PhD without it. I really am very grateful to have the option to stay here in my ‘place of origin’. I have been looking into the effects of oxygen upon the human body applying analysis techniques, more commonly found in physics, to signals that arise within the human body (ECG, Respiration, Blood Flow etc). We have recently acquired a new series of sensors that allow us to observe changes within the actual oxygen content of any area of the body at several depths right down into the muscles, in some cases, a fantastic bit of kit which will, I’m sure, lead to some interesting findings. This award is a crucial part of being able to afford to simply be at Lancaster and finish my PhD. When money is tight it is the little luxuries that have to go but I am happy to say, thanks to the award, I have at least been able to keep playing squash for the University team this year; squash rackets break quite a lot when you play almost every day! Writing this only a few days before our yearly Roses game versus York I am hoping all that practice will translate into victory. The award has enabled me to purchase new equipment to help me study, including a laptop and textbooks. It has also enabled me attend several conferences and meet academics- some of whom I thought I’d never get the chance to meet! It has also helped me to fund the cost of my course. Working full-time alongside studying is hard but the Alumni award has helped take some of the pressure off. I have greatly appreciated receiving the award as without it I would not have been able to have the fantastic year I have had moving ever closer to my dreams of becoming a published academic/ lecturer. Last Summer I was selected for a one-off Litfest project ‘exploring live literature’, where we used my long poem ‘The Price of Legs’ as a basis for movement and vocal work. The poem is an exploration of the Hans Christian Anderson story ‘The Little Mermaid’. My research is in the area of poetry out loud and so I have covered poets working on stage as solo performers, and in revue, but also writing for others e.g. for stage and radio drama. My poem became the centre of a dramatisation about a family being haunted by the voiceless mermaid. I have adapted this radio text for stage – and now the stage play has been accepted for production by the Trilteral Stageplay Festival in Nottingham, which is very exciting. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDENTSHIPS IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.ALUMNI.LANCS.AC.UK LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:08 Page 19 Steps Trivia S KNOW? 00 STEP DID YOU UT OVER 58,4 E W . ERS TO WE SEN 0 E-NEWSLETT WEB ,70 D 9 E 2 R E D T N E A REGIS 0 0 ES WER S ,4 S 2 E 1 R HAVE 6 ADD HS. 4 T ,3 N 3 O D M N 2 USERS A IN THE LAST 1 D UPDATE es m a N t n e d u t S 00 AROUND 92,0 BASE HOLDS N, A FU AT R D I FO N M OUR ALU DENTS. JUST CS UR PAST STU TI O IS F O AT S ST G RD IN RECO REST UT SOME INTE WE PULLED O !). RE A EY TH K IN (WELL WE TH Truth or Myth... STUDENTS ER NAMED AFT E EG LL O AC N THE TOP TE OF ES M SURNA I N M LU A OUR THESE EXTRACTS WERE TAKEN FROM OLD UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTERS. It seems there were conflicting views in these two letters as to whether it was possible to get from one end of campus to the other without touching the ground!... Bowland 1 4 Furness Lancaster 33 Lonsdale 10 2 Pendle 855 Smith 618 s Jone 474 Taylor 433 s William 367 Brown 348 Davies 325 on ils W 299 Johnson 293 e Le 285 Robinson 'it used to be theoretically possible to travel along the covered walkway from the north to the south end of campus without touching the ground. We know of one student who did it in the early 70's, because we were there when he was grabbed by Security at the end of the journey. There is no evidence of anyone else having done it, and certainly no evidence of a race ever having taken place.' MALE MALE VS FE Female Male 44,189 48,340 TOP TEN MA LE NAMES At Lancaster David John Andrew Michael Paul Christopher Richard Peter James Stephen No. 2309 1834 1633 1495 1354 1279 1129 1078 1047 1007 2009* JACK OLIVER THOMAS HARRY JOSHUA ALFIE CHARLIE DANIEL JAMES WILLIAM *Source: www. guardian.co.uk (Top Names for 2009) NAMES E L A M E F TOP TEN 2009* er At Lancast h Sara Helen Susan Elizabeth Jennifer Emma Catherine Rachel Alison Rebecca No. 1111 876 866 714 611 589 574 548 527 520 19 OLIVIA RUBY EMILY GRACE JESSICA CHLOE SOPHIE LILY AMELIA EVIE ) mes for 2009 co.uk (Top Na w.guardian. ww : rce ou *S 'I can confirm that it is indeed possible to make the journey from the very northern end of the Spine walkway at County down to Pendle without touching the ground. The crux of the course is crossing the area of the Venue with a second difficulty in the area of the Biology Lecture theatre. It should probably not be attempted without a good head for heights, a certain amount of climbing ability and a couple of pints to relax the athletes. 'I can also confirm that it has been raced with the current best recorded time being set at 3 mins 43 seconds by a former student who shall remain nameless. That is timed from leaving the ground to touching down again. There were several eyewitnesses.' The ‘Ton-up’ Motorbike Challenge... The ton-up challenge: to ride a motorbike down the underpass at 100mph. This was a challenge set by the motorbike club. Spotters would be posted at the roundabouts and in the underpass. Once all was clear the rider would hurtle round the roundabout, picking up speed, then charge down into the underpass. Speed bumps? They're a modern invention, which I suspect have brought this sport to a halt. After screaming through the underpass and glancing at the speedo to confirm the achievement of the 100mph, brakes would be applied and the motorbike would take the other roundabout at about 40mph. Rag Week Hi-jinks... In the 60s (or 70s) during rag week, when rag week was an excuse for such hijinks, students painted a zebra crossing across the M6. LA2895-05-10 Steps Summer Final_Layout 1 12/07/2010 15:08 Page 20