HERIOT-WATT TURNs FAsHION pAck GREEN WITH ENVY Zandra

WINTER | 09
THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDs of HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY
Heriot-Watt turns
fashion pack green
with envy
Zandra Rhodes
presents top award
INSIDE: Architect John
Lee soars to new heights.
International funding
boosts biotech research.
Focus on the Future
gathers momentum.
06 news
18 3 generations
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Rob Morton Alumni Relations Officer
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08 10 questions
20 class notes
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10 events
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26 alumni fund
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Welcome to the new, re-designed
HWU Magazine, which is now a biannual publication
especially for alumni and friends of Heriot-Watt University.
We have selected the articles within so that they are
directly relevant to you. We hope that you like our new
magazine and find it interesting and useful.
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The past few months have been an exciting time for the
University with more than 1,800 new graduates joining
us in the Watt Club, the University moving up nine places
in The Times Higher Education ranking of the recent
Research Assessment Exercise results (placing us in the
top 35 universities in the UK) and the First Minister for
Scotland, The Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, launching our
ambitious strategy, Focus on the Future.
We have also published a new regular e-newsletter. The
first edition was issued in early February. If you have
not received it then please update your contact details,
including your email address, by registering at www.
hw.ac.uk/wattclub.
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HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | CONTENTS
16 ambassador
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WELCOME BY ROB MORTON
04 simon weston
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00
I do hope that our communications are useful to you and
I welcome any comments or ideas for improvement that
you may have.
Please keep in touch and do let us know if there are other
ways in which we can assist you.
Best wishes,
published by:
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facidunt adiatet lutetue veleniam,
editors:
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design:
Mortonward – www.mortonward.co.uk
print:
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at venis nos nulput velis nisi ting exero odolore rcilisim esequatumsan
Rob Morton
Alumni Relations Officer
Heriot-Watt University
T: +44 (0)131 451 3514
E: [email protected]
photography by:
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veniam, velese magna faccum quat. Enim quam, consed te tem digna commy
num aut lummy nosto euguercip exero consenibh con euipit.
02 03
S
imon Weston is a
very quotable man.
His experience, his
demeanour and his
soft accent add to this attribute.
His life is well documented in
three autobiographies which
tell of his horrific injuries in the
Falklands War, his painful physical
recovery and the psychological
battle that went with it. In all that
he has done it seems that Simons
personality shines through with
humour when facing tragedy and
a very personal philosophy that
says: I am just an ordinary bloke
to whom extraordinary things
have happened.
In November 2008 Simon received
an honorary degree from
Heriot-Watt in recognition of his
achievements in the promotion of
personal development, confidence
and self-esteem in young people
through his charitable activities.
The laureation cited his deep
commitment to helping young
people in desperate circumstances
and his ongoing determination
to assist veterans, especially those
with injuries that impair their
ability to return to work.
In addressing the graduands, many
of whom were not born at the
time of the Falklands War, over
25 years ago, Simon reflected on
what he has discovered about his
own life. My life has been a comic
opera in the sense that no-one
could have believed that you could
www.hw.ac.uk
go through what I went through
along with all my other colleagues
and other people in the Falklands,
and survive and go on to achieve.
01
02
But Simon is also outspoken
about societys judgement of
individuals, especially when it is
fuelled by ignorance, jealousy
and fear. Everybody has a story,
everybody has a background
and you need to know the story;
dont judge. He too has been on
the receiving end of judgement,
shunned on occasions for his
scars and criticised for the fact
that he now uses his experiences
of life as a professional speaker.
Im just an ordinary guy, doing
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03
Simons achievements are perhaps
best illustrated by the success of
Weston Spirit, the youth charity
that he helped establish in 1988.
The charity worked with children
and young people in danger of
social exclusion through criminal
behaviour and deprivation. Of the
85,000 young people served by
Weston Spirit, less than 5 per cent
went on to reoffend ñ a record of
success that is hard to replicate in
other charitable or social schemes.
Sadly, after 20 years of operation,
the charity closed its doors in
2007. Simon is joyful at the impact
of the charity and identifies a
simple premise for its success: The
danger is when young people
feel they have nothing to lose,
but this changes when they gain
confidence and self-esteem.
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03
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what I do and hopefully bringing
something good. It is evident
that Simon has a strong belief in
a personal responsibility for the
people around him, describing
the beneficiaries of his charity
work as my care and my concern.
Indeed, in creating Weston Spirit
he chose to tackle the social
problems affecting young people
such as drugs, abuse, prostitution,
deprivation and criminal
behaviour when it would have
been easy to retreat and leave it
to others to deal with such issues.
Simons advice to the graduands
encouraged them to become
something more. When you are
surrounded by the right people,
when you have the right type
of influencers, the right type of
confidence givers, you can achieve
almost anything in life. And I think
that is very true of people who
come to university, and I hope that
you can believe in yourselves.
Reflecting on his own experience
he added. The one thing that I
have learned in life is that if you
believe in yourself and invest in
yourself you can achieve anything
you really desire as long as it is
done with the right heart and
the right mind.
His closing wish for this
years graduates was:
“To have the success that you
deserve and enjoy your life as
much as I have enjoyed mine.”
Professor
Alain Aspect,
Physicist
In recognition of his
distinction in the field
of optical and quantum physics.
Stéphane Denève,
Musical Director
RSNO
In recognition of his
artistic achievements
and contribution to the promotion
of music making among school pupils
and young people and to the musical
life of Scotland.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | just an ordinary bloke
ordinary
bloke
simon weston
just an
Honorary Graduates,
Winter 2008:
Douglas
Anderson OBE,
Founder Optos Plc
In recognition of
his outstanding
contributions to engineering design
and medical instrumentation and to
the development of an eye-diagnostic
system benefiting patients worldwide.
When you are
surrounded by
the right people,
when you have
the right type
of influencers,
the right type
of confidence
givers, you can
achieve almost
anything in life.
Simons advice to the graduands
20 5
NEWS
HERIOT-WATT 6 MONTH UPDATE
CONTINUED
Heriot-Watt has moved
up nine places in The
Times Higher Education
ranking of the Research
Assessment Exercise
(RAE) results and is now
in the top 35 universities
in the UK.
Principal Anton Muscatelli said,
“We have more than doubled
the percentage of Heriot-Watt
research, which is at or above
the national average, from
24% to 50%, which is a
terrific result.
Scotland’s First Minister, Alex
Salmond, has officially launched
the University’s bold strategy,
Focus on the Future.
The strategy is designed to grow and develop
areas of strength within the University and
maximise its contribution to society, at home
and abroad, over the coming decade.
At the launch in Edinburgh, First Minister Alex
Salmond praised the strategy, its approach and
its relevance to the economies of Scotland and
the wider world, and the University’s ambition
to produce future world leaders. Following
a review of all the University’s academic and
support activities, £2million funding has been
short video of the First Minister
A
speaking at the event is available
at www.news.hw.ac.uk
The strategy will continue this funding
over the next four years to form a fiveyear, £10million investment in growing the
University and moving into competition with
the 1994 Group of Universities.
Focus on the Future is linked to the needs of
the national economy in Scotland and the
UK, and it is leading the way in practical,
multi-disciplinary groups and themes that
are central to the strength of the economy.
Through research and focusing on the
agenda for skills, research and development,
Heriot-Watt will play a greater role in
knowledge exchange and bringing forward
the next generation of researchers
and experts to improve
productivity
growth.
New Principal
for Heriot-Watt
For the past ten years Alistair
has been a Parish Minister in
Aberdeenshire. Prior to becoming
a Minister, Alistair worked as
an environmental scientist in
Welsh Water and later as an
Environmental Scientist (Senior
Civil Engineer) in the Scottish
Office Environment Department.
He studied Geography at St
Andrews University, gained a
doctorate in Environmental Science
from the University of Wales, and
a divinity degree in New Testament
from Edinburgh University.
The search is on for a new Principal of
Heriot-Watt following the announcement
before Christmas that Principal, Professor
Anton Muscatelli, has accepted the post
of Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the
University of Glasgow. He will take up his
new post on 1st October 2009.
“We will use these positive
results to build our research
base and attract increased
funding from research councils
and industry, and to continue
to grow our research student
numbers in line with the Focus
on the Future strategy.
An international firm of headhunters has
been recruited to find a leading academic
to take up the post.
“Heriot-Watt’s Institute of
Petroleum Engineering has
exceeded expectations and
ranks just behind the ‘golden
triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge
and Imperial College London,
underpinning our long-standing
expertise in hydrocarbon
extraction and forward-looking
energy development.
“Our mathematicians are
ranked equal fifth in the UK in
pure mathematics and in terms
of overall grade point average,
equal with Bristol and just
behind Oxford and Cambridge.
In applied mathematics we
are second in Scotland. This
validates the joint investments
made with Edinburgh University
in the Maxwell Institute under
the Edinburgh Research
Partnership in engineering
and mathematics.”
New Chaplain
Appointed
Professor Muscatelli commented: “While I
am sorry to leave Heriot-Watt at this time of
expansion, I will ensure that we stay on track
with the implementation of Focus on the
Future’s strategic plan to continue the ongoing
success of Heriot-Watt University.”
Professor Anton Muscatelli FRSE AcSS
Focus on the Future is an ambitious plan to
enhance and expand the University’s academic
base and its position at the forefront of UK and
world research and research-led education. It
aims to grow academic staff numbers by 50%
allowing the University to compete with larger
institutions and addressing the key challenges
facing the world.
approved for the implementation of the first
phase of the strategy. This will lead to the
appointment of up to 25 key academic posts.
The MacFarlane Prize, which commemorates
Professor Alistair MacFarlane’s tenure as
Principal and Vice Chancellor of Heriot-Watt, is
presented annually to the PhD graduate who,
in the opinion of the Awards Committee, has
made the most outstanding contribution to
the research of the University.
The University has announced the
appointment of the Rev Dr Alistair
Donald as the new Chaplain to
Heriot-Watt. Alistair joined the
University in February.
The Times Higher
Education Student
Experience Survey
The Times Higher Education’s annual
Student Experience Survey shows
Heriot-Watt as a ‘first rate university’
being placed 4th in Scotland and
24th in the UK by students.
The survey covers both academic
and non-academic aspects of the
student experience and highlights
the institutions determined to
make the university experience
first-rate in every way.
Here at Heriot-Watt, students
gave particularly high ratings to
the campus environment, sports
facilities, and the University’s
connections with industry.
www.hw.ac.uk
Heriot-Watt Graduate
Presented with Young
Software Engineer
Award //
Neil Jack, a Heriot-Watt
University graduate of MEng
in Software Engineering, has
been presented with a Young
Software Engineer of the
Year Award 2008. Neil won
the award for his dissertation
‘Mobility Demonstrator’,
supervised by Phil Trinder of
the School of Mathematical
and Computer Sciences.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | 6 MONTH News UPDATE
This year’s MacFarlane prize was awarded
to Dr Matthew Smith of the School of
Mathematical and Computer Sciences, for
his research in the field of mathematical
ecology. His contributions to this field have
had a significant impact in the wider applied
mathematics, biology and ecology disciplines.
headlines
all the main headlines from the past 6 months
MacFarlane Prize
Heriot-Watt
Moves Up
Nine Places
in RAE Ranking
Rev Dr Alistair Donald
First Minister Focuses
on Heriot-Watt’s Future
»»
Scottish Borders
Campus Website //
The Scottish Borders
Campus, the new shared
home for Borders College
and Heriot-Watt University
in the Scottish Borders, has
launched its own website
www.scottishborderscampus.
ac.uk. The website has been
designed for those seeking
to find out about the new
campus and what it offers.
Seven Minutes of
Exercise Per Week Can
Reduce Diabetes Risk
Factors //
Scientists at Heriot-Watt have
found that short, intensive
periods of exercise – involving
as little as seven minutes
per week – can significantly
reduce the chances of
contracting diabetes.
PhD student wins
at Karate World
Championship //
Calum Robb, a PhD student
at Heriot-Watt, has won a
Bronze medal at a prestigious
Karate World Championship.
The Wasquehal International
Open held in France took
place in January this year. The
event was attended by 650
of the top karate fighters in
the world.
04 07
He is currently CEO of You at Work,
a spin out from Barclays Bank that
promotes professional networking
to enhance employee benefits in the
work place.
The Ten
Question
Interview
Bruce Rayner CEO
You at Work
HWU BA Hons
Economics (1979)
Q:
What are the key things
that have shaped your
career to date?
A:
Looking back over the last
54 years, I can pinpoint a number
of experiences that have shaped
my career. I was brought up with
normal ‘Dundee folk’ in what I
would describe as a risk averse
Presbyterian background, which I
tried to rebel against. I recall my
primary school head saying to my
parents, “Bruce will do whatever he
wants to do”. I do however credit
my parents for keeping me on the
right side of the track with their
early support, in particular my father
who took me to elocution lessons
for a childhood stammer.
After school, university was not a
natural choice for me. It was not until
I went to work for the NHS where I
met Willy Farquhar (who went on to
become a senior figure in the NHS)
who became my mentor. Willy taught
me a lot about responsibility at a
young age, when up until this point
the NHS had only been a day job
whilst I made it as a musician. It was
Willy who encouraged me to apply
for a place at university, and an HWU
degree was an obvious choice for a
good grounding in Economics.
Following Heriot-Watt, I took
a series of jobs which involved
Q:
From your experience of
bringing Smile, Goldfish and
More Than to market; what
are your key marketing tips
for other marketers?
A: Let the data speak;
Avoid weak opinion strongly held;
Surround yourself with positive
people and avoid negativity;
Understand your customer;
Consider how to make yourself
managing and motivating large
sales teams. A defining moment
came in 1982, when I joined Xerox
selling microcomputers to small
businesses. This was my first taste of
digital technology, which culminated
in my progression to marketing
manager for advanced systems, and a
company sponsorship of my MBA.
Q: How has your degree
in economics helped you in
your business ventures?
A:
My degree in economics has
undoubtedly shaped my approach
to business, as it gave me a rounded
understanding of economic
principles. I studied under Tom
Johnston, former Principal and Vice
Chancellor of Heriot-Watt, and my
dissertation mentor was Donald
Mackay, who went on to work in
Thatcher’s government. As part of
my degree, I also studied economic
history, moral and social philosophy,
and accountancy.
Q: Did your involvement in
clubs and societies at HeriotWatt help develop you as a
person?
A:
As I had worked for three years
before starting university, I had already
built up a wide network of friends.
However, I did join the Ski Club, but
this was ostensibly to meet girls!
closer to the customer than the
competition.
Q:
What would your
advice be to a recent
graduate on the way they
should build their career?
A:
Be the best;
Work with a subject that you
enjoy;
A career is a marathon and not
a sprint;
Trust your instincts;
When things appear to be too
good to be true they usually are;
Read, and employ, the principles
from Steven Covey’s book, The
Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People;
Building a career is like
Michelangelo sculpting David i.e.
he had to stop stroking his beard
and give the stone a good wallop.
Q:
In the recent economic
downturn, what do
you think is critical for
businesses to consider in
weathering the storm?
A:
We are all aware of how the
current economic situation has
affected us, but in the coming
months, in order for businesses
to grow, I strongly recommend
that businesses consider:
www.hw.ac.uk
What
is your winning strategy?
Remember there will always
be winners and losers in any
economic downturn;
Develop ‘executional agility’ i.e.
how you get things done quickly;
Stop doing things that are ‘value
destructive’ and focus on the
‘value creative’.
Q:
Your business You at
Work focuses on employee
benefits. Why should
companies continue to spend
money on such benefits?
A: A fundamental business need
is to grow intellectual capital. To
do this you need to make sure
that good people stay. The only
thing worse than an employee
that turns off and goes, is an
employee that turns off and stays.
I recently conducted an
independent survey asking
1,000 white collar workers what
motivated them at work. The
overwhelming response from
employees was to be able to
interact positively with colleagues.
Employers should galvanise talent
by promoting online networking.
Crowd Sourcing; and brought down
two political dynasties, the Bush’s
and the Clinton’s in the process!
Q:
There are many new
innovations in the world.
What technologies do you
think will be critical to
improving our lives in the
next 10 years?
A: The man-machine interface
with biotechnology and biometrics
is becoming more integrated in
our day to day lives. For example,
this could be a chip under your skin
that detects when you are about to
have a heart attack, so that you can
be at the hospital when it happens.
Renewable energy and climate
change will be higher up the
political agenda (another way in
which President Obama will make
a difference). As such, there will
be huge growth in technology, as
funding increases in order to meet
this global challenge.
Also, the media is likely to become
more democratised, and make
even more use of technologies
through Crowd Sourcing.
Q:
US President Barack
Obama says he will change
the world. Do you think
that he will and in what
way?
Q:
A: The most immediate change
that I think he will make is the way
in which we perceive the US and
how the US views itself.
A: Always, be very suspicious
about why people might want
your data, and use common sense!
In my opinion, this is all part of a
wider issue of society and whether
individuals have a right to remain
anonymous in a democracy. This
in turn raises the issue of DNA
databases and ID cards, but this,
however, is a whole other interview!
With technology, President Obama
has changed the way politicians
campaign and fundraise. He
thoroughly embraced Web 2,
including: MySpace, Facebook and
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | the ten questions interview
Bruce was influential in the launch
of Smile, Goldfish and More Than
by developing strategy, assembling
resources and managing the projects
through to successful launch with
significant brand awareness.
My degree in economics
has undoubtedly shaped my
approach to business, as it gave
me a rounded understanding
of economic principles.
Bruce Rayner CEO You at Work
PROFILE Bruce Rayner
Bruce’s career has encompassed
business leading roles in a number
of major organisations, including
American Express, Rank Xerox and
Citibank.
I did not take full advantage of the
clubs and societies, as I remember
having a slight inferiority complex
compared with the other more
traditional student types. This in
its way contributed to me working
hard to overcome this, which in a
strange way shows how clubs and
societies can be of great benefit!
Data security is a big
issue today. What advice
can you give to our alumni
about protecting their
personal details?
8 9
This year’s event was held at
the Marriot Hotel in Kuala
Lumpur and was more
subdued than normal with
the sad news that the
and some future activities.
Hock Hai Kwan, Deputy
President of the Malaysia
Watt Club Committee,
launched the Datuk Dr
Bernard Wang Memorial
Fund which will raise funds to
support Malaysian students
who plan to study at Heriot-
London Watt
Club Dinner
December 2008 This year’s event at The Royal
Institution of Great Britain
was the 37th annual dinner of
the London club. The evening
was hosted by Baroness Susan
Greenfield CBE who is not only
the Chancellor of the University
but also the Director of the
Royal Institution.
Around 40 people attended on
the night where the speaker
was Dr Partha Dasgupta,
Chief Executive of the Pension
Protection Fund who provided
some insights from his firsthand experience of the global
financial crisis. The evening
was a great networking
founding Malaysia Watt Club
Chairman, Dutuk Dr Bernard
Wang had recently died.
However, the evening was
still enjoyed by all attendees,
including some who
graduated that day. There
was a real mix of people in
the audience with graduates
who studied at the Riccarton
Campus and those who had
completed degrees through
the University’s distance
learning. The keynote speaker
was the University’s Principal,
Professor Anton Muscatelli,
who updated the attendees
on the future for the
University. Albert Teo, Watt
Club Malaysia President, also
spoke passionately about the
importance of the network
Watt. With over 15,000
Malaysian Ringgits donated
on the night, the fund got off
to the best possible start.
Entertainment was provided
by a local four-piece band
who played modern music
on traditional instruments;
very enjoyable! A raffle also
took place with prizes ranging
from silver Heriot-Watt cuff
links to a microwave oven.
The night ended with some
of the guests heading to the
hotel bar where discussions
about the best way forward
for the Malaysia Watt
Club continued. For more
information on the Malaysia
Watt Club please view
http://mywattclub.org
event and plenty of business
cards were passed around as
potential business deals were
discussed. With the ages of
attendees ranging from 25 70 it was a diverse audience
with everyone mixing well and
sharing their experiences.
Club to build on the potential
for networking alumni
throughout the greater London
area and beyond.
The event was kindly sponsored
by Dundas & Wilson, the
University’s solicitors.
www.dundas-wilson.com
For more information on the
London Watt Club please
contact [email protected]
Hong Kong Watt
Club Dinner
November 2008 This year’s event was held at
the YMCA Hotel in Tsim Sha
Tsui. The venue was excellent
and around 60 guests
attended. Jack Lo, Director for
The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University, which is HeriotWatt’s International Learning
Partner in Hong Kong, gave
an interesting and humorous
address to the audience and
Rob Morton, Alumni Relations
Officer, provided an update
on how the University will
be communicating with the
alumni body in the future.
As there were two main
languages in the audience,
English and Cantonese, a
member of the Hong Kong
Entertainment was provided
with some karaoke tracks
being sung, including a fine
rendition of ‘Tie a Yellow
Ribbon Round the Ole Oak
Tree’. A Scottish feel was
added to the evening as the
Heriot-Watt Pipe Band CD
provided the background
music throughout the evening.
The Hong Kong Watt
Club is looking forward
to programming further
events in the coming year.
Particular thanks go to Gigi
Sei (Chairperson), Sthein Tang
(Secretary) and the rest of the
Watt Club Committee in Hong
Kong for an excellent evening.
For more information on the
Hong Kong Watt Club, please
visit www.hwuclubhk.org
Heriot-Watt Oil
& Gas Alumni
Association Dinner
November 2008 This year’s annual dinner took
place at The Albyn Restaurant
in Aberdeen. Around 35
guests attended and all
enjoyed some wonderful food,
some great networking with
industry colleagues and many
a story was shared about the
interesting and obscure things
The keynote speaker was
Ian Phillips, Director of CO2
Deepstore who gave an
insight into the environmental
(CO2) challenges and
opportunities facing the oil
and gas industry. Patrick
Corbett, former Head of
Institute of Petroleum
Engineering and Heriot-Watt
Oil & Gas Alumni Association
(HWOGAA) Campus
Ambassador, also spoke about
future HWOGAA activity and
the ways that the University
will be communicating with
alumni. Gregor Colville from
Chevron also gave his thanks
to Ian and Patrick, including
a presentation of Heriot-Watt
cuff links to Ian.
Ian Phillips is stepping down
as President of HWOGAA to
take the Chair of the Institute
of Petroleum Engineering’s
Strategic Advisory Board. His
place as President of HWOGAA
will be taken by Magdy Samir
(Schlumberger). We are all
very much looking forward to
working with Magdy when he
takes up the presidency.
The event was kindly
sponsored by a Gold Sponsor,
Chevron (www.chevron.com)
and a Silver Sponsor, Talisman
Energy (www.talisman-energy.
com). HWOGAA thank both
companies for their support
and especially Chevron for
their wonderful gifts of
Cross pens and pencils for all
guests! For more information
on HWOGAA, please visit
www.pet.hw.ac.uk
Date: May (TBC)
Watt Club Branch: London
Event: Spring Event
Details: TBC
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | events
Malaysia Watt
Club Dinner
December 2008 that people had done while
at Heriot-Watt.
2008 // 2009
heriot watt 2008 // 2009
Watt Club Committee kindly
translated when required.
Everyone enjoyed a buffet
dinner with beautiful fresh
food that never appeared to
run out and there was great
excitement as the raffle took
place. Jack Lo was particularly
impressed with his HeriotWatt teddy bear prize!
upcoming
events
Date: 12 – 13 June
Watt Club Branch: 1969 Chemical
Engineering
Event: Reunion
Details: Golf Day, Tour of Campus &
Department, Reception & Dinner
Date: 22 June
Watt Club Branch: Edinburgh
Event: Homecoming Scotland - Heriot-Watt
Honorary Graduates Dinner
Details: International students able to
process in academic procession and attend
Honorary Graduates Dinner. Places limited.
Date: 26 June
Watt Club Branch: Edinburgh
Event: Homecoming Heriot-Watt Ceilidh
Details: Ceilidh at Heriot-Watt for up to
300 people to celebrate Homecoming
Scotland 2009.
Date: Spring/Summer (TBC)
Watt Club Branch: Toronto
Event: Networking/Pub Night
Details: TBC
Date: Fall (TBC)
Watt Club Branch: Toronto
Event: Annual Dinner
Details: (TBC)
Date: 14 August – 6 September
Watt Club Branch: Edinburgh
Event: Edinburgh Festival
Details: Special Alumni events
and travel offers
Date: 6 September
Watt Club Branch: Edinburgh
Event: End of Festival Fireworks
Details: Dinner at Apex Hotel (formerly
Mountbatten Building)
To register interest in any
of the above events, please
view www.hw.ac.uk/wattclub
and click ‘Register for Events’
The evening ended in the bar
downstairs as people wound
down and discussed the good
old days at Heriot-Watt, and
how to use the London Watt
www.hw.ac.uk
8 11
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | events
2008 // 2009
8 13
www.hw.ac.uk
T
obtained promotions and salary
increases, or joined statutory boards,
as a result of their new qualifications.
Our graduates are highly sought after
and many of our built environment
students have been head-hunted to
work in the Middle East.
Mr Teng is a fellow of the Chartered
Institute of Buildings, the Singapore
Institute of Buildings and the
Association of Building Engineers. He
has been Executive Director for three
public listed firms in Singapore.
What are the benefits of
taking a degree from HeriotWatt University through
How many students are
Trent Global?
currently undertaking degrees
Trent Global is a specialist in
delivering distance learning degrees
and we have an established,
strong working relationship with
Heriot-Watt. We maintain constant
communication with HWU and
organise frequent feedback sessions
for students. Students benefit from
the connection with HWU, but have
the advantage of being able to
acquire a highly sought after degree
in their home country.
through Trent Global?
There are currently around 480
students taking our degree
programmes, but we estimate that
this number will rise to 500 in 2009.
What sort of degree
programmes do you
currently offer?
As one of the key Approved Learning
Partners of HWU, we deliver a wide
range of programmes provided by
the School of the Built Environment
and the School of Management &
Languages, including degrees at both
Postgraduate and Undergraduate
level. Subjects include: BSc /MSc
Our graduate employment figures
are testimony to the quality of our
degrees. 100% of our graduates
are employed and 98% of the 500
graduates on our courses have
y connection with Watt Club
Malaysia (WCM) began in
2000, when I attended a Watt Club
event hosted by the late Principal
and Vice Chancellor, John Archer.
At that time, there were several
thousand Heriot-Watt graduates in
Malaysia, but alumni activity was
relatively limited. John Archer felt
that there was much more potential
for the Watt Club in the region and
asked me to become involved to
strengthen links between alumni
and the University.
TRENT GLOBAL
Logo of the approved
learning partner
In 2001 Watt-Club Malaysia
celebrated its inaugural dinner and
by 2002 I was officially elected as
the President of the organisation.
WCM has many members who are
prominent in Malaysian society.
Tan Sri Dato Seri, (Dr) Yeoh Tiong
Lay, Executive Chairman of the YTL
Corporation Berhad, is an honorary
patron of WCM and has given
enormous support to us over the
past year.
Over the last few years the WCM
has grown from strength to strength
and there are now over 500 alumni
members. However, there is always
room for more and we are keen
for more alumni in the area to
become involved. We are active
in organising a range of events,
It has taken a lot of time and effort
to get WCM moving smoothly, but I
get much happiness and satisfaction
from my labour of love! Of special
interest to the Watt Club Malaysia
members is a new scholarship fund
established in the memory of Datuk
Dr Bernard Wang.
Albert Teo
President of Watt
Club Malaysia
including: graduation dinners, the
annual WCM dinner, sports events,
and charity fundraisers, as well as
special events, such as family trips to
Klang Valley.
Watt Club Ambassadors Around the World
Na feuis augiamcor aliscilisim ad eu faccum
Teng Kwok Kheong, CEO of Trent
Global, is an Honorary Fellow of
Heriot-Watt University.
Facilities Management; BSc/MSc
Construction Project Management;
BSc/MSc Quantity Surveying; BSc
Real Estate Management; BSc
Building Surveying; MSc Construction
Financial Management; MSc Civil
Engineering and Construction
Management. Our subsidiary,
Uptrend Education, offers: BA in
Business and Accounting; BA in
Accountancy and Finance; BA in
Business and Finance; and BA in
Management. It also offers Academic
English support for Business course.
M
I have always been active on
committees, being the founder
member of the Chartered Institute
of Marketing, Malaysia, President
of the Marketing Professional Club
and a Council Member of the British
Graduates Association of Malaysia,
so I enthusiastically took on the
challenge to join the WCM team.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | best foot forward
Singapore Learning Provider
Trent Global Approved Learning Partner
Albert Teo, President of Watt Club
Malaysia, tells us about the growth
of this alumni association.
sarah ronald bunnyfoot
Na feuis augiamcor aliscilisim ad eu faccum
trent global
Approved Learning
Partner
rent Global is Heriot-Watt’s
Approved Learning Partner
(ALP) in Singapore. ALP’s
are learning providers
around the world who deliver
Heriot-Watt degrees on behalf of
the University. Currently HeriotWatt has over fifty of these partners
around the globe. Trent Global itself
is a dynamic, modern institution,
dedicated to providing high quality
education for built environment and
management students.
Lifelong Links
“While dealing with the turmoil of the
business environment, the Egyptian
Watt Club is always regarded as a
safe haven, providing refuge through
meeting familiar faces with similar
aspirations.”
Tarek Hassib, Edinburgh Business
School Ambassador, Egypt
“Our MBA alumni network in
Cologne meets twice a year to stay
up to date. We discuss major issues of
society and economy.”
Jörg Stottrop, Head of
Cologne Watt Club
“HWOGAA has been an excellent link
between the oil and gas industry and
Heriot-Watt.”
Professor Patrick Corbett,
HWOGAA Campus Ambassador
“The Swiss EBS-Alumni Branch has
grown over time to 92 members,
www.hw.ac.uk
increasing steadily; the diversity of
jobs presented allow for fruitful
networking and fantastic discussions
at our informal meetings!”
Eric van Duijn, Swiss EBS
Alumni Branch Ambassador
“Whether you are a graduate from
one of the on-campus programs or the
distant learning programs, or a
student, we provide good networking
opportunities to connect all fellow
graduates and students.”
Dr Bob Gillespie, Chair of the
Toronto Watt Club
“Norway has many historic links with
Heriot-Watt and there are around
1,500 alumni based here. By simply
communicating and getting together,
we can open up a new network for
business and social contacts.”
Henning Torp, President,
Norway Watt Club
“I want the vibrancy of Hong-Kong to
be reflected in the activity of the Watt
Club here. Our events are very well
supported and we enjoy meeting new
Watt Club members at their HongKong graduation ceremony.”
Gigi Sei, President, Hong Kong
Watt Club
“The London Watt Club has a 38 year
history of great networking events in
amazing locations that bring together
everyone from new graduates to
alumni that are now in key positions
in UK’s political and business life.”
Oddi Aasheim, President,
London Watt Club
To get in touch with any
of our Ambassadors, please
email: [email protected]
8 17
She now heads up Bunnyfoot
(Scotland) and is a partner in the
company, which has six offices
worldwide and forty-six staff. Her
path to the top involved persuading
the other two partners that she was
the woman to create a successful
branch in Scotland, receiving funding
from them to set up the Edinburgh
office, and paying all of this funding
back within the first year of trading.
Bunnyfoot is a behavioural research
consultancy specialising in usability
testing and user-centred design
services. Basically, this means they
are able to design and test company
websites, marketing materials and
products with the target customers
prior to full build or launch, saving
companies like Virgin Holidays from
making costly mistakes with their
sites and products.
Bunnyfoot are also the UK pioneers
of applied eyetracking which means
while testing with users they can
use a specialist screen with inbuilt
cameras to track the movement of
customers’ eyes. As a person views
a web page, marketing leaflet or
bus shelter poster, for example, the
software tracks where they look first
and then how they consume the
material in the moments thereafter.
Research participants are then
asked a set of questions to find out
how easy they found navigating
their way around the information,
whether there were any times
they became confused and what
improvements could be made to
help them digest the information.
Throughout the process the client,
who commissioned the research, is
able to observe the sessions from a
separate room and watch reactions
and customer feedback, first-hand.
The service is highly unique, and
as any marketing or e-commerce
professional will know, the
information gathered is invaluable
in creating a competitive edge by
ensuring companies have greater
understanding of their customers’
needs and behaviours. This
insight enables successful design
companies and their services to
truly meet customer needs and
expectations. To date, Sarah and her
team have secured contracts with
well-known companies including
the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS),
Moneysupermarket.com and the
Energy Savings Trust.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | best foot forward
Sarah completed an MA in
Psychology at Aberdeen University
in 2000 and then moved on to an
MSc in Human Computer Interaction
at Heriot-Watt in 2001; with the
latter degree taking her on to a work
placement with Standard Life, where
she completed her dissertation.
Get yourself into the commercial
sector. If you have the chance
for summer work placements,
or to undertake your dissertation
within a company, then grab it!
sarah ronald bunnyfoot
Sarah Ronald Bunnyfoot
S
arah Ronald is a highly
passionate and driven
individual, demonstrated
by the personal targets
that she sets for herself each year.
More impressive is the fact that she
meets these targets regularly. In
2005, she set herself the target to
play Touch Rugby for Scotland and
achieved it in two years.
And Sarah’s top tip for students who
are looking to make their way in the
world of work?
“Get yourself into the commercial
sector. If you have the chance for
summer work placements, or to
undertake your dissertation within
a company, then grab it. This
experience will be what makes you
stand out as a ‘bright spark’ when
you go for that first job interview.”
Sarah is keen to pass on her passion
and knowledge and has agreed to
speak to Heriot-Watt, in the coming
months, about the possibility of
inviting a student to undertake
their dissertation with her company,
potential lecture delivery to current
students, and maybe even a
Bunnyfoot scholarship. The cycle will
have gone full circle and Sarah may
even add these to her 2009 targets!
Sarah is a successful business
woman and she admits that she
would not be in her current position
without the help that her HeriotWatt degree has provided:
“Without Heriot-Watt, I
wouldn’t be where I am today,
I wouldn’t have worked at
Standard Life and there would
be no Bunnyfoot Scotland.”
for more information: www.bunnyfoot.com
www.hw.ac.uk
8 19
01
01 Ishwar D Dubey
Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering
02
03
04
05
»»
02 Chi M Fok
Master of Science in Building Services Engineering
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | CONNECTIONS
CONTINUED
1940 » 2007
www.hw.ac.uk
03 Almahdi Abdulla
Diploma in Actuarial Science
04 Austen F Redman
BArch (Architecture) in Architecture
05 Joanna Coyle
Bachelor of Science in Physics with Environmental Science
1940»1945
William H MacLeod –
AWHC Mechanical Engineering
The training I received at Chambers
Street was of great assistance and
relevance to me during my working
life. I served an apprenticeship in the
works of NB Locomotive Company
Ltd. I returned to Heriot-Watt
College for a few months in 1950
and obtained a London External BSc
Eng degree. After various positions
I moved to the paper industry and,
on retiring aged 65, became a
self-employed Project Engineer. I
travelled to suppliers and sites in
North America and Europe, winning
the 1993 Shell Energy award and
Powermatic/Nifes National Energy
Management Award for Scotland and
then the UK. In 1985, on stopping
work, I attended classes and field
trips in Geology and “Enjoying the
Countryside” lectures provided by
the Open Association of St Andrews
University from 1995 until 2006,
when a painful back intervened.
lease business. I owe my success to
HWU for the values and hard skills
inculcated in me. I am always pleased
to hear about my contemporaries and
hope HWU continues its praiseworthy
job to connect its alumni and friends.
1960s»1963
Roger W Hendry – Bachelor of
Science in Civil Engineering
I am officially retired from a
directorship in the Geotechnical
Engineering firm Knight Hall Hendry
(Pty) Ltd. The firm is strong and active
in South Africa and I am continuing to
act in a consulting capacity on various
projects in and around Cape Town.
I have recently completed a year’s
commission in Mozambique.
My wife and I live in Cape Town and
also have a house on the Isle of Skye
which we visit for an extended period
each year.
I am in regular contact with Peter
Stephen (1963) who lives in
Haddington, East Lothian.
1950»1957
1970»1972
Ronald M Barclay – Bachelor of
Science in Brewing and Distilling
Michael Kidd – Bachelor of
Science in Civil Engineering
I am still going strong as an island
hospice voluntary driver after a
second (short) career in the NHS as a
General Manager of Change.
Principal responsibility at present is
the construction of two PFI hospitals
in Glasgow, Stobhill & Victoria, with a
combined value of £180M.
Ishwar D Dubey – Bachelor of
Science in Mining Engineering **
Colin Mitchell – Bachelor of
Science in Biochemistry
I am hale and hearty at this stage
of my life and self-employed as
a landlord in a tenancy and land
Retired as headteacher of Dumfries
High School in 2005. Now doing
some consultancy work.
01
1975»
Vedhakumar Valliappan –
Bachelor of Science in Brewing
and Distilling
I am working on the effect of
storage time on diluted food
samples on the TAPC . Initial findings
show that the counts from diluents
plated within ten minutes are about
half of that from diluents plated in
25 to 30 minutes time limits set by
industry. Is this the main factor for
measurement uncertainty?
Hope someone at the school of
biological studies would take this up
seriously as I do not have the time.
1976»
J Martin Crombie – Bachelor of
Arts in Economics
Following graduation in 1976, I
worked in an office for six months
before travelling around Australia
and New Zealand. Highlights were in
Afghanistan and Nepal.
I married Judy in 1983 and we have
three children. For the following
20 years I worked for O’Neill Estate
Agents. I now work with my brother
running a building and engineering
company employing around 30
people. It would be great to hear
from colleagues from my era.
1978»
Hussain Al-Watban – Master
of Science in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
We are in the process of
establishing a huge industrial plant
for the manufacture of Dish Ends
for Pressure vessels (vessel ends)
from CS and SS on cold and hot
process in Jubail Industrial City in
Saudi Arabia.
1980»1981
Christine Hemming – Bachelor
of Science in Town and Country
Planning
Married to MP John Hemming.
Parliamentary assistant as well as
main employment. Living in London
and Birmingham.
numerous Particle Accelerators and
Light Sources worldwide. It is a very
exciting time for me along with my
wife Brenda and children, Brittany,
Scott and LeeAnn.
1988»
Doreen Taylor – Bachelor of Arts
in Painting
My husband and I continue to enjoy
living and working in Paris.
1989»
Asif Qayyum – PhD in Physics
Love for all the alumni.
1983»
1990»
Alistair J Mackenzie – Bachelor of
Science in Actuarial Mathematics
and Statistics
02
Chi M Fok – Master of Science
in Building Services Engineering
1984»
After graduating with an MSc in
Building Services Engineering in
1990, I returned to Hong Kong to
work. I would like to contact old
course mates or friends I made
whilst at university.
Georgia Smart – Bachelor
of Science in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
Isah Mayana - Master of Science
in Construction Management
(Project Management)
Now mum to Fingall born 14th
April 2007.
I am pleased to inform you that I
will contest for MP in my area. I
need prayers and support.
Married Jane in August 2003 and our
son James, was born on 25th April
2007.
1985»
Henry Downs – Master of Science
in Electrical Engineering
I have just assumed the role of
Vice President at MEGA Industries
to pursue my involvement in the
design and manufacture of the
High Power RF components for the
www.hw.ac.uk
1991»
Wai Keung Lau (Joe) – Master
of Science in Knowledge Based
Systems
Hi, just like everyone, I’m an
ordinary person and worked hard
daily before. But life has changed
since I ceased to work in 2002.
Live is calm and pretty good now.
This might be a little unorthodox
as my past occupation was as
a marine radio officer - seaman
(three years); a telecommunication
project engineer, followed by a
career break and study in Scotland
- HWU; back to Hong Kong as a
research assistant at university;
an officer - assistant weather
forecaster for the government;
a junior executive - Unix and
database officer in a securities
trading company; lastly as an MIS
manager and senior IT manager
(six years) in a red chip holdings
company. Unemployed and retired.
I’ve been a free man since then.
Now interested in self-study. Thank
you for reading and goodbye. Joe.
1992»
Patrick Kirwan – Bachelor of
Science in Estate Management
Married to Timea, three children,
living and working in Budapest
and managing a property company
developing logistics and factory
premises throughout Central and
Eastern Europe.
1994»
03
Almahdi Abdulla - Diploma in
Actuarial Science
Dear friends, life is very simple.
Don’t complicate it. If we think well,
everything we like will happen. We
must trust in God but not ourselves. I
hope to see you soon.
20 21
Having worked for eight years
for Bacardi, I took voluntary
redundancy and undertook an
MSc in Information Technology
at Glasgow Uni. I’m now doing
a PhD in Carbon Footprint
Methodologies (it’s accounting, but
counting carbon instead of cash) at
Strathclyde. I’m still not sure how
I persuaded my wife to let me be
a student for another three years.
Married since 1994 to Hazel, with
two sons, Iain (8) and Alexander
(3). Trying to learn to play electric
guitar, but failing.
04
Austen F Redman - BArch
(Architecture) in Architecture **
I have recently contributed to two
works of architectural history and I
hope to do further academic work in
the future.
1997»
Hayley Hetherington – MA in
Languages (Interpreting and
Translating)
Enjoying my new career as an ESL
teacher. Expecting my first baby in
April 2008. Enjoying Sydney life.
Cyril Jankoff – Master of Business
Administration
Ronan Smyth – Bachelor of
Science in Combined Studies
I was the Australian and Oceania
manager for a division of a listed
UK publisher. In 2000, I went to
the Philippines for training and met
the Philippine manager - we had a
workplace romance, then we married
and we now have two children
and live in Melbourne Australia - a
workplace merger! We now both
run a training organisation called
Centre for Business Education.
If in Australia look us up: www.
centreforbusinesseducation.com. All
the best. Cyril.
Married on 9/9/2006 and had first
child, Oliver on 23/10/2007.
1998»
1995»
Phil Dent – Bachelor
of Science in Chemistry
I’d like to hear from my chemistry
classmates and others that I knew
at HW. My email is listed on the
alumni directory so feel free to drop
me a line.
Christopher D Stoneley Bachelor of Science in
Combined Studies
Edward Jost – Master of Business
Administration
1996»
Relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada
in 2006. Working with the
Department of Leisure Services,
Senior Citizen Programs Division, as
its manager. This Division is rapidly
becoming known for its innovative
programming for active seniors and
baby boomers.
Karan S Bhopal – Bachelor
of Engineering in Mechanical
Engineering
Kirsteen Lynch – Master of Arts
in Languages (Interpreting and
Translating)
I have just returned from working on
a £700million contract in Bahrain.
Still acting/modelling too.
After working for several years as a
liaison interpreter over the phone,
I now do mainly translations and
Took the family to Scandinavia
in the spring to pick up a new
car. Able to meet up with HWU
graduates. Our dear friends made
us feel very welcome.
précis-writing in the UN system, with
a bit of singing too, now and then…
in beautiful British Columbia on
Canada’s Pacific coast.
1999»
2002»
05
Joanna Coyle – Bachelor
of Science in Physics with
Environmental Science**
Julie Olliero – Master of Science
in Distributed and Multimedia
Information Systems
Hello to all Physics graduates of
1999! My news is that I got married
to Paul in September 2005 and we
had a bouncing baby boy in October
2007. We hope you are all doing
well!
I got married in France on 2nd
September 2006 and I started my
own business in January 2007. I am
now self-employed and I work as a
freelance web developer either from
home or at clients’ premises.
2000»2000
2003»
Hanmanth Irkal – Master of
Business Administration
Joseph J Armour – Master of
Business Administration
Considering the fact of very few
manufacturers of Shave Foam and gel
in India, I started my own company
in it. We also cater for a private label
of the same. My greatest happiness
is my daughter, Lekha, born on
29/09/2007. I miss my days at the
University and miss the UK.
Joe recently moved from Rolls-Royce
to ACTS where he is responsible for
the introduction of new engine lines.
Love Hanmanth Irkal
Kenneth Walsh – Master of Arts in
Economics
Married in 2005 to Teresa Tenorio (US
citizen) wedding held in New York
City, Old St, Patrick’s Cathedral. We
have a daughter, Eleanor Genoveva
Tenorio Walsh, born in Singapore
21/02/2006, where we now live.
2001»
Juan Bonilla – Master of Business
Administration
Started a PHD/DBA program at
International University of Monaco
and the Université Nice Sophia
Antipolis (France). My dissertation
topic is Sustainable Business.
Laura Jill Caldwell – Bachelor of
Arts in Performance Costume
In 2007, I emigrated to Vancouver,
2005»
Ibrahim Nasir – Master of Science
in Embedded Systems Engineering
I had a marriage. I have started my
PhD at Bradford University in the UK
in Image Processing (Watermarking
image).
2006»
Mhairi Bain – Post Diploma in
Translating and Conference
Interpreting
I am thinking of doing a PHD in
translation, starting this year.
William Dodd – Phd in Civil
Engineering
Sadly passed away after a short
illness in October 2007.
2007»
Spitzer Arik – Master
of Business Administration
I have opened my own insurance
agency after years of working in the
field as an employee.
www.hw.ac.uk
Noreen Jennison – Bachelor of
Arts in Design for Textiles
After completing my degree at
Heriot-Watt and graduating in June
2007, I am now doing a Masters in
Fine Art at Edinburgh College of Art.
I am in the department of Art, Space
and Nature which brings together
artists, designers, architects and
landscape architects from around
the world to work on national and
international projects. We have just
completed a project with The Pier
Arts Centre in Orkney resulting in
an exhibition there. We are going to
Japan in the summer to collaborate
on a project in Kyoto.
Suzanne McGuire – Bachelor of
Science in Applied Psychology
On a gap year with five months
travelling in South America.
Miri Yanai – Master of Business
Administration
Dear alumni, I’m an MBA graduate,
2006. Since I’ve graduated I’ve
opened an Artist Management firm
representing musicians and English
speaking bands, promoting them in
Israel as well as abroad. Several labels
in the US are currently considering
them – would be glad to hear of any
additional referrals or introductions; I
am also preparing a tour abroad with
a special focus on the UK and the US.
My email: [email protected].
FYI: One of my bands recently
opened the Jethro Tull concerts in
Israel during their world tour - which
was a big success! Looking forward
to hearing from you regarding any
of the above. For now, best wishes!
Miri Yanai.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | CONNECTIONS
Alastair Scott – Bachelor
of Arts in Accountancy and
Computer Science
1940 » 2007
www.hw.ac.uk
Obituary:
Lord Thomson of Monifieth
Lord Thomson of Monifieth, who
died aged 87 in October 2008, was
Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University
between 1977 and 1991. During this
time he conferred degrees on and
personally congratulated more than
10,000 graduates.
Having not attended university himself,
the Chancellorship of Heriot-Watt
meant a great deal to Lord Thomson.
He was a great advocate of education
and was instrumental in the City of
Dundee having its own university,
which was established in 1967.
Dr Thomas Johnston, Principal
(1981-1988) described his “warmth
of personality (and) rapport with
students” and his legacy lives on at
Heriot-Watt with the Lord Thomson
Hall of Residence which he opened in
September 1999.
Can we have
your memories?
The University Archive, Records
Management and Museum
Service would like to receive
stories and photos from your
time at Heriot-Watt; no matter
what era, no matter how trivial.
If you have memories to share
we’d love to hear from you!
Please email Helen Taylor at:
[email protected]
22 23
20
When Martin initially set up
the club in 1999, he was staying
in Midlothian C halls while
studying for his BSc in Computer
Science. At his first class he
persuaded his friends to come
along as well as other interested
students. This gave him a
good start with twenty people
attending. The club, minus his
initial group of friends, now has
around forty members enrolled.
Martin’s journey with Aikido
has taken him to some far flung
parts of the world including
Japan and the USA. He won his
first world title in 2003 with his
training partner Steve Evans
from Manchester, his second
in 2005, again with Steve in
Katsuura, Japan and his third in
a row in 2007 in Dayton, Ohio.
All three wins have come in the
Junanahon kata event which is a
pair’s technical event.
While the competition in
Japan was by far the hardest
to win, Martin is most proud
of his 2007 World Title as this
was with a new partner, Ali
Topping, who Martin taught
from scratch at the HeriotWatt club. Martin told of his
feelings: “It’s hard to find the
words to adequately describe
it, but thirteen years of hard
work took me to the pinnacle
of my sport in 2003, then to
train Ali and win in 2007 was
the icing on the cake.” In
addition, Martin has trained
two other Heriot-Watt students
to World Championship gold in
the kyu grade (non-black belt)
kata event – Celine Pagnier in
2005, and Magne Pettersen in
2007.
Martin admits that he is not
really using his degree in his
current role as he is more of
a manager/organiser of work
load for a team of programmers
and artists. However, the
degree has given him a good
understanding of what his team
is capable of. Martin has worked
on some interesting projects in
his career in the games industry
including the Weakest Link,
which was produced for various
mobile phone handsets.
He and Tag Games are looking
forward to the release of Car
Jack Streets which is due for
release on iPhone in April 2009.
One of his proudest moments
came when working on a game
called All Star Darts. Martin
stated “All Star Darts got to
number 19 in the iTunes App
store download charts. Of
course, I’m aiming for number
one with Car Jack Streets!”
Martin Livingston
Martin took up Aikido in 1990
when he lived in the quaintly
named Upper Poppleton, near
York. Since then he has risen
to 3rd dan black belt and now
runs the Shodokan Aikido Club
at Heriot-Watt which includes
graduates and students alike.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | world champion gamer
martin livingston
t 5’5” you may
look at Martin
Livingston and
think that he
might be a soft
touch but Martin is a three
times World Aikido Champion.
He is also a Game Architect for
Tag Games in Dundee, designing
and producing games for
mobile phones.
It’s hard to find the
words to describe it,
but thirteen years of
hard work took me
to the pinnacle of my
sport in 2003, then
to train Ali and win
in 2007 was the
icing on the cake.
About
Aikido
Shodokan is the style of aikido
founded by Kenji Tomiki (1900 –
1979). It is sometimes referred to
as Sport Aikido because it is the
only style of aikido to hold regular
competitions, and also referred to
as Tomiki Aikido, after its founder.
It places more emphasis on freeform randori sparring than most
other styles of aikido.
For more information
on Tag Games, please
view www.tag-games.com
For more information on HWU Shodokan Aikido Club, Edinburgh please view www.shodokanedinburgh.co.uk
www.hw.ac.uk
22 25
20
Alan has written and co-written
international conference papers on
electricity generation, including to the
World Power Conference and the United
Nations. Some of his many articles have
been translated and published overseas.
(One written for an American audience
was picked up by German professional
engineers, translated and circulated,
with permission, to leading German
politicians in the Bundestag.). Alan is
due to receive a Honorary Doctorate in
Engineering from the University in June.
These stations would have been
very large, to achieve capital
economies of scale, and would use
steam at very high temperatures
and pressures to achieve high
thermal efficiency and low running
cost. They would supersede
the hundreds of existing, small,
inefficient stations as quickly as they
could be built.
where it all started
The evolution of
the Great British
Supergrid
by Alan Shaw, Heriot-Watt Alumnus (1935 to 1938)
T
he National Grid Electricity Transmission plc
(NGET) central control room continuously
balances Great Britain’s electricity demand
with responsive generation on a second by second
basis. Regardless of whether unusual spikes in
demand are caused by the Inauguration speech of
US President Barack Obama or a World Cup Final,
the grid copes with fluctuations seamlessly.
In the late nineteenth century, electricity was in
its infancy. In the UK, there was no overriding
authority to standardise systems which consisted
of mainly municipal and a few private, electricity
undertakings. Each had a monopoly within its
own supply area with generation from one or
two small power stations.
Interconnection between undertakings hardly
existed due to the disparity of voltages, and
particularly, the frequencies of alternating
current which latterly were the key to future
long-distance transmission.
Breakdowns were frequent and
each undertaking had to have its
own reserve of spare plant.
The first attempt at national
coordination was the Electricity
(Supply) Act 1919 which set up the
Electricity Commissioners but was
emasculated by opposition to state
intervention.
The situation deteriorated until the
formation of the Weir Committee
in 1925 which brought in two
prominent consulting engineers,
John Kennedy and Charles Merz.
The Weir Report recommended
design and construction of a
national 132 kV alternating current
grid operating at a frequency of
The recommendations were
embodied immediately into the
Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 that
established the Central Electricity
Board (CEB) to implement
its measures. The first 132kV
electricity pylon was erected near
Edinburgh on 14th July 1928 and
the last on 5th September 1933
at Fordingbridge, Hampshire.
The first ‘selected station’ was
at Portobello, Edinburgh, from
which the first grid region, Central
Scotland, was made live in 1930.
The grid was virtually complete by
the end of 1935 and by 1938 the
proportion of spare generating
plant had been reduced from 80
per cent to about 15 per cent. The
resulting capital saving amounted
to 75 per cent of the cost of
building the grid and generation
costs fell by 24 per cent.
The outbreak of World War II
in 1939 brought unprecedented
demand for electricity as the
UK readied itself for the bloody
conflict. Grid engineers had
already experimentally closed
all the regional interconnectors
to form a monolithic national
grid, and nothing untoward had
happened. The national grid
was being born just in time and
a centralised control room was
secretly being established in a
disused Underground station in
central London.
The first 132kV electricity pylon was
erected near Edinburgh on 14th July
1928 and the last on 5th September
1933 at Fordingbridge, Hampshire.
production. The frugal years of
hardship endured in wartime
slowly gave way to optimism and
consumerism. People were able to
purchase more household items,
particularly electrical appliances,
as these became more affordable.
However, industrial electricity use
was still dominant.
During the war years, power
station construction had ceased,
except for two emergency stations
at Reading and Gloucester. The
existing infrastructure struggled
to keep pace with customer
need. In 1950 Lord Citrine, first
Chairman of the British Electricity
Authority, launched plans for a
275kV Supergrid.
Unfortunately, it left the industry
without any central planning
coordination. Market forces, it was
believed, would operate instead.
how we do it now
Today, nearly all large power
stations are directly connected to
the Supergrid and their output
controlled by NGET plc. Output is
supplied via grid supply points in
bulk to the 14 Distribution Network
Operators (DNO). Other generating
units and sources of electricity,
mainly large combined heat and
power and wind turbine units, are
connected to the DNO systems as
embedded generation.
By the 1980s there was
political concern about the
cost of electricity production.
Several private generation
companies, owning plant directly
connected to the Supergrid, make
computerised bids and offers to
NGET’s control room before realtime generation occurs, with a
one-hour gate delay beforehand.
All bids accepted through the gate
become contractually firm and
self-dispatchable with penalties
for non-compliance. NGET not
only continuously operates the
Demand/Generation Balancing
Mechanism in this way but
also operates the Great Britain
electricity commodity market.
In 1989 the Thatcher Government
completely privatised the electricity
supply industry in the belief that
market forces would reduce
the cost of production and the
corresponding price of electricity.
National Grid plc, of which NGET
plc is a subsidiary, has 27,000
employees, is the largest UK
electricity and gas utility, the second
largest USA energy utility, and is an
FTSE 26 company.
As long-distance power flows
increased from 1962, this
was reinforced by the start
of construction of the 400kV
Supergrid. These higher voltages
greatly increased the power
carrying capacity per line
compared with the original 132kV
grid and lowered the power
transmission cost per kWh.
01
www.hw.ac.uk
PICTURE 1
facidunt niam
quisci ero.
02
PICTURE 2
nisis molorper
illut lam ing
essi er susc.
03
In 1948 British electricity supply
became completely nationalised
due to heavy demands on electricity
How Great Britain’s Electricity Super Grid Came About
50Hz and supplied by a few modern
steam turbines driven ‘selected’
power stations.
by Heriot-Watt Alumnus (1935 to 1938), Alan Shaw©
Name: Alan Shaw
Age: 92
Profession: Retired Chartered Engineer
PICTURE 3
duissim dit lute
velenit ut irit dit
lum sand.
28 29
Norman went on to become an
instructor in Zambia’s National
Service, which led to a meeting
with a head of state closer to home.
“One of my recruits was the son
of the first president of Zambia,”
says Norman. “He introduced
me to his father, Dr Kenneth D.
Kaunda and we soon became great
friends. When I was assigned to the
security team that accompanied the
president on his holidays, I would
play him at draughts but Dr Kaunda
usually won!”
Born in Zambia and raised in
Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia)–
Norman Chipakupaku became a
social and political activist at an early
age, later joining the Zambian Army
to fight for the liberation of the
Southern African region.
On leaving the Army in 1986 after
almost 15 years’ service, Norman
drew on his previous agricultural
experience, growing crops and
bananas, to become a full-time
farmer. But it wasn’t long before he
was invited to become involved in
the political life of Zambia’s singleparty state, working his way up from
provincial district leader to become
Shadow Minister for Agriculture and
Co-operatives.
“My training with the Zambian
Army took me to China and Russia
and then I came back to Africa
to fight many battles,” Norman
explains. “But the climax of the
story was my meeting with UK
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
when she came to Zambia in 1979
to participate in negotiations for
the independence of Zimbabwe,
following the liberation of
Mozambique and Angola
from the Portuguese in 1975.”
It was during this time that Norman,
through his work with United
States Agency for International
Development (USAID), met the
British “VSO girl” who would later
become his wife. “I tried to avoid
her,” jokes Norman, “but she
tracked me down, and that marked
the beginning of this second part of
my life story.”
Continental shift
A holiday, travelling around
Scotland in 1997, soon turned into
a permanent move for Norman
and his wife but despite having
such a breadth of knowledge and
experience, he found it difficult to
obtain employment in his adopted
home.
“The only British qualifications I
had were my O Levels,” explains
Norman. “My wife was expecting
our son and I knew that I had to
start all over from scratch to build
us a secure future. So I enrolled
at Borders College for an HND in
www.hw.ac.uk
Business Administration and was
soon encouraged to pursue an MSc
in Business Management at HeriotWatt.”
In the intervening year between
gaining his HND and starting his
studies at Heriot-Watt, Norman
undertook a couple of projects to
keep busy. With his wife and three
other friends, he established the
Scottish Borders Africa Aids Group
to support projects in Zambia,
South Africa, Malawi, Botswana
and Kenya. Also, seeing the need to
help local Borders people manage
their debt, he helped set up the
Borders Credit Union. And, as if that
wasn’t enough, he also volunteered
with Jubilee Scotland from 1997,
culminating in the launch of the
Make Poverty History campaign in
Scotland; the campaign to improve
the economic plight in Africa.
Norman remembers the day when
all of his hard work on the Make
Poverty History campaign paid
off. “I went to the Meadows in
Edinburgh on the morning of 2
July 2005 and knelt down to pray
to God to bring us 60,000 people,”
he says. “In the end, more than
200,000 people flocked to the rally,
all dressed in white t-shirts, to take
our message to the then Chancellor
Gordon Brown.”
Contributing to communities
Of course, much work is still to be
done to improve the economic
situation across Africa, but it’s an
issue that Norman is looking forward
to tackling with gusto in his new
volunteer post as the first African
Ambassador for the Watt Club.
“I’m very excited about the role,”
says Norman. “From Cape to
Cairo, the African group will be
very active. When I looked at the
statistics, I couldn’t believe how
many African people had been
educated by Heriot-Watt, whether
through its distance learning
programme or on campus.
“The African Watt Club already has
around 1,500 members and I will
be encouraging current students to
consider joining the alumni group
in the future. It’s time for us to say
thank you to the University for our
education and to give something
back to our African communities,
whether our skills are in business
management, brewing, textiles
or engineering. By pooling our
knowledge and connections we can
change lives and contribute hugely
to Africa’s economic growth.”
Any new funded Scholarship for
African Students will be part of the
University Leadership Programme
where students will have access to
the new Leadership Lecture series
and associated Master classes to
hear directly from top leaders in
business, politics and public life.
Norman would also like to see a
special scholarship established for
African students who wouldn’t
otherwise be able to afford tuition
fees to attend Heriot-Watt.
“Each member of the Watt Club’s
African group might be asked to
contribute to the scholarship fund
and we could also call upon our
influential African connections –
Nelson Mandela, even – to support
fundraising events held in Africa.
As well as raising enough money to
support one or two students each
year to study in Scotland, these
initiatives would help to elevate the
profile of Heriot-Watt overseas.”
His experience as Community
Fundraiser for CrossReach, a
pioneering social care charity
previously known as the Church
of Scotland Board of Social
Responsibility, that Norman joined in
2007 will give Norman a head start
when it comes to inviting donations
to the scholarship fund. He also hopes
to encourage students from across
Heriot-Watt to carry out voluntary
work with CrossReach, as part of
Heriot-Watt Student Association’s
Target50 volunteering campaign.
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | a fine ambassador
B
y the time Norman
Chipakupaku enrolled
to complete his MSc
in Business Management with
international marketing at HeriotWatt in 2004, he already had a
lifetime of experience under his
belt. Now he is returning to the
University to put his extensive
skills to use as the Watt Club’s first
Ambassador for Africa. Norman is
a passionate advocate of creating
economic and social improvements
in Africa.
Norman Chipakupaku
Norman is looking for assistance with the
running of the African Watt Club. If you are
interested in getting involved then please
email: [email protected]
Norman Chipakupaku
A Fine
ambassador
Can you help the African Watt Club
“CrossReach has an annual
expenditure of over £45million
and employs some 2,000 staff,
from Shetland to the Borders,
and organises 800 volunteers
to deliver around 80 social care
services ranging from pioneering
dementia care to support for
sufferers of postnatal depression,”
Norman says. “We could easily find
opportunities for another 1,000
students to volunteer with us: either
in providing services or in helping
to assist the charity, whether as part
of the fundraising, marketing or
human resources team.”
A Fair Trade future
Never one to run out of steam,
Norman’s plans don’t stop at his
vision for the African Watt Club.
Norman is hoping to be elected to
be Speaker for the Ethnic Minorities
Congress (Scotland) and in this
role he hopes to work with the
UK Government’s Department
for International Development to
revive co-operatives in 11 African
countries, but he still finds time to
assist with other initiatives for the
University.
Having helped the University
of Edinburgh lead the way in
becoming the UK’s first Fair Trade
University, Norman would like to
see Heriot-Watt follow suit in the
next few years. Not only that, he
has recently been nominated to
the board of the Scottish Borders
College (who share a campus with
Heriot-Watt).
“As a former student of each
institution, I’m in an interesting
position,” says Norman, with a
characteristic twinkle in his eye. “I’ll
have to be very careful which hat I
wear at meetings.”
For more information on CrossReach, please view: www.crossreach.org.uk
22 33
20
JamesClerk
Maxwell
Hologram
The special theory of
relativity owes its origins
to Maxwell’s equations of
the electromagnetic field.
Einstein on James Clerk Maxwell
F
or many years it has been
remarked that there
existed no monument in
Edinburgh to the great physicist
and mathematician James Clerk
Maxwell. Born and educated in
the city, Maxwell, through his
scientific work in the mid-19th
century, laid the foundations of
the modern technological world.
The commissioning by the Royal
Society of Edinburgh (RSE) of a
statue in his memory was seen as
long overdue recognition.
Heriot-Watt University is proud
to have contributed to the statue
both financially and through its
reproduction – in the form of a
large hologram, created under
the direction of Vice-Principal
Professor Andy Walker FRSE.
Noting that the statue is 2.5
metres tall, it was decided a
holographic stereogram would
be the most suitable approach to
reproducing images of the statue.
This technique relies on a series of
conventional photographs being
combined to form the final ‘threedimensional’ holographic image.
The photography was carried out,
shortly after completion of the
statue, at the foundry in Nairn
where it was cast.
200 images were captured from
different angles, each just a
third of a degree apart. While
taking these photographs, the
camera’s viewing point needed
to pivot precisely around a
vertical axis through the middle
of the statue. A special camera
rig was designed and built by
technicians in the Heriot-Watt
engineering workshop to satisfy
this requirement.
These images were processed
by project consultants, Colour
Holographics in London, to ensure
precise relative registration.
As a further twist, Maxwell’s
electromagnetism equations were
added digitally. The images were
then sent to Holographics North
Inc., USA where the final 1m x
1.5m hologram was fabricated in
their unique facilities.
With much fanfare, November
2008 saw the unveiling of both
www.clerkmaxwellfoundation.org
the statue in George Street,
Edinburgh and the hologram
inside the RSE rooms. A second
copy of the hologram is in the
process of being positioned at
Heriot-Watt’s Riccarton Campus.
Maxwell’s scientific legacy lives
on in the Maxwell Institute
for Mathematical Sciences
– a joint research institute
operated by Edinburgh and
Heriot-Watt Universities. This
internationally pre-eminent
centre for research and
postgraduate training in
the mathematical sciences
provides an environment
that is attracting the
very best mathematical
talent from around
the world.