Transforming diabetic foot care - Glasgow Caledonian University

theCaledonian
News and views for the people of Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity, number SC021474
Transforming
diabetic foot care
How academics are bringing about change in India
May 2012
In this issue...
Celebrating International
Nurses Day
page four
Stand(ing) for up science
page seven
Win a John Smith gift card
page eight

Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity, number SC021474
May 2012
page two
Welcome
Whilst it’s generally seen as a
manageable condition in developed
countries, diabetes leads to the
amputation of a limb every 30 seconds
around the world. The disease and its effects
are particularly virulent in India, where it’s been
identified as a pandemic. The Caledonian
reports on the GCU academics who travelled
to India to train podiatrists in managing the
complications caused by diabetes. Read more
about the difference they’re making on page five.
Also sharing her global expertise is Professor
Barbara Parfitt, Principal of the Grameen
Caledonian College for Nursing, who spoke at
a health conference in Mongolia as part of the
celebrations for International Nurses Day.
Elsewhere, we report on research that
explains why Scottish tourism figures are
rocketing and the academic who tried his hand
at stand-up comedy, with surprising results.
Finally, get a head start on your summertime
reading with this month’s competition, where you
can win a John Smith & Son £50 gift card.
Happy reading, and as always, don’t
forget to share your news, views and
stories.
The Communications Team
Contact us:
• Alison Arnot, Head of Communications
and Public Affairs, x8670
• Charlotte Bozic, Internal Communications
Officer, x8680
• Roisin Eadie, Press Officer, x8614
• Lynn McGarry, International
Communications Officer, x8684
• Kenny Fleming, Public Affairs Officer, x1695
• PJ Meiklem, Research and Community
Communications Officer, x8671
theCaledonian
News and views for the people of Glasgow Caledonian University
Transforming
diabetic foot care
How academics are bringing about change in India
In this issue...
Celebrating International
Nurses Day
page four
Stand(ing) for up science
page seven
Win a John Smith gift card
page eight
On the cover: Professor Stuart Baird in India.
“The programme was well
received…(there was) a high
appreciation for the eminent
speakers”
Jerry Philip, Kerala Institute of
Medical Sciences
Read more on page five.
theCaledonian
43,172,027
people visited
Scotland’s
attractions in
2010
(2010 Visitor
Attraction Monitor)
Tourist numbers
rocket by
four million
GCU’s influential Moffat Centre Visitor
Attraction Monitor 2011, which compiled
the findings of 649 tourist sites across
Scotland, has found that visits to main
tourist attractions rocketed by four million
to nearly 47million last year.
Numbers soared with the re-launch of the
National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and
the opening of Riverside Museum in Glasgow
boosting the figures. The ‘big winners’ were
Scotland’s free-admission attractions, which
overall welcomed twice as many visitors as
paid-for sites.
A collection of rare material from the GCU
archive which sheds light on a unique
period of Glasgow’s history was on
display in the city’s Scotland Street School
Museum.
More than forty posters, songbooks, leaflets
and books have been loaned to the new project
called The Glasgow Schools, which explores the
city’s Socialist Sunday and Proletarian Schools,
which were secular left-wing alternatives to
church Sunday Schools and active in the city
from 1896 to 1980.
The project, created by artist Ruth Ewan,
comprise an exhibition, a series of events at
Scotland Street School Museum and a printed
publication. It ran from April 20 to May 6.
Items loaned from the university’s ‘Gallacher
Memorial Library’ and the ‘Papers of Jane
McKay’ collections included a book of
proletarian catechisms, the Socialist Sunday
School song book and catalogue of minutes,
reports and letters related to the schools.
Carole McCallum, GCU’s Research Collection
Archivist, said she was “delighted” to lend items
to the exhibition.
She added: “We are committed to sharing
Glasgow and Scotland’s proud heritage and our
The findings for 2011, identified by the
Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business
Development Survey, named the free-to-enter
National Museum of Scotland as 2011’s busiest
attraction with 1,494,728 visitors following its
extensive refurbishment completed in July 2011.
The new Riverside Museum in Glasgow had
1,068,986 visitors since its opening in June
2011 and St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh
enjoyed a 20% rise to 851,375.
The National Trust for Scotland’s Robert
Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway saw an
increase of 49.1% to 444,947, following its relaunch
in 2010. Ayrshire and Arran enjoyed the
greatest increase in visitor numbers – up 29.6%.
Professor John Lennon, Director of the
Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business
Development, said: “Partly as a result of the
new and upgraded attractions, the Scottish
Tourism industry continues to develop and we
see positive trends. In previous years we’ve
had shocks such as the volcanic ash cloud and
security issues which have negatively impacted
on the figures. No doubt the recession and fuel
costs have also taken their toll, particularly on
the smaller and more remote attractions without
a secure source of funding.”
Did you know…
The Moffat Centre, a world leader in
tourism business development, has
been surveying Scotland’s attractions
since 1999.
Rare collection illuminates
Glasgow’s ‘forgotten’ history
active involvement in exhibitions breaks barriers
and opens our doors to the local community
and beyond.”
Established in London, the Socialist Sunday
School movement’s aims were designed to
counter the dominant influences of Liberalism,
Conservatism and ultimately Capitalism, thought
to be promoted by both church and state
schools. Lessons were grounded in ethics,
morality and love, borrowing heavily from
Christian frameworks, although the schools
were secular.
The schools flourished in the early 1900s, with
over 150 running across the UK in the 1920s.
The movement declined during the following
decade, although some of the Glasgow schools
stayed open until 1980, albeit under the new
name of the Socialist Fellowship.
The exhibition was accompanied by a
programme of talks and discussion, song,
performance and magic on Sundays throughout
the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art.
Artist Ruth Ewan thanked GCU for opening
its collection. “I am delighted to be presenting a
unique collection of material from the research
collection at GCU. This has enabled us to shed
light on a forgotten piece of Glasgow’s history.”

page three
The legacy of
healthy eating
One in seven
children was found
to be overweight
in the most recent
survey
(NHS)
News
Research in brief
GCU is using its share of profits from the
hugely successful centenary edition of
the Glasgow Cookery Book to promote
healthy eating among families in
Drumchapel.
Parents of children attending Cloan Nursery
have been visiting the campus every week
this month to take part in the Caledonian
Club’s Cook And Eat project, under the expert
guidance of GCU’s staff, students from Human
Nutrition and Dietetics and student mentors.
Thanks to impressive sales of the iconic
recipe book, plus donations from alumni and
friends of GCU, nearly £10,000 was raised.
The Caledonian Club, GCU’s awardwinning
widening participation and community
engagement initiative, received £4,000 to
develop a hands-on healthy eating and
nutrition programme.
Parents are taking part in workshops relating
to food hygiene, budgeting, nutrition and
healthy lunchbox/school snacks. There will
also be cookery classes after which parents
will dish up healthy, homemade meals such as
Lisa Roberts has been presented with the
Nursing Times award for Student Nurse of
the Year: Mental Health.
Lisa, in her third year of the Bachelor of
Nursing in Mental Health, impressed adjudicators
with her enthusiasm and passion for her chosen
profession. The judges were looking for people
who were willing to go that extra mile, and rated
each entrant on criteria including academic
excellence and placement performance.
When asked what made Lisa stand out,
a Nursing Times spokesperson said: “Lisa
demonstrates many of the contemporary
values of mental health nursing, she is genuinely
concerned about service and dignity and is
ambassadorial.”
The awards were presented during a grand
ceremony at St Paul’s Grange Hotel, London, in
front of student nurses, nurse leaders, university
Caledonian Club’s Cook and Eat project
spaghetti bolognaise and vegetable soups, as
well as healthy, tempting treats for the kids, for
example, fruit smoothies and fruit faces. The
children will be invited along to enjoy the final
cookery class with their parents.
Headteacher at Cloan Nursery, Anne
O’Grady, said: “We continue to be delighted
to be working in partnership with Glasgow
Caledonian University.
“This latest project allows us to continue
our journey of aspiration to university life. It
will enhance the health and well being of our
families as well as being great fun.”
Top nursing accolade
for GCU student
Lisa Robert (third from left)
representatives and lecturers from across Britain.
Lisa said: “Winning the Nursing Times award
has been a truly overwhelming experience and
I cannot thank the Mental Health team at GCU
enough for their support and encouragement.
“I have had fantastic clinical placements
during my course and feel ready to act as an
ambassador for GCU and the nursing profession
when I qualify, but most importantly to support
those who use mental health services. I feel
incredibly proud to have my efforts recognised
by Nursing Times and I am excited about the
prospects that may now follow. Winning the
award is both the perfect end to my training and
the perfect start to my career.”
Val Howatson, Lecturer/Pathway Lead: Mental
Health, said: “We are absolutely delighted that
Lisa has won this prestigious award. We are
very proud of her achievement. She deserves
the title of ‘Student Mental Health Nurse of
the Year’ in recognition of her relentless hard
work, enthusiasm and continued effort to
make a difference to the lives of those who are
experiencing mental distress.
“Lisa has demonstrated a high level of
nursing skill throughout the programme. It is
clear from feedback that she receives from her
clinical placements that mentors view her as a
knowledgeable, genuine and skilled nurse. Lisa
is a role model for other students too through
questioning and examining the deeper rationale
for practice, and is always eager to share her
insight with her fellow students.”
Parenting Support Programme For
Domestic Abusers To be Studied
The impact of a new parenting programme
- which will complement current social work
practices designed to minimise the chances of
domestic abuse occurring in high risk families -
will be studied by a team of GCU researchers.
A team led by Professor Liz Gilchrist has
received £100,000 over two years from the
Scottish Government and NHS Glasgow to
implement and evaluate the impact of providing
parenting interventions for a group convicted of
domestic abuse offences.
The interventions will be delivered by criminal
justice social workers and women’s support
agencies alongside the ‘service as usual’ work
specifically related to domestic abuse.
One of the project’s main aims is to further
increase safety and improve health and social
outcomes for children in families where there is a
high risk of domestic abuse occurring.
The Parenting and Family Support Research
Programme team, drawn from the Institute for
Applied Health Research and the Institute for
Society and Social Justice Research, includes
Principal Investigator Professor Liz Gilchrist,
Professor Matt Sanders, Dr Keri McPherson and
Tania Loureiro.
Healthcare Associated Infection Team Win
Research Grants
The performance of the World Health
Organisation’s “five moments for hand hygiene”
campaign – which promotes hand washing
amongst health professionals – will be evaluated
in a new project involving Dr Lesley Price,
Professor Jacqui Reilly and staff from Health
Protection Scotland.
The team has received £10,012 from the
Scottish Infection Research Network to evaluate
the success of the campaign in the prevention of
infection transmission.
GCU’s Dr Sue Lang and Dr Lesley Price have
also received £9, 960 from the same funding
body to develop an in vitro model of nasal
colonisation by MRSA to investigate the efficiency
of decolonisation using the antibiotic mupirocin.
Dry Eye Treatments Examined
GCU researchers have tested and evaluated
the efficacy of three types of lubricant eye drops
used in the treatment of the common condition
dry eye.
Professor Alan Tomlinson was awarded
more than £70,000 by healthcare company
Allergan to complete the study.
Want your research to be featured in the
Caledonian? Contact PJ Meiklem, Research
and Community Communications Officer, on
peter.meiklem@gcu.ac.uk
theCaledonian

page four
News
Anchorman praises
award winning students
John MacKay with REAL WoRLD winners
23,000 nurses serve
145 million people
in Bangladesh -
compared to 680,000
nurses serving 60
million in the UK
(GCCN)
STV news anchorman John MacKay
was full of praise for GCU’s journalism
students when he presented awards
to the winners of the Real WoRLD
employability competition.
John, who also presents Scotland Tonight,
urged students to take advantage of every
opportunity, and to make the most of work
experience placements to get their feet in the
door of the highly competitive media industry.
“Work experience is invaluable and it is a
great chance to make a good impression.
Many people in this industry have built
successful careers on the back of an
impressive work experience placement. The
most important thing is to demonstrate that
you are interested in the opportunities and
experiences to be gained by work experience
– you wouldn’t believe how many people
come in and just sit on Facebook and Twitter,”
said John.
“That’s not to say that social media is not a
useful tool. I am a big fan of GCU’s Caley Chat
opening title sequence, which I first saw on
Twitter.”
Competitors were tasked with interviewing
fellow students who have improved their
employability skills through work experience.
They then told their stories in a print article,
radio/video package or on-line slide show.
First prize went to Rachael Fulton for her
film about Events Management students Ally
Turnbull and Claire Stuart, who set up their
own company, ‘The Company of Wolves’.
As well as a cash prize, Rachael will spend a
week at STV on a work experience placement.
The other winners were Craig Telfer,
Louise Douglas, Antony Bushfield and Harriet
Brace. They won a cash prize funded by
GCU LEAD’s Real WoRLD project and an
internship with one of the employers involved
in the competition, including the Daily Record,
PR companies and the press offices of the
Scottish Funding Council and British Transport
Police.
Professor Barbara Parfitt
Celebrating
International
Nurses Day
Professor Barbara Parfitt ensured that
International Nurses Day was a truly global
experience, with events taking place in
Mongolia and Bangladesh.
Starting with an address to a global health
conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Professor
Parfitt then returned to the Grameen Caledonian
College of Nursing in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to
celebrate with students.
She says: “Our students held a small event in
the college on the 12th but on the 17th, when
I got back, we held a celebration and candle
ceremony with first and second year students
taking their nurses oath.
“Last year, Princess Anne attended the
ceremony and this time we invited the new
Director of Nursing Services in Bangladesh
to be our chief guest. We emphasise that
our students will be ‘international nurses’ to
distinguish them from those being trained
in poorer quality colleges and schools. We
want them to feel proud and to feel part of the
larger, international community of nursing. The
profession is looked down on here but I believe
we are changing attitudes.”
Professor Parfitt’s five decade long career
has taken her across the world. She has
worked in the rural mountains of Afghanistan
and Bhutan as a community nurse and midwife,
as well as posts closer to home in London and
at Manchester University.
A move to GCU in 1995 led to a new career
direction when Professor Parfitt agreed to take
on the challenge of establishing the Grameen
Caledonian College of Nursing in Bangladesh,
a country where nurses are poorly regarded but
desperately needed.
In 2009, Principal and Vice Chancellor
Pamela Gillies, and Nobel Peace Prize winner
Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen
Trust in Bangladesh, reached agreement to
establish a college for the education of nurses
and midwives in Dhaka.
The college opened to students the following
year, offering the opportunity to train to the
highest standards through the provision of
quality education and research. Two years on,
it continues to go from strength to strength,
with regular visits from GCU nursing students,
academics and researchers helping to maintain
close links with the Glasgow campus.
Professor Parfitt believes the college offers
young women more than the chance of a
career – its work will impact on the community
health needs of Bangladesh while encouraging
new life skills for young women who are too
often caught in a cycle of early marriage, early
child-bearing and early death.
Professor Parfitt has also recently returned
from the World Health Congress in Washington,
which was attended by more than 3,000
delegates and aims to promote social business,
technology for health and innovations in health
care. She said: “I was part of the delegation with
Professor Yunus, and we met potential donors
and partners for health projects, including the
nursing college.”
Did you know…
Bangladesh currently has more doctors
than trained nurses and high maternal
and child mortality statistics.
“I believe we
are making
progress and
that attitudes
are starting to
change”
theCaledonian
Barbara Parfitt with Grameen Caledonian College students
Professor Barbara Parfitt

Transforming diabetic
foot care in India
At 60 million,
India has more
diabetics than
anywhere else in
the world
(International Diabetes
Foundation)
News
Flying colours for LILAC
page five
LILAC Ladies
Professor Stuart Baird and Christine Skinner in India
Two GCU podiatrists have been helping
transform the care of India’s diabetes
patients, where the disease has been
identified by WHO as a pandemic.
Professor Stuart Baird and Christine Skinner
have been training physicians in managing the
complications caused by diabetes, which leads
to the amputation of a limb every 30 seconds
around the world.
The former World Health Organisation
consultants in diabetic foot disease partnered
with Calicut’s Institute of Palliative Medicine
and Trivandum’s Kerala Institute of Medical
Sciences to run academic and practical
workshops for 140 physicians last month. The
workshops were funded by Dr P Mohamad Ali,
Chair of the Mfar Group and the University’s
partner in Oman, Caledonian College of
Engineering, and demonstrated to physicians
the techniques required to assess and manage
the complications caused by diabetes. The loss
of sensation and poor blood supply to the feet
and legs caused by diabetes contribute to high
levels of amputation across India.
It is the second time Stuart and Christine
have run the workshops. Last year the duo
reached hundreds of physicians in Mumbai,
Delhi and Chennai after winning South East
Asia Development funding from the Scottish
Government to take their expertise to India.
Stuart said: “Diabetes is a massive
problem in India, and its complications can be
devastating for individuals and an enormous
burden on the health care system. Additionally,
the socio-economic burden of limb amputation
cannot be overestimated. There is a limited
knowledge base and expertise in India and
physicians have limited knowledge of the vital
early identification, detection and management
of diabetic foot disease, which is considered
as the major risk factor in non-traumatic limb
amputation worldwide. We hope the physicians
we met can use this new knowledge to assess
diabetic feet early, identify complications and
advise their patients on practical issues such
as not walking bare foot when they have lost
sensation in the soles of their feet as barefoot
walking is a common practice in India. That kind
of advice can make an enormous difference to
patients’ lives.”
Said Christine: “We were so impressed
with the participants’ eagerness to learn and
improve their skills for the benefit of their
patients. We felt humbled by their enthusiasm
and by the amazing work and great standard
of care at both institutions. The Institute of
Palliative Medicine, for example, is run largely on
charitable donations and has extremely limited
resources, but it is doing incredible work in
difficult conditions. The care its patients receive
is superb.”
Jerry Philip, of Kerala Institute of Medical
Sciences, said: “The programme was well
received by senior doctors, diabetologists,
podiatrists and senior nursing and palliative care
personnel who had a high appreciation for the
eminent speakers. We look forward for many
more associations like this in the near future.”
“ I am delighted that the
university agreed to send its
eminent professors across
the continent to train our
physicians and medical staff
to effectively manage and
deal with the complications
related to diabetics”
Dr P Mohamad Ali, Chair of the Mfar Group
GCU hosted the international LILAC
(Librarians’ Information Literacy Annual
Conference) last month – the first
time the conference has been held in
Scotland.
For four days, the Saltire Centre was
home to 109 delegates, from 20 countries
spanning five continents. They enjoyed a
lively programme featuring three prestigious
keynote speakers, interactive workshops,
symposiums, presentations and a popular
‘speed dating’ session, where delegates got
to exchange different ideas.
Feedback from conference delegates has
been very positive, with praise for everything
from the location to the catering – with
Tunnocks wafers proving particularly popular!
Student Malgorzata Fedorowska helped
with the conference as part of her MSc
in International Events Management. She
says: “The conference in general was well
organised and offered a healthy variety of
workshops and networking opportunities.
From my observation I noticed that the
location of GCU, the support of university
staff and volunteers who backed the project,
and the facilities and strengths of the campus
were as significant in shaping the conference
in a practical sense as the chosen theme set
the academic parameters.”
“ LILAC is a truly
international conference
and showcased GCU
and Glasgow as a great
venue. Staff from across
the departments came
together to make it such
a successful event. I feel
the quality of the keynote
speakers and session
presenters was very high
and we have had excellent
feedback from the
attendees”
Heather Marshall, Senior Librarian
theCaledonian

page six
News
The view from here:
Moyra Muir
theCaledonian
90% of new
jobs will require
excellent digital
skills
(JISC)
Who? Moyra Muir,
winner of the Studentled
Teaching Award
for Effective Teaching
That: Offers Support
and Recognises
Students as
Individuals. My primary
responsibility has been
Moyra Muir
in relation to practice
education facilitation and supporting students
to integrate theory into professional practice in
occupational therapy.
What? My approach to facilitating learning
is based on the FAIR principles: FEEDBACK
that is constructive and frequent; ACTIVITIES
promoting self directed learning behaviours;
INDIVIDUALISED approaches to learning
and RELEVANCE for enhancing motivation
and ensuring learning outcomes meet the
learner’s needs. I use this when students
experience challenges on practice placement
modules. It can be used with active listening,
whilst encouraging students to reflect on their
performance, consider other viewpoints and
agree a future development action plan.
So what? I have found this approach useful
when students are underperforming on
placement. Interpreting feedback from their
practice educator to support students in
accepting responsibility and being able to move
forward with a positive approach to their future
learning is crucial at this stage. Students require
a level of insight and some may have difficulty
identifying their learning needs. In such cases it
is useful to use the Johari Window for learningneeds
analysis, whilst educating both student
and practice educator in strategies to manage
blocks in the learning cycle can offer practical
help. This can empower students to take control
of their learning and explore with their educator,
individual activities and strategies in order to
achieve personal, agreed goals which meet the
learning outcomes.
Our external assessors have commented on
the high quality of support provided to students
on placement by our team, whilst students
have appreciated the “warm and receptive
approach”.
What next? Applying FAIR principles in our
teaching practice can be beneficial in developing
confident and employable graduates.
Do you have a teaching/assessment
method or tool which you’d like to share
with colleagues? Contact a.nimmo@gcu.
ac.uk at GCU LEAD.
The Future of Libraries
By Heather Marshall, Senior Librarian
When discussing libraries, I find there
is an assumption that if hard copy
books become obsolete then surely the
library that houses them would now be
redundant. A library is so much more
than the building or the stock - the true
heart of a library is the service provided.
The format of resources changes constantly
but as our core purpose is enabling access
to those resources we adapt our tools and
grow our skills as necessary. The role of the
staff in a library is to empower the searcher
to use the most relevant resource for them.
For instance, the GCU library has books
and journals, extensive eresources, archives
of primary source materials and special
collections, conference proceedings and
many other resources. Our library catalogue is
available on Facebook and on mobile devices,
we are investigating the future use of tablets
such as iPads and ebook readers, and are in
a time of exciting change where the next new
development could change the library field
completely.
There is a real skills gap between being able
to search the internet for information or use it
for social media and effectively selecting and
searching a complex, professional database.
Digital literacy is increasingly important; JISC
states that improving digital literacy is an
Caledonian
insight
essential component of developing employable
graduates.
Librarians seek to address this gap by
helping you assess the quality and reliability
of information, and so we help users to refine
and narrow their searching - finding too much
information is the most common problem
today’s searchers face. Tara Brabazon
described this as Information Obesity at the
recent LILAC conference held here at GCU.
Think of your librarian as a personal information
trainer that can cut out the excess and help
you to detox your information diet!
Journalism award established
in Darren’s memory
Graduate Darren Joliny, who died
suddenly in January, is to be remembered
through an annual prize for journalism
students. The Glasgow School for Business
and Society is establishing the award
to recognise the top students in the BA
Journalism graduating class.
Darren, 21, from East Kilbride, collapsed
while playing football on Saturday, January 7.
Doctors have stated that the cause of death
was ‘sudden arrhythmic death syndrome’.
Nick Bevens, BA Multimedia Journalism
programme leader, said: “We are delighted
to launch this award in memory of such a
talented and popular student as Darren.
“Darren’s untimely death stopped us all in
our tracks. He only just graduated last summer
and he was justifiably looking forward to a
very promising future. Darren was enormously
popular among his tutors, his peer group, and
right across the university; he was an integral
part of every class he was in, a larger-than-life
character in every sense.
“His loss was felt by everyone here, so we
hope this annual award will act as a timely
reminder of what a great person he was, and
what a great contribution he made to so many
people, and to GCU.”
Darren’s uncle, Michael McCann MP, said:
“Darren was only with us for 21 short years
but his family knew he was a special individual.
The Darren Joliny Prize for Journalism will be
awarded annually in his memory and a lot
more people will find out how special a person
he was.
“On behalf of the family, I’d like to thank the
Glasgow School for Business and Society for
remembering Darren in such a unique and
special way.”
Rory Herron, Darren’s classmate, friend
and GCU Student President 2010-2011,
said: “Anyone who was lucky enough to have
taught, studied alongside or even had the
pleasure of meeting Darren will welcome this
important and meaningful way to remember
him and celebrate his achievements.”
To find out more about
how to support the
Darren Joliny Award,
please visit
www.gcu.
ac.uk/alumni/
makeadonation

Stand(ing) up
for science
Professor Keith Stevenson proved science
does have a funny bone when he delivered
a stand-up comedy routine on Science,
Physiology and the Body at the Edinburgh
International Science Festival
He performed to over 160 people at an
event hosted by the Physiological Society and
presented by the Bright Club, which encourages
academics to blend their research with comedy
and performance, resulting in what the Guardian
has described as ‘a thinking person’s comedy
night’.
The Professor of Interprofessional Education
in the School of Health and Life Sciences, who
has never performed comedy before, says:
“I’ve always had an interest in the delivery of
information, and been fascinated by stand-up
comedians - not so much what they say but
how they say it, how they develop ideas and
keep people’s interest. I liked the idea of using
stand-up to deliver hard scientific facts whilst
also amusing people. So when an email asking
for volunteers to perform with the Bright Club
appeared, it seemed the ideal opportunity.”
His pitch to the Bright Club involved statistics
- but a rather controversial way of testing out
a newborn baby’s reflexes won
organisers over.
“I tried to put science, physiology
and the developing body together in
a way in an eight minute routine that
the audience would appreciate and
leave the session having engaged
with some aspects of science
and how it is applied to predicting
the developmental physiological
processes of newborn children...and I
suppose they will also have left with a
concern that I am as mad as a hatter.”
As for stage fright, Keith admits
it was a daunting experience. “As a
lecturer, I’m used to standing in front
of students but these people had
paid to come and listen and laugh,
so I suppose they were quite entitled
to walk out if they were not enjoying
themselves!”
However, reviews were positive.
“I was described as ‘eye-wettingly
funny’ and one of my jokes actually
got applause, which I hadn’t
expected, because the last time I tried
it out it resulted in shocked silence
from my student audience.”
Keith doesn’t believe that applying
comedy to research demeans
it; rather, the opposite. “Standup
comedy can be enlightening,
educational and can bring an
understanding of how the process of
research works to a wider audience.
I’d certainly recommend it to my
academic peers. It’s also good for
PhD students as a way of helping them explain
what they are doing, why it’s important and being
able to present it in an easily understandable
format - useful skills for a viva (oral exam) and
academic life generally.”
“ It’s an excellent opportunity
for academic public
engagement and provides
educational information
whilst ensuring your audience
are enjoying themselves”
Professor Keith Stevenson
Will Keith take to the stage again? “Yes, but
I may need to try a new routine - perhaps next
time I will try out my idea of making statistics
stand up and be counted” (pause for laughter).
Professor Keith Stevenson will be performing
at The Stand in July – look out for more details in
Caledonian Connected. Any academics who are
interested in being part of the Bright Club should
contact 0702496H@student.gla.ac.uk
Professor Keith Stevenson
2009 was
Bright Club’s
first appearance,
at UCL on the
theme of lust
(UCL)
Pass it on...
News
page seven
The question of new or increased charges
for resits and retaken modules has been
reviewed and it has been decided that there
will be no resit fees and the structure of the
schedule of fees will remain unchanged for
retaken modules.
Please ensure that your students are aware
of this.
The Public Relations team are in the
process of updating the media experts list,
which lists academics and their subjects
of expertise. If you would like to be included,
please get in touch with Roisin Eadie with your
speciality, phone and email at roisin.eadie@
gcu.ac.uk
Your input is needed for the new GCU
People Strategy, which is being pulled
together by the Director of People, with
support from a steering group of academic and
support colleagues and JCC members. Email
peoplestrategy@gcu.ac.uk to find out more.
The Moffat Scholarships are now open
for applications from travel, tourism
and events students. Scholarship awards
worth £3,600 are available to be won by
undergraduate and postgraduate students.
www.moffatcentre.com/scholarships/
The spring wave of the International
Student Barometer survey is now open.
Please promote the survey to all international
students and encourage them to take part.
Students will get the opportunity to enter a prize
draw where they can win £1,000, as well as a
number of smaller prizes.
Green fingered staff should join the GCU
gardening group, responsible for new raised
beds at Caledonian Court which are being used
as allotments. Email joseph.humble@gcu.
ac.uk to find out more. If you can donate or
lend un-needed tools for the use of the group,
please let Joey know.
Novelist and cultural fellow Anne Donovan
will be holding further writing workshops
and book groups for staff and students this
summer. To find out more, email charlotte.
bozic@gcu.ac.uk
theCaledonian

page eight
Competition
Win a £50 John Smith
& Son gift card
One in six
people in the
UK struggle
with literacy
(Literacy Trust)
Where do you read yours?
Where did you read your copy of
the Caledonian?
With Plato during the 3rd International
Professional Doctorate Conference
at the European University Institute in
Florence.
Where would you rather read it?
On a Florentine hillside of olive trees and
rosemary overlooking the Cathedral of
Santa Maria with the sun in the sky and
a large glass of Montepulciano.
If you’re looking for summertime reads
to take on your holidays, don’t forget that
there’s a book shop right here on campus,
with special deals for GCU staff and
students.
John Smith & Son, named Academic &
Professional Bookseller of the Year 2006, 2007,
2008, 2009 and 2011, is the oldest bookselling
company in the English speaking world. In
addition to a wide range of academic and fiction
titles, the campus store also stocks stationery,
greetings cards, confectionary and more.
Offers this summer include a 25% discount
on all children’s fiction and graphic novel
selections. Going abroad? You can get money
off your travel guide/phrasebooks and plan for
the year ahead with new academic year diaries.
John Smith’s are also willing to buy back
books that have been used by students. This
offer is available on a wide range of subjects,
from marketing to nursing, and the store has
agreed to buy selected titles if they are in good
condition. For a list of what these books are,
please contact chris.mclaughlin@johnsmith.
co.uk.
The store, which is located opposite the
ARC Health and Fitness Centre, will be open all
summer and will have more promotions running
throughout, so make time to pop in and see
what’s on offer!
John Smith & Son is offering Caledonian
readers the chance to win a £50 gift card, which
can be used at any John Smith store. To be in
with the chance to win, all you need to do is
answer the following question, the answer to
which can be found in the pages of this issue.
At which festival did Professor Keith Stevenson
make his stand-up comedy debut at? Email
your answer to thecaledonian@gcu.ac.uk or
send a postcard to Room H216, by no later
than Tuesday June 5.
From l-r: Dr Brian Ellis, Hilary Tennant, Prof Bonnie Steves
and Dr Dan Soule
Who are you?
Professional Doctorate Team in the Graduate
School.
What do you do?
Lead, teach and administer the Professional
Doctorate Framework programme.
Best thing about your job?
Working with each other.
Worst thing about your job?
Working with each other!
Your
month in
pictures:
Got a photo that captures
your month? Send it to
thecaledonian@gcu.ac.uk
or to Charlotte Bozic in Room
H216, along with a brief
explanation. The team’s favourite
will be published.
Water fun at Greenbank Gardens
Carol Chisholm
Freshers and farewells
Who would you like to read it
with?
Socrates.
What would you do afterwards?
Try to not be around him when the Athenians
condemn him to drink hemlock! ....and check
whether we can incorporate Italian courtyards
into ‘GCU Campus Futures’.
Have you got a hidden talent?
Yes, we all do, but we can’t decide whose is the
best talent to include here!
Where will you be in 10 years time?
Proudly watching another group of our students
walking across the platform to graduate with their
Professional Doctorate Degrees.
New York City Cop -
David Scott
Welcome: Beverley Gardiner; John Kerr; Amy Cartwright; Carol Emslie; Peter Seaman; Peter Kirby;
Robert Ruthven; Jan Pringle; Robert Taylor; Nancy Lombard; Jackie Main and Richard Watson.
All the best: Janice Fairlie; Maureen McQueen; Ailie Ferrari; Adelle Hopkins; Andrew Eadie; David
Love; Yan Xu; Emma Sterry; Gerard McCarthy; Anne Calderhead; Anthony Harrison; David Stribling;
Linda McKie and Louisa Alexander.
theCaledonian
If you have an idea for a story or want to tell us your views, please contact Alison Arnot,
Head of Communications and Public Affairs, x8670, Charlotte Bozic, Internal Communications
Officer, x8680, Roisin Eadie, Press Officer, x8614 Lynn McGarry, International Communications
Officer, x8684 or email thecaledonian@gcu.ac.uk
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