Issue 153, 25 May 2005 (in pdf) - Imperial College London

4
A day
in the life
In this new series Reporter aims to shed a
bit of light on how others in the College
spend their days…If you have any suggestions
of people you’d like to see featured,
drop us a line at reporter@imperial.ac.uk.
CATHERINE Oriel is PA to the head of the
department of chemistry, Professor Richard
Templer. After starting as a temp in 1998,
Catherine was offered a full-time job within
two months and has held her current position
for the last two years. Having previously
worked in advertising and public relations,
her role at Imperial is different but one she
really enjoys.
Reporter’s Alex Platt went to meet
Catherine to ask her about a typical day in her
working life.
8.15
Catherine usually gets in early. She said: ”I
really value the first 45 minutes of my day. It
gives me a chance to get prepared for the day
without the phone ringing or people knocking
at the door. It’s sometimes the only time that
Richard and I get the chance to talk without
being interrupted!” Richard’s diary management
can be complex and requires Catherine’s
special attention..
9.00
Catherine’s morning is spent in a variety
of ways. She explained: “ I can be doing
Catherine Oriel
David Graeme-Baker
anything from preparing papers or briefing
notes for meetings, acting as a first point of
call for a whole range of internal and external
queries or taking minutes from one of the
several policy groups I’m involved with. I
don’t really have a set time for anything, it’s
impossible, as you never know what’s coming
next. It’s a question of prioritisation”. She operates
a strictly open door policy “I feel that
I have a service role within the department.
I like being accessible and it’s important too.
Colleagues know they can come and see me
anytime and they will have my full attention.
And the same is true for colleagues in other
departments or faculties; they are busy people
and their time is valuable.
12.30
Catherine generally grabs a sandwich and
heads back to her desk.
13.00
Catherine was responsible for the launch of
the department web pages last year. Part of
her role now is to maintain these and ensure
they remain up to date and interesting. Catherine’s
next big project, with a colleague, is
to populate the personal web pages for the 48
academic staff in her department. Catherine
said: “I love having a project. I have a huge
sense of satisfaction when I have the finished
article in front of me.”
14.00
Richard Templer is away from the office the
day Reporter visits, so Catherine is busier
than ever with the phone calls and emails
flooding in. She said: ”When Richard is away,
he needs more than someone to just hold
the fort, I need to deal with a whole range
of things that may arise. The head of department’s
office is often the destination for complex
problems; it can take hours sometimes to
unravel them, see what the real issues are and
to supply Richard with enough information
for him to make a decision.”
15.00
Catherine spends time during the week
keeping the plasma screen in the chemistry
building entrance up to date. The board is essential
for anyone looking for the latest news
or information about the department.
16.00
If there’s nothing else going on, Catherine
heads home on the tube. Now the summer
finally seems to be arriving, she spends time
in her garden, although admits to checking
her work emails at home from time to time.
She said: “I am really happy in my job. I am
fortunate enough to have really good and
strong relationships both with Richard and
others in my department. I gain a great deal
of job satisfaction and wouldn’t change it for
the world.”
Andrew Watts
Wye are the
champions
WYE Ladies have played their way to victory
to become the new University of London
rugby champions. The Wye team scored a decisive
17-0 victory against the London School
of Economics (LSE) at Imperial’s Harlington
ground at the beginning of the month.
Readership
survey prize
draw results
AS promised in edition 151 of Reporter, the
winner of our readership survey prize draw
has been chosen. Sarah Shemilt from finance
and a friend will enjoy a complimentary meal
for two at Hugo’s restaurant. Sarah’s name
was pulled out of the hat from one of the
many entrants to the draw. Many thanks to all
those that took the time to share their views.
EDITOR.
The cup final match marked the end of
the Wye rugby season and was the last game
for many of the older players. This win was
the perfect finale and left the team on an eight
match winning streak
Team members: Suzie Bettles, Jess Bird,
Michelle Brittle, Lynette Filby, Gemma Foster,
Lou Furnival, Mary Grimbly, Emily Hatton,
Suzanne Horn (Captain), Annie Latham,
Lucy Le Cocq, Kate Olley, Cat Pittam, Hetty
Stearn, Andrea Smith, Liz Webb.
Retirement
Wye Ladies on the ball
RAY Gingell, electrical and electronic
engineering’s stores and machine workshop
supervisor retired last month after exactly
48 years of service.
Ray joined the Department in 1957 as a
mechanical engineering apprentice and over
the years helped train many others in his role
as a member of the technicians’ training
committee, on which he served for 15 years.
Ray has also been a chairman of the
EEED social committee and organised
many events.
What’s on… What’s on… What’s on…
Wednesday 1 June
Celebrate sport with London 2012
Imperial is supporting the London
bid with a number of free activities
for students, staff and the general
public at South Kensington and
St Mary’s campuses.
South Kensington campus
Free circuit/boxercise class
outside the Faculty Building from
12.30 to 13.30. Book to avoid
disappointment by emailing
k.broster@imperial.ac.uk.
Free use of the Southside Gym
from 12.00–14.00.
St Mary’s campus
Free swimming from 07.00–09.00
and 12.00–14.00.
Free use of squash courts from
09.00–12.00. To book call 020
7594 3665 or email cosmo.
murphy@imperial.ac.uk
Wednesday 8 June
12.30
3rd floor, Reynolds Building,
Charing Cross Campus.
Professor Anne Mills,
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine.
The economic impact of
infectious disease and the
Copenhagen Consensus.
Email m.dingli-parsons@imperial.
ac.uk to attend.
Thursday 9 June
17.00
Sir Alexander Fleming Building,
South Kensington campus
Professor Martin Bland, York
University.
The Horizon homeopathy
experiment.
Email r.kells@imperial.ac.uk
to attend.
Wednesday 15 June
19.00
The Royal Institution.
Question Time-style event with
a twist. A panel of scientists,
journalists and politicians including
Robin McKie, science editor of The
Observer, and Robert Key MP, join
award-winning broadcast journalist
Sheena McDonald to debate the latest
headline-hitting science stories.
Call 020 7409 2992 or email www.
rigb.org for tickets, priced £8
(£5 concs).
Noticeboard
Why not visit techforum, the new
online technical discussion forum
recently been set up for students
and staff of the College? The aim
of techforum is to help promote
interdisciplinary communication and
awareness of complementary areas of
research within the College. It also
aims to provide an informal means of
networking with key personnel across
departments, encouraging collaborative
research and innovation. There
are currently 265 registered users
from all campuses and a variety
of departments.
Visit http://techforum.ee.ic.ac.uk/
forum. Email techforum@imperial.
ac.uk for more information.
Reporter is published every
three weeks during term
time. The copy deadline for
issue 154 is Friday 3 June.
Publication date is 15 June.
Contributions are welcome
(no more than 300 words).
Please note the editor
reserves the right to cut
or amend the articles as
necessary. Information correct
at time of going to press.
Reporter,
Alexandra Platt, Editor,
Imperial College London,
South Kensington campus,
London SW7 2AZ.
Tel +44 (0)20 7594 6698
Fax +44 (0)20 7594 6700
Email reporter@imperial.ac.uk
www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter