The Magazine for the University of Kent

The Magazine for the University of Kent
AUTUMN 07
ISSUE 49:
NEWS
INTERVIEW
NEW FRONTIERS
RIDING HIGH
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
FUNDRAISING
IN BUSINESS
WHO’S, WHAT, WHERE…
EVENTS

Kent Magazine
Interview
PageThree
EDITORIAL
Autumn 2007
ISSUE
Contents
Interview
Julia Goodfellow
Taking Kent to a new high
This autumn 5,500 new
students began their
studies at Kent, aided
and abetted by an army
of volunteers engaged by
Kent Union to help them
settle in.
It has been a busy few
months since the last
issue, with construction
work beginning on the
new £27 million
postgraduate college at
Canterbury. Earlier in the
year, Medway welcomed
Higher Education
Minister Bill Rammell
when he came to open
the newly-refurbished
Pilkington Building
which now houses a
175-seat lecture theatre
among other things.
We would also like to
introduce you to Karen
Doyle who is currently
Acting Director of
Development and Alumni
Relations. Some of you
may already know her
in her day job as
Kent’s Director of
Communication and
Marketing.
The sharp-eyed among
you may also have noticed
a change in the magazine
itself, in terms of content
as well as image.
The focus for this issue is
conservation and ecology.
We work hard to make
sure the magazine is
always fresh and
interesting and think
that this latest change
is a great step forward.
We hope that you like the
new look and that you’ll
keep sending in your news
and views – we love to
hear from you and look
forward to hearing your
comments, memories
and stories.
Posie Bogan
Fiona Jones
Editors
Special thanks to:
Chris Lancaster and
Lesley Farr in the
University Design & Print
Centre; David Clark R82;
Karen Bayfield, Hilary
Saunders and Karen
Donaghay in C&DO.
Photographs by: Robert
Berry, Piers Locke, Nick
Ellwood, Spencer Scott,
Tim Stubbings
Contact us:
Communications
& Development,
The Registry,
University of Kent,
Canterbury,
CT1 7NZ
kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/alumni
Design:
Third Eye Design
thirdeyedesign.co.uk
020 7608 0180
03.INTERVIEW
04.NEWS
08.NEW FRONTIERS
10.RIDING HIGH
14.THE QUESTIONNAIRE
16.FUNDRAISING
18.IN BUSINESS
20.WHO’S WHAT WHERE
24.EVENTS
As the academic year
gets underway, Professor
Julia Goodfellow is hitting
the ground running as
the University’s new
Vice-Chancellor.
Formerly Chief Executive
of the Biotechnology
and Biological Sciences
Research Council,
she spent five years
at what is one of the
largest of the research
councils where, among
other things, she oversaw
the rapid establishment
of world class UK
research capacity in
systems biology.
Julia has also had a
successful academic
career in teaching and
research at Birkbeck,
University of London
where she was Vice-
Master. She originally
did a physics degree at
Bristol and has a PhD
from the Open University
Oxford Research Unit.
“The University
is in superb
locations.
It really is a
wonderful place
to work…”
Before taking up her
appointment, she admits
her knowledge of the
region was confined to
its castles as a result
of day trips with her
children when they were
young. Now she says she
is amazed at what else
the county holds.
‘The University is in
superb locations. It really
is a wonderful place to
work. As I was walking
across the Canterbury
campus, I thought just
how privileged I am to
work here. And I am very
impressed with the
Medway campus – again,
I feel it’s a privilege to be
there. It is very inspiring,
and a great symbol of
regeneration.’
‘We have excellent
facilities at Kent.
In fact, before term
started I visited the
student accommodation
in several of the colleges.
I was impressed – Kent
Hospitality, working with
the Estates Department,
is doing a great job to
refurbish and update
facilities for students.’
But it was not just the
location that impressed
her when she first arrived
– it was the friendliness
and professionalism of the
staff. ‘People mentioned
this to me before I started
and I have to say the
University does have a
lovely atmosphere.
Everyone has been
very supportive.’
She also says she is
pleased to be back among
students. ‘Working in
a research council was
great, but I was based in
an office in Swindon, far
away from where research
was being carried out,
and I missed the “buzz” of
having students around.’
Julia was initially
attracted to Kent
because it has many
strong attributes.
‘Student recruitment has
been excellent in recent
years which, in particular,
is a tribute to the work of
my predecessor Professor
Sir David Melville, and
David Nightingale,
the Senior Deputy
Vice-Chancellor.’
‘I was very pleased with
the results of the latest
National Student Survey.
We were ranked 10th
out of over 100 other
institutions for course
satisfaction, scoring 89%,
which is way above the
average. And this is all
thanks to the hard work
of both staff and students.
All those students who
work as mentors and
ambassadors make a
huge difference to
people’s experience of
studying at Kent.’
The University also fared
well in the 2007 Sunday
Times University Guide
which states Kent ‘can
claim to be Britain’s only
international university’
as a result of recent
developments including
the University’s
expanding Brussels
campus and its
‘involvement as one
of five partners (and the
only non-French one) in
the bilingual University
of the Transmanche’.
The Guide ranked Kent
42 out of 123 participating
higher education
institutions in the UK,
an increase of four
places from the 2006
printed edition.
Julia’s take on league
tables as a whole is that
although universities
should not be ruled by
them, ‘we do need to
acknowledge them’.
She continues ‘Research
is the one area Kent seems
to rank below similar
institutions, not in terms
of quality but in volume.
Much of what we do
here is excellent. In fact,
we know from recently
published tables that
when staff at Kent submit
grants they are successful.
We need to build on this.’
Julia feels the University,
despite its obvious calibre,
continues to find itself
in a position well below
its real weight. ‘Kent is
an exciting place to be
and we have to make sure
people know all the good
things about us – and this
is where alumni can help
by telling everyone about
what a great place it is.
We all know that once
people come here, they
are hooked!’
Julia is also passionate
about the role of
universities in enterprise
and innovation, which is
why she is particularly
pleased with the recent
announcement that
planning permission
has been granted for
the building of the new
innovation centre on the
Canterbury campus.
‘This is very good news
and I am looking forward
to working with SEEDA,
Canterbury City Council,
Kent County Council
and others.’
In fact, she sees that one
of the joys of the job will
be working with the
region as well as at a
national and international
level. People across the
county can only benefit
from her championing
the University’s role as
an economic and cultural
driver. In turn, Julia will
have the opportunity to
find out even more about
what the county has to
offer. Despite a frantic
schedule, she has already
discovered some of its
excellent restaurants
which, she says, are a little
more appealing these days
than castles.
Professor Julia Goodfellow
Vice-Chancellor

Kent Magazine
News
PageFour
Kent Magazine
News
PageFive
01. Kent, a top ten university
02. Green Prize
03/04. Honorary degrees
05. Pilkington launch
06. Music prizes
01
02 03 04
Did you know: 2,500 students
graduated from Kent in July
Visit: www.kent.ac.uk/alumni/
05 06

Kent Magazine
News
PageSix
PageSeven
News
Continued…
Kent voted top ten
Students have voted
Kent among the top ten
universities in the UK.
According to the results
of the 2007 National
Student Survey, 89%
of final year full-time
undergraduates at
Kent are overwhelmingly
satisfied with the quality
of their courses, a figure
significantly higher than
the average of other
universities. Universities
also ranked in the top
ten include Oxford, St
Andrews, Exeter and
Loughborough.
Senior Deputy Vice-
Chancellor David
Nightingale said ‘This is
excellent news and builds
on the already good
results of the previous
National Student
Surveys in which
students consistently
ranked us the top
university in the
south east.’
New postgraduate
college
Kent is celebrating the
latest addition to its
Canterbury campus with
the construction of a new
development destined to
become a postgraduate
college. The £27m scheme
includes accommodation
for almost 550 students,
a new 480-seat lecture
theatre and a number
of seminar rooms.
The new accommodation
is scheduled for
completion in September
2008. The academic
teaching space will
be completed later in
the year.
Kent ‘Britain’s only
international
university’
The University of Kent
‘can claim to be Britain’s
only international
university’, according
to The Sunday Times
in its 2007 university
guide. This is a result
of recent developments
including the University’s
expanding Brussels
campus and its
‘involvement as one of
five partners (and the
only non-French one) in
the bilingual University
of the Transmanche.’
The Guide also flagged
up the sharp rise in
student applications to
Kent, which it identifies
as being ‘largely as a
result of the Universities
at Medway initiative
which has brought higher
education to a deprived
part of the county’ and
student facilities were
also praised. Professor
Julia Goodfellow,
Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Kent, said:
‘These achievements are
a tribute to the hard work
and dedication of both
the students and staff.’
The Sunday Times
University Guide 2007
ranks Kent 42 out of
123 participating higher
education institutions in
the UK, an increase of
four places from the 2006
printed edition.
Music prizes 2007
This year’s music prizes
were awarded to four
outstanding students.
The winner of the
Canterbury Festival
Music Prize is Susannah
Thackray; the University
Music Prize was jointly
awarded to Ruth Samuels
and Kate Soper. The
Colyer-Ferguson Prize
for Music was awarded
to Michael Norman and
Tereza Rejšková, who is
from the Czech Republic,
received the University
Music Awards Committee
Prize which is awarded to
students who have made
a special contribution to
music in just one year.
All five students received
music scholarships from
the University.
Wildlife bans can
increase trading
Banning the commercial
trade in specimens of
endangered species of
wildlife can actually
increase trading,
according to conservation
scientists from Kent.
Working in partnership
with their French
counterparts, researchers
from Kent’s Durrell
Institute of Conservation
and Ecology (DICE)
have shown that when
CITES (Convention on
International Trade in
Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora)
introduces a ban on trade
on a species it can take
up to a year to come in
to effect which can lead
to an increase in legal
trade. Once the ban is
in place, this may drive
trade underground.
The alternative, the
researchers suggest,
is more proactive, swift
and flexible species
management which
will be in the interests
of both traders and
conservationists.
Green student prize
Two Kent students
received an award in
recognition of their
environmental activities
on campus. This is the
first time the Townsend
prize has been awarded.
Matthieu Chauvin and
Dan Doctors received the
£250 award for setting up
and running Conscious
Consumers, a student
union society which
highlights the ethical
dimensions of day-to-day
consumer decisions, and
they immediately handed
it on to next year’s
Conscious Consumers
society to help fund
their activities.
Top conservation
prize for graduate
Sanjay Gubbi, a recent
MSc graduate from
the Durrell Institute
of Conservation and
Ecology (DICE), has
won a joint first prize
for the best student talk
at the 21st Society for
Conservation Biology
Annual Meeting held
at Port Elizabeth,
South Africa. Around
1,700 delegates from
90 countries attended.
Sanjay spoke about his
MSc research on whether
an investment of US$6
million by the World
Bank had succeeded in
promoting integrated
conservation and
development around
Periyar Tiger Reserve
in southern India.
Dreams & Nightmares
Dreams and Nightmares
was the second exhibition
of work from the Kent
Print Collection and
was held at the Canterbury
campus before
transferring to the
Museum of Canterbury.
Devised and curated by
students on the History
& Philosophy of Art
degree who are studying
Print Collecting and
Curating, it explores
the representation of
dreams and nightmares
in art and literature and
included important
works by Salvador Dali
and Francisco Goya.
01
02
03
01. New college
02. Sarah Londsdale
03. Gulbenkian Cinema
Top marks for
Medway from Minister
The role of the
Universities at Medway
in widening access to
higher education has
won warm praise from
Bill Rammell, Minister
of State for Lifelong
Learning, Further and
Higher Education.
The Minister, who visited
the Medway campus
to open the newlyrefurbished
Pilkington
Building, said the
Universities partnership
– which consists of
Greenwich, Kent and
Canterbury Christ
Church universities, plus
Mid-Kent College – was
playing a vital part in
spreading the message
about higher education.
Degrees of success
This summer honorary
degrees were awarded to
Tracey Emin; Sir Michael
Gambon; Sir Graeme
Catto; Kennedy Wong;
Professor Lord (Colin)
Renfrew; Peter Hawkes;
Lady Northbourne
and John Reilly. They
joined more than 2,500
graduates who took part
in the ceremonies held at
Canterbury Cathedral.
The summer also saw
the first ever graduation
ceremony for the Medway
School of Pharmacy, an
innovative joint project
between the universities
of Greenwich and Kent.
In November, Kent is
awarding anhonorary
degree to Nitin Sawhney
at Rochester Cathedral
and Polly Toynbee and
Professor Richard
Holmes will also receive
honorary degrees
during ceremonies at
Canterbury Cathedral.
Gulbenkian
Cinema launched
This autumn saw the
launch of the Gulbenkian
Cinema following a
major refurbishment
of the former Cinema 3
thanks to funding from
the Film Council and
the University. With
new décor, seating for
300 and improved access
for people with limited
mobility and wheelchair
users, the cinema also
has a new screen, new
projectors and Dolby
digital surround sound.
A new initiative is the
launch of the GulbCine-
Club, offering a range
of benefits including
discounted ticket prices,
social functions and
talks – all for an annual
subscription of just £10.
China links
The Department of
Electronics at Kent and
the School of Electrical
Engineering and
Automation at Tianjin
University, People’s
Republic of China, have
agreed a final-year direct
entry scheme between
the two institutions.
Under the agreement
students will study at
Tianjin University for
the first three years
before they join the
third year of the existing
programmes at Kent.
Environmental
shortlisting
for Kent lecturer
A Kent lecturer has been
shortlisted for the title
of Journalist of the Year
in the British Environment
and Media
(BEMA) Awards.
Sarah Lonsdale,
a lecturer for the
University’s School
of English and for the
newly-created Centre
for Journalism, has
received the nomination
for her weekly
‘Greenpiece’ column in
the Daily Telegraph.
The BEMA awards
recognise writers and
journalists across
all forms of print,
broadcast and online
media who have
produced outstanding,
environment-related
work, made the
issues relevant to a
wide audience and
demonstrated how people
can live in a more ecofriendly
manner.
The shortlist of three
for the BEMA journalist
of the year includes John
Vidal, environment
editor for The Guardian,
and Fiona Harvey,
environment correspondent
of the
Financial Times.
Sarah’s Greenpiece
column offers readers
expert advice and
guidance on a range of
subjects. ‘The columns
are focused on the
simple changes we can
make at home to reduce
our carbon emissions.
They look at everything,
from dull-but-essential
loft insulation, to more
amusing activities like
foraging for wild foods,
such as chestnuts,
mushrooms and sea kale
(wild spinach),’ she said.
The BEMA awards are
run by World Wildlife
Fund UK.
Number of
student societies:
Eighty
Number of students
graduating in 2007:
Five thousand

Kent Magazine
New Frontiers
PageEight
Kent Magazine
New Frontiers
PageNine
New Frontiers
Research at Kent
01
02
03 04
01. Greenfoot prize
02. CENTICA award
03. Seaside Challenger
04. Dr Jon Williamson
Childrearing today
Child protection,
reproductive choices,
infant feeding and
teenage parenthood
were among the topics
discussed at an
international conference
on childrearing in the age
of ‘intensive parenting’
organised by Dr Ellie Lee
from the School of Social
Policy, Sociology and
Social Research.
Dr Lee explained that
her own research about
women’s experience of
feeding their babies had
led her to organise the
event. ‘The research
showed that a basic,
everyday aspect of being
a mother has become
moralised and politicised.
The choices women make
in this area seem to have
become bound up, for
many, with identity,
with demoralising
consequences. By all
accounts it seems as
though mothering is seen
as too important to be
left to mothers.’
Award boost for
research students
Kent is one of only five
UK universities to have
been awarded more than
two Economic and Social
Research Council funded
Collaborative Awards in
Science and Engineering
studentships for 2007-
2008. The awards provide
PhD students with the
opportunity to gain
experience of work outside
an academic environment.
Among those who have
received studentships is
Dr Helen Newing from
the Durrell Institute of
Conservation and Ecology
for work with the Forest
Peoples Programme.
Professor John Baldock,
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
for Research, said:
‘These awards are a
good indication that the
University is making its
research useful to the
wider community.’
New Centre
for Reasoning
A Kent academic has set
up the UK’s first Centre
for Reasoning. Dr Jon
Williamson, Reader in
Philosophy, has
established the Centre
with the principal aim of
developing new research
ideas and interactions in
areas related to reasoning.
The Centre will host
seminars and workshops
on reasoning, develop
and administer an
interdisciplinary MA
in Reasoning, and
promote its activities
via a web-based portal
for reasoning-related
research at the University.
Dr Williamson has also
been shortlisted for a
Times Higher Education
Supplement ‘Young
Researcher of the
Year’ award.
Tourism impact on
South East Asia
Kent’s tourism research
centre has won a grant
to carry out a pilot study
of cross-border tourism
in Malaysia, Singapore
and Indonesia. The award
was granted to CENTICA
– Medway’s Centre for
Tourism in Islands and
Coastal Areas – by
the South East Asian
Studies Research
Committee, which is part
of the British Academy,
the United Kingdom’s
leading organisation for
supporting research into
the humanities and social
sciences. Project leader,
Dr Mark Hampton, is
working in partnership
with Professor Amran
Hamzah of Universiti
Teknologi Malaysia,
based in Johor Bahru.
£400k grant to fight
lethal brain infections
Biosciences’ Professor
Fritz Mühlschlegel has
been awarded £400k by
the Medical Research
Council to combat
fungal brain infection.
The fungus Cryptococcus
neoformans can infect the
human brain leading to
disease (cryptococcosis)
that is usually fatal if
untreated. It is ‘dressed
to kill’ with a sugar coat
that protects it against
attack by the human
immune system.
Professor Mühlschlegel,
who is also Consultant
Medical Microbiologist for
the East Kent Hospitals
Trust, will now conduct
research into how the
production of the fungal
sugar coat is regulated.
He said: ‘Almost 40
million people worldwide
are infected with HIV
and more than 60% of
these (approximately
25.8 million) live in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Cryptococcosis is the
initial defining illness in
88% of AIDS patients
in southern Africa.
Funding boost for
glass medical research
The Functional Materials
Group at the School
of Physical Sciences has
received £266,000 in
additional funding from
the Engineering &
Physical Sciences
Research Council
(EPSRC) to continue its
research on new forms
of bioactive glass.
The purpose of the
research, which
involves teams from
the universities of Kent
and Warwick, Imperial
College London and
University College
London, is to investigate
bioactive glass foams, and
polymer composites of
the glass, with the aim of
developing materials that
will promote bone
regeneration in loadbearing
sections of the
skeleton. As a part of
this regenerative process,
the glass dissolves safely
away when in contact
with body fluids such
as blood plasma.
New stars at Kent
A team of astronomers
including Dr Dirk
Froebrich, Lecturer
in Astronomy and
Astrophysics, has
discovered a closelypacked
group of about
100,000 stars located
30,000 light years away
in the inner parts of
our galaxy.
This previously unknown
globular cluster, detected
with the aid of the
European Southern
Observatory’s New
Technology Telescope at
La Silla, Chile, is about
seven light years wide.
Greenfoot prize
for Computing
A team of researchers
from the Computing
Laboratory has won a
Duke’s Choice Award
for 2007. The team,
including Dr Michael
Kölling, Ian Utting,
Cecilia Vargas and Poul
Henriksen, received the
award for their work on
Greenfoot, the leading
Java development
environment for novice
programmers and one
that is particularly aimed
at high school students.
James Gosling, the
inventor of Java,
arguably the most
widely used programming
language for teaching in
the world today, presented
the team with their
award in San Francisco.
Seaside challenges
Researchers and leading
health services experts
from Kent took part in
a conference on the
socio-economic
challenges of seaside
towns and coastal areas
in Britain. Professor
Andy Alaszewki, Director
of the Centre for Health
Service Studies (CHSS),
chaired the first day.
He said: ‘The distinctive
challenges and
opportunities of seaside
towns and coastal areas
– from urban renewal
to transport and access
problems – have been
relatively neglected
in both academic and
policy debates. This
conference will bring
together a range of
experts to examine the
varied approaches and
imaginative solutions
to these opportunities
and challenges.’
Does employment pay?
Dr Rachel Forrester-
Jones, Lecturer in
Community Care at
the Tizard Centre, has
been awarded £25,000
by MCCH Society Ltd,
with support from the
Shaw Trust, to investigate
the benefits and impact
of supported employment
on people with learning
disabilities.
Her research will focus
on four Tuck by Truck
services, a project which
involves people with
learning disabilities
preparing and delivering
snacks to offices and small
factories for the national
minimum wage.
Dr Forrester-Jones said:
‘The benefits of supported
employment for people
with learning disabilities
have been documented
as increased choice,
empowerment and
independence. At the
centre of these benefits
are social relationships.
However, there are
concerns that these
benefits are not
experienced by a large
number of people with
learning disabilities.’
Why conspiracy
theories persist
Conspiracy theories still
abound ten years after
Princess Diana died in
a car crash in Paris.
Although most people
ostensibly dismiss them
out of hand, research by
academics from the
Department of Pyschology
shows they actually
believe them far more
than they think they do.
These are the findings
of the first psychological
examination of the impact
of conspiracy theories
carried out by Dr Karen
Douglas and Dr Robbie
Sutton. Dr Douglas said:
‘Our findings suggest that
conspiracy theories may
actually have a “hidden
impact”, meaning that
they powerfully influence
people’s attitudes whilst
people do not know it.’
These findings echo
previous work by the
authors which shows that
people are also persuaded
by pro-gun, pro-fossil fuel
and anti-fossil fuel
arguments but without
the awareness that their
attitudes have changed.

PageTen
Ancient skills can play a
vital role in conservation work,
as Dr Piers Locke found when
he became an apprentice
elephant handler in Nepal.
It was also a great adventure,
he tells David Clark.
01
02
01/02. Elephant handling in Nepal
Most students working
towards a doctorate
undergo a lengthy period
of academic research.
But Piers Locke, K95,
had a rather different
experience. He researched
his PhD in Anthropology
by learning how to ride
an elephant. ‘Becoming
an elephant handler
was my crowning
achievement,’ he says.
‘It was the adventure
of a lifetime.’ In the
course of his training,
he discovered that not
only is this ancient skill
still alive and well, it
also has a vital role to
play in today’s wildlife
conservation work. Piers,
now 33, currently works
as a temporary lecturer
in Social Anthropology
at Kent.
He started academic
life as a film studies
undergraduate in
Sheffield and discovered
anthropology, he says,
‘by accident’ when he
was studying the work
of Claude Lévi-Strauss.
‘I had always been
interested in social
issues,’ he says.
‘When I discovered
that anthropology
was sociology with a
bit more adventure
thrown in – with social
anthropologists going out
to the field and living with
and studying communities
– I decided that it was
the thing for me.’ Piers
applied to Kent and
was accepted.
On arrival at Canterbury,
he was particularly
intrigued by the teaching
staff. ‘They seemed
a pretty strange and
exotic group themselves,’
he says. ‘I remember
thinking that someone
should do an ethnographic
study of anthropologists.
I was fascinated by
them, as they had such
interesting stories to tell
from their own research.
Within the first three
weeks, I realised that
I wanted to become an
anthropologist.’
After graduating in
1998, Piers spent a year
studying for a masters
at The School of Oriental
and African Studies in
London, then returned to
Kent to study for his PhD.
‘I had previously done
some backpacking in
India and I came up with a
plan for studying elephant
handlers in Nepal in the
context of the national
park,’ he remembers.
‘I wanted to come back
to Kent to do it, as it has
excellent credentials in
the field of Environmental
Anthropology.’
Piers went on a monthlong
reconnaissance
mission to Nepal in 2001
and made important
contacts via his Nepali
teachers at SOAS.
His application for
funding was accepted
and he finally travelled
to Nepal in 2003,
staying at the Khorsor
Elephant Breeding
Centre in Chitwan.

Kent Magazine
Riding High
PageTwelve
Kent Magazine
Riding High
PageThirteen
Elephants respond to a
repertoire of about 26 verbal
commands and can learn as
many as 100.
01
02
04
01–06. Servants of Ganesh
The website for Piers’ film
Servants of Ganesh can
be viewed at:
www.oneworldfilms.com
05
06
He arrived during
Nepal’s Maoist
insurgency, when many
parts of the country were
under the rebels’ control,
though it didn’t affect
his daily life. ‘As far as
my work was concerned,
the insurgency was just
a sort of irritation and
hindrance,’ he says.
‘I didn’t see any violence.
The Maoists ignored me
because I spoke Nepali,
and in any case they were
renowned for being polite
to tourists.’
The elephant handlers
themselves are traditionally
from the Tharu
people, a low status caste,
and are treated with
disrespect by members
of higher castes. They
are understandably wary
of outsiders. However,
once Piers had made his
intentions clear, he was
offered an unusual way of
doing his research. ‘They
said that if I wanted to
learn about their lives, the
only way was to learn to
become an elephant
handler myself. It made
sense. We all know how
to ride a bicycle, but if
we try to explain how to
do it in words, it’s very
difficult. It’s the same
with riding an elephant.’
The chief elephant
handler gave permission
for Piers to work with
the team and learn how
to drive elephants.
He gave Piers a female
elephant with which to
work, named Sitasma
Kali. Slowly, over the
next couple of months,
Piers built a rapport
with the handlers and
the elephants. He already
had a working knowledge
of the Nepali language,
which was also the second
language for the other
handlers. Working as
an apprentice elephant
handler soon gave Piers
important insights into
their work.
‘By personally working
with an elephant,
I realised there was a
relationship of trust
between elephant and
handler,’ he says. ‘For
instance, elephants have
bad eyesight and they
recognise you by smell.
So every day I’d go and
say “Good morning”,
and Sitasma Kali would
put her trunk all over
me, in such a way that, if
she wanted to, she could
have at any time picked
me up, thrown me down
and broken me. There
have been occasions
when that has happened
to people. This greeting
was all part of developing
a real connection, a real
relationship with
the animals.’
Piers’ field research lasted
for a year and a half and
he was based with the
elephant handlers for nine
months. He found that
elephants respond to a
repertoire of about 26
verbal commands and
can learn as many as 100.
However, most of the
basic commands are
communicated by the
handlers using their feet
to apply pressure behind
the elephant’s ears in
different ways.
Elephants are crucial
to the Nepali economy
for their role in
environmental tourism,
as they are used to carry
tourists on elephantback
safaris to see other
wildlife. However, most
of the key work for the
elephants and handlers
is patrolling Nepal’s Royal
Chitwan National Park
and preventing poaching.
They are also used for
carrying out census work
on other species, such as
rhinos and tigers.
Elephants have also
been used to capture
rhinos in Chitwan by
surrounding them with a
herd numbering up to 100.
Then the rhinos can be
captured and translocated
to other national parks
where they have become
extinct. Piers didn’t
experience rhino capture
first-hand but he did
get to chase a rhino on
elephant back. ‘We were
called in by some villagers
because some rhinos were
going too close to their
fields,’ he remembers.
‘So we were asked to
chase them back into
the jungle. It was
tremendous fun. Chasing
rhino is one of the most
exciting elephant rides
you can have.’
After nine months in
the field, Piers returned
to Kent to write up his
PhD thesis. He submitted
it at the end of 2006, five
years after first
embarking on his study.
Academic work on this
subject is extremely rare.
‘As far as I’m aware,
mine is the first social
anthropological study
of elephant handlers,
the first research by
participant observation,’
he says. ‘I’m very
surprised that nobody else
has done it, as I think it’s
a really interesting topic.’
It has been a long journey,
and it’s one that continues
today. Piers is working
on new applications for
further research and
developing his relationships
with organisations
involved with captive
elephant management
and elephant handlers.
I didn’t want to just
get a PhD out of my
experiences,’ he says.
‘I felt I acquired an
obligation. At the end
of my field work,
I thanked the handlers
for letting me into their
world and sharing their
lives with me.
‘My main mission now
is to make sure I can
do something for them,
as I don’t think they get
the respect they deserve.
They’re knowledgeable
professionals and you
can’t run the national
park without them, yet
they are at the bottom
of the pile.’
During his time in Nepal,
Piers was temporarily
joined by his friend and
colleague Mark Dugas
and together they shot
a documentary film titled
Servants of Ganesh.
Named after the elephantheaded
Hindu god, it
has been used in Piers’
teaching work and has
attracted interest from
distributors.
Piers is currently
chasing the possibility
of a television broadcast.
He has also successfully
mounted an exhibition
of photographs taken
while in Nepal. Elevating
the status of elephant
handlers in Nepal won’t
be an easy task, but it’s a
cause that Piers is proud
to champion. ‘It’s not my
job to transform society,’
he says, ‘but I would like
to make a contribution
to management plans
with regard to training
practices and recruitment
of elephant handlers, and
I’d like to do something
to improve the welfare
of the handlers.’
Piers feels that his
experience in Nepal has
had a profound impact
on his life, and while he
will move on to other
anthropological work,
this project remains the
most important to him.
‘It has shaped my sense
of identity,’ he says. ‘I
found field work a really
liberating experience
because there was no
longer any distinction
between the private and
professional, between
work and play.
‘Field work isn’t about
going to a place; it’s a state
of mind. It was all work,
it was all life, and I really
enjoyed that. It was a
total experience. Being
an anthropologist and
being one who learned to
ride elephants has become
fundamental to who I am.’
David Clark R82
interviewed Piers Locke.
David is a senior features
writer for IPC Media.
03

TheQuestionnaire
PageFourteen
Alumni and staff talk about their
memories & experiences at Kent.
01 02 03 04 05
01. Matthew Crosby
02. Mary Evans
03. Achike Ofodile
04. Neil Froggatt
05. Caroline Shenaz Hossein
06. Tim Luckhurst
06
Matthew Crosby
K99: English & American Literature
Film Studies
Comedian
Matthew is a member of comedy troupe
Pappy’s Fun Club (www.pappysfunclub.
co.uk), recently returned from the 2007
Edinburgh Festival where they were
nominated for the 2007 if.comedy Best Show
award. Members also include Tom Parry
R00 and Brendan Dodds E98.
Matthew is also compere at the monthly
Horsebridge Comedy in Whitstable.
Favourite book:
I was obsessed with Charles Bukowski.
I would get drunk in a park reading Post
Office or Ham on Rye and then try and
write comedy shows.
Place of residence:
I lived in Keynes in my first year and then
St Michael’s Place for the next two years.
Favourite bar/pub/hangout:
Eliot Bar.
Most embarrassing moment:
When we lived in St Michael’s Place one of
our neighbours complained about my house
– mate drumming at three in the afternoon.
It turned out that they were no strangers
to rocking; their son was the guitarist in
Bananarama.
Enduring memory:
A sketch show that I co-wrote and directed
in my final year. At the end of the first half
Tom Parry fell off a stool on stage and I
announced that he had been taken to
hospital. About 15 minutes into the second
half, a film appeared on a screen and the
audience watched Tom run from the
hospital to campus before bursting through
the back door of the theatre. The reaction
was incredible. I was really interested in
Andy Kaufman and tricks you can play on
the audience and that was a moment when
it really worked.
Favourite item of clothing:
I had a nice zip up sports top – it was the
nearest I ever got to doing any actual sports.
Favourite song:
I really liked the album ‘Bleed American’
by Jimmy Eat World.
Biggest influence:
It has to be Keith Carabine. He has
a personal anecdote for even the
most outrageous moments in
American literature.
Societies:
I tried to join the short-lived Cult TV
society and I was also a member of the
Drama Society. I used the budget to put
on a comedy show.
First job:
I was a secondary school English teacher for
two years after leaving Kent and completed
my PGCE. All the while I performed in
comedy in clubs.
Professor Mary Evans
Professor of Women’s Studies
School of Social Policy,
Sociology and Social Research
‘I have taught at Kent since 1971, in
various locations and departmental
incarnations. For those of us who have
been at Kent for some time there has been
a good deal of opportunity for internal
travel. I have always taught sociology but
the various aspects of it that have
interested me the most are gender
divisions and narrative fiction.
I increasingly have come to the
conclusion that fiction has noticed most
social events and social changes long
before any social scientist has done so.
I was delighted to take part in the
establishment of Women’s Studies
(both at Kent and elsewhere) and I shall
continue to take part in the various
networks established! I shall miss
– but also hope to maintain – those many
friendships made and treasured.’
Favourite book:
Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.
Place of residence:
Patrixbourne
Favourite bar/pub/hangout:
None in particular, though I’m always
pleased to go to the Walpole Bay Hotel
in Margate.
Most embarrassing moment:
Mistaking lecture theatres and addressing
a group of rather surprised, though very
polite Physics students, until I realised
my mistake.
Enduring memory:
Births of my children
Favourite item of clothing:
A silk shawl which belonged to my
grandmother.
Favourite song:
‘Soave sia il vento’ from Mozart’s Cosi
fan Tutte
Biggest influence:
My parents
First job:
Assistant in greengrocers
Societies:
I’m interested in everything, so all of them!
Achike Ofodile
R04: Law
Kent Union President 2007-2008
As Kent Union President, one of Achike’s
aims over the next year is to provide
students with the opportunities to drive
change now and in their futures. The Union
intends to create a culture of activism
within the student population, inspiring
them to be strong and active citizens within
the University and the wider community.
Favourite book:
The Concubine by Elechi Amadi.
Place of residence:
Lypeatt Court in Park Wood.
Favourite bar/pub/hangout:
Woody’s in Park Wood. The refurbishment
over the summer has been amazing and
made an old classic even better!
Most embarrassing moment:
I can’t think of any at the moment, but I’m
sure that this year will have a few!
Enduring memory:
Elections result night in the Venue; people
were chanting my name even before the
result was announced!
Favourite item of clothing:
Kent Union Hoody.
Favourite music track:
‘Always’ by Bon Jovi
Biggest influence:
My mother.
Societies:
Afro-Caribbean Society, Law Society
and Rutherford Football Club.
First job:
Retail assistant at Marks & Spencer.
Neil Froggatt
E90: Computer Science
Neil is an Exective Director at Goldman
Sachs International in London
Favourite book:
I’m supposed to say something like Z
Specification by Allan Grimley as he was my
tutor but it was The Hitchhiker’s Guide to
the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Place of residence:
First year:
Eliot S1E-8, one of the twin bedders
beneath the bar and dining hall –
always useful!
Second year:
Herne Bay – Pier Avenue.
Third year:
Eliot S1W-6
MSc year:
A flat above Pizza Express in Canterbury
– handy for takeaways although not if you
weren’t a fan of pizza!
Favourite bar/pub/hangout:
On campus:
Woody’s, otherwise it would have to be
The Olive Branch (now Buttermarket),
Alberry’s and of course ‘Studio 3’ (not sure
what it’s called now – The Works nightclub?)
Most embarrassing moment:
Being found asleep on a bed of nettles
in the middle of a field after an all-night
rave and doing way too many snakebite –
induced stunts.
Enduring memory:
The fantastic view of Canterbury Cathedral
from Eliot Dining Hall at night as well
as the graduation ball that we (AIESEC)
organised.
Favourite item of clothing:
More of a ‘look’ as Trinny and Susannah
would say: Faded jeans, T-shirt and big
Timberland boots – bit different from my
usual attire nowadays!
Favourite song:
‘The Power’ by Snap
Societies:
Fencing, badminton, AIESEC but ‘dabbled’
in quite a few more…
First job:
Post MSc, working as Consultant for a
banking software house in London but
generally commuting weekly to Amsterdam,
Dublin, Jersey, Geneva, Zurich, Brussels
and Athens.
Caroline Shenaz Hossein
E93: Law
Caroline has worked at several
international NGOs and is currently
Microfinance Consultant at Ebony
Development Associates (www.ebonydev
elopment.org). Ebony Development
Associates deliver assistance to improve
the programming and project management
of services for ‘at risk’ communities.
Favourite book:
When I was at Kent I remember reading
Sowing the Mustard Seed by Yoweni
Museveni (given to me by a fellow student)
and it was an eye-opening book. It was great
to read it then because I could then talk to
students from different places to learn
more from them.
Place of residence:
Ellenden Court in Park Wood and Eliot’s
Becket Court (in the tower!)
Favourite bar/pub/hangout:
I liked going to the pub in Eliot College
because so many of our law professors
would also hang out there too.
Most embarrassing moment:
An embarrassing moment may have
been confusing exam dates but luckily
the professors let me retake the exam
with no penalty!
Enduring memory:
My best memories are of the people.
I also treasure the travelling with friends
all over the UK and further afield. Having
friends from all over the world deepened
my cultural awareness. It was Kent’s global
environment that I think encouraged me to
move into international development work.
Favourite item of clothing:
I think when I came from Toronto I dressed
pretty conservatively. But Kent was so close
to eclectic London and I remember loving to
shop for hats. The wilder the better! I loved
wearing hats back then.
Favourite song:
My favourite song as a student had to be
Bob Marley’s ‘Legends’. This May I was in
Jamaica and every time I hear Marley it
reminded me so much of those Kent days.
Biggest influence:
Kate Diesfeld and Joanne Conaghan
were wonderful women professors in the
law school who have positively influenced
my life. Thank you Kate and Joanne for
always giving excellent advice to the new
Canadian girl!
Societies:
Kent Law Clinic, Park Wood Student
Council – women’s rep
First job:
After I left Kent, I went on to graduate
school at Cornell University but my first job
after school was with the US Peace Corps.
Professor Tim Luckhurst
Professor of Journalism
and the News Industry,
University of Kent at Medway
Professor Luckhurst is a former editor
of The Scotsman and has also held
various editorial positions at the BBC
which included foreign postings to
Washington DC, coverage of the Romanian
revolution in 1989 and reports from the
First Gulf War in 1991. He also contributes
regularly to a variety of newspapers and is
a commentator for a number of television
and radio stations.
Favourite book:
Depending on mood I might nominate
The Face of War by Martha Gelhorn,
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell,
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis,
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, Gravity’s
Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Charles
de Gaulle’s War Memoirs or Having it so
Good by Peter Henessy
Place of residence:
St Mary’s Island, Chatham, Kent
Favourite bar/pub/hangout:
Kramer Books and Afterwords, 19 Street
NW, Washington DC.
Most embarrassing moment:
Being interrupted while broadcasting
live from the siege of the Branch Davidian
compound in Waco, Texas. I was on air
and my friend had just arrived. As I
described the scene to listeners in the
UK he ran towards me shouting “Tim,
how are you mate? I haven’t seen you for
months!” I hardly faltered...
Enduring memory:
My first foreign assignment for the BBC,
arriving in Timisoara on Christmas Eve
1989 to cover the Romanian Revolution.
That is closely followed by geting stuck
behind a truckload of inebriated Serbian
paramilitaries on the road between
Pristina and Skopje in 1999.
Favourite item of clothing:
A battered old motorcycle jacket.
Favourite song:
‘Visions of Johanna’ by Bob Dylan from
the album Blonde on Blonde (1966)
Biggest influence:
Phil Harding, my first editor at the
Today Programme.
Societies:
National Union of Journalists
First job:
My first ever job was as a tour guide at
Traquair House, the oldest inhabited
house in Scotland.
If you would like to feature in
The Questionnaire in a future issue
of KENT, please email your answers
(including a high-quality, recent
photograph of yourself) to:
alumni@kent.ac.uk

Kent Magazine
Fundraising
PageSixteen
Kent Magazine
Fundraising
PageSeventeen
Fund
Raising
How to give:
www.kent.ac.uk/alumni/donate
Email:giving@kent.ac.uk
Support the
Phonathon
By the time you read this
issue of KENT, you may
have already had a call
from one our telephone
fundraisers, all of whom
are current students here
at the University. They
will be calling as part
of our annual Phonathon,
now in its fifth year.
Since 2002, our student
callers have contacted
over 10,000 alumni and,
thanks to your support,
we have raised funds to
support a range of areas
including scholarships
and student support.
Money raised goes into
what is called the Annual
Fund, which is run by
the University of Kent
Development Trust,
a charity set up to accept
and manage donations
from alumni and friends
of the University.
01. Natalie Salunke
As well as scholarships
and student support,
the Fund provides
postgraduate scholarships,
University-based
projects such as the
student newspaper,
InQuire, and a student
entrepreneur society.
Money donated by our
alumni has already
helped to create an
ethnobotanical garden
on the Canterbury
campus, set up CSR, the
new student FM radio
station and purchase new
prints for the University
of Kent Print Collection.
Alumni support is crucial
to the University’s music
activities with funds going
into music scholarships,
groups, concerts and
performances by
visiting musicians.
Sport at Kent also
benefits from your
support and alumni
contributions already
fund a £1000 a year
sports scholarship.
However, there are other
areas where we need your
support. In particular,
we would like to continue
to improve our facilities
for students with
disabilities, our library
resources and also our
research assistance for
specific projects.
Finally, the Phonathon
students are not just
calling to raise funds.
They are also calling to let
you know about some of
the events we have coming
up and to check whether
we have the right contact
details so that we can keep
you in touch with what’s
going on at Kent.
Behind
the Scenes
Before graduating with
a degree in English and
French Law in 2006,
trainee solicitor Natalie
Salunke, E02, was one
of our student callers.
She is still very much
involved with the
University and is part of
the Kent Law School 40th
Anniversary Committee,
which is organising a
series of events in 2007
and 2008 to commemorate
40 years of critical legal
education at Kent.
This will culminate in a
Law Alumni Dinner at the
Law Society in London on
Thursday 26 June 2008.
What kind of reception
did you receive
from alumni when
you called?
They were generally really
pleasant and more than
happy to talk about their
previous experiences.
I really enjoyed sharing
and hearing stories
of student life, past
and present!
What did you
personally gain from
the experience?
I think I helped forge
a stronger relationship
between Kent Law School
and its alumni. I really
enjoyed speaking to
different businessmen
and women. I even called
one alumnus who was a
senior partner at a law
firm I had done a work
placement with.
What did you enjoy
about doing the
Phonathons?
I really enjoyed being part
of the Phonathon team.
It was great meeting other
students from different
years and subjects,
especially the newer
students. I think they
found it a good way to
get to know the University
a bit more and settle in.
What are you planning
to do in the future?
I have just started as a
trainee solicitor in the
Corporate Department
of London-based Taylor
Wessing. It is something
I’ve always wanted to
do so all being well
I’ll be here for a while.
Eventually I would
be keen to take my
experience of corporate
law into directorship
positions at different
companies.
I still try to keep in
close contact with
Kent Law School and
theDevelopment and
Alumni team, and will
no doubt continue to
be involved in Kent
alumni events.
Has any part of
your experience as
a student been
influenced by Annual
Fund money?
Among other things,
I had a lot of experience
with the Kent Law Clinic,
which provides free
legal advice to the local
community and has
been greatly helped by
the Annual Fund.
02 03
04
02. Claire Tanner
03. Nick Foster
04. RaG Volunteers
Scholarship update
This year two students
have benefited from the
Alumni Postgraduate
Scholarships. Claire
Tanner, E98, graduated
from Kent in 2002 with
first class honours and
the Keith Lucas Prize
for Excellence in Politics
and International
Relations. After working
in Student Support
at Kent Union and in
secondary education,
the Alumni Postgraduate
scholarship made it
possible for her to return
to postgraduate study.
Her research specialises
in the political experiences
of women representatives
in local government and
the ways in which social
and institutional barriers
to women’s participation
can be removed.
‘Student volunteers
at RaG raised over
£15,000 this year.’
Nick Foster, E04, is a
PhD student in the School
of Physical Sciences.
His research centres on
the analysis of cosmic dust
returned by the NASA
Stardust space mission.
He says, ‘From an early
age I have been fascinated
by space and the planets
around us. Through the
Alumni Scholarship
I have been able to get
involved in research
working with scientists
from NASA and UK
institutions. The Stardust
mission flew to comet
Wild/2 to collect early
and intact samples from
the formation of our
solar system and
returned them to earth
in January 2006. These
precious grains will
help us gain a greater
understanding of how our
solar system has evolved.’
Nick has also been
successful in obtaining a
scholarship to study at a
summer school in Japan
and this year has travelled
to conferences in Houston
and Texas to present some
of his research findings.
Student Fundraising
Led by RaG (Raise and
Give) President Emma
Rowe, the student
volunteers at RaG have
worked tirelessly and
raised over £15,000 this
year. Launching the
year with a fancy dress
recruitment drive, RaG
raised the profile of
charities through large
–scale events such as the
Snow Ball at Christmas,
which alone raised nearly
£6,000. The rest of the
year saw RaG week, The
RaG Blag, Valentine’s Day
Speed Dating, skydives
and good old–fashioned
street collections.
Earlier this year, a
small team of ‘Raggies’
travelled to Liverpool over
St Patrick’s Day weekend
to raise money with other
RaG groups from across
the country. RaG also
supports other student
groups in their events
including International
Night and Keynestock.

Kent Magazine
In Business
PageEighteen
PageNineteen
InBusiness
Softpro support
The Softpro Group,
a leading vendor of
systems for the capture
and verification of
handwritten signatures,
is supporting the
University’s MSc in
Information Security
and Biometrics. Based
in Germany with local
subsidiaries in North
America, the UK and
Asia-Pacific, Softpro
provides biometric
solutions that are
increasingly used in
industries such as
banking, insurance,
retail, government,
health, life sciences and
defence. Its customers
include American
Express, Bank of America,
Barclays, JPMorgan
Chase. Softpro will also
fund a prize for the bestperforming
student on
the MSc in Information
Security and Biometrics.
Bid success
for Enterprise
The University is one
of the lead partners in
a consortium of 11
universities which has
won a bid for £5 million
in the third round of
the Higher Education
Innovation Fund (HEIF).
The aim of the consortium
is to turn research and
ideas into business
opportunities and
bring commerce and
technology to the south
east of England.
One company that has
already benefited is
Kent-based Screaming
Talent, an independent
record and music
management company.
Director, Peter Moore,
said ‘The University’s
funding scheme has
enabled us to progress
in a highly competitive
market. So far, our
success has included
one of our artists having
several songs featured
in a hit US film and we
have been successful in
gaining a private investor
to push the company to
the next level.
Kent’s
Romanian links
HSH Prince Radu of
Hohenzollern-Veringen,
Special Representative
of the Government of
Romania, Advisor to
His Majesty King Michael
I of Romania and Patron
of the British Romanian
Chamber of Commerce,
recently gave a lecture at
the Canterbury campus.
This was the first event
of the Prince’s week-long
visit to the UK and was
hosted by Kent Business
School and Canterbury
Enterprise Hub, with
special support from
the British Romanian
Chamber of Commerce
and the Embassy of
Romania in the UK.
Kent forms national
biometric centre
Prominent figures
from the biometrics
research and technologies
sectors celebrated
the formation of the
United Kingdom
Biometrics Institute
(UKBI) at a recent
meeting at the
Canterbury campus.
Initiated by the
Department of
Electronics, and
supported by Kent
Enterprise, UKBI will
enhance the productive
exchange of knowledge
and expertise in the
UK across all stakeholders,
including the
University’s researchers,
the biometrics industrial
sector and potential
end-users; and provide
leading-edge solutions
to emerging and future
market needs.
There are increasing
opportunities for
successfully deploying
biometrics technologies,
not just in current high
profile applications such
as the National ID Card
Programme, but in
the financial sector,
in healthcare, in securing
documents and, indeed,
in any situation where
a high degree of
confidence in individual
identity is important.
Double
business masters
Kent Business School
has launched a double
masters programme with
the Hong Kong Baptist
University – the first
double degree to be
offered by a Science
Faculty in Hong Kong
– with an agreement
that means that upon
completing the one-year
full-time or two-year
part-time course, students
will have two masters
degrees in Operational
Research and Business
Statistics conferred by
HKBU and the University
of Kent respectively.
The University is one of the lead
partners in a consortium of 11
universities which has won a bid for
£5 million in the third round of the
Higher Education Innovation Fund.
01 02 03
04
01. HSH Prince Radu
02. Softpro
03. Screaming Talent
04. Double masters
Kent Business School academic
appointed‘Thinker in Residence’
Number of academic
departments:Twenty

Kent Magazine
Who’s what where
PageTwenty
Kent Magazine
Who’s what where
PageTwenty One
Who’s what where
01 02 03
The complete Who’s,
what, where is updated
online at:
www.kent.ac.uk/alumni
Key: D Darwin, E Eliot,
K Keynes, R Rutherford.
Location: The location at the
end of the entry is from the
mailing address we hold for the
individual. Please let us know
if any corrections are required.
These are just a selection.
By submitting a 3 entry,
you consent to its
publication online and
possible inclusion
in KENT magazine.
To contact any of
the individuals listed
here, email:
alumni@kent.ac.uk.
1960s:
Barnes, Diana (E) Have
been several kinds of
librarian, mostly in Kent
but also Zambia, and
had time off bringing
up two sons, but have
now settled as children’s
librarian. After six
years in Portsmouth,
I have been working
for Hampshire since
Nov 2003. Both sons by
first marriage are now
graduates (Norwich and
Cardiff) and doing well.
Clive (the reason I moved
to Southampton) and
I were married in April
2005, 10 years after we
first met. Saw someone
who could have been
Richard Hugh Simpson,
Eliot 69, while on holiday
in Penzance, April 2007
– get in touch, Richard, if
that was you! Hampshire.
(30/04/2007)
1970s:
Lamme, Jill (K) Living
in Portland, Oregon,
USA. Married to Étienne
Lammé and working as
a legal assistant to the
Federal Public Defender
for the District of
Oregon. I miss the UK
and dream of eventually
retiring there. Portland,
USA. (16/07/2007)
Wildsmith, Martin (R)
Still working for BAE
Systems (30 years this
coming September)
and still at Warton but
now in a Commercial
Governance role which
I am really enjoying.
Life is as busy as ever
with ailing parents
adding to the mix. Sue
takes the brunt of this
and somehow manages
to keep us all in order.
Hannah is now 18 and
currently in the thick of
A levels. Alastair is now
12 and has settled well
into his secondary school
despite his learning
difficulties. Lancashire.
(11/06/2007)
Page, Richard (R) After
a brief time as a teacher
then Head of Economics
in the Kuwait English
School I returned to the
UK and moved into the
business sector. After
working for SAP AG for
eight years including a
Board Directorship
managing a joint
venture between SAP
and Citibank I am now
helping to build a midmarket
software house
into a global player.
I enjoy scuba diving
(warm water only) and
foreign travel. Berkshire.
(19/02/2007)
Baker, Steve (E) After
many years in the flight
simulation business, I
decided to take a U-turn
and turn a hobby into
a career – so now I’m
writing computer games
for Midway Studios in
Austin, Texas. My son,
Oliver, is now 16 years
old. For fun, I restore
classic cars (I’m working
on a 63 Mini which
couldn’t look more out of
place in Texas – the land
of the big Pickup truck!).
Cedar Hill, Texas USA.
(25/06/2007)
Grant, David (E)
Having left UK in 1979,
I joined the then Royal
Hong Kong Police as an
Inspector, to see a bit of
the world, and 28 years
on, find myself still here
at the dizzying rank of
Senior Superintendent.
Married to a gorgeous
girl, I have two wonderful
daughters and am
enjoying life immensely
but concerned with the
onset of old age. Still
playing rugby but no
closer to learning the
laws of the game than
I was in 1979. I keep in
touch with some of my
old UKC contemporaries
and attend alumni
functions here. Hong
Kong. (27/03/2007)
Wingate, Tom (R)
Following six years at
City of London School
English Dept, and in
charge of Debating
Society; winning
the ESU’s ‘GGB &
International’ trophy
in 2006, I returned to
Mexico City in Sept
2007 to run college
counselling at the
British International
School. It will be my
third posting there! Still
going strong with Elena
Espinosa de los Reyes
E80; our silver jubilee
is in July. Elena has been
Trade Commissioner
for Mexico in the UK
for seven years. She
returns home in 2007.
London. (06/06/2007)
1980s:
Gibb, Neil (E) Having
spent the last seven years
working and training as
an independent business
consultant and coach I
recently joined JMW as
an associate consultant.
I love it! I am also
taking the opportunity
to relocate from London
to Melbourne for love as
well as work. After a
hiatus of a few years I am
now working on my
third book. I am six years
sober, learning Pilates,
and am very fond of
sushi. Tullamarine,
Australia. (06/06/2007)
Morgan-Busher, Ted
(R) Enjoying our
historic 1885 yacht
in the Mediterranean
– it has been a long,
but very worthwhile,
project. Valletta, Malta.
(20/04/2007)
Kilcoyne, Sarah (R) Hi,
I’m married and live in
Harrow on the Hill.
I have a son, Joshua,
who is two and a half
years old, and my
absolute pride and joy.
On the career front
I’m an Operations
Manager with NCR. I’m
based at their office in
Marylebone. I would love
to hear from anyone who
knows me. Please get in
touch! Hertfordshire.
(25/02/2005)
Oka, Tomoko (D) I got
married last October
and I am going back to
Tokyo after working at
UNICEF Latin America
and the Caribbean
Regional Office in
Panama for three years.
Let me know if you are
coming to Tokyo! Japan.
(07/03/2007)
Roksa, Jarmo (R) Living
in Norway, originating
from Finland. I work
with new digital media
and technologies.
Holidays are spent in
restoration of 19th
century countryside
house in Finland and
travelling with the
family. Please feel free
to make contact!
Jonsvatnet, Norway.
(16/03/2007)
1990s:
Houston, Ian (R)
I am at the American
Foreign Service
Association (which is
affiliated with the State
Department). I am the
Legislative Director.
Also adjunct faculty for
International Relations/
Public Policy/Political
Science at two colleges
in Virginia. Woodbridge,
USA. (30/08/2007)
Mahmud, Najam (E)
Still working for Abbott
Pharmaceuticals, now
as Regional Human
Resources Director for
Pakistan and Middle
East. I visited the campus
in July 2005 and God, it
was nostalgic! All those
great memories flashed
in front of my eyes. I
would love to travel
back in time if that was
possible. Kent was
a great experience and
I can never forget the
great times I had during
those years. Karachi,
Pakistan. (24/04/2007)
Herring, Dominic (K)
Working as the Technical
& Business Development
Manager for a
biotechnology company
looking after the Asia
Pacific region, and
making use of my degree!
Had a fantastic time at
Kent and am in contact
with several people but
not enough, so please feel
free to contact me.
Wiltshire. (16/08/2007)
Sundaram, Vanita (D)
Currently employed as
Research Fellow in the
Department of Education
at the University of York.
Moved back to the UK in
2006 after completing my
PhD at Copenhagen
University. Am still
sporadically in touch
with Chris, Lucy and
Laura B. Would love to
hear from more old Kent
friends. North Yorkshire.
(13/03/2007)
Weltin-Hirsch, Ute
(D) MA Theatre
Studies (Munich).
After graduating in
Munich I was associate
director at the Theatre
Regensburg (Bavaria)
for two and a half years,
now freelance director.
Currently working on a
PhD dissertation at the
University of Munich.
I got married in
September 2006.
I would love to hear
from all fellowdrama
students, people involved
in ‘Amadeus’ in 96,
and UKC Dramatics
members. Munich,
Germany. (05/03/2007)
Al-Mansoori, Ahmed
(E) Currently working
as a product marketing
manager at Bahrain
Telecommunications
Company (Batelco);
based in the kingdom
of Bahrain. Manama,
Bahrain. (08/08/2007)
Jones, Abigail (E) After
leaving UKC, I worked
at the Royal National
Theatre, before going
to Essex University to
complete an MA in
Museum and Gallery
Studies with Curating.
I then worked at the
V&A before moving
on to my current
employment at Tate.
London. (24/07/2007)
2000s:
Collier, Ian (R) Currently
work as an IT Director
at John Allen Consulting
(a construction design
company on the North
Downs). My office is in
the middle of nowhere
and is a 15th century
manor house. I also do
some freelance work,
doing a lot of web
programming and web
design amongst other
things. I am also setting
up a part time business
with some friends. I’ve
been married to Debbie
(nee McCourt) for 19
years and have two
children - Leigh (12)
and Daniel (nine). Kent.
(22/03/2007)
Only Connect
Robert Ostrov (D82)
wltf Kerry Smith (R82)
and Sophie Green (Pike)
(D82); Lenny Ferman
(E83) wltf Andre Wilkin
(D83) and Judy Share
(E83); Claire Elliot
(Garrett) (K86) wltf
Hank Cole (K86); Khang
Chew (K90) wltf Andrew
Brittain (K88); Junmin
Chen (E92) wltf Wayne
O’Brien (R92) and
Robert Mulcock (K92);
Adam Parker (E93) wltf
Pepita Gaylard (K91);
Hira Zahari (E94) wltf
Melda Sharif (E95);
Caroline Hertrich (K95)
wltf Timothy Leighton
(E95); Natalia Ilieva
(K95) wltf Andrew
Jordan (K95); Paul
Anderson (R98) wltf
Nigel Ward (R98)
Deaths:
Since the last issue of
KENT went to press,
we have learned of the
deaths of the following
alumni and staff. If you
would like to be put in
touch with the families
or friends of anyone listed
here, please let us know.
We may be able to help.
Alumni:
Mary Colloff (née
Bovington) K83, Jean
Cronin D82, Geoffrey
Groom E89, Joyce Aylwin
Guilmant (née Green)
R75, Gillian Hatt R81,
Sam Hess E02, Mary
Huston K95, Heather
Jackson K98, Carol
McNally (née Round)
E83, David Mendel K86,
Khek Mek Wong K75,
Staff and friends:
Lord Bill Deedes,
honorary graduate
2000; Dr Michael Leahy,
Philosophy; Lord
Bernard Weatherill,
honorary graduate 1990;
Alumni events 2007
01. Benefactors Garden Party
02. Celebration of Music at Kent
03. House of Lords alumni
reception

Kent Magazine
Who’s what where
PageTwenty Two
Kent Magazine
Who’s what where
PageTwenty Three
Field
Work
The End
of Mr.Y
Michael Leahy
1934–2007
01. Bonobo
Kent PhD student
Inogwabini Bila-Isia
has just returned to
his native Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC)
after a brief visit to
Canterbury to catch up
with his supervisor,
Professor Nigel Leader-
Williams, Director of
the Durrell Institute
of Conservation and
Ecology (DICE). Bila,
who last year won
a UNESCO Young
Scientist of the Year
Award, is carrying out
research on a large and
recently discovered
population of pygmy
chimpanzees or bonobos
Pan paniscus.
After successfully
completing his MSc in
Conservation Biology,
for which he was
awarded the Maurice
Swingland Prize for
the best masters student
of the 1996/7 cohort,
he returned home to
work on conservation
projects for a range of
organisations on
species such as
elephants and bonobos.
However, he always
harboured ambitions
to undertake a PhD
on bonobos, which were
realised when he won
a Beinecke African
Scholarship from the
Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS) in 2004
and a Charlotte
Program Fellowship
from the African Wildlife
Foundation (AWF)
in 2006.
Bila’s passion for bonobos
arose from growing up
within the wide bend of
the Congo river, which is
the only place in Africa
where bonobos are found.
Bonobos are the most
recently discovered and
least known of the six
species of great ape,
all of which are listed
as critically endangered.
Therefore, since starting
his research in the Lac
Tumba landscape, it is
really heartening that
Bila has discovered the
largest population of
bonobos yet recorded,
comprising one quarter
to one third of the world’s
known population.
In Lac Tumba, bonobos
live at high densities
in swamp forest that
provides their favoured
fruits all year round.
Bonobos appear to have
highly evolved emotional
attributes and display
very specific behaviour
if one of their group dies.
Despite their name,
bonobos are far more
peaceful than the more
aggressive chimpanzee
and are predominantly
vegetarian. Indeed,
the bonobo is used as
a symbol of peace and
some indigenous groups
revere bonobos as
holding the spirits of
their ancestors. In turn,
the protection offered
by these indigenous
groups in the Lac Tumba
landscape has allowed
this large population of
bonobos to survive
outside the confines of
a strictly protected area,
such as a national park.
Bila fully recognises
the importance of the
training he is receiving
at DICE, and is
encouraging his
project staff to come for
postgraduate training,
in order to further build
conservation capacity in
DRC. As with the other
great apes, the future
for bonobos is uncertain.
But with Bila and the
local indigenous groups
with whom he is working
as their champions,
the Lac Tumba bonobos
have more than a
fighting chance.
Described as ‘a Foucault’s
Pendulum for the ipod
generation’ (Philadelphia
Enquirer), The End of
Mr. Y is the latest novel
by Scarlett Thomas, a
lecturer in the School
of English. The novel
features heroine Ariel
Manto, a lonely PhD
student who stumbles
across a rare novel in
a second-hand bookshop
and takes the reader
on a journey which
begins in Kent and
ends at the perimeter
of thought itself.
Scarlett describes her
novel as ‘a thought
experiment wrapped
in a contemporary
adventure novel that
asks questions about
thought, language,
destiny and the very
limits of being and time’.
The novel brings together
such diverse themes
as quantum physics,
post-structuralism,
homoeopathy,
evolutionary theory,
theology and the origins
of consciousness and
moves at such a pace it
is impossible to put down.
Kent alumni will
also notice distinct
similarities between
the university of The
End of Mr. Y and a
certain other campus
on a hill!
The End of Mr.Y is
published by Canongate
(UK) and Harcourt (US).
More information about
Scarlett Thomas is
available on the School
of English website at:
www.kent.ac.uk/english/
02. The End of Mr.Y
Dr Michael Leahy was
appointed Lecturer in
Philosophy at Kent in
1967, he was promoted
to Senior Lecturer in
1976 and was Faculty
Admissions Officer
from 1981 to 1985.
He took early retirement
in 1996 but returned to
the University on a
part-time basis as an
Administrator in the
International Office until
October 1999. Below we
print an appreciation of
Mike’s life from Robert
Cannon R66, a friend and
former student.
On Monday 21 May
2007 Michael Leahy
was buried in Chilham
churchyard. For at least
seven years Mike had
had a form of dementia
that saw his fine mind
and active, fit body slowly
close in on itself. It was
a terrible end for
someone who had been so
mentally and physically
alert. Mike was unusual
in his combination of
intellectual and sporting
excellence.
The latter was dominated
by cricket, which he
played for many years as
part of both University
and village teams.
In other areas too he was
full of life. His love and
understanding of music
was considerable, he
had a profound and
discerning taste that
ranged from Gregorian
chant to the avant
garde and included jazz
which he had learnt to
appreciate during his
lectureship in America.
No memory of him can
fail to recall his refined
and enthusiastic interest
in wine. To dine with
him and his wife Rosie
was always both a
gastronomic and bibulous
treat. His cellar was large
and wide in its scope and,
in the early days, he
made an important
contribution to the
University cellars.
But it is as a philosopher
– both teacher and
thinker – that he will
be most remembered
and sorely missed.
Like his music, wine and
sport, his interest was
wide ranging – rather
than merely eclectic.
His passion for the
pre-Socratics – above
all Parmenides – and
at the other end of the
chronological and
methodological scale,
Wittgenstein, was
perhaps most notable.
As a teacher he taught
not so much the facts of
the matter, although he
was an excellent guide,
but rather why these
writings and ideas were
so important. Above all
he showed his students
how to make use of
philosophy: how to look
past appearance and
probe the cogency and
validity of what one saw,
heard or was taught.
He was an inspiration;
in particular because
this serious concern was
so naturally accompanied
by humour, wit and a
wonderful sense of fun.
The life that he taught
one to illuminate with
philosophic application
was a life that was truly
worth the effort – full
of pleasure and humour,
the richness of the arts,
physical activity, the
joys of good food and
wine. Like Socrates’s
companions at the end
of the Phaedo, it is our
loss that we mourn on
his untimely death –
and our lives that will
remain enriched by the
memory of everything
witty, entertaining,
thoughtful and
instructive that he did.
03. Michael Leahy

KENT
Events
ONLINE GIFTSHOP
Here are some of the
events planned for the
next few months.
Keep an eye on:
www.kent.ac.uk/alumni
for more information, or
email alumni@kent.ac.uk
30 November 2007
Professor John Butler
Emeritus Professor of
Health Services Studies,
School of Social Policy,
Social Research and
Sociology and Canterbury
Cathedral Guide
The Red Dean of
Canterbury:
Hewlett Johnson and
the Russian connection
6pm
Brabourne Lecture
Theatre
Canterbury campus
4 December 2007
University of Kent in
America alumni reception
Orlando, Florida
6 – 8pm
Gray Robinson Law
Offices, 301 East Pine
Street, Orlando, Florida
7 December 2007
In conjunction with the
English Speaking Union
William Fullerton CMG
former UK Ambassador in
Somalia, Kuwait,
Morocco and Mauritania
Palestine, persistent
tragedy of the Middle
East; is there a solution?
6pm
Brabourne Lecture
Theatre
Canterbury campus
3 January 2008
University of Kent
in America
alumni reception
Toronto, Canada
From 7pm
Location tbc
(suggestions welcome)
25 January 2008
The Tizard
Annual Lecture
Dame Jo Williams DBE,
Chief Executive, Mencap
6pm
Brabourne Lecture
Theatre
Canterbury campus
1 February 2008
The Chancellor’s Lecture
Sir Simon Jenkins
6pm
Brabourne Lecture
Theatre
Canterbury campus
8 February 2008
Ian Gregor
Memorial Lecture
Professor Hermione Lee
6pm
Brabourne Lecture
Theatre
Canterbury campus
22 February 2008
The Lord Mayor’s Lecture
The Rt Hon John
Redwood MP
6pm
Brabourne Lecture
Theatre
Canterbury campus
February 2008
– date tbc
Alumni London
Pub Night
Venue tbc
7 June 2008
ArtsFest
Canterbury campus
www.kent.ac.uk/music/
artsfest/
26 June 2008
40th Anniversary of
Kent Law School
Alumni Dinner
The Law Society,
London
July 2008 – date tbc
Benefactors’ Garden
Party
Vice-Chancellor’s
Residence, Canterbury
10 October 2008
‘First 500’ Dinner
National Liberal Club
London
Online Kent Giftshop
Created exclusively for
Kent students, alumni
and friends.
www.kent.ac.uk/giftshop