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University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
Newsletter
This summer’s degree ceremonies at Canterbury saw nearly 3,000 students graduating from the University. During a ceremony on 13 July, Sir Robert Worcester was
installed as Kent’s new Chancellor. See back page for more.
First graduate from
University of the
Transmanche
Teaching fellowship
for Biosciences’
lecturer
Cecilia Leguen de Lacroix, a British citizen who
lives in Belgium, has become the first student to
graduate from the University of the
Transmanche, the world’s only Franco-British
higher education institution which was
developed by Kent together with its French
partners.
Cecilia, a student of Politics and International
Relations, received her MA (with merit) in
Conflict, Peace and Identity: France, Britain and
Europe at the graduation ceremony at
Canterbury Cathedral on 11 July.
As with all Transmanche students, Cecilia will
also receive a French Master’s degree, in this
case from the Université du Littoral Côte
d’Opale (ULCO).
Professor Roger Vickerman is Associate Dean
of the University of the Transmanche. He said,
‘The Transmanche University Network, with
our close partners in France, is a defining part of
our European mission. Distinctive cross-border
integrated programmes add a new dimension to
international collaboration and we are very
proud of these first pioneering students.’
Cecilia started her course in 2004 and was one
of the first cohort of Transmanche students.
Her MA is a 15-month programme jointly run
by Kent and ULCO.
She spent the first term at ULCO’s campuses in
Boulogne and Dunkirk. She then spent Spring
Term 2005 at Kent. The final phase of the
programme was spent carrying out her research
dissertation. (See back page for photo.)
Dr Dan Lloyd, Lecturer in Pharmacology and a member
of the Cancer Research Group in the Department of
Biosciences, has won a 2006 National Teaching Fellowship
from the Higher Education Academy.
Chosen from a record 242 nominations submitted by higher
education institutions across England and Northern Ireland,
Dr Lloyd is one of only 50 winners, all of whom will receive
their awards at a ceremony in London on 19 September.
Dan said, ‘I’m stunned, but obviously delighted to have been
selected for such a prestigious award. It is a fantastic feeling to
be rewarded for something that I enjoy so much. It really was
a team effort though, and I must pay tribute to the support of
my colleagues, and of course the students who have
undertaken such exceptional work.’
A statement from the Higher Education Academy reads,
‘Despite the enormous demands placed on an early-career
Continued on p2

University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
In brief
Left to right
Jamestown symposium
Open Days at Medway and Canterbury
academic, Dr Dan Lloyd has succeeded in
transforming elements of the undergraduate
curriculum at Kent. When he took over the role of
leading final-year undergraduate research projects, he
immediately saw the potential to move beyond the
usual laboratory-based or dissertation approach to
something more innovative. He felt that the projects
might represent an ideal opportunity for students to
research a topical or controversial area of science and
present the information in a manner that would be
interesting and accessible to a non-scientist. He
initiated the idea of Science Communication Projects
and won over even the most conservative students,
who now respond with great enthusiasm.
‘In addition to undertaking in-depth scientific research,
[Kent’s] Communication Projects involve the
preparation of a talk aimed at a non-scientific
audience. Dan is now working with Kent’s Partnership
Development Office to target regional schools that
currently have low participation in science and higher
education.
‘Student Science News, a newsletter covering topical
scientific issues aimed at 14-18-year-olds, grew out
of the enthusiasm expressed by students for the
Communication Projects. It was founded by
Communication Project students and is written, edited
and published by them. With a print run of 6,000, the
newsletter is circulated to schools across Kent.’
Professor Peter Jeffries, Head of the Department of
Biosciences, said, ‘Dan has been an inspiration to us all
in leading this development. His award, along with our
top position in the National Student Survey, reinforces
our view that Kent is an excellent place to come and
study biosciences.’
Jamestown revisited
The University recently held a unique symposium
which brought together Virginia Indian chiefs and
academic experts, Helen Rountree, Dr Warren Billings
and Dr Peter Thompson. The event was part of
Kent’s Virginia Indian Festival and contributed to the
national programme of events to commemorate the
400th anniversary of Jamestown, the first permanent
English settlement in North America.
The symposium attracted over 200 people, including
members of the public and school students, who had
the opportunity to learn about the historical events in
Virginia and explore issues of cultural diversity. Sir
Robert Worcester, Co-Chairman of the Jamestown
2007 British Committee and the University’s
Chancellor-designate closed the event.
He said, ‘Jamestown 2007 isn’t just America’s 400th
birthday; it is the marking of the establishment of the
first permanent English-speaking settlement in the
New World. In fact, the landing and settlement in
Virginia happened 14 years before the pilgrims landed
on Plymouth Rock. From its shaky start grew first
Jamestown and from there the other English colonies
which were eventually to form the original 13 United
States of America. This symposium was part of the
national commemorations of those intrepid settlers
who left England in 1606, and the Indians who
befriended them, without whose help the settlers
would not have survived.’
Rare species caught on camera
Scientists from DICE are part of a joint Indonesian and
British team who have recorded one of Indonesia’s
rarest species of bird while working in the tropical
forests of west-central Sumatra.
The team, surveying for tigers in a former logging
concession close to Kerinci Seblat National Park,
photographed a species in their camera traps that
took them all by surprise. ‘We’ve photographed
Rhinoceros Hornbills and Great Argus Pheasants
before but when we found that we’d photographed a
Sumatran Ground Cuckoo, we couldn’t believe it,’ said
field team leader Yoan Dinata of Fauna & Flora
International’s (FFI) Indonesia Programme.
Until now, the endemic Sumatran Ground Cuckoo
Carpococcyx viridis has only been recorded once
since 1916, and then only from southern Sumatra in
1997.
‘Re-finding this critically endangered species close to
Kerinci Seblat is especially exciting,’ said project
manager DICE’s Dr Matthew Linkie. ‘We’ve recently
shown how critical Kerinci Seblat is for the long-term
survival of Sumatran tigers [a reference to a study
published in the latest Journal of Applied Ecology] but
finding the Sumatran Ground Cuckoo gives me hope,
because it was photographed in disturbed forest that
has been left to recover near the national park, and
because our project has built capacity among young
Indonesian scientists to lead camera trapping teams
that undertake routine monitoring.’
Sumatran rainforests contain some of the world’s
richest biodiversity but they are also among the
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world’s most threatened forests. The ongoing threat
of deforestation by farmland expansion that follows
selective logging is of greatest concern because it
completely removes forest habitat.
Open Days
Numbers were high at the recent Open Days for both
Canterbury and Medway. Hundreds potential students
came to the Medway Open Day on 24 June where
visitors had the chance to look round the campus,
chat to teaching staff, attend subject presentation and
attend tours of the Drill Hall Library and the newly
refurbished Pilkington Building, both jointly run by
Kent and Greenwich universities.
Meanwhile, at Canterbury on 8 July, the campus was
packed with people who took the opportunity to
sample life at the Canterbury campus. As well as
having the chance to visit the laboratories, the new
School of Architecture and the Templeman Library,
the Open Day also gave them the chance to attend a
range of sample lectures and try out the cafés and
bistros.
Vice-Chancellor to chair
Lifelong Learning UK
Vice-Chancellor Professor David Melville has been
appointed as the new chair of Lifelong Learning UK
(LLUK). One of 25 sector skills councils that make up
the Skills for Business Network, LLUK was set up by
employers to raise skills levels among the workforce
through better training and development. His new role
will commence in November, subject to formal
ratification by the LLUK Council. He succeeds John
Hedger who has been chair of LLUK since 2004.
David Melville, who has been a Council member of
LLUK since its beginning, said he is fully committed to
the mission of the sector skills councils and sees the
development of learning professionals as central to
raising the standards of education and training in the
UK. He is now looking forward to leading the board
of LLUK through its next stage of development.
University honours school head
Philip Wicker, Head of St Anselm’s Catholic School in
Canterbury, is to become an honorary senior member
of Darwin College at the University of Kent. St
Anselm’s is one of the University’s designated Partner
Schools and, as such, is part of an exciting new
scheme which gives as many young people as possible
from across the county the opportunity to go to
university.
Philip Wicker said, ‘I am delighted to have been
offered honorary senior membership of Darwin.
It reinforces the close partnership between the
University and St Anselm’s as we work together to
encourage school students to realise their potential by
progressing on to higher education.’
Dr Anthony Ward, Master of Darwin College,
explains, ‘An honorary senior college membership is
one way in which the University recognises the
importance of its relationship with the regional
community. I am very pleased at the association
between the College and St Anselm’s.’
Jen Wyatt, Head of Kent’s Partnership Development
Office, has played a key role in developing the Partner
School initiative. ‘This scheme builds on strong existing
relationships to deliver, more formally, progression
opportunities for students into Kent, through the offer
of a high quality curriculum to Partner Schools and the
creation of Partner School scholarships for students. It
is good news that this development is not only helping
to deliver new opportunities to local school students
but that it is also clearly fostering wider relationships
between the University and Partner School staff.’
Others who have recently become honorary
members of Darwin College include, Robert Neame,
President of Shepherd Neame, Dr Edwin Boorman,
President of the Kent Messenger Group, and Sir
Graeme Odgers, Chairman of Locate in Kent.
Tizard professor on
government task force
The UK government has appointed Professor Jim
Mansell, Director of the Tizard Centre at the
University of Kent, to the Learning Disability Task
Force.
The Task Force was set up after publication of the
White Paper 'Valuing People: A New Strategy for
Learning Disability for the 21st Century' in 2001. Its
role is to monitor and support implementation of the
White Paper by acting as a champion for change and
improvement at local level and offering advice to
government on the continuing development of
learning disability policy.
The membership includes academic experts,
representatives of voluntary organisations, health and
social care professionals, family carers and people with
learning disabilities.
Researching mixed-race identities
CHSS’s Peter Aspinall and SSPSSR’s Dr Miri Song have
been awarded £156,000 by the ESRC to investigate
the range of identity choices potentially available to
mixed-race young people in Britain. Together with
Ferhana Hashem, also from CHSS, they are
undertaking the largest and most detailed study of
its kind in the UK and will supply the research
community, census agencies and the providers of
educational, health and other public services with a
comprehensive insight into the personal, group and
political dimensions of mixed-race identities.
3

University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
In brief
Left:
Ann Wood and Jackie Datlen
Learning at work
week
This year the University celebrated
national Adult Learners’ Week with a
range of activities – from promoting job
swap/shadowing opportunities, to the
annual staff development awards
ceremony, which took place on
Thursday 25 May, national Learning at
Work day. A lively and successful
Learning at Work Fayre, to which all
staff were invited, was held in Eliot
Dining Hall on Friday 26 May.
Following the success of last year’s job
swaps and shadowing, this year 25
members of staff from across the
University took the opportunity to find
out more about what other people do.
Swaps included members of staff from
UELT and the Templeman Library going
to the Disability Support Unit, and a
Master’s Assistant shadowing both the
Vice-Chancellor’s PA and grounds
maintenance. At a specially held lunch
those who took part had the chance to
discuss to their experiences and to give
feedback. Everyone felt they had
learned a great deal about other areas
of work, and that they had been given
the opportunity to meet other people
and develop a greater understanding of
other people’s pressures.
At the annual Staff Development
Awards Ceremony, certificates were
presented by Judith Armitt, Chief
Executive of Medway Council and
Chair of the Staff Policy Committee,
who praised all the staff who had
gained awards for their hard work and
commitment, and recognised the
challenge of combining learning with
work and family life. The qualifications
presented covered a wide range
including the Post Graduate Certificate
in Higher Education (PGCHE), the
European Computer Driving Licence
(ECDL), the Award in Diversity Practice
and a range of accredited Health and
Safety qualifications.
The week finished with the Learning at
Work Fayre in Eliot College which gave
many staff the opportunity to get
involved in activities such as tasting
wok-cooked food, trying out wines,
talking to a plant expert, learning about
part-time academic programmes and
finding out more about Fair Trade.
Staff development would like thank
everyone who contributed to any
aspect of Learning at Work week for
helping to make it a great success. To
find out more about this and other staff
development activities email on
stdev@kent.ac.uk, ext 7825.
Above:
The annual staff development ceremony
4

Right
Staff and students celebrating summer at the Keynes
‘Pond Life’ event
The study will explore how such identities are
constructed, what they mean for the people holding
them, the factors contributing to the possession of
these identities, how they affect individual lives, and
how such identities constrain or enable an individual’s
freedom.
Chinese academic award
Yong Yan, Professor of Electronic Instrumentation in
Electronics, has been appointed a Chang Jiang
(Yangtze) Scholar by the Ministry of Education of the
People’s Republic of China. He is the first scientist in
the area of measurement and instrumentation to
receive this prestigious award. The Chang Jiang
Scholar’s award was granted by the Chinese Ministry
of Education and acknowledges special contributions
made by Chinese scientists and overseas scholars in
various research fields. To be considered for this
award, the candidate must have achieved an
outstanding international recognition in his or her field.
The Chang Jiang Scholar’s award is part of an
ambitious programme initiated by the Chinese
government to rapidly develop and improve the
quality of research conducted at major research
universities in China through the development of
collaborations with eminent scientists throughout
the world.
Yan will receive an initial grant of 2m Chinese RMB
(£150,000) to establish a collaborative research
programme in measurement and instrumentation at
Tianjin University, one of the premier science and
technology universities in China where he has been a
visiting professor since 2002.
Korean lecture
Dr David Ayers, from the School of English, was a
keynote speaker at the 2006 International Conference
of the Modern English Society of Korea in May. The
conference was titled 'Earth, Man and Culture', and
featured a range of contributions by academics from
Korea, the United States and Japan. The theme of the
Conference was 'ecocriticism' - the study of the
presentation of nature and environment in literature.
The Modern English Society of Korea is the
professional body of Korean academics in the field of
English and American Literature and Language. The
conference was held at Chungnam National University
in the city of Daejon, a major city which is home to
five Universities and numerous technical institutes.
Dr Ayers spoke about the philosophical difficulty faced
by literature and literary scholarship in grasping the
relationship between 'man' and 'nature'.
Ethics role for KIMHS academics
Two honorary senior lecturers from KIMHS have been
elected to the Ethics Committee of the Association
for Palliative Medicine. Dr Andrew Thorns, who is also
Consultant at the Pilgrims Hospice in Margate, has
been elected as Chair of the Committee and Dr
David Oliver, also Consultant at the Wisdom Hospice
in Rochester, is Chair elect. The committee has been
considering many different ethical issues within
palliative care, and recently has been involved in the
opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill, introduced in the
House of Lords by Lord Joffe, with the aim of
legalising physician-assisted suicide.
French connections
In early June, the Medway campus hosted an event
with an international flavour when it welcomed
members from the Université du Littoral to its
campus. Staff from both sides of the Channel took
part in a series of presentations on topics including
good communications and management of multi-site
universities. All the speakers were ably assisted by
University of Kent lecturer Dr David Hornsby who
acted as translator.
UKM Dean Dr Anthony Ward said there were huge
benefits to be enjoyed from a close relationship
between the two universities. ‘We have both played a
key role in urban regeneration and can learn from
each other and share experiences,’ he said.
The visit, arranged by the European Office, was part
of the PACS project between the Kent and
L’Université du Littoral Cote d’Opale. PACS is partfunded
by the Interreg IIIA programme, within the
European Regional Development Fund.
Medway campus takes shape
Staff and students at the Universities at Medway
campus can look forward to enjoying a range of new
facilities next term with the opening of the Pilkington
Building. Formerly known as the Canteen Building,
Pilkington – a joint University of Kent and University
of Greenwich development – is in the latter stages of
a multi-million-pound refurbishment and will be
completed by the time students arrive in September.
The ground floor will house a 170-seat lecture
theatre, a cafeteria area, an exhibition room and two
large seminar rooms. It will be the new location for
UMSA (the Universities at Medway Student
Association), which includes the student advice centre,
and also contains offices and a cashpoint. The first
floor of Pilkington will provide additional teaching
rooms, with Kent having ‘first call’ on bookings.
UKM staff can also look forward to the opening of the
Gillingham Building, located adjacent to the Medway
Building. Work is expected to finish by late July, with
staff moving in to their new offices at the end of
August. The Gillingham Building will house staff from a
5

University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
In brief
Right
Welsh academics learn from
Medway; University of Wales
Institute Vice Chancellor Professor
Antony Chapman (right) with
Professor David Melville
Right:
Music prize winners with
Professor Keith Mander, Dame
Anne Evans, Rosie Turner and
Susan Wanless
range of departments and subjects, including SSPSSR,
Humanities, Politics and International Relations,
Creative Events, Kent Institute of Medical and Health
Sciences, the Centre for Work and Learning and Kent
Enterprise. Gillingham will also contain meeting rooms,
general teaching and seminar facilities and IT teaching
rooms. Up to 40 parking spaces will be available for
UKM staff.
When Pilkington and Gillingham are completed,
attention will turn to a £1.4 million renovation of
UKM’S Rochester Building. Work on the Rochester
(formerly ‘No 1’) Building is expected to begin in
October and finish by late May next year. Rochester
will be equipped with catering, dining and kitchen
facilities, two meeting rooms and a boardroom for
more than 30 people.
Welsh academics learn from
Medway
Kent has been sharing its ground-breaking experience
with three top figures from another university. Senior
members of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
(UWIC), including Vice-Chancellor Professor Antony
Chapman, visited the Medway campus on a factfinding
mission in June. UWIC is considering expanding
its operations by launching a partnership with other
higher education institutions. Professor Chapman said
that the rising reputation of the Universities at
Medway partnership has spread to other parts of the
country, including Wales. ‘We were deeply impressed
with the set-up at Medway. It is a truly magnificent
concept and a fabulous campus,’ he said. ‘I hope it can
Sir Crispin Tickell
The University marked Sir Crispin Tickell’s 10
years as University Chancellor with the unveiling
of his portrait by Jonathan Yeo at a special event
held in the Senate Building.The portrait of Sir
Crispin, who is the University’s fourth Chancellor,
hangs alongside those of former Chancellors,
Princess Marina Duchess of Kent, Lord Grimond
and Sir Robert Horton, as well as previous Vice-
Chancellors Dr Geoffrey Templeman, Dr David
Ingram and Professor Robin Sibson. Speaking at
his installation in Canterbury Cathedral, Sir
Robert Worcester, who succeeds Sir Crispin as
Chancellor on 1 August, praised his reputation as
a diplomat and environmentalist.
serve as a role model for us in our future plans.
Higher education in Wales can learn from Medway’s
success.’
Vice-Chancellor Professor David Melville said that he
expected the unique partnership at Medway to
continue to attract interest from other parts of the
country. ‘By building on the individual strengths of the
institutions, we offer our students a diverse range of
high-quality courses and an enjoyable all-round
experience,’ he said. ‘We are delighted to be able to
share our experiences and that Universities at
Medway is seen as a model for others to build upon.
We expect our reputation to continue to grow far
and wide.’
Historic setting for new degree
UKM’S newest degree programme, Creative Events:
Design and Production, has taken a leap forward after
signing the lease on its new premises. The course,
which launches in September, will operate from the
former Victory Centre at Chatham’s Historic
Dockyard. The building, a former visitor centre, is
now being equipped with sophisticated lighting and
sound facilities for its split-level design studio and will
house students’ IT facilities, a large workshop, teaching
rooms and a lecture theatre.
Course director Gavin Carver is restoring the Victory
Centre’s original name – the Galvanizing Shop. This
name dates back to around 1890, when the building –
now a Grade II listed structure – was used for the
process of galvanizing iron.
Lieutenancy salutes Medway
The Lord Lieutenant of Kent Allan Willett and 30 of
his deputies recently visited the Universities at
Medway campus. The group was taking part in a tour
of regeneration sites across Medway and heard how
the area is being transformed by investment in homes,
offices, road systems, waterfront developments and
6

even a new cultural quarter. The Universities at
Medway campus has been entered for the Royal Town
Planning Institute Awards, the winners of which will be
announced later in the year.
Music prizes
This year’s music prizes at the University of Kent have
been awarded to four outstanding students. They
recently attended a ceremony on campus, and
received congratulations from Rosie Turner, Director
of the Canterbury Festival, Dame Anne Evans, Patron
of the University Music Scholarship Scheme, and
Professor Keith Mander, Pro-Vice-Chancellor.
The winner of the Canterbury Festival Music Prize is
Mariah Mazur. She is a fourth-year student from
Columbus, Ohio, reading Drama and Italian. Mariah
has made an outstanding contribution to the
University’s musical life as Principal Harp in the
Symphony Orchestra. She has also given many solo
recitals and receives a Music Scholarship.
The 2006 University Music Prize has been awarded to
second –year Susannah Thackray. Studying for a Law
degree, she is Principal Flute in the University
Symphony Orchestra and also plays flute and piccolo
in the Concert Band. She receives a Music Scholarship
to study with Rosemary Rathbone. Two students,
finalist Robert Kent and post-graduate Jonathan Stott,
receive the Colyer-Fergusson Award for their
outstanding contribution to organising music on
campus, both as music librarians for the University
Concert and Big Bands and for their work behind the
scenes at the major concerts this year.
Director of Music, Susan Wanless, is amazed at the
wealth and wide-range of musicians at Kent. ‘Students
of all subjects have the opportunity to get involved in
all the music-making, and this year’s prize winners
reflect the breadth of talent and enthusiasm amongst
them. Thanks to the continued generosity of the
Canterbury Festival and our other supporters, we
can highlight their achievements and give them the
recognition they deserve.’
Lecturer studies business of
backpackers
KBS’s Dr Mark Hampton has embarked on a unique
study into the economic importance of the
backpacker tourist market in the Asia Pacific region.
Mark, who runs the Tourism Management degree
course at UKM, will be working alongside Professor
Amran Hamzah, of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in
Johor Bahru, in a £50,000 project funded by the
Malaysian Government.
The two academics and their research team will spend
several weeks in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam
analysing the views, travel experiences and spending
habits of backpackers before presenting their findings
to the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism. The Malaysian
government is the first in the developing world to
commission such major independent research into
backpackers.
By challenging the conventional view that that
backpackers are ‘second-class’ tourists, Mark said that
the study could lead to a major strategic change in the
way in which Malaysia markets itself to tourists in the
future. ‘The results of the study will help the
government decide where to allocate resources, and
to develop the services and skills to cater for the
backpacker market far more effectively,’ he said.
‘There could be as many as 750,000 backpackers a
year visiting Malaysia, which has a big impact on the
economy.’
The prestigious project also marks the launch of KBS’s
latest research centre, CENTICA – the Centre for
Tourism in Islands and Coastal Areas. Led by Mark
and based at UKM, CENTICA will provide applied
research on the tourism industry for governments,
agencies and the private sector.
Leadership is in the genes
Mark van Vugt, Professor of Social Psychology, has
challenged traditional theories of leadership by
announcing that ‘leadership is in our genes’.
Mark’s theory, published in the journal 'Personality and
Social Psychology Review', states that: leadership is
the product of human evolutionary history in which,
for several million years, humans lived and worked
together in small groups in order to survive (much like
our primate cousins, the chimpanzee); and leadership
helped our ancestors cope with the pressures of
group life and enabled them to more successfully
defend their group against other groups. Leadership
thus played a crucial role in the success of humans,
and is now deeply embedded in our genes; so much
so that the human brain possesses a hardwired
leadership ‘prototype’, a fixed idea of how a leader
should behave and what they should look like, that is
innate and difficult to change.
Mark also argues that for millions of years there was
no formal leadership in human groups. He says,
‘Essentially, it was the best hunter or the fiercest
warrior that emerged as leader. In present times, we
still evaluate leaders in that way. Ideally we would like
our leaders to know us personally and take an active
interest in our lives which, of course, is increasingly
difficult in modern society in which leaders govern
millions of people. Yet successful leaders are still the
ones that make people feel special, like Gandhi.’
He also found that leaders who try to dominate
followers are particularly disliked. In ancestral times,
overbearing and selfish leaders were simply ignored,
7

University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
In brief
Above
Students inspire young children to
have fun with maths
ridiculed or sometimes even killed. This egalitarian
ethos is still visible in modern society in which political
leaders often become the target of ridicule or hatred.
Students inspire young children
to have fun with maths
Three Kent students have helped create a series of
stimulating web-based games to encourage young
children to hone their maths skills. Titled Sum-Fun, the
project is the work of Bethan Hampson-Jones,
Danielle Barnetche and Amelia Lew, all of whom are
final-year Multimedia Technology and Design students
at the University’s Department of Electronics. Created
in conjunction with a professional games developer
from Kingsway Green Learning (KG Learning), Sum-
Fun is a stress free method of introducing basic maths
by using visual guides that enable pupils to better
understand how they reach an answer. Pupils also
learn by playing games with basic maths themes.
As part of their project, the students visited
St Stephen’s Infants school in Canterbury to see first
hand how children learn maths before designing the
games content, which is both attractive but also
appropriate for teaching maths to young people.
To Russia with love
Students at the Tonbridge Centre learned some
priceless lessons during a recent trip to Russia lead by
tutor Dr Graham Whitham. The students, who are
studying a part-time degree course in Art History,
visited the magnificent Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow,
which houses one of the largest collections of Russian
art and artefacts in the world.
Denyse Straker, who is both librarian and a tutor at
the Tonbridge Centre, said the Russian trip helped
bring the students' academic studies to life. 'It was a
stimulating and exciting experience, which provided a
vivid insight into Russian life and art,' she said. 'It was
especially rewarding for the students studying our
Russian Art and Design module to see so many of
these amazing treasures. All in all, students gained an
unforgettable insight into Russian culture and society.’
Medical Chief Executive at
Kent symposium
Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the
Medical Research Council, delivered the closing
lecture at the 14th Annual Biosciences Symposium.
Titled ‘The Brain: Myths and Reality’, Professor
Blakemore’s lecture was well-received by an audience
of students, staff and invited guests from Pfizer and
the local NHS Trusts.
During his introduction to the lecture, Vice-Chancellor
Professor David Melville described Professor
Blakemore as ‘one of the world’s most outstanding
brain scientists and a leading champion in promoting
the public understanding of science.’
Professor Peter Jeffries, Head of the Department of
Biosciences at Kent, said: ‘Professor Blakemore’s
lecture was a highlight during a day in which research
students, fellows and honorary staff gave
presentations about their research, which ranged from
the intricate details of protein biochemistry through to
the ecology of Antarctic soils.’
Grant for Indian
medical research study
Dr Pratik Chakrabarti, Wellcome Lecturer in the
History of Modern Medicine at the University of Kent,
has received funding of £220k for a project titled
Laboratory Medical Research in Colonial India,
1890-1950.
Funded by the Wellcome Trust, Dr Chakrabarti’s
research will provide a comprehensive analysis of
laboratory research in India and further the historical
elucidation of modern medicine there.
Specifically, his research will focus on three
establishments for the period 1890 to the 1950s: the
Plague Research Laboratory at Bombay (established
1899); the Pasteur Institutes at Kasauli (established
1900), Coonoor (established 1907), Rangoon
(established 1916), Shillong (established 1917) and
Calcutta (established 1924); and the Central Research
Institute at Kasauli (established 1905). By focusing on
these laboratories Dr Pratik Chakrabarti aims to
illustrate how they played a crucial role in research
in tropical diseases and public health and also in
facilitating international research. Their history would
also unfold the genesis of laboratory medical research
in modern India.
Archiving a Cameroonian
photographic studio
Anthropology’s Dr David Zeitlyn has been awarded a
grant of £36,000 from the British Library’s Endangered
Archives Programme to work with a Cameroonian
photographer to make digital copies of his negative
archives in situ in Cameroon. This builds on David’s
twenty year involvement as a social anthropologist
working in Cameroon which resulted last year’s
exhibition of the work of two Cameroonian studio
photographers at the National Portrait Gallery,
London and then subsequently at Keynes College.
One of the photographers, Joseph Chila, from the
exhibition introduced David to Jacques Touselle who
possesses 20,000 negatives, the legacy of his 40 year
career. The collection is an unparalleled archive of
local photographic practices.
8

Books extra
Left
Canterbury Enterprise Hub
celebrates third year of success
Right
Christine Mungham
Canterbury Enterprise Hub
celebrates third year of success
The Canterbury Enterprise Hub at the University of
Kent celebrated its third year with a dinner event on
22 June.The dinner, which was held at the University’s
Canterbury campus, was attended by Professor David
Melville, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Phil Davies,
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at
the University, Carole Barron, Director of Kent
Enterprise at the University, Councillor Pat Todd, Lord
Mayor of Canterbury, Julian Brazier MP, and members
and supporters of the Canterbury Enterprise Hub,
including several Canterbury councillors.
Former international businessman Allan Willett,
the founding chairman of South East England
Development Agency (SEEDA), and now Lord-
Lieutenant of Kent – the Queen’s representative in the
county – was guest of honour for the evening.
Lesley Anne Rubenstein, Director of the Canterbury
Enterprise Hub, said, ‘This was a very special occasion
not just for the Canterbury Enterprise Hub and the
University but also for the many organisations,
businesses and network partners who have worked
with and supported us over the years.The Canterbury
Enterprise Hub is one of 22 SEEDA hubs in the South
East and part of Kent Enterprise at the University of
Kent
Japan visit
In June, Professor Roger Vickerman, Department of
Economics, spent three days in Japan at the invitation
of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and
Transport. The Ministry is currently preparing a new
Spatial Development Plan for Japan and has been
examining European approaches, including
consideration of a more international dimension which
recognises the importance of developments in China
and Korea as part of an East Asia perspective. The
Ministry was particularly interested in Professor
Vickerman’s work on the impact of Trans-European
Transport Networks and transport infrastructure
investment on regional economic development in the
EU. During the visit Professor Vickerman met senior
officials of the Ministry, participated in an internal
seminar at the Ministry and gave lectures on ‘Trans-
European Networks: Policy and Appraisal’ at the Japan
Transport Policy Research Institute in Tokyo and a
keynote lecture at a conference on spatial
development in Japan at Tohoku University in Sendai.
Law student displays a cutting edge
UKM student Christine Mungham is on her way to
becoming a barrister – after more than 20 years of
working as a hairdresser. Christine, 40, embarked on a
law degree programme in 2002, studying part-time for
the first two years of her course. Having completed
her final exams, she has now been awarded a
prestigious scholarship from the Middle Temple – one
of London’s four Inns of Court – to continue her
training as a barrister. From September Christine will
attend the BPP Law School in London for her oneyear
bar vocational course, which will teach her the
skills required for a barrister’s role.
Hairdressing is now something that is firmly in the past
as Christine prepares for her bar training. ‘I don’t even
cut my husband’s hair any more as I simply don’t have
the time,’ she said. ‘But I suppose there is always the
sight of the barristers’ wigs in court to remind me of
my previous job, in case I ever forget.’
Christine’s story gained extensive press coverage. She
also appeared on BBC Radio Kent to talk about her
experiences as a mature student, alongside Lesley
Phippen, Director of Legal Studies at UKM.
Deadly dances in the Bornean
rainforest: hunting knowledge
of the Penan Benalui
Dr Rajindra K Puri, Anthropology
For two years Rajindra lived and hunted with the
Penan Benalui people in the rainforest of eastern
Borneo in Indonesia. Here he reports on Penan
hunting techniques, the knowledge required to
be a successful hunter, and the significance of
hunting for Penan communities. A hunt offers the
opportunity for younger Penan to learn crucial
survival skills, knowledge of the environment,
local geography, genealogy, history, and beliefs
and values. Songs and stories recount hunting
adventures and legends, while ceremonial dances
demonstrate the coordination and agility
required of the expert hunter.
Rajindra makes a case for using active
participant-observation, in conjunction with
standard ethnobiological research methods, for
documenting non-verbal knowledge. This work
will be useful to anthropologists, conservation
biologists, and those interested in Indonesian
ethnobiology.
9

University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
In brief
Left to right
John Fitzpatrick, Director of Kent
Law Clinic
Postgraduate computing conference
Group drinking leads to less risks
OBE for Law Clinic Director
John Fitzpatrick, Director of Kent Law Clinic, has been
awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list
for 2006 for ‘services to the administration of justice’.
John, a Senior Lecturer in Law, has been Director of
Kent Law Clinic since it was established in its present
form in 1992. He joined Kent in 1991, having
previously practised as a solicitor in London.
For the past 30 years he has contributed to the
provision of public legal services in this country.
Starting in 1976 he has worked in community law
centres in Brixton and then Hammersmith in London,
and he still assists with that work today. He has served
for several years recently on the Executive of the Law
Centres Federation.
John Wightman, Head of Kent Law School said, ‘We
are delighted at this recognition of the work of the
Law Clinic. John has inspired hundreds of law students
to think about the law in a different way, and the
Clinic has enriched the education of our students in
the Law School.’
Fairtrade at Kent
Over the past two years, students and staff have
worked hard to make Kent a Fairtrade University.
Professor Richard Norman chairs the Faitrade Steering
Group. He writes:
‘We’ve worked hard over the past two years to
make Kent a Fairtrade University. Big changes have
happened. Kent Hospitality has introduced Fairtrade
products including tea and coffee at all its outlets, and
includes Fairtrade wines on its house list. The
Gulbenkian Café has also switched to using exclusively
Fairtrade coffee, tea and hot chocolate as well as
stocking other Fairtrade products. Kent Union has
given strong support; the shops stock an increasing
range of Fairtrade products including Fairtrade wines
in ‘Extras’, and the two new Wicked Cafés in
The Lighthouse and the Sports Centre have raised
the profile of Fairtrade.
Along with these changes we’ve worked to raise
general awareness of the importance of Fairtrade and
the real difference it makes to the lives of producers
in developing countries, guaranteeing them a viable
price for their products, paying a community premium
to support local provision for facilities such as health
and education and economic improvement, and
supporting environmental sustainability. Raising
awareness has also meant demonstrating that
Fairtrade products taste good, so we’ve had events
and stalls to give out free samples. For some strange
reason students – and staff too - seem to appreciate
free alcohol and free chocolate. Many of our publicity
events happen in Fairtrade Fortnight, in March each
year, when we’ve had an aerial banner flown over the
University, information on screens in the bars,
Fairtrade oranges at a football tournament, and
cultural events including performances from the Vayu
Naidu Storytelling Company and the CPAS Gospel
Choir.
We’ve also worked closely with the local community,
and a landmark event in Fairtrade Fortnight this year
was the triple celebration of Fairtrade District status
for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay, and
Fairtrade Church status for the Cathedral, alongside
Fairtrade University status for Kent.
We need to maintain this momentum. It’s in the
nature of a University that raising awareness has to be
repeated each year, with each new intake of students.
But beyond that, we want to build on the success. We
hope to have a bigger presence at the Freshers’ Fair,
to recruit new students who will get involved. In the
autumn we aim to repeat last year’s very successful
Fair Trade Fair in Rutherford College, linking support
for Fairtrade with support for local produce. We want
to see a Fairtrade dimension more closely integrated
into the programme of cultural and social events in
the Colleges and across the University and we would
like to see our Fairtrade University status highlighted in
the University’s publications. And we are always
looking for new members willing to join the Fairtrade
Steering Group, bringing fresh ideas and linking the
work to all sections of the University community.’
If you would like to find out more about Fairtrade at
Kent contact Richard at R.J.Norman@kent.ac.uk
Computing postgraduate
conference
The Computing Laboratory recently held its inaugural
postgraduate conference which involved 22 research
postgraduate participants showcasing their work in the
form of a poster. In addition, they had to produce a
two page research paper to be reviewed by other
participants in the lead up to the conference. This
provided an excellent opportunity for the students to
receive feedback from their peers and showed newer
students how the review process works. Over 50
people attended and it is anticipated that the
conference will continue as an annual event.
10

Small ads
Group drinking leads to
less risks
Research from the Department of
Psychology on the effects of alcohol
and attitudes to risk has produced
surprising results. After consuming a
moderate amount of alcohol,
individuals find risky choices significantly
more attractive, however groups do
not.
This unexpected discovery is the
outcome of a study into how group
processes combine with alcohol
consumption to affect risk attraction
among young people.
The results of the study, conducted by
Professor Dominic Abrams, Tim
Hopthrow, Lorne Hulbert and Daniel
Frings, indicate that, with moderate
social drinking, groups may provide an
informal means of mutual regulation
and monitoring that can offset some
aspects of ‘alcohol myopia’.
Professor Abrams explained: ‘Until
now, research on the effects of alcohol
has focused largely on individuals. For
example, as a result of drinking alcohol,
individuals are more likely to be sexually
irresponsible, aggressive or emotional.
However, drinking within groups is a
ubiquitous part of our modern social
setting. It is not uncommon for people
to make decisions as part of a group
while consuming moderate amounts of
alcohol – for example, in business
meetings or at conferences. Much to
our surprise it seemed that groups may
have been more careful about their
decisions to offset the effects of the
alcohol, contrary to the stereotype that
when people drink in groups they
become more unruly.’
Grant success with LACE
Richard Jones and Dr Andy King from
Computing have been awarded a grant
from the Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council for a threeyear
project entitled LACE: Lifetime-
Aware Collection.
Modern garbage collection techniques
are not expected to meet the
challenges of the next generation
programs with heaps of tens of
gigabytes. The project envisages a
Lifetime-Aware collector that exploits
predictable program behaviour to avoid
processing objects before they are likely
to be dead but to reclaim space
promptly after their death. It will
construct a GC framework – Lifetime-
Aware (LA) collection - that
encompasses a new heap architecture
based on our Beltway collector
framework, and novel allocation/
collection policies that can take
advantage of programs’ object
demographics in order to reduce
pause-times and increase throughput.
Argentine Tango classes: Thursday
evenings, 7.15pm for new beginners,
Lower Hardres and Nackington
Village Hall, just outside Canterbury.
All are welcome. Email
s.e.cardwell@kent.ac.uk or call
Jon/Sarah on 01303 268904.
To let: Two bedroom furnished flat
in North London (Islington) for short
lets. Period and price negotiable.
Phone 01227 827523; email
r.abbey@ukc.ac.uk
To let: Italian Marche: restored
farmhouse holiday apt (sleeps 4-5).
Countryside location near small
university town of Camerino.
Mountains, lakes, sea, art, architecture
etc. Assisi, Perugia, Gubbio, Urbino,
Ascoli Piceno day-trippable. Ancona
airport (Ryanair) 1 hr. Details:
C.K.Seymour-Ure@kent.ac.uk, Kirsty
Seymour-Ure at solo.kirsty@libero.it,
or www.palomba.it.
To let: Two Gites in Flers, rural
N.France. Open all year. Each sleeps
four. 90 minutes from Calais, 30
minutes from Arras.Outdoor pool.
£275-£425 per week depending on
time of year. Short Breaks available.
Contact resident English owners Sue
& Nick Griffin 00.33.(3)3.21.41.71.76
Email nick.griffin@mersea-net.com
Spanish native speaker (from
Mexico) seeking French native
speaker for free language exchange.
30 mins conversation in French,
30 mins conversation in Spanish.
Call Cecilia at extension 3824.
To let: Detached house to let in
quiet cul-de-sac, Tyler Hill, 4
bedrooms – 1 ensuite, cloakroom,
study, conservatory, double garage,
gardens. Available September for
12 mths or by negotiation.
B.J.Kemp@kent.ac.uk, 01227 472354
Computer Engineer: Local
computer engineer (Upper
Harbledown) available to resolve your
computing headaches. Specialities
include repairs and upgrades, new
systems, virus eradication, printer
servicing, software training, home
networking including wireless.
Incredibly good rates. Please call Marc
on (01227) 456955 or email
marcgj@nildram.co.uk
For sale: 2 bedroom semi detached
house in Whitstable. Ideal first time
buyer, quiet cul de sac, feature
garden, nice views. £164.995 or v.n.o.
Contact Chris ext 7676.
House to let in Whitstable: 2
bedroom mid-terrace cottage to let.
It is close to the Harbour in a quiet
street, and on the main bus route to
the University.The house is newly
decorated and fully furnished. All mod
cons, new kitchen, central heating,
power-shower etc. House available
from June/July and would suit nonsmoking
professionals who like to
garden. For further details contact:
01782 413593/07740 856553
For Sale: Top-end professional
vintage guitar valve amplifier for sale -
Groove-Tubes twin channel £700 and
Marshall 4x12 Celestion speaker
cabinet (guitar) for sale £100. Contact
Matthew Colthup: 01233 642978 or
email: m.colthup@kent.ac.uk
To rent: 8 berth caravan – location
Camber Sands (near Rye). Nonsmokers
only. Loads of facilities on
site – 4 heated indoor pools, sauna,
solarium, steam room, kids club, etc.
For further details and available
bookings ring 01227 266231
JKF Computer Services:
PC repairs, upgrades, rebuilds;
computer installation and
maintenance; virus and spyware
detection and removal; data recovery
and backup; PC’s built to your
specification, small business or home
networks; collect and return service
as needed; on-site or workshop
repairs; hardware and software
troubleshooting. Phone: 01795
531623 or 07880 602823 Or visit us
online at
www.jkf-computers.co.uk.
RELIABLE AND PROFESSIONAL
SERVICE AT REALISTIC PRICES BY
CERTIFIED ENGINEERS
11

University of Kent
Newsletter Vol 27 No 6
August 2006
Degrees of success
The Editor can be contacted at
C&DO,The Registry, University of
Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NZ
T: 01227 764000, ext 3100/3581
E: media-office@kent.ac.uk
Newsletter welcomes all articles,
letters and photographs. Copy can
be submitted by email to mediaoffice@kent.ac.uk
Small adverts are also welcome.
They are free for University staff,
otherwise the cost is £10 per ad
(up to 30 words).
Next issue Deadline for the next
issue is 25 September 2006, with a
publication date of 13 October 2006.
Photographs by Robert Berry
Newsletter is published by C&DO.
ROGER
COLLIN
CARS
LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL
IN AIR CONDITIONED
COMFORT
Among the highlights of this summer’s degree ceremonies was the installation of
Sir Robert Worcester as the new Chancellor (above with Professor David
Melville) and the graduation of Cecilia Leguen de Lacroix from the University of
the Transmanche (bottom right).
Honorary degrees were awarded to Sir Robert Worcester, (top with Sir Crispin
Tickell), Dr David Starkey (middle right), Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Sir Sandy
Bruce-Lockhart, Professor Gabriel Josipovici, Dr Declan Doogan, Paul Bennett and
Baroness Helena Kennedy (top right), who spoke of the University as ‘having a
special place in my heart’ and of her long-standing relationship with the Kent Law
School and the Law Clinic which she described as ‘making real the practice of law’.
Gatwick – £50
Heathrow – £63
Stansted – £63
Other destinations
available on request
Canterbury City Council licensed
and police vetted
Highly recommended by Kent staff
and students
STA Travel approved
UKC account holder
Phone 01227 366405
Fax 01227 364282
Mobile 07876 224639
Email
rc_cars@btopenworld.com
EXEMPLARY SERVICE
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Design & Print Centre 102987 7/06