Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, has released another instalment of his podcast series on ‘Nostalgia’ interviewing the Reverend Dr Alan Le Grys, who taught as Specialist Associate Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies.

In a very candid interview, Alan talks about growing up in the South London suburbs on the edge of the largest council estate in the UK in a house that, when he was young, was thought might be haunted, and where he felt the presence of his deceased grandparents. Alan reflects on how, at school, he was the last child to be picked in football, but has in later years embraced running. He has, for example, run the London Marathon for charity. Alan also talks about the ritual of ‘dressing the part’, and offers the aphorism that one needs to ‘Make something routine so that it becomes so much part of your rhythm that you are freed to enter into it.’

Alan discusses the role that music has played in his life, principally in the form of ‘Bach, Beethoven and the Beatles’, and we learn which of the Beatles’ eras he considers to be ‘headache music’, and why. He also talks about why he returned to playing the piano in later years to Grade 5 standard, and how he has also recently accumulated around 10 hours of flying experience as a student pilot.

Despite having three degrees from King’s College London, Alan doesn’t see himself as an academic (leading to a riveting conversation around the theme of ‘imposter’ and ‘fraud’ syndrome) and had never considered either ordination or even going to university until it was suggested to him by his school teachers.

Alan talks movingly about the death of his father, and how his ‘world totally collapsed’, which happened while he was in the midst of writing an essay during his undergraduate degree on the Resurrection, and which he refers to as a ‘deep, formative experience’. Then, in the final part of the interview, we discuss the art of competitiveness and whether it is the process or the end goal that matters, and the way in which he believes the past can be thought of as being reframed by the future.

The podcast is available here.

The Centre for English and World Languages is delighted to be offering 20-week courses in British Sign Language starting in October 2018.

The course is run by Palm Deaf BSL Training and will allow participants to achieve a Level 1 Award which is accredited by Signature (the awarding body for BSL qualifications).

Due to popular demand, we are now running two groups:

• 13:00-16:00
• 17:00-20:00

For more information please visit the CEWL website.

Alternatively, if you have any questions, please email cewl@kent.ac.uk

Join us for a screening of two fascinating short research documentaries over lunchtime at our Canterbury and Medway campuses on Monday 17 September and Thursday 20 September.

Made for KMTV, each film will last around 12 minutes followed by a guided debate with the scientists, contributors and filmmakers involved. There will also be a small gallery showcasing some of the public engagement work being undertaken by researchers at  Kent.

Film 1: The Mohawk of Consciousness

What does it mean to be conscious? How do we know if someone is a conscious entity? For centuries, human consciousness has continued to both intrigue and baffle.

This film follows the research of Kent computational neuroscientist Dr Srivas Chennu who, using advanced electroencephalogram technology (EEG), is able to look inside the brain of vegetative state patients who are otherwise unable to respond and appear unaware of their surroundings.

Dr Chennu’s research has revealed remarkable levels of activity in patients that are often indisguishable from healthy controls. Today it is estimated that up to 40 per-cent of patients in a vegetative state have some hidden level of consciousness but are effectively “locked in”.

The documentary explores the increasing reliance on medical technology to make life and death decisions and in doing so delves into one of the most ethically, socially and clinically complex areas faced by the modern medical community.

Film 2: IVF – Science & Society

Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby celebrated her 40th birthday in July. Since then more than six million IVF babies have been born and the technique has evolved considerably. This short documentary will explore the world of IVF from the scientist’s laboratory bench to the private clinic.

World leading IVF scientists Professor Darren Griffin (Kent) and Professor Alan Thornhill will explore the science behind the procedure and talk about the techniques and advances being developed globally.

The film includes touching interviews with a mother about to have her first pre-natal scan, and a father of two teenage sons both conceived by IVF. As the NHS slashes IVF funding, the film also explores how this decision will impact on people and sectors of society that don’t have the funds for private treatments and asks if it’s time for the Government to review the current regulatory framework.

The Medway screening will take place from 12.00 to 13.00 on Monday September 17 in the Dockyard Church at Chatham Maritime Historic Dockyard and you can register for this here.

The Canterbury screening will take place from 12.00 to 13.00 on Thursday September 20 in the Gulbenkian Cinema and you can register here.

Entry is free and open to anyone but places are limited. Please reserve a seat by booking through either the Eventbrite Medway or Canterbury page or by contacting Jill Hurst – j.hurst-853@kent.ac.uk or ext 3907.

Image details: 

The Mohawk of Consciousness: A new way of analysing brain activity shows a striking difference in the brain activity of two vegetative patients (left and middle). Despite being unresponsive, the patient in the middle had brain activity similar to that of a healthy adult (right). 

A new Crowdfunding platform set up by the Development Office to support student projects at Kent has successfully raised thousands to build an environmentally sustainable round wooden timber-framed building – using materials taken from the University’s own coppiced woodland.

This exciting project to create a teaching, learning, and social space set within an ethnobotanical garden was launched at the School of Architecture End of Year Show and quickly took off.

‘We raised well over the £3,000 target in a matter of weeks and thanks to generous match-funding this ambitious and ground-breaking project will enter the building phase at the start of next term,’ said Alex Perkins from the Development Office.

There will now be a further launch to coincide with Freshers Week and the Development Office will be working with Kent Union to choose student-led projects to fund raise through the platform.

The University will be hosting its annual Foundation day lecture on 28 September with a talk from The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts.

Lord Willetts is currently the Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation and Chair of the British Science Association, as well as the Chancellor of the University of Leicester.

Foundation Day is held each year in celebration of the foundation of the University of Kent.

The talk will be held in the Colyer-Fergusson Concert Hall. No booking is required but seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

The Canterbury Society and the University of Kent are delighted to invite you to attend this Distinguished Visitor Lecture with special guest speaker, Griff Rhys Jones – writer, actor, comedian, television presenter and the President of Civic Voice, the national body for civic societies such as the Canterbury Society.

The lecture will take place on Monday 3 September from 18.30-19.30 in the Templeman Lecture Theatre and is entitled ‘The Future For Our Towns and Cities’.

Griff Rhys-Jones is well known for his concern about the quality of our towns and cities, particularly historic cities such as Canterbury. In this talk he will share his concerns about the way the planning system has handed control of the way our cities are being developed to the construction industry and what this means for the future of our towns and cities.

No booking is required. Seating is on a first come, first served basis and this lecture is open to students, alumni and the general public.