Yearly Archives: 2015

Sophia Labadi interviewed by European Cultural Foundation

Dr Sophia Labadi from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies has been interviewed online by the European Cultural Foundation, one of the leading European institutions working on building an open, democratic and inclusive Europe in which culture is a valued and key contributor.

In the interview, Sophia discusses the soon to be released French and updated version of her 2011 book Evaluating the Socio-Economic Impacts of Heritage-led Regeneration in Europe; the conclusions of this book, which call for a move away from over-optimistic evaluations of heritage-led regeneration projects in order to recognise that these projects are not necessarily only positive; her soon to be released co-edited volume on Urban Heritage, Development, and Sustainability (Routledge, 2015) continues the reflection started in her 2011 book alongside her recent contribution to a UNESCO policy on world heritage and sustainable development, which aims to propose concrete solutions to issues identified in her research.

The interview is available at: www.culturalfoundation.eu/library/featured-people-sophia-labadi

Closure of Entrances to the Ingram and Stacey Buildings

Between the 10th and 16th August 2015, as part of the ongoing works to the exterior of the Ingram building, the entrances to the Ingram and Stacey building which are beneath the link bridge between these two buildings will be temporarily closed. Please be aware that you will not be able to access the buildings at these locations during this period, but if you are in either building, these routes can still be used as a point of evacuation in the event of an emergency.

An alternative temporary means of access to the NMR building will be maintained at all times throughout this period.

Wherever possible directional signage, will be strategically placed on approaches to the site, giving alternative routes that can be taken during the course of this work.

I thank you in advance for your anticipated co-operation, whilst this essential work is undertaken. Should you have any queries then please contact the Estates Helpdesk on 01227 823209.

Sexual orientation equality staff questionnaire

The University is once again participating in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, a tool used to evaluate workplace practices on sexual orientation equality.

As part of this, all employees are invited to fill in a questionnaire giving feedback directly to Stonewall on your experiences working at Kent.

The information you provide will of course be anonymous and will be sent directly to Stonewall’s Workplace Team. Once the data is collected and analysed, only the University of Kent’s average scores will be shared with us.

Please click here:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-equalityanddiversity/local/stonewallsurvey2016.html for instructions on how to access and complete the survey.

The deadline for responses is 5pm on Friday 6 November 2015.

Let’s talk about health research!

Please save the date for the Centre for Health Services Studies’ Engagement with Health Research Event!

This free, drop in event will be held on Wednesday 9th September from 11.30-2.00 at Westgate Hall, Canterbury, and is open to all. There will be talks, short films, activities and lots of opportunties to talk to researchers.

A light lunch & refreshments will be provided together with the chance to win a £25 Love2Shop high street voucher – automatic entry to the draw upon arrival!

Please register your interest by e-mailing engage-chss@kent.ac.uk or phoning 01227 823940.

We hope to see you there!

IMA Leslie Fox Prize awarded to Dr John Pearson

John Pearson, a Lecturer in Mathematics at SMSAS, has been awarded an IMA Leslie Fox Prize in Numerical Analysis at the 17th Leslie Fox Prize Meeting in Glasgow. In this competition two 1st and four 2nd prizes were given to scientists from Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Telecom de ParisTech, and Kent John was awarded a 2nd Prize for his paper ‘Fast iterative solvers for reaction-diffusion control models of chemical and biological processes’.

 “The IMA Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications is a biennial prize established in 1985 by the IMA in honour of mathematician Leslie Fox (1918-1992). The prize honours ”young numerical analysts worldwide” (any person who is less than 31 years old), and applicants submit papers for review. A committee reviews the papers, invites shortlisted candidates to give lectures at the IMA Leslie Fox Prize meeting, and then awards First Prize and Second Prizes based on “mathematical and algorithmic brilliance in tandem with presentational skills”.

For more information please see:  http://www.numerical.rl.ac.uk/people/nimg/fox/

Cornwallis East – Fire alarm sounder testing

On Wednesday 29th July (afternoon), Osbornes will be testing the fire alarm sounders in Cornwallis East. This will be an audible alarm and will only last for short bursts, but will continue throughout the afternoon.

There will be no need to evacuate the building, unless the alarm is prolonged.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please contact the Estates Helpdesk on Extn 3209.

University invests £1m in new 3G pitch for student sports

Kent Sport at the University will be providing students even more opportunity to participate in sport with the addition of a new world-class 3G pitch, as a part of its programme of ongoing sports facility expansion.

Graham Holmes, Director of Sport at Kent says: ‘The new 3G pitch will be a first-rate facility of exceptional quality and a considerable asset to the University of Kent. This exciting new facility will complement the wide-range of first-rate sports and recreational facilities already available at Kent maintaining our reputation as one of the leading sports providers in the region.’

The new 3G will enable back-to-back fixtures and training for rugby, football and American football with all year round playability overriding some of the constraints of grass pitches. It will also provide optimal playing conditions for matches from recreational to top-level rugby and football.

The pitch development is starting at the end of July 2015 and will be available by January 2016. It is an eco-friendly solution re-using as many as 20,000 vehicle tyres in the construction materials. The 3G pitch is designed by Field Turf, has passed the strictest tests and provides the highest level of performance and safety for players. It will include a new spectator area and be fully flood lit.

To achieve the quality standards required, Kent Sport selected the Vertex RGF, which is tested to FIFA and World Rugby standards. The pitch can be split to allow up to three simultaneous training sessions. The University is providing a large number of people from recreational users to elite athletes with the most up-to-date, professional-standard facilities.

Professor Davina Cooper wins Charles Taylor Book Award 2015

Kent Professor Davina Cooper has been awarded the Charles Taylor Book Award 2015 for her book Everyday Utopias: The Conceptual Life of Promising Spaces.

The annual award recognizes the best book in political science that employs or develops interpretive methodologies and methods and has been made by the American Political Science Association (APSA).

APSA is a leading professional organisation for the study of political science, with more than 13,000 members in countries across the world. The selection committee for the award, named in recognition of the contributions of Charles Taylor to the advancement of interpretive thinking in the political and social sciences, consisted of Professor Gerry Berk (University of Oregon), Professor Gary Herrigel (University of Chicago), and Professor Paul Amar (University of California-Santa Barbara). Professor Cooper has been invited to receive the award in person at the annual business meeting of APSA in San Francisco on Friday 4 September.

In her book, Everyday Utopias, Professor Cooper challenges the common assumption that utopia means a perfect but unattainable place that is far away, both in time and geography. She describes how everyday utopias are present and near to hand, aspirational but also imperfect spaces, that are open and accessible. Research for the book took place over 11 years, focusing on six sites dedicated to very different kinds of everyday activity including governing, trading, and schooling, appearing in public naked, debating, and having sex. It was conducted through first-hand observations and interviews with 150 participants, including those at Speakers’ Corner in London, the famous “free school” Summerhill School in Suffolk, and the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse.

Professor Davina Cooper is Professor of Law and Political Theory at Kent Law School.

Dunstan Lowe is elected to the Roman Society

Dr Dunstan Lowe from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies has recently been elected to the council of the Society of the Promotion of Roman Studies.

The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, generally known as the Roman Society, was founded in 1910 as the sister society to the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and is the leading organisation in the United Kingdom for those interested in the study of Rome and the Roman Empire. Its scope is wide, covering Roman history, archaeology, literature and art down to about A.D. 700.

The sister society, The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies (the Hellenic Society) was founded in 1879 to advance the study of Greek language, literature, history, art and archaeology in the Ancient, Byzantine and Modern periods. Dr Anne Alwis was elected to the council of the Hellenic Society in 2014 making the Department at Kent the only one in the UK with council members in both.

Both societies have an extensive programme of publications including annual publication of the Journal of Roman Studies, which contains articles and book reviews dealing with the Roman world in general, Britannia, which has articles and reviews specifically on Roman Britain, the Journal of Hellenic Studies and its supplement Archaeological Reports. They also maintain a joint library of over 130,000 volumes and arrange public lectures, conferences and visits to sites and museums as well as supporting schools, university students and young researchers.

Further information about the Roman Society can be found here: www.romansociety.org/about/overview.html

Further information about the Hellenic Society can be found at: www.hellenicsociety.org.uk/about-us/

Student Prize for Feminist Scholarship 2015

The results of the Student Prize for Feminist Scholarship 2015 have just been announced.

The competition was organised by Dr Carolyn Pedwell (SSPSSR), Dr Rachel Calegoro (Psychology) and third-year Psychology BA student, Hannah Elderfield, as part of the Radical Women: 50 Years of Feminism Project at Kent, organised by Dr Heejung Chung (SSPSSR).

Postgraduate Essay Competition

Winner: Sara Janssen, PhD Film Studies
Essay: ‘Sensate Vision: From Maximum Visibility to Haptic Erotics’
Award: Certificate and £200 in prize vouchers.

Runner-up: Jessica Elias, LLM in International Law with International Relations
Essay: ‘Hysterical Deleuze: From Autoscopia to Becoming Woman’
Award: Certificate and £100 in prize vouchers.

Undergraduate Essay Competition

Winner: Lois Donnelly, BSc Psychology
Essay: ‘“I am a woman, not a traffic jam”: The effect of street harassment, self-objectification and safety anxiety on perceived risk of rape’
Award: Certificate and £200 in prize vouchers.

Runner-up: Leah Ringwood-Hoare, LLB Law
Essay: ‘Compare representations of gender in Nightwood and The Lover’
Award: Certificate and £100 in prize vouchers. 

For more details about the competition, see: http://www.kent.ac.uk/50/celebrate/projects/radical-women/scholarship.html