Sumio Kobayashi, a PhD student in Linguistics, has recently won third prize at the Weimar Spring Festival of Contemporary Music in Germany, for orchestral composition on marimba.

The festival attracted international competition, with entrants from all over the world, including Germany, Austria, Korea, Japan, China, Croatia, France, Spain, Italy and the Switzerland.

Music composition is related to Sumio’s own PhD research in linguistics, supervised by Professor Amalia Arvaniti, with a project on ‘Prosody of Language and Music’, examining the relationship between speech rhythm and music.

The festival was held from 13 -17 April. To see the original German news article (in German), please see the webpage: http://via-nova-ev.de/?p=1010

The research of Felicia Fricke, a PhD student in the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies, has been discussed in The Daily Herald, the leading newspaper for St Marteen and the Northeast Caribbean.

Felicia’s PhD focuses on slave lifeways on Curaçao, St Maarten and St Eustatius (1640 – 1863) through thematic analyses of human remains, material culture and oral history. In her second year, Felicia, who has been the recipient of the Centre for Heritage scholarship, is currently undertaking her data collection in the Dutch Caribbean.

Felicia spent five weeks in St Eustatius researching two slave villages, analysing human remains and collecting numerous oral histories and she will do the same on the islands of St Maarten and Curaçao. She also visited Saba to investigate the discovery of a mother and foetus skeleton from the 1700s.

The full article can be seen at: www.thedailyherald.sx/supplements/weekender/56685-understanding-the-lives-of-the-enslaved

On Wednesday 11 May, at 18.00 in Rutherford Lecture Theatre One, Dr Tracy Kivell will give a Rutherford Grass Roots Lecture entitled: ‘The many mysteries of our newest extinct relative: Homo naledi and the Rising Star Cave’.

Last autumn, a new species of fossil human was announced to the world called Homo naledi. Over 1500 fossil specimens from at least 15 individuals have been uncovered from the Rising Star cave system in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa since 2013. The exceptional preservation of these fossils, the unusual combinations of anatomy, and the unique context in which these fossils were found have elicited not only the naming of a new species, but also extraordinary hypotheses about how these fossil humans ended up deep in the cave. Dr Kivell will discuss the morphology and context of the new Homo naledi fossils and how they are changing our current understanding of human evolution.

Dr Tracy Kivell is Reader in Biological Anthropology and Director of the Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Lab in the School of Anthropology and Conservation, at Kent, and a palaeoanthropologist who studies the anatomy, evolution and biomechanics of the wrist and hand in living and fossil primates, including fossil humans. Most recently her research aims to better understand the evolution of the human hand, including when we stopped using our hands for climbing in trees and when and how we started using tools. This research is funded by a five-year European Research Council Starting Grant (2014-2019), for which she is Principal Investigator. Dr Kivell is also Director of Research on recently-discovered hand skeletons from two new species of fossil human from South Africa; Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi.

This lecture has been organised in conjunction with the Former Staff Association and is free and open to all.

On Saturday 16 April an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale shook Ecuador’s northwestern coast, with up to 535 aftershocks to date. More than 655 people have been killed, over 5,000 have been injured and about 29,000 people made homeless. About 1500 buildings, including homes, hospitals and schools have either been destroyed or severely damaged. These figures are expected increase considerably as rescue teams make their way through the collapsed structures.

Be part of #SOSEcuador. This an official initiative run by students in UK universities with the support of the Ecuadorian Embassy. #SOSEcuador does not have any political affiliation. All donations will be directed to increase the capacity of emergency teams deployed in affected areas. These funds will provide vital aid to people in need, and hopefully, return some peace into their lives. Every single contribution counts and will make a difference in the lives of the affected families.

Find out more at: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sos-ecuador/

Following the success of the 50th Anniversary celebrations last year, Kent Hospitality will be holding a Summer Quiz on Wednesday 22 June in the Darwin Conference Suite. The event will commence at 6.00pm with supper and drinks served during the evening.

If you would like to participate in the Summer Quiz, please download and complete the booking form and return it to Rooie Thomas, R.J.G.Thomas@kent.ac.uk, at the latest by Wednesday 25 May.

Please clearly state on the form if you have any special dietary requirements (eg vegetarian, gluten free) that our catering team need to take into consideration.

As usual, space in the Darwin Conference Suite is limited, and tables will be allocated to staff on a first-come, first-served basis.

We look forward to seeing you in June.

A delegation from the University has visited alumni, current and prospective partner universities, exchange students and other friends of the University in Southeast Asia.

The delegation first visited Malaysia, where an event for alumni and friends was held at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton with over 120 people in attendance. This annual event has been a fixture for the past six years and has contributed to raising Kent’s profile in Malaysia – a country in which Kent has an alumni community of over 1,400. In the past five years, the number of students coming to Kent from Malaysia has more than doubled, rising from 115 registered students in 2010/11 to 271 in 2015/16. The event was covered by Malaysia’s English-language newspaper The Star.

During the visit, discussions took place with the University of Malaya with a view to developing a partnership with the School of History. Professor Gaynor Johnson represented the School and a reciprocal visit is being discussed. Meetings took place with MARA (who support students from Malaysia to study overseas), the Ministry of Higher Education and with UK Trade and Investment. These meetings provided the opportunity to explore possibilities for collaboration across a range of areas and to raise the University’s profile as a destination for students from Malaysia who are interested in studying in the UK.

The delegation then travelled to Hong Kong where staff visited partner universities including the University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). Over 70 students are currently studying on one of two Master’s programmes at HKBU which are run by both the HKBU Department of Mathematics and Kent Business School.

A cocktail reception was held at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel with attendees including alumni, contacts from partner universities and other organisations, and a number of Kent students who are currently on a year abroad (either at a university or working in industry) in Hong Kong. Colleagues also met with the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. The visit received press coverage from English-language newspaper the South China Morning Post and Ming Pao, a Chinese-language newspaper based in Hong Kong.

Staff then travelled to Singapore and to mainland China, taking the opportunity to meet informally with alumni and to visit existing partner universities (including Tongji University and China Foreign Affairs University).

Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for Internationalisation, said: ‘These visits are important in raising the profile of the University in countries of strategic importance. We place emphasis on supporting student recruitment; strengthening and deepening existing partnerships; seeking opportunities to build new relationships and, of course, to engaging with our alumni in these countries. It isn’t just about what happens during the few days that we are there; we seek to ensure that there are a wide range of people in each country who are informed about Kent’s strengths and successes and can act as ambassadors for the University all year round.’

A major new art exhibition to showcase international emerging and professional artists will launch at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, on Friday 6 May.

Titled Of the Sea, this fascinating exhibition explores the controversial ‘freedom of the seas’ principle through a diverse range of artistic media. The variety of work includes lens based media, sculpture and performance art and explores powerful topics such as conflict, ecology, territory, migration, piracy, border disputes and the ebb and flow of oceans.

Of the Sea is a project in partnership with the University’s School of Music and Fine Art (SMFA) and The Historic Dockyard. It represents the culmination of The Historic Dockyard’s biennial open art competition (Art in the Dockyard) which this year received a record number of submissions from across Europe.

All works in the gallery show are eligible for two prizes; The Dockyard Prize, which will be judged on its contextual relevance to the Dockyard’s historical legacy; and The Curators’ Choice, which will be awarded to a work which expresses global, social and political significance. The winning artists in both of the categories will each receive a £750 cash prize.

The works were selected by a distinguished and specially invited judging panel comprising Adam Chodzko, international award winning artist and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at SMFA; Exhibition Curator, Hannah Conroy from the Artist Pension Trust (formerly Folkestone Artworks Curator); Kathleen Palmer, Head of Art at Imperial War Museums; Victoria Pomery OBE, Director of Turner Contemporary, Margate; and artist Island Projects Director, Nicole Mollet.

Of the 38 international artists selected for the exhibition and accompanying screening programme Perpetual Liquidity (28 May, 2pm – 4pm, the Dockland Church) the University’s School of Music and Fine Art has two of its artists included (lecturer, Steve Klee and MA student, Fiona Townend).

There will be a private launch on Thursday 5 May with a speech by Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow.

The exhibition will run until 24 July in No.1 Smithery: The Gallery.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2016 takes place from 16-22 May. In recognition of the prevalence of mental health issues, particularly amongst young people, the School of Engineering and Digital Arts is hosting a series of lunchtime events including:
– Staying on top of student life
– Wellbeing information stand
– Mindfulness
– Tanren
– Healthy lunchtime walk

Events are open to students and staff at Kent. For full details, please see: http://www.eda.kent.ac.uk/school/support/wellbeing_series.aspx Places are limited on some events, so to avoid disappointment, make your booking without delay.

Mental health awareness is very much in the media spotlight at present. Last week, when the popular TV show ‘Game of Thrones’ returned for its sixth series, Maisie Williams, one of the stars of the show, commended media coverage of mental health issues and is working with Mind, a mental health charity. Mind has issued findings from a new poll which found that 52% of people who have seen a storyline involving a character with mental health problems say it helped to improve their understanding of such issues.

EDA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Kent Opportunity Fund is making these events possible.

Two members of the Kent Hospitality team – Anne Munday and Mike Sault – have been presented with a Pride Award for outstanding service.

The Pride (‘Personal responsibility in delivering excellence’) Award recognises members of Kent Hospitality staff who go out of their way to deliver excellent customer service.

In April, the Award was awarded jointly to Anne Munday, Keynes College Receptionist and Mike Sault, Hospitality Assistant, KBS Servery.

Anne was nominated for producing a detailed ‘Knowledge of the College’ document for her fellow receptionists prior to moving over to Keynes College Reception, providing a wealth of experience from many years of service at Park Wood College. Mike was nominated for delivering first class services to KBS staff, students and visitors, as well as his excellent first aid skills, which have been put to the test on many occasions, most recently when a student fainted last month.

Any Kent Hospitality staff (permanent or casual) may be nominated from Canterbury and Medway campuses. The award is given in April, September/October and December with each winner receiving £100 of shopping vouchers.

Nominations can be made by any member of University staff, students or visitors. Red nomination boxes are located in all Kent Hospitality’s catering outlets in Canterbury and Medway, as well in College reception areas. Alternatively, you can download the form and email it to Rooie Thomas.

Please make your nominations detailed and provide as much information as possible. The panel looks for staff who achieve more than what is expected in their role.

The deadline for the next award is 13.00, Wednesday 28 September 2016.

For further information, contact/see: Rooie Thomas: R.J.G.Thomas@kent.ac.uk, T: +44 (0)1227 827659, Tanglewood.

Picture shows: Award-winners, Anne Munday and Mike Sault, with Commercial Services Director Simon Westerman. Picture by Rooie Thomas.