Applications are now open for the summer 2016 Public Engagement with Research Fund.

This fund (£20,000) builds on the University of Kent’s commitment to embed public engagement with research across the institution.

The fund is open to applications (maximum budget £2000) from academics in all three Faculties with a deadline of 17.00, Friday 30 September 2016.

The application form and guidance can be found at: https://www.kent.ac.uk/publicengagement/per-fund.html

If you have questions about the fund, or more generally about Public Engagement with Research, please contact Maddy Bell, our Impact & Engagement Officer at peresearch@kent.ac.uk

bOing! is set to be a brilliant weekend of family-friendly free and ticketed performances, workshops and creativity across the Canterbury campus.

For ages 7+, headlining this year’s festival is a fantastic new adaptation of the dark and classic tale Pinocchio by Jasmin Vardimon Company.  The ART31 Kent stage returns with a vibrant mix of acts from Canterbury and around and join us on a strange and exciting journey in ‘Stanley’, a customised 1980’s Ford Orion in Ride!

For 3-7 years, dress up and join the royal court in the The Princess and the Pea, explore the beautiful Pop Up Garden, grab a pen and kick off your shoes for The Dance Show and Superhero fans shouldn’t miss the battle of super proportions in KAPOW!

For little bunnies aged 2 and under (and not so little bunnies) take a hop skip and jump to our Burrow to enjoy poetry, performance, music and much more! Plus meet the mysterious goat featured in one of artist Chagall’s paintings in Grandfather’s House.

All ages will enjoy the dazzling maze of winding paths and soaring domes melded with light and colour in Mirazozo Luminarium – a giant inflatable structure just waiting to be explored!

Kent staff can also benefit from a 50% off ticket price for Pinocchio – Use discount code ‘KentStaff’ when booking online, over the phone or in person. Offer applies to performances on Sunday 28 August 11.45 and 15.00 only, subject to availability. 50% discount applies to bOing! adult and child ticket price £6.

We hope to see lots of you there – see www.boingfestival.com for more information.

On Sunday 4 September the Canterbury district branch of HOPE Not Hate is holding an event to celebrate our community and stand up to the rise in hate incidents across the UK. It’s part of the #MoreInCommon celebrations taking place all over the UK across the weekend of 3-4 September.

This informal gathering is open to absolutely everyone. We would especially like to welcome UK, EU and international members of the University of Kent, the UK’s European University.

Expect music, food and good conversation. If you can, please bring some food to share, from another country or from your own.

Date: Sunday, 4 September 2016, 1-4pm
Location: Westgate Hall, Westgate Hall Road, CT1 2BT

Sent in by: Laura Bailey

Japanese students studying on short English courses at the Centre for English and World Languages, hosted and performed “A Taste of Japan” on 17 August in Keynes Teaching Foyer.

Harada Sensei and his local group, who train at the University sports centre, opened the event with an impressive demonstration of Karate. Kobe Women’s University students performed Obon Odori dances and encouraged the audience to join in. Other students taught participants to do origami and calligraphy (Shodo). There was also a fun ‘chopstick challenge’ game.

The very popular Japanese tea ceremony was performed by students from Kogakkan University in Ise, and is taught by tea ceremony masters Kodama-sensei and Ikeda-sensei, who teach in a part of the university dedicated to the practice.

Jim Higham, IT Service Desk Manager – who attended and photographed the event – said: “A taste of Japan was a feast – “Gochisousama deshita!”

Sent in by Ruth Newman

Book now for exclusive offers across the new season of shows at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury.

Highlights include up to 20% off selected performances of shows including The Woman in Black (1-5 November), Dick Whittington (25 November- 8 January), The Fully Monty (20-25 February) and Funny Girl (2-6 May).

Staff can access these exclusive rates, as well as a number of special members’ evenings, because of the University’s corporate membership. Use the code MARCOR163 to book now (from Monday 22 August) in advance of public booking, which opens on 5 September.

Full details of exclusive offers are are available on the Marlowe Theatre webpages.

Further information on members’ evenings is also available on the Marlowe’s webpages.

The University’s popular In Conversation series returns this autumn with Sandi Toksvig first to join Gavin Esler on Tuesday 4 October.

What is the In Conversation series?
Hosted by Kent Chancellor Gavin Esler, In Conversation events comprise of a relaxed, informal discussion exploring the life and work of his special guest, concluding with audience questions and some pre-selected questions from social media. Make sure to join the conversation on Twitter beforehand using #GavinAsks.

Tickets
Tickets cost £5.00 (£4.00 for students and staff)

All proceeds go towards the Kent Opportunity Fund, which supports a broad range of scholarships, student projects to enhance extracurricular activities at Kent, and bursaries to support students experiencing financial hardship.

After each talk, there is a ticketed High Table Dinner. Tickets for dinner are £35.00 per person which includes a pre-dinner drinks reception and a three-course meal.

For further information on the up coming series, please view the In Conversation webpage as well as our archive, to watch the full recordings of previous events.

The gas leak at the Canterbury campus that caused the evacuation of the Eliot, Rutherford, Library and Senate buildings this lunchtime has now been fixed.

Building alarms are being re-set and people will be allowed to return as soon as that is completed. It is anticipated this will take half an hour.

The leak was caused by a contractor cutting through a pipe.

This year’s L&T Festival on 15 September will provide staff with an opportunity to discuss ways of engaging students with their learning. You will also find out the latest on projects and happenings at Medway, including University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University initiatives.

Programme will be available in September.

Visit the event web page.

Contact: cpdbookings@kent.ac.uk

The University’s newly launched International Summer Schools have successfully finished their first summer occurrence at the University’s Canterbury campus since their re-establishment at the end of last year.

Students from all over the world signed up to participate in these postgraduate level Summer Schools covering Politics and International Relations, Psychology and Biotechnology. Students were able to gain an insight into studying with one of the UK’s top Universities; participating in expert seminars and workshops in their field of study and gaining valuable life skills to take with them in their continuing studies and into the workplace.

One student on the Psychology Summer School has said ‘I would say, these past two weeks have been the most exciting and incredible experience of my academic years so far. This summer school has given me the opportunity for self discovery, exploration of mind and most importantly, this is the place where I have found my true passion in academia and I believe a career arising in Psychology later!’

Summer School co-ordinator Sophie Punt has described this year’s schools as ‘diverse
and enriching opportunities allowing students to not only learn in depth about the subject matter but gain intercultural awareness and meet peers from all over the world. Students were very enthusiastic and made the most of their time in Canterbury.’

Part of the Internationalisation strategy of the University; the Summer Schools have been deemed a great success by Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for Internationalisation and as something he sees continuing to flourish in the future as Summer Schools gain precedent around the world.

Sent in by: s.punt@kent.ac.uk

Thembe Mvula (HIVE Ambassador for 2015-16, a member of Enactus Kent, and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies alumni) has been named Fellow. Thembe is one of two Enactus UK Alumni to be named Fellow.

Thembe is joining a group of Fellows made up of a diverse group of graduates and young professionals who are ambitious about making society better. They include engineers, journalists, tech entrepreneurs and social researchers.

Thembe studied Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Kent. Alongside her studies, she was actively involved in local and international voluntary groups which introduced her to social enterprise and innovation.

To read more about Thembe Mvula, go to the HIVE webpage.

Sent in by the HIVE.