Monday 19 December – Friday 23 December, 2016
Jarman Plaza will be closed off during the above dates to enable investigations into a surface drain failure, which has caused flooding of the Plaza.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. If there are any queries please contact the Helpdesk on extn 3209.
Food for thought over the holiday season? Think Kent.
Stimulate your brain with a series of short video lectures from some of the University’s leading thinkers and researchers.
The latest Think Kent lecture videos are now live on the Kent YouTube channel.
Similar to TED Talks, these 15-minute videos feature Kent academics speaking about their research and the international impact it has had.
So whether you want to discover the truth of the 1914 Christmas Truce, whether a computer can be creative and why it’s a good idea to go for a run today, watch the Think Kent playlist and subscribe for additional weekly Think Kent lectures.
Suggested Think Kent lecture playlist:
Most viewed In Conversation videos:
Kent Staff Online is taking a festive break! We wish all our readers a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Look out for the next issue early in 2017.
Wendy Raeside and Etienne Donzelot,
Kent Staff Online
Join us this December for a wide range of musical events in Medway!
The School of Music and Fine Art will be hosting a variety of performances. These events usually draw a crowd, so make sure to register today!
SMFA Ensemble Lunchtime Concert, 13 December
A free concert to showcase our students studying band and ensemble playing will be held on Tuesday 13 December at 12.00-13.00 in the Galvanising Shop Performance Space. Register here.
Christmas Concert, 14 December
On Wednesday 14 December, the University of Kent Choir and Orchestra (Medway) will be performing a range of festive music at the Royal Dockyard Churchat 19.30.
The programme includes Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols for Baritone Solo, Chorus and Orchestra. Please book your tickets via the Gulbenkian Box Office.
SMFA Popular Music Gig, 15 December
On Thursday 15 December a free gig will be held at Cargo Bar, Liberty Quays. Bands from the School of Music & Fine Art perform sets of original material and covers.
Don’t forget you can post your Christmas cards and parcels on campus.
Estates postal service, on Canterbury campus, is open to members of staff from 12-14.00 daily. Call in to have your cards and parcels posted – a member of the postal team will weigh your package and advise on the posting options.
All parcels need to have a return address and it is also advisable to check what is on the prohibited items list to see what is allowed both internally in the UK and abroad. Payments can be accepted by cash only.
And don’t forget, the final posting dates for Christmas – ranging from Saturday 3 December for Africa and the Middle East (International Standard), to Wednesday 21 December for 1st class and Royal Mail Signed For cards and packages across inland UK.
On Monday 12 December 2016, the hot water supply in Tyler A will be turned off between 08.00 – 16.00 to allow for emergency repairs to be carried out to the pipework. Please ensure that all showers and taps are turned off to prevent flooding when the water supply is restored.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and if there are any queries please contact the Estates Helpdesk on Extn 3209.
The Centre for Modern European Literature is to host Italian author and scholar Dr Alessandro Perissinotto (University of Turin) for a series of events next week.
Alessandro Perissinotto has published numerous novels, including historical and crime fiction. His first novel was La anno che uccisero Rosetta [The Year that Killed Rosetta] (Sellerio, 1997). His novel Una piccola storia ignobile (Rizzoli, 2006), published in English as Blood Sisters by Hersilia Press. And his recent work Semina il vento [For They Have Sown the Wind] (Romanzo, 2013) explores issues of radicalism and prejudice in Europe, that will form part of a debate during his visit.
Three events will provide the focus of his visit:
Tuesday 13 December
From Love to Tragedy: The Wounds of Religious Fanaticism and Hatred
A seminar debate open to all, will discuss the themes raised by Semina il vento
Darwin Lecture Theatre 3, 16.00-17.00, registration required by emailing W.Fiorucci@kent.ac.uk.
Wednesday 14 December
Intersections between Literature and Psychotherapy
A discussion with Dr Francesco Capello, Lecturer in Italian, on the practises, processes and bodies of knowledge between the two disciplines.
Cornwallis North West, Seminar Room 6, 17.00-19.00.
Friday 16 December
Asylum in Twentieth-Century Italy
A talk with Dr Alvise Sforza Tarabochia, Lecturer in Italian, about asylums, and where Dr Perissinotto will read passages from his new book (to be released in March 2017).
Grimond, Seminar Room 3, 15.00-17.00, followed by a wine reception.
All the events have been co-sponsored by the Centre for Modern European Literature and the University of Turn, with the organisation of Dr Wissia Fiorucci, Language Coordinator in Italian from the Department of Modern Languages at Kent.
Kent Union Fundraising will have a stall on the Plaza outside Essentials on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 December from 11am until 2pm. Kent Union is raising money for the Christmas Fund, which is used to hold events for students who stay behind at Kent over Christmas such as a joint Christmas dinner or a trip to Winter Wonderland in London.
They are selling:
Miniature Christmas trees for £3
Santa hats for £1
Raffle tickets, £1 per ticket or five tickets for £3, with incredible prizes:
– Four tickets for Disney Frozen on Ice at the o2
– Meal for two at Kaspas
– Ten meal vouchers for Happy Samurai
– Free Canterbury Historic River Tour
– Four tickets to Canterbury Tales
– Family ticket and guided tour to Canterbury Cathedral
– Two Gulbenkian cinema tickets
– Marlowe friends membership
All the money raised will go directly to the Christmas Fund. Deck your office out and help ensure all Kent students enjoy the Christmas holidays!
The School of Anthropology and Conservation is delighted to announce that Dr Zoe Davies has successfully secured a European Commission research fellowship to the value of 1,953,716 Euros.
Dr Davies’ project, Environmental Spaces and the Feel-Good Factor: Relating Subject Wellbeing to Biodiversity (RELATE), seeks to explore how nature underpins human wellbeing. This timely and influential research will pioneer a unique approach to examining interactions between nature and humans, drawing together expertise across disciplines and utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods.
The funding, spanning over five years, sees Dr Davies draw together a team of researchers who reflect the interdisciplinarity of the study. Dr Robert Fish, Reader in Human Ecology from the University of Kent; Dr Katherine Irvine, Conservation and Environmental Psychologist from James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen; and Dr Martin Dallimer, Lecturer in Environmental Change, University of Leeds. The project will also be appointing two Post-Doctoral Research Assistants and a Research Assistant.
This is the largest ever fellowship awarded to a member of the Social Sciences Faculty and we are extremely proud of Dr Davies and look forward to seeing how this research fellowship progresses.
Professor Philippe De Wilde, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, commented: ‘The University is incredibly proud that Dr Davies has obtained this prestigious award from the European Commission. Her research brings together Science and Social Science, a strong point for the University of Kent. Dr Davies’ work is high-profile and well-cited. She is a member of DICE, the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology in the School of Anthropology and Conservation.’
Each year Kent’s Information Services department gives Staff Excellence Awards to staff – nominated by their colleagues – who have gone the extra mile in their work for our Library and IT services.
The awards can be for anything from leading a project to helping colleagues to giving great student support every day.
The staff recognised in this year’s awards were:
Jane Alderson-Rice
Chris Bailey
David Biron
Andrew Bridge
Sarah Cotterall
Rachel Dickinson
Suzanne Duffy
Andy Friday
Peter Frost
Nikki Gregory
Catherine Henley
Lauren Morris
Chris Morrison
Tom Mortimer
Marisa Orrin
Jo Picton
Crispin Toby
Gemma Tucker
Fran Williams
John Sotillo, Director of Information Services, says: ‘We are proud to celebrate once again the outstanding effort, commitment and achievement exhibited by our staff in the annual Information Services’ Staff Excellence Awards.’
Well done to everyone!