Monthly Archives: May 2018

University Teaching Prizes 2018 – apply by 25 May

Each year the University awards a number of prizes to individual staff or teams for outstanding work in teaching and/or learning support. The call for applications for the 2018 prizes is now open. The closing date for applications is Friday 25 May 2018.

Further details and information on how to apply are available on our web pages here.

The prizes will be awarded by the Vice-Chancellor at a lunchtime ceremony on Wednesday 3 October 2018, to which all staff are invited. Please email us if you would like to attend.

Resilience and mental health awareness

Are you interested in resilience and mental health awareness?

If so, please feel free to attend one of our Development presentations running tomorrow.
The sessions are running 10.00-12.00 and 13.00-15.00 in Stacey Lecture Theatre 2.

No registration is needed.

Please note, this is a 2 hour lecture/presentation style session with Q&A at the end.

Out and Proud – New exhibition in Templeman Library

Out and Proud, an exhibition of LGBT+ role models and allies will be staged at Kent from 17 May – 6 July 2018 at the Templeman Library.

Kent is proud of its diverse student, staff and alumni community. ‘Out and Proud’ aims to showcase some of our LGBT+ role models and allies to highlight the amazing people on our campuses who share their stories to inspire others. This exhibition also features books from the Templeman Library on LGBT+ role models throughout the ages.

Role models challenge stereotypes, provide guidance and advice, and they are examples to all about overcoming prejudice and discrimination and about being proud of who you are. This exhibition is designed to share experiences, good and bad, and to be a reminder that we are all citizens of this beautifully diverse world.

Curators are Christin Hoene and Jan Moriarty for the LGBT+ Staff Network, and Joanna Baines and Elspeth Millar (Special Collections & Archives) for the Templeman Library. Design is by Leanne Taylor.

There will be a launch event on Thursday 17 May at 16.00. If you would like to attend, please book via our Eventbrite page. You can find out more on our blog pages.

“And to those who are living out and proud. You are a beacon for others to find their way home.” Julie Anne Peters

Activities galore with Kent Sport this summer term

All work and no play? Not with the Sport at Kent term three timetable. We’re excited to offer a variety of sports, unique fitness and dance classes, and funky one-off events to give your brain a break during exam season.

We’re also welcoming back our ever popular Stamp Out Stress (SOS) sessions as part of the fitness and dance timetable with five refreshing classes a week to help you relax. We have a dedicated timetable with activities ranging from guided bike rides to bubble football. Kent Sport Physiotherapy is offering £14 30-minute sports massages to fully work out your stress.

Inter College football Cup, Kent Amateur Football League Cup and the Vice-Chancellor’s Cup competitions continue this term.

Looking ahead to the rest of the term, there’s the Canterbury 10k on Sunday 20 May at 10.30 or several cycle rides catered to all abilities taking you to Chartham, Whitstable or Herne Bay.

Let’s Play continues to offer a wide range of activities for just £1 such as open swim sessions, table tennis, badminton, and many more. There’s also a dedicated ‘This Girl Can’ weight lifting session.

Staff can get involved with various activities throughout the week during the lunchtime hour. From netball to hockey to running, there are lots of options to active during your break.

For more information on the events mentioned above download Sport at Kent which highlights all our activities and events. Inside, find timetables for football, tennis, Let’s Play activities, fitness and dance classes, Vice-Chancellor’s Cup and Stamp Out Stress.

You can check out our online events calendar at www.kent.ac.uk/sports or pop into the Sports Centre and pick up a term three Sport at Kent activities booklet.

To keep up to date and involved, Like UniKentSports on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

European Opportunities Fair

To mark the celebration of Europe Day 2018, International Partnerships is hosting a ‘European Opportunities Fair‘ in the Gulbenkian on Wednesday 9 May. The event will run from 12.00 – 14.00 and will showcase the University’s activities in Europe, as well as raise awareness of the many opportunities available for both staff and students at our partner institutions.
There is no need to book and everyone is welcome! Join us for some live music, European-themed food and much more.

The University is also marking the occasion with a special lecture from Professor Shane Weller entitled Europe: The History of an Idea. The lecture is being held on 14 May, 18.30-19.30 in GLT1. It is free to attend and open to all. #WeAreEuropean #EuropeDay2018

Kent to lead on £1.4m research on protecting leisure travellers’ data

The University of Kent will lead one of 11 new government research projects, addressing challenges about ‘Trust, Identity, Privacy and Security in the Digital Economy’.

PRIvacy-aware personal data management and Value Enhancement for Leisure Travellers (PriVELT), will be co-ordinated by the University of Kent as the lead institution.

The project’s overall aim is to develop a digital platform that will empower leisure travellers to better manage the sharing of their personal data. It also aims to foster new business opportunities for the travel and tourism industry through encouraging better (more transparent and effective) usage of travellers’ data.

The project’s principal investigator Professor Shujun Li said: ‘I cannot wait to start working on this exciting new project. The rapid development of technologies such as smart phones, mobile payment systems, sharing economy (eg Airbnb and Uber) and service robots has been drastically changing the whole travel industry and people’s travel experience, with increasing concerns on privacy protection of travellers’ personal data.

‘By conducting the project, we aim at providing solid evidence on a social-technical framework that will lead to a set of new tools benefiting both travellers and travel service providers. We would also like to engage wider stakeholders, so if you are interested in contributing to the project please feel free to get in touch with us.’

July Congregations 2018 – we need you!

The Corporate Events team is looking for volunteers to help during congregations for Canterbury and Medway – can you help?

MEDWAY (Rochester Cathedral):

Tuesday 10 July (x2 ceremonies), 10.30, 14.30

CANTERBURY (Canterbury Cathedral):

Monday 16 July (x2 ceremonies), 10.30, 14.30
Tuesday 17 July (x3 ceremonies), 10.30, 14.30, 19.30
Wednesday 18 July (x2 ceremonies), 10.30, 14.30
Thursday 19 July ((x3 ceremonies), 10.30, 14.30, 19.30
Friday 20 July (x1 ceremony), 10.30

This is a special day for all of our graduating students, and a great opportunity to be involved in a feel-good University event.

We have a variety of roles available for volunteers, so whether you would like to be in the Cathedral for the ceremony, helping the graduands check-in, or managing the guest queue, there is something suitable for everyone.

Things to know:

Volunteers working two consecutive ceremonies will be provided with lunch or dinner in between their two shifts
Volunteers can choose any ceremony ‘shifts’ from the above list, and full training will be available for your designated role in the lead-up to congregations
In any role, there will be a member of the congregations team on hand to support you
Different roles will have different start and finish times due to the requirements of that role for the ceremony
It’s a wonderfully joyful week and is a great opportunity to see any students that you have supported graduate.

If you would like to get involved in July 2018 congregations, we would be delighted to have you!

To register your interest or to find out more about the roles available, please email congregations@kent.ac.uk with your preferred ceremony/ies or your query.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Corporate Events, Development Office

Canterbury 10k is back as part of ‘Stamp Out Stress’

What’s a better way to relieve stress while taking in the beautiful scenery and getting some fresh air? Why joining in with the University of Kent Canterbury 10K run, of course! The 10K is part of the University’s Stamp Out Stress series of events to help students manage the demands of exam season.

The run, which is co-organised with Sporting Events UK, is a fun and welcoming event that is open not only to students but also to people of all abilities, from University staff to the wider community.

Starting at the Pavilion at 10.30 on Sunday 20 May, the route takes runners through the Canterbury countryside along the historic and picturesque Crab and Winkle Way. Participants will be timed and receive a medal. This is a day for all the family including shorter races for children. Sign up today <http://www.sportingeventsuk.com/enterevent/university-kent-canterbury-10k>!

The Stamp Out Stress series of sports activities includes guided-bicycle rides, using Kent Sport’s Cycle Hub, one-off events like miniature golf, bubble football and a variety of fitness classes. Pre-booking for events is advisable. For further details see the Sport at Kent timetable booklet.

To stay up-to-date with the latest news, events and special offers at Kent Sport, Like UniKentSports on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Athena SWAN Success

Athena SWAN awards are a recognition of advancing gender equality and improving the working environment to benefit everybody at the University.

The latest awards have just been announced and we have a lot to celebrate. We have been successful in our application for an Institutional Bronze award, Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science have our first ever Silver-level award, History are the first school in the Faculty of Humanities to hold a Bronze award and Medway School of Pharmacy have been awarded Bronze.

These successes will inspire and inform all our on-going work in advancing gender equality and all our future Athena SWAN applications across the University.

Find out more about our work with Athena SWAN here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/human-resources/athenaswan/

Stamp Out Stress with Kent Sport

The exam season is upon us; it’s time to switch on and cram in some much needed revision over the next few weeks. During this time, it’s important to switch off, relax and have a break from revision. That’s why we’re putting on a range of activities and offers to help you beat the exam stress.

There can’t be much better for relaxing than a sports massage at the Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic, and at £14 for 30 minutes there really is no excuse. But if massages aren’t your thing, how about some relaxing bike rides through the glorious Kent countryside to seaside towns like Whitstable and Herne Bay? Or try Stamp Out Stress fitness and dance classes like BodyPump and Veraflow to help exercise the stress away.

Alternatively, why not ‘smash into one another in giant inflatable balls while kicking the football around.’ That’s bubble football. Or try a slightly more chilled out sport like mini golf. There’s also the Canterbury 10k run on Sunday 20 May.

If you’re looking for somewhere quiet, whether that’s purely for relaxing or to get in some study time, then get on over to the Chillout Zone at the Pavilion Cafe Bar. On Wednesdays you get unlimited refills of tea/coffee for just £2.

You can check out the full list of events taking place in our Sport at Kent brochure.

There’s a lot happening across the University to help beat exam stress, simply search #StampOutStress, #ExamCalm and #UnwindYourMind on social media to find events on campus.