Monthly Archives: September 2018

Library and IT services- Autumn term update

More library study space

You’ll be pleased to know that while you have been away we have been busy creating 140 new study spaces in Block D of the Templeman Library by converting office space on Floors 2 and 3. The toilets in Block D are also getting a make-over and will be gender neutral! The work in D Block will be completed before the end of the year.

Easier finding and checking out of books

We have been working on LibrarySearch, making it easier to:

  • see if a book is available
  • see where it is held
  • request it from another University of Kent library

When the same book is held by the Templeman, Drill Hall or Tonbridge Centre Library we have combined them into one entry!

DVDs have moved

The DVD collection has moved location, but it is still on the ground floor of Block B. This is a result of consultation with the School of Arts about how best to place the DVDs and viewing stations to enable collection-related academic activities throughout the year. Watch this space for some talks about our film collection in the Autumn Term.

Study Hubs

There have been some exciting changes to Study Hubs over the Summer. We’ve got a new study space opening in the Park Wood Student Hub complex, Darwin’s small PC room had a make-over and Senate will be opening as a dedicated Postgraduate study hub!

Comparison

Research documentaries on campus

Join us for a screening of two fascinating short research documentaries over lunchtime at our Canterbury and Medway campuses on Monday 17 September and Thursday 20 September.

Made for KMTV, each film will last around 12 minutes followed by a guided debate with the scientists, contributors and filmmakers involved. There will also be a small gallery showcasing some of the public engagement work being undertaken by researchers at  Kent.

Film 1: The Mohawk of Consciousness

What does it mean to be conscious? How do we know if someone is a conscious entity? For centuries, human consciousness has continued to both intrigue and baffle.

This film follows the research of Kent computational neuroscientist Dr Srivas Chennu who, using advanced electroencephalogram technology (EEG), is able to look inside the brain of vegetative state patients who are otherwise unable to respond and appear unaware of their surroundings.

Dr Chennu’s research has revealed remarkable levels of activity in patients that are often indisguishable from healthy controls. Today it is estimated that up to 40 per-cent of patients in a vegetative state have some hidden level of consciousness but are effectively “locked in”.

The documentary explores the increasing reliance on medical technology to make life and death decisions and in doing so delves into one of the most ethically, socially and clinically complex areas faced by the modern medical community.

Film 2: IVF – Science & Society

Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby celebrated her 40th birthday in July. Since then more than six million IVF babies have been born and the technique has evolved considerably. This short documentary will explore the world of IVF from the scientist’s laboratory bench to the private clinic.

World leading IVF scientists Professor Darren Griffin (Kent) and Professor Alan Thornhill will explore the science behind the procedure and talk about the techniques and advances being developed globally.

The film includes touching interviews with a mother about to have her first pre-natal scan, and a father of two teenage sons both conceived by IVF. As the NHS slashes IVF funding, the film also explores how this decision will impact on people and sectors of society that don’t have the funds for private treatments and asks if it’s time for the Government to review the current regulatory framework.

The Medway screening will take place from 12.00 to 13.00 on Monday September 17 in the Dockyard Church at Chatham Maritime Historic Dockyard and you can register for this here.

The Canterbury screening will take place from 12.00 to 13.00 on Thursday September 20 in the Gulbenkian Cinema and you can register here.

Entry is free and open to anyone but places are limited. Please reserve a seat by booking through either the Eventbrite Medway or Canterbury page or by contacting Jill Hurst – j.hurst-853@kent.ac.uk or ext 3907.

 

Image details: 

The Mohawk of Consciousness: A new way of analysing brain activity shows a striking difference in the brain activity of two vegetative patients (left and middle). Despite being unresponsive, the patient in the middle had brain activity similar to that of a healthy adult (right). 

Issues viewing module timetables – now fixed

Update at 9.30 on Tuesday 11 September

The technical issue with timetables has now been fixed. You can view stage 2 and 3 module timetables on the Student Guide. 

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Update at 15.19 on Monday 10 September

We are working on a technical issue which is preventing some students from viewing their timetable.

We hope to have this issue fixed by Tuesday 11 September so please check the Student Guide again then.

 

 

Wain Medal Lecture- 10 October

The theme of this year’s Wain Medal Lecture is Coming Up for Air: How Plants Sense and Respond to Floods.

The lecture will be given by Dr Emily Flashman, Department of Chemistry, from the University of Oxford, on Wednesday 10 October from 17.00 in Woolf College.

The lecture will focus on how plants regulate flood-survival responses and how her lab has uncovered the key role of the Plant Cysteine Oxidases.

Dr Flashman will talk about the potential for improving flood tolerance by manipulating these responses and will present her group’s recent structural and functional work which aims to find ways to genetically modify the Plant Cysteine Oxidases as a way to achieve this.

The University of Kent established an annual Wain Medal Lecture and Award as a result of a generous endowment from the family of the late Professor Louis Wain CBE, FRS.

Admission to the lecture is free and open to all.

 

Professor Read co-organises International Conference in Turin

Professor Peter Read is co-organising an International Conference, Métamorphoses d’Apollinaire, this autumn at the University of Turin and the Museum of Modern Art, Turin. The conference, running on 22-23 October 2018, marks the centenary of the death of French war-poet and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) and will bring together speakers from France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Switzerland, UK and USA.

The conference will also include the opening of an exhibition on Picasso and his circle at Turin’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and a professional performance of Apollinaire’s “surrealist drama” The Breasts of Tiresias, first published in 1918,  at Turin’s Teatro Stabile. Peter is co-organising the conference with Professor Franca Bruera (University of Turin) and Professor Laurence Campa (University of Paris X-Nanterre). The conference is co-sponsored by the Centre for Modern European Literature, University of Kent.

Lent by the National Gallery 1997 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/L01895

Peter Read and Picasso in Paris

Professor Peter Read is giving two public lectures at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris to accompany the exhibition “Picasso Bleu et rose” (Picasso Blue and Pink), which will run from 18 September 2018 to 6 January 2019 and include 240 works of art. Peter’s first talk, on Picasso and the Circus, will be at 3pm on Saturday 13 October in the restored “fumoir”, or Smoking Room, of the museum, which is a former railway station and hotel, opened in 1900. Peter’s talk is part of the “Picasso Circus Weekend” taking place in the museum that Saturday and Sunday, with a big top in the nave of the building and performances by trapeze artists and an “extreme dance” company from New York.  Peter’s second talk, at 12 noon on Friday 2nd December, in the Musée d’Orsay’s lecture theatre, will be on representations of Paris in Picasso’s work during his early years in the city, from 1900 to 1906.

Peter Read has also contributed several texts to the catalogue of the Cubism exhibition opening at the Centre Pompidou in Paris on 17 October, and has contributed to a Dictionnaire du cubisme being published to accompany that exhibition.

 

Welcome Week at Medway

Once you have registered make sure you get involved in all that Welcome Week (or as some people call it, ‘week 0’) has to offer.

This week is a helpful introduction to the University and its services, including the Library and your students’ union, getting you ready for when teaching starts on 24 September 2018.

Even if you’re not living in University accommodation you still need to attend Welcome Week.

Get the most from Welcome Week and make sure you…

  • Go to the Welcome Fair on Wednesday 19 September. This is your opportunity to find out more about all the societies and sports teams you can join. You can also pick up a few freebies from local businesses.
  • Attend your school’s induction events. School induction events are a great opportunity to meet fellow students studying similar courses to you, while discovering the wide range of support services provided by your school. Contact your school for more information.
  • When studying at university, the Drill Hall Library will be a key resource, so it’s important you know how to use all the services and where to go for help. Find out more about Library and IT services.
  • Follow UKM Student on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. These accounts are managed by fellow student Arun and will feature opportunities and events for Medway students.

International student?

As well as all the Welcome Week activities, there’s a special welcome programme for international students.

ELL graduate wins LAGB Award

Eloisa Lilywhite, who graduated this year with a First from the Department of English Language and Linguistics, has been named as one of the three winners of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB) Outstanding Undergraduate Dissertation in Linguistics Award, worth £100.

Each nomination was evaluated independently by four members of the LAGB committee (who were not from the nominated student’s university). The committee was highly impressed with all of the nominations that received; the overall quality of the dissertations was truly excellent.

Congratulations to Eloisa on this achievement.

Find out more about the LAGB award.

 

Hello Library and IT services!

If you’re a new student, you’ll soon be using the Library, IT systems and study spaces to help you do your work. Here’s how to get started and make the most of them.

Don’t buy books yet unless your lecturer advises you to as we aim to stock every book on your reading list.

Come to a Library and IT! Welcome Session

A welcome session is your best chance to explore the Library and find out about IT you will need to use at Kent.

They run from Monday to Friday in Welcome Week, between 09.30–16:30, starting on the hour and half hour, from the Welcome Hall, Main Entrance, Templeman Library.

Check your timetable to see if there is a session for your subject booked. If not, or if you miss it, join any session during the week.

You’ll learn about:

  • what’s in the Library
  • finding and borrowing books
  • where you can study
  • using PCs, printers, loan laptops

…and much more!

You’ll also get a free gift, and the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher in our prize draw. Don’t forget your KentOne card as you will need this to enter the Library!

Get Connected

You can connect to Wi-Fi as soon as you arrive on campus. If you’re living on campus, look out for your ‘Get Connected’ booklet in your accommodation.

Use the wired internet with a network cable for the fastest gaming and streaming. If you don’t have one, get one free from the IT & Library Support Desk in the Templeman Library. For help in connecting to your phone, tablet or laptop ask IT & Library Support Desk.

Need more help?

For help with Library and IT Services:

An image of Drill Hall Library with red brick and an arched frontway

Hello Library and IT at Medway!

If you’re starting at University of Kent’s Medway campus in September, you might be wondering where to study, how to get online, and how to find the books you need for your course.

Here’s an overview of the library and IT services you can use:

The Drill Hall Library

The Drill Hall Library is your main library at Medway. It has the books you need, plus study spaces, PCs and laptops, printers, photocopiers and scanners, and support for your subject.

  • Read this useful guide to the Drill Hall Library. It tells you the basics, like when it’s open and how many books you can borrow.
  • Visit the Library for your induction session, which has been pre-arranged by your School or department, to learn your way around.
  • Look out for games, competitions and fun prizes in Welcome Week in the Drill Hall Library.Take part in our induction and experience summer seaside fun and games.

IT services for you

Here are some of the IT services you can use as a Kent student:

  • Over 500 student PCs, laptops and 800 study spaces in the Drill Hall Library and University of Kent buildings.
  • University Wi-Fi (eduroam) in all buildings at Medway. You can set up your Wi-Fi connection before you arrive on campus, which means you connect instantly when you get here
  • Print, copy and scan machines across campus – all Kent buildings and the Library are connected to a nearby printer
  • Borrow a laptop for a day loan from the self-service cabinet in the Pilkington building Monday to Friday 08.00 – 18.30.

If you need help, look out for the leaflet in your welcome pack, which you will receive at registration, visit the Helpdesk in the Drill Hall Library, or contact our IT & Library Support Desk.

Research students

Need a space to work? You can use the Postgraduate Researchers’ Room in the Drill Hall Library. This newly designed and furbished room is available for postgraduates from all three Medway universities, providing an excellent space to study, network, practice presentations and meet those with similar research interests.

Need more help?

For help with Library and IT Services: