The Estates Logistics team provide a removal and disposal service for all Schools and Departments based at the Canterbury Campus. Services include the collection of certain recyclable materials; confidential waste, batteries, toner and ink cartridges and waste electrical equipment. As well as assisting with furniture removals and deliveries during office moves.

After 30 August 2019, the way customers contact Estates Logistics is changing.

From 31 August 2019, the Estates Logistics email account will be closed and all enquiries should be made to Estates Customer Services: estatescustomerservices@kent.ac.uk or by telephoning extension 16666.

For more information about how Estates Logistics can help you, or for further information regarding the Estates Department, please visit our website: www.kent.ac.uk/estates. The Estates Logistics service level standard can be found here.

If you have any enquiries in relation to this or anything regarding the Estates Department in general, please contact the Estates Customer Services team.

The One Hour Degree is a narrative based adventure game that simulates all the key elements of gaining a degree at Kent condensed into as little as one hour.

Developed by the Student Success Project, the game is designed to specifically address issues affecting the transition into university, to highlight best practice, allow students to take risks and see what repercussions this has on their results.  As such, it is primarily aimed at students who are about to join or who have recently begun their degree journey at Kent, even though the game is available for anyone to play anywhere.

There are five independent ‘quests’ focused on:

• Welcome Week
• the first term
• the rest of the first year
• year 2
• year 3

The game introduces key facilities, support networks and social opportunities that are available at Kent as well as being able to view stunning imagery of our parkland campus.

Players will earn ‘knowledge’ and ‘wellbeing’ points along the way as well as a badge for each completed quest.  Together they will dictate the classification of the ‘degree’ received at the end before you have the opportunity to be part of your very own graduation video!

With more than 100 million unique pathways through the game, players can easily choose a different story path each time to see how different decisions result in different outcomes.

There has been considerable input from around the University including the Library Services team, Student Learning Advisory Service, Careers and Employability Centre, Student Support & Wellbeing and several Academic Advisors.

The game does not require a login or user account and can be played by anyone who has access to a web browser, on any device. Find the link to the game on the Hello Kent and Student Success web pages. Play the One Hour Degree now.

Today’s first UN International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief  was initiated by Kent Law School postgraduate research scholar Ewelina Ochab.

Ewelina authored the initiative in 2017 in a bid to recognise the importance of providing victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief and members of their families with appropriate support and assistance in accordance with applicable law. It was proposed at the UN by Poland at the end of 2017 and adopted by the UN General Assembly on 28 May 2019.

 UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said: ‘On this Day, we reaffirm our unwavering support for the victims of violence based on religion and belief. And we demonstrate that support by doing all in our power to prevent such attacks and demanding that those responsible are held accountable.’

In an article for The Conversation, Ewelina lists ‘Five reasons the world needs a wake-up call on religious persecution’ and explains the need to shine a light on “those dark corners where acts of violence based on religion or belief are a daily reality.”

Ewelina says: ‘This initiative is intended to raise awareness and provide a springboard towards an action plan rather than being an end in itself. What will become of this day is up to all states, civil society and individuals. Everyone needs to play their role in making this a meaningful day – one that can bring a change to the lives of the people targeted for their religion or belief.’

A video on Ewelina’s Twitter feed features contributions from academics, politicians and policymakers from across the world affirming their support for the Day’s message.

Ewelina’s thesis focuses on the accountability of medical professionals for their involvement and complicity in torture in American detention centres.

A workshop on World Heritage and Sustainable Development in Africa: Implementing the 2015 Policy, is being hosted this week at the iconic Robben Island World Heritage site, 19 – 23 August.

Organised by Dr Sophia Labadi, Senior Lecturer in Heritage and Archaeology, the African World Heritage Fund, Cape Town University and Robben Island Museum, the workshop aims to better understand how the principles contained in the 2015 UNESCO Policy on World Heritage and Sustainable Development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been operationalised and localised at and around World Heritage properties in the whole region of Africa.

The 20 presentations of different case studies illustrate the integration of a sustainable development perspective at and around World Heritage sites and different challenges.

The expected results of this workshop include a published e-book with case studies and step-by-step guidelines on how to implement the 2015 policy and related key texts at site level in Africa. Key areas for curricula development by educational institutions on World Heritage and Sustainable Development in Africa will be identified and an Action Plan for the implementation of collaborative projects will be drafted.

Sophia comments: ‘This workshop has revealed the rich, diverse and too often unknown experiences of integrating sustainable development perspectives into the management of World Heritage sites’.

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies, interviews Judith Francis. Judith shares her experiences of being an evacuee in the Second World War, moving to Pembrokeshire, where she still lives today.

Judith talks about air raid shelters and gas masks and a tragedy she witnessed on the beach during the War. Judith also talks about growing up listening to ‘Workers’ Play Time’, receiving a signed photograph from comedian Tommy Handley, why she learned Welsh and trained to become a teacher in the 1970s, the difference between being a student then and 25 years later when she returned to undertake a degree in Theology and Religious Studies, the relationship between having a faith and studying religion, the political heat around Welsh nationalism in the 1970s, and whether Judith is a looking back or a looking forward type of person.

Sadly Dr Kazimierz Krynicki died of a heart attack on 18th July at the age of 88. Kaz was lecturer in Physics at Kent from 1964 until his retirement (about 1995) although he continued to be associated with The School of Physical Sciences as an Honorary Fellow well into his retirement.

He came to London in 1962 on a rare visiting postdoctoral scholarship from an Iron curtain country, having grown up during the war in occupied Poland and graduated from Krakow University. He would tell us of his friendship at his University with a young colleague who was then Chaplain, later to become Pope Paul. His research blossomed with Dr Powles at QMC London and he moved to Kent with him when Powles became the foundation Professor of Physics at Kent in 1964. His research throughout his career was concerned with exploring the liquid state and studying molecular motion using the techniques of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Relaxation. He also helped to set up the first physics and chemical physics courses at Kent and subsequently taught widely across the undergraduate curriculum, contributing significantly to the development of our astrophysics teaching. For many years he was a leading light in the student astronomical society and looked after the first observatory on the roof of the original Physics building as well as other campus facilities for observational astronomy. He will be remembered as a kind and most enthusiastic colleague and teacher.

Professor J.H.Strange

Emeritus Professor of Experimental Physics, University of Kent

We are currently recruiting for our new Directors of Division and divisional Directors of Operations roles. As part of this, we recently held briefing sessions for prospective candidates offering more detail on the recruitment process.

For those unable to attend the briefing session for the divisional Director of Operations, the presentation slides and FAQs from the session are now available on the recruitment page here:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/human-resources/ofs-opportunities/directorops.html

In addition, the FAQs for the Director of Division roles have been updated to provide clarity around research or academic contributions within the role. More information on this and the role itself is available here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/human-resources/ofs-opportunities/directordivision.html.