Monthly Archives: August 2019

Condolences for Jessica Ashdown

Friends and colleagues at the University were sorry to hear of the death of Jessica Ashdown, who died on 4 August 2019.

Jessica started to work at the University in 1988 as Secretarial Assistant in the Registry, Academic Division.  In 1990 Jessica was appointed as Personal Assistant to the Registrar and by the time that she left the University, in 2000, Jessica had worked for three different Registrars.

Jessica will be remembered as a wonderful colleague and a kind and gentle person who will be greatly missed.

Jessica’s funeral is on Tuesday 27 August 2019 at 12.30pm in Blean Church, with a reception afterwards at the Tyler Hill Memorial Hall.  The Registry flag will be flown at half-mast on that day.

Meeting-Jim

MA Film alumna documentary screened on the BBC

Alumna Ece Ger, who graduated with an MA in Film – including a term at Kent’s at the Paris School of Arts and Culture – in 2015, saw her documentary film Meet Jim, Citizen of the World screened on BBC Scotland last Saturday 17 August 2019.

He dined with The Beatles and shacked up with the Rolling Stones. He rubbed shoulders with soul diva Mama Cass, folk troubadour Leonard Cohen and a fledgling Pink Floyd. He was a figurehead for a new generation of playwrights. After he was stopped at Munich airport with a bag full of blank ‘world passports’, he lectured bewildered German border police about the virtues of ‘world Government’.

Today, at 83, Jim Haynes just won’t slow down: this ‘godfather of social networking’ organises open dinners every Sunday night in the Parisian artist studio that’s been his home for the past 50 years. Total strangers, unknown both to him and to each other, meet in his living room and Jim’s friends show up to cook cheerfully for crowds of 60 or more. It’s simple: you sign up, you come over, you meet Jim. As he once said: ‘My home is a World Government Embassy that never closes.’

The documentary composes an impressionistic portrait of Jim Haynes the man and the cultural phenomenon, as seen by the many and diverse people whose lives have been touched by his. The film is a hymn to the lasting spirit of the 60s, an inspirational living proof of how we can all chose to live on the bright side: to Jim, the choice is ready-made: ‘Life is short: we have a duty to enjoy ourselves.’

The documentary first premiered as Meeting Jim at the Edinburgh International Film Festival last year. It was supported by a crowdfunding campaign that ran in early 2016. For more details on its background, please see the page here.

To view the documentary, please see the page on BBC iPlayer here.

Sports Ready Clinic

University of Kent’s Sports Ready Clinic

Here at the University of Kent’s Sports Ready Clinic, based at Medway Park Sports Centre, our 2nd and 3rd year Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation students provide our services under the supervision of vastly experienced therapists.

Through the use of our state-of-the-art equipment and innovative techniques we can reduce your pain (sporting and non-sporting injuries) and aid your recovery time, as well as offering advice on how to prevent future injuries. 

Services:

  • Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation (Assessment, Diagnosis, Treatment and a Personalised Rehabilitation Plan)
  • Injury Prevention
  • Sports Massage
  • Alter-G session.

 Prices:

  • 1-hour £20
  • 30-minutes £15

Discounts are available for Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation, Injury Prevention and Alter-G sessions (excluding Sports Massage):

  • FREE for University of Kent SSES staff & students.
  • 50% discount for University of Kent staff & students (non SSES).
  • 25% discount for family of University of Kent staff & students.
  • 25% discount for University of Kent Alumni. 

Specialist Equipment: 

  • Alter-G Treadmill, an anti-gravity machine that helps us get you back to walking/running quicker after injury or surgery.
  • Gait Analysis, using the RX scanner and Gwalk can enable us to adapt your technique if needed. 

Clients who have recently used the Alter-G Treadmill include: 

  • Men’s 1st Team players from Gillingham Fc and Ebbsfleet United Fc, recovering from surgery. 
  • A female Para triathlete training for the World Championships in Switzerland in August.
  • Lastly, a young man with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a nervous system degeneration condition resulting in him being a wheelchair user. Using the Alter-G, he can walk and maintain the strength in his legs. 

For more information about our opening times or to book please contact us below:

Phone: 01634 888137   

Email: sportinjury@kent.ac.uk

 Book Online here.

 Visit our Website.

Dr Richard Guest

New Home Office role for cyber security expert

Dr Richard Guest of the School of Engineering and Digital Arts and core member of the Kent Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Cyber Security has been selected to join the UK Home Office’s Biometric and Forensics Ethics Group.

Appointed by the Home Secretary, Richard Guest will join the independent group of leading multidisciplinary experts to provides advice and guidance to ministers and government on issues of biometric and forensic data use and systems implementation, such as the use of facial recognition technology.

Richard Guest’s appointment builds on the success of biometric research at Kent within current projects such as the AMBER Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network, the Hummingbird interdisciplinary project and collaborations with organisations such as the UK National Cyber Security Centre.

Daedalum

bOing! preview for staff

Gulbenkian is inviting University of Kent staff to join them on Friday 23 August for a special preview event before bOing! International Family Festival 2019 on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August.

From 17.00-18.00 on Friday 23 August, Gulbenkian will be running FREE entry for University of Kent staff to Daedalum Luminarium, located on the field between Eliot and Rutherford, on a first-come first-served basis, subject to availability.

Daedalum is a brand new luminarium, launched this year, with bOing! as one of its first outings. It features 19 egg-shaped domes as a central maze. Passing through the maze the visitor can discover two original features – an incredibly intricate rainbow-coloured tree and a cavernous dome on whose lofty ceiling is inspired by the Pantheon of Rome.

From the Guggenheim in Spain to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the monumental and interactive walk-in sculptures – Luminariums – of Architects of Air and designer Alan Parkinson have astounded audiences across the globe. Enter a dazzling maze of winding paths and soaring domes where Islamic architecture and Gothic cathedrals meld into an inspiring monument to the beauty of light and colour and where visitors of all ages can happily lose themselves.

For more information about bOing! International Family Festival please visit www.boingfestival.com.

The-Improvised-Play

Further alumni at the Edinburgh Fringe

Further to our announcement about our alumni featuring at the Edinburgh Festival, we’re pleased to announce that alumna Invi Brenna, who completed an MA in Theatre Making in 2016, will be performing in Love and Misinformation by theatre company The Improvised Play at the Greenside theatre at the Royal Terrace, from Monday 19 to Saturday 24 August 2019.

Love and Misinformation is a spontaneous play in the style of Caryl Churchill. Connected and heartfelt, revolutionary and irreverent, the The Improvised Play (pictured) will break and remake its format every night. Anything is possible, but they guarantee you’ll be surprised, provoked, and moved. The ensemble have chosen to emulate Caryl Churchill because they are impressed by her honesty, her flexibility, her quiet genius and her revolutionary spirit. They hope her influence will shine through their work.

The performance has already been a focus of a feature in The Stage newspaper.

Tickets cost between £7.00 and £12.00. For more details, please see the Edinburgh Fringe page here.

movingmemory

Moving Memory to perform ‘Love Grows’

Moving Memory Dance Theatre Company, created by Sian Stevenson, Senior Tutor and Lecturer in Drama and Theatre in the School of Arts, will be performing ‘Love Grows’ at The Gulbenkian, the University’s on-campus commercial cinema and theatre, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August 2019. The performance is part of the bOing! Family festival 2019.

The show will celebrate love between generations, telling stories of love and friendship which emerged during a series of workshops that have taken place across Kent with four primary schools and four older peoples’ settings. It will feature a combination of dance and a digital installation, bringing together an inter-generational company that will groove its moves promenade style through the festival goers at four points during the day.

‘Love Grows’ will be the second show on an ongoing project, ‘Still Stomping’, developed in partnership with Gulbenkian, Canterbury and Kent County Council, and with funding from the Baring Foundation and Arts Council England’s Celebrating Age scheme.

Moving Memory has built a reputation for creating bespoke projects that offer older people high-quality, creative, movement-led opportunities focusing on animating the stories of the everyday via movement, music, spoken word and digital forms. Their work is targeted primarily at the older generation but from the outset they have worked with younger people as performers, performance assistants, stage managers, digital artists, and filmmakers.

Tickets to the show are free; details of times can be found here.

Further details for the bOing! festival can be found here.

opera-594592_960_720

Nostalgia podcast with Fran Beaton

In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, speaks to Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Fran Beaton.

We learn that Fran was brought up in East Anglia and that there was a strong Welsh dimension to her childhood. The pair talk about the extent to which childhood memories are composite in form and about the change of culture in 30 years around ‘stranger danger’.

Chris and Fran go on to talk about how Kent has changed over the years; different styles of writing; Benjamin Britten operas; what happens when things on wrong on stage at the theatre; travelling on her year abroad; becoming a teacher educator; the value of doing a PGCHE; the EEC and CND; the role of politics in shaping our lives; and gathering around the JCR to watch ‘Monty Python’. They also unpack some of the baggage around nostalgia and the notion of ‘developing resilience’.

Spinnng class on exercise bikes

Kent Sport student membership update

Kent Sport is excited to announce new student membership options for 2019/20 available to buy online or at the Sports Centre and The Pavilion receptions.

In December 2018, Kent Sport and Kent Union launched the #FitForPurpose survey. Students and staff were able to have their say on Kent Sport membership and what they wanted out of their membership options. We listened to what you said and have made changes to our membership options.

Whether you want an all-inclusive membership or to use the gym and classes or even just to try a new sport – we have options for everyone.

• Premium Plus £245 – For less than £1.50/day, our all-inclusive membership combines the benefits of Premium and Plus. Enjoy discounted physiotherapy and massage, exclusive offers at The Pavilion Café Bar, bike hire, seven-day advance booking, and UNIversal BUCS membership.


• Premium £190 – From just 90p/day, this option gives you unlimited gym access, entry to all fitness classes, free access to our Let’s Play activities, and five-day advance booking. Additional activities available (fees apply).


• Plus £175 – From just 84p/day, this option gives you free access to club training sessions*, intramural sports club entry, free recreational sports bookings, and five-day advance booking. Additional activities available (fees apply).


• Pay to Play £5 – Our low commitment option gives you the flexibility to play when you want, with a £4.50 fee per session.

 

Make sure you check the benefits table to see what is available for each membership option.
“Over 2,500 students and staff filled out the survey, so thank you so much for making your voices heard! We hope these changes will greatly enhance the student experience.” – Emily Window, Vice-President (Sports)

 

We have listened to your requests for a more varied membership offering, giving you the opportunity to get active the way you want. We hope you love the new membership options and look forward to seeing you at Kent Sport!

“I would absolutely encourage all new students to get involved in sport. Even if you’ve not really played sport before coming to campus, there are so many different ones available of varying levels of ability and seriousness. Engagement in sport has 100% been my fondest memory of being at University.” – Ieuan Gale, Scholar of the Year 2018/19

New options are also available to the University of Kent staff, alumni and the public. For more details about all membership options, benefits, and terms and conditions at Kent Sport, visit kent.ac.uk/sports/membership.

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

 

Cartoon speech bubbles with different languages for "hello" and "goodbye"

Brush up your language skills or learn British Sign Language

Kent staff are eligible for reduced fees on the eight ‘Language Express’ world language courses run by the Centre for English and World Languages.  You can choose from Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish at Canterbury, or French and Japanese at Medway.

The fees for staff are £269 for 40 hours of classes during the autumn and spring terms. Courses start in October and most classes take place in the evening.

As a member of staff, you can apply for 50% funding towards the course fees, whether or not the language studied is relevant to your role at the University. You may be awarded 100% funding if the language studied is directly linked to your current role.  Please apply for funding via Learning and Organisational Development

CEWL also offers Level One  and Level Two British Sign Language courses. The fees are £458 and £680.  Please note that the funding does not apply to these two courses.

Find out more and book your place on the CEWL website