Author Archives: Angie Valinoti

Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic now offers Reflexology!

Great news! We now offer Reflexology at Kent Sport Physiotherapy Clinic on a Monday evening!

What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is non-invasive, complementary therapy and is a thousand-year-old practice that focuses on massaging the acupressure points in the feet or hands to relieve stress, illness, pain and stimulate mental, emotional, physical healing and well-being in all the body systems. It builds stress resistance and rejuvenates by stimulating meridians, circulation and the nerve systems by flushing and detoxing.

How does Reflexology work?

Each area of the foot, hand, eye, face and ear connects via nerves and electromagnetic energy (chi) channels (“meridians”) to a particular body organ and system. By massaging that area, it stimulates and flushes that area.

The benefits of Reflexology?

Stress relief
Relaxation
Hormone balance
Depression
Anxiety
Insomnia
Balance immune system
Lower blood pressure
Support digestive system
Respiratory disorders (asthma)
Sinusitis
Menopause

For more information or to book in, please call us on 01227 824375 or contact physio@kent.ac.uk.

Tom Baldwin awarded Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Dr Tom Baldwin, Reader in French in the Department of Modern Languages, has been awarded a Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship to bring Professor Suzanne Guerlac, Professor of French at the University of California, Berkeley, to Kent during the autumn term 2020.

Professor Guerlac’s research focuses on articulations between nineteenth- and twentieth-century French literature and visual culture, and on European literary theory and philosophy from the eighteenth century onwards. Her publications include the monographs The Impersonal Sublime: Hugo, Baudelaire, Lautréamont and the Esthetics of the Sublime (Stanford University Press, 1990); Literary Polemics: Bataille, Sartre, Valéry, Breton (Stanford University Press, 1997); Thinking in Time: An Introduction to Henri Bergson (Cornell University Press, 2006); and a co-edited volume, Derrida and the Time of the Political (Duke University Press, 2009). She has also recently completed a monograph entitled Proust and the Time of Life: Photography, Money and Desire in ‘À la recherche du temps perdu’ (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Professor Guerlac’s visit will be hosted by the Centre for Modern European Literature (CMEL). She will work with academic staff and students affiliated with CMEL and with other research centres and Schools at the University to share the knowledge and expertise developed through her interdisciplinary research projects. Her visit will include lectures and research seminars at both Kent and other UK universities, as well as workshops in undergraduate and MA seminars related to her expertise.

Templeman Library: 2020 Civic Trust Awards Regional Finalist!

The Templeman Library has been selected as a 2020 Civic Trust Awards Regional Finalist!

The Templeman Library has been coined the heart of the Canterbury Campus. Sitting in the middle of campus, with some of the best views across the city, it’s a hub for finding books and resources and studying alike.

The extension and refurbishment project was a challenge undertaken by Information Services and architects at Penoyre & Prasad which aimed to transform the library into a 21st century flagship learning environment by refurbishing the existing building, as well as extending to allow room for even more resources, study spaces and other learning facilities. To add a new lecture theatre, seminar rooms, exhibition space, archive area, conference facilities, more study space and new café, a huge 5,400m² extension was constructed. The building also got a new welcome hall, plus upgraded windows and façade.

The Civic Trust Awards aims to encourage the very best in architecture and environmental design, to improve the built environment for us all through design, sustainability, inclusiveness and accessibility, but also to reward projects that offer a positive cultural, social, economic or environmental benefit to their local communities.

Our project will now be considered for a National Award or Commendation by the National Judging Panel. Wish us luck!

Target the Gap: Student Sucess Staff Symposium

The Student Success (EDI) Project are delighted to present a special one-day Staff Symposium, in which we look at the ‘what, why and how’ of addressing the Black and Minority Ethnic student attainment gap at the University of Kent. Delegates will hear:

‘Why‘ we need to address attainment gaps, and potential consequences for the University of Kent if we don’t

‘How’ Student Success interventions are supporting students and impacting attainment gaps in Student Success Project Schools

‘What’ the University of Kent and your school needs to do to reduce attainment gaps, and ‘when’ you should take action

Who should attend? All University of Kent staff – we can ALL do something to reduce attainment gaps.

Event booking information:

Delegates may attend either the morning or afternoon sessions, or both.

A buffet lunch and poster exhibition will provide networking opportunities, with Student Success Project School staff on hand to discuss interventions in their respective schools, highlighting ‘what is working’ but also what challenges they have faced.

Full event details, Symposium programme and ticket reservations are available on Eventbrite via this link: Student Success Project: Staff Symposium tickets

Event organiser: Chris Laming – Student Success project Administrator

Contact: studentsuccessproject@kent.ac.uk

Lessons from Roman Floral Design workshop

Dr Patty Baker, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, has received funding from the Institute of Classical Studies to hold two public outreach events in early 2020. She will work with local floral designers, flower growers, and the Canterbury Flower Club leading workshops that focus on how Roman floral designs and gardening can assist in promoting sustainable floristry today.

This workshop brings together two strands of Patty’s work experience. First, her research focuses on Greco-Roman medicine, health, and wellbeing. Recent publications explore the sensory experiences the Romans had in their gardens along with their conceptions of ‘pure air’ that they believed contributed to their humoral balance that informed their mental and physical health. Through her research, she found that flower crowns, like gardens, were believed to have balancing properties. Second, she had a summer and holiday job when she was an undergraduate working as a florist, so knows the business and how to arrange flowers.

The global nature of the floristry business makes it environmentally unsustainable. There is a movement to grow and buy local, seasonal flowers, as well as to avoid the use of non-biodegradable floral sundries. By introducing historical methods of design to those who work in the field, Patty is hoping to contribute to this growing environmental movement.

Modern Languages ‘Books and film screenings’ event

The Department of Modern Languages recently held the first of their regular ‘Books and film screenings’ events, on Tuesday 29 October.

The aim of this club is to put the fun back into talking about art, culture and ideas, and to provide students with an inclusive and multidisciplinary environment in which to watch, read and discuss a selection of books and films that aren’t part of the academic curriculum. The first event, a screening and wide-ranging discussion (accompanied by pizza and drinks) of Cédric Klapisch’s 2002 film Pot Luck (L’Auberge espagnole), was attended by students from a variety subjects within the School of European Culture and Languages.

The next meeting is planned for Tuesday 25 November at 6pm. Book/film recommendations welcome! Please note that all books/films you recommend must be either in English or readily available in English translation/with English subtitles.

For further information about the club, please contact Tom Baldwin (t.baldwin@kent.ac.uk) or Mathilde Poizat-Amar (M.Poizat-Amar@kent.ac.uk).

Kent Sport’s Design Our Space competition winner

At the end of the academic year 2018/19, Kent Sport revamped a squash court turning it into a multi-use sports facility perfect for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Cheerleading and beyond. After all the new equipment was laid out, there was something that was missing – inspiration.

Collaborating with Creative Campus, Kent Sport put on a competition to all budding artists to ‘Design Our Space’. The brief was straight forward – submit something that will inspire others. It was a challenge that was met. We are pleased to announce our winner: Billy Radford. Billy ran with the idea to create a space that not only inspires, but provides the perfect landscape for motivation.

“The Design Our Space competition was the perfect opportunity to bring some vibrancy, life and colour to a previously unloved corner of The Sports Centre. The space is now bright, fresh and bold and it is my hope that the sportsmen and women who will be using the space, enjoy their new surroundings,” said Billy, Sports Development Officer at the University of Kent.

“It was quite the feat to find the right balance between art and sport. I believe Billy did a great job to help us transform this space into the fantastic training arena for Kent Sport members. We hope that this area will help pave the way for athletes to develop the skills to help them achieve their goals,” said Christopher Monteiro-Sharratt, Head of Operations at Kent Sport.

Kent Sport continues to provide excellent facilities for its members and recently undertook upgrading the Hall 2 balcony to be more purpose built for those wanting to expand their skills in and out of the boxing ring.

Interested in training in our facility? Become a Kent Sport member now and check out all that we offer.

For Kent Sport news, events and special offers, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @UniKentSports.

Sustainability in the curriculum: NUS Responsible Futures scheme

The University and Kent Union, in partnership, are participating in the Responsible Futures scheme – an NUS framework to facilitate institution change in embedding sustainability throughout all parts of the student learning experience. Responsible Futures acts on the Vice-Chancellor’s commitment to ‘Embed Sustainability through building the UN Sustainable Development Goals into our research, education, leadership, operations, administration and engagement.’

The world our graduates will be working in is vastly different from that of a generation ago and they will face a spectrum of social, economic and environmental global challenges when entering the workplace and wider society. Kent graduates need to be ‘global citizens’ equipped to tackle these challenges and inequalities.

Responsible Futures looks to ensure every student – from architecture to business, and chemistry to digital arts – is prepared with the knowledge and understanding of sustainability, and possess the sustainability skills and attributes, and the desire and willingness to deal with these issues.

Institutions promoting sustainability skills are much more likely to produce employable graduates according to the Global University Employability Ranking (EAUC, 2018).

NUS surveys have also found that students want education in sustainable development and to gain sustainability skills (NUS, 2018). According to 2017/18 survey: 76% of HE students agree that “universities and colleges should be obliged to develop students’ social and environmental skills as part of the courses they offer”

The University of Kent and Kent Union partnership will coordinating work on embedding sustainability into the formal and informal curriculum and will be seeking to engage with academic staff and students across the organisation.

If you are interested in getting involved, exploring how you can embed sustainability into your or your school’s teaching, or for more information, please contact: sustainability@kent.ac.uk or visit www.kent.ac.uk/estates/sustainability/esd/index.html

Sophia Labadi discusses Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development

Professor Sophia Labadi, Professor of Cultural Heritage in the Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies, led discussions on a Policy Guidance on Cultural Heritage for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), a project by ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites), the largest NGO on heritage.

The role of culture and heritage’s contributions to all the SDGs need improvements in communication, alignment, coordination and advocacy with the broader sustainable development field, and the Policy Guidance aims to fill this gap by detailing how heritage can fulfil the SDGs. This meeting took place during ICOMOS Advisory Committee and General Assembly, held in Marrakesh, Morocco on 19 October and was attended by experts from all over the world. At this meeting, Professor Labadi presented an example of what the policy could look like and collected comments to develop further the document.

Professor Labadi stresses that “this endeavour is necessary to ensure that heritage can occupy a more prominent space in the international debate on sustainable development”.

PhD student Adam James at the Wellcome Collection

Work by PhD student Adam James will be featuring at the Wellcome Collection in London from Thursday 24 October 2019, as part of an exhibition entitled ‘Play Well’.

Why do we play? How important is it for all of us, young or old? What does it mean to play well?

Play Well will explore how play transforms both childhood and society. Using toys, games, artworks and design, this exhibition will investigate how we played as children and how we play now we’re grown up: developing social bonds, emotional resilience and physical wellbeing. By featuring video games, playing blocks, comic strips and images of people at play everywhere from playgrounds to refugee camps.

Adam has been commissioned to devise a play space for visitors to consider the impact of play in their lives. The space was put together with advice and help from the School of Arts’ workshop.

Adam’s PhD project is titled ‘Emancipatory Play: Larp Based Performance and the Redistribution of Power’, supervised by Dr Michael Newall and Dr Shona Illingworth.

The exhibition is free and runs until 8 March 2020. For more details, please see the page here.