Congratulations to Robert (Bob) Green OBE, Reader in Forensic Science and Director of Student Engagement for the School of Physical Sciences, on his election as Vice President of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (CSOFS). Robert is a Fellow of the society and has previously served as Honorary Secretary and Acting Treasurer.

In his previous roles, he was instrumental in developing the student block membership scheme, resulting in a substantial increase of students joining the professional body. He  also sought to build membership and promote forensic science more widely through numerous visits to educational and other establishments.

The role of VP – a three-year term – focuses on setting and maintaining ethical and professional standards, and ensuring members maintain and uphold these standards. As a trustee of the professional body, Robert will chair the Membership and Ethics Committee, scrutinising and setting guidelines for membership applications, chairing the appeals committee and managing complaints and discipline issues.

Malcolm Dixon is Head of our Quality Assurance and Compliance Office but may soon be better known as an award-winning writer.

Malcolm’s first book, The Little House on Everywhere Street, was awarded the inaugural Acheven Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction. The prize includes a cash award and publication of the novel by Regal House Books in early 2022.

The Little House on Everywhere Street centres on a family who live in an unusual house, where they can step out into London, New York or Paris through different doors. Unknown to the three adventurous children at first, they can also travel in time – and so the adventures begin!

It may be Malcolm’s first published book but it’s not the first time he has seen his name in print. He has been writing for a number of years – since studying English at universities in Sunderland and Minnesota, US – and his short stories have featured in publications such as The London Magazine and Aesthetica.

Writing fiction alongside a full-time job has not been easy. Malcolm says: ‘I aim for around 1,500 words a week. I write mostly at weekends but then, in the week, I can often be found at lunchtime editing the novel on my phone in the Templeman Library – I missed it during lockdown!

‘When I came to write the first page of The Little House on Everywhere Street, I knew, with absolute certainty… this is exactly what I should be doing. Everything came together, the years of effort… I wanted the novel to be both well-written and as entertaining as I could make it. That the novel has been honoured by the award of this inaugural prize recognises that fact and means everything to me.’

How to get a copy

The Little House on Everywhere Street by F.M.A. Dixon will be published on 4 February 2022, but is available now for pre-order from Regal House Publishing, as well as Amazon UK, Blackwell’s and Waterstones. Leading UK sci-fi writer and critic, Adam Roberts, has hailed the novel as ‘a scrumptious time-travel adventure written with elegance and charm,’ and Malcolm hopes that this praise indicates his book will be well-received – and with good reason.

Two follow-on books have also been written, although whether or not we get a chance to read them may depend on how well the first one performs. ‘I’m truly grateful to everybody who has pre-ordered a copy,’ says Malcolm. ‘They’re helping me achieve a lifelong ambition, one that I hope can continue long into the coming years.’

Winner of the Unsung Heroes Award is Becky Verlin, Housekeeping Manager for Kent Hospitality.

Becky was nominated for her pivotal role in setting up and running a Covid-19 testing site on campus for our staff and students.

On receiving her award, Becky said: ‘It’s a team effort – there were lots of other people involved, including Colin Smith (from HR), the space management team and others. I am happy to take the award but what I am really proud about is that the ATS team stayed right the way through – they’re the real heroes.’

Becky’s nomination

Becky’s nomination notes that during 2020, universities were asked by the Department for Education to set up asymptomatic testing centres on their campuses for students and staff. In the face of this ‘challenging ask’ and without a clear roadmap, the University was able to set up and run a full testing site service for our staff and students, which has continued into the 2021/22 academic year.

Becky’s nomination notes that she was instrumental in the setting up of the site, training and support of staff and ongoing delivery of the testing facility. She is praised for delivering ‘a great service with skill, professionalism and good humour’ and it is noted that ‘the University owes her a debt of gratitude for her leadership of this project’.

The award also reflects that, while working on the new testing centre, Becky continued with her ‘day job’ as well as advocating for others as a staff representative on our Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC).

Read more about Becky, including her ATS site role, in her Kent People profile published earlier this year.

Winners of our Great Team award are staff who supported our students on campus during Covid. Team members include: Lucy Foley, Director of Student Services; Jacqui Double, Head of Colleges and Community Life (Student Services); Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services; Louisa Harvey, Senior Events Coordinator; Caroline Hames, Event Services Coordinator; Rachel Walmesley, Events Coordinator; Jan Williams, Events Coordinator; Alison Polden, Events Coordinator; and Sarah Tooze, Reception Services Coordinator (all from Kent Hospitality). Their nomination notes that staff from Student Services and members of the Isolation Team worked outside of their normal working hours, regularly working evening and weekend shifts on a rota basis, to ensure that students received all the support that they needed throughout the pandemic. On receiving the award, team member Jacqui Double said: ‘It’s recognition that it takes a big team of people to come together to make things happen for students – particularly to keep changing things as regulations change. It also shows that flexibility and kindness, as emphasised by Karen (Cox) in her welcome this evening, has been shown by the whole team.’ Award nomination The award nomination outlines the team’s support for international students, including daily support and guidance on travel restrictions, as well as booking accommodation for quarantining students and co-ordinating the delivery of daily food packages in conjunction with the catering team. For students who needed to self-isolate, the team provided invaluable support, co-ordinating the delivery of care packs, giving vital information, support and advice. They also co-ordinated student helpers – or when unavailable went themselves – to help with deliveries to isolating students such as medication, toothpaste, food deliveries and more. The nomination notes: ‘This outstanding compassion and support for our students has made a huge difference to our isolating students.’  And students were also appreciative: “The self-isolation team was great with the care packages and checking in, I cannot fault them.” During the University Winter and Spring Bank Holiday closure, a high number of students on campus were unable to return home – and the Isolation Team stepped in again working every day (except Christmas Day) to ensure students remaining on campus were supported. ‘This represented a huge sacrifice for both the team and their families who had been expecting to spend uninterrupted time together after what had been an incredibly challenging period.’ As restrictions eased in Spring 2021, the number of students self-isolating increased. Numbers peaked during Kent Summer Fest, with a record number of students needing to self-isolate ahead of their anticipated departure date causing ‘an extraordinary amount of work’. The Isolation Team were also on hand to support our Accommodation Office with administering two rent rebates in the Spring – ‘a colossal effort and, again, far outside the team’s normal remit.’ The nomination ends: ‘All of this was done in addition to the team’s usual work and represents an outstanding and sustained contribution to the University with far reaching impacts for our students and their families.’ Picture shows: Jacqui Double, Rachel Walmesley, Alison Polden, Louisa Harvey, Jan Williams and Caroline Hames.

Congratulations to all of the shortlisted nominees and our fantastic winners in the inaugural Kent Staff Recognition Awards! At last night’s Oscar-style ceremony, the top awards across four categories – Community Impact, Great Team, Supportive Colleague and Unsung Heroes – were presented by members of our Executive Group and Council. Welcoming everyone, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen Cox said: ‘I have been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of interest in these awards in such a short space of time. Thank you to everyone involved – it’s a huge mark of how well this university works as a unit and how much we want to say thank you to each other during what have been truly unprecedented times.’ She added that kindness had been a key attribute during the pandemic and was evident in each of the more than 250 nominations. Award-winners were:

Community Impact

Winner: The PPE response team in recognition of their work to design and manufacture CE marked PPE provided free of charge to care homes, hospices and hospitals in Kent. In the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic, the team of technicians across Divisions and colleagues in Knowledge Exchange & Innovation produced almost 5,000 face visors, specialist ophthalmic breath screens and over 20,000 face mask ear protectors to stringent safety standards. Often working evenings and weekends, the team were able to design a prototype, source materials and create the University’s first cross-departmental manufacturing centre in just two weeks. Donations followed from alumni and local businesses, as well as positive feedback – with, for example, the Pilgrims Hospice, Canterbury, hailing the “huge difference” it had made to both patients and staff. Team members include: Kevin Smith, Technical Manager; Colin Cresser, Technical Specialist; Julien Soosaipillai, Technical Specialist (all Arts & Humanities Division); Daniel Knox, IT & Technical Services Manager; Ryan Morrow, Technical Manager; Jon Foley, Technician; Antonio Mendoza, Technician; Keith Greenhow, Technical Specialist (Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences Division); Marcus Wright, Head of Business Development (IS); Paul Sinnock, Deputy Director (IS); Lucy Druesne, GOETEC Partnership Manager (IS); Carole Barron, Director of KEI; and Lauren Keating, Business & Industry Relationship Officer (KEI). Runners-up in the Community Impact category were: (2^nd) Vicky Annis, Sports Physiotherapist (Kent Sport) and (3^rd) Community Gardens: Adam Hancock, Security Officer (Estates); and Emily Mason, Environmental Sustainability Officer (Safety, Health and Environment Unit).

Great Team

Winner: The team of staff supporting our students on campus during Covid – comprising Lucy Foley, Jacqui Double and Laura Maclean and members of the Isolation Team. The award recognises that these staff went well beyond their remit to ensure students received the support they needed. This included guidance on latest travel restrictions and providing quarantine accommodation with daily food packages for international students; co-ordinating support and care for any students required to self-isolate and those unable to travel home over Christmas and the end of term. All of this took place on top of team members’ day jobs, resulting in ‘an outstanding and sustained contribution to the University with far reaching impacts for our students and their families’. Through Lucy and her amazing leadership, they acted as our key contact with the Local Health Protection Team and ensured our students were looked after. Our team’s response was always calm, considered and professional despite the changing and challenging environment in which they were working. Team members include: Lucy Foley, Director of Student Services; Jacqui Double, Head of Colleges (Student Services); Laura Maclean, Head of Accommodation and Customer Services; Louisa Harvey, Senior Events Coordinator; Caroline Hames, Event Services Coordinator; Rachel Walmesley, Events Coordinator; Jan Williams, Events Coordinator; Alison Polden, Events Coordinator; and Sarah Tooze, Reception Services Coordinator (all from Kent Hospitality). Runners-up: (2^nd) Asymptomatic Testing Site Team comprising Charlie Dast, Sports Development Officer (Kent Sport); James Collett, Food & Beverage Assistant (Kent Hospitality); Becky Verlin (Head of Housekeeping); Thomas Tegento, Cleaner (Kent Hospitality Housekeeping); Luis Howell, Student Ambassador (Outreach Ambassadors); Rebecca Sharpe, Bar/Bistro Assistant (Gulbenkian Café); Ryan Tilley, Holly Porton, Orla Dean Odey, Thomas Lennox Robb, and Kemi Abidekun, Test Support Assistants (all Commercial Services). (3^rd) University of Kent eLearning Team comprising Daniel Clark, E-Learning Manager; Phil Anthony, Faculty Learning Technologist; Steve Ganfield, Faculty Learning Technologist; Nick Cornwall-French, Faculty Learning Technologist; Tom Finley, Distance Learning Technologist; Mark O’Connor, Distance Learning Technologist (all e-Learning Team); Dan Bartlett, PHP Developer; and James Keavney, PHP Developer (Learning and Research Development).

Supportive Colleague

Winner: Paul Sales, IT Trainer, Student Operations. Paul has played a key training role in the roll-out of KentVision, our new student data system. He has been praised for his ‘huge support to divisional and PSD colleagues trying to find their way with the new system and way of working. His nomination also notes that his KentVision expertise and university business process knowledge has been invaluable for collating feedback and working with users and the KentVision team together to find ways forward. The nomination concludes: ‘Paul has seemingly endless patience, is incredibly knowledgeable, always ready to help, offer advice or just his ear for a rant’. Runners-up: (joint 2nd) Jan Moriarty, Student Success Project (EDI) Manager (Student Success) and Philippa Moreton-Howell, Student Support Officer, Education & Student Experience (Arts and Humanities Division); (3^rd) Heather Ferguson, Divisional Director of Research & Innovation (Human and Social Sciences Division).

Unsung Heroes

Winner: Becky Verlin, Housekeeping Manager, Kent Hospitality. During 2020, universities were asked by the Department for Education to set up asymptomatic testing centres on their campuses for students and staff. Despite the absence of a clear roadmap, the University was able to respond, set up and run a full testing site service for our staff and students and continue to do so during the 2021/22 academic year. Becky’s nomination notes that she was instrumental in the setting up of the site, the training and support of staff and ongoing delivery of this service. She is praised for delivering ‘a great service with skill, professionalism and good humour’ and it is noted that ‘the University owes her a debt of gratitude for her leadership of this project’. The award also reflects that, while working on the new testing centre, Becky continued with her ‘day job’ as well as advocating for others as a staff representative on our Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC) Runners-up: (2^nd) Charlotte Ransom, Education ＆ Student Experience Manager (Human and Social Sciences Division) and (3^rd) Iris Prieto, Domestic Assistant (Kent Hospitality).

Other awards

The awards ceremony was attended by over 100 staff and compered by Olly Double, Reader in Drama and Theatre at Kent. As well as the main awards presentations, the audience voted on an award for the Most Humorous Moment which went to a mystery piano player during one of the Covid-19 webchats. A special Services Rendered to the Nation award was presented to the Marsh family singers – including Dr Ben Marsh in the School of History and Danielle Marsh in KBS – who performed a popular rendition of their version of One Day More. A number of long-serving staff were also presented with their 25 Year Service Awards, before the evening ended in style with a student cabaret, featuring Harry Negus-Ross, Daniel Lambert, Hannah Etheridge, Harvey Pinder, Ellie Panoula, Roy Clarke and Ruby Sullivan.

Find out more

See some of the best moments from the awards ceremony in our highlights video on YouTube.

To  access the official photos of the staff awards ceremony visit National Expressions Photography and enter the password: kentawards2021

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to work at our October Open Days. We had a great turnout and it was so useful having extra helping hands to meet, greet, direct, register and talk to students and their families.

Our next Open Day will be on Saturday 20 November, from 10.00 – 14.00 and we need your support! Staff up to Grade 6 will be able to claim either TOIL (time for time) or the standard overtime rate.

It’s a great chance to work with people across the directorate and see the campus in action with giant LED screens, roving reporters and lots of activities to show visitors what we have to offer. Staff will be needed from 09.30 – 14.30. More details about exact arrangements and your role will be sent out before the day. Any questions, just let us know!

Please email schoolsliaison@kent.ac.uk if you are able to help.

Thanks in advance!

Events & Student Recruitment Team

Dr Gary Robinson, Senior Lecturer in Microbial Technology in the School of Biosciences, is in the frame for this year’s Scottish Portrait Awards.

Gary is the subject of a shortlisted portrait, by his artist brother Keith Robinson, for the Awards, which will be announced on Wednesday 17 November.

The portrait of Gary is titled ‘My brother the microbiologist and his microbiota’ and reflects Keith’s interest in the interface between science and art developed over many years with Gary and colleagues within the School of Biosciences. Keith has previously worked on various SciArt projects with Professor Darren Griffin (some of the resulting works are on show in the Senate Building) and Professor Mark Smales (works on display on the 4^th floor of the Ingram Building).

Gary is relatively humble about being the focus of a major piece of art: ‘As far as I’m concerned, it was to support what my brother wanted to do and an extension of the many discussions we’ve had and continue to have about art and science. I applaud his skill as a portrait artist and I’m just proud and really pleased for him.’

Gary is hoping to join his brother, and see his portrait on display, at the awards ceremony at at the Scottish Arts Club, Edinburgh on the 17^th. You can see Gary’s portrait and other shortlisted entries on the Scottish Portrait Awards website.

The Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee (JSNCC) is the main forum for consultation between the University of Kent and its staff on matters of mutual interest. Staff membership of the committee comprises representatives of each of the trade unions and four representatives of non-union staff: two from the professional services and research support staff in grades 1 to 6; and two from the academic, research and professional services staff in grades 7 and above.

One of the current representatives, Becky Verlin, will be stepping down from this role at the end of her extended term, and so nominations are now invited for one position to represent staff grades 1-6. Staff members working within Grades 1-6 are encouraged to put themselves forward for this exciting and rewarding opportunity.

Nominations can be made by following the instructions in the staff nomination email which was sent on 1 November 2021. All nominations must be proposed and seconded by two other staff members and nominees must confirm that they agree to be nominated. The deadline for completed nomination forms being submitted is 17:00 on Monday 15 November 2021.

Why join the JSNCC?

Acting as a staff representative is interesting and rewarding. It provides the opportunity to discuss and comment on University plans and policies, to meet a wide range of new people and to gain valuable personal development. Training and support will be provided to the successful candidates.

Further information about the JSNCC and the nomination and election processes can be found on the JSNCC website or by contacting Colin Smith in the employee relations team via c.smith-832@kent.ac.uk

Would you like to get involved in our Christmas shoebox appeal to help vulnerable communities across Eastern Europe?

Our Careers and Employability Services (CES) are hosting a wrapping and filling session for students on Monday 15 November – and they need your help with donations of essential items such as:

• toothbrushes
• soap
• small toys
• hats/gloves
• hairbrushes
• deodorant
• stationery
• other new and non-perishable goods.

Please bring any items or, if you wish to make your own, any filled and wrapped shoeboxes to the CES reception before 15 November.

Many thanks for your support with this. To find out more, email the CES team at careerhelp@kent.ac.uk.