As part of the Student Enterprise scheme, two teams of students will be representing Kent in the Universities Business Challenge.

The Universities Business Challenge is based around realistic business simulations developed by Learning Dynamics. The competition is designed to engage and develop students’ employability and enterprise skills so that they are given a headstart in their careers.

This unique opportunity enables students to improve knowledge of the business world, put theory into practice and develop team-working, leadership and employability skills by participating in a team-based competitive challenge. The competition is not just for Business Studies students and encourages participants across faculties and disciplines as its value in employability and enterprise skills development is recognised.

In addition to Business Studies, students from other faculties such as Information Technology, Sociology, Accounting, Law and a wide range of other faculties have gained a new understanding of the business world and developed their employability and enterprise skills.

Our 2014 student representatives are: Ashwin Kumar, 1st year Advanced Software Development; Andre Lewis, 3rd year Criminology and Sociology; Cheuk Yin Lee, 2nd year Business Administration; Tali Grozin, 1st year International Business; Ajith Karakkattillom Naray, 3rd year Classical & Archaeological Studies and History; Kamel Diab, 1st year Law; Lewis Tisdall, 1st year Business Administration with a Year in Industry; Sarah Jane Lowe, 2nd year Computing and Philosophy; Joey Chong, 2nd year Actuarial Science with a Year in Industry; and Antonis Charalamabous, 3rd year Computer Systems Engineering with a Year in Industry.

Besides the invaluable experience and prestige of progressing through the competition, there are also cash prizes for the first three teams: 1st £1000, 2nd £500 and 3rd £250. Plus Certificates of Participation are awarded to students as they progress through each round of the Challenge.

The two teams will be working closely with Student Enterprise Assistant Rachel Elcombe who is mentoring them during the first round of the competition – it’s a great way for our students to demonstrate a practical application of their entrepreneurial skills.

You can follow our students’ progress on Twitter @enterprise_kent to find out how they get on.

To find out more about Student Enterprise and how you can get involved visit our website or email studententerprise@kent.ac.uk.

The 60 minute takeover is a series of training sessions organised by societies and sports clubs at the Canterbury campus.

Sessions will take place from 3-5 November in the Student Media Centre from 10.00 until 16.00.

Not only is the takeover a great way to learn new skills and make yourself more employable but it’s also a great way to get involved in the extracurricular.

Check out Kent Union’s website for further details.

There will be a day trip to the beautiful city of Bruges, by coach and via Channel Tunnel, on Saturday 15 November.

Early start from Canterbury campus and you are free to do what you like once in Bruges.

The trip is offered by Chaplaincy in conjunction with the Student Services Wellbeing Calendar. All welcome (subject to visa requirements).

The cost is just £30 per seat. Find out more.

To book email chaplaincy@kent.ac.uk.

Photo credits
Author: Wolfgang Staudt
Licence: CC BY 2.0
Link: https://flic.kr/p/4SB3hZ
Source: Flickr

Professor Karla Pollmann will give her KIASH inaugural lecture, ‘Method and Madness in the Reception of Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-2014)’, on Thursday 13 November at 6pm in Grimond Lecture Theatre 1, Canterbury campus.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430), saint, bishop, intellectual and incredibly prolific writer in late Roman North Africa, can arguably be called the most influential early Christian writer in Latin. The impact of his rich and diverse thoughts is immense up to this very day.

Last year saw the conclusion of an interdisciplinary and international, collaborative project that had as its aim the mapping of facts, patterns, and characteristics of Augustine’s enduring presence from his death until the present. Noteworthy findings include Augustine’s enduring legacy far beyond the narrower confinements of theology, such as philosophy, political theory, education, psychology and art, and his surprising presence in popular culture.

The lecture, to be delivered on Augustine’s 1660th biological birthday, will give an overview of the project, present its most important original insights, and attempt to reflect on implications of the continuing presence of a ‘saint’ in a secularised society.

The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in the Grimond Foyer. All are welcome – full details can be found on the the School of European Culture and Languages webpages.

This year’s Employability Week takes place from 3-7 November, with over 100 companies on campus, and over 100 university-wide events, showcasing all the ways in which you can get experience and gain skills while studying at Kent.

View the full programme.

The programme includes the annual Careers Fair on Tuesday 4 November.

There will be visiting alumni, presentations and interactive workshops by graduate employers, skills sessions, competitions, fairs… and more!

To recognise exceptional achievements in research, and to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the University is launching a new Research Prizes scheme.

As well as recognising the most outstanding work in each Faculty, there will be specific prizes for excellent work undertaken by early career researchers and by doctoral students.

All the details are available on the Research Services website. You are encouraged to give some consideration to your own work, or that of colleagues who you feel have produced exceptional work recently, and whose outstanding achievements deserve to be recognised by the University and the wider community.

If you have any questions about the scheme, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Phil Ward in Research Services.

Want to learn a new skill? If so, try one of Kent Sport’s weekly coach-led sports sessions led by our team of friendly, qualified coaches.

Sessions are available at lunchtimes or evenings to fit around work or study and are a good excuse to get away from your desk and get active.

Contact a member of our reception team on (01227) 823623 today to register your place on these sessions.

Find out more on the Kent Sport webpages.

Dr David Hornsby from the Department of English Language & Linguistics was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland on 20 October.

He was speaking in response to the British Council’s recommendation that the most advantageous languages to learn for the future include Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish. David Hornsby argues that these are languages that will become more economically and politically influential in the future.

The programme can be heard on the BBC’s iPlayer. David Hornsby’s interview occurs 58 minutes into the programme; the full programme lasts approximately 90 minutes.

This year, the University of Kent is entering a team to compete in University Challenge, a competition for teams of university students broadcasted on the BBC, and we are looking for students who would be interested in taking part.

Drop in trials will take place on the Wednesday 29 October, 12.00 – 16.00 in Keynes Lecture Theatre 3, where you will be given a set of questions and 20 minutes to complete them.

If you are interested in taking part, or if you have any questions, please email Dean on sh708@kent.ac.uk or check out the Facebook event and click attend, so that we can get an idea of people wishing to attend.

For more information about University Challenge, or to see some questions from a previous show, to get a feel for those that will be asked at the trials, check out the BBC website.

This year the Fragile X Society organised a very special event to help to combat the lack of awareness of Fragile X Syndrome.

Around 35 volunteers, including families affected by Fragile X, descended upon King’s Cross Station in London to perform a specially-choreographed flash mob dance on a busy Friday evening.

Watch the video

Included in this group of volunteers was Becky Hardiman, a PhD student from the Tizard Centre at the University. Becky commented:

‘The event was such a positive way of raising awareness and so many people were asking questions about the condition. In my research I am focusing on Fragile X Syndrome, and I feel privileged to have been able to meet so many amazing families through this. At the beginning of my studies, I began volunteering with this fantastic charity and I am delighted that I will be starting work as Chief Executive part-time, alongside my PhD part-time, at the end of the month. The Tizard Centre have been very supportive in allowing me to develop my involvement and I look forward to helping to disseminate the Centre’s fantastic work to families.’

The flash mob was part of a wider awareness raising day on 10 October organised by the European Network of Fragile X Organisations.

You can also look on Twitter to see the #fragileXtraordinary campaign, which aimed to celebrate a group of amazing people who happen to have fragile X syndrome, and the ways that they face the challenges that may be associated with the condition. Hundreds of photos and stories were shared, with the hashtag reaching over half a million people.

What is Fragile X Syndrome?

‘Fragile X Syndrome? I’ve never heard of it!’ That is the response most of the fragile X community get when discussing their loved one’s disability, with public and professionals alike.

However, 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 8000 females have Fragile X Syndrome, which the most common inherited cause of learning disability and the most common known single gene cause of autism.

In addition to learning deficits, individuals with fragile X may have language delay, ADHD, clinical anxiety and in some cases epilepsy.

Surprisingly, 1 in 200 females and 1 in 400 males in the general population are carriers of the gene, meaning that future generations might have fragile X.

Carriers themselves may also experience problems with anxiety, early menopause, tremors and ataxia.

Receiving a diagnosis can be a life changing experience, particularly as fragile X is an inherited condition, meaning multiple members of the same family may be affected. Early diagnosis makes a huge difference but is not easy to come by as no one’s heard of it!