Pointing at a laptop screen

Please help us improve access to online library resources

Can you spare an hour and help us improve the way we make library resources available to you?

We are trying to understand how you find and access material through LibrarySearch, the library website, and other websites and systems and how we can make it easier for you.

We are looking for undergraduates, taught postgraduates, research postgraduates and academic staff to take part in either:

  • a 1-hour workshop, or
  • a 45-minute interview.

Workshops

The workshop for undergraduates and taught postgraduates takes place on:

Wednesday 5 June, 14:00-15:00 in the Templeman Library.

We’ll schedule the workshop for research postgraduates and academics in June/July.

Interviews

We can arrange interviews at a time to suit you. They will take place in the Templeman Library.

What’s in it for you?

If you take part, you’ll help us improve the way we make online library resources available online to yourself and other students and staff.

If you’re a student (UG, PGT or PGR) you’ll also be able to choose between 10 Employability Points or a £10 Amazon voucher, as a thank you for your time.

Get in touch

If you can help, please email Jennie-Claire Crate: J.Crate@kent.ac.uk

In your email, please tell us:

  • your status (UG, PGT, PGR or staff)
  • if you would prefer the workshop or an interview
Lucy O’Meara

Lucy O’Meara wins Society for French Studies Research Fellowship

Dr Lucy O’Meara, Senior Lecturer in French in the Department of Modern Languages and Acting Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Humanities, has won the Society for French Studies 2019 Prize Research Fellowship.

The Fellowship is open to early and mid-career academics in all areas of French Studies, and provides funding for a period of research leave in the 2019-20 academic year.

Lucy’s project is entitled: ‘Interrogating the Encyclopaedia in European Fiction and Autobiography 1870-2020’. She describes it as “a comparative literary project examining the attitudes of French, German and British authors towards the encyclopaedic organisation of knowledge in European novels and autobiography from the 1870s to the present. I’ll be analysing mainstream and experimental fiction and a range of types of memoir. The prize entitles me to research leave from January to June 2020 and I’m really looking forward to taking up the fellowship.”

Students studying

New webpage for mature students

Recruiting and retaining mature students at Kent has become increasingly important in recent years so a new Kent web page, aimed at prospective and current mature students, has recently been launched.

Designed as a ‘one stop shop’ focused on the needs of mature learners, it contains information on applying, finance, support and how to gain the necessary entry qualifications by linking people to the University’s Access to HE Diploma Programme.

Demand for the page was identified by staff in the Access and Adult Learning unit of the Partnership Development Office who work with adult students on a daily basis. FE Development Officer, Ruth Westbury said, ‘The adult students that I work with in our local colleges all tend to have the same questions. They want to know if they can afford to go to university and how they can get in. We wanted to be able to direct them to one page on our website that would answer their questions.’

Kent students, including Ben Dawkins who runs the Mature Student Society for Kent Union, were involved in the design which includes videos of current mature students explaining their experiences at Kent.

You can find the page here. For more information about adult learning or the Access to HE Diploma programme contact Donna Coyte, d.l.coyte@kent.ac.uk

Runners

Summer membership is back! Half price offer coming this June

The sun is shining, the sea is calling your name – summertime is here!

Kent Sport wants to help you get more active with our popular 50% off summer membership offer, giving you the chance to experience Gold membership at Kent Sport for one-month at a time.

The summer membership offer provides unlimited access to modern sports facilities including the fitness suite, squash courts, outdoor facilities and entry to all fitness and dance classes. If you’re looking to get out in the sunshine, then Gold members can hire a range of high-quality bikes for free through the Kent Sport Cycle Hub. Or simply brush up on your tennis skills with our outdoor grass tennis courts.

Prices for 2019:

  • New for this year: the incredible staff rate of just £13 per month. That’s only 80p per day!
  • Juniors* (anyone in full-time education or 16 to 18 years old) pay just £29.
  • And those outside of the University get an all-access Gold membership for £37.

Summer membership is available for purchase from 1 June to 1 September 2019 inclusive and are for use for one month from purchase date. To purchase your membership, visit the Sports Centre or Pavilion receptions. For further details and terms and conditions, please visit kent.ac.uk/sports/membership. You can view the Kent Sport facility opening hours here.

*To apply for the junior rate please bring with you proof of full-time education (student card, etc.)

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

ReCapture Graduate Research Photography Competition

You are invited you to attend the final showcase and awards ceremony of the ReCapture Graduate Research Photography competition, which is supported by the Graduate School Postgraduate Community Experience Award.

The event will take place on Monday 17th June in Pilkington Lecture Theatre (PK011) on the historic Medway campus. It is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the fantastic work undertaken at our University and to network with students, researchers and keen members of the public.

The event will begin with a morning exhibition, which will display the artwork of all finalists and will be open to anyone interested. This session will be followed by the awards ceremony at 14.00, which will include refreshments and will be ticketed event. If you wish to attend the awards ceremony, please complete the form available here. Please note that the number of tickets is limited, therefore ensure you book your place as soon as possible.

An e-voting page has been launched which enables you to view all images and vote online. Any votes received through this system will count towards the total public vote, and in turn, towards the final vote. Please feel free to share this link with your students and colleagues encouraging them to vote for the best!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MDRK2MQ

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with Vilius at vs261@kent.ac.uk.

Using a laptop and reading a book

Win an iPad (RRP £399) by taking part in online research

Are you a male student at the University of Kent and aged over 18? Do you have 25 minutes spare? If so, please take our short online study and enter a prize draw to win an iPad Mini 4 (RRP £399).

A student in the School of Psychology is currently seeking participants to take part in a 25-minute online study that assesses the psychological and behavioural characteristics of male students at the University of Kent. The study forms the first part of their PhD and is funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC).

Students who take part in the study will be asked to complete thirteen well-known and validated psychological measures – some are short (less than five items) whilst others are slightly longer. All are routinely used in research and clinical practice.

Participation in this study is completely anonymous (unless you choose to withdraw). This means that the researcher will not be able to identify you from your answers, so please respond truthfully. Moreover, under no circumstances will any of the responses you give be passed onto any internal or external authorities, including public protection agencies (e.g., the Police).

In exchange for completing the study in full, participants can enter themselves in a prize draw to win an iPad Mini 4 (RRP £399). Students within the School of Psychology who access the study from their RPS account can also get 1 RPS credit. For the latter, the study title is “The Psychological & Behavioural Characteristics of Male Students”.

To access the study, enter this address into your browser: https://bit.ly/forensic_psychology 

Many thanks to those who take part. Please share this call with any relevant parties.

 

Photo of James Newton

James Newton publishes on anarchist cinema

Dr James Newton, Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, has new published a new book The Anarchist Cinema (Intellect Books, 2019).

This book examines the complex relationships that exist between anarchist theory and film. No longer hidden in obscure corners of cinematic culture, anarchy is a theme that has traversed arthouse, underground and popular film.

In the book, James explores the notion that cinema is an inherently subversive space, establishes criteria for deeming a film anarchic, and examines the place of underground and DIY filmmaking within the wider context of the category. He identifies subversive undercurrents in cinema and uses anarchist political theory as an interpretive framework to analyse filmmakers, genres, and the notion of cinema as an anarchic space.

For more details, please see the publisher’s page here.

Photo of James Newton

New podcast series: Newton Talks

Dr James Newton, Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, has just launched a new podcast series, Newton Talks.

In the series, James discusses topics (mostly) related to cinema, television, and culture. His guests will be from the world of academia, as well as filmmakers and other artists, and each podcast will take the form of an unscripted discussion.

Two instalments have been released to launch the series. In the first episode James chats to Dr Nigel Mather about his upcoming book on British comedy drama since the turn of the century, and also discuss Stephen Merchant’s new film, Fighting with My Family (2019).

In the second episode, James talks with Dr Chris Deacy in the Department of Religious Studies about his research on religion and film – touching on cinema-going as a quasi-religious practice, redemption in film, and movies about Jesus such as Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004). Chris also discusses how films such as The Exorcist (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976) might tell us something about people’s engagement with religion or theology.

James has also contributed to a forthcoming edition of Chris’s Nostalgia podcast series (yet to be released).

To find out more, and to access the episodes, please see the page here.

Mechanical Engineering course launched by EDA

EDA launches Mechanical Engineering courses as part of STEM expansion

The University of Kent is proud to promote its undergraduate course in Mechanical Engineering  (available to apply for via the UCAS website), which marks a major development for the University as it broadens its offerings to students.

Two streams of Mechanical Engineering are offered: a three-year stream and a four-year stream that includes a year in industry. The course has been designed in response to the growing demand in the UK workforce for graduates with STEM skills such as robotics, driverless vehicles and renewable energy systems.

The course provides a solid grounding in statics and dynamics, properties of materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, mechatronics, control, instrumentation, mathematics, electronics, and programming. Students also work on a variety of hands-on projects combining mechanical design and control systems, supervised by specialist academics.

There is a focus on employability and career development activities offered across all the engineering degree programmes at Kent, including industrial interaction and placement opportunities.

The course is part of a wider focus within the University to expand its STEM offerings, including the Kent and Medway Medical School and the Institute for Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, as in line with the growing demand for STEM skills. It is open to applicants now, with the first cohort beginning their studies in September 2020.