SMFA’s Dr Ruth Herbert to give guest lecture at Humboldt University

Dr Ruth Herbert, Lecturer in Music Performance in the School of Music and Fine Art, has been invited to give a guest lecture at Humboldt University, Berlin as part of The KOSMOS Workshop Mind Wandering and Visual Mental Imagery in Music from 16-19th May. Ruth is one of several invited from international experts in the field of mind, music and consciousness.

Funding from Humboldt University will allow MA music student Andrea Hepworth, who has an interest in music psychology, to accompany Ruth and participate in the conference.

Ruth’s guest lecture, Everyday Musical Daydreams and Kinds of Consciousness, will feature both music we actually hear plus music that pops into our heads – including so-called ‘earworms’.

A music psychologist and performer, Ruth has diverse research interests in the fields of music in everyday life, music, health and wellbeing, music and consciousness (including ASC and Trance), sonic studies and music education. Further research interests include performance psychology, evolutionary psychology and ethology. She has published extensively on aspects of music teaching and education and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Sonic Studies, Musicae Scientiae and the Global Listening Centre. She is also a member of the Music Education Expo and Musical Theatre and Drama Education Advisory Committee, the NYJC/IoE Jazz and Gender Forum, and (latterly) the Musical Progressions Roundtable.

More info on Ruth here: http://www.kent.ac.uk/smfa/staff/staff-profiles/musicandaudio/Herbert.html

Examination and Assessment Check

The Examination and Assessment Check for 2018 exams is now open

Please check your details are correct for the 2018 exam period and ensure you are:

Registered for the correct modules
Assessed as expected (ie coursework and/or exam)

To do this log on to SDS, select Registration

Then select Examination and Assessment Check and check through your details.

You will then need to confirm if your modules are correct.

If there is a problem you will be taken to a new screen, please let us know what the issues are by submitting your changes.

If you have any questions please contact us exams@kent.ac.uk.

Visit the exams webpage.

Dr Chao Gu and co-authors from EDA win CST University Publication Award 2017

A paper composed by academics from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA) has been selected to receive the CST University Publication Award 2017.

The paper, entitled “Dual-Band Electronically Beam-Switched Antenna Using Slot Active Frequency Selective Surface“, was co-authored by Dr Chao Gu, Dr Benito Sanz Izquierdo, Professor Steven Gao, Professor John Batchelor and Professor Ted Parker from EDA together with collaborators from China and was published in IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION in March 2017.

A total of four papers worldwide were selected to receive this prestigious award from CST, Germany. This achievement demonstrates that the high-quality research work on smart antennas being produced in the School of Engineering and Digital Arts has been recognised internationally. Congratulations to Chao, Benito, Steven, John and Ted. The CST University Announcement can be located here.

Student Success Inspirational Speaker – Professor Karen Cox

The next inspirational speaker event is here and we are very pleased to confirm that Prof Karen Cox, University of Kent Vice-chancellor and president, will be delivering a talk “From Pudsey to Professor: How Education Transforms Life” as part of the Student Success Project Inspirational Speaker programme, Tuesday 13 February 2018, 18.00, Grimond Building.

Come and hear how education changed the life of Professor Karen Cox; how education took her from Pudsey to Professor. This is an event not to be missed. Staff and students are warmly invited to hear about Karen’s unique journey to such a senior position in our institution.

Date: Tuesday 13 Feb 2018
Time: 18:15
Where: Grimond Building

This event is free and open to all. For more information on the talk and how to book please visit our EventBrite page.

Refreshments and networking will take place after the event in Grimond Foyer. Feel free to circulate this invitation as widely as possible.

Muster Station at Tate Modern

SMFA Fine Art students are part of the new artists’ collective Muster Station, created in response to the University of Kent’s planned closure of the School of Music and Fine Art.

As Muster Station, they have been invited by Whitstable Biennale to take part in the 2018 Tate Modern Exchange projects, at the Tate Modern in London, with a theme “Production”.

It takes place on 3-4 February, and will involve SMFA alumni, students and some MA’s and BA’s as well as staff, and is open to the public throughout.

Through a programme of workshops, talks, interactions and interventions Muster Station will explore the means by which artists produce in response to constantly shifting conditions of space, time, audience and the ebb and flow of economic and political support.

For more information, please see our webpage.

Global Hangouts – Celebrating Love

International Partnerships is hosting the next Global Hangout of the series on Wednesday the 7 February between 17.00-19.00.

The event will be themed ‘Celebrating Love’ in the lead up to Valentine’s Day on the 14 February. All Canterbury students are welcome to attend and we are inviting everyone to book their places online now by following this link. Places are limited and tend to go quickly – so please get booking asap!

Global Hangouts is a series of free global networking events arranged throughout the academic year. With a fun and relaxed atmosphere, the hangouts include interactive activities, refreshments and live music and performances. If students or staff wish to find out more information, they can visit our webpage.

Managing the HE learning environment

Colleagues are invited to attend this discursive session of the ‘New Approaches to Teaching for Experienced Staff at Kent’ series taking place on Thursday 22 February 2018, 12.55-14.00 in the UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury.

‘Managing the HE learning environment’ presented by Dr Jennifer Leigh and Dr Tom Parkinson, Lecturers in Higher Education and Academic Practice, Centre for the Study of Higher Education.

This discursive session focuses on challenges relating to managing the learning environment. While many such challenges are familiar to teachers across the university, others are specific to disciplinary, geographical or other contexts. Time is therefore devoted to sharing, exploring and reflecting upon our personal experiences, identifying commonalities and differences. In the second half of the session we move towards identifying solutions and strategies for surmounting these challenges.

Please note this is a repeat of the successful session run at Medway earlier this term.

To book a place please email cpdbookings@kent.ac.uk

Tamara Rathcke collaborates in Russian–English language research

Dr Tamara Rathcke, Lecturer in the Department of English Language & Linguistics, is to act as an external cooperation partner on a project entitled ‘Intonation and Word Order in Majority English and Heritage Russian across Speaker Populations’, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council). This research will be conducted at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

The project, led by Professor Sabine Zerbian as Primary Investigator, will look at the two languages of heritage speakers and compare them to monolingual native speakers, adopting a new approach in research on intonation in heritage languages. Tamara will contribute expertise and skills concerning understanding and analysis of Russian intonation and prosody, and will contribute to the modelling of empirical observations.

For full details of the project, please see the webpage.

Kent Sport dates for the diary

Kent Sport will be hosting some pretty incredible events over the next few months, so be sure to put the following dates in your diary. You can also check the online events calendar to see what’s coming up.

Friday 26 January – Xercise Factor application deadline. Make long-lasting changes to your lifestyle through Kent Sport’s Xercise Factor programme through an overhaul of exercise and lifestyle habits over six weeks. Complete your application form now.
Saturday 24 February – UV touchtennis. After a popular term one event, UV touchtennis is back on the programme for term two. Experience a mini version of the game suitable for all levels, but in UV! Book by emailing letsplay@kent.ac.uk.
Sunday 25 February – UV sports night. Enjoy glow in the dark sports and fitness classes, including an awesome roller disco! Book by emailing letsplay@kent.ac.uk.
Monday 26 February – FitnessFest. Join the Kent Sport fitness team for an evening of masterclasses you won’t forget! Check out the events calendar for more details.
Friday 2 March – Canterbury Fire and Ice walk in aid of Pilgrims Hospices. A real mental and physical challenge. Brave the fires (and/or glass) for charity. Don’t forget to bring friends and family for support! Register here.
Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 April – Easter Sports Camps for kids. A great opportunity for children to learn a range of sports and meet new friends at the same time at our sports camps run by qualified coaches. Email sportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk to book your place.
Sunday 6 March – Pilgrims Hospices Cycle Challenge. Kent’s biggest cycling challenge returns for its eighth year. Join more than 1,200 riders at the Pavilion and cycle for charity. Register here.
Sunday 20 May – University of Kent Canterbury 10K. A scenic route starting at the Pavilion using some of the historic “Crab and Winkle Way” in the lovely countryside on the edge of Canterbury. Register here.

For all the sports, events and activities, pick up a copy of the Sport at Kent booklet from the Sports Centre and Pavilion receptions.

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

Researching the Rainbow Conference 2018 – Registration now open!

Registration is now open for the Researching the Rainbow Conference from 15.00 – 19.00 on Thursday 15 February 2018 in Grimond Lecture Theatre 1 on the Canterbury campus. We strongly suggest you register online to confirm your place byMonday 5 February.

The conference, which forms part of the University’s LGBT History Month celebrations, is to showcase the vast array of excellent research being done on or related to LGBT+ people and issues, and to encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration and networking. The conference will be opened by University of Kent Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Karen Cox, who also acts at the Executive Group’s LGBT+ Champion.

Topics include literary and cinematic representations of homosexuality, transsexuality in mental health care and the legal system, and the decolonization of sexuality, from students and academics from a range of schools and disciplines, as well as external partners.

If you would like to display a research poster, please email lgbtstaffnetwork@kent.ac.uk by Monday 5 February.

The conference is free and open to all. Please forward this invitation to any colleagues/friends who may be interested.

LGBT+ Staff Network