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Testing out a theory

Join us for our crash course in Winemaking and Tasting

We are delighted to be hosting Prof Vladimir Jiranek, Head of the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide, for a one-day wine course on our Canterbury campus.

If you are keen to understand how the appearance, taste, aroma and flavour of your favourite wine are achieved then this is a course for you. Running on Fri 21 Jun 2019, the eve of the inaugural Canterbury Wine Festival, our Winemaking and Tasting crash course is designed for novices and wine enthusiasts and is hosted by Prof Vladimir Jiranek, a wine microbiologist ‘by trade’ with over 30 years’ experience in wine research and teaching on Adelaide’s Viticulture and Oenology programmes, which are ranked amongst the top few in the world.

The full-day all inclusive course aims to explain core concepts to demystify winemaking and wine tasting: which grapes are used, and how are they grown and harvested, how are grapes processed into red, white, sparkling and fortified wine styles; how do grape-growing and winemaking impact the finished wine; what are the basic appearances, tastes, aromas and flavours of wine and what do they tell you about the wine you’re drinking?

This course begins with introductory talks followed by a guided series of moderately-paced tastings (about 25 wines in total) that progressively build wine recognition and evaluation skills. By the end of the course attendees should be familiar with the key attributes of different varietals and styles of wine as well as recognise common faults, ready for the Canterbury Wine Festival the following day.

When: Friday 21 Jun 2019, 09.00 to 17.00

Where: Canterbury campus

Price: £118 including lunch, refreshments and all wine tasting

For further information, visit the website.

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.”

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Winners of the 2019 Graduate School prizes

In 2018 the Graduate School introduced a series of prizes to recognise the excellence of its postgraduate researchers and the outstanding work carried out by academic and administrative staff members in support of postgraduate research and education.

This year the Graduate School are delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 Graduate School Prizes. The winners are invited to celebrate their success during a BBQ and Awards Ceremony at the Kent Researchers’ Showcase on Thursday 30 May in Sibson.

Congratulations to all 2019 Graduate School Prize winners.

Winners of the Postgraduate Research Prize

Ann Christine Kinzer – PhD Candidate, School of European Culture and Languages

Chloe Johnson – PhD Candidate, School of Biosciences

Katja May – PhD Candidate, School of English

Winner of the Research Degree Supervisor Prize

Dr Edward Morgan-Jones – Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics, School of Politics and International Relations

Winner of the School Director of Graduate Studies Prize

Dr Catherine Robinson – Director of Graduate Studies, Kent Business School

Winners of the Postgraduate Administrator Prize

Angela Whiffen – Postgraduate Administrator, School of Arts

Claire Taylor – Centre Manager, Centre for American Studies and Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Winner of the Postgraduate Teacher Prize

Recep Onursal – PhD Candidate and Assistant Lecturer, School of International Relations and Politics

The Graduate School was delighted to receive such a high volume of exceptional nominations for this year’s Graduate School Prizes competition.

The Graduate School recognises the significant contribution made to the University of Kent by Postgraduate Researchers, Research Degree Supervisors, School Directors of Graduate Studies, Postgraduate Administrators and Postgraduate Teachers across the University. We would like to thank everyone for their excellent work in support of postgraduate education and research at Kent.

Book onto a training course this summer

Learning and Organisational Development have a number of training opportunities open to staff in June and July. They include:

Crucial Conversations – Wednesday 5 June, 09.00-17.00 and Tuesday 18 June, 09.00-17.00 or Monday 9 July, 09.00-17.00 and Monday 22 July, 09.00-17.00. Two-day programme for academic and professional service leaders at Grades 9 and 10.

Working in an Environment of Change – Wednesday 5 June, 14.00-16.00 or Friday 7 June, 10.00-12.00, Monday 10 June, 14.00-16.00, Thursday 13 June, 14.00-16.00, Monday 24 June, 10.00-12.00, Wednesday 3 July, 14.00-16.00. Open to all staff members.

Mental Health Awareness – Monday 10 June, 10.00-13.30. For any member of staff who would like to increase their understanding of mental health awareness and managing personal resilience.

Leading and Managing through Change – Friday 14 June or Tuesday 25 June, 09.30-16.30. This session is open to leaders and managers (academic and professional services).

Supporting Staff Through Change – Monday 17 June, 10.00-12.00 or Thursday 27 June, 10.00-12.00. This session is open to all members of staff with managerial responsibilities.

Time Management – Tuesday 18 June , 09.30-16.30 or Friday 28 June, 09.30-16.30. This session is open to all members of staff.

Pre-retirement – Tuesday 25 June, 09.00-16.30. This session is open to all members of staff.

Mid-Career Session – Tuesday 25 June 13.30-16.00 or Monday 8 July, 09.00-11.30. This session is open to any member of staff who has an interest in planning their finances to achieve their personal and financial goals.

Developing Self and Others – Tuesday 25 June, 09.30-12.30 or Monday 15 July, 13.30-16.30. For Managers/Supervisors who are involved in undertaking appraisal (RPD) discussions with members of staff. The workshop is suitable for managers new to undertaking these discussions or for more experienced managers looking to refresh their knowledge and skills in this area.

Note Taking – Thursday 27 June 09.00-12.30. This session is open to all members of staff.

Recruitment and Selection Part 2 Full Programme – Friday 28 June, 09.30-16.30 or Thursday 18 July, 09.30-16.30. This programme of activities is designed to support Chairs of Panel and hiring managers.

Appraisal (RPD) – Wednesday 3 July 09.30-12.30. For any staff members who are interested in and preparing for their appraisal (RPD) discussion.

Central Staff Induction event – Tuesday 9 July. 10.00-13.30. If you are a new member of staff, as part of completion of your probation, you will need to attend a Central Staff Induction event.

Managing Performance – Thursday 11 July 2019, 09.30-12.30. This session is aimed at managers and supervisors.

Understanding Statistics in your Job – Monday 22 July, 10.00-16.00. This course is open to all members of staff.

Find out more about these and other workshops/courses and book your place now via Staff Connect.