• Will the Olympics make us happier?

A new study into whether hosting the 2012 Olympic Games will boost our happiness is being launched by LSE.

• Summer rowing on the Thames Tideway

• Libby Parrott

Libby, assistant to the head of LSE Housing and Communities, is from Texas but is most likely to say South London (with pride) when asked where she's from.

• LSE academic recognised for outstanding contributions to industrial statistics

Professor Henry Wynn (pictured) of LSE's Department of Statistics has been awarded the 2011 Box Medal.

The Box Medal, awarded by the European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics (ENBIS), is named after George Box and each year recognises a statistician who has greatly contributed with his/her work to the development and application of statistical methods in European business and industry.

• House of Commons Library research event

The External Relations Division is planning an event for LSE academics and researchers from the House of Commons (HoC) Library, designed to bring LSE research to the attention of policymakers.

This occasion will enable LSE academics to share their research, gain a better understanding of the research briefings undertaken by the HoC Library, and make valuable contacts. HoC Library briefings are influential with MPs and policy makers, and to have relevant LSE research referenced would clearly be of value to both policymakers themselves and to academics seeking to disseminate their research.

The event will take place at the House of Commons on Friday 24 June and will include a tour of the House if there is sufficient demand.

Any academics who are interested in attending should contact Hilary Weale, external relations executive, at h.weale@lse.ac.uk, with the following:

a) brief outline of current research interests
b) with which Library team(s) and particular specialism you would like to be matched. Details of the teams can be found here
c) if you are interested in the tour

• Regional Champion for India

Dr Sivaramjani Thambisetty (pictured), lecturer in the Department of Law, has been appointed LSE's first Regional Champion.

Dr Thambisetty’s role is to engage with key audiences beyond the academic world and draw greater attention to LSE’s research and expertise.

She and Professor Stuart Corbridge, pro-director for research and external relations, will be hosting an event on Thursday 12 May from 12pm in the Graham Wallas Room for all academics with an interest in the region. It will be an opportunity for all those attending to discuss the role of the Regional Champion and to get to know other academics in the School whose research has an India focus.

Dr Thambisetty said: ‘In the last few weeks I have met several key members of staff in the School who work very hard at strengthening relations with our alumni in India, improving career prospects for our graduates, attracting the best students, fundraising, and encouraging the use of LSE’s expertise in policy-making in India. Academics’ involvement will add considerable value to many of these initiatives and, given an opportunity, I believe many of us will gladly reach out to diverse audiences in the region. I am looking forward to helping widen the scope of what we do and to facilitate such conversations.’

• LSE top employer for working families

At the end of 2010, LSE was named as one of the top 30 A-Z Employers for Working Families. The School is the only university included in the thirty outstanding UK organisations.

To win a place on the 2010 A-Z list, organisations had to demonstrate to the leading work-life charity, Working Families, how they embed family friendly working practices into their culture. The survey covered the following areas:

• Information on formal flexible working requests and arrangements

• Support to parents and carers (e.g. of elderly parents) in terms of enhancements to statutory and contractual entitlements

• Support through flexible working or additional leave

• Recruitment practices

• Career progression and training

• Measuring the impact of the family friendly culture and manager practice and development

• The LSE Nightrider

Dr Erik Baurdoux (pictured), a lecturer in statistics at LSE, will be taking part in the London Nightrider Challenge on Saturday 11 June to raise money for the mental health charity, Mind.

Last year Erik, who manages depression, was the face of the ‘Time to Change’ campaign which aims to end discrimination experienced by people with mental health problems. Mind, one of the charities behind the campaign, works to create a society that promotes and protects good mental health for all - a society where people with experience of mental distress are treated fairly, positively and with respect.

London’s Nightrider is a cycle event with a difference. Starting at Crystal Palace in South East London at 11pm, cyclists will set off on a 100km circular route, taking in sights such as The Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Canary Wharf, Regent's Park, Lord's Cricket Ground, The Royal Opera House, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace, to name a few.

‘I've had the pleasure of meeting many lovely people who work for Mind as well as some of the people who've received support from them. The current economic situation makes the work of charities, such as Mind, even more important as they offer support to some of the most vulnerable people in society,’ Erik explained. ‘I'm really looking forward to the Nightrider Challenge and many thanks in advance for your support, it means a lot to me’.

• Sociologists occupy LSE

This week, the Department of Sociology welcomes the British Sociological Association to LSE for their 60th anniversary conference.

The theme will be '60 Years of Sociology' and the conference, being held from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 April, will explore the past, consider the present and assess the challenges of the future for sociological research in an ever-changing social landscape.

Over 1,000 sociologists will be on campus to attend lectures and panel discussions by eminent colleagues from around the world, and participate in workshops and seminars.

Several members of LSE's Department of Sociology will be speaking, including Paul Gilroy, Judy Wajcman, Nikolas Rose, Chetan Bhatt, Claire Alexander, Claire Moon and Ayona Datta.

• LSE celebrates sustainability

The 2011 LSE Celebration of Sustainability was held on Thursday 24 March as a tribute to the sustainability initiatives that the School has participated in over the last year, and to reward the achievements of staff and students.

Pro-director Professor Janet Hartley presented awards to the 31 Green Impact teams who took part this year, acknowledging the success of the project and the passion and enthusiasm shown by all involved. Four teams received a Working Towards Achievement award, three Special Awards were presented, and the New Court team, made up of staff from Estates Division and Residential Services, were announced as the top scoring team.

The staff and student volunteers who audited this year's Green Impact workbooks were presented with their certificates by Joanna Romanowicz from Green Impact, who praised them for helping to maintain the integrity of the awards.

Emily Thompson-Bell from Student Switch Off congratulated the winners of this year's Student Switch Off competition, Carr-Saunders Hall, who made a massive 17 per cent reduction in their electricity use.

The successful applicants to the Sustainable Futures society’s Sustainable Projects Fund were also announced. This is the first year that students and staff have been invited to apply for awards of up to £10,000 to help increase the sustainability of LSE.

• Building business opportunities - technology with disabled and older people

An LSE Enterprise-organised European conference on 'Technology with Disabled and Older People: business development, building alliances and impact assessment' was held at the School on 28-29 March.

The conference brought together EU officials, government representatives, financial investors, technology developers, policymakers, academics, therapists and user groups, who shared their ideas and experiences in improving the provision of technologies for independent living.

Maggie Ellis of LSE's Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) said: 'As the UK's population grows older, with fewer young people coming along to look after them, we need alternative ways of taking care of people and allowing them to live at home independently for longer. What we're talking about is technology that will assist people in things like controlling the temperature, lighting and safety of their house, remind them about the date and time, to lock their door or to take their medication, and enable them to communicate with others in emergencies.

'I recently visited three elderly ladies in Slovakia who are testing our technology and they and their family all said they felt happier about the users being safer and able to live at home. During this conference we looked at cost effective methods of providing these technologies, and at how different parties can work together in a more positive way to help users and to promote British business.' More
 

• The value of libraries for research and researchers

A new report from the Research Information Network and Research Libraries UK presents the findings of a systematic study of the value of the services that libraries in the UK provide to researchers, and of the contributions that libraries from a wide range of institutions make to institutional research performance.

The aim of the report was to identify the key characteristics of library provision to support research in successful UK universities and departments.

• Africa Initiative update meeting

Professor Thandika Mkandawire, chair in African development, will be hosting a briefing for LSE academics with research interests relating to Africa on Tuesday 10 May from 12pm in the Graham Wallas Room.

The aim is to update staff on elements of the ongoing African Initiative, including:

• Summer School in Africa
• Scholarship provision
• Leadership programme
• Fellowship provision
• Appointment of the new African Portal editor
• Academic Partnership with UCT
• Participation in the WEF Regional Summit on Africa

• LSE Experts - give your feedback

When you next use the LSE Experts Directory, please complete the very short survey telling Web Services how and why you use it and any particular developments you'd like to see.

Your feedback will influence future plans. The team look forward to hearing from you.
 

• TLC knowledge transfer workshops

LSE’s Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) announce two new knowledge transfer workshops:

Talk your way into radio
Tuesday 17 and Tuesday 24 May, Bloomsbury's October Gallery
This workshop takes staff off campus to focus on positioning their research for wider audiences. TLC’s Marina Benjamin and radio producer Dinah Lammiman will work with LSE staff to focus on 'growing' an aspect of their latest or top-line research into radio features and documentary pieces. The day will involve exercises in story development, plus an introductory guide to the audio broadcast world. An informal networking lunch will follow the workshops, introducing staff to producers from the BBC and World Service and the independent sector. To book your place on this workshop, click here.

Mining difficult stories
Wednesday 8 June, Bloomsbury's October Gallery
TLC’s Marina Benjamin and radio producer Dinah Lammiman will bring academics and media professionals together to brainstorm why it is that certain stories are difficult to air - especially stories which are perceived as already being common knowledge. The day will involve exercises in ‘story development’ and structured discussion. This is an opportunity for staff to extend their professional networks and potentially collaborate with producers keen to air serious stories. To book your place on this workshop, click here.

• Maternity, paternity and adoption update

The School's maternity, paternity and adoption policy and procedures have been updated for 2011.

• Summer rowing on the Thames Tideway

Fancy getting away from central London for summer evening or weekend rowing from the University of London boathouse in Chiswick?

The University of London Tyrian Rowing Club is organising ‘taster sessions’ for those who have never rowed before, or have not done so for some time. If you enjoy it, you can then take up rowing on a more regular basis and receive expert coaching.

The sessions are open to adults of all ages and abilities, provided you can swim at least 200 metres in sportswear. They are run by competent coaches, many of whom are among the best London University rowers. Tyrian provides rowing in all kinds of boats, from eights to single sculls, and with a bit of experience you will be able to row the course of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race from Putney to Chiswick, or more peacefully, from Chiswick up to Kew and Richmond. After a bit more coaching, you might even try some races.

After the sessions, you can relax in some of the riverside pubs at Strand-on-the-Green.

• Will the Olympics make us happier?

A new study into whether hosting the 2012 Olympic Games will boost our happiness is being launched by LSE, with funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

The research, led by Professor Paul Dolan, will chart how people in London report their own well-being in the run up to, during and after the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. It will also look at other factors which can indirectly affect our happiness such health, participation in sport and volunteering.

• Understanding and developing clinicians’ leadership skills in critical care medicine

A paper by Dr Tom Reader (pictured) of LSE’s Institute of Social Psychology has been accepted for publication by the medical journal Critical Care Medicine.

The paper, Team Leadership in the Intensive Care Unit, reports on research investigating the leadership skills of intensive care unit (ICU) consultants. The research applies psychological leadership theory to understand how senior clinicians manage multidisciplinary teams in the highly complex domain of intensive care medicine. ICU patients often suffer from multiple organ failure, and Dr Reader’s previous research has shown that the effective leadership of clinical and nursing teams is key to providing optimal patient outcomes.

The current interview-based research found ICU specialists to report rapidly switching behavioural strategies (e.g. leadership and decision-making style) when leading teams during different phases of ICU patient care (e.g. routine tracheotomy insertions vs. emergency scenarios such as cardiac arrest). Furthermore, specialists emphasised the steps to, and importance of, vision setting and developing a team culture where junior doctors and nurses can adapt their behaviours and coordinate effectively according to situational demands.

• The battle for Zimbabwe

A new research update from LSE IDEAS examines the changing face of Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and its efforts to present itself as a legitimate force in a country whose political culture is adapting to the prospect of a multi-party democracy.

• Research opportunities

• Research e-Briefing

• Latest opportunities from LSE Enterprise

LSE Enterprise offers you the opportunity to undertake private teaching and consultancy work under the LSE brand. We help with bidding, contracts and other project administration, enabling you to focus on the work itself. To see the latest opportunities click here or visit http://twitter.com/lseenterprise.

Nicole wants to hear from you!

Do you have some news, an achievement, or an aspect of LSE life that you would like to share? If so, then I would love to hear from you, contact me at n.gallivan@lse.ac.uk or on ext 7582.

The next edition of Staff News is on Thursday 21 April. Articles for this should be emailed to me by Tuesday 19 April. Staff News is emailed every Thursday during term time and fortnightly during the holidays.