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25 August 2011 |
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 News
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• National Student Survey
2011
On Wednesday 17 August, the 2011 National Student Survey, which measures
how highly students rate their university, was published. LSE performed
strongly with overall satisfaction at 84 per cent.
This put LSE above the national average and in line with most of its
Russell Group peers. Even more impressive though is that the School's levels
of student satisfaction have risen more sharply in the past two years than
almost anywhere else - from 76 per cent in 2009.
For more information, see the
Message from Judith Rees, LSE Director.
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• Language
Centre awarded funding to research languages in urban communities
The LSE Language Centre has been awarded €600,000 from the European
Commission for a project researching languages in urban communities.
The project, entitled ‘LUCIDE Languages in Urban Communities: Integration
and Diversity for Europe’, aims to develop policy ideas about how to manage
new and more complex multilingual cities and communities.
The Centre wants to gather a comprehensive picture of how communication
occurs in multilingual/multicultural settings across the EU and beyond, and
so to support institutions (schools, hospitals, and national economies) to
make better productive use of diversity as an economic resource, and also to
shore up social cohesion by fostering better communication and mutual
understanding.
The Language Centre will work closely with LSE Cities and its project
partners, which so far include ‘big’ cities such as London and Hamburg as
well as smaller ones like Utrecht and Osijek. There are also cities where
the existence of different languages and cultures has existed for many decades
and others where it is a relatively new phenomenon. So far 12 countries in
Europe as well as Canada and Australia are involved in the project.
Nick Byrne, director of the LSE Language Centre, said: ‘By taking on and
making a success of projects such as this, the Language Centre is maximising
its own potential and also showing our commitment to the research ethos of
LSE, but in a way that is right for the Centre and its practical mission’.
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• Influence and affluence examined at LSE China 2011 Conference
Around 300 LSE alumni and friends attended the LSE China 2011 Conference in
Beijing on Thursday 11 August. The event, which examined 'Influence and
Affluence: changing dynamics in East-West relations', followed the LSE
Graduation Ceremony, the second overseas graduation to be held by LSE.
Dr Charles Yang, one of China’s leading entrepreneurs, gave the main speech,
'From Made in China to Created in China'. LSE academics then led
discussions on two panels, 'Eastern Entrepreneurship and Western Economic
Recovery' and 'Power Shifts: the resurgence of Asia and the new
international relations of the 21st century'.
LSE alumni and friends came from all over the world to attend the
conference, including Asia, Europe and Africa. LSE Professor Danny
Quah, who was a speaker on one of the panels, remarked at the event 'it is
wonderful to be able to speak and discuss current global economic issues
with such a large and diverse audience. It is great for LSE to be able to
host such large events in Beijing when so many LSE faculty are here teaching
on the Beijing Summer School'.
The conference was preceded by an LSE graduation. The graduation was the
second overseas ceremony to be held by LSE. 235 LSE graduands and their
guests attended the ceremony which was presided over by LSE pro-director Professor Stuart Corbridge.
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• New
director for the University of London International Programmes
Dr Keith Sharp (pictured) has been appointed as director of the
University of London International Programmes at LSE. He will start on 1
September 2011 and will take up the post from Rosie Gosling when she retires
on 1 October.
Keith has 20 years experience of working in British universities,
including Coventry University, De Montfort University and the University of
Gloucestershire, where he was dean of faculty and associate
pro-vice-chancellor. In 2009-10 he spent a year as head of the UK HE
International Unit based at Universities UK.
Keith is very familiar with the area of international partnerships and
transnational education. Partnerships and internationalisation formed part
of his remit at De Montfort and Gloucestershire. In his position as head of
the UK Higher Education International Unit, he was regularly consulted by
universities for advice on their international strategies, including
international marketing; and he edited International Focus, the
Unit’s newsletter, which contributed to many aspects of the wider debate
about the strategic direction of the internationalisation of UK HE. More
recently he has been acting as a consultant to a number of public and
private sector HE institutions on various aspects of their international
marketing and recruitment strategies.
Keith is no stranger to LSE. He took his undergraduate degree here
between 1984-87 and he graduated with a first in sociology, as well as being
awarded the Hobhouse Memorial Prize.
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• Dr Martin Abel Gonzalez
It is with great sadness that the School announces the death of Dr Martin
Abel Gonzalez (pictured), a PhD student and graduate teaching assistant at
LSE.
Martin, who died in a tragic accident during the night of 4-5 August
alongside his brother, Ariel, a diplomat in the Argentine Foreign Ministry,
was a much loved student and colleague whose work on the diplomacy of the
Falklands/Malvinas dispute transformed our understanding of the conflict.
Martin's association with LSE spanned the course of a decade. He first
joined as a Masters student in 2001, graduating with distinction. In October
2004, he returned to begin work on his PhD, studying the diplomacy of the
Falklands/Malvinas conflict during the 1960s and 1970s. Alongside his
research, Martin also taught in both the International History and
International Relations departments.
Professor Nigel Ashton,
Martin's PhD supervisor and head of the Department of
International History, said: 'From the outset it
was clear that Martin was both intellectually gifted and passionate about
his work. He was also an extraordinarily diligent and methodical scholar.
This was reflected in his forensic work in the British archives and his
single-minded pursuit of untapped sources in Argentina'.
To read the full obituary, see
In Memoriam: Dr Martin Abel Gonzalez.
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• 505
kilometres for the British Legion Poppy Appeal
Jane Appleton (pictured), who works in the Library administration office,
has set herself a huge challenge for 2011 - she is aiming to swim, cycle and
walk a total of 505 kilometres in three different events, in order to raise
money for The Royal British
Legion Poppy Appeal.
To do this, Jane will be completing the following events:
- Great East open water swim on 11 June (3kms)
- Cycling from London to Paris from 1 to 4 September (460kms)
- ‘Where Ravens Dare’ marathon walk on 1 October (42.2kms)
Jane explained: ‘I am completing these events in order to raise money and
awareness of the great work that The Royal British Legion does and to
acknowledge the freedoms that we all take for granted on a daily basis, past
and present. Please help by donating whatever you can. It will be greatly
appreciated by myself and the many families that will be helped by the funds
raised'.
So far Jane has completed the open water swim in just one hour, eight
minutes and seven seconds. She is hoping to raise £1,500 for The British
Legion so if you would like to sponsor her, visit
www.justgiving.com/505kms-poppyappeal.
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• Academic abroad
Dr Simon Hayhoe (pictured), visiting academic in LSE's
Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science, is delivering the
following lectures whilst undertaking his Fulbright fellowship at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York:
- 'The history of English attitudes to blindness and case studies of
blind computer programmers', on Friday 9 September at the University of
California, Berkeley.
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'Why does a blind person want to visit the Metropolitan Museum' at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, on Monday 19 September
-
'Is belief more important than perception to blind art students', on
Thursday 6 October at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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'Case studies of blind museum visitors' at VSA Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts, on Thursday 6 October
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 Notices
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• Get
your Moodle courses ready for 2011-12
The Centre for Learning Technology is running a variety of courses over the
coming weeks to help you prepare your Moodle courses for the coming academic
year.
This includes a new weekly
Moodle refresher, a drop-in session offering training and support on any
aspect of Moodle for existing Moodle editors. Booking is required for all
Moodle training courses.
Moodle end of year arrangements
A final reminder that all students and student data, including forum posts
and assignment submissions, will be removed from the majority of Moodle
courses on Tuesday 30 August.
If you would like to opt out of this process or opt for the later reset date
(Tuesday 27 September) please contact
clt-support@lse.ac.uk as soon as possible. Staff and course resources
will not be removed from courses. More information can be found at
Moodle end of year arrangements.
Moodle unavailable
As part of the above end of year process, Moodle will be unavailable all day
on Tuesday 30 August.
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• Quids
in with sQuid
From Tuesday 30 August, special offers in all of LSE's catering outlets will
become exclusive to sQuid card users.
Your LSE ID card incorporates sQuid so be sure to activate it for access to
The Garrick’s early bird specials and lunch deals, with prices held at
2010 levels.
Users spending 30 sQuid or more on their card each month will also be
entered into a prize draw, with five winners getting 10 sQuid value added to
their loyalty purse.
For more details and information on how to top up your card, visit
www.squidcard.com/LSE.
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• 1995-99
alumni reunion
Did you study at LSE between 1995 and 1999? Then why not join over 150 of
your fellow alumni for the upcoming 1995-99 alumni reunion weekend on Friday
16 and Saturday 17 September.
With talks from leading academics and prominent alumni, tours of the School
and a gala dinner at the Waldorf Hilton, the reunion weekend will be a great
opportunity to catch up with old friends and to revisit campus.
For more information and to book your place, visit
http://bit.ly/bx8Efi.
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• Starting
independent researcher grants information and proposal writing events
The UK Research Office is holding a series of information events for
researchers who are based in or moving to the UK and are interested in
applying for the European Research Council (ERC) starting grants:
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University of Manchester, Wednesday 7 September
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London School of Economics, Thursday 8 September
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University of Edinburgh, Friday 16 September
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London School of Economics, Wednesday 21
September
The aim of each session is to provide participants with an overview of the
ERC in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), focusing on the starting grant
scheme. For more information, click
here.
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• Future Research Leaders: call for outline proposals
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has announced the first call
for proposals for its new early careers scheme, Future Research Leaders.
This scheme will support early career researchers to carry out excellent
research and to develop all aspects of their research and knowledge exchange
skills.
The deadline for applications is Thursday 15 September.
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• More
for less - take advantage of special offers for LSE staff
This week's offer is for Amadeus Hair and Body, located at 56 Theobald's
Road, London, who is offering LSE staff:
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Off peak discounts (all day Monday, or Tuesday to Friday from 9-11am and
2-5pm) including a wash and cut for men at £20 and a cut and blow dry
for women at £30 and high/low lights for £75
Amadeus Hair has been established for over 20 years and has 'styled the
hair of some of the leading performers, politicians, writers, and artists'.
For more information, email
info@amadeushair.co.uk or call
020 7405 1055.
If you know of any deals that you think may be of interest to Staff
News readers, email Margaret Newson, purchasing manager, at
m.newson@lse.ac.uk.
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• Free
to Dance
From 11-16 October, south London school teacher Ben Hammond will be
attempting to break the record for the world’s longest ever dance by an
individual, in order to raise funds for
LearnBurma.
Ben will be dancing through an entire 131 hour silent disco line-up in
the Scoop amphitheatre, next to City Hall London, and is inviting LSE staff
to join him and help raise money by getting sponsored to dance at one of the
four hour silent discos sessions.
Justine Rose, executive assistant to the director of ODAR at LSE, will be
taking part in the event with her husband: ‘The range of different music and
dance styles ensures that everyone can get involved, but best of all it’s a
great way to get your friends together, have fun and raise money for a
worthwhile cause. My husband and I will be taking part in the Swing
Patrol’s Swingers Ball on the Friday night so we’ll be jiving and lindy
hopping the night away!’
For more information about the event and to register your place at one of
the dance sessions, visit
www.free2dance.com. All funds raised through Free to Dance will go to
LearnBurma, a charity set up by Ben in order to open people’s eyes to the
situation in Burma.
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• Ultimate Londoner - so do you think you know London?
The
Ultimate Londoner is a challenging urban adventure to find the most
street savvy and knowledgeable Londoner.
Taking place on Sunday 18 September, the task is to be the first team to
reach secret locations in the capital and solve the challenges you find. All
modes of transport are acceptable (apart from helicopter rides!).
The winners will be the team who returns to the starting point, in Regent's
Park, with the fastest time and photographic evidence of all visited
locations. The prize is a trip to Kenya including safari and visit to a
Build Africa supported school.
The competition will raise funds for Build Africa, a UK based charity that
combines learning and earning opportunities for children and their families
in order to offer long term solutions to poverty in rural areas of Kenya and
Uganda.
For more information or to sign up, email Paula at
paula@build-africa.org.uk or
call
01892 519619.
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 Research
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• Women
more stressed by commuting than men
Women suffer more stress from their daily commute than men according to new
research by LSE and the University of Sheffield.
The research, published in the Journal of Health Economics, shows
that while women spend less time travelling to and at work than men,
commuting has a negative effect on women's mental health, while men are
generally unaffected.
The researchers suggest that this could be because women have a greater
responsibility for day-to-day household tasks, such as childcare and
housework, which makes them more sensitive to the time spent commuting.
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• Cyclists can help Britain's economy get back on its bike suggests
research
Cycling contributes almost £3 billion to the UK economy shows a new
report from LSE which also reveals that almost a quarter of the
population are now cyclists.
The study quantifies for the first time the full economic success story
of the UK’s cycling sector which generates £2.9 billion for the British
economy, equating to a value of £230 for every biking Briton in the
country.
208 million cycle journeys were made in 2010 meaning that there were 1.3
million more cyclists bringing the total UK cycle population to 13
million. The increasing levels of participation mean more money with new
cyclists contributing £685 million to the UK economy.
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• Police
patrols highly effective for cutting crime
A new study from LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance shows that police
patrols are a highly effective tool for cutting crime.
The study, published in the new issue of the American Economic Review,
studied the impact of the increased use of police patrols for a period after
the 7/7 London terrorist attacks in 2005.
‘In the wake of the 7/7 attacks, crime fell by around 12 per cent in
areas where police patrols were most concentrated’, says Professor Stephen
Machin, an author of the study. ‘By our estimates, a 10 per cent increase in
resources for police patrols led to a 3 per cent drop in crime’.
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• Life-threatening
nut allergies viewed as 'frivolous and self indulgent fad'
Parents of nut-allergy sufferers face hostility and scepticism in trying to
find safe environments for their children, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of Leicester, LSE, and the Children's
Allergy Clinic at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust found that
parents are routinely made to feel, by friends and even family, that their
child's nut allergy is a 'frivolous and self indulgent fad invented and
maintained by attention-seeking people'. The team found that children
suffering from potentially deadly nut allergies often struggle with negative
attitudes and unhelpful food labelling.
Funded by Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association, the
researchers interviewed 26 families about the techniques and strategies they
use to cope in various situations. Their findings, published in the journal
Chronic Illness, point to a need to raise awareness of the dangers
associated with nut allergy.
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 Events
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• Upcoming
events include....
Security Challenges Ten Years After 9/11
On: Monday 5 September at 10am. The venue will be confirmed to
ticketholders.
Speaker: Michael Chertoff (pictured), former US secretary of
homeland security.
This event is free and open to all but a ticket is required. One ticket
per person can be requested on Tuesday 30 August.
Transparency and Financial Stability
On: Tuesday 6 September at 6.30pm. The venue will be confirmed to
ticketholders.
Speaker: Donald Kohn (pictured), a member of the Bank of England's
Financial Policy Committee.
This event is free and open to all but a ticket is required. One ticket per
person can be requested on Wednesday 31 August.
The Leaderless Revolution: how ordinary people will take power and change
politics in the 21st century
On: Thursday 8 September at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement
House
Speaker: Carne Ross, former British diplomat, author and journalist.
Coexist
On: Wednesday 14 September at 6.30pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic
Building
Speakers: Adam Mazo, executive producer and director for Coexist,
David Russell, director of Survivors Fund (SURF), and Dr Purna Sen,
head of human rights at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Building Effective States
On: Monday 19 September at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New
Academic Building
Speakers: Professor Paul Collier, director of the Centre for the
Study of African Economies, Oxford University, Amara Konney, minister
of planning and economic affairs, Government of Liberia, and Sushil Kumar
Modi, deputy chief minister of Bihar, India.
This event is free and open to all but a ticket is required. One ticket per
person can be requested on Monday 12 September.
Pakistan: a personal history
On: Tuesday 20 September at 6.30pm. The venue will be confirmed to
ticketholders.
Speaker: Imran Khan (pictured), former cricketer and founder of the
Tehreek-e-Insaf political party.
This event is free and open to all but a ticket is required. One ticket per
person can be requested on Monday 12 September.
The Grassroots Fight Against Corruption in Russia
On: Wednesday 21 September at 6.30pm in the New Theatre, East
Building
Speaker: Alexey Navalny, Russian lawyer and author of the most
popular blog in the country.
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• Podcasts of public lectures and events
Not a Perfect Storm: a revolution in the making in the Arab world
Speaker: Professor Fawaz Gerges
Recorded: Thursday 7 July, approx 85 mins
Click here to listen
Monetary Policy and Banking Fragility
Speaker: Professor David Miles
Recorded: Wednesday 27 July, approx 82 mins
Click here to listen
Delete: the virtue of forgetting in the digital age
Speaker: Professor Viktor Mayer-Schönberger
Recorded: Monday 8 August, approx 67 mins
Click here to listen |
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 60
Second Interview
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• with..... Mareike Schomerus
I am based in the Department of
International Development, having
returned to academia after a career
in broadcasting.
We understand that you are
running the new £7 million Justice
and Security Research Programme (JSRP),
for the Department of International
Development. Can you expand on what
this will involve?
The
JSRP is being established with
funding from the UK Department for
International Development. It is an
international research consortium
that aims to broaden scholarship
about what justice and security
mean for those living in
situations of violent conflict.
We know that in such situations, justice and
security function rather differently
from official structures - where
they are in place - suggest.
However, we do not yet understand
this in enough detail. Deepening our
knowledge of local dynamics and
their implications for policies is
the proposed work of the JSRP.
What advice would you give to
new students coming to LSE?
Everyone else feels just as
overwhelmed as you do.
What is the first news story
you remember catching your
attention?
Jimmy Carter warning of the
dangers of a nuclear war in his
final speech before handing power to
Ronald Reagan.
Where in the world have you
always wanted to go but never quite
made it..... yet?
Graceland.
Which has been the most
interesting LSE public lecture you
have ever attended?
There are really too many to
mention, but one of the funniest was
a lecture by German comedian Harald
Schmidt, who struggled through an
hour talking mediocre English before
realising that the only two
non-Germans in the audience were, in
fact, Austrian.
Is there anything you cannot
do and would like to learn?
A team sport, but maybe not
synchronised swimming. |
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 Training
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• Training
for staff at LSE
Courses scheduled over the next two weeks include:
- Excel 2010: presenting and printing data
- Excel 2010: logical and lookup functions
- Word 2010: essential tips and techniques
- One-to-one IT training
- Moodle basics training
- Moodle refresher
- Creating a reading list in Moodle
- Time management
Waiting lists
Many training courses operate waiting lists to help the training providers
gauge how often to schedule them. If there is a course you are interested
in, please add your name.
For a full listing of what is available, including booking information,
see www.lse.ac.uk/training. |
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 Media
bites
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• Channel 4 News (17 August 2011)
India anti-corruption protests are 'new consciousness'
Dr Ruth Kattumuri is the co-director of the Asia Research Centre and
India Observatory at LSE. She told Channel 4 News: 'Globalisation lost
its opportunity ten years ago. There was a debate about whether
businesses should give in to corruption and there was a minority who
said no; companies went in for their personal profits. One of the
reasons the scale of corruption is so massive now is globalisation'.
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• Financial Times (16 August 2011)
Democracies may turn on the euro
Sir, I was honoured that Tony Barber ended his insightful article 'Four
steps to fiscal union' (Analysis, August 12) with a quote from an
editorial I wrote for the journal Intereconomics: 'In the end,
the elephant in the room may squash, if not crush, the euro.' But I was
surprised to see my elephant - democracy - turned into Schrödinger’s
cat, namely a lack of democracy.
Letter from Dr Waltraud Schelkle, European Institute, LSE.
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• Reuters
(14 August 2011)
Cameron could gain from tough riot response
He has so far resisted reversing those cuts, but Patrick Dunleavy,
professor of political science at LSE, believes he will eventually be
forced to give way and that he may also have to ease the broader
crackdown on spending. 'The first thing that will happen is that the
police cuts will be frozen or paused. and then gradually they will be
deleted from the cuts programme,' he said.
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