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LSE Library launches app
The Women’s Walks mobile phone app enables users to engage with archive materials from women’s history as they walk through London’s streets.

 

Act of Remembrance

Seventy LSE students died as soldiers in the First World War which began 100 years ago. Come and remember them and all who have lost their lives in conflicts since.

 

Dr Roman Frigg
Roman, of the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, was the only person to go to Socrates Bar with the expectation of doing philosophy there …

 
             
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- Research

 

- LSE in pictures

 

 

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  6 November 2014  

- News

 
  ...  
 
    LSE wins Best for Dads award 

LSE has won the 'Best for Dads Top Employers Award' at the Working Mums annual awards ceremony, held on Tuesday 4 November at London's Soho Hotel. It was also highly commended in the Career Progression Award.

The judges praised LSE for its 'commitment to innovation and its research leave policy which enables academic staff members to re-establish their research trajectory following a long period of absence'. It is the third time LSE has taken out the ‘Best for Dads’ prize in the five-year history of the awards.

More details here.
 

 
   

LSE Library launches Women’s Walks, a new mobile app that brings history to life

LSE Library has partnered with Arts Council England to launch Women’s Walks, an exciting new mobile phone app that enables users to engage with archive materials from women’s history as they walk through London’s streets. Women’s Walks is now available to download for free from the iTunes app store.

Women’s Walks combines smartphone technology with the fascinating and diverse archive material from The Women’s Library @ LSE, transforming the collection into an engaging and interactive historical journey. The app works by tracking the user’s position as they walk through the streets of London, identifying images, documents and audio clips relevant to each location, and downloading them to the user’s smartphone.

Women’s Walks builds on the technology used in LSE’s successful PhoneBooth project, which saw Charles Booth’s socio-economic maps of London recreated as an interactive digital website and smartphone app. The Digital Library at LSE has also launched The Women’s Library @ LSE, an online timeline through the personal, political and economic struggles that have symbolised women’s battle for equality over the past 500 years.
 

 
   

Dr Chaloka Beyani's United Nations address

Dr Chaloka Beyani, Associate Professor in the Law Department, addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Friday 24 October and the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday 28 October in his capacity as United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons.

His address to the General Assembly was on the subject of urban displacement. His address to the Security Council was by special invitation during the Council's open debate on the theme 'Women, Peace and Security-Displaced Women and Girls: Leaders and Survivors'.

Both addresses are now available on the UN Webcast. To watch his 24 October meeting, click here. To watch his speech on Women, Peace and Security-Displaced Women and Girls here.
 

 
   

Academic Abroad

Dr Esra Ozyurek, the Chair for Contemporary Turkish Studies at the European Institute, organized an international conference in Istanbul on 18-19 October. Contemporary Turkey at a Glance -- II was organized jointly with the European Institute at Istanbul Bilgi University, Network Turkey, Istanbul Policy Center and the Centre for Southeast European Studies at University of Graz and took place at Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey.

 
 
     

- Notices

 
  ...  
 
    Act of Remembrance: with wreath laying at the LSE war memorial

Tuesday 11 November, 10.50am at the LSE War Memorial, outside the Old Theatre, Old Building

Seventy LSE students died as soldiers in the First World War which began 100 years ago. Come and remember them and all who have lost their lives in conflicts since. LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun will lay the memorial wreath.
 


 
    Conference & Events and Timetables Teams – Out of Office for Training next Monday and Tuesday

The teams from Conference & Events and Timetables will be attending training on the new room booking and timetabling software and will be out of the office on Monday 10 November (Timetables only) and Tuesday 11 November (both Conference & Events and Timetables).

The Timetables team will be unavailable to answer queries, but for teaching information, please check your personal timetable in LSE for You, or Timetables viewed by course code on the timetables web page.  For audio visual queries call ext 7437 or for urgent support call 5300/5400.

There will be a skeleton staff in the Conference & Events Office to deliver events taking place on Tuesday 11 November, but there will be a delay in responding to emails and phone messages received on this date.

 

 
    Women as Future Leaders

LSE is sponsoring two places on the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education’s Aurora Programme. This programme seeks to encourage a wide range of women in academic and professional roles to think of themselves as leaders, develop leadership skills, and to help institutions maximise the potential of their most talented women.

The programme will cover a range of areas, such as developing leadership behaviours, skills and knowledge; building networks, coalitions and support processes, and identifying and overcoming barriers and obstacles.

Those pursuing the programme will be supported by a mentor in a senior position within LSE.

The Aurora Programme is open to women up to and including Band 8 or Associate Professor level who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities, and have not yet attended another similar leadership development programme.

For more details and how to apply please talk to Chris Watt on ext 6205 or c.watt@lse.ac.uk

Closing date for applications is Friday 28th November 2014.
Further details on the Aurora programme can be found here.
 


 
   

Call for applications for Learning Technology and Innovation (LTI) grants

Have you got any good ideas up your sleeve(s) about using technology to encourage active and collaborate learning? Are you interested in exploring the possibilities of innovating your assessment practices, including eMarking and/ or eFeedback? Have you been thinking in asking your students to produce discipline specific resources (other than essays and dissertations!), such as pod- or vod-casts and are interested in using some kit to get a project rolling?

Then why not get some funding and the support of LTI by applying for a grant from us – the call is open now and applications must be in by Friday 7 November.

More information can be found on our blog and website.
 


 
   

Last chance to sign up for Entrepreneurship Matters

There are a limited number of staff places left on LSE Entrepreneurship’s new course, Entrepreneurship Matters.

The course will provide you with a wide range of perspectives on entrepreneurship, fostering your capabilities for entrepreneurial thinking and action. Each of its seven sessions will be led by a globally recognised speaker from different entrepreneurial areas of expertise, including founders and CEOs of global companies, experts in the area of social entrepreneurship and a chief economist.

The sessions will take place on selected Tuesdays from 6.30pm and will include a talk from the guest speaker, followed by a Q&A and networking. More details of the schedule and the speakers can be found here. Email entrepreneurship@lse.ac.uk for a place.
 

 
    LTI Show and Tell on Assessment with Technology

Tuesday 11 November at 12-1.45pm.

Are you interested in how you can use technology for…

  • individual, group, peer assessment and/or feedback that had an impact on student learning?
  • innovative student assessment?
  • improving student feedback?

This Show and Tell will bring together colleagues from across LSE to share experiences and showcase innovative approaches aimed at improving assessment at LSE. This will be an excellent opportunity for collaboration in teaching and assessment and to discuss how technology can be used to improve learning.

Come and share ideas, ask questions, discuss with fellow teachers and be inspired! A sandwich lunch will be provided.
All of those interested in attending the event can register by clicking here or by emailing lti.support@lse.ac.uk.
 


 
    The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Night Shift Event

Thursday 13 November, Shaw Library, 6th Floor, Old Building
6pm doors open, 6.30pm start

London’s ground-breaking classical night takes a break from its regular events at London pubs for this very special event at LSE.

The Night Shift presents great music in a laid back and unpretentious style. They’ll play two 30 minute sets, with everything introduced from the stage by the musicians of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

This is not like your average classical concert, so we strongly encourage drinking and clapping whenever you feel like it during the show. On the bill for this performance is music by one of the greatest English composers who ever lived – Henry Purcell. A hit with Night Shift audiences across the country his music has a sincerity and emotional punch that thrills and moves audiences as much today as back in the day it was written.

Programme: Purcell
Set 1 (6.30-7pm):
From Fairy Queen: Prelude/First Music, If love’s a sweet passion, Rondeau in Bb, Thrice Happy (incl prelude), Plaint in D, Chaconne in C

Set 2 (7.30-8pm):
Sweeter than Roses, Fantasia no 8 in 4 parts, Oh Solitude, Sonata No 6 (from 10 sonatas in 4 parts), An Evening Hymn

Soloists of the OAE: Matthew Truscott (violin), Margaret Faultless (violin), Oliver Wilson (viola), Luise Buchberger (cello), Elizabeth Kenny (theorbo/lute). Soprano: Julia Doyle

The Night Shift Trailer, featuring some of the artists performing on 13 November, can be seen here.   

Tickets can be booked in advance with Veronique Mizgailo, v.mizgailo@lse.ac.uk. Tickets may also be available on the door on the night.
 

 
    Ashtanga Yoga sessions  

Fridays, 1-2pm in the LSE Faith Centre, SAW. £5 per session.

Come and join us in the Faith Centre on the 2nd floor of the Saw Swee Hock Students’ Centre for Ashtanga, a dynamic form of yoga linking breath and movement. Come to get strong, to stretch and to relax.

Everyone is welcome. Just come with an empty stomach, wear loose clothing and bring your own mat.

For more information, please email Dimitris at: londonashtanga@gmail.com
 

 
    Director's Christmas Party for Children (aged 3-9 years inclusive)

Attention all parents: This year the Director's Christmas Party for children of staff will be held on Saturday 6 December from 2-5pm in the SCR and SDR (5th Floor, Old Building).

Members of staff who would like their children to attend should complete the online form to register their interest. Registration will be open until 5pm on Friday 14 November.

Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate everyone, so if demand for places does exceed supply we will be offering places through a random ballot system.

Please note that this invitation is restricted to children of staff only. More information is available here.
 

 
   

The Neurodiversity Service and why we chose the name Neurodiversity

There has been an ongoing debate about a collective term for dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia or dyscalculia. The term often used is SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties). The British Dyslexia Association uses the term ‘differences,’ but some dyslexics reject ‘differences’ stating that dyslexia is a disability and with entitlement to rightful adjustments. Many people do not feel comfortable with the label of disability, but feel rather that they are disabled by the environment. Therefore, many people feel happier/more comfortable with the collective term of neurodiversity.

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which covers many cognitive styles including: dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, 'learning disabilities' (USA), AD(H)D, Aspergers and Meares-Irlen Syndrome. Neurodiversity values different, but equal, thinking and this is why the DWS renamed the dyslexia service the Neurodiversity service.

LSE Neurodiversity will be running a range of events over the term, including a HappyAppy Moodle Course: study more effectively using apps and other software; Dyslexia and Neurodiversity Moodle – lots of study strategies and resources;
Introduce yourself to the Neurodiversity Service, Wednesday 3 December at 10am-3pm in the Library Escape area; LSE Circles Choir, every Wednesday, 4–5.30pm in the Faith Centre, SAW, and a range of films on the Disability and Wellbeing Service website.

For more information, please click here.
 

 
   

Faith in a Secular Age: A conversation with Charles Taylor - on Tuesday 2 December, 9.30am-4.30pm at Heythrop College, University of London

LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun will be on the panel of distinguished speakers discussing Faith in a Secular Age, with a response by Charles Taylor, author of the book A Secular Age on Tuesday 2 December at Heythrop College.

Professor Calhoun will appear alongside Dr Anthony Carroll, Professor John Cottingham and Dr Damian Howard SJ.

Tickets cost £15 full, £10 students/senior citizens.
Heythrop College, University of London,Kensington Square, W8 5HN.   To reserve a place, email Robert Ivermee at r.ivermee@heythrop.ac.uk or see www.heythrop.ac.uk/hirs
 

 
    Exclusive offer for LSE staff: Jump at the Peacock Theatre

Back by popular demand, Jump leaps onto the Peacock Theatre stage like a live action cartoon. The South Korean masters of mayhem brilliantly fuse physical comedy, swashbuckling sword fights, fast-paced martial arts and dazzling flips to create a hugely entertaining show!

***** “Did I say FIVE stars? Make it FIFTY!” (Evening Standard)

Sadler's Wells is offering LSE staff and students great seats for just £15* on performances from 6 - 13 November. To book, come in or call 0844 412 4322 and quote 'FIFTEEN' or visit www.sadlerswells.com and enter 'FIFTEEN' when prompted.
(*T&Cs Apply: Valid for 7.30pm shows on: Thu 6, Fri 7, Tue 11, Wed 12 & Thu 13 Nov. Subject to allocation availability. Not available retrospectively or in conjunction with any other offer. £2.50 transaction fee applies for telephone bookings, £1.75 for bookings made online. Under 5s are not admitted).
 


 
    Printing large Excel sheets

Printing a large spreadsheet full of figures often yields pages of numbers which are difficult to interpret. Use the features below to aid usability.
  1. Add column and/or row labels to each page. With the file open, on the Page Layout tab click Print Titles. In the Page Setup dialog box, click into Rows to repeat at top or Columns to repeat at left. Then click on the row(s)/column(s) of labels needed on each page.
  2. Click in the Gridlines box to make gridlines appear on your print. OK closes the dialog box.
  3. Place page breaks where they aid, rather than deter, usability by clicking the Page Break Preview icon next to the Zoom bar in the lower right corner of the screen. Drag the blue page break as needed.
  4. Margins and page orientation also can be adjusted using the relevant icons on the Page Layout tab.

If you have an IT question, check out our online guides and FAQs or attend our weekly Software Surgeries. A huge range of additional computer training resources is available from the IT Training website. Subscribe to the IT Training mailing list to stay informed of upcoming workshops.

 
 
     

- LSE in pictures

 
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This week's picture features.....The Elementals, giant stilt walkers performing in Sheffield Street at the official opening of the LSESU Saw Swee Hock Student Centre on the 24th October 2014.


For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit.

  NAB Artwork  
 
     

- Research

 
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    "EU migrants should not be entitled to access national welfare systems for first three years"

National governments should be able to limit EU migrants’ access to out-of-work and in-work benefits, social housing and publicly funded apprenticeships until after three years argues a pamphlet co-authored by LSE Professor of European Law, Damian Chalmers.

The pamphlet, published by the think tank Open Europe, argues that this could be achieved without a complicated EU Treaty change but by amending existing EU law.

This will remove an effective “subsidy” to EU workers to perform low-paid jobs in the UK and create a fairer system, which could have an impact on numbers and boost public confidence in free movement. Also, unlike ideas for quotas or caps on EU migrants, it leaves the basic principle of free movement of workers – which has been an overall benefit to the UK – intact, while not requiring a complicated EU treaty change. More
 

 
    New Gearty Grilling online

A new Gearty Grilling video, part of the series of short video debates between Conor Gearty, director of the IPA and professor of human rights law, and leading researchers at LSE, is now online.

This week,  Martin Knapp, Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit, discusses why spending on mental health should be a priority. More
 

 
 
     

- Events

 
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    New Trends of Women’s Activism after the Arab Uprisings: Redefining Women’s Leadership - on Thursday 6 November at 4.30-6pm, Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building with Dr Aitemad Muhanna-Matar, LSE

Dr Aitemad Muhanna-Matar presents the findings of field research conducted in five countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen and the occupied Palestinian territories) in 2013. The research focuses on the emergence of young female leaders who have shaped a new form of women’s activism that merges Islamism with feminism. This lecture reflects on the form of women's leadership that developed during and after the Arab Uprisings and how it could contribute to redefining women's activism and empowerment and its effect on social and gender transformation in Arab countries. More
 

 
    'What is 'Modern' about Modern Greece?' - on Friday 7 November at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House with Professor Molly Greene, Professor Vassilis Lambropoulos, Professor Stathis Kalyvas and Professor Kevin Featherstone

The debt crisis has provoked new debate over Greece’s historical path and its identity. Was the crisis a result of it somehow being less ‘modern’ than previously thought? But what is ‘modern’ in this context?

This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry on a first come first served basis. More
 

 
    Ebola, Peace and Security - on Monday 10 November at 7.30-8.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House with Karin Landgren, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Liberia

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Karin Landgren runs the UN peacekeeping operation in Liberia comprising 9,000 staff including troops, police and civilians. In this public event, she will discuss the threat to peace and security posed by the Ebola crisis. More
 

 
   

Civil Service, Quangos - on Tuesday 11 November at 5-6.30pm in the Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building with Professor Kate Jenkins

This event will analyse the development of the contemporary civil service, in particular its traditions of impartiality and generalisation, the structure of central government departments and the willingness of successive governments to reconfigure Whitehall. More
 

 
   

The Newly Disadvantaged: Responses to rapid socioeconomic change in Greece - on Tuesday 11 November at 6-7.30pm in COW 1.11 Cowdray House with Alexander Kentikelenis, Research Associate, King's College, University of Cambridge

The deep crisis in Greece has resulted in economic hardship and social dislocation for a substantial proportion of the country’s population. This talk will provide a brief overview of reforms to the Greek welfare state, with a focus on changes to entitlements and eligibility criteria, and, examine how newly unemployed working-class people responded to adversity. More
 

 
   

Social Psychology Open Lectures: Social Identities, Intergroup Relations and Prejudice - on Tuesday 11 November at 2.15-3.45pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building with Professor Cathy Campbell, LSE Department of Social Psychology

Is social life always about ‘us’ and ‘them’? How do we develop a sense of identity and belonging? Is intergroup conflict and prejudice inevitable? The session will present and critique the work of Tajfel and Turner on social identity and self-categorisation, with particular reference to prejudice.

This event is free and open to all on a first come-first-serve basis.
 

 
    Stalin's Team - on Tuesday 11 November at 6.30-8pm in the  Wolfson Theatre, NAB with Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick

We know a lot about Stalin but less about the team – Molotov, Kaganovich, Mikoyan and the rest of a group whose membership was roughly but never quite equivalent to the Politburo – that surrounded him for 25 years. Were they just yes men? If so, how do we explain their success, as the new “collective leadership,” in achieving a practically blood-free political transition, complete with a consensus reform programme, when he died? More
 

 
   

The Limits of Transformation from Above: Turkey since 1914 - on Tuesday 11 November at 6.30-8pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building with Professor Çağlar Keyder

Professor Keyder will propose an account of the last hundred years of the “state tradition” in Turkey. More
 

 
   

The Need to Censor Our Dreams - on Tuesday 11 November at 6.30-8pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building with Professor Slavoj Zizek

Critique of ideology should not begin with the critique of reality, but with the critique of our dreams. As Herbert Marcuse put it back in the 1960s, freedom (from ideological constraints, from the predominant mode of dreaming) is the condition of liberation. If we only change reality in order to realize our dreams, and do not change these dreams themselves, we sooner or later regress to old reality. The first act of liberation is therefore for us to become ruthless censors of our dreams. More
 

 
    Latin America and the Caribbean: Mexico's perspective - on Tuesday 11 November at 6.30-8pm, Thai Theatre, NAB with Vanessa Rubio-Marquez

Throughout the past decade, the Latin American region has been experiencing prosperity alongside numerous challenges. This lecture will give insight into the relations between the countries of the Latin American region. It will describe Mexico's view of Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the country's current foreign policy goals and strategies. More
 

 
   

The Making of Gendered Subjectivity - on Tuesday 11 November, 6.45-8.15pm on New Theatre, East Building with Professor Catherine Hall, Professor Carolyn Steedman

We all possess subjectivity: but how is that subjectivity made and articulated and how important is gender in its making? More
 

 
   

War and Moral Stupidity - on Wednesday 12 November at 6.30-8pm in the New Theatre, East Building with Professor Kimberly Hutchings

Professor Hutchings will offer a feminist critique of the idea of just war and calls for the renewal of forms of pacifism and non-violent politics pioneered in feminist opposition to WW1. More
 

 
   

The Greek Orthodox Church and the Economic Crisis - on Wednesday 12 November at 6.30-8pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House with His Eminence Metropolitan Ignatius of Demetrias and Almyros

As historically a central pole of national identity, and with a new politics of nationalism evident, the way in which the Greek Orthodox Church is impacted by Greece’s economic crisis and how it responds to it, is of major importance to the nation’s public and social affairs. The Bishop has a strong record of connecting the Church to contemporary social issues and of opening up to other faiths. This lecture will address the challenges posed by the crisis. More
 

 
   

Good Times Bad Times: the welfare myth of them and us - on Wednesday 12 November at 6.30-8pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building with Professor Sir John Hills (pictured) and respondents: Polly Toynbee, Professor Holly Sutherland

John Hill's new book Good Times Bad Times: the welfare myth of them and us challenges the idea of a divide in the UK population between those who benefit from the welfare state and those who pay into it. More
 

 
    The Middle Income Trap in Latin America: more politics than economics? - on Thursday 13 November at 6-7.30pm, TW2, 9.04, with Professor Ben Ross Schneider 

Economists have reached a consensus on the existence of a middle income trap but have yet to theorize the politics of the trap. Key characteristics central to the problems of middle income countries include low human capital, low investment in innovation, high inequality, and high informality. Solutions to these problems require substantial institutional capacity, but at just the time when political demands for, and ability to supply, these institutions are weak. More
 

 
   

Ethics Matters in the Family - on Thursday 13 November at 6.30-8pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building with Professor Adam Swift

Who has the right to parent? What rights do parents have over their children? Adam Swift will discuss the ethics of parent-child relationships. More
 

 
   

Economy Beyond Economics: time for a paradigm shift? - on Thursday 13 November at 6.30-8pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House with Satish Kumar

Our economy relies on stable ecological foundations. So why is ecology missing from big economic and political debates? Is it time for a new approach? More
 

 
   

Social Development: a UK-Brazil dialogue - on Friday 14 November at 9am-5.30pm in the Shaw Library, 6th Floor, Old Building with various speakers 

Organised under the auspices of LSE and UNESCO, this international seminar brings together multiple voices from Brazil and the UK to discuss how ground level experiences of social development intersect with governments and policy-makers in shaping decisively processes of policy design and implementation. More
 

 
   

Association of University Administrators annual lecture

The LSE branch of the Association of University Administrators will be screening the AUA annual lecture (AUA) on Tuesday 18 November at 6-7.30pm in the OLD 3.21.

This year, the lecture is ‘Diversity in Leadership’ with Professor Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University. Following the screening, there will be a discussion of the issues raised. This event is open to all with no ticket required.
 

 
   

Podcasts of public lectures and events

The View in to the Future: Serbia and the Western Balkans in the EU
Speaker: Aleksandar Vučić
Recorded: Monday 27 October 2014, approx. 62 minutes

Making Markets Fair and Effective
Speaker: Dr Minouche Shafik
Recorded: Monday 27 October 2014, approx. 86 minutes

The Real Story Behind the Invisible Hand
Speaker: Russell Roberts
Recorded: Thursday 30 October 2014, approx. 89 minutes  

 
 
     

- 60 second interview

 
  ...  
     
     

with.....Dr Roman Frigg

Roman, of the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, was the only one who went to the Socrates Bar with the expectation of doing philosophy there …

Please tell us about your current research interests?
I am currently working on three projects. The first concerns the use of climate models to generate high-resolution forecasts about future changes in our immediate environment. Do such forecasts provide policy-relevant information on which adaptation decisions can be based? I argue that they don’t. We have to relinquish unreasonable demands for detailed long-term projections and instead think about policy making under conditions of uncertainty. The second project concerns philosophical problems in fundamental physics. In particular I am interested in the reduction of macroscopic properties like temperature to microscopic properties like the motion of atoms, and in how to interpret the probabilities that occur at the fundamental level. The third project investigates the nature of scientific models. We study models and thereby discover features of the phenomena they stand for. What are models and how do they represent their target systems? I’m currently writing a book on the nature of scientific models which I hope to finish by the end of this academic year.

If you could teach a new subject at LSE, what would it be and why?
Aesthetics. In every mind there is a faculty for the appreciation of beauty, but in a social science curriculum this faculty is often neglected. An engagement with the arts frees our thoughts and unleashes creative potential, which can eventually also benefit scientific work.

Where is the most interesting place you have visited?
London. I travel a lot for work and I have seen many places all around the world. But wherever I happen to be, I eventually end up missing London. It’s city with a unique energy and an inexhaustible choice of things to do. It’s the one place in the world where I just cannot be bored.

What, or who, makes you laugh?
Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Blackadder, and the Looney Tunes.

Is there anything you cannot do and would like to learn? Building a house from scratch all by myself. I have installed kitchens and bathrooms; I have re-wired parts of my flat; and have sewn cushion covers. But I have never built a wall, fitted windows, or tiled a roof. I love handiwork; it clears my mind. I’m yet to find a funding agency, though, which would be willing to sponsor such a sabbatical project…

What is your favourite childhood memory?
When I was about five years old my father decided, much to the delight of the kids and to the horror of my mother, to transform part of our living room into a chicken farm. One day he came home with a briefcase full of about 20 freshly hatched chicken. He installed an infrared lamp to keep them warm and built a little fence separating part of the living room from the area with the dining table. To date it remains a contested question in our family whether the fence was to protect us from the chicks or the chicks from us. Either way, my brother and I were frequent trespassers and playing with those fluffy little creatures was all we did for about two weeks. The party came to an end when they started flying and my mother declared that it was either her or the chickens. My mother stayed.

 
 
     

- Training and jobs

 
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    Training and development opportunities for staff

Courses scheduled for next week include:

These are just some of the events running in the next week. To receive a monthly summary of all training courses, subscribe to email list by clicking here and pressing send. To find out more about training and development across the school and for links to booking pages, see lse.ac.uk/training.
 

 
  HR   Research Division Academic Development Training Programme 2014-15

There are two training sessions scheduled next weeks:

Wednesdasy 12 November, 10am-12.30pm - Funding Clinic: ESRC’s Future Research Leaders

This funding clinic aims to give applicants an opportunity to explore and discuss key elements of the ESRC’s Future Research Leaders scheme. A successful award holder will be sharing their experience in applying. Click here to book your place.

Thursday 13 November, 12.30-2pm - Research Funding Information Session: Knowledge exchange and ways of funding it

Learn about different tools and funding sources for knowledge exchange (KE) activities and how LSE can support you. Click here to book your place.

These events are delivered in partnership with the Teaching and Learning Centre

For the list of upcoming events and to book your place, click here.
 


 
  HR   Jobs at LSE

Below are some of the vacancies currently being advertised to internal candidates only, as well as those being advertised externally.

  • Assistant Librarian: Collection Development, Library: Academic Services
  • Assistant Professor in Behavioural Science, Department of Social Policy
  • Assistant Professor in Finance, Department of Finance
  • Assistant Professor in International Development, Department of International Development
  • Assistant Project Manager: Capital Development, Estates Division
  • Programme Coordinator, Department of Management

For more information, visit Jobs at LSE and login via the instructions under the 'Internal vacancies' heading.

 
 
     

- Get in touch!

 
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  Nicole Gallivan   If you have some news, an achievement, or an aspect of LSE life that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Do get in touch at pressoffice@lse.ac.uk or on ext 7060.

The next edition of Staff News is on Thursday 13 November. Articles for this should be emailed by Tuesday 11 November. Staff News is emailed every Thursday during term time and fortnightly during the holidays.