Welcome Week 2015 Room Booking Requests

Need to book a room for Welcome Week meetings and receptions? Be sure to submit your request by Friday 20 March.

LSE Photo Prize pop up exhibition

Check out this year's competition photos - catch it on campus throughout the Literary Festival, Monday 23 - Saturday 28 February

Julian Robinson

Julian, Director of Estates, once spent a night behind bars with a medic from UCL and a geographer from LSE, following a protest outside the Houses of Parliament.

 Research

 LSE in pictures

 News

 Training and jobs

Michael McLeod

The School is sad to announce the death of Michael McLeod (pictured), who passed away on Monday 9 February after a long illness.

Michael joined LSE on 29 September 1998 as a Security Officer. He was promoted to Deputy Security Team Leader in 2004 and held this position until his ill-health retirement in June 2010.

Media studio hits primetime

LSE’s media studio in Tower Two has been booked solid in the past week, with strong demand for academic expertise.

• BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking interview with LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun, about how the arts are valued, will air at 10pm on Tuesday 24 February.
• Professor Christine Chinkin was interviewed by Forces TV about the new Centre for Women, Peace and Security which was launched by UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie-Pitt and First Secretary of State William Hague on Tuesday 10 February.
• Professor Kevin Featherstone also conducted two BBC interviews from the media studio about the Greek bailout discussions and possible exit from the EU.
• Dr David Cadier did an interview with France 24 about the failure of the ceasefire in Ukraine.
• Dr Sony Kapoor was interviewed by Sky News about Germany’s refusal to loan Greece more money.

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 Awol Allo (pictured), Fellow in Human Rights, discusses the politicisation of courtrooms. More
 

Presenting three free Literary Festival events to celebrate LSE’s 120 years of history:

• Hear Professor Michael Cox speak on The 'School': the LSE from the Webbs to the Third Way on Tuesday 24 February at 6.30pm. Free tickets are available now, check out the event listing for details.
• Peruse the history of LSE pop-up exhibition which will be on display in the NAB.
• Enjoy photos conjuring up ghosts from LSE's past at the LSE Photo Prize exhibition. Catch it on campus throughout the Literary Festival, Monday 23 - Saturday 28 February. Visit lse.ac.uk/lse120 for a list of locations.

The future of audiovisual media services in Europe

On Thursday 5 February LSE Media Policy Project convened approximately 200 policymakers, industry representatives, and other stakeholders in Brussels to discuss the future of audiovisual media services and, in particular, hear from academic voices which are not usually heard from in such debates.

New European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Günther Oettinger recently announced that by the middle of next year we can expect draft revisions to the main piece of EU legislation regulating the media, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) following a Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) assessment.

In the past debates around this legislation have been largely dominated by interests from larger member states, mainly the UK and France, and to some extent Germany. Transnational media companies and pan-European lobby groups have contributed significantly, articulating clear positions and generating evidence to support them.

The LSE Media Policy Project closely tracks EU media and communications policy process so was able to kick off the AVMSD REFIT discussions with independent scholarly evidence. It has also published a series of policy briefs on three key topics: the implications of convergence; media plurality; and the independence of regulatory authorities for audiovisual media services.

For more on the LSE Media Policy Project, click here.
 

LSE startup treev, a web application founded by recent LSE graduate Alexander Weidauer and Cambridge PhD student Alan Nichol, has been accepted onto the EU funded acceleration programme, CreatiFI, and awarded 50,000 EUR.

With treev, you can access all of your work in the cloud from just one place. CreatiFI will give treev access to top mentors which will boost the startup on its mission to working and collaborating online easier.

The startup also invites everyone to its private beta to view the completely re-launched product. A new addition is "Share as you Type", a novel way of attaching files to an email without switching tabs and pasting links. Be part of the private beta and sign up here.

Colleagues in academic departments and research centres are invited to submit room bookings requests for Welcome Week meetings and receptions, during the week commencing 21 September, using the request forms found here.

Before submitting a request, please refer to the School Welcome Week Schedule, to ensure events are not scheduled to clash with the relevant School Welcome Presentation.

Please submit Welcome Week room booking requests by Friday 20 March and LSE Room Bookings will aim to produce a provisional Welcome Week Schedule within four-six weeks of this date.

In 2014 LSE was awarded certification in the Top 10 Employers for Working Families for the second time. The School is the only university to receive such certification. As part of our commitment to helping staff develop a good work-life balance, we offer workshops on the topics below:

Balancing Work and Being Dad
Tuesday 24 March from 12.30-2pm
The workshop is open to employees and partners of employees of the School. A lucky applicant from the workshop will win the Daddy’s kit, which was sent by MamaBabyBliss to congratulate the School on recently winning the ‘Best for Dads Top Employers Award’ from Workingmums.

Balancing Work and Being Mum
Tuesday 9 June from 12.30-2.30pm
This workshop is for new and expectant mothers. It looks at how to find the balance between being a mum and having a career. The workshop is open to employees and non-employee partners of School employees.

Support is also available from the New Parents and Parents-to-be Network. The aim of the Network is to offer support over an 18 month period starting before parenthood begins, as getting ready to manage work and care of children starts before birth or adoption of a child. If you are interested in having a mentor, contact your HR Advisor. For access to the New Parents and Parents-to-be Network content, where the mentors introduce themselves, click here.

Student Volunteering Week 2015

Student Volunteering Week 2015 (#LSESVW15) is taking place across the UK between 23 February and 1 March.

At LSE, we have a whole host of exciting events taking place on campus for everyone to get involved in (so many, in fact, that our Student Volunteering Week extends to 3 March!).

Whether you like running, community groups, live music, fundraising or just giving your time for a good cause, this week is for you. If you have any questions on how to get involved, please contact the LSE Volunteer Coordinator.
 

LSE Estates Division want to know what you think of their Facilities Guide. Is it useful? Is the format clear and helpful? Is there anything that could be done better?

Tell them what you think in their short survey here. It has just five questions and your answers will help shape future editions of the guide - you may even be lucky enough to win a limited edition SAW mug (winners will be picked at random).

Student Accommodation Satisfaction Survey 2014-15

The 2014-15 Student Accommodation Satisfaction Survey is currently live, and 16.75 per cent of residents have already taken part.

All students in Halls have been sent a personalised email and survey link inviting them to complete the survey. If you have a student facing role (particularly with first year undergraduates) we’d appreciate your help in advertising the survey and encouraging participation. Students have the chance to win a selection of prizes - from a free bedroom clean to an iPad.

Please get in touch with residential.life@lse.ac.uk if you would like any branded materials. More information can be found here.
 

The next ‘Tech Talk’ event, taking place on Wednesday 25 February from 2.30-4pm in AGWR, Old Building, will feature an introduction to ‘Kanban’ courtesy of the IMT Development Team.

Kanban is an Agile* way of organising work and an alternative to Scrum. Kanban provides a visual focus on the flow of a team’s work items. Work is divided into stages and items are pulled by team members from one stage to the next. As an Agile approach it seeks to promote collaboration and to adapt to change.

The Development Team have been using Kanban for the past nine months and will share their insights and experience. As part of the show you will have the opportunity to play a Kanban card game and learn some Kanban lessons yourself.

Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment - RSVP to imt.communications.team@lse.ac.uk.

On: Wednesday 25 February from 5pm in R01

Professor Sonia Livingstone (pictured) will present on ‘Developing Social Media Literacy: how children learn to interpret risky opportunities on social network sites’.

The widespread use of social networking sites by children and young people has significantly reconfigured how they communicate, with whom and with what consequences. Drawing on cross-national interviews and informed by the tradition of research on media literacy, Professor Livingstone will discuss the idea of social media literacy.

Computer Tip of the Week: recovering email after emptying your deleted items folder

When the Deleted Items folder is emptied, or individual messages are deleted from the Deleted Items folder in Outlook 2010, they are generally stored on the server for 28 days and can be recovered by users during that period. Items listed in your Deleted Items folder can be moved to any other folder in Outlook. To find out how, see our Outlook 2010 Recovering deleted items guide.

If you have an IT question, check out our online guides and FAQs or attend our weekly Software Surgeries. Alternatively, staff and PhD students are invited to enrol for a one-to-one IT training session. Or contact IT.training@lse.ac.uk to book a consultation with a training specialist.

LSE Treatment Clinic

The LSE Treatment Clinic, which welcomes LSE students and staff, is on the first floor of Tower Two - (enter from Tower One/Tower Two reception, first floor and follow the signs).

The clinic offers professional treatments at reduced rates for the LSE, of acupuncture, osteopathy and sports massage from practitioners with over 25 years of experience between them. Their combined expertise is effective in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, repetitive strain injury, tension headaches, posture advice, sports injuries, anxiety, insomnia, migraine, among many other ailments.

The practitioners are:

• Hanya Chlala
  Acupuncture and Reflexology available in a dual-bed setting on Wednesdays and Fridays

• Laura Dent
  Sports massage available on Mondays

• Tim Hanwell
  Osteopathy available on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Appointments are available Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm and can be booked online at www.lsetreatmentclinic.co.uk. All consultations are strictly confidential and sessions will last between 30 and 60 minutes depending upon the treatment.
 

The Northbank BID's Small Business Networking Event

The Northbank BID invites LSE staff and students to join them at their first local small business networking lunch on Monday 23 February at the Exeter Suite, Strand Palace Hotel, Strand, WC2R 0JJ.

The event will be attended by the Northbank BID’s board of directors and will be a chance to meet them and learn more about their commitment to the local business community. You will also gain access to local business support networks, hear about business support packages and talks from a range of different business leaders about their innovative business models and top tips for success in todays business climate.

This week's picture features the new study area outside the Women's Reading Room on the fourth floor of the LSE Library.

For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit.

Residents of a high rise estate in West London experienced a significant improvement in their quality of life following energy efficiency refurbishments, according to new LSE research.

LSE Housing and Communities, in partnership with Rockwool, launched High Rise Hope Revisited on Thursday 12 February, the new report examines the social implications of whole building energy efficiency refurbishments in residential tower blocks.

LSE Literary Festival starts on Monday

Have you got your free tickets yet? Events are running throughout the week with something for everyone.

We are exploring the foundations of language, society, identity and culture around the world, with discussions covering Palestine, China, Bangladesh, ASEAN and Venice, as well as throughout time looking back at classical Rome and Greece, Waterloo, Magna Carta, and the creation of LSE itself 120 years ago.

Speakers for events include Professor John Gray, Aleks Krotoski, Elif Shafak and Will Self. More
 

As part of LSE's Literary Festival, we will be screening some of the submissions to the film category for LSE Research Festival 2015, as a sneak preview of the upcoming exhibition on 21 May, including entries from the recently launched LSE Research Impact website.

These films provide an insight into the ways in which the moving image may be used as a tool to present research.

Other forthcoming LSE events include....

Foundations of Faith
On: Tuesday 24 February at 6pm in the Faith Centre, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre
Speaker: Sarah Perry (pictured) and Professor Graham Ward

Film Screening - Toilet Adventures
On: Wednesday 25 February at 5.30pm in the Sixth Floor Studio, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre

On: Friday 20 February from 2-3pm (with lunch from 1-2pm) in CLM 3.02, Clement House
Speaker: David Hand (pictured), Senior Research Investigator and Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College, London.

We are inundated with messages about the promise offered by big data. Economic miracles, scientific breakthroughs, technological leaps appear to be merely a matter of taking advantage of a resource which is increasingly widely available. But is everything as straightforward as these promises seem to imply?

At this event, David Hand will look at the history of big data, distinguish between different kinds of big data, and explore whether we really are at the start of a revolution. No new technology is achieved without effort and without overcoming obstacles, and I describe some such obstacles that lie in the path of realising the promise of big data.

On: Friday 20 February from 6-8pm in Café 54, New Academic Building

Free drinks and live music? What a way to start the weekend. Join LSE Arts for our monthly performance night with music from the HoneyMooners, Misha Chapman and Moon Gel.

All of the photos from the 2015 Photo Prize competition will be displayed across campus during the Literary Festival, from Monday 23-Saturday 28 February.

Spot the pop up on the ground floor of the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre from 1.45-3.15pm on Monday 23 February. We’ll be giving away freebies at every location, so come down and enjoy the creative talents of LSE staff and students.

On: Tuesday 24 February from 6.30-8.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Professor Craig Calhoun, Professor Lord Anthony Giddens, Professor Mary Kaldor, Professor Nikolas Rose, Professor Terhi Rantanen, Dr Sabine Selchow, and Professor Richard Sennett.

This special event will mark the life of one of Europe’s most inspirational sociologists, Professor Ulrich Beck (pictured) (1944-2015) who had a long and profitable engagement with LSE's Department of Sociology.

Ulrich was fundamentally a questioning sociologist, asking provocative questions about what it meant to do social science, and comprehend the nature of society itself in an era of radical social change. He introduced a remarkable battery of concepts, most of which have proved fundamental for inspiring debate, ranging from ‘risk society’ through ‘reflexive modernity’, ‘individualisation’, and ‘cosmopolitanisation’.

To do justice to the breadth and ambition of his thinking, we bring together leading social scientists to reflect on his intellectual contribution and the insights it offers for understanding the future of world society. Two panels will feature three speakers who will take stock of his thinking and offer their own thoughts about the issues he raised.

Middle East Border Geopolitics: established and emerging themes

On: Tuesday 24 February from 6.30-8pm in the New Theatre, East Building
Speaker: Dr Richard Schofield (pictured), Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography at King's College London and founder of the Geopolitics (and International Boundaries) journal.

In trying to make sense of the spontaneous appearance of new borderland spatialities in Syria and Iraq, as well as recent instances of formal state boundary-making such as the Abyei arbitration, Richard Schofield asks what constitutes a borderland in the Middle East? Addressing both historical and contemporary concerns, with notable attention being paid to Iran-Iraq and Saudi-Yemen, he argues that developing a more overtly multidisciplinary basis for the study of contested borders will best aid their appreciation and understanding.

This event is free and open to all on a first come, first served basis. Our events are very well attended, please make sure to arrive early - we cannot guarantee entry. More
 

The Politics of Europeanization and Economic Nationalisms in Estonia and Slovenia

On: Tuesday 24 February from 6-7.30pm in the Cañada Blanch Room, Cowdray House
Speaker: Dr Nicole Lindstrom, Lecturer in Politics at the University of York.

On: Thursday 26 February at 6pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Jessica Goldberg (pictured), UCLA.

The Epstein Lecture series was created in memory of S.R. (Larry) Epstein, whose sudden death at the age of 46 in early February 2007 was an enormous loss, not only to his family and friends, but to his department and the global community of economic historians.

The Department of Economic History decided that one appropriate way of commemorating Larry’s achievements would be to inaugurate a regular Epstein lecture and, with the generous support of friends, colleagues and alumni, achieved this aim.

At the time of his death Larry had in mind a number of projects, but one to which he was particularly committed was the establishment of a regular lecture series at LSE by outstanding early career researchers in economic history. The lectures are given by an early career researcher regarded as a rising star in the profession. In line with Larry’s broad intellectual interests, there are no restrictions on subject matter or geographical scope or time period providing that the topic comes within the broad, interdisciplinary scope of economic history.

LSE Works

The sixth LSE Works lecture takes place on Thursday 26 February and will be given by Professor Alan Manning (pictured) of Centre for Economic Performance at LSE on ‘The Minimum Wage in the UK and Beyond’.

The respondent will be Nicola Smith, Head of Economic and Social Affairs at the TUC, and the event will be chaired by Professor Sir David Metcalf, Emeritus Professor of Industrial Relations in the Department of Management at LSE.

LSE Works is a series public lectures that will showcase some of the latest research by LSE's academic departments and research centres. In each session, LSE academics will present key research findings, demonstrating where appropriate the implications of their studies for public policy.

Professor Alan Manning’s research underpinned the design of the UK’s National Minimum Wage that reduced poverty and wage inequality without costing jobs. More on Professor Manning’s research impact can be found here.

A list of all the LSE Works lectures can be viewed at LSE Works.
 

First Story: writing home

LSE is delighted to be hosting once again the prize-giving event for the annual First Story national writing competition on Monday 9 March at 6pm.

Award-winning young adult authors James Dawson (Hollow Pike, Cruel Summer, Say Her Name), Kate Kingsley (Young, Loaded and Fabulous) and Anthony McGowan(pictured) (The Knife that Killed Me, Hellbent, Henry Tumor) will discuss the idea of home. Where is "home" for them? How important are roots? And how does this influence their writing? This event will also include students reading pieces from the competition anthology.

The event is free to attend and open to all, aimed primarily at secondary school students. School groups are welcome and can request tickets by emailing events@lse.ac.uk. More
 

Podcasts of public lectures and events

Hong Kong: the struggle at the end of history
Speakers: Professor Conor Gearty, Raymond Li, Professor Danny Quah, and Isabella Steger
Recorded: Tuesday 10 February, approx. 95 minutes

Children's Rights in the Digital Age
Speakers: Professor Sonia Livingstone, Jasmina Byrne, and Professor Robin Mansell
Recorded: Wednesday 11 February, approx. 87 minutes

Tuition Fees Assist Access: discuss
Speakers: Professor Nicholas Barr and Martin Lewis
Recorded: Wednesday 11 February, approx. 94 minutes

Balancing Work and Being Dad
Tuesday 24 March from 12.30am-2pm

Managing Stress in Yourself and Others
Thursday 12 March from 10am-4.30pm

Managing Under Pressure
Wednesday 11 March from 10am-4.30pm

Unconscious Bias
Wednesday 18 March from 10am-1pm

On: Tuesday 24 February from 9.30am-2.30pm

This discussion will focus on the purpose, nature and structure of EU collaborative grant proposals, as well as how to get successful grants from EU bodies. LSE's UK Research Office Advisor, Maribel Glogowski, will give expert advice on winning European Commission grants.

The agenda will be as follows:

9.30am: Registration and coffee/tea
10am: How do EU funding programmes work? Introduction to Horizon 2020 with a focus on Social Sciences and Humanities.
11am: Views from a grant holder on Horizon2020 Collaborative Proposals: Professor Martin Lodge, Centre for the Analysis of Risk and Regulation and Department of Government.
11.15am: Tea/coffee break
11.30am: Practicalities of proposal writing and submission in the context of collaborative projects under Horizon 2020 (types of action, eligibility, funding rates, the Participant Portal, evaluation procedure, open access considerations).
12.30pm: Lunch - sandwich lunch will be provided
1.30-2.30pm: Horizon2020 funding for Individual Grants with a focus on European Research Council investigator grants and Marie Curie Actions (to be confirmed: a successful ERC grant holder will share their experience of winning a grant subject to their availability).

You can choose to attend all or one or two sessions as each will focus on different issues. To book your place, click here.
 

On: Wednesday 3 June from 12.30-2pm

After the recent announcement of REF2014 results, come and learn from LSE faculty who submitted impact case studies to the REF, and members of the assessment panels. Find out how impact can be generated and gain insight into both the rewards and the challenges of effectively presenting that impact for REF (or other) assessment.

Panellists include:

• Giles Atkinson, Professor of Environmental Policy in the Department of Geography and Environment
• Chris Brown, Professor of International Relations in the Department of International Relations
• Nick Barr, Professor of Public Economics in the European Institute

For more information and to book your place, click here.
 

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

• Assistant Archivist, Library: Archives Services
• Assistant Professor (Data and Society), Media and Communications
• Business Analyst (one year fixed term), Information Management and Technology
• CEP Research Assistant (Wellbeing Programme), Centre for Economic Performance
• Careers Consultants (maternity cover), LSE Careers
• Communications Officer, LSE IDEAS
• Director of Property and Space Strategy, Estates Division
• Director/Co-Directors, International Inequalities Institute
• Events and Communications Officer, Management
• Events and Reunions Manager, LSE Advancement
• Grant Applications Manager, Research Division
• Grant Applications Manager (Knowledge Exchange and Impact), Research Division
• HR Administrator (Career Development and Reward Team), Human Resources
• Head of Catering Services, Residential and Catering Services Division
• Head of Internal Communications, Communications
• LSE Fellow in Comparative Politics, Government
• Quality Assurance Administrator/Research Degrees Officer, Academic Registrar's Division
• Senior Graduate Admissions Administrator (Economics and Visa Specialist), ARD: Graduate Admissions
• Service Delivery Manager (Taught Postgraduate Programmes), Law
• The Mellon Fellowship Programme Research Officer, LSE Cities
• Warden - LSE Halls of Residence (internal only), Residential and Catering Services Division