• Southampton to Shanghai in 40 days

On Saturday 2 July, LSE student Samuel Joynson is leading a three man overland expedition between Southampton and Shanghai in aid of the Alzheimer's Society.

• Volunteers required for events in Beijing

The School is looking for first and second year student volunteers who will be in Beijing, China, on Thursday 11 August and available to help at LSE events.

• Dr Spyros Economides

Dr Economides, senior lecturer in the European Institute, has been at LSE for so long that it could be called, as a colleague from Oxford once said, the ‘London School of Economides’.

• LSE nominated for 'Best Widening Participation Programme'

LSE has been nominated for an award by the House of Lords for the 'Best Widening Participation Programme' for encouraging inner-city students to go to university. A Special Award Ceremony will take place on Friday 1 July at the House of Lords.

LSE has been involved in Widening Participation and access initiatives since 1998 and the activities aim to address the differences in take-up of higher education opportunities across different social groups. Under-representation is directly linked with broader issues of equity and social inclusion and LSE works to ensure equal opportunities for disabled students, mature students, women, men and BME students in higher education.

The School’s programmes aim to help London students discover more about the opportunities available to them and to encourage them to consider how best they can fulfil their potential and reach their goals. LSE’s Widening Participation team works with the capital’s schools, colleges and sixth forms to raise aspirations, awareness and attainment among people from underrepresented communities.

Niaomi Collett, Widening Participation officer, said: ‘We’re thrilled that the LSE Widening Participation portfolio has been nominated for an award. This is testament not only to the work of the Widening Participation team but also to the many hundreds of LSE student ambassadors and mentors who work with under-represented groups across London schools and the LSE academic staff who support our activities. We could not run such a broad range of schemes without their help.’

• Latest university league table ranks LSE as third in the UK and as the top London university

The Times Good Universities Guide, published last week (Thursday 23 June), ranks LSE as the third best university in the UK, only behind Oxford and Cambridge, and as the top university in London.

LSE has therefore climbed up two places, from being ranked the fifth best university in the same league table in 2010.

The School has improved in a number of the categories that are included in the ranking, including student satisfaction, research quality, and its student-staff ratio.

The guide also shows that LSE is the university with the most undergraduate applications by place, with more than 14 applications for every place.

• LSE academic appointed to new Greek cabinet

Professor Elias Mossialos (pictured), Brian Abel-Smith Professor of Health Policy and director of LSE Health, has been appointed state minister and government spokesman in the new Greek cabinet.

He is currently leading a task force to reform the Greek health system. It is a joint initiative between the Greek government, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank, and will report to the Greek government and the European Commission.

Professor Mossialos was recently awarded the 2010 Andrija Stampar Medal for distinguished services to public health.

• Dr Jon Adams named a New Generation Thinker for 2011

LSE's Dr Jon Adams (pictured) has been announced as one of ten winners of the New Generation Thinkers Scheme by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and BBC Radio 3.

The New Generation Thinkers Scheme is a culmination of a nationwide search for the brightest academic minds with the potential to turn their ideas into fascinating broadcasts. Over 1,000 academics applied and, after a six month selection process, ten have been announced as New Generation Thinkers. The winners will now work closely with dedicated mentors from the production team of Radio 3's arts and ideas programme Night Waves (Mondays to Thursdays, 10-10.45pm) and will appear on the programme to talk about an idea inspired by their research.

Dr Adams is currently based in LSE's External Relations Division and was previously in LSE's Department of Economic History. His specialist subject is Rat Cities and the Bee-hive Worlds: space and numbers in the modern city, an examination of how arguments about the effects of crowding on human behaviour have influenced city planners and architects during the 20th century.

• LSE Volunteer Pledge

On Thursday 16 June, the new LSE Volunteer Pledge was launched.

Jenny Owen, LSE Careers director, and Professor Janet Hartley, pro-director for teaching and learning, launched the pledge with LSE student Pamela Runnacles and LSE Students' Union community and welfare officer Hero Austin, who both gave speeches.

Charities that work with the Volunteer Centre, such as Barnardos and The Stroke Association, were in attendance to find out how they can get more involved with LSE and recruit student volunteers. Their feedback was very positive, and both charities were pleased to see the university taking volunteering so seriously.

Professor Hartley said: 'Volunteering is a fantastic way for students to get involved in their local community and it also helps you to develop skills which employers value. I am really pleased to see such enthusiasm for volunteering at LSE and I hope that many of you will take this opportunity to get involved.'

In a recent survey, 67 per cent of London students felt their employability had increased and 75 per cent felt a ‘sense of being part of their local community’ as a result of volunteering.

• Case for investment in London's affordable housing is overwhelming

The case for government investment in affordable housing in London is overwhelming, according to a report by LSE London.

The report was commissioned by the g15 group of housing associations to clarify the case for investment in affordable housing in London and the reasons why government funding remains core to success.

Taking the Replacement London Plan of providing 13,000 affordable homes each year as its starting point, the report focuses on three main criteria for allocating subsidy: housing need; the wider benefits of affordable housing to the health of the economy and the public purse; and the issue of housing numbers.

• Southampton to Shanghai in 40 days

On Saturday (2 July), Samuel Joynson, a first year BSc international relations and history student at LSE, is leading a three man overland expedition between Southampton and Shanghai in aid of the Alzheimer's Society.

After experiencing the decline of a close relative suffering from Alzheimer's, Samuel decided to pursue a charity project in order to raise awareness of the disease among young people and raise money for the charity which aided his family in their time of suffering.

The challenge will take the team from Southampton to Shanghai, with the aim being to reach the Chinese city in just 40 days. Samuel hopes to travel through Scandinavia, across Siberia and Mongolia, reaching Shanghai before 11 August 2011.

• LSE student delivers talk at Goodenough College

LSE graduate student Greg Lewicki (MSc in philosophy of science) recently gave a TEDx talk on the 'Collapse of Complex Society: can we learn from history?' at the Goodenough College, London.

In his talk, Greg (pictured) related two great sociopolitical entities, Roman Empire and European Union, thanks to the concepts of 'complexity' and 'energy'. To fulfill his promise of showing Roman history 'in 20 seconds', he first introduced the two concepts on the example of transition from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural society. Then he presented Joseph Tainter’s view on the collapse of Roman Empire (collapse as an economising process).

He went on to juxtapose Roman Empire with the European Union and show substantial structural differences between them. Comparing past historical misery of the partitioned Poland to its current standing in the EU, he concluded that we seem to have learned from history as we managed to create a unique, peaceful system of political expansion.

• LSE Arts - end of year thanks

The LSE Arts team would like to thank the LSE community for making this academic year another successful one for arts at the School.

LSE Arts has successfully hosted a variety of talks this year, including Geoffrey Robertson, Robert Rowland Smith and Ryan Pyle. There is one final arts event coming up on Wednesday 6 July - Powerful Portraits by Platon.

LSE Arts has also hosted a variety of exhibitions in the Atrium Gallery. These included Congo Women, Cambodia - Reflections of the Khmer Rouge, Street Stories and the Photo Prize. Currently on display in the Atrium is the Not Quite A Baker's Dozen exhibition, which will be followed by the Restorative Justice exhibition over the summer. We always welcome suggestions so please get in touch if you think you have material for an exhibition.

Musical life at LSE has continued to flourish with a series of outstanding lunchtime concerts in the Shaw Library on Thursdays. We presented a host of talented artists for evening concerts including Carlos Prieto, Blas Flor, Gao Can, and MOBO award-winning LSE alum Rhian Benson. A brilliant regular addition to the music programme was the launch of LSE Chill.

• Get your nominations in….

• Volunteers required for LSE events in Beijing

LSE is looking for a small number of first and second year student volunteers who will be in Beijing, China, on Thursday 11 August.

On 11 August, at the Hilton Hotel Beijing, LSE will be hosting an LSE Graduation Ceremony and the LSE China 2011 Conference. The Graduation ceremony will feature Chinese students who have just completed their studies at the School, while the LSE Conference is an invitation only event for LSE alumni and other invited guests.

• Students needed for focus group about neuroenhancement

Dr Ilina Singh at LSE's BIOS Centre is currently developing a survey to assess neuroenhancement attitudes and practices in the UK. In order to pilot the study, Dr Singh is looking for LSE students who are willing to participate in a 60 minute focus group discussion about their views on neuroenhancement.

Neuroenhancement comprises the use of various neurotechnologies such as psychotropic drugs to improve cognition and/or behavioural functioning in healthy individuals. In recent years the issue has received increasing attention in both academic discussions and the media, but little is known about actual prevalence and what students think of the topic.

Participants should be UK native undergraduate or masters’ students under the age of 23. If you are interested in getting involved, send a brief email stating your age, gender and the degree you are reading for, to Imre Bárd at i.bard@lse.ac.uk.

• Book launch - Family Futures: childhood and poverty in urban neighbourhoods

Tuesday 5 July, 6.30-8pm (followed by an informal reception), Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building

Family Futures is about family life in areas of concentrated poverty and social problems where surrounding conditions make bringing up children more difficult and family life more fraught and limited. Home and neighbourhood carry special meaning for families, because where they live, how they fit in with their neighbours, and how their children grow up all intertwine to build a sense of community.

This timely book, by acclaimed author Anne Power (professor of social policy and head of LSE Housing at LSE) and her team, is based on a unique longitudinal study of over 200 families interviewed annually over the last decade. It answers three important questions in the words of families themselves:

• What challenges face families in poor areas?
• How are the challenges being met?
• Have government efforts helped or hindered progress over the past decade?

This event is free and open to all. Seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Copies of the book can be purchased from Policy Press.

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 Student News is on Wednesday 21 September, in time for Orientation and the start of Michaelmas term. Articles for this should be emailed to me by Monday 19 September. Student News is emailed on Wednesdays, on a weekly basis during Michaelmas and Lent term and fortnightly during Summer term.