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8 February 2012 |
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 News
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Green fund announces backing for student awareness project
The Sustainable Futures society is pleased to announce the winning
applicants for the Sustainable Project Fund. The successful proposals are
the ImpACT Award and Awareness project, which will target student environmental
behaviours, and a pilot project for greening the LSESU gym.
Towards the end of last year Sustainable Futures invited staff
and students to apply for grants of up to £12,000 to increase the
sustainability of LSE. The results were announced on Monday
to coincide with the start of Go Green Week.
The overall winner is the ImpACT Award and Awareness project, which
requested money to help increase awareness about environmentally harmful
activities. To help implement the project, the search is on for catchy
phrases and logos around sustainable behaviours, which will be displayed and
circulated around LSE in a long-lasting way. For the chance to get involved
(and win prizes!) please get in touch with Andrew Sudmant by emailing
Andrew.Sudmant@gmail.com.
The second project to gain support was a proposal to green the gym in the
New Students' Centre by re-using the electricity generated by the
machines. They have been asked to develop a plan for a pilot programme in
the current East Building gym.
For more information about the Sustainable Project Fund or the activities of Sustainable
Futures, please visit
www.sustainablefutureslse.co.uk or email
sustainable.futures.lse@gmail.com.
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LSE scores well in social media while larger institutions appear to be just
getting started
LSE is the most 'visible' Russell Group university in social media,
the LSE Impacts Blog has found.
The LSE Impacts Blog team has used data from an Econsultancy ranking,
published last week, which lists 20 Russell Group universities in order of
their social visibility. Each university's social visibility score was calculated based on the total number of links a web domain has scored on six social sites, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+.
According to the Econsultancy table, LSE is placed third, with a visibility
score of 286,859. The University of Cambridge tops the table with a score of
462,823, followed by the University of Oxford at 442,758. However, when
these scores are charted against the sizes of the universities involved, the
results are reversed, with LSE placed prominently at the top of the table
with Cambridge and Oxford in second and third place respectively. Newcastle
University ranks fourth and Queens University Belfast, fifth.
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Engage, don't restrict, to protect children from online risk finds EU
Kids Online
Parents should actively engage with their children's online activities by
talking to them about the internet and occasionally staying nearby when they
go online. Compared with restricting children's internet use, positive
engagement can reduce the risk of harm without preventing the benefits of
internet use. This is one of the conclusions of a new report from the EU
Kids Online project based at LSE.
Published on Safer Internet Day 2012 (Tuesday 7 February), the report
surveys the strategies used by parents to support their children's internet
use. It asks which strategies reduce online risks and harm experienced by
children, based on interviews with 25,000 children and parents in 25
European countries.
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Workers' austerity concerns win concessions from IMF finds new study
Workers in debt-ridden countries get sympathetic treatment from the
International Monetary Fund, which is not the big bad wolf of popular
myth, a new study suggests.
While the IMF demands reforms from countries seeking loans in times of
economic crisis, the new research shows that it listens to the views of
citizens, especially in democracies, and may soften the labour conditions it
sets when they protest. For example, mass demonstrations in Greece during
2011 when the country took extreme austerity measures led the IMF to make
compromises over wages, pensions and job numbers.
The authors of the study, published in the journal International
Organization, say their findings suggest that international bodies,
including the IMF, are more likely to respond to domestic politics than to
constrain them.
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 Notices
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2012 LSE-PKU Summer School Applications have opened for the 2012
LSE-PKU Summer School, to be held in Beijing from 6-17 August.
The programme, jointly run by LSE and Peking University and taught by
staff from the two institutions, includes courses from across the social
sciences, with all courses featuring a Chinese and/or Asian dimension.
The courses taught by Peking University staff give a unique Chinese
perspective on commercial law, social policy, economic development, business
and marketing, politics and policy, and intra-Asian international relations.
LSE-led courses are available in international development, economics,
anthropology, media, economic history, international relations, finance and
management.
The programme offers LSE students and others the opportunity to study in
Beijing, and to engage with high-calibre participants from around the world
- 346 people represented 49 nationalities in 2011, with 25 per cent
graduate professionals.
LSE students and alumni are eligible for the discounted student rate, and
an additional £100 discount is available for applications completed before
Saturday 31 March.
For more information, see the website and brochure at
lse.ac.uk/lsepkuprogramme, email
lse-pku.programme@lse.ac.uk
or call 020 7955 6455.
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Undertaking private work - PhD students
LSE Consulting connects LSE academics with organisations requiring
their expertise.
We currently have scope for PhD students to work on proposals and
projects with us - a useful way of gaining consulting experience, earning
extra income and boosting your CV.
For more information,
click here.
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Last chance to respond to the IT Services annual user satisfaction
survey 2012 The survey is open until Monday 13 February. Please
help IT Services to develop and improve services in line with your needs by
filling out our annual user satisfaction survey.
It should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete and you could win
one of five £50 Amazon vouchers if you enter the prize draw.
Click the following link to take part:
Taught
student survey (UG and PGT)
PhD research
student survey
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Nominations open next week for Students’ Union positions The
Lent term elections give you the opportunity to stand for a range of
positions within the Students’ Union. There really is a something for
everyone ranging from student trustees, who make the strategic and financial
decisions of a multi-million pound organisation, to the general secretary
who represents LSE students on some of the most influential committees
within the School.
Have a look through the roles and come along to the
'Thinking of Becoming a Candidate' session on Thursday 9 February
(6pm, NAB 2.16) for more information about the positions and the opportunity
to get your questions answered.
Nominations are open from 13-20 February. For more information, visit
www.lsesu.com.
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Training for students Courses scheduled for next week include:
- Communicating assertively
- PowerPoint 2010: images and media
- Excel 2010: formulas and common functions
- Excel 2010: pivot tables
For a full listing of what is available and further details, including
booking information, see
www.lse.ac.uk/training.
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Complete the
LSE Residential Services survey Each year, LSE Residential
Services asks students to rate our services.
You can have your say about your experiences in LSE or University of
London intercollegiate halls by completing the survey at
www.survey.bris.ac.uk/lsewebsite/lseres11_12.
Completing the survey should take no longer than seven minutes, and you
could be entered in the the prize draw to win one of 17 prizes.
The first page of the survey explains more about the survey method, who
gets to see the results and what has happened as a result of feedback from
former residents.
The survey is open until the end of week 10 of Lent term, so don't feel
you have to rush to complete now. You'll be sent other reminders before the
closing date.
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How well do you know the Neurodiversity Moodle site? Competition with
cash prizes
Competition rules:
1. Answer all 10 questions
2. Two points scored per question (one point for correct answer, one
point for correct location of information in Dyslexia and Neurodiversity
Moodle site)
3. Submit your entry by Monday 5 March
4. Email your responses to
s.blankfield@lse.ac.uk with subject line ‘Moodle Competition’
Prizes of up to £100 could be won. Winners will be notified on Friday
9 March.
Competition questions:
1. Who's the manager of the Disability and Well-being Service?
2. What two things did PhD student Joanne find most helpful at LSE
regarding her dyspraxia?
3. What should you do if you think you might be dyslexic or neurodiverse?
4. Where can you find advice and resources for making the most of
lectures and developing your listening and note-taking skills?
5. What does a 1:1 session with a neurodiversity adviser involve?
6. If you're a home student, approximately how long does it take to sort
out disabled students' allowance funding?
7. If you are an EU or international student, what might the Students'
Union provide funding for?
8. Where can I discuss my concerns confidentially with other
neurodiverse students?
9. Where is the quiet study room which has computers with assistive
software?
10. What's an ISSA?
For more information,
click here.
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Bernard Levin Award for student journalism
The Bernard Levin Award celebrates a distinguished graduate of LSE,
Bernard Levin, one of the greatest and most admired journalists the
School has produced.
To enter the competition,
write an article or column of up to 1,000 words which celebrates the
benefits to an LSE student of the intellectual, cultural, political,
professional, business, media, or entertainment life surrounding the
School’s campus in the heart of London.
You may compose this in any style you see fit, but should bear in mind
the merits of Bernard Levin’s own writing. The brief is intentionally
loose to allow you to be creative in your writing.
The winning entry will receive a certificate, £500, a two week
internship with the BBC, and a night out for two with dinner and a trip
to a theatre.
The submission deadline is Friday 16 March. For more information,
click here.
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sQuid on your LSE card Your LSE ID card incorporates sQuid,
which can be used instead of cash to make convenient and secure contactless
payments for food and drinks in all LSE catering outlets.
Register your LSE ID card at
www.squidcard.com/lse and load money onto it online from your bank
account or by using a debit or credit card.
Anyone using their card as a method of payment can take advantage of the
special offers available in LSE Catering outlets. In addition, any users
spending £30 or more on their card each month will be entered into a prize
draw, with five winners getting £10 added to their loyalty purse.
The winners of the December prize draw were:
- Ian Spencer
- Paul Thomas
- Gwyn Bevan
- Roberto Roccu
- Andrew Harrison
The winners of the January prize draw were:
- Maria Molina Domene
- Dominik Hangartner
- Simon Pellas
- Patrick Wallis
- Ade Olayebo
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 What's
on
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A lecture by Michael D Higgins, president of Ireland On:
Tuesday 21 February from 6.30-7.30pm. The venue will be confirmed to
ticketholders.
On 11 November 2011, Michael D Higgins (pictured) was inaugurated as the
ninth president of Ireland. A passionate political voice, a poet and writer,
academic and statesman, human rights advocate, promoter of inclusive
citizenship and champion of creativity within Irish society, Michael D
Higgins has previously served at almost every level of public life in
Ireland, including as Ireland's first minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht.
This event is free and open to all but a ticket is required. LSE students
and staff are able to collect one ticket from the New Academic Building SU
shop from 10am on Tuesday 14 February.
More
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Other upcoming events include....
The Islamist Moment in the Middle East: domestic and geostrategic
implications
On: Monday 13 February at 6.30pm in the New Theatre, East Building
Speaker: Professor Fawaz Gerges, professor of middle eastern politics
and international relations at LSE.
Maonomics: why Chinese communists make better capitalists than we do
On: Wednesday 15 February at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Loretta Napoleoni, expert on terrorist financing and money
laundering.
Dispatches from the Dark Side: on torture and the death of justice
On: Thursday 16 February at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement
House
Speaker: Gareth Peirce, a solicitor whose battles against
miscarriages of justice have changed legal history.
LSE Literary Festival 2012: relating cultures
On: Wednesday 29 February - Saturday 3 March
Speakers include AS Byatt, Claire Tomalin, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Owen
Jones, Michael Rosen and many more.
Tickets are now available.
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Justice and Security: there is more than one truth
Monday 23 January to Friday 17 February
Atrium Gallery, Old Building
The exhibition currently on display in the Atrium Gallery showcases a
series of cartoons provided by the VJ Movement (VJM) in Amsterdam, that
address issues of justice and security.
The cartoons were selected in conjunction with Tjeerd Royaards, a Dutch
editorial cartoonist who has been involved with the VJ Movement since 2008,
setting up a global network of professional editorial cartoonists. Starting
from their belief that 'There is more than one truth' the VJ Movement
provides a web platform dedicated to the promotion of video journalism and
press freedom.
The VJ Movement is currently developing a series of cartoons and videos
linked to the research agenda of the Justice and Security Research Programme
(JSRP) at the LSE Department of International Development.
For more information click
here. This exhibition is free and
open to all, no ticket required. Visitors are welcome during weekdays
(Monday - Friday) between 10am and 8pm (excluding bank holidays or unless
otherwise stated).
For more information contact LSE Arts at
arts@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7107 5342.
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UN Week
On: Tuesday 7 - Friday 10 February at LSE
There are still plenty of events taking place this week for UN Week,
organised by the LSESU UN Society.
On Thursday, there's a careers and networking event with free canapés and
wine; the vice-chair of the UN arbitrary detention working group, Shaheen
Sardar Ali, is speaking on Friday; plus there is a Model United Nations
exercise tonight.
For more information, visit
www.lsesu-unsociety.org/UNweek.htm. If you have any queries, contact the
society via
Facebook.
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Human Rights: is it any of your business?
On: Thursday 9 February from 6.15-7.30pm in the New Academic
Building, 2.06
Speakers: Paul Eagle, business and human rights advisor, Amnesty
UK, Elisha London, UK director, Global Poverty Project, Chris
Davis, director of producer partnerships, FairTrade Foundation.
This event, hosted by the LSESU Amnesty International Society, asks can
corporate responsibility contribute to the protection of human rights?
For more information, visit
http://lsesuamnesty.org.uk/
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The Turning Point: Muslim converts panel On: Friday 10
February from 6-9pm in the New Theatre, East Building
Speakers: Sarah Joseph, CEO and editor of Muslim lifestyle magazine
emel, Kristiane Backer, German-born television presenter and
television journalist, Yusuf Chambers, Islamic preacher and charity
fundraiser, and Brother Khaliyl, a Muslim speaker.
At this panel event, organised by the LSESU Islamic Society, the speakers
will explain why they have converted to Islam and what makes Islam different
from other faiths.
This event is free and open to all. For more information, contact
Umaima Al-Wahaibi at u.al-wahaibi@lse.ac.uk.
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RAG Week
LSESU RAG will be taking over campus from Monday 13 to Friday 17
February with a jam-packed schedule of fundraising events and
activities to raise money for some brilliant causes.
There will be a RAG stall on Houghton Street all week, selling plenty of
RAG related merchandise and tickets for the Battle of the Halls Rematch,
which will be held on Thursday 16; take part in the pub quiz on Monday,
support the Rowathon to Amsterdam on Tuesday, make sure you're at the AU
Chest Wax on Wednesday and vote for the Sabb you'd like to gunge on Friday. For the full event timetable see RAG
Week's Facebook
page.
Want to help out? Email us at su.rag@lse.ac.uk.
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Spanish in Motion On: Tuesday 14 February from
6.30-8.30pm in room CLM.5.02, Clement House
The Language Centre invites you to the second ‘Spanish in Motion’ session
of this academic year.
At this session, the Language Centre will be screening Maradona
(90”, 2008, Emir Kusturica, in Spanish with subtitles in English). The film,
which is directed by Serbian director Emir Kusturica, celebrates the
extraordinary history and phoenix-like resurrection of Diego Maradona:
sporting hero, people’s champion, fallen idol and inspiration to millions.
Enjoying unprecedented access to the man himself, as well as to extensive
archives, Kusturica takes the audience on an intimate whirlwind tour of
places and people closest to this god of football. Profoundly moving, joyous
and life-affirming, featuring an original score from Manu Chao, Maradona
is both a unique documentation of a growing friendship between the director
and his subject and a passionate exultation of a true legend of our time.
After the film, there will be a Q&A session with journalist and author
John Carlin. For more information, visit
Spanish in Motion Screenings.
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World Stage Student and Alumni Lecture Series - Does Culture Matter?
On: Wednesday 15 February at 6.30pm in the
Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
LSE alumnus Kurt Barling (pictured), BBC London special correspondent,
will reflect on his time at LSE and the role it has played in his many
achievements, as well as his decision to pursue media to explore a variety
of social and political issues.
Kurt will be joined by students Rajiv Gopie and Sehrish Ejaz-Khan to
discuss the importance of culture at LSE and beyond. The lecture will be
followed by a reception.
To
avoid disappointment, register your attendance in advance. To
register or for more information,
click here.
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LSESU Literature Society and the LSE Literary Festival The
LSESU Literature Society is working on the following events and invites you
to join in with celebrating this year's LSE Literary Festival.
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Speedy Bookclub (or Speed Book Dating)
Thursday 1 March at 7pm in room NAB.2.04
A special event for World Literature Evening - just come along with a
copy of your favourite book and be ready to chat about it with other
literature enthusiasts. Expect to go on about twenty mini dates and meet
loads of new people. Wine and canapés will be provided. The event has
limited space so
email su.soc.literature@lse.ac.uk
in advance to book your place.
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A Conversation with Ben Masters
Friday 2 March from 5-6.30pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic
Building
Ben Masters’ debut novel Noughties examines the highs and lows of
modern student life, which reach a climax for his characters on the last
night of university. In this conversation with LSESU Literature Society
president, Aleona Krechetova, Ben will discuss whether there is such a
thing as a ‘standard’ student experience, and how he approached the
question of ‘relatability’ when writing the book.
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 60
second interview
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with..... Sander van der Linden
I am a PhD student in the
Department of Geography and
Environment and the Grantham
Research Institute on Climate Change
and the Environment. My PhD is in
applied social and environmental
psychology, broadly focusing on the
process of behavioural change. I have
also been a class teacher this year
for two methodology courses at both
the undergraduate and graduate level.
I was born
in a small town in The Netherlands,
but mostly grew up in Amsterdam. I completed my
undergraduate studies partly there and I partly
lived, studied and worked in the US
(Northern California and Boston). In
fact, one of my greatest passions is
travelling and living in different
countries; if I could, I would
travel the entire world. My latest
adventure was last summer when I
backpacked through South East Asia.
Tell us about your current
research interests.
An article of mine was just published in Current Psychology. I did some research on
the social-psychological
determinants of charitable
behaviour. In particular, when
people mentally construct an
intention to give to charity, it has
remained relatively unclear whether
such intentions are largely driven
by internal, moral considerations or
external, social influences. My aim
was to shed some light on this
question.
I have also recently co-authored
a book chapter with some colleagues
at the Grantham Research Institute on how
humans construct perceptions of
climate-related risks, and I am in the
process of writing another book
chapter on behavioural change. In
addition, I will be presenting some
of my research at the Planet Under
Pressure Conference in London in March. My talk will be on how to
effectively elicit behavioural
adaptations
through the communication of
information about climate change.
Next to my 'official' research, I
also believe that science can be fun
and engaging and so I am a fervent
popular science writer and often
contribute articles to Scientific
American. I actually have an article
coming up in the March
edition of Scientific American
Mind entitled 'Shopping for Love',
which is about
the often underestimated but
crucial role of the environment in
human dating decisions.
What would you do if you were LSE
director for a day?
If I were LSE director for a day then
obviously I would heavily subsidise
all on-campus beer consumption, push
for 24 hour opening times, and demand
private offices for all PhD students
who are currently being squeezed
into inhumane cubicles!
On a more serious note, I know
that strong links to top businesses
and world governments are a key
advantage of studying at LSE,
but I am getting increasingly
worried about academia mingling with
the interest and funding of
corporate businesses and political
institutions, especially in light of
recent events. This may sound
clichéd, but I do believe that there
is something noble and honest about
the pursuit of science, for the sake
of science and as director, I
would make it a priority that LSE
remains true to its impeccable motto
'to understand the causes of
things' and not have it changed into
'to understand the business of
things'.
I would also see to the
realisation of a programme/course in
behavioural geography. Finally, I find the grading
system at LSE, to put it mildly,
inadequate. As director, I would
try to make the grading system more
timely (faster), more transparent
and more accessible to students.
What is the funniest thing which
has ever happened to you?
About a year ago, I wrote an
article about the relationship
between pro-environmental behaviour
and human gaze detection (i.e.
knowing when someone is staring at
you). Shortly
after, believe it or not, I received
an email from a paranormal
investigator, who was under the
impression that this research could
be used to explain why certain
people believe in paranormal
phenomena (e.g. a painting of a dead
relative might trigger gaze
detection, i.e. 'a feeling of being
watched'). Anyway, the investigator
is part of a very serious
organisation that attempts to
explain the science behind various
seemingly inexplicable phenomena. Of
course, I agreed to answer some
questions. What I did not know was
that the good sir ended up
publishing my insights on his
website.
As a result, to my
friends and peers, I am now LSE's
self-appointed 'chief academic
advisor on paranormal activity'. My
research group is currently
investigating several 'spooky
stories' that have occurred within
LSE, mainly the ghost writing of a
certain PhD thesis.
What would your friends say is your
greatest quality?
Most of my good friends often
tend to ask for my advice, either
personally or professionally.
Perhaps doing a PhD, particularly in
psychology, easily gives people the
illusion that you might have
something sensible to say!
If you could spend six months
working in another department/office
at LSE, which would it be?
Probably the Department of
Philosophy, Logic and Scientific
Method. To the dismay of many of my
teachers, I've always been
fascinated by the nature of reality,
the epistemology of perception and
the philosophy of mind.
What is the best advice you have
ever been given?
Live in the moment. |
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