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30 April 2014 |
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 News
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LSE receives major gift to create new Southeast Asia
Centre
LSE has received a significant donation from Professor Saw Swee Hock to
establish a new academic centre focused on Southeast Asia. The Saw Swee Hock
Southeast Asia Centre will bring together researchers for interdisciplinary
analysis of policy questions facing Southeast Asia, while strengthening
further LSE’s research and engagement with the ASEAN region. Academics
affiliated with the centre will benefit from a range of specialist
resources, networks, and funding opportunities.
The new centre will be led by Professor Danny Quah as Director Designate.
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LSE holds sixth Asia Forum in Kuala Lumpur
The 2014 LSE Asia Forum was held in Kuala Lumpur at the Shangri-La Hotel
on Thursday 3 April and brought together academics, policy makers, and
figures from the business and finance sectors to discuss issues pertaining
to Asia and its relation to the rest of the world. It was the first time that LSE
has held this prestigious event in Malaysia, and the sixth such event
since the inaugural Asia Forum in Bangkok in 2004. A number of students
volunteered to help at the Forum and thanks particularly go to Azim Juzer,
Louisa Chua, Shan Li Ng,
Nicholas Liew, Terence Tan and Seow Voon Chong.
This year’s Forum also coincided with LSE’s first-ever graduation
ceremony in Malaysia, which took place on Wednesday 2 April, overseen by Professor Craig Calhoun.
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Gearty Grillings: LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) launches
weekly series of short video debates
Conor Gearty, director of the IPA and professor of human rights law, will be
subjecting LSE academics to a five-minute grilling on their research and
ideas in a new weekly series of video debates, called Gearty Grillings. From
the financial crisis and fracking, to housing policy and human rights, the
debates will put LSE’s leading authorities on some of humankind’s most
provocative issues under the spotlight. The series will showcase LSE’s world
class research and faculty and is being filmed at LSE’s new media studio.
Commenting on the launch, Conor Gearty said “The IPA is pioneering new forms
of engagement and the Gearty Grillings, with their focus on short and sharp
exchanges, are just one strand of this work. As an interviewer I am seeking
to use these cross-examinations to challenge academics on the tensions, and
possibly the contradictions, in their work.”
The first debate, featuring Professor Tony Travers of LSE London, has been
published online here
and has featured on Guardian Professional
here.
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Promotions for LSE Sports Teams
LSESU’s Athletics Union has completed an outstanding season in BUCS
(British University College Sport) and LUSL (London University Sports
Leagues) with 17 teams winning their leagues and gaining promotion. The
leagues began in October and each week LSE's teams have competed across the
country. The men’s tennis first team was particularly impressive, winning
the BUCS Premiership and Cup Championships beating both Loughborough and Oxford
along the way: an incredible result given the sports resources at both of these
universities. LSE has risen 15 places in the points table competing
with 144 other universities.
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Language Centre student wins prestigious award
Edward Knight, a first year International Relations student who is also
studying an advanced Mandarin degree course at the LSE Language Centre, won
the ‘Most Eloquent Award’ at the 13th Chinese Bridge University student
Language Proficiency Competition UK Final on Saturday 22 March.
It is the first time an undergraduate student in the UK not studying
Mandarin Chinese as their main degree has won such a prize at national level
- congratulations to all involved!
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LSE shortlisted for Architects' Journal Client of the Year
award
LSE has been shortlisted by the Architects' Journal (AJ) in its
AJ100 Client of the Year Awards. The School is among six organisations
identified by architects as having made the greatest contribution to UK
architecture over the year.
The Client of the Year shortlist is compiled by the top 100 architectural
practices in the UK, who are all asked as part of the Architects'
Journal’s annual AJ100 survey to nominate an organisation that has made
the greatest contribution to UK architecture during the past year.
LSE is shortlisted for the 2014 award alongside Argent, British Land,
Croydon Council, Derwent London, the Peabody Trust and University of
Edinburgh.
Julian Robinson, Director of Estates at LSE, said: “The AJ100 is a
prestigious list of the top architectural firms that practice in the UK so
it is a great honour to have been nominated as a potential Client of the
Year and to be in such impressive company as the other six organisations
shortlisted.”
The Client of the Year will be revealed at the annual AJ100 Awards on
Thursday 22 May.
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LSE Research Festival blog launched
Interested in learning more about the incredible variety of research going
on at LSE? The LSE
Research Festival blog has just launched and offers a celebration of
research in all its forms. The blog’s purpose is to host a number of
different projects designed to both give an overview of LSE research and to engage as wide an audience as possible. Over the coming months,
information on upcoming LSE Research Festival 2014 events will be posted
alongside a ‘best of LSE blogging’ series and one-off posts on other
research news.
The first post – a brief insight to the history of LSE Research Festival
– is now live. Subscribe to stay up to date with all the new posts
here.
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Library's student survey results
The Library conducted its biannual student survey during February,
giving students the chance to have their say on the
Library and its services.
Almost 2,000 students answered questions on the Library’s environment,
resources, and services; the information gleaned from the survey will
help steer the Library’s policy in the future.
The full results from the survey will be made publicly available on the
Library’s blog over the
summer.
LSE undergraduate statistics student Seekha Shah won the iPad mini, the
top prize for completing the survey, while 11 other LSE students scooped
book vouchers as runners-up.
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LSE wins EU ethical procurement award
LSE won a European Fair Cotton Procurement Award in a ceremony in Bremen on
Friday 28 March which was part of an
EU-funded conference on sustainable procurement in the public sector,
attended by delegates from across Europe, India and Mali.
The School was recognised as
the best university in Europe for its commitment to buying Fairtrade cotton
and was particularly praised for taking a leadership role in the HE sector
with Fairtrade uniforms for Estates staff and contractors which are
explicitly linked to LSE being a London Living Wage
employer.
Other winners included the City of Paris which has equipped a third of
uniformed staff with Fairtrade uniforms. See a blog post about the conference and the awards
here.
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'Banged up and left to fail?' on BBC Three
A BBC Three documentary aired on Monday 7 April following the story of Natalie
Atkinson who is hoping to start a master's degree in criminal justice
policy at LSE in the next academic year. Natalie was a persistent
offender in her teens, but has since turned her life around and is now
completing an undergraduate degree in policing, investigation and
criminology at the University of Cumbria. In the programme, Natalie
explains why she feels young adults need more support when they leave
prison. Read an interview with Natalie
here.
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Trends in Educational Technology
Over the past few months, the Centre for Learning Technology has been
investigating some of the key technological trends set to influence the
higher education sector in the next few years. The Centre looked at the benefits
they may provide to teaching and learning at LSE (and other
institutions), and issues that should be considered before these
technologies are implemented.
Using horizon scanning techniques to identify suitable reports, academic
articles, media articles and blog posts by institutions and commentators
working in the field, four key technological trends were identified; Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD),
Gamification and Games-based learning and Learning Analytics.
The report 'Trends in Educational Technology' argues that these technologies
can be beneficial and should be embraced if they address institutional
needs. However pedagogy must be at the heart of any technological adoption.
Read a blog about the findings
here or see the whole report at
LSE Research Online.
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Paris marathon success
Members from the Squash, Athletics, Hockey, Running, Football and
Triathlon Clubs took part in the Paris Marathon on Sunday 6 April
raising over £7,000 for the Association for International Cancer
Research. Congratulations to all!
More
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LSE alum's app success
Congratulations to former PhD student and current LSE Visiting Fellow,
Alexsi Aaltonen, whose personal fitness tracking app, Moves, was
acquired by Facebook last week for an undisclosed price. Apple listed
Moves as one of the best apps of 2013. The app, which records users’
daily activity on their smartphone, has been downloaded four million
times since it was launched in 2013 and is Facebook’s first foray into
fitness apps. Alexsi is a Visiting Fellow in the Department of
Management. More
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 Notices
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LSE Asia Research Centre (ARC) – Thailand Government Scholarship
Applications for the LSE ARC – Thailand Government Scholarship are being
accepted until Monday 12 May. The scholarship, a partnership between
the Royal Thai Embassy in London and the Asia Research Centre at LSE, aims to
promote a better understanding of Thailand. LSE students selected for the
scholarship will spend between one to two months in Thailand to research a
project of their interest relevant to Thailand. The scholarship provides for
travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.
More
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Bagri Fellowship 2014-15
Applications for the 2014-15 Bagri Fellowship are being accepted until
Monday 12 May. The Bagri Fellowship supports full-time PhD students at
LSE working on research related to the economy and society of India.
Students must be in their thesis writing stage and be registered with any
Department of LSE for the academic year 2014-15. A maximum of £5,000 will be
awarded for each Bagri Fellowship Applications should include a cover
letter, CV and research proposal addressed to the ‘Selection Committee’ and
be emailed to arc@lse.ac.uk,
mentioning Bagri Fellowship in the subject line.
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Deutsche Bank essay competition
The Financial Markets Group (FMG) invites applications from LSE PhD and
MSc students for its Deutsche Bank Award in Financial Risk Management and
Regulation 2014. The award will be given to students who have demonstrated
excellence in an area of financial research, including financial risk
measurement, risk management and financial regulation.
Students will be judged on the basis of research papers submitted to the FMG,
with the winner receiving £10,000 and the runner-up £5,000.
Papers, along with CV and a one page statement of research interests, should
be submitted to fmg@lse.ac.uk by Friday
30 May. The prize announcement will be made in June.
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Maximise Your Potential: special language events for
undergraduates
Wondering what to do once you've recovered from exams? The LSE Language
Centre has the perfect solution: a series of free language taster courses to
enhance your skills and give you some inspiration for the future...
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Fieldwork: training for PhD students
This session, new for 2014, will cover fieldwork for PhD students. If you're thinking about doing fieldwork for your PhD, have done it before but
would like a refresher, or would like to know more about the ins and outs of
social sciences fieldwork, this is the session for you. The session, on
Tuesday 6 May at 2.30pm, will
cover preparation such as health and safety and risk assessments, ethics
assessments and the practicalities of carrying out fieldwork. Book your place
here.
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Weekly mindfulness and stress management class for PhD students
Unwind, de-stress and meditate in a safe, supportive and calm
environment. Trainer Duncan Steen will explain mindfulness and how it
can be used to great effect when combined with quiet meditation. These
sessions are aimed at PhD students. Special attention will be paid to
de-stressing, how to handle stress and strategies for keeping calm in
stressful situations. Classes will run every Tuesday at 12-1pm in the
Faith Centre. Book your place
here.
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Polis Photography Competition
The Polis Photography Competition is a student competition established
in 2013-14 open to all LSE Students. A theme is chosen for
each competition and all entries are published by Polis. The winning
photographers win special mentions and prizes. This term the
winning photographer will receive a £50 Waterstones book
voucher and two runner-ups will receive a £25 pound voucher.
Submit your photos on the theme of 'Communication' by Monday 5 May to polis@lse.ac.uk.
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Students needed for campus photoshoot
LSE’s Student Recruitment Office is holding a campus photoshoot on Tuesday 6 May
with School photographer Nigel Stead between 1-4pm. The team is looking for
a group of students to be part of the
photoshoot which will involve moving around campus and being photographed,
in a group or individually, in a range of locations. The images will be used
in up-coming prospectuses, will be held by the School and potentially used
in subsequent School publications and online.
There are a limited number of spaces available and participants will be
paid for the afternoon. If you would like to volunteer please email Sam
Charman at s.charman@lse.ac.uk by
5pm on Thursday 1 May.
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Part-time vacancies for students
Information Management and Technology is recruiting students to work
part-time for the AV and Teaching Spaces and IT Training teams. Student Training Advisor and Teaching Spaces Assistant
positions are available.
Pay is c.£13/hour. For more information and to apply, see IMT's
blog post. The closing date for applications is Friday 9 May at 11.59pm. |
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Library opens extra study space for
students on 5th floor of the Library
During the
exam period, the 5th floor of the Library will available for LSE
students to study. 100 extra study spaces will be open every day from
10.30am-10pm until Friday 30 May.
The 5th floor can be accessed via the Library's research centre lifts near
the main entrance. The room will be staffed by Library security and is for
silent study. Students using the 5th
floor should adhere to
normal Library rules.
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Graduate careers survey
Professor Diane Reyniers and Shpetim Gula of the Management department are
conducting a research project on early graduate careers. They would greatly
appreciate it if you could participate in a short survey which takes no
longer than 15 minutes to complete. All participants will be entered in a
prize draw with cash prizes of up to £200. Take the survey
here. |
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The Women's Library @ LSE
Following the completion of The Women’s Library @ LSE Reading Room, work
has now begun on construction of a Teaching and Activity Room in the
Library, to be followed by an Exhibition Space. The Exhibition Space will be
in the Escape area, and the Teaching and Activity Room will be on the Lower
Ground Floor. Both are expected to be completed
later this year.
The Exhibition Space will display key items from The Women’s Library @ LSE
Collection and will be accessible to the public. The Teaching and Activity
Room will allow the Library to increase access to the collections, with both
new areas playing an integral role in the wider redevelopment planned for
the Lionel Robbins Building.
The building work will take place behind internal walls on the lower ground
floor in order to minimise the impact on students working in the Library.
The Library expects the impact on students' study to be minimal, and notices
will be placed in the affected area during the work.
The Women’s Library @ LSE collection can be accessed from The Women’s
Library @ LSE Reading Room on the fourth floor of the Library which opened
on Monday 31 March. A short film about The Women’s Library Reading Room
official opening event on Wednesday 12 March can be seen
here.
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LSE Votes 2014: European Parliament election
Ahead of May's European Parliament elections, LSESU's European
Society has launched a handy website with everything anyone wanting to cast
their vote needs to know. The website is completely neutral. It simply and
concisely explains the voting process with links to the websites of the
Electoral Commission, the voting sections of London borough councils and EU
delegation embassies in London. So if you're planning to vote, take a look
here.
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Pancakes and Palomas
LSE Garrick is now serving breakfast, offering a range of early morning
delicacies, including bacon sandwiches and eggs benedict. See the full menu
here.
And for the other end of the day, on Friday 16 May, come to a pop-up
cocktail bar on the 8th floor of the NAB to enjoy an evening of tiny
umbrellas and jazz. See the full menu
here.
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LSE Chill – calling performers!
The last LSE Chill session of the academic year will take place Friday
30 May in the 4th Floor Café bar from 6-8pm. There's still space
for an act to perform for a half hour slot during the evening so if you're
interested in getting on stage either at this Chill or future Chills, contact arts@lse.ac.uk with your name and details of your act.
More
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Technology tip - Excel’s calculation preview
If you need to get a quick calculation preview of a range of numbers in
a spreadsheet without creating a formula, select the range of interest
and look at the bottom of the screen near the clock. The Average, Count,
and Sum results will be shown there.
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 What's
on
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'Economics, But Not as You Know It' - on Thursday 1 May at 6.30-8pm
in the
Old Theatre, Old Building with Dr Ha-Joon Chang and Professor James Putzel
Bestselling author Ha-Joon Chang explains how the global
economy works and why anyone can understand the dismal science. Unlike
many economists who claim there is only one way of 'doing economics', he
introduces readers to a wide range of economic theories, from classical
to Keynesian to institutionalist to Austrian, revealing how they all
have their strengths, weaknesses and blind spots.
More
This lecture will also be broadcast live on LSE Live
here.
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'Scaling Up Excellence' - on Tuesday 6 May at 6.30pm in the New Theatre, East Building
with Professor Robert Sutton
Stanford professor Robert Sutton will discuss the lessons he and
colleague Huggy Rao took from their seven year study of ‘the problem
of more’ and the challenge of spreading constructive beliefs and actions. In other words, what it
takes to scale up without screwing up.
More
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The Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy - on Wednesday 7 May
at 6.30-8pm with
Professor Mark Kleiman, Dr Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, Otto
Pérez Molina (pictured)
A presentation of the Expert Group on the Economics of Drug Policy's
recent report - the most thorough independent economic analysis of the
current international drug control strategy ever conducted. The event
is free and open to all however a ticket is required and only one ticket
per person can be requested. Ticket information can be found
here. The location will be confirmed to ticket holders.
More
The presentation will also be broadcast live on LSE Live
here.
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'Borders and Interests: should the workers of the world unite?' -
on Thursday 8 May at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building with Professor Yuli Tamir
Borders exclude non-members but force all classes to share risks and
benefits. Is it the upper classes who have most to gain from abolishing
borders?
More
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'Expulsions: brutality and complexity in the global economy' - on
Tuesday 13 May at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
with Professor Saskia Sassen
In her new book, Expulsions: brutality and complexity in the global
economy, Saskia Sassen explores how today’s socioeconomic and
environmental dislocations can be understood as a type of expulsion –
from professional livelihood, from living space, even from the very
biosphere that makes life possible.
More
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'Researching Religion' - on
Tuesday 6 May at 6.30-8pm in the Faith Centre, Saw Swee Hock Student
Centre
Part of the LSE Research Festival, this panel discussion will focus on fieldwork challenges faced by those conducting research on
religion and faith, such as the extent to which personal or religious
beliefs or background matter in relation to research, whether a
background of religion or faith compromises the researcher's
intellectual or academic abilities, and how far research on religion
should be allowed to shape or be shaped by the researcher's beliefs.
Confirmed speakers include Madeline Bunting, Guardian columnist
and associate editor, Dr Matthew Engelke, LSE's Associate Professor of
Anthropology, Magdalena Delgado, LSE PhD candidate in the
Department of International Relations, and Teresa Whitney, LSE PhD
candidate in the Institute of Social Psychology.
The event is free and open to all but a ticket is required - tickets are
available
here. The event will be over ticketed so arrive early to
avoid disappointment.
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Bernard Levin Award reception - on Thursday 8 May at 6.30pm on
the 6th Floor of the Saw Swee Hock
The Bernard Levin Award is a journalistic competition which celebrates
distinguished LSE graduate, Bernard Levin, one
of the most respected journalists the School has produced.
Come and celebrate the range of talent and achievements of LSE students
at the award's reception
where the
winner and highly commended entries will be announced. Prizes include a
two week internship with the Huffington Post, dinner and tickets to
the theatre for two, £500 and copy of Bernard Levin’s Work.
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Reflections from Sylvia Chant and Inderpal Grewal - on
Friday 9 May at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic
Building.
In this Gender Institute 20th Anniversary Conference keynote, two
distinguished scholars – Sylvia Chant and Inderpal Grewal – will reflect on
the presence of gender from the unique intersection of social science and
humanities perspectives.
More
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'Fixing Europe Dialogues' series double book launch - on
Monday 12 May at 6.30-8pm with authors Roger Bootle and Philippe
Legrain in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Roger Bootle and Philippe Legrain will present and discuss the themes of
their two new books, respectively titled The Trouble with Europe: why the
EU isn't working - how it can be reformed - what could take its place
and European Spring: why our economies and politics are in a mess - and
how to put them right.
The event is free and open to all with no ticket required and entry on
a first come, first served basis.
More
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'Neuro-Enhancement: responsible research and innovation' - on
Tuesday 13 May at 7pm at The Book Club, 100 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH
Can and should we use drugs or neuro-technologies to boost our brain
function and become smarter, wiser or kinder? Join a cozy evening discussion
at The Book Club on the potential perks and perils of neuro-enhancement with
expert guests Dr. Molly Crockett, Professor David Nutt, Dr Aldo Faisal and
Professor Ilina Singh.
Tickets are £5 and guests will receive a voucher for the same amount
which can be used at The Book Club's bar.
Book
here.
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Benchmarking and Metrics for Bank Ethics and Behaviour workshop -
on Wednesday 14 May at 12.45-3pm in the Wolfson Theatre, NAB with
Tom Sleigh, Banking Standards Review and James Palmer, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
This workshop is the first of a series of
Conduct Cost Project workshops to be held this year to facilitate discussions on topics relevant to Conduct
Risk. Other workshop topics will include 'Defining Conduct Costs and
Conduct Risk' and 'Practical Application of the Restore Trust Agenda
and "Professionalisation“'.
The workshop is free to attend, but places must be booked by emailing
Tania at T.M.Maia-Campos-Duarte@lse.ac.uk
before Friday 2 May.
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'Growth and Social Cohesion: challenges for Greece and
beyond' - on Thursday 15 May at 6.30-8pm in the Old Theatre, Old
Building
with Philippe Costeletos, Managing Partner and co-Founder DMC Partners,
Wolfgang Munchau, Associate Editor Financial Times, Vicky Pryce,
Chief Economic Adviser CEBR, Horst Reichenbach, Head of Task Force for
Greece in European Commission
Following emergency action taken at the height of the euro-crisis,
attention has now focussed on how the ‘bail-out’ states can return
to growth on a sustainable and socially-inclusive basis. In part, this
return
will depend on whether Europe has the right policies in place. But how
can Europe best support reform in the
bail-out states: are they receiving the right mix of support? How should
external leverage be applied? And what is the best domestic strategy for
the bail-out states themselves? Are they doing enough? This panel will
address both the European and the national agendas, focussing on the
Greek case in particular.
More
The event is free and open to all but a ticket is required - tickets are
available here.
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LSE Arts New Exhibition: LSESU Visual Arts Society - until
Friday 6 June at 10am-8pm in the Atrium Gallery, Old Building
In association with LSE Arts, the Visual Arts Society is exhibiting a
collection of student art to demonstrate the diversity of creative flair
within the LSE community.
More |
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 60
second interview
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with.....Dr Shakuntala Banaji
I grew up in Bombay, India and love the sound of the sea, but London is one of the most vibrant places to live if you have the resources to move around and I feel most at home here. I've been teaching and researching for twenty years in areas including youth and media literacy, education and creativity, the internet and international media. I teach courses in international cinema, critical approaches to communication, development, media and the global south. I have a feisty, empathetic ten year old son, from whom I learn something new every single day.
If you could teach a new subject at LSE what would it be and why?
Children, Youth and Media - in most countries and situations children are overlooked and treated with patronising contempt, but my research shows what diverse and incredible contributions they make to philosophy, caring, politics and the economy, particularly across the global south. We need new scholars who can work with and think about children, childhood and youth without resorting to media clichés.
What would you do if you were LSE Director for a day?
I'd skip up and down in my office thinking I was in a science fiction film, then I'd put a motion to Council and Academic Board to lower international and national student fees. I would also tell other employers in the employers federation that I firmly believe we need to give the lowest paid university staff a sensible pay increase to make up for years of inflation. Then I would start thinking of creative ways to fund my policies.
What is the last film you saw at the cinema?
'Blue is the Warmest Colour': lyrical, inspiring, not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely mine.
What is your opinion of social networking sites?
They're as fun, political and interesting or stifling and retrograde as the values of the people who communicate on them.
What was your best subject at school?
Mathematics and English Literature equally; they are both deeply philosophical subjects. The teachers were magnificent and they inspired me to teach.
What is your favourite TV programme?
Al-Jazeera's 'People and Power': it's challenging, informative, different every week - and the stories told are completely astounding. But I also watch 'Modern Family' with my son!
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