January's public events now online

Highlights including lectures by Dr Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, and former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King.

Super Sunday is Coming

On Sunday 21 December, LSE IT services will be unavailable from midnight-8pm while IMT carry out essential maintenance, upgrades and equipment replacements.

Jon Emmett

Outside of LSE, Jon, Sustainability Projects Officer, has a blog where he collates outlandish media claims about how climate change will create apocalyptic mutant wildlife.

The Leverhulme Trust has awarded LSE 15 doctoral scholarships, worth £1million over the next three years, for students to undertake interdisciplinary research on ‘the challenge of escalating inequalities’.

The prestigious scholarships, worth £70,000 each, will be affiliated with LSE’s new International Inequalities Institute and directed by Professor Mike Savage, Head of Department of Sociology. These awards, the new Institute - which opens in May 2015 - and a forthcoming MSc programme on ‘Inequalities and Social Science’ are all part of the School’s increased focus on interdisciplinary research which tackles inequality and social cohesion.

Commenting on the awards, Professor Savage said: "We are delighted that the Leverhulme Trust has agreed to fund these studentships, which will allow us to build a distinctive graduate programme linked to the new International Inequalities Institute. Over the past decade, there has been a significant growth of inequalities both within and between nations. There is also a growing acceptance that the wider inequalities between all groups- including the advantaged - are affecting social cohesion, solidarity, social welfare and wellbeing. These dramatic changes have led to an increase in interdisciplinary energy to address this topic at LSE and were the motivation behind the creation of the new Institute, which will seek to better understand the causes and consequences of widening inequalities."

Children are taking on board parental advice about using the internet but often struggle to make sense of it, meaning they still may act unwisely when confronted with a risky situation finds an LSE report, published this week.

The report, by Dr Leslie Haddon and Professor Sonia Livingstone of EU Kids Online, captures how children aged 9-16 across the UK experience the online environment in their own words. Children were asked about a range of issues in a series of focus groups and individual interviews, including sexual content, sexting, bad language, cyberbullying, strangers, excessive use and e-safety.

The researchers find that children are listening to adult advice, and indeed tend to welcome parental support, but this does not always mean that the advice is followed through. While children have learned that parents are fearful of the notion of meeting strangers online, for example, a number of them had still been in touch with someone they had not met offline.

On 26 and 27 November, more than 50 LSE students fought the wind and rain to participate in dismantling the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red poppy display at the Tower of London.

Groups of students were tasked with different areas of the moat and one group managed to dismantle 4,500 in their three hour shift, an incredible effort.

It was one of the most popular volunteering opportunities ever offered at the Volunteer Centre and we were delighted to see the response rate and fantastic work that LSE students carried out.

LSE students rank in Bloomberg Hall of Fame

Four LSE students who completed the Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT) in October have scored so highly that they now appear in the Bloomberg Hall of Fame.

Jingshu Zhang came in second place, Daria Surzhik and Jian Kai Josias Goh came in fourth place, and Paul Rusen came in fifth place for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

The BAT tests students' strengths for a career in business and finance. Designed for undergraduates and recent graduates who are interested in a full-time or internship position in finance, the BAT aims to connect them efficiently and fairly with financial employers worldwide.

For more information, click here.
 

And the winner is....

Thank you to everyone who completed the Orientation Survey 2014. The Student Services Centre received 996 responses, which will be used to identify how staff can improve the arrival experience for future students.

The £100 Amazon voucher was won by Richard Adkins (pictured), a first year undergraduate student, and presented to him just in time for Christmas shopping!
 

The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre has recently been awarded a number of accolades.

The Observer critics’ annual review included the Centre in the list of the top five most inspiring new buildings of 2014. Last week at the Icon Magazine 2014 Awards the SAW architects O’Donnell + Tuomey were presented with the Building of the Year award.

At the recent Brick Development Association Awards, the building won two of the four categories for which it had been shortlisted - Best Public Building and Best Use of Brick and Clay Products - and was given the Supreme Award for Best Building.

It was also voted winner of the University Buildings Category at the Concrete Society 2014 Awards.

Visit the SAW awards page to see the virtual trophy cabinet.

On Thursday 18 December, the results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 will be announced and LSE will launch a new section of its website dedicated to showcasing the impact of LSE research. Initially drawing on the 66 impact case studies submitted by LSE to the REF2014, and with new examples of impact being added on a regular basis, the website will highlight the many ways that LSE’s academics are making a difference to society, in the UK and globally.

Julia Black, Pro-Director of Research, said: "REF2014 has required us to focus our attention on the impact of the research being undertaken across the School, which has been a fascinating and illuminating exercise. LSE’s academics do not sit in their ‘ivory towers’ - they are focused on real-world issues and, as the website will show, are having a real-world impact across a range of disciplines, including economics, politics, law, social policy, health and sustainability to name but a few. We hope the site will become a useful resource for anyone interested in the ways that LSE’s research is being used beyond its walls."

In what promises to be one of the most dramatic and complex elections in the past fifty years, this new blog, led by professors Simon Hix and Tony Travers, will provide analysis and detailed discussion of the substance that lies behind the noise of a chaotic election campaign.

Submission of posts are encouraged - from 750 to 1,250 words that are communicated in an accessible way. The blog covers all aspects of the forthcoming UK general election, as well as work on electoral politics in the UK more generally.

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.

The 2014-15 Sustainable Projects Fund (SPF) is now open for applications, with up to £20,000 available to winning applicants.

The SPF was established by the Sustainable Futures Society to advance sustainability at the School. All students and staff are welcome to submit an application for an environmental project on campus. Previous winners have included the LSE bicycle maintenance stand, the Plaza Café green roof (pictured), and the Passfield Hall garden.

LSE Works is back

In 2015 the School is delighted to continue the success of LSE Works with a third series of 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.

The first lecture takes place on Thursday 15 January and will be given by Professor Daniel Ferreira (pictured) of LSE’s Financial Markets Group on ‘Corporate Boards: facts and myths’.

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

LSE Library Christmas vacation opening times

Please note the Library’s opening hours during the Christmas vacation:

13-23 December 2014 and 5-12 January 2015

• Monday to Friday 9am-10pm

• Saturday and Sunday 11am-10pm

The Library is closed between 24 December 2014 and 4 January 2015 inclusive.
 

Halls of Residence are open throughout the Christmas closure period, with staff cover as normal.

Password security

In order to keep passwords strong and data secure, LSE has a policy that all passwords must be changed annually. In line with this policy, all students who have not changed their passwords within the last year will soon be prompted to do. If your password has expired, you will be unable to access LSE resources until it is changed.

Change your password by logging into an LSE campus PC (<Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del> | Change Password) or via LSE For You (Account Management | Change Password). Remember to set your security questions in LSE For You, in case you forget your password in the future (Account Management | Update Security Questions).

For more about the password policy and the annual change, see Password Change. For tips on creating a strong password, see Your LSE Password. If you have forgotten your password, contact IMT to have it reset: it.helpdesk@lse.ac.uk.

On Sunday 21 December, LSE IT services will be unavailable from 12am (midnight)-8pm. IMT will be doing essential maintenance during this time, performing key upgrades and equipment replacements before the start of the new term.

For the duration of the work, all LSE IT services will be unavailable including but not limited to:

• Campus WiFi
• Campus PCs, printers and telephones
• LSE email
• H: space and any shared network drives
• Areas of the LSE website that require a login to view secure content
• Moodle and LSE For You
• Access to the network from off-site, such as via VPN or the Remote Desktop

If you are graduating next week, come to see the Alumni Relations team at the LSE Alumni Stand, in the entrance to the Vera Anstey Room from 16-18 December, where you will be able to register for the LSE Alumni online community and receive your alumni pack.

Applications invited for 2015-16 scholarship programme

The Paul Woolley Centre for the Study of Capital Market Dysfunctionality, based in the Financial Markets Group at LSE, is pleased to invite applications for its 2015-16 scholarship programme.

The programme aims to support students pursuing postgraduate research in the areas covered by the Paul Woolley Centre’s research agenda. In general, research at The Paul Woolley Centre aims at understanding the workings of capital markets and the social efficiency of allocations these markets achieve.

The scholarships are awarded to a maximum number of three outstanding PhD students who have been admitted to the PhD programme of the Finance Department or the Economics Department of the London School of Economics. The scholarships provide a stipend to support fees and/or living expenses, and is renewable on an annual basis after review.

Please visit the How to apply webpage for more information.
 

Explore important issues relevant to contemporary China with world-class academics from LSE and Peking University (PKU).

Applications open in January for the 2015 LSE-PKU Summer School, which takes place in Beijing China from 10-21 August. Thirty LSE students participated in the 2014 Summer School which attracted 285 participants of 43 nationalities, including nearly 100 professionals from industry, government and international and non-governmental organisations.

Over two weeks, participants undertake an in-depth examination of new and exciting approaches to the important issues facing China (and the world) today, across a range of subjects including law, finance, economics, management, geography and politics.

New courses for 2015 will cover big data, the media and NGOs in China.

Explore important social science issues relevant to Africa today with leading academics from LSE and the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Applications open in January for the 2015 LSE-UCT July School, which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa from 29 June -10 July 2015. The 2014 programme attracted 104 students (39 LSE) and 40 professionals from 45 nations.

Participants follow intensive, two-week courses in economics, management, media, geography and politics, and share knowledge and perspectives based on their experience at international universities, multi-national firms, large development organisations and small NGOs.

A number of bursaries are available for LSE students who apply by 31 March 2015.

The Nominations Committee invites expressions of interest from high calibre individuals capable of playing an active role in the life of the School as lay members of the Court of Governors. Governors do not have to be alumni, but great enthusiasm for the School and a passion for the social sciences are essential.

Governors may be appointed to serve on the Council and on various School committees and for these positions experience in certain areas of work, such as property, finance, audit, law and health and safety, are particularly welcome. But beyond this, the School greatly appreciates the ambassadorial role that governors play. Their experience at senior levels in the public, private and third sector is invaluable, as is their advice on how to secure the School’s future success and sustainability.

If you know of someone who might be suitable for governorship, please feel free to bring this opportunity to his/her attention. Applications should be received by 12 January 2015.

After the success of the Student Inflation Index and their Student Labour Force Survey, the LSESU Economics Society is back this year, armed with the makings of a study that will finally tell the story of the students at LSE - where we come from, how we get here, and put together the puzzle of how the vibrant student body at LSE is put together.

To be in for a chance to win a trip for two to The View from the Shard, and to see your work displayed on campus, submit your photos to the LSE Photo Prize.

Staff and students can enter up to three photos into the competition - submissions close at midnight on Wednesday 28 January. A selection of submitted photos will be displayed around the LSE campus during the Literary Festival, which will be on the theme Foundations, in February 2015.

Taken some impressive snaps while out and about in London? Send them in by Tuesday 16 December and they could be featured in the January edition of LSE Perspectives.

Each month 12 photos taken by the LSE community are chosen to appear in LSE Arts online gallery.

Want to gain more confidence cycling on London roads and/or improve your swimming technique?

If so, the ActiveLifeStyle project want to hear from you. They are considering offering swimming and/or cycling lessons but need to see whether there is enough demand for them - email su.activelifestyle@lse.ac.uk to express your interest.
 

Security officer and former boxer Daniel Beckley is running skip fit lessons for all staff and students at LSE. Build up your fitness, burn calories and increase your stamina, all within an hour.

The next lessons will take place from 1-2pm at the Badminton Court, Old Building, on Tuesday 13 January, Tuesday 20 January, Tuesday 3 February, Tuesday 10 February and Tuesday 24 February. Just turn up on any of these dates with your own skipping rope. All lessons are free.

Check out the January 2015 programme of events

January's public events have now all been announced. Highlights including lectures by Dr Pippa Malmgren, Founder of DRPM Group and a former US Presidential Adviser; Dr Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation; former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King (pictured); and Dato Sri Nazir Razak, Chair of the CIMB Group.

Check out the full programme for the month here.
 

Other forthcoming LSE events include....

Lionel Robbins Memorial Lectures
On: Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 December from 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Professor Angus Deaton (pictured)

In Conversation with Shirley Williams
On: Wednesday 10 December from 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Lady Williams

Local Governance in Times of Crisis: lessons for Greece from the city of Thessaloniki
On: Thursday 11 December from 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Yiannis Boutaris

'Everyone is entitled…' The global struggle for women's human rights
On: Thursday 11 December from 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor Fareda Banda, Téa Braun (pictured), Jane Gordon, and Gisela Robles Aguilar
 

Does Greece Need a New Constitution?

On: Thursday 15 January from 6.30-8pm in TW1.G.01, Tower 1
Speakers: Elias Dinas, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics, Oxford University, and Member of the Greek Public Policy Forum; Costas Douzinas, Professor of Law and Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, Birkbeck University; and Elias Papaioannou, Associate Professor of Economics, London Business School.

The crisis has focused attention on how well Greece is governed. The diagnoses of the problems vary, but might a new Constitution help improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of its institutions?

This panel debate brings together speakers from a range of academic perspectives. The recent expert survey on the issue of constitutional reform in Greece conducted by the Greek Public Policy Forum will provide a starting point for the discussion.

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