International Development Events Programme 2015

Throughout Lent term, LSE Careers is presenting a diverse range of events aimed at students who want to work in the international development sector.

Want to help new students not living in halls of residence to get settled at LSE?

Become an Off Campus Support Scheme Mentor for the 2015-16 academic year.

Sebastian Bruhn, LSESU Community and Welfare Officer

The "sheer amount of diverse, inspiring people I have the opportunity to encounter and work with on a daily basis" is one of the best parts of Sebastian's job.

The second phase of a unique crowdsourcing project to get ordinary Britons to debate how their country should be governed will be launched at LSE this week.

Coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, a 10-week internet project will give people a direct say in writing a proposed new UK constitution via an online forum that goes live this Thursday 15 January.

Spearheaded by LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), the Constitution UK project will canvass opinion on 10 key issues including devolution, whether the UK should have a monarch, Head of State, abolish the House of Lords or exit the European Union.

Congratulations to Professor Julian Le Grand (pictured), who has been awarded a knighthood for services to social science and public service, and Claire Milne, who has been awarded an MBE for services to the telecommunications sector.

Julian Le Grand has been the Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy at LSE since 1993. From 2003 to 2005 he was seconded to No 10 Downing Street to serve as Senior Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

He has served as Chair of a number of government groups, including: the Social Work Practices Working Group for the UK Department for Children, Families and Schools; Chair of Health England: the National Reference Group for Health and Well Being for the UK Department of Health; Chair of the UK Cabinet Office's Mutuals TaskForce; and Chair of the UK Education Department's Panels reviewing Doncaster's and Birmingham's Children's Services. As well as these positions, he has acted as an adviser to the President of the European Commission, the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, the OECD, HM Treasury, the UK Department of Work and Pensions and the BBC.

Claire Milne, a Visiting Senior Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications, has had a long and varied career with telecommunications policy as its central theme. Since 1989 she has been a freelance consultant, providing policy and regulatory advice in dozens of countries on all continents. In parallel she has served on several public bodies in the UK. She has been a guest teacher at LSE since 2009.

The School is sad to announce the death of Professor Ulrich Beck, renowned sociologist and visiting professor at LSE, who passed away on 1 January 2015.

In a tribute to Professor Beck, LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun said: "On New Year’s Day 2015, LSE lost one of its most famous and distinguished faculty members. Ulrich Beck was among the first Centennial Professors recruited to LSE when that programme was created by then-Director Anthony Giddens in 1997. He identified strongly with LSE and its cosmopolitan vision and remained an active part of the School until his death.

"In his lectures, seminars and innumerable personal conversations at LSE, Beck was a warm and positive presence. His themes ranged from the ways modern society is organised in response to hazards and insecurities, to the nature of cosmopolitanism and the possibilities for successful reflexive strategies in both politics and personal life. He moved students and influenced colleagues. He will be missed."

To post a tribute to Professor Beck, leave your condolences or share any memories you have of him, please visit the Condolences page.
 

Two new reports from the World Bank Group and the International Growth Centre (IGC) reveal that informal economic activity in Sierra Leone has been depressed by the Ebola outbreak. Late rains delayed the harvest but food prices are following normal seasonal trends.

The World Bank report, produced in collaboration with Statistics Sierra Leone, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and the IGC, shows a decline in household heads working in urban areas from 75 per cent in August to 67 per cent in November. Most of this decline is among those working in non-farm household enterprises. Employment in rural areas is unchanged.

Charity Week 2014, an initiative led by the LSESU Islamic Society, raised a staggering £33,000, breaking last year’s record of £25,000.

The week was packed with fun activities, and saw societies from across the School coming together to raise funds for orphans and needy children all over the world. Activities included selling doughnuts on Houghton Street, a football tournament held in collaboration with the LSEAU and funded by the Active Life Style Fund, a 'Conference of the Birds' themed poetry evening co-hosted with SOAS, plus Snowdon mountain climbing and skydiving with RAG. The week ended with a dinner and auction, where thousands of pounds were raised.

Charity Week rep, Arif Miah, said it was a project "where there were no barriers between faiths to achieve a noble end".

On Wednesday 10 December, the Circles Choir performed in public for the first time.

They sung a short programme which started off with an energetic Nigerian song in a round. The programme continued with ‘Seasons of Love’ (from the Musical Rent), ‘Make you feel my love’ (the Adele version of the Bob Dylan original) featuring two wonderful soloists, and Bill Withers’ ‘Lean on Me’.

The audience also got to participate in a rendition of ‘When the saints go marching in’ and ‘Swing low sweet chariot’ sung at the same time.

The Choir would love more people to join them. Everyone is welcome and no experience is needed - you don’t need to read music and you won’t be auditioned, just turn up and join in.

LSE's Space for Thought Literary Festival is now in its seventh year.

The festival theme is “foundations” so festival organiser Louise Gaskell takes a look back at LSE’s first “Literary Weekend” and at the evolution of this annual event.

To add some breadth to the experience of students on postgraduate taught degrees at LSE, Paul Kelly (Pro-Director for Teaching and Learning), and Professor George Gaskell (Special Advisor to the Director) are convening a series of Friday lunchtime lectures.

These will feature some of the School’s distinguished faculty, including Professors Tim Besley, Lord Nicholas Stern, Nicola Lacey, Sir Charles Bean and LSE Director Craig Calhoun. The lectures cover a range of issues and contemporary debates, providing students with an opportunity to engage with social scientific thinking outside their discipline and field of expertise.

Become a mentor for the Off Campus Support Scheme

Are you a first or second year undergraduate student? Do you want to give back to the LSE community whilst improving your communication and interpersonal skills? Why not think about applying to become an Off Campus Support Scheme Mentor for the 2015-16 academic year?

In 2015-16, mentors will act as a human signpost to help new students not living in halls of residence to get settled at LSE. For more information about the scheme and to access the application form, visit lse.ac.uk/offCampusSupportScheme. If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to attend a compulsory training session on the afternoon of Wednesday 25 February (returning mentors) or Wednesday 4 March (new mentors).

The application deadline is Sunday 1 February. If you have any questions about the scheme, email Lydia Halls at OffCampusSupport@lse.ac.uk.
 

If you studied at a school or college in the UK, we would like to give you the opportunity to return to your former school/college to talk to prospective students about your experience of studying at LSE and in London.

Please note that food is not permitted inside the Library. Eating food can be disruptive to other students who are studying, and crumbs and leftover food can attract vermin.

Make volunteering your New Year's resolution

The LSE Volunteer Centre is passionate about volunteering and believe that even more LSE students should take time to contribute to their communities. What better time to start than January 2015?

These drop-in sessions, which are open to all staff and students, will cover data management, data protection, and research ethics.

Bring along any questions you have regarding:

• Data protection: the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts
• Funder requirements for sharing data
• Intellectual Property and licensing data use and re-use
• Managing safe and secure storage
• Records management for data
• Writing and implementing a data management plan
• When and how to complete a research ethics application

Sessions will be held fortnightly, from yesterday (Tuesday 13 January), and will take place in room LRB R.08 from 1-2pm.

Beehive painting competition

Are you creative? Would you like to leave a permanent legacy of your time at LSE? As part of Green Week (9-13 February), the LSESU Beekeeping Society is offering one of its beehives for painting!

You will have four sides of a hive to paint using only red, yellow and black, or mixes of these colours. Send a scanned image of your design to the Beekeeping Society by Friday 23 January to enter the competition. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 28 January. You must be available to paint the hive between Thursday 29 January and Friday 6 February.

For more information see the blog or contact the LSESU Beekeeping Society.
 

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, from 23-28 February.

Spaces at the 2015 LSE Arts performance nights are filling up fast. If you have a talent you’d like to share with a friendly LSE crowd, email arts@lse.ac.uk.

Bands, solo artists, poets, comedians - everyone is welcome, so if you’re interested then visit LSE Chill and email arts@lse.ac.uk with details of your act.

Do you use Excel as a database? If so, you may find Excel’s data form useful for adding, viewing, finding, editing or deleting records. The form is available as soon as you have set up column headings and enter at least one bit of data in the next row.

To use data forms, you must add the Form command to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) in the upper left corner of the Excel screen. (For more on QAT, see p.5 of this guide.)

1. Click the arrow at the right side of the toolbar and select More Commands.
2. In the Choose commands from box, select All commands.
3. Scroll down the list and double-click on the Form button.
4. Click OK to close the dialog box.

To open and use the form, open any Excel database file. Then click the Form icon in your QAT. Tab to move from field to field, and click the New button to open a new record. When you move from one record to another, any changes made in the form will be added to the Excel file.

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Why not make it your goal to be more active

We have lots of activities which will help you get 2015 off to the right start. From belly dancing classes, to golf lessons, to boot camp sessions, with LSESU Active LifeStylE there is something for everyone.

For more information, visit www.lsesu.com/activelse.
 

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 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.

Join the London Medical Orchestra

The London Medical Orchestra, a well-established, friendly amateur orchestra, invites LSE staff to join. It is seeking new string and low brass players.

The orchestra rehearses on Tuesday evenings at the Walter Sickert Community Centre, in Canonbury Crescent, Islington, N1 2FB. The orchestra was founded by doctors but players do not need to have any connection with the medical profession. Good orchestral experience is welcome but don’t worry if you have not played for a while.

For more information and contact details, visit www.lmo.org.uk.
 

Special offer for LSE students

PRIV, a one-stop destination for all your beauty and wellness needs, is offering LSE students a 10 per cent discount on all services.

PRIV brings your favourite services, along with highly-vetted professionals directly to you; anytime, anywhere. You can PRIV one or more of these services at a time: haircut, blowout, nails, massage, makeup, and fitness. Coming soon - spray tan and facials.

The discount will be automatically applied to your account when you download the app and sign up, providing that you have used your LSE email address.

Throughout Lent term, LSE Careers is presenting a diverse range of events - including seminars, panels and a fair - aimed at students who want to work in the international development sector.

On: Wednesday 21 January from 6.30-8pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Dr Esra Özyürek (pictured), Associate Professor in Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE’s European Institute
Discussants: Dr Ruth Mandel, Reader in Social Anthropology at University College London, Dr Nasar Meer, Reader in Comparative Social Policy and Citizenship at Strathclyde University, and Professor Joel Robbins, Sigrid Rausing Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.

The panellists will discuss Dr Özyürek’s newly published book Being German, Becoming Muslim: race, religion, and conversion in the New Europe.

Other forthcoming LSE events include....

Managing Disruption, Avoiding Disaster and Growing Stronger in an Unpredictable World
On: Monday 19 January at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Dr Judith Rodin (pictured)

After Snowden
On: Tuesday 20 January at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Professor Ronald J Deibert, Dr Gus Hossein, Professor Sir David Omand, and Professor Ronald W Pruessen

Inequality and Taxation in a Globalised World
On: Tuesday 20 January at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Dr Gabriel Zucman

Hall of Mirrors
On: Wednesday 21 January at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Professor Barry Eichengreen (pictured)

Defending Human Rights in Russia
On: Wednesday 21 January at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Sergei Golubok, Dmitri Makarov, Roman Udot, and Dr Mary McAuley

Richard Uttley (pictured) (piano)
On: Thursday 22 January at 1pm in the Shaw Library, Old Building

LSE Works 2015

The first LSE Works 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 viewed at LSE Works.

LSE Works is a 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.

Daniel Ferreira’s previous research has influenced debate on the lack of women in company boardrooms and the UK Government’s decision to reject quotas. LSE’s new Impact Website has more.
 

CANCELLED - 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 panel debate has now been cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. More
 

Entrepreneurship Matters session three - ‘The Social Impact Business: building community with enterprise'

Daniela Papi Thornton, Deputy Director of Oxford University’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and founder of Learning Service, will lead the third Entrepreneurship Matters session on Tuesday 20 January at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, NAB.

Drawing on her experience as a social enterprise developer, she will describe the difference social impact tourism makes on people’s lives in the poorest communities and will offer examples of the different business models she’s seen practised in developing countries.

The talk will be followed by a networking reception, which finishes at 9pm. It is free to attend, but please email entrepreneurship@lse.ac.uk to register for a place.
 

What do Greek political elites think about Europe and the crisis? Preliminary results of recent survey research

On: Tuesday 20 January from 6-7.30pm in the Cañada Blanch Room, Cowdray House
Speaker: Dr Dimitris Sotiropoulos (pictured)

As the politics of European integration become more politicised, it is useful to explore the views of national elites and interpret them along national and political party lines. Parliamentary elites play the role of decision-makers, a role which is enhanced when difficult policy choices have to be made at times of economic crisis; in the case of EU Member-States such elites also play the role of mediators between EU institutions and citizens, a role which is particularly sensitive and vulnerable when economic adjustment programmes are agreed between the EU and Member-States.

All Hellenic Observatory seminars are open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. More
 

On: Friday 23 January from 1-2pm in the Shaw Library, Old Building

The non-auditioned choir of LSE students, staff and alumni will perform a range of unaccompanied choral music from the Renaissance to twentieth century, including Bruckner, Lauridsen and Parry.

Hellenic Observatory 14th Annual Lecture - The Greek Economy: current developments and future prospects

On: Thursday 12 February from 6.30-8pm. The venue will be confirmed to ticket holders.
Speaker: Yiannis Stournaras (pictured), Governor of the Bank of Greece and former Greek Minister of Finance

Yannis Stournaras will talk about the current developments of the Greek Economy.

Tickets can be requested via the online ticket request form which will be live on the LSE Events website from around 6pm on Thursday 5 February. More