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› Contents: news; people; Lancaster in the news; notices; training and courses; what's on; ads

NEWS

Security Lancaster

Security Lancaster, a multi-disciplinary research centre developing the science underpinning the security and protection domain, will be officially launched on Thursday 18 October 2012, 3:30pm - 6pm by former Security Minister the Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones. This launch is invitation only. Please contact Security Lancaster if you are interested in attending.

Physicist wins Hoyle medal for work on origins of the Universe

A Lancaster University physicist has won a national award for his distinguished research into cosmology, especially the origin of the structure of the Universe. Emeritus Professor David Lyth was presented with the Hoyle medal at an awards ceremony at the Institute of Physics in London. Full story.

How the wonder material graphene could change our lives

Wonder material graphene could not only dominate the electronic market in the near future, it could also lead to a huge range of new markets and novel applications, according to a landmark paper by the University of Manchester and Lancaster University. Writing in Nature, Nobel Prize-winner Professor Kostya Novoselov and an international team of authors including Vladimir Falko of Lancaster University, has produced a ‘graphene roadmap’ which for the first time sets out what the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material can truly achieve. Full story.

First fifty businesses announced as part of £9.8m Centre for Global Eco Innovation

Fifty businesses have been selected to work intensively with university researchers and graduates on environmentally friendly products and services in a radical new research centre. The Centre for Global Eco-Innovation is led by Lancaster University in partnership with the University of Liverpool and Inventya Ltd. Full story.

Academic promotions

The Academic Promotions Round for 2012-13 is now open. Full guidance and documentation, including the revised promotions criteria, can be found here. The deadline for the submission of your case to your Faculty Office is Friday 7 December 2012.

Early career small grant scheme – 2012/2013

Closing date: Monday 5 November 2012

The Research Committee invites applications to the Early Career Small Grant Scheme for a grant up to a maximum of £7,000 in support of individual or collaborative research. Any member of early career staff of the University may apply for a grant in support of individual or collaborative research. Details of the scheme are available from the Research Support Office website.

REF Code of Practice and reporting staff circumstances to be considered for REF

Lancaster University is committed to ensuring that decisions about selecting staff for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) are made in a fair, transparent and consistent manner. Details on how eligible staff will be selected for submission to the REF can be found in the University’s Code of Practice. To ensure the REF processes are fair the University is collecting data on individual circumstances for all academic staff eligible for submission and the data will be used to identify which individuals are eligible for submission with fewer than four outputs. Therefore all academic staff eligible for submission to the REF should complete either of the two Staff Disclosure Forms (on the RSO webpage) so that this information can be taken into consideration. Further details on staff eligibility can be found in the Guidance on Submissions (Part 3 Section 1: Staff details). Note: research assistants are not eligible unless they can demonstrate significant independence in their research, e.g. as a principal investigator on an awarded grant.

Wind Turbine

Lancaster University’s wind turbine has been delivered and is currently being erected. The turbine will be operational before the end of the year. Facilities are working with LA1 TV (LUSU video production) to create a video of its delivery and erection. You can follow progress on the construction of the wind turbine by watching the time-lapse videos taken from the camera on the top of Bowland Tower click here to view.

Important Parking changes

There are important changes to parking enforcement arrangements on campus from Monday 15 October 2012 click here for more information.

People

Professor Mike Pidd (LUMS) is one of 63 leading social scientists to be welcomed into The Academy of Social Sciences. Included in the list are the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, former Home Secretary, and Rt Hon Peter Riddell CBE, Director of the Institute for Government.

Professor Cary Cooper (LUMS) attended a launch event for the Mental Wellbeing at Work initiative on October 9 at KPMG’s HQ in the City, where he took part in a panel discussion with Lord Layard. He gave a keynote address the following day at the Royal College of Physicians at the launch of a national report into sickness absence at work, compiled by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and the insurer SimpleHealth.

Professor Paul Farley (English & Creative Writing) was a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row on 5th October. Paul was reviewing the BBC's first showing of the Beatles’ film Magical Mystery Tour since it was originally aired in 1967.

Six academics from three faculties have started work on the ESRC-funded project called Metaphor in End-of-Life Care. For the next 17 months, they will study the metaphors used by patients, unpaid family carers and healthcare professionals in a 1.5-million-word data set . The way in which end-of-life care is talked about can shed light on people's views, needs, experiences and challenges, and identify areas where increased anxiety and misunderstanding can occur. Elena Semino, Veronika Koller, Andrew Hardie and Zsofia Demjen (Linguistics and English Language), Paul Rayson (Computing and Communications) and Sheila Payne (International Observatory on End of Life Care) will look at a large body of data from three different groups of people and reflect on any differences between the groups and the implications of the findings for providing end-of-life care. For enquiries, please contact: e.semino@lancaster.ac.uk.

Dave Brier has taken a nine month secondment as Health, Safety & Compliance Manager for Facilities to review and develop the Health and Safety Management System (18001); this will include the role out of 18001 to other parts of Facilities. Ian Watson has been appointed in Dave’s previous position as Maintenance Manager for the nine months of his secondment.

With effect from Monday 15 October Gary Atkinson has been seconded to the role of Maintenance Fabric Supervisor. Gary will cover this role until 31 May 2013 and any issues which would have previously have been raised with Ian Watson should be redirected to Gary. Gary will be based in the maintenance offices and can be contacted on 92316.

Louise Davies has been appointed as Retail Services Manager for Commercial Services, Facilities. A new Executive Chef, Julian Ankers has been appointed to oversee the on-going improvement of quality and profitability of the University’s food operations.

Harriet Buttigieg has joined the Facilities Business Support team as a Marketing Assistant.

Lancaster in the news

Dr Ian Bradley was interviewed live from the observatory on campus on BBC TV’s North West Tonight; and Professor Vladimir Falko was widely quoted in the media in connection with joint research into the new material graphene.

Follow link to see a list of people in the news.

Food and drink on campus

Food and drink in bars and cafes on campus is being improved with new products, events, offers and promotions for each outlet. This will take some time to roll out and involve some necessary price increases in order to improve quality and make sure that we can sustain operations. Below are some of the latest updates: there will be more to come over the next few weeks. Your comments on these or other services are always welcome so that we can continue to make improvements. Please email your feedback.

Atkinson’s coffee on campus

New coffee machines have been installed across campus. Freshly ground Atkinson’s coffee is now available in The Venue, Café 21 (InfoLab), The Mill (Fylde Bar), Grizedale Café Bar, The Lounge (County South), The Winning Post (Cartmel College Bar) and The Trough of Bowland (Bowland College Bar). Atkinson’s Coffee is now supplied for all internal catering deliveries for meetings and functions. This is part of the University’s commitment to using local and high quality products. For more information on Atkinson’s Coffee click here.

Costa in The Hub Café

Following recent improvements, The Hub Café (LUMS) now provides a healthier, better quality food and drink offering. Costa speciality coffee, iced coffee and fruit coolers are now available, as well as a range of Costa snacks. The food menu now offers a range of healthy nut and seed snack pots, fresh fruit pots and boxed fresh salads plus a selection of sandwiches and panini. Following feedback crisps and confectionery have been reintroduced!

Meet, Eat and Drink – catering for meetings and functions – to view the updated menu click here.

Bowland Bar - The Trough of Bowland

Now serving delicious homemade pies, new potatoes and vegetables for an introductory price of only £2.95. To view the menu which includes vegetarian options click here. There are now four real ale pumps in The Trough of Bowland, extending the commitment to offering great quality beer.

Fylde Bar – The Mill

This weekend work is starting to improve the food production area of The Mill at Fylde College (Fylde bar). During the work only part of the usual menu will be available. It will reopen fully at the end of October serving an improved range of hot and cold food for longer hours.

Friday Night is Curry Night at The Herdwick

Curry night starts tonight at The Herdwick (Graduate College Bar) from 5pm – 8pm. Curry and a pint for only £5.49 soft drink only £3.99. Curry Night will run every Friday night during term time.

Notices

AGCAS survey on academic career progression

Academic staff are asked to complete an online survey (open until Friday 14 December) created to help inform services for pgs and research staff. The anonymous survey can be accessed here.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is offering a wide range of grants to students, researchers, and academics from UK universities during the academic year 2013/2014. Most schemes are open to all subject areas. Email contact.

Michaelmas term Colleges' newsletter

For information about what the staff members of the colleges have been involved with, see the latest newsletter here. For further information see the Colleges web pages.

Furness lecture theatres

Following refurbishment, the Furness lecture theatres are now open for use and it is hoped that the remainder of the building will be open at the end of the week.

Project Updates

Pathway lighting project - Work to install cabling for new/additional lighting to the pathways leading to the Sports Centre will begin on Monday 15 October. Work will be carried out in two phases; the first being the pathway from the Chaplaincy Centre, the second being from Alexandra Park. Work is expected to take up to four weeks to complete, with first phase completing in two weeks. For further information please contact Simon Corless on 94296.

Work is underway to provide an additional 50 parking spaces behind the Sports Centre, next to the bowling green. New lighting is also being installed and an additional pay and display machine.

All campus road improvements are now complete; Facilities would like to thank you for your patience over the summer while the work was carried out.

For up to date information on all projects underway across campus please visit: www.lancaster.ac.uk/facilities/news.

Essential Guide to the Sports Centre – 8 October until to 16 December 2012. To find out all the latest news and information about opening times, classes and facilities please click here.

Training and courses

Mental health first aid course

The Mental Health First Aid Course for staff who have a student facing role, staff line manager responsibility or general interest will run on 17 and 18 October. Everyone who completes it gets a MHFA certificate. For further information on the course and booking details see here.

Short courses in Applied Statistics (October - December 2012)

Courses for Scientists, Social Scientists and Health Researchers. To book a place or for further information please go to the website.

Staff IT training

Next week’s free IT training sessions run by ISS, in the Library Training suites. All training sessions require booking, unless otherwise stated, please book online.

• Information Security Practical Advice – half hourly sessions; follow the link for details
• Windows 7 and Office 2010: General User Tips 'n' Tricks
  Monday 15 October, 2.00pm – 2.30pm
  Friday 19 October, 1.00pm – 1.30pm
• Word and Excel 2010 hourly sessions – follow the link for details
• Mandatory: Information Security Training – Wednesday 17 October, 9.15am – 12.30pm
• Online Information Security Training – follow the link for the online version

  More information is available on the ISS Staff IT Training pages.

Organisation and Educational Development

NEW! Staff Development Guide

For all your training and development needs, plus the names and numbers of people who will be able to help you plan your future careers, please visit the new staff development guide online by clicking here. For more information or to book a place on any of the courses please email OED.

• Improving and Introductory English for Staff- 15/10/12
• Survival Skills – 26/10/12
• Health Check for All - 18/10/12.
• First Aid Training – 22, 23 and 24 October.
• Planning and Managing a Project- 29/10/12
• Computer Workstation Assessment - 29/10/12.

WHAT'S ON

For a full list of all events, please see Events.

Iredell Lecture 2012: Britain, Empires, and the Re-Writing of Written Constitutions

The Iredell Lecture 2012, hosted by the Department of History and the Law School will be given by Professor Linda Colley (Princeton University) on 30 October. Author of several highly influential works including Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837 and Captives: Britain, Empire and the World, 1600-1850, Professor Colley will be talking on the subject of her next book, which explores Britain and international constitution making between 1780 and 2000. The lecture begins at 6pm until 7.30pm in FASS meeting room 2/3; refreshments are available from 5pm. The lecture is free and open to all. Please register your intention to attend with Ghislaine O'Neill.

Library programme of talks

This term the Library is running a programme of talks on library and information matters for staff and PGs. The one-hour talks cover a wide range of topics, from literature searching to bibliometrics and copyright. They take place on Wednesdays at 4pm. You can come to just one if you wish, but please book in advance. Details of the programme are on the Library website. The first course, on 17 October, is ideal for new members of staff and covers the essentials of using Lancaster University Library.

Ruskin and the Sacred - 15 October – 14 December 2012

The Ruskin Library's exhibition Ruskin and the Sacred explores a variety of ways in which the sacred plays a part in John Ruskin's life and work.

Work Foundation event

Limited places are available for The Work Foundation’s event ‘Effective and Pseudo Team working in Organisations’ on Tuesday 13 November 2012 in London. Professor Mike West, Professor of Organisational Psychology, LUMS will be speaking at the seminar which will examine how to implement effective team working in organisations.

All aboard for tax justice - Sunday 14 October

Christian Aid are taking the message of tax justice on the road – in a Tax Justice Bus. The bus is visiting The Chaplaincy Centre on Sunday 14 October from about 1pm. Find out more - www.christian-aid.org/tax-bus.

Lancaster Music Festival

The Lancaster Music Festival is coming to campus tonight (12 October), with three venues hosting live bands and artists from 7.00-11.00pm

• The Northern Oak at County College
  Gritty Britain (Indie).
  The Skys (Progressive Rock).
• Bar 74 at Pendle College
  Phil Saunders (Blues Busker)
  Freerunner(Rock)
  Kindread (Australian Reggae)

Free entry to all venues, and everyone is welcome.

The Comedy Barn at Barker House Farm

The Comedy Barn is a new comedy night coming to campus, in Barker House Farm (Cartmel College) in conjunction with The Comedy Network. On Wednesday 24 October, Ray Peacock will be appearing, supported by Helen Keen. Tickets are on sale for £3 from Wednesday 17 October from The Mill at Fylde College. More information on Ray Peacock can be found here.

US Presidential Election 2012: Issues, campaigns, outcomes

Join the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion for a debate on the forthcoming US presidential election, featuring guest speakers:

• Professor Philip Davies (Director of the Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library)
• William Barnard (Political Analyst and former Chair of Democrats Abroad, UK)
• Alex Spillius (Washington Correspondent, Daily Telegraph)

4pm, Wednesday 17 October, George Fox Lecture Theatre 1.

Chinese Film – Discovery Atlas: China Revealed

Tuesday 16 October at 6pm - Audio: English; Subtitle: Chinese; Show time: 42 minutes; Discovery Atlas, 2006 Frankland Colloquium, Faraday Building.

ADVERTS

All adverts - posted by staff.