3 August 2007

NEWS

Engineers develop way of detecting problems with artificial hip joints
Jimmy Cunningham (Mechanical Engineering) has developed a diagnostic test which measures the frequency of sound produced when the femur bone in the leg is vibrated; this is much more sensitive than the traditional method of using x-rays to detect the loosening of implants.

Parents seeking sex abandon 1 in 3 offspring
The eggs of the penduline tit Remiz pendulinus are frequently abandoned as both parents go in search of new sexual conquests, a study by Tamas Székely (Biology & Biochemistry) and published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology has found.

University "very pleased" to be ranked ninth in UK
The University was “very pleased” to be ranked in the top ten UK universities in the Daily Telegraph’s league table this week. The Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology was ranked first in the country, and Mechanical Engineering was ranked second.

University sells SERAP
The University has sold its specialist educational data processing and reporting services, known as SERAP (the Schools Exam Results Analysis Project) to the RM Group, a leading provider of educational products and services.

Innovation success for Swindon
A communications company that started life at the University of Bath in Swindon Innovation Centre has raised £12.5 million in funding from a consortium that includes search engine giant Google.

New networking group for local businesswomen
The University of Bath in Swindon is to host a new networking group for local businesswomen, set up by polar explorer and motivational expert Sue Stockdale.

Coaching workshop gives a sporting perspective
Local coaches and mentors can learn from the lives of elite sports stars in a free workshop at the University of Bath in Swindon on Monday 6 August.

Research Students’ Conference: Department of Education
Another successful Research Students’ Conference was organised and hosted by the Department of Education in July. The conference brought together research students and staff during an informal and supportive day of presentations and posters reflecting the wide range of research interests and the high quality of work which takes place in the department.

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INFORMATION

Staff can learn a language with 75 per cent discount
The Foreign Languages Centre has started enrolling for its autumn term language courses on both the community programme and the lunchtime programme. Staff who work at least 0.5 FTE are entitled to a 75 per cent discount which means 11 week courses cost £31.25 and lunchtime courses cost £13.75.

Use of University Noticeboard restricted to staff & students
A decision has been made to restrict access to the noticeboard to Bath campus only due to fraudulent activity from external sources in recent months.

Information on switch from Lawson to Agresso
Agresso has replaced Lawson as the University's live Finance System. Useful tips and information for users are available in the related links section. Users are advised to check the Agresso information page for regular updates.

Web Support and Development: new arrangements from 1 August 2007
The two separate Web Support and Web Development teams (previously based in Marketing & Communications and in BUCS) have merged into a single group, Web Services, and are now under a single management in Marketing & Communications.

Student Accommodation Office launches new private sector lettings database
The Student Accommodation Office is pleased to announce the launch of its updated online private sector lettings database in conjunction with Studentpad.

Wiki tool for University computer users
A new wiki tool for University computer users has been developed by the Web Applications Team.

Jobs
Vacant posts: www.bath.ac.uk/jobs

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CONFERENCES

AgentcitiesUK.net Challenge Day | University of Bath, 29-30 August 2007
The EPSRC-funded AgentcitiesUK network's sixth and final Challenge Day is being held to investigate if and how agent technologies can be applied to issues in pervasive computing. UK researchers and industrial stakeholders will be participating in the event, organised by Dr Julian Padget (Computer Science). Fully-funded places are still available for interested researchers.

8th International Conference on the Social Context of Death, Dying & Disposal | University of Bath, 12-15 September 2007
A major multi-disciplinary conference covering all aspects of death, dying and bereavement, including a rich range of arts-related contributions, DDD8 will draw together established and new scholars and practitioners from around the globe. DDD8 is a collaboration between the Centre for Death & Society and the Institute for Contemporary Interdisciplinary Arts at the University.

Pleasure Gardens, Past, Present & Future | The Holburne Museum, 10 September 2007
An interdisciplinary symposium exploring the 18th century pleasure garden and examining its legacy and future. The topics covered in the symposium complement the current exhibition at the Holburne Museum, which explores the phenomenon of the Georgian pleasure gardens. The symposium will also launch the new MSc/Diploma in the Conservation of Historic Gardens & Cultural Landscapes, which will commence at the Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering in October 2007.

SURVEYS

Student Services Staff Survey 2007
To help monitor and develop the effectiveness of the student services provided by the Counselling Service, the Learning Support Service, the Student Money Service and the Head of Student Services' Office, staff are asked to take a few minutes to complete the Student Services Staff Survey 2007. Deadline: 10 August

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IN THE MEDIA

• Tim Bullamore (Centre for Death & Society) discussed recent obituaries on the last-ever edition of Brief Lives on Radio 5 Live.
• Tony Trueman (Marketing & Communications) spoke on GWR about the University's ninth place ranking in the Telegraph's league table.

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

• Programme for new managers and administrators
  Eastwood Park Conference Centre, Bristol | 5-7 September 2007

EXHIBITIONS

Judith Tucker - Resort | ICIA Art Space 1, Claverton Rooms foyer, till Friday 12 October
Judith Tucker's haunting drawings of the Baltic seaside resort of Ahlbeck are inspired by photographs her grandmother brought with her when she fled Nazi Germany to England in 1938. The charcoal drawings are infused with a sense of loss that shimmer with regret and yearning. Through melancholic coastal settings, the exhibition evokes memories of a vanished past.

Canaletto & the English Pleasure Garden | Holburne Museum, till 30 September
Two magnificent paintings by Canaletto for the centre-piece of an exhibition which explores the phenomenon of the Georgian pleasure gardens. The Holburne's building was the gateway to Sydney Gardens where Jane Austen once strolled and this exhibition both celebrates its position and offers an enticing glimpse into eighteenth-century leisure.

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SPORT www.teambath.com/news

London Irish training camp a success
London Irish have become the latest high-profile team to train at the University. The club’s professional squad spent a week training on campus in preparation for the start of the new Guinness Premiership campaign.

Pickering, Garland and Okoro selected for Worlds
Craig Pickering (Sport & Exercise Science student), Dale Garland (Sport & Exercise Science graduate) and Marilyn Okoro (Politics & French graduate) have been named in the Great Britain squad to compete at the athletics World Championships in Japan.

Tennis and water polo athletes get GB call
Tennis player Katharine Baker (Sports Performance student) and water polo player Andy Crawford (Biochemistry graduate) have both been selected to represent Great Britain at the World University Games.

Alumna Heather Stanning strikes gold as she rows for Britain
Bath graduate Heather Stanning (Sports Technology) was one half of the female rowing crew that won Britain’s only gold medal at the World Under-23 Championships last weekend.

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