4 February 2011
Challenging times - Important issues
HEFCE Board announces decisions on 2011/12 funding for HE
As advised in the VC's Christmas message, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has published details of the decisions made by the HEFCE Board on Friday 28 January 2011 concerning reductions in higher education funding in the coming years.
Fees & Access Working Group
The Fees & Access Working Group are meeting regularly to make recommendations on an appropriate fee structure and to draft the University’s revised Access Agreement.
Information
Please will you help to test new eMarketplace?
The Finance Office are implementing a new eMarketplace which will make the process of buying goods and services on behalf of the University much more like buying from other web suppliers such as Amazon. The project team are now at the stage where they are inviting colleagues who currently purchase items to help test the system. With the help and feedback of users the team want to be able to develop a system that works for you.
Designated Car Share parking spaces
The Care Share Permit scheme is designed for members of staff who car/lift share with others. Six reserved Car Share spaces have been created in both the East and West car parks in order to encourage car share users.
Frome Road to close for three months
A section of Frome Road will be closed from Monday 7 February 2011 for up to three months.
Executive Committee
Summary notes from the meeting of the Executive Committee which took place on 8 December 2010 are now available online.
Recycle & save
Purchasing Services' Swap Shop wiki aims to make use of University assets more productively, saving on your departmental budget.
Jobs
Vacant posts: www.bath.ac.uk/jobs/
Learning & teaching
Nominations open for Learning & Teaching Awards 2011
Do you know someone at the university who deserves recognising for the quality of their teaching. Nominations are now open for the University of Bath Teaching Awards, which encourage and recognise significant contributions by staff to the academic lives of students.
Masterclass in 'clickers' - Audience Response System (ARS) 9 February
Lecturers are invited to a TurningPoint 2008 Masterclass. Since the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year, the e-Learning team have been supporting a TurningPoint-based Audience Response System (ARS). We now have 400 clickers, available in bags of 40 or 80 handsets.
Bath Science Challenge in Malaysia
Gan Shermer and Steve Roser (Chemistry) recently visited Malaysia in order to run 'Bath Science Challenge' science workshops on solar cells and biofuels at four main feeder schools around Kuala Lumpur. The purpose of the workshops is to allow students to experience interactive, lab-based learning from a top ten university and to encourage interest in science subjects at the University of Bath.
Bids for CPD Development Fund
The fund seeks to encourage University staff to work with external employers to investigate and develop Continuing Professional Development opportunities which meet the needs of their workforce. Deadline: Monday 28 February.
Research & Knowledge Transfer
Roland Jones delivers prize lecture to British Pharmacological Society
Following the award of the MSD lectureship by the British Pharmacological Society last year, Roland Jones (Pharmacy & Pharmacology) delivered his prize lecture entitled 'The mechanism of action of anti-epileptic drugs: A synaptic balancing act?' at the winter meeting of the society in London.
Engaging with Policy: strategies, successes & traps 15 February
This event will provide researchers with the skills and strategies to engage with non-academic stakeholders who implement policy on behalf of government, or who lobby those who can influence such policy. It will also assist researchers in considering the best way of getting their research to policymakers in order for it to have policy impact.
Creative societies for health & wellbeing 24 February
Peter Johnson (Computer Science) is hosting a day-long event held in the City of Bath which will focus on different issues connected with the role creative, social activities play in fostering and preserving health and wellbeing. The aim of the day is to raise awareness of current activities, current issues & challenges and to identify opportunities for achieving greater impact through research, development and application. Harry Daniels (Education) will talk about 'Social cultural perspectives on health & wellbeing' and Hilary Johnson (Computer Science) will give a presentation on 'Creativity support tools'.
Funding for KT mentors granted
- Harry Daniels & Andrew Stables (Education) have been awarded KT Champion funding to cover a KT Mentor who will help them develop a way of working with architects of new schools.
- David Eddy Spicer (Education) has been awarded KT Champion funding to cover a KT Mentor who will help him develop new collaborations with National Leaders of Education (who are leaders of schools designated as high-performing) and the National College (which is responsible for arranging school-to-school support).
Give your research real world impact
The Research Impact Gateway website offers academics and researchers a single point of access for information about how to maximise the non-academic impact of their research.
Your chance to be a science journalist
The British Science Association Media Fellowships are intended to create a greater awareness and understanding of the workings of the media among practising scientists, social scientists, clinicians and engineers. Apply by 1 March.
In the media
www.bath.ac.uk/news/bathinpapers/
- Kevin Edge (Vice-Chancellor's Office) wrote to BANES expressing the University's support for Bath's proposed Transportation Package; parts of the letter were featured in the Bath Chronicle.
- Alistair Hunt (Economics) had a paper published in Nature about how climate change is likely to impact very differently upon the living standards of Southern and Northern Europe in the coming years.
- Geof Wood (Social & Policy Sciences) proposed new policies to aid poverty reduction and the article was featured in the Bangladesh Daily Star.
- Student Jamie Barrow (Sports Performance) was filmed by BBC Points West ahead of his appearance at the World University Games.
Work perks
Watch rugby at the Rec for a fiverOn our Staff Discounts page this week, you'll see that Bath Rugby are offering all Uni staff the opportunity to sit anywhere in the ground for £5 when England Saxons U20s take on Italy U20s at the Rec on 11 February, kick off 19.30. (If you have family or friends who run a business and would like to participate in the Staff Discount Scheme, please ask them to contact Alison Flindall, HR Manager.)
Injured or just 'in knead' of a massage?!
Did you know staff receive 15% discount at the Physiotherapy & Massage Suite (part of the Sports Injury Clinic) which is based at the Sulis Club?
Omnibus Staff Society
Omnibus' latest newsletter The Loop is available online.
A number of trips are running this term. The Kew Garden outing is now full but there's still time to sign up for the trip to France visiting important sites of the First World War. Only three tickets are left for Chess - the musical at Bristol Hippodrome....so you need to be quick!
Last chance! Learn a foreign language
Take advantage of reduced staff rates if you want to learn a language. The Foreign Languages Centre offers over 35 classes in 10 different languages, with beginners' courses requiring no previous knowledge. Lunchtime classes start next week.
Training & development
- Writing for publication: the opportunities and practicalities Tuesday 8 February
- Accommodation facilities & resident tutor service Wednesday 16 February
- KTA seminar: Practical networking Tuesday 29 March
- IT skills new training timetable available
- Staff Development semester 2 programme
- e-Learning staff development programme
- Training opportunities for researchers
Lectures
Public lectures
Misbehaving molecules, Europe's great witch hunt & emotional robots all feature as part of our Spring/Summer series of public lectures.
Exploring the dark universe Wednesday 9 February
Find out how an experiment deep in a potash mine near Whitby might be about help to provide answers to some of space's most mystifying questions.
The heart of the great alone Wednesday 9 February
A remarkable photographic account of the Antarctic expeditions of Scott and Shackleton based around pictures from the Royal Collection, is hosted by explorer David Hempleman-Adams the first man to reach the geographic and magnetic North and South Poles.
What's on
www.bath.ac.uk/whats-on
Monday 7 February
19:30 PM - University of Bath Gardening Club
19:30 PM - Has Aristotle been superseded?Tuesday 8 February
12:15 PM - Eucharist/Holy Communion
12:45 PM - Oxfam Lunch
16:30 PM - Low-carbon energy 2050: Options & implications for the UK
Wednesday 9 February
09:00 AM - Intellectual Property Office workshop
14:15 PM - Senate
19:30 PM - Emergence & limits in physics: How one theory can live inside another
Friday 11 February
09:00 AM - Orientation Day for exchange & visiting students
Arts
www.bath.ac.uk/icia
Performances:
Luca Silvestrini’s Protein LOL( Lots of Love) | ICIA Arts Theatre | Saturday 12 February, 7.30pm
Luca Silvestrini’s award-winning Protein return with a timely new dance piece where love, wanting and connectedness take centre stage.
Exhibitions:
Class Wargames Present Guy Debord’s The Game of War | ICIA Art Space 2 | Until Saturday 26 February, Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Class Wargames is a collective of artists, academics and activists. Their multimedia exhibition is inspired by The Game of War, the life’s work of French anti-capitalist intellectual, Guy Debord, begun after the riots of May 1968.
Class Wargames Artists’ Talk and Participatory Performance ICIA Art Space 2 | Wednesday 9 February, 7-9pm,
Members of artists’ collective Class Wargames talk with Dr Daniel Hinchcliffe, followed by a participatory performance of Guy Debord’s The Game of War.
Sport
Graduate heads TeamBath challenge at Badminton Nationals
Rachel Howard (Psychology Graduate) will head the University of Bath's challenge at this weekend’s English National Badminton Championships in Manchester. Howard, who having completed her degree still trains at the University, is seeded two in the women’s singles.
TeamBath netballers prepare to build on opening Superleague win
The University of Bath's reigning Superleague champions ran out comfortable 59-26 winners at Team Northumbria last Saturday (29 January). They aim to follow up that victory in home games held at the STV against Celtic Dragons on Thursday (3 February) and Loughborough Lightning on Monday (7 February).
Bath Half Marathon
Are you running the Bath Half for charity this year?
Let us know your name, department and the charity you are raising money for (with www.justgiving link) and we'll add you to our list. Email comms@bath.ac.uk with 'Bath Half' in the subject line. Good luck with your preparations.
Andy Relf |
Pharmacy & Pharmacology |
MIND (mental health) |
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Mike Lewis |
School of Management |
RUH Forever Friends Appeal (premature babies) |
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Shaun McGall |
LTEO |
Mayor of Bath's Relief Fund |
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Clara Atkins |
Holburne Museum |
Holburne Challenge |
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Xa Sturgis |
Holburne Museum |
Holburne Challenge |
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| Sabine Bachinger | Architecture & Civil Engineering | 1) NAPAC 2) Guide Dogs for the Blind |