Contents
James Thomas and Howard Nicholson

Research by Dr Horst Feldmann shows that countries where the main religion is Protestant Christianity have the highest employment rates

  • QUOTE FOR THE WEEK:
    If all the year were playing holidays,
    To sport would be as tedious as to work.

    William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
    English poet and playwright

University Updates

5 October 2007

News

Protestant countries have higher employment rates, study shows
Countries where the main religion is Protestant Christianity have higher employment rates than those where other religions are dominant, according to research by Dr Horst Feldmann published in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology.

Student's research work could help make tennis matches fairer
Professional tennis could be played under more standardised conditions following research carried out by Matthew Downing as part of his Sports Technology degree.

Cameron and other politicians should turn to celebrities to get votes, says research
Celebrity endorsements are the way for the Conservatives and other parties to get voters who aren’t interested in politics on their side, shows new research by Dr Ekant Veer, School of Management.

Fossil data plug gaps in current knowledge, study shows
Dr Matthew Wills from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry and colleagues have shown for the first time that fossils can be used as effectively as living species in understanding the complex branching in the evolutionary tree of life.

Tim Bilham receives National Teaching Fellowship
Tim Bilham, Director of Education Research and Development in the School for Health, was made a National Teaching Fellow at an award ceremony held last month by the Higher Education Academy.

Graduate wins structural engineering award
Gary Corden, a graduate from the MEng in Civil and Architectural Engineering, has been awarded the Institution of Structural Engineers' Model Analysis Award for 2007.

Nancy Burton, former Senior Lecturer, dies aged 95
Nancy Burton, a former Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, has died aged 95.

Porter meets author at University that inspired him to write
A Swindon porter today met the author who inspired him to write his own soon-to-be published book

Families invited to get drawing
Families are invited to a fun-filled day of drawing at the Oakfield campus on Saturday 13 October from 10am to 4pm.

New students smash record out of the blue
New students were feeling a little less blue starting their first week at university after beating a world record for having the most number of people dressed as Smurfs in one room.

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Information

The funeral of Robert Tazey
The funeral of Robert Tazey, a second year student on the BSc General Architectural Studies programme who died in a car accident last week, will take place in St Nicholas Church in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, at 1.15pm on Monday 8 October.

Remembering Sue Bates
As previously announced, the Vice-Chancellor’s Office would like to recognise Sue Bates’ extensive network of friends and colleagues at the University by inviting you to the Wessex House Restaurant for tea and Welsh cakes on Wednesday 10 October at 3.45pm.

Volunteers needed for project on benefits of walking
Researchers in the School for Health are about to investigate whether a six-week individually-tailored walking programme has any effect on risk factors for heart disease and well-being compared to your usual lifestyle.

Invitation to design a poster for a new mediation service
The Equalities & Diversity Unit is inviting staff and students to design a poster advertising a new and free mediation service.

Call for proposals for the 2008 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
Do you want to promote your research and institution to a wide audience? Can you turn your research into a fun, interactive exhibit?

Launch of new hospitality newsletter
Hospitality on Campus is the new newsletter from Hospitality Services which will be out on the first of every month. It gives up-to-date information on what is happening each month. Each newsletter will include a healthy recipe which you can make yourself at home along with offers and services that we provide.

Review of summer estate projects - Director's update
Over the course of the summer, a number of important estate development projects have been completed to improve the range of facilities available to students, staff and visitors on campus.

Conference: Global Development: Science & Policies for the Future
Allister McGregor, Director of the ESRC Research Group on Wellbeing in Developing Countries, will talk on "Wellbeing and its Challenges to International Development". The conference will be held 14-15 November at the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna, Austria.

Staff discounts for part-time evening and day courses
University staff can take advantage of a range of discounted fees for part-time lifelong learning and leisure courses.

Consultation on academic staff appraisal
The University is beginning a consultation on the appraisal of academic staff following clear signs of dissatisfaction with the current system. A consultation paper plus a draft of a new form has been sent to all academic departments. This is also available online so that any individual members of academic staff can also make a response. Responses should be sent to Professor Ian Jamieson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning & Teaching, Vice-Chancellor's Office. Deadline: 26 October 2007.

Westwood Nursery collecting Tesco vouchers
The University nursery is taking part in the Tesco Sport for Schools & Clubs 2007 scheme, which will run between September-November 2007. It hopes to collect as many vouchers as possible to receive free sport equipment for the nursery and would like to thank everyone in advance who will be helping collect vouchers.

Ramadan
Please note that we are currently in the season of Ramadan. This means that Muslim students (and staff) may be fasting during daylight hours. Please be aware that this may affect performance and concentration in lectures and seminars.

Book your Christmas lunch early
Wessex Restaurant is now taking Christmas bookings. The Christmas lunch menu is available from 3 December until 21 December. Please book early to avoid disappointment. Call ext: 5345.

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

Lectures

Public lectures at the University
The programme for 2007/8 has been published. Members of the general public, staff and students are all very welcome to attend the lectures which are usually free. The list will be updated as more lecture titles become available.

Science Café: Fifty years since Sputnik
The world’s first artificial satellite and the adventures of the Space Age will be discussed at the next Bath Science Café, which takes place in The Raven pub in Queen’s Street next week (7.30pm, Monday 8 October 2007).

Free lecture: the science of the swerving free kick
Football fans can find out how to ‘bend it like Beckham’ in a free public lecture on Wednesday 10 October.

Public lecture: the ancient art of sacred geometry
The geometry of local Christian architecture in the Diocese of Bath & Wells will be explored at a free public lecture on Wednesday 17 October at 5.15pm.

Misunderstanding Sustainability: Don't conserve, innovate - learning from Keynes and Schumpeter
As part of the ICE series, Dr Adrian B Winnett, Department of Economics & International Development, looks at contrasting economic models of sustainability, the traditional model and a newer, less conventional approach, and the work of the two greatest economists of the twentieth century: John Maynard Keynes and Joseph Schumpeter. The talk will be held at 4.30pm Tuesday 16 October.

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Online resources

Websites take on new corporate look
The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Office website has been updated to bring it in line with the University template, and to ease navigation for students and staff. Student Support Services and the departments of Mechanical Engineering and European Studies & Modern Languages have also moved their sites to the new look recently.

 

Training & development opportunities

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In the media

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Exhibitions

Judith Tucker - Resort | ICIA Art Space 1, Claverton Rooms foyer, until 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.

Margareta Kern - Clothes for Death | ICIA Art Space 2, until 4 January
Interdisciplinary artist presents powerful and intimate photographs as a personal response to a tradition in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina of women preparing clothes for their own burial.

Canaletto & the English Pleasure Garden | Holburne Museum, until 30 September
Two magnificent paintings by Canaletto form 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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Arts

Booking now open for ICIA classes and performances
All classes start week commencing 8 October. Classes in dance, art and music. Sign up at ICIA box office (1E2.1) or call ext 6777

MUSIC
Polar Bear & The Blessing
Sat 20 Oct, 7.30pm
ICIA Arts Theatre
£9, £7 concs & Uni of Bath Staff
One of the most creative bands on the UK jazz scene, Polar Bear mix of raw jazz, cool grooves, funk, drum ‘n’ bass with an electronic soundscape. Features Mercury nominated Seb Rochford. Top Bristol jazz outfit The Blessing support.

DANCE / THEATRE
Hofesh Shechter - In Your Rooms
Sat 27 Oct, 7.30pm
ICIA Arts Theatre
£9, £7 concs & Uni of Bath Staff
Edgy energy and gritty physicality in this double bill of explosive and intense dance from Israeli born choreographer – now one of the rising talents of the UK dance scene.

VISUAL ARTS WORKSHOPS
Raku
Sat 27 Oct & Sat 3 Nov, 10am-4pm
Studio 2, ICIA Arts Complex
£68, £48 concs & Uni of Bath Staff
A chance to make, fire and glaze pots traditional Japanese rapid firing process where pots are removed red-hot from the kiln.

STUDENT PRODUCTIONS
Bath University Student Musicals Society - Ruthless
Sat 6 Oct, 7.30pm
ICIA Arts Theatre
£7, £5 concs
This hilarious spoof musical is full of wacky characters and riotous numbers, and tells of the dangers of wild ambition.

Bath University Student Theatre - Howard Katz
Fri 12 - Sun 14 Oct, 7.30pm
ICIA Arts Theatre
£7, £5 concs
Patrick Marber’s award-winning biting black comedy tells of one man’s search for his soul. In a series of flashbacks he unravels his past to ask the question - how are we supposed to live?

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Sport

Rowing’s world class talent identification 2007
Once again, coaches from Great Britain Rowing's World Class Start and Potential Programme, sponsored by Siemens, are on the hunt for tall first years who might just have what it takes to become the next Steve Redgrave.

Zambia 2008 - students wanted
The Department of Sports Development is looking to recruit six students and one reserve for third year of the very successful Zambia project 2008.

Townley nets hat-trick in TeamBath’s 8-1 FA Cup win
A Matt Townley hat-trick in just six second half minutes ensured TeamBath FC cruised into the third qualifying round of the FA Cup with an emphatic 8-1 win at Moneyfields.

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