University Updates
9 October 2009
News
New portal for plant genomics will support research into improved crops
Paula Kover (Biology & Biochemistry) has contributed to a new plant DNA sequence database that could help improve the productivity of crops in the future. Ensembl Plants will make it easier for scientists to pinpoint the genetic basis of beneficial characteristics such as drought and pest resistance.
Uni hosts Science City Summit
The University hosted this year’s Annual Science Cities Summit in the Assembly Rooms this week. Scientists and innovators from all around the UK gathered to exchange ideas and experiences.
Bath climbs eight places in world university rankings
The University has been ranked 144th in the world by the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings 2009, up eight places from last year.
Staff
Bath academic appointed as Guest Professor at Chinese university
Toby Jenkins (Chemistry) has been appointed as a Guest Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Under the directorship of Professor Di Zhang at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, the appointment will help strengthen ongoing and future interactions between the Chinese group and the Biophysical Chemistry Group at Bath.
Guy Standing has been elected to the Academy of Social Sciences
Guy Standing is one of 64 people to have the award of Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences conferred on them. Academicians are distinguished scholars and practitioners from academia and the public and private sectors.
New BUCS software licences manager
Fran Saunders has taken over the responsibilities for site software licence management within BUCS following the retirement of David Mullings at the end of August.
Learning & Teaching
New Student Homepage
The LTEO in conjunction with Web Services have launched a new student homepage www.bath.ac.uk/students designed to provide relevant information to students about all aspects of university life. This is now the first page that students will see when logging-in to computers in the Library and in PC labs.
The upgrade: 11 teaching rooms completely refurbished
As a result of student feedback, the University is making a substantial investment in the quality of its teaching rooms. Between 2008 and 2014, £1.1 million is being spent on the refurbishment of general teaching rooms; 11 rooms have been refurbished this summer, including the lecture theatres in 8 West. As well as having a much more modern look and feel, each room has been fitted with state of the art technological equipment including tablet PCs, visualisers, and dual projection in the larger lecture theatres.
The School for Health will be launching its third online open week on Monday (12 October) giving postgraduate enquirers the opportunity to experience a taste of online distance education and its unique form of delivery before they apply.
Information
An invitation to visit new 4W Student Services Centre
Student Services is holding an Open Afternoon so staff can see the facilities in the new Student Services Centre in 4 West on Wednesday 21 October (2-4pm). To assist with catering, please let Alison Moon know by 12 October if you are planning to attend.
All staff are invited to attend the CPD@Bath launch event which will take place on Wednesday 4 November at 1.45pm in 3WN 2.1. The launch event, to be opened by Vice-Chancellor Glynis Breakwell, will celebrate the approval of the CPD academic framework and will showcase activity across the University as well as the newly-established support mechanisms.
Printing and photocopying in your department
The University is currently reviewing departmental printing and photocopying. Please could you complete a short five-minute survey sharing your views about current provision. This will provide an opportunity for your input into future requirements.
Latest news about catering on campus
Hospitality is now serving a vegetarian menu in the Claverton Rooms in order to offer the best in healthy eating and to support special dietary needs.
Private flu vaccinations for staff
The University Medical Centre (UMC) is able to offer private flu vaccinations at a cost of £15 to University staff who do not automatically qualify for a vaccination for free from their registered GP. Flu Clinics will be held on various dates throughout October and November. Please note the jabs are only available to staff who are not registered patients of the UMC.
Cycle Hub mobile shop comes to campus: free safety checks
The Cycle Hub mobile cycle shop will be on campus on Monday 12 October from 10am to 4pm. The Cycle Hub offers a range of services from free safety checks to repairs and services. Advanced booking is essential.
American Civil War march on campus
This Sunday (11 October) a team of American Civil War re-enactors will be staging a practice march around the campus to prepare for the Adidas half-marathon at Silverstone race track on 14 March 2010. The team is raising money for the Army Benevolent fund (ABF) - a charity which raises money for soldiers, former soldiers and their families in times of need.
Research volunteers wanted
Want to vent about a privacy violation that kept you up at night? Fill out our survey and tell us how you feel!
Jobs
Vacant posts: www.bath.ac.uk/jobs
In the media
- Peter Dawson (Economics) was interviewed about the economics of the Olympics on Radio Scotland. Listen on BBC iPlayer (after 39 minutes).
- Sheila Harper (Centre for Death & Society) will be on BBC Radio 4's Thinking Allowed on 14 October discussing what objects we bury with the dead and why.
- Allan Kellehear (Social & Policy Sciences) appeared on BBC Radio Somerset and Heart FM talking about the idea of dying alone at home rather than in residential care or hospital.
- Laurence Hurst (Biology & Biochemistry) was interviewed on BBC Radio Wiltshire about the evolution of monkeys versus humans.
- Ian Walker's research (Psychology) into cyclists' safety was cited in an article about women cyclists BBC Mag.
- Maggi Preddy (School of Management) was quoted in an article in The Times about MBA Fairs.
- Chris Hannaway and Will Hammerseley (students in School of Management and Physics) featured in the Sun newspaper in an article about their ice cream company, Arctic Farm, taking an order from Harrods.
Training & development
- Interview skills for academic & research staff 16 October
- University of Bath 2009/10 UKRO Event 19 October
- Managing skin exposure risks to chemicals at work 23 October
- VAT - the basics 30 October
- Extra date added for GTA/PGR intensive teaching course 24 November
- Leadership, research & you - Various dates: September-December
- ILM Level 2 team leading award January-February 2010
- New IT training timetable
- New Staff Development programme | Download PDF to print
- e-Learning staff development programme
- Monthly learning & teaching paper lunches
Forthcoming lectures & conferences
Public lectures programme
The new programme of free lectures open for staff, students and the general public is now available online.
Bath Science Café: Dead Sea Scrolls get the Diamond treatment
Local people can find out how science is shedding new light on the Dead Sea Scrolls, at the next Bath Science Café on Monday 12 October at the Raven pub, Queen Street.
Research in the world: open lectures and discussions
Lord Joel Joffe CBE will present the first lecture in a new series of open events addressing major global issues and challenges. Entitled Assisted dying: rights, choices and palliative care, the lecture will take place on Tuesday 27 October.
The University is running a series of lunchtime lectures and tutored tastings aimed at enhancing the enjoyment of wine. They will be held at Carpenter House in Broad Quay, Bath. Advance booking required.
New lecture series on researching human behaviour in engineering & computer science
Over many years researchers from the Social Sciences and Management communities have developed robust techniques by which to research human behaviour. This new lecture series aims to transfer knowledge across disciplines to improve research rigour.
What's on
More details - www.bath.ac.uk/whats-on/
Monday 12
13:15 PM Presentation by Atkins
13:15 PM Investigating the environmental scientific concepts in children's play
17:00 PM Investment bank & management consultancy evening at Bristol University
17:15 PM Numerical reasoning test only
18:30 PM Presentation by Ernst & Young
19:30 PM Therapeutic botany - A path to self
Tuesday 13
12:00 Noon Crime reduction - Laptop marking
12:15 PM Mid week Eucharist/HC Service
12:45 PM Oxfam lunch
13:15 PM Graduate Jobs - how to get one
13:15 PM CNM seminar
18:30 PM Straight talking from KPMG
18:30 PM Iyengar Yoga course
Wednesday 14
10:15 AM Aptitude tests
12:30 PM Trans-Siberian train travels & Mongolian poetry
13:15 PM Academic Assembly
13:15 PM CVs & cover letters (for international students)
13:15 PM Knotted proteins
16:00 PM Conducting workshop
17:15 PM CSI unmasked - the facts about forensics
18:15 PM Maths revision/Tuition for numeracy Tests
18:30 PM Lucy Harrison exhibition - Remains
19:00 PM Lucy Harrison & David Pinder in conversation
Thursday 15
12:15 PM Doing a PhD in social sciences: Lessons learnt
12:30 PM UBSA's Hallowe'en horrors quiz
17:15 PM Verbal reasoning test only
18:15 PM Understand the interview process for international students
Friday 16
12:15 PM Black Filmmakers
14:15 PM CV workshops
15:15 PM Maths revision/Tuition for numeracy Tests
Saturday 17
10:45 AM Charter Day
Arts
Concerts and Performances
Bath University Student Musicals Society Edges by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ICIA Arts Theatre | Friday 9-Sunday 11 October, 7.30pm
This contemporary show confronts the trials and tribulations of moving into adulthood and follows the four characters as they search for love, grapple with emotions, try to escape expectations and attempt to decipher complicated relationships.
Bath University Student Theatre All in the Timing by David Ives ICIA Arts Theatre | Friday 16-Sunday 18 October 7.30pm
This collection of five hilarious short comedies by contemporary American playwright David Ives takes us from a man hopelessly trying to pick up a date to a trio of caged monkeys attempting to retype Hamlet.
Exhibitions
Lucy Harrison - Remains ICIA Art Space 2 | Wednesday 14 October - Friday 18 December, Monday - Saturday, 10am-5pm
Remains is a new body of work which explores demolition sites and brings together material from East London, East Germany and the University of Bath campus. Harrison’s work combines photographs, observations and chance encounters with published documents.
Talks
Lucy Harrison & David Pinder in Conversation. ICIA Art Space 2, 3WN 2.1 | Wednesday 14 October, 7pm-8pm
To mark the opening of her exhibition, artist Lucy Harrison talks to Urban and Cultural Geographer, Dr David Pinder, Queen Mary, University of London.
Workshops
Bath Soundscape Carpenter House | Friday 23 October, 11am-2pm
Composer Paul Whitty leads two unique sessions introducing you to the ideas and processes involved in the making of Vauxhall Pleasure on 24 Oct. This workshop takes you on location. The practical focus is on site-specific recording – exploring the unique soundscape of Bath’s urban environment via a walking tour of the city.
Samba Studio 1, ICIA Arts Complex | Wednesday 21, Wednesday 28 October and Wednesday 4 November , 6pm-8pm
A fun activity for everyone. Learn the infectious rhythms of Samba using drums and other percussion.
Sport
'Bath Bullet' Jason Gardener joins team at University
Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener has teamed up with the University as an advisor working on major sporting events and campaigns. Bath-born Gardener trained at the Sports Training Village during an impressive track career that saw him lead off the British 4×100m quartet that struck gold at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, as well as capturing four successive 60m titles at the European Indoor Athletics Championships.
X-Dream Bikes are here
The new X-Dream bikes mirror the benefits of X-Biking, giving you a total body workout as the handle bars move against a resistance. On the front of the bike is a computer screen showing real time visuals of you racing over different terrains against computer generated opponents. With the X-Dream bikes, you can also link bikes together to create a race between you and your friends or colleagues…Give them a go!
Get fit for autumn
A new timetable of exercise classes for the new season is now available online.