University Updates
24 October 2008
Campus news
University invites staff and students to give feedback on draft Masterplan
The University has drafted a Masterplan outlining proposals for the development of its campus. Staff, students, key stakeholders, and local residents are invited to give their views and comments on the plan from Monday 27 October.
...Presentation of the draft Masterplan
In addition to the exhibition of the draft masterplan which will be open from Monday 27 to Friday 31 October in the Library foyer, you are invited to attend a presentation of the draft Masterplan by the University Architect, Professor Alan Day. This will take place in the University Hall on Wednesday 29 October, 2.30pm-3.30pm and is open to all staff and students.
University celebrates Charter Day
Charter Day was held on Saturday 18 October, when the University celebrated the gifts received over the past year, as well as commemorating the granting of its Royal Charter 42 years ago this month.
Improvements planned for teaching spaces
As well as making ongoing efforts to increase the amount of learning spaces on the Claverton Campus, the University is investing substantially in the teaching spaces that are already available. Over the coming three years, £1.1 million will be spent on the refurbishment of General Teaching Areas.
Martyn Whalley is our new Director of Estates
The Vice-Chancellor is delighted to announce that Martyn Whalley is to be recommended to Council today for appointment as the next Director of Estates.
VIP visits
Secretary of State for Sport praises STV as ‘first rate facility’
Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, praised the University’s Sports Training Village during a visit to state-of-the-art sports complex this week. After a tour of the facilities and meeting staff and athletes, he said: “This is a first rate facility. It’s so good to have all the sports together and to have people from different sports mixing and sharing ideas. They’ve got a top drawer team here, which means the University will go from strength to strength.”
European Commissioner for Multilingualism visits campus
Last Friday (17 October) the Department of European Studies & Modern Languages hosted a visit by the European Commissioner for Multilingualism, Mr Leonard Orban. The main purpose of Mr Orban’s visit was to meet this year’s students and, in a question-and-answer session, the Commissioner highlighted the critical shortage of interpreters and translators with English as their mother tongue.
Learning & Teaching news
Improved induction week for freshers hailed a great success
An improved induction process that the School of Management delivered this year forms part of the University’s wider plans to develop the services provided for new students. It follows the University’s Good Practice discussion theme for 2008-2009, ‘Induction to Higher Education’.
Funding success for ‘thick thumbs’ technology in teaching
The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has made £20K available to our e-Learning team for scoping out the potential use of QR codes for educational use. QR (Quick Response) allows the camera on your phone or laptop to read a barcode and connect you immediately to a webpage rather than having to type in the URL.
Students celebrate enterprise bursary awards
Sixteen students who were awarded University enterprise bursaries were presented with the final instalment of their funding by Ian Jamieson, Pro-VC Learning and Teaching, at a reception in the Wessex Restaurant.
Information
Important changes to staff computer account closures when you leave the Uni
As of 1 November 2008 BUCS will no longer give a 30 day grace period or re-open closed accounts for staff that leave employment.
Changes to Pilot Sabbatical Leave Scheme 
A number of amendments have been made to the sabbatical application process since the 2007/08 calls. Applicants and Heads of Department are, therefore, asked to ensure that all applications conform to the requirements.
Private flu vaccinations available to staff
The University Medical Centre is able to offer private flu vaccinations to University staff who do not automatically qualify for a free vaccination from their registered GP. A flu jab costs £15 and flu clinics are being run over the next few weeks on various dates.
Jobs
Vacant posts: www.bath.ac.uk/jobs
Research volunteers sought
Do you suffer from epilepsy?
Mark Brosnan is conducting a research project exploring the experience of epilepsy. If
you have epilepsy and would like to take part in our research, please access our online questionnaire which takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is suitable for anyone over 18 years. It explores how epilepsy affects the way we think before and during a seizure.
Earn £5 for 45 minutes of your time
PhD researcher Charlotte Mounce is offering to pay volunteers £5 to help her investigate the relationships between psychological factors, cognitive biases and pain experience.
Volunteer for exercise study and win tickets to Thermae Bath Spa
Simon Sebire, a Doctoral student in the School for Health, is seeking volunteer exercisers to participate in a study about their experiences of exercise.
Training opportunities
- Running Tutorials and Seminars - 28 October
- Appraisal Training - Support Staff - 11 November
- Appraisal Briefing for Appraisees - 17 November
- What is Learning Support? - 19 November
- Writing for the Web - 21 November, 10 December
- e-Learning workshops & seminars: some new arrivals
- Free IT training courses for staff
Lectures
University hosts book launch by Oxfam's Duncan Green
Duncan Green, Head of Research for Oxfam, is to launch his new book, From Poverty to Power: How active citizens and effective states can change the world, on campus at 2.15pm on Friday 31 October (3 East 3.5). The free talk that Duncan will give is part of the seminar series presented by the Centre for Development Studies.
Free information evening about psoriatic arthritis
People with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and their families are invited to a free presentation at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (30 October, 7pm).
Podcast available: Measuring wellbeing and sustainability
Professor Anil Markandya (Economics & International Development) gave the Charter Day lecture in which he explored more sophisticated ways of measuring a country's wellbeing than just looking at GDP; these include assessing its ecological footprint, rating in the Corruption Perception Index and number of happy life years. Using these techniques, there are some surprising winners and losers.
Full programme of University Public Lectures
The programme for 2008/9 is now online. Members of the general public, staff and students are all very welcome to attend. More lectures will be added as details become available.
What's on next week
Monday 27
13:15 PM BICS Seminar
19:30 PM America - right or wrong. American relations since 1945
Tuesday 28
12:15 PM Eucharist
12:15 PM "We were invited to come here"
12:30 PM UBSA Hallowe'en Quiz
12:45 PM Oxfam Lunch
13:15 PM Women's Studies Seminar
16:30 PM What role for water footprints in reducing risk to business, government
19:00 PM Race Night for Tamara Johnson Fund
Wednesday 29
16:30 PM New Faces in the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
17:15 PM Bee decline - Countdown to catastrophe?
19:30 PM Film: Yella (12A)
Thursday 30
12:15 PM Enterprise: Intellectual property
13:15 PM Postgraduate study - things to think about?
Friday 31
13:15 PM CV Workshop
20:00 PM Latin Dance & Live Band Grupo Lema
Nov
Saturday 1
19:30 PM Cathsoc Ceilidh
19:30 PM Lone Twin Theatre - Daniel hit by a train
Arts
Concerts & performances
- Robin Dingemans Me +You=5 | ICIA Arts Theatre | Saturday 25 October 7.30pm
Me + You = 5 is a delightfully witty and inventive performance artfully combining dance, physical theatre and video to explore how we inhabit our lives. Entertaining and touching, it reveals how we engage with both real and imagined worlds. - Orchestra Scratch Weekend Concert | Hayesfield School, Oldfield Park, Bath | Sunday 26 October 7.30pm
The University’s Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hayesfield School Orchestra work together to produce an evening concert, with Mark Bradbury as guest conductor.
Films
- Yella (12A) | Lecture Theatre: 3WN 2.1 | Wednesday 29 October 7.30pm
This unsettling, tense mystery-cum-thriller confirms Christian Petzold as one of Germany’s finest directors. Yella escapes her small town in eastern Germany for a promising new life in Hanover. The ambitious Yella could finally get everything she wants, until truths from her past come back to haunt her.
(Dir: Christian Petzold, Germany 2007, 87 mins, subtitles)
Workshops
- Making Large Scale Work | Studio 2, ICIA Arts Complex | Saturday 25, Sunday 26 October & Saturday 8 November 10am-4pm
A chance to explore ceramic hand-building techniques and produce pieces for the garden and for interiors.
Exhibitions
- Anne Tallentire: Dimora | ICIA Art Space 2 | Thursday 9 October-Friday 12 December
Dimora meaning dwelling or residence looks at how objects in this space are carefully arranged to create a functioning social arena, workspace or decoy.
- Alison Marchant Charged Atmospheres | ICIA Art Space 1 | Till Friday 31 October
Alison Marchant’s fading photographs of once grand interiors, now abandoned and decaying, emphasise the passing of time.
Sport
Netball Superleague season gets underway this weekend
Team Bath’s netballers get their 2008/9 Co-operative Superleague campaign underway with two games in two days on the opening weekend of Superleague action.
Buccs hockey-players hit nine past Whitchurch
Team Bath Buccaneers men’s firsts hit nine goals without reply against Whitchurch at the Sports Training Village last Sunday.
Team Bath FC return to winning ways after tireless display
Team Bath bounced back to winning ways after a 2-0 victory away to Worcester.
Goals from Josh Llewellyn and Mike Perrott were enough to put the university side level on points with Blue Square South leaders AFC Wimbledon and two points clear of third-placed Chelmsford.