Reporter

Imperial Festival welcomes thousands of visitors

11 May 2012

Thousands of visitors including members of the public, alumni, staff and students were in party mood on the College’s South Kensington Campus this weekend, as they explored the Imperial Festival – a two day insight into the wonderful and surprising world of life and research here at the College.

Organisers estimate that around 7,000 people in total came to the Festival on Friday evening and across Saturday. Over the two days visitors had the opportunity to try their hand at surgery thanks to Professor Roger Kneebone’s pop-up simulation, have a pint with a professor, meet robots and take part in hands-on demonstrations by Imperial researchers.
Nearly 1,000 alumni alone registered to attend the alumni-specific events on Saturday while good weather saw curious passers-by join science fans and families who had already heard about the Festival.

One of the organisers, Natasha Martineau, Head of Research Communications, said:
“Imperial’s first Festival went better than many of us dared to imagine, with hundreds of staff welcoming thousands of visitors to the event. Around each corner there was yet another opportunity to discover something new about the work of the College. We’re very grateful to everyone who made it all possible, and of course to the sunshine, which made a big contribution to the festival atmosphere on campus this weekend.”

See below for a Festival slideshow as well as tweets and photos from the Festival’s Storify stream.

Posted in Alumni, College, Research, Students | No Comments »

Postgraduate Graduation 2012 – As it happens

8 May 2012

On Wednesday 9 May postgraduate students and guests from over 65 countries will be taking part in Imperial’s 2012 Postgraduate Graduation Ceremonies at the Royal Albert Hall.

Congratulations to all our new graduates, and welcome to the Imperial alumni community. We hope you, your friends and family have a very memorable day. Follow the day’s events here, and share your tweets, videos and photos, using the hashtag #ImpCol.

Tags: Awards and Honours, Students
Posted in Alumni, College, Students, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Imperial runner completes marathon challenge

25 April 2012

Congratulations to Imperial’s marathon runner, Sam Bell, who completed the London Marathon this weekend, raising over £3,000 for the Rector’s Scholarship Fund.

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Tags: London Marathon, rector's scholarship fund
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London Marathon quiz night raises £800 for Rector’s Scholarship Fund

9 March 2012

On Tuesday 21 February, teams of staff, students and alumni pitted their wits against one another in a fundraising quiz organised by Sport Imperial’s Sam Bell, who will be running the London Marathon in April in aid of the Rector’s Scholarship Fund.

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Tags: London Marathon, rector's scholarship fund, Sport Imperial
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A head (and heart) for business

15 February 2012

“This Glaswegian has something to shout about,” reported the Financial Times about Professor David Begg, and indeed how right they were. With nine years as Principal of the Business School under his belt, David has seen the School’s income double, rise 45 places in the Financial Times rankings and establish a world-class reputation in innovation and entrepreneurship. With a determination to bring the School into the heart of what Imperial does, he has ensured close working with other faculties and has aimed to bring the wisdom of business to all of the College’s work.

Reporter caught up with him on the eve of his retirement:

What do you consider your greatest achievement during your time as Principal?

I think I leave the Business School in a much better place than I found it. Imperial has bought into our significance, not just as a Business School, but working for and behalf of the rest of the College. We are very proud of having beaten Oxford and Cambridge in the last Research Assessment Exercise and of the staff we have hired as a consequence. Our reputation is well established and our operational and academic staff continue to do a fantastic job.

How do you see the relationship between the Business School and the rest of Imperial College?

Imperial has been increasingly and magnificently supportive. Quite rightly, they were a bit sceptical at the beginning, but as we have proved ourselves, they have seen the benefits of the Business School and as a result, created the space and opportunities for us to be able to achieve our aims.

What do you think is the biggest difference between the Business School you joined nine years ago and the one you leave today?

We now have a highly ranked Business School that is going to grow and become more successful in the future. When I started, we had to take more risks, as there was a lack of certainty about what we were able to achieve. We now know what we can do and how to make it happen.

What are you going to miss the most?

The 6am starts! No, seriously, in this job, you build a community of colleagues and friends – it’s really more like a lifestyle then just a job – and that will certainly be a very big change for me when I am no longer Principal. Though rest assured, I will not be looking to take it too easy in my retirement – I will be keeping an eye out for my next challenge!

Do you know what that is likely to be?

Head of English cricket or Governor of the Bank of England perhaps?! I haven’t had a chance to consider my options yet. Everyone says take your time and don’t rush into things, so I’m following this advice and am quite relaxed about what’s going to happen. Indeed, for the immediate future, I am going to make myself available to the Business School on a part-time basis, so I can support Dot [Griffiths] in her role as Acting Principal and ensure a smooth transition.

What do you think the Business School will look like in 10 years time?

I think it will be integrated even more closely with the rest of the College and conferring on Imperial students a unique business advantage whatever faculty they happen to be in. I also see our executive education offering growing and a strengthening of our capability in economics. Indeed, this would prove useful for the rest of Imperial where more and more areas are in need of economic evaluation. I also think risk is another huge area of opportunity. At the College, we have experts who cover risk in a number of areas such as train crashes, earthquakes and drug failures but we don’t yet have a means of integrating all of them in an Institute for Risk Management. Nor do hardly any other universities in the world. Imperial could be a real international leader in that field and the Business School should and would play a large part in that.

Any words of wisdom for your successor?

Go for it! Imperial is a community, so having good relationships around the College is as important as having a clear vision of what you are trying to do. You need to be able to motivate other people to believe in your vision and crucially, be able to execute it. By and large, academics are great at strategising but hopeless at execution! Strategy is not the hard part, it is the details of making it happen. A Principal cannot achieve much single-handedly and a great part of the effectiveness but also the pleasure of the job, is the team you build around you. I’ve been very fortunate, Dot has been a rock during my time here, as have all the other people we have recruited as we’ve gone along. A new Principal will eventually be responsible for building a new team, and we’ll see how that transpires. It’s a great job because there are so many positives. With a School that is in great shape, it should be a great challenge for whoever follows.

— Tanya Gubbay, Communications and Development

Tags: Business School
Posted in Alumni, College, Research, Students, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Imperial marathon runner raising funds for scholarships

26 January 2012

Staff member Sam Bell, Services Manager for Sport Imperial, will be running the London Marathon in April to raise funds for the Rector’s Scholarship Fund.

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Tags: London Marathon, rector's scholarship fund, Sam Bell
Posted in Alumni | No Comments »

The Mechanics of the Circulation

24 January 2012

A Second Edition of The Mechanics of the Circulation, written by Emeritus Professors Colin Caro, Bob Schroter, Kim Parker, (all Bioengineering), Emeritus Professor Anthony Seed (NHLI) and Emeritus Professor Tim Pedley, University of Cambridge, has been published, 33 years after it was first printed. Professor Ross Ethier, Head of the Department of Bioengineering, reflects on its importance to the field.

“The first edition of the book (known as CPSS to those “in the know”) was my faithful companion when I became interested in hemodynamics over 20 years ago. It was, and continues to be, the standard reference text for those that seek to understand both physical principles of blood flow and the biology and physiology of the cardiovascular system. It was distinguished by clear writing, a refusal to oversimplify the complexity of the subject (when relevant), and a holistic view of the field.

A measure of the impact of the book is to see how many colleagues at leading universities have a copy on their bookshelf. I have seen it in offices from Japan to Switzerland to America – a large footprint indeed!

The second edition is most welcome. It will introduce an entire new generation to the field, just as the first edition did many years ago.”

Tags: Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering
Posted in Alumni, College, Research, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Rector’s India trip launches new chapter for Bangalore alumni

14 December 2011

The Rector Sir Keith O’Nions launched a new chapter of the Imperial College Alumni Association of India in Bangalore during his recent visit to the country incorporating stops in four cities in five days.

A reception hosted by the Rector on 2 December marked the establishment of the new Imperial alumni network in Bangalore. Alumnus Vibin Joseph, who graduated from the Business School in 2008, is the new Chair of the Bangalore chapter. Speaking at the event, he said: “The Bangalore alumni who I’ve met tonight are extremely keen about the new chapter; it will provide a great opportunity for the younger alumni to look up to the older generations for guidance and advice – this club could become an aspiration for the next community of Imperial students who are applying and will hopefully become part of this community.”

The Rector meeting alumni in Bangalore

Sir Keith O’Nions hosted other alumni receptions in Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi over the course of his trip at the end of November and into early December. Alongside he met with representatives from government, industry, the Indian media and higher education institutions, including the Indian Institute Delhi (IIT Delhi), which has been associated with the College since it was founded fifty years ago.

During his visit the Rector also discussed plans for a new scheme to support Imperial PhD scholarships, through which funds raised by Indian alumni will be matched by the College to cover tuition fees and maintenance costs for talented Indian students. Fundraising efforts in India will be championed by the Imperial College India Foundation. The Foundation counts among its board members alumnus Cyrus Mistry (Civil Engineering, 1990) who made headlines worldwide recently upon his appointment as chairman of the Tata Group, one of the world’s largest conglomerate companies.

— John-Paul Jones and Elizabeth Atkin, Communications and Development

Tags: Alumni, scholarships
Posted in Alumni, College, Students | 2 Comments »

Alumni telethon appeal

13 December 2011

Over £381,000 has been pledged by 1,344 alumni donors during this autumn’s telethon appeal. To date, 44 per cent of pledges have been fulfilled, with donations continuing to roll in.

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Tags: Alumni, rector's scholarship fund, Telethon
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Annual alumni reunion in Sydney, Australia

7 December 2011

On 4 November, 25 Imperial alumni and guests gathered at a restaurant in the historic Rocks area of Sydney, close to the southern end of the Harbour Bridge, for an informal reunion.

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Tags: Alumni, Australia, reunion
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Imperial Olympian collects early award

29 November 2011

A College department has honoured one of its students’ Olympic ambitions with a £3,000 award to help support him as he prepares for the 2012 Games.

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Tags: Department of electrical and electronic engineering, olympics
Posted in Alumni, College, Students | No Comments »

Donor thank you

22 November 2011

To thank the College’s alumni and supporters, whose generous support has enabled Imperial to provide more philanthropically-funded scholarships than ever before, a reception was hosted by the Rector in the College’s main entrance on 17 November.

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Tags: Alumni, Donor Thank You, Event, Rector, rector's scholarship fund
Posted in Alumni | No Comments »

Rector’s Scholarship Fund

11 November 2011

Tags: Alumni, rector's scholarship fund
Posted in Alumni | No Comments »

Felix hits 1,500

4 November 2011

This week Imperial’s independent student newspaper Felix hits a major milestone as it publishes its 1,500^th issue.  To mark the occasion some of its former editors have shared their memories of their time at the helm below.

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Tags: Felix, Imperial College Union
Posted in Alumni, College, Students | 5 Comments »

High Flier

1 November 2011

This year’s Commemoration ceremonies on 19 October were particularly poignant for Flight Lieutenant Chris Shone who studied Aeronautics at Imperial from 2004- 2008: but due to commitments in the RAF he has been unable to attend his graduation ceremony until this year. Reporter spoke to Chris to find out how his degree has served him in the Forces and how he felt about finally making it to the Royal Albert Hall.

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Tags: Aeronautics, Commemoration Day, Commemoration Day 2011
Posted in Alumni | No Comments »