School students have great chemistry in Imperial competition

11 May 2012

On 3 May eight teams of schoolchildren came to Imperial to compete in the live final of the London Schools’ Chemistry Challenge, battling it out using posters, drama, music and presentations to a present their case for the greatest discovery in Chemistry in the last 100 years.

The initiative began last year, also marking the International Year of Chemistry, which celebrated the contributions chemistry has made to society.

The competition saw over 1,000 school students registered to take aprt, with academics from the Department of Chemistry selecting eight teams for the final.

With an open remit on how to make their case the GCSE and A Level students had to present in front of a panel of judges including Imperial’s Professor of Science and Society Lord Winston; David Philips, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Head of the College’s Department of Chemistry Professor Tom Welton.

The winning entry, highly commended by the judges, came from team  “Notre Bam”, a group of students attending Notre Dame School in Surrey. They won for their presentation on polymers, which involved drama and music as well as chemical knowledge. The team received an iPad each, together with a tour of a leading research facility in the future.

Pictured right:  Notre Bam with judges and organisers.

Team member Elizabeth said: “As a group we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and our knowledge of chemistry has been enhanced by studying the subject outside of our syllabus. We have really benefitted from the experience and look forward to the day at a research centre…and our iPads!”

The event’s was arranged by the Department of Chemistry and the Royal Society of Chemistry, supported by Imperial’s Outreach Office.  One of the organisers, Dr Oscar Ces, said:

“This was a fantastic evening where teams of students from across London showcased their talent and demonstrated the impact that Chemistry has had on society over the last 100 years. It’s been a wonderful way to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry”.

Organisers hope to run a similar event in the summer. 

 — John-Paul Jones, Communications and Development

Tags: Chemistry, Outreach
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Vox pops

9 May 2012

Over 2,500 Imperial students from around the world graduated in Postgraduate Graduation ceremonies today. Reporter spoke to some of the new graduates to find out what they felt about living in the the Olympic city.

 

 

What has been your favourite thing about studying in London?

(more…)

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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 »

The Imperial scientists helping GB Olympians row to glory

2 May 2012

Professors Alison McGregor (Surgery and Cancer) and Anthony Bull (Bioengineering) and their research groups are using their expertise to help the Great Britain rowing team prepare for the London Olympics.

Their work involves the application of technology to allow the athletes and their support teams to better understand how their bodies are moving and performing, so that they can improve their rowing techniques. The research features in a report released by Universities UK today, “Supporting a UK success story”, which looks at the impact of university research on sport development as part of this year’s Olympics-themed Universities Week.

Reporter caught up with Alison (pictured right)  to talk about the research.

What has your research involved?

Four times a year athletes from the GB rowing team come into our lab. We fit their bodies with electro-magnetic sensors and have them use a rowing machine. The sensors give us real time bio-feedback, on how the body is performing – particularly on what their backs and legs are doing. Together with the team’s coach and physiotherapist we can use this instant data to suggest ways the athletes can be more efficient in their movements and of minimising wear and tear on the body, all while the athlete’s still on the rowing machine.

So the bio-feedback can help head off an injury?

Yes, because we’re getting data every few months over a long period we’re able to keep an eye on any changes  in the way an area of their body is performing, which can help us identify where a particular part is under strain or likely to be undergoing damage quite early on. The GB team’s physiotherapist can then use that information to start exercises or change techniques to tackle that problem area.

How did you first become involved with the GB Rowing team?

We’ve been working with the Great Britain Rowing team since the late nineties. We first got involved after being persuaded by a very enthusiastic Director of Rowing, Bill Mason who has since retired. My own research looks at the musculoskeletal system and the mechanics of injury while my collaborator on the project, Professor Anthony Bull, brought in his expertise in developing the sensors and the science behind them and I’ve been working on how this can be applied.

Are you a rower?

Not at all. I have been out on the water once and, in a way, it was quite frightening! It’s fine if you’re rowing by yourself but there’s something quite daunting about having to row as part of a team, all relying on each other to stay in sync and pull their weight. I’ve certainly come to know a lot about rowing and rowing terminology though.

Will you be at the Games to cheer them on?

I’m fortunate enough to have tickets to watch. We’ve come to know the athletes over the time we have been working with them. I have a sense of how much they have invested in this, and what they have gone through and given up, all of which makes the competition itself even more nerve-wracking!

You met again with members of the rowing team recently, how did they seem?

I’m always impressed at how their focus has been sustained all the way through the period they’ve been preparing for this. I wouldn’t say they’re any more or less driven than months earlier, because they’ve always seemed to have such a consistently high level of focus. Obviously they’ve competed in lots of different races too, though I think the fact that this is a home Olympics makes them perhaps even more driven.  

What is next for your research?

The GB team seem keen to continue working with us, and funding permitted it’s research we’d like to carry on with. There are a few other sports that the techniques we’ve developed could work well with, such as cycling, weight-lifting and sailing, so that’s an area we might explore in the future.

— John-Paul Jones, Communications and Development

Tags: Bioengineering, olympics, Surgery and Cancer
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Future of microsurgery unveiled at Imperial

18 April 2012

Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, officially opened Imperial’s newly refurbished Hamlyn Centre on 16 April. Guests were able to see the latest developments in robot assisted microsurgery – minimally invasive surgery with micro-scale imaging and manipulation – made possible by funding totalling £5 million from the Wolfson Foundation and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)  underpinned by the Helen Hamlyn Trust endowment.

The Hamlyn Centre, which is split across three Imperial campuses – South Kensington, St Mary’s and Northwick Park- has been refurbished with cutting edge new technologies and a pre-clinical imaging suite for clinical trials to enable clinicians and technicians to validate new surgical robots in the patient. The long-term hope is that the robots in the Hamlyn Centre will be integrated with imaging and sensing technologies to perform microsurgery, for example, on cancerous cells.

Rector Sir Keith O’Nions, said: “We are very grateful to the Wolfson Foundation and NIHR for their generous contributions to the College. It is with their help that the Hamlyn Centre, through its multidisciplinary approach, continues to be at the forefront of innovation in surgery.”

Janet Wolfson de Botton, Chairman of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “The Wolfson Foundation has a long tradition of funding excellence in science and technology and we are very pleased to support the Hamlyn Centre in advancing robot assisted microsurgery.”

Lord Darzi, Chair of the Institute and co-director of the Hamlyn Centre, said: “We are very grateful to the Wolfson Foundation and the NIHR for their generous contribution to the refurbishments of the Hamlyn Centre. This will allow us to build on our unique strengths in research and clinical application of minimal invasive surgery and allied technology by enhancing both scientific discovery and translation into clinical practice with clear benefit to patient recovery and quality of life. The new lab will also enable our multidisciplinary team to create micro-surgical tools for new surgical procedures with improved accuracy and efficacy.”

Tags: Faculty of Medicine, Hamlyn Centre
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Union elections see highest ever voting turnout

2 April 2012

Imperial College Union has announced that this year’s sabbatical elections achieved the best ever turnout, propelling it to number one among student university unions in England and Wales.

This year 58% of undergraduates took part, a rise of 13% on last year, while 19% of postgraduates voted, up 4% on 2011.    In all, 6539 student voters took part in deciding the new Union sabbatical team and officers.

Outgoing Deputy President (Finance & Services) Michael Foster, who was the Returning Officer for the elections said he was delighted by the results:

“A high turnout in the elections is vital for the democratic process. As it is the students’ biggest opportunity to effect change in their Union, a high turnout ensures that the new team represents as many students as possible. It also gives them a larger mandate to further legitimise their presence, opinions and decisions on key College committees.”

For these elections the Union sought to engage voters with a live statistics page, using graphics to track voting activity by Faculty and Department, gender and even Halls of Residence.

Michael added: “A lot of things came together to help us achieve such a high turnout. The live statistics, especially the competitive aspect, got students interested, and the high quality and enthusiasm of candidates encouraged voters. Most importantly, we have a very engaged student body, keen to make sure their views and interests are represented at the highest levels.”

The elected student team includes students who take a year out of their studies to hold a Sabbatical position or continue with their studies, taking up an officer position. This year most of the positions were chosen in one big election for the first time.

A particularly close race saw Paul Beaumont, an undergraduate from the Department of Mathematics, triumph as Imperial College Union President. Paul previously served as RCSU Vice-President.

For the full results of this year’s elections see http://union.ic.ac.uk/marketing/elections/results.php. For more statistics see: http://union.ic.ac.uk/marketing/elections/index.php

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Historic night for College in Varsity 2012

22 March 2012

Imperial College’s rugby first XV ended a decade of defeats last night to finally lift the JPR Williams Cup. In an historic night at the Twickenham Stoop Stadium, College scored an outstanding win against the Imperial College School of Medicine, running away to a 31-0 victory.

Despite a strong start with both teams enjoying equal possession, the scoreboard remained untroubled until Syarif Hertog broke through after 23 minutes to cross the line and break the deadlock. Four further tries followed as more than 1,000 students, staff and alumni witnessed a fine display of rucking, running and kicking which the Medics had no answer for.

Charlie Esberger, Imperial College Captain said: “It’s a great feeling and a monkey off the back for the whole club. I think we were better organised, we got into pattern really early on, began dominating the game, and pushed on from there. We thought a win was on the cards, but we did expect it to be a tight game.”

Man of the Match, Jack Flanagan, added: “It feels amazing. Just to look up at that scoreboard and see 31-0. We’ve waited ten years for this – it’s such a good feeling.”

The JPR Williams Cup is named after former Welsh rugby captain and St Mary’s Hospital Medical School alumnus John Peter Rhys Williams, and first began in 2003. The evening topped a victorious day for College teams, who ran out 13-5 winners in sports including football, waterpolo, hockey and tennis.

See a slideshow of images from the match

— Simon Watts, Communications and Development

Tags: Sport Imperial
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Game on for Varsity 2012

21 March 2012

Athletes representing Imperial Medicals and Imperial College are squaring up to one another this week in their annual sporting battle.

The two historic rivals will be clashing in ten different sports, with battlegrounds ranging from the hockey pitch to waterpolo pool, with this evening’s rugby match between the two first XVs being the trophy prize.

 After nearly ten years of the Medicals triumphing in the JPR Williams Rugby Cup spectators will be on the edge of their seats to see whether the tide can finally turn in the College’s favour, at the Twickenham Stoop stadium, home to the Harlequins Rugby Union team.

The JPR Williams Cup is named after former Welsh rugby captain and St Mary’s Hospital Medical School alumnus John Peter Rhys Williams, and first began in 2003. Over 1,000 staff, students and alumni will fill the stands to cheer on captains Charlie Esberger (Imperial) and Jonny Fisher-Black (Imperial College School of Medicine) and their teams.

While the JPR Williams Cup will be hotly contested the overall victors of Varsity will be decided by points from 28 different games, with other sports represented including lacrosse, basketball and netball.

The College’s Twitter account @imperialcollege will be tweeting from this evening’s game, while student newspaper Felix has a live page to keep people updated on scores from around the grounds. Keep track of all the news and results on the Felix live feed here: http://felixonline.co.uk/varsity/

— John-Paul Jones, Communications and Development

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Olympic dreams

17 February 2012

Reporter met up with Hannah Bryars, Olympic fencing hopeful and 5^th year medic, to find out about her training and her determination to make the grade.

Hannah’s training as a member of the GB fencing team took a hit last year when she suffered from a painful knee injury and had to take time out to help reduce the inflammation. As her condition improved, rather than give up on her goal to compete in the Olympics, she returned to training with a renewed sense of purpose, switching coach, turning to a gluten-free diet and strengthening her knee through physiotherapy and Bikram Yoga.
(more…)

Tags: Ethos, Faculty of Medicine, olympics, 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 »

Energy company renews support for Imperial students

3 February 2012

ScottishPower has announced its renewed commitment to scholarships for UK Masters students at Imperial College London in 2012. The Fundación IBERDROLA, the charitable arm of ScottishPower’s parent company, has launched a new round of scholarship and research grant programmes focussed on energy and environmental studies for the 2012/2013 academic year.
(more…)

Tags: prospective students, scholarships
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Obituary for Loretto O’Callaghan

3 February 2012

Loretto O’Callaghan, former Disabilities Officer, died on 4 December 2011. Emeritus Professor Rees Rawlings (Educational Quality Office) pays tribute:

“Loretto was born in March 1944 at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. She came to London aged 18, where she worked in PR and publishing, before joining the College in 1988 as a Student Accommodation Officer. Her role was to administer the allocation of students to halls of residence. Over time, however, she became more and more involved with students with disabilities, and this was acknowledged by her appointment, in December 2001, as the College’s first Disabilities Officer, a post she held until her retirement in December 2007.

Loretto was always willing to go into battle on behalf of deserving students and took every opportunity to promote awareness of disabilities through formal and informal discussions with both staff and students. She gained respect and confidence from both staff and students, which was essential for the development of her role.

From the late 1960s she lived in Queen’s Club Gardens, where she remained for the rest of her life. It was here that she met her constant companion, Christopher. Her diligence and hospitable nature led to many calls on her time and she worked hard for More House, the Roman Catholic Chaplaincy for Imperial, and the Queen’s Club Gardens Residents’ Association.

Loretto will be greatly missed by all those who knew her.”

Tags: Obituary
Posted in College, Students, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Boris Johnson opens transformed Exhibition Road

2 February 2012

Crowds of Imperial staff, students and members of the public braved the cold on Wednesday afternoon to watch the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the Welsh Guards, a mechanical elephant, and a team of somersaulting acrobats parade up the street for the official opening of Exhibition Road.

The parade culminated outside the College, with the Mayor cutting a ribbon, held by four young people from Whizz Kids (a charity supporting children who use wheelchairs) followed by a reception in the Main Entrance. The event was also attended by leaders of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster.

The Exhibition Road project was formally completed late last year after three years of construction work and today kerbs, barriers and street clutter have been removed. The aim has been to improve access for all users and in particular for those using wheelchairs or push chairs. Cars have also been slowed by the introduction of a 20mph speed limit.

Speaking about the transformation at the drinks reception afterwards the Mayor said: “It’s been seven years since The Guardian condemned this space as a “weak urban canyon” and yet today if you look outside pilgrims from around the world come to marvel at the transformation – not just brilliant international students who come to Imperial – one of the greatest universities in the world – but also urban design specialists from Beijing, Korea, New Zealand and Germany who have come to admire the fantastic shared space that has been created.”

“The cumulative effect makes the area more liveable and more attractive and will bring greater income, investment and tourism to the area.” He added that according to an independent report by the London School of Economics the new scheme will bring extra income amounting to around £50 – 140 million per year to South Kensington.

Talking to Reporter about what the transformation will mean for future Imperial students he said: “I hope very much that Imperial students will enjoy the extra amenity we have helped to bring to one of the greatest universities in the world!”

One of the girls holding the ribbon at the event talked about what it meant to her and other wheelchair users. “When we came here two years ago it was completely different. To cross the roads as an independent wheelchair user was near impossible as there were no drop curbs and there were so many people. Now having the roads as they are we can come independently to visit the museums and not have to worry about access. We can have a great day out just like everyone else.”

Councillor Warwick Lightfoot, Cabinet Member for Finance at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said: “It’s exciting to celebrate this worthwhile investment and see an unattractive streetscape transformed and how it enhances extraordinary institutions like Imperial, the V&A and the Science Museum.”

Watch a slideshow of images from the opening ceremony

Watch the procession and the Mayor of London offically open Exhibition Road:

Opening of Exhibition Road by the Mayor Boris Johnson

exhibition road, boris johnson, speech, mayor of london

— Emily Ross-Joannou, Communications and Development

Tags: Exhibition Road
Posted in College, Students, Uncategorized | 9 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
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Meet the reader

23 December 2011

Lucca Da Silva Junior, Campus Receptionist (Security Services)

What are you doing in the picture?

I’m standing by the Christmas tree in the Main Entrance on the South Kensington Campus where I work. I meet so many different people in my role – not only staff and students. I speak to tourists wanting to know more about the design of the building and schoolchildren asking questions like, “Did the Queen really visit the College for its centenary?” I make sure I am clued up on facts about Imperial.

What would you do if you were editor of Reporter for a day?

I’d organise a social trip to Richmond Park and get staff and their families to come along, then interview people about their day. I think there should be more College social activities, so staff can get to know each other.

Who would be your cover star?

The Imperial College Gospel Choir performed at the X Factor final – it would be great to feature a picture of them on the stage!

Tags: Meet the Reader
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