Ford drives Brunel’s future engineers and scientists with £1m scholarship programme
2 February 2012 11:55
Brunel University will award ten Ford Blue Oval Scholarships worth a total of £100,000 in 2012, as part of a £1 million programme to develop the UK’s next generation of student engineers, scientists and innovators.
Brunel is one of 12 leading UK universities selected by Ford to take part in the scheme, which will provide 100 undergraduates with awards of £10,000 each over the duration of their course. High-achieving students who achieve a minimum of AAB grades or equivalent at A-level will be chosen from engineering, science, manufacturing and technology subjects, and must apply for the award by 10 March 2012.
Announced by William Clay Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford and executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, the scholarship programme recognises skills that are fundamental both to Ford’s future industrial base and to the long-term success of the UK’s economy. Many of the company’s 15,000 UK employees are in highly skilled roles, developing and building high-technology, fuel-efficient, low CO2 engines.
Ford of Britain is celebrating 100 years as one of the UK’s leading automobile innovators this year, and the Blue Oval scheme reinforces the company’s relationship with a country in which it has been market leader in car sales for 35 consecutive years and commercial vehicle sales leader for 46 years.
Brunel University has a long history of excellence in engineering and technology, and is now as well-respected in engineering circles as was its namesake Isambard Kingdom Brunel a hundred years ago. One of the University’s most distinctive features is a commitment to incorporating periods of work experience in industry – sandwich placements – into its undergraduate degree programmes, helping to develop the practical knowledge and technical skills required to succeed in the competitive graduate jobs market.
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More information and terms and conditions will be available shortly on the Brunel University scholarship web pages
Find out more about Ford’s 100 years in Britain on the Ford UK website
Competition for tropical disease funding is side-lining critical voices says Brunel researcher
30 January 2012 01:02
Competition for multi-million pound grants to tackle debilitating parasitic diseases in the developing world means that serious concerns about whether current drug programmes actually work are being side-lined says Dr Melissa Parker, Director of CRIMA (Centre for Research in International Medical Anthropology) at Brunel University, in a letter published in The Lancet today [Monday 30 January 2012].
Dr Parker and Professor Tim Allen, Professor in Development Anthropology at the London School of Economics (LSE), write that mass drug administration programmes (MDAs) – such as those supported by the UK Government – are often designed without taking into account local political, economic and social issues.
They explain that sending vital drugs for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), such as bilharzia and elephantiasis, to countries that need them, does not necessarily mean that affected communities in Africa will actually be treated.
Their research in East Africa shows that current systems of distribution may work quite well in one village, but largely fail in the next. Re-infection of those treated is very likely.
Communicating with communities about the reasons for the mass drug programmes has not been made a priority. This allows rumours and local conspiracy theories which question the real purposes of free drug administration to flourish in some locations.
In 2008 there were protests in Tanzania by parents who were convinced that tablets that were being given out in schools for bilharzia had been sent to poison their children.
Professor Allen says: "There is a growing tendency for those promoting mass drug administration programmes to overlook evidence concerning how effective they really are.
“Responding to complex health problems requires a richly textured understanding of the lives of the people being targeted. We need a better approach that combines the expertise of scientists with social scientists.
“Closing off debate and critical analysis of what is actually happening on the ground is profoundly unhelpful. There is also a need to complement and support sustainable national systems.”
Allen and Parker point out that large internationally funded drug distribution programmes can weaken already over-stretched health-care systems.
Dr Parker says: “For mass drug administration programmes to be more effective, there has to be flexibility in the system to move away from a ‘one size, fits all’ approach and to adapt to local realities.”
Professor Allen and Dr Parker also draw attention to medical research which indicates that the long term effects of mass treatment and the combinations of medication to treat multiple infections require much better surveillance and monitoring, particularly when given to already weak and malnourished people.
On January 21 2012 the UK Department for International Development announced that it was boosting its support to £245 million, a five-fold increase, for programmes to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Professor Allen said: “Providing free and subsidised drugs creates a window of opportunity to make a massive difference. But the availability of tablets is not enough – dealing with these diseases will involve a number of factors, not least of which will be behavioural change.”
Dr Parker adds: "We are obviously in favour of treating people for debilitating parasitic diseases. We are also not against mass drug administration programmes so long as they are implemented effectively and monitored appropriately. However, in their current form, they will not, as some are claiming, make poverty history.”
Around 800 million people suffer from neglected tropical diseases. These include elephantiasis (Lymphatic Filariasis) which causes extreme swelling of the limbs or other parts of the body and bilharzia (schistosomiasis) which can result in life-threatening damage to the urinary system and liver and bladder and bowel cancers.
The letter in The Lancet is based on extensive research undertaken by Professor Allen and Dr Parker in East Africa, with assistance from a number of MSc Medical Anthropology and PhD students from Brunel University.
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For more information
Please contact Hannah Murray:
hannah@communicationsmanagement.co.uk
01727 737997
Brunel University in the driving seat to cut energy consumption in automotive industry manufacturing
23 January 2012 02:59
To request to interview Professor Kai Cheng or Dr Richard Bateman, please call Phil Smith on 01727 733888 or email phil@communicationsmanagement.co.uk
For more information about the project go to the Euroenergest website
Brunel's Placement and Careers Centre named UK's best University Placement/Careers Service
20 January 2012 09:09
Brunel University's Placement and Careers Centre (PCC) were named winners for the third year running at the National Placement and Internship Awards on Wednesday 18 January.
The PCC picked up the award for Best University Placement/Careers Service, which celebrates the contributions made by Careers Services in helping students make the most of their work experience opportunities.
Oliver Sidwell, co-founder of Rate My Placement, the organisation which created the awards, praised the PCC's dedication to students' needs: "Alongside a university-wide commitment to improving employability, this one-stop-shop goes beyond the call of duty to develop innovative and forward-thinking ways to engage students and recruiters alike. Focusing on engaging students early through the publication of an employability guide, placement peer monitoring schemes and an effective use of social media and technology, the judges were amazed by the quantity of initiatives developed by this department."
Brunel achieves NHS Physiotherapy ‘preferred bidder’ status
19 January 2012 02:53
Prof Julia Buckingham to be the next Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University
9 January 2012 02:31
The Council of Brunel University is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Julia Buckingham as its next Vice-Chancellor and Principal.
Professor Buckingham, currently Pro-Rector for Education and Academic Affairs at Imperial College London, will assume duties from the current Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Chris Jenks, on 1 October 2012.
Professor Buckingham said “I am delighted to have been appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Brunel and I am looking forward to building on the strengths in research and education that Professor Jenks has developed to take the University to new heights.”
Jane Kelly, Chair of Council, added that “Council is very pleased to have appointed Julia to be our next Vice-Chancellor. She was an outstanding candidate in a strong field of applicants and demonstrates the skills, commitment and enthusiasm to build on Brunel’s strengths and aspirations.”
Professor Buckingham is the first woman to be appointed as Vice-Chancellor and Principal at Brunel. Prior to her career at Imperial College London, where she has held the posts of Professor of Pharmacology, Head of the Division of Neuroscience and Mental Health and College Dean for Non-Clinical Medicine, Professor Buckingham was employed at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London, as Professor of Pharmacology, Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Assistant Dean (Preclinical). Professor Buckingham is currently President of the Society for Endocrinology and a Trustee of the Royal Institution and the Society of Biology.
An extract of her CV is appended. For further information about this matter please contact:
Andrew Kershaw
Director of External Affairs
T: 01895 274000
W: www.brunel.ac.uk
BRIEF CV
EDUCATION
1960-1968: St. Mary's School, Calne, Wilts.
1968-1971: University of Sheffield
1972-1974: University of London (Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine)
2008- 2009: London Business School (Accelerated Development Programme)
DEGREES
1971: BSc (Class 1), Zoology, University of Sheffield
1974: PhD Pharmacology, University of London
1987: DSc University of London
HONOURS/AWARDS
1974: Legg Award for PhD thesis
1994: Society for Endocrinology: Society Medal
1994: British Pharmacological Society: Gaddum Memorial Award
1995: Fellow: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
2004: Fellow: British Pharmacological Society
2007: Fellow: Higher Education Academy
2009: Fellow: City and Guilds Institute
2009: British Pharmacological Society: AstraZeneca, Women in Pharmacology Prize
2009: Fellow: Society of Biology
2011: Honorary Member, British Society for Neuroendocrinology
POSTS HELD
1971-1972: Research Assistant: Department of Pharmacology, Glaxo Laboratories Ltd
1972-1974: Postgraduate Research Student: Department of Pharmacology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London
1974-1980: Research Fellow/Hon. Lecturer: Neuroendocrine Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London
1980-1987: Senior Lecturer: Academic Department of Pharmacology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London
1988-1997: Professor of Pharmacology/Head Department of Pharmacology: Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School, University of London
1992-1997: Assistant Dean (Preclinical): Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London
1997-2003: Professor of Pharmacology, Head, Department of Neuroendocrinology, Deputy Head, Division of Neuroscience and Psychological Medicine: Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London
2000-2003: College Dean for Non-Clinical Medicine: Imperial College London
2003-2007: Head, Division of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Professor of Pharmacology: Imperial College London
2007-2010: Pro-Rector (Education) and Head of the College Centre for Integrative Mammalian Physiology and Pharmacology, Imperial College London
2010 to date: Pro-Rector (Education and Academic Affairs) and Head of the College Centre for Integrative Mammalian Physiology and Pharmacology, Imperial College London
Brunel scientist brings the weather to High School
8 January 2012 10:12
A lecturer from Brunel University will be working with students from Hatch End in Harrow to involve them in the science of weather.
Dr Andy Russell, Lecturer in Climate Science at Brunel University, will be visiting Hatch End High School during the coming year. The school was chosen by The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, to receive a Partnership Grant, which enables local scientists and engineers to work with teachers from the school to implement an innovative science project.
The project, called “Why do we have the weather that we have?” aims to get school pupils immersed in the science of weather and climate. Pupils from Years 7-12, aged between 11 and 17, will set up a weather station at their school and learn about making weather forecasts.
Dr Russell said: “Our project will bring to life what pupils learn about in the classroom and help them to understand the impact of science and engineering upon their day-to-day activities. We demonstrate how vital these subjects are by making them relevant.”
The pupils will also study the station data to understand how our conditions differ from the weather and climate of other countries, and study historical observations.
Professor John Pethica FRS, Vice-President of the Royal Society, said: “Science and engineering are exhilarating and dynamic subjects and we hope that by giving teachers the opportunity to introduce innovative science that we can help show young people how much fun in real-life these subjects can be, and inspire them to become the inventors, explorers and innovators of the future.”
He added: “We’re looking forward to seeing this imaginative project come to life over the coming months.
For further information on Dr Andrew Russell’s project, please contact the Brunel University Press Office:
Email press-office@brunel.ac.uk; Tel: 01895 274688.
For further information, please contact the Royal Society Press Office
Alice Henchley on 020 7451 2514 or alice.henchley@royalsociety.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
OBE rewards Brunel Professor’s work to protect child athletes
6 January 2012 03:42
Professor Celia Brackenridge, a pioneering campaigner and researcher into gender equality and child abuse in sport, has received an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honour’s list.
Professor Brackenridge worked from 2005 until she retired in 2010 as Director of the Centre for Youth Sport and Athlete Welfare, at Brunel University. She is now research professor and a member of the Brunel Centre for Sport, Health and Wellbeing.
She is also Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the 2012 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (ICSEMIS), the global scientific conference that precedes each Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Celia was delighted with the honour, which was awarded for services to Equality and Child Protection in Sport. “This came as a complete bolt from the blue,” she said. “This award is also for all the people who have helped me, who include the NSPCC and my research colleagues.”
She is proud that her work has raised the issue of the abuse and sexual abuse of child athletes into “the mainstream” and that there is now an official policy to protect them.
“It’s difficult for an athlete to talk about their negative experiences. Every Olympics puts pressure on athletes to win medals, and the UK Government is hoping for great things from the UK teams,” she said.
“It’s important that coaches treat the athletes as people first and foremost, and as potential medal-winners second.”
Celia, who is a founder member of the Women’s Sports Foundation, was an early campaigner for gender equality in sport, an issue with which she feels far less progress has been made.
“For example, the 10 contenders for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year did not include one single woman and we get much less media coverage. The media feel that looks are more important than achievement. There is still a long way to go.”
Her honour has been welcomed by the University and her colleagues, who have been vocal in congratulating her.
Ian Rivers, Professor of Human Development at Brunel University, said, “It is a testament to Celia’s ground-breaking and tireless efforts in promoting the protection of young people in sport. This is a very proud moment for us in Sport Sciences to have a colleague recognised by the Crown for her contribution nationally and internationally.”
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Notes to Editors
For further information contact the Brunel University Press Office. Email: press-office@Brunel.ac.uk; phone: 01895 265585
International Symposium honours Brunel Professor Associate John Hunt
21 December 2011 03:42
The greatest names in the science of solidification and casting met at Brunel University in December for an International Symposium in honour of the career of Professor John Hunt and in celebration of his 75th birthday.
Hosted by the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) and chaired by Professor Zhongyun Fan, the Symposium attracted over 100 delegates from 16 countries, including Australia, China, Canada, Japan and the US.
Professor John Hunt FRS is known around the world for his seminal contributions to the science and technology of solidification. In recognition of these scientific achievements, he has received numerous honours and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001. He is currently Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford and Professor Associate at BCAST.
In addition to honouring John’s career, the symposium aimed to celebrate the solidification research that he has inspired, and that has inspired him, throughout the past 50 years. Participants included John’s former colleagues, distinguished researchers in the field and members of a new generation of scientists, and contributions included historical accounts of solidification and casting, overviews of particular aspects of solidification and descriptions of exciting new developments.
A selection of the papers presented at the conference has been published in a special hardback proceedings entitled Solidification Science and Technology, edited by BCAST's Professor Fan and Dr Ian Stone.
At a celebratory dinner, Andrew Ward, Director of Corporate Relations, gave a light-hearted retrospective of John’s life and career, and three long standing colleagues, Professor Ken Jackson (University of Arizona), Professor Peter Lee (University of Manchester) and Professor Wilfried Kurz (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) offered personal tributes. As a memento of the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Jenks, presented Professor Hunt with a copy of the proceedings inscribed by all the contributing authors.
The Symposium was generously supported by the Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).
FT ranks Business School in UK top 20
9 December 2011 08:29
Brunel Business School is among the 20 best Business Schools in the UK, according to a new league table published by the Financial Times. The School has also climbed two places in the European list, to 73rd.
The FT tables rank Business Schools across the world based on individual rankings for a range of postgraduate and executive programmes.
The success continues a trend of impressive FT rankings for the Business School. In November, the Master's in Management programme was ranked 56th globally and 9th in the UK, including a ranking of 8th in the world for career progression.
