The Fastest Wind Powered Vehicle on Earth
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Cover:Layout 1 23/9/09 12:16 Page 2 Imperial 34 mattersSummer | 2009 Alumni magazine of Imperial College London including the former Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, St Mary’s Hospital Medical School and Wye College h Natural selection Meet Imperial’s evolutionary biologists The fastest Climate change Sir Brian Hoskins on why we must change wind powered the future Plus all the news from the College vehicle on Earth and alumni groups Cover:Layout 1 23/9/09 12:17 Page 3 Summer 2009 contents//34 18 22 24 news features alumni cover 2 College 10 Faster than the 28 Services The land yacht, called the 4 Business speed of wind 30 UK Greenbird, used Alumnus breaks the world land PETER LYONS by alumnus 5 Engineering speed record for a wind 34 International Richard Jenkins powered vehicle to break the 6 Medicine 38 Catch up world land 14 Charles Darwin and speed record for 7 Natural Sciences his fact of evolution 42 Books a wind powered 8 Arts and sport Where Darwin’s ideas sit 44 In memoriam vehicle sits on Lake Lafroy in 150 years on Australia awaiting world record 9 Felix 45 The bigger picture breaking conditions. 18 It’s not too late Brian Hoskins on climate change 22 The science of flu Discover the workings of the influenza virus 24 The adventurer Alumnus Simon Murray tells all about his impetuous life Imperial Matters is published twice a year by the Office of Alumni and Development and Imperial College Communications. Issue 35 will be published in January 2010. Contributions are welcome by the copy deadline, Friday 6 November 2009. Address for magazine enquiries Office of Alumni and Development, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ +44 (0)20 7594 1971 [email protected] www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni/matters Editor Zoë Perkins Managing editor Saskia Daniel Contributors Leena Barrett, Edward Charnley, Lucy Goodchild, Liz Jaggs, Jovan Nedic, Danielle Reeves, Abigail Smith, Colin Smith, Mico Tatalovic, Naomi Weston and Elliott White Design Jeff Eden Print Prolitho ltd Distribution DHL Global Mail © Imperial College London, 2009. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any photograph, text or illustration without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Due care is taken to ensure that the content of Imperial Matters is fully accurate, but the publisher cannot accept liability for omissions and errors. In the interests of providing a free flow of debate, views expressed here are not necessarily those of the editor or Imperial College London. Text_p01-21:Layout 1 23/9/09 12:17 Page 1 Welcome It has been a very full six months since Richard Jenkins became the proud holder unfunded undergraduate places for UK the last edition of Imperial Matters, both of the world land speed record for a wind- students. We took that decision because for Imperial and the wider world, with powered vehicle, beating the previous we believe that unfunded places are not the continuing economic gloom jostling record of 116mph by just over 10 mph. He in the best interests of current or future with the threat of a swine flu pandemic has now got his eye on the ice speed students, who have a right to expect a for domination of the media. record – you can read more in our high quality education. Even with the As you may be aware, Imperial has interview with him on page 10. teaching grant, Imperial loses an average taken a close interest in both of these The many and varied achievements of of £2,500 per home/EU undergraduate major issues. The emergence of swine flu Imperial’s staff, students and alumni student per year. In difficult economic created a huge demand from public health provide a reminder of the many ways in times, the College’s focus is to preserve organisations internationally for our which universities benefit society. That and foster the academic excellence for scientific knowledge and advice and from brings me to the other major theme of the which it is globally known and to ensure the media for expert comment on the year – the ongoing recession and its that its students are provided with the possible scale and severity of the virus. effects. These, I fear, are set to influence high quality education they deserve and Someone who has been exceptionally UK universities for some time to come, upon which the UK’s future economic busy during this time is Wendy Barclay, due to levels of public debt and the prosperity depends. Professor of Influenza Virology, who has inevitable squeeze on government As ever, I would be delighted to hear devoted a great deal of time to providing spending. I feel very strongly that this is your opinions on these important issues. common sense advice amidst a sea of precisely the time that the UK must sometimes rather alarmist headlines. This treasure and invest in its world-leading Warm regards edition contains an interview with her and universities, whose teaching and research you can read more about her research and is of enormous economic as well as opinions on swine flu on page 23. societal value. It is a message I am making If it has been a busy time for Imperial, to policy makers at every opportunity, and the same can also be said for many of our I hope that many of you will join me in alumni, and we are always delighted to doing so. hear about the new developments in your Some of you may have spotted recent lives and careers. For one in particular, reports that Imperial, along with other 2009 has been a record-breaking year. In Russell Group universities, has declined March mechanical engineering alumnus a Government offer of extra but Sir Roy Anderson Imperial Matters 1 Text_p01-21:Layout 1 23/9/09 12:17 Page 2 news college Redited by Naomi Weston New ceremonial mace unveiled Imperial pledges its longstanding relationship with to clean up its Imperial, will be used in future ceremonies to lead the academic construction waste MARTIN STEWART procession into the Royal Albert Hall. Imperial became the first UK Weighing 7.1 kilograms and measuring university to sign up to the WRAP 1.2 metres, the £25,000 mace (Waste and Resources Action incorporates a helix-shaped stem Programme) voluntary agreement representing the structure of human in February 2009. The agreement DNA to reflect the College’s mission to helps organisations set targets to carry out and apply cutting edge scientific reduce the amount of construction, research. It is topped by a head depicting demolition and excavation waste Imperial’s crest and also includes the they send to landfill. The Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company presents the mace to Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, Goldsmiths’ Company’s coat of arms. The College aims to halve the Chairman of Imperial’scourt and council Sir Roy Anderson, Rector of Imperial, amount of construction waste it said: “We are enormously grateful to the sends to landfill by 2012 by reusing A silver and gilt mace created to mark Goldsmiths’ Company for this generous and recycling waste materials. It is the independence of Imperial College and beautiful gift. It was a landmark also developing guidelines for London made its first appearance at occasion for the College to achieve future construction projects that the Postgraduate Awards Ceremony in independence and receive its new royal include working with materials May 2009. charter in 2007, and it is wonderful to that are renewable and long The mace, donated by the have a tangible representation of that in lasting, and designing buildings Goldsmiths’ Company in recognition of this mace.” efficiently, so that the amount of materials used is reduced and less RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR waste is generated. Steve Howe, Director of Building Projects at the College, said: “At Ministers put the moment much construction waste comes from over ordering healthcare materials and fabricating on site. With this new agreement we are innovation now examining opportunities to fabricate off site and reduce waste in the by ordering smaller deliveries of materials, as well as reusing and spotlight recycling more.” He added: “As a university we Sir Roy Anderson welcomes Gordon Brown to the College recognise that we have a duty to our neighbours and to society to spend money wisely, to reduce Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited a debate on how the environment for life wastage wherever we can, and to the College in July 2009 for the launch sciences companies in the UK can be support government and EU targets of the Office for Life Sciences transformed to ensure faster access for waste reduction.” Blueprint, a new government vision for for patients to cutting edge medicines healthcare innovation. He was joined by and technologies. Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Theywerealsogivenatourofthe Business, Innovation and Skills; Lord Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Drayson, Minister for Science and where researchers are developing Innovation; and Lord Darzi, former robot-assisted surgery techniques Health Minister for Quality and which greatly reduce patient trauma Innovation and Professor of Surgery and speed up recovery times; and the at Imperial. laboratories of spin-out company During the visit, the ministers enjoyed DNA Electronics. R More news online at www.imperial.ac.uk/news R Hot topics about the universe explored in new debating series at Imperial College 2 Imperial Matters Text_p01-21:Layout 1 23/9/09 12:17 Page 3 college news Stay connected Awards and Honours For new ways to keep in touch with the College and to hear New Royal Society Fellows our latest news, follow us on Twitter.