Issue 269 ▸ 14 February 2014 Reportersharing Stories of Imperial’S Community
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Issue 269 ▸ 14 February 2014 reporterSharing stories of Imperial’s community Sporting legacy Olympic Park venue to host Imperial basketball as part of exciting new partnership → centre pages FUTURE PROOFING DATE WITH NEW VISION Interview with A COMET Gene therapy Russ Cummings, Rosetta comes offers hope CEO of Imperial out of her in inherited Innovations slumber ready blindness PAGE 10 for the chase PAGE 7 PAGE 14 2 >> newsupdate www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 14 February 2014 • issue 269 Final week for safety in the workplace and equality. the 2014 Staff Survey will Staff feedback will be analysed be an important barometer for staff to share by an independent research understanding where we do company, so that individual well and how we can improve. their views staff members’ responses remain I’d encourage everyone to take EDITOR’S CORNER anonymous. Later in Spring a little time out to share their The Imperial 2014 Staff Survey is Imperial’s Provost, Professor views and help Imperial provide inviting employees’ perspectives James Stirling, will be holding a the very highest standard of More than on the College as a workplace by series of presentations to share workplace that our staff deserve,” 19 February. and discuss the College-wide said Professor Stirling. a game results. The Survey’s responses For every survey completed Over 7,000 members of staff have will also feed into action Imperial will give £1 to the Student As you’re likely to have now received email invitations plans, to be implemented both Hardship Fund, with the donation clocked from the front to participate in the Survey, College-wide and by departments increasing to £1.50 if the overall cover, this issue has a which seeks their views on with local HR support, to help response rate exceeds 65% by the sports theme. As well issues relating to five areas of improve the working environment time the Survey closes. as our main feature on their experiences here: working and practices. For more infomation about the Staff Survery the rise of basketball at life, development and progression “We want everyone to have the visit: bit.ly/1ojxo0I Imperial (centre pages), opportunities, communications, opportunity to have their say and there are two great examples of our academic staff using their expertise to analyse sport in the regular media mentions column (page 5). The STEM disciplines have interesting parallels with sport. Professionals in both fields require single-minded dedication and exquisite attention ARSITY to detail in their pursuit of excellence – which is 12.03.14 perhaps why they tend to work well together. Collaboration often Dyson and Imperial to develop next involves scientists generation robots at new centre developing technology for sport. But there are Enabling robots to work in the real world, through improved instances of sport being vision and computer processing power, will be the focus of a a source of inspiration new collaboration between Imperial and Dyson. for bold new ideas and concepts that could have Currently, robots do not have the ability to understand the ever much broader impact — changing challenges of a real-world environment. This has as anyone who has been meant that they have been confined to working in controlled to the Rio Tinto Sports environments such as on assembly lines in automotive plants. the ultimate battle Innovation Challenge Researchers at the Dyson Robotics Laboratory at Imperial jpr williams cup series of exhibitions in will develop computer vision programs that will enable robots icsm rfc 1st xv vs. ic rfc 1st xv recent years will be aware. to move beyond these controlled environments and successfully The latest, on display now navigate the real world. kicks off at 19.30 at the main entrance is Professor Andrew Davison (Computing), Director of the new at the stoop stadium, twickenham focused on winter sports £5 million centre, said: “The world could be moving towards a (page 13). But ideas like new era where robots for the house and business could be used buy match and travel tickets at a bruising suit for injury to make our lives more efficient, cost effective and easier. We aim www.imperial.ac.uk/sports/varsity detection might conceivably to attract some of the brightest minds to come and work with us at find its way into the clinic. the centre to make this future a reality.” ANDREW CZYZEWSKI, EDITOR Sir James Dyson added: “My generation believed that the #impvarsity world would be overrun by robots by the year 2014. We have Reporter is published every the mechanical and software capabilities, but we still lack three weeks during term time in print and online. understanding – machines that see and think in the way that we do. Mastering this will make our lives easier and Headline Sponsor Contact Andrew Czyzewski: lead to previously unthinkable technologies.” [email protected] —COLIN SMITH, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AffaIRS 3 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 14 February 2014 • issue 269 >> newsupdate Master-plan will help shape estate for future generations The College is exploring the potential to move some activities of the Chemistry Department from the South Kensington Campus to Imperial West, following an initial appraisal of the College’s entire estate. Space has become an increasing problem for Imperial. “It is widely recognised that the South Kensington Campus has become congested and our growth and development is severely constrained,” said Sir Keith O’Nions, President & Rector, in a letter to all staff on 24 January. Huawei and Imperial to open data science With the launch of the vision for Imperial West innovation lab in March 2013, and the further acquisition of land for this new 25 acre campus, a new phase of Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider is to collaborate with Imperial master-planning is underway. As part of that on and jointly-invest in a data science lab. ongoing process, the College Cabinet agreed that the Chemistry Building required the most urgent The Imperial College – Huawei Data Science Innovation Laboratory will bring solution after it was identified, along with Huxley together experts from across Imperial’s faculties and Huawei researchers to and Blackett, as falling short of providing for harness data science research and develop new applications in fields such as Imperial’s future aspirations. smart cities, energy and healthcare. Sir Keith said, “The master-planning process has The data science lab is the first major corporate partnership within Imperial’s clearly shown that refurbishment of the Chemistry new Data Science Institute, which will cultivate multidisciplinary collaborations to Building is not a viable option and it cannot be made develop new big data technologies. Huawei will invest in cutting-edge equipment suitable for the sort of modern academic use we including next-generation cloud computing servers, a research and innovation aspire to, and which our excellent staff deserve.” fund, and operational costs for the new lab. The Cabinet has agreed to examine the feasibility The announcement of the lab follows the signing of a Memorandum of of transferring some Chemistry activities to Imperial Understanding between Huawei and Imperial in July 2013, under which both West’s Research and Translation Hub, which is parties agreed to look at opportunities for collaboration. due to open in 2016. The balance of interrelated William Xu, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Enterprise Business Group, said: teaching and research activities across campuses “Investing in innovation is central to Huawei’s business strategy and this exciting will also be considered. The Cabinet has confirmed collaboration will help us stay at the cutting edge of data science developments. that there is no wish to move entire departments Imperial College is a global institution with unrivalled knowledge in this field. to Imperial West nor dislocate research from By bringing its experts together with our engineers we believe we can create teaching. new products and services that will harness the huge potential of big data.” “Our Imperial West Campus has presented us Professor Yike Guo, Director of the Data Science Institute said: “This new Lab with a major opportunity to help relieve our space venture will show how collaboration between academia and industry can drive problems, and start to realise our potential growth innovations in big data to benefit all of our lives. Huawei and Imperial are into the future,” said Sir Keith. “This is a challenging world-leaders in their fields, with a series of complementary strengths. We look task, and finding a set of compatible solutions will forward to turning our ambitious vision for this collaboration into reality.” need to be performed with careful analysis and with —COLIN SMITH AND ANDREW SCHEUBER, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AffaIRS the engagement and support of our staff.” Euro IT centre for Boost for Leave your mark Imperial West entrepreneurship Imperial’s final year The College’s new research undergraduates are Westminster Imperial West Campus At an event for alumni in invited to share their is a more scary is to host a European New Delhi last month, views in the National centre for ICT Innovation Sunil Munjal – Joint Student Survey 2014. in brief environment than which will seek to Managing Director of Hero As part of the annual bridge the gap between Motocorp, the world’s survey they are being scaling a volcano research and the largest motorcycle and asked to rate a range and definitely commercial delivery scooter manufacturer – of elements related of innovative products announced support for to their student more confusing.” and services. The EIT ICT a new Chair in the Imperial experience here at the College. The DR JAMes HAMMOND (EARTH SCIENCE Labs UK centre, known College Business School to AND ENGINEERING) AFTER speNDING A as the London Node, focus on entrepreneurship.