Issue 285 ▸ 29 may 2015 reporterSharing stories of Imperial’s community
Legacy of renewal The changing face of Imperial’s South Kensington site from the nineteenth century to the present → centre pages
ALL STARS MARCHING ON SAFE HANDS The 2015 Fourth Imperial Safety Director President’s Festival Surrinder Johal Awards for attracts talks about Excellence 15,000 visitors enabling PAGE 4 PAGE 13 research PAGE 10 2 >> newsupdate www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
Bridging the Gulf
EDITOR’S CORNER Imperial College Business School will bring its expertise in business to new audiences in Abu Dhabi A glance in thanks to a new partnership. the rear-view The agreement was signed with the Abu Dhabi School of Management (ADSM), an educational institution In recent issues we’ve dedicated to developing the UAE’s covered the very latest future entrepreneurial leaders. College developments The signing ceremony, held such as the new Surgical at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Innovation Centre, Commerce and Industry was practices and expertise currently and formulating innovative Dyson School of Design attended by the Chamber’s Director available. The two organisations solutions amidst a rapidly evolving Engineering and Althea General His Excellency E. Mohamed are also exploring the possibility global business landscape.” enterprise programme. Helal Al Muhairi; Professor G. of student and faculty exchanges Professor Anandalingam But for this issue we’ve ‘Anand’ Anandalingam, Dean of in future. added: “This relationship allows turned back the clock. An Imperial College Business School; His Excellency said: “We are us to share our unique approach event landed in my inbox, and Professor Abdullah Abonamah, very excited over the numerous to business education, technology that at first seemed like President of the Abu Dhabi School possibilities the partnership opens and entrepreneurship with new a rather routine plaque of Management. up. Imperial’s global expertise audiences in Abu Dhabi and unveiling on Campus The partnership with Imperial combined with ADSM’s local the UAE, while benefitting from (page 3), but actually will provide the ADSM with access knowledge will groom a new ADSM’s valuable local and regional opened up a treasure to some of the best business generation of leaders capable of business insights.” trove of historical insights and entrepreneurship resources, effectively addressing challenges —LAURA SINGLETON, COMMUNICATIONS AND into the origins of Imperial PUBLIC AFFAIRS (centre pages). We’ve delved into the archives and poured over old plans and sketches by Victorian architects and String theorist and chemist rare original letters such become Royal Society Fellows as those from Charles Darwin to his collaborator Professors David Phillips CBE (Chemistry) and Richard and College forbearer TH Thomas (Mathematics) have been elected to join the Huxley (page 11). We’ve ranks of the UK’s most eminent scientists as part of It’s everyone’s uncovered factoids such the 2015 announcement of 59 new fellows. responsibility as the expression ‘spend a penny’ which originates Richard Thomas is a Professor of Pure Mathematics and has become a to keep College from the Great Exhibition world leader in the development of a branch of mathematics involved and personal and the campaign to save in string theory, which aims to explain the makeup of elementary the Queen’s Tower from particles using one-dimensional objects called strings. information secure. destruction. Imperial is, Professor Thomas said: “It’s a very nice honour. You never really and always has been, have any indication of whether people in your field might think your Visit the ICT website an institution resolutely work is stupid, but I guess this means someone thinks it’s not stupid.” to find guidance focused on the future, but Emeritus Professor David Phillips has been investigating on sharing, storing it can be useful every now photochemistry and photophysics for 26 years at Imperial. More and again to take a look in recently, his work has explored photodynamic therapy, where light- and accessing the rear-view mirror as we sensitive dyes are used to fight tumours. Professor Phillips also has information securely. speed along. an active role in science outreach, with live demonstration lectures Be Secure ANDREW CZYZEWSKI, EDITOR reaching a combined live audience of over a quarter of a million. He said: “It is an enormous honour to be elected a Fellow, even Make sure you are protected. Visit www.imperial.ac.uk/be-secure Reporter is published every so late in life. I believe the FRS has been awarded for a lifetime’s work three weeks during term time in print and online. Contact in these fields, and also for the enthusiastic promotion of science in Andrew Czyzewski: general, chemistry in particular, to young people and to the lay public.” [email protected] —HAYLEY DUNNING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS Be Secure
At the time of the 2015 Fellowship announcement 73 members of Imperial staff or people who have an ongoing association with Imperial are Fellows of the Royal Society. 3 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 >> newsupdate
Supermarket grand challenge
Imperial and Sainsbury’s have from the experts was great to launched a scholarship to help understand how we can unlock farmers tackle agricultural the potential in our soils. The challenges on the ground by challenge now is to put the partnering with academics and learnings into practice on farm, industry. and I look forward to investigating my research topic.” The year-long programme, The scholarship is organised which kicked off last month, by Dr Rudiger Woscholski and offers suppliers for Sainsbury’s Dr Laura Barter (both Chemistry), the opportunity to collaborate who commented: “I am looking with top UK scientists tackling forward to seeing how challenges All aboard for new high challenges in the agricultural in soil health and management can sector. This year, the programme be addressed with innovative tools speed partnership will focus on issues in soil health and technologies. Discussions and management to coincide with between the scholarship farmers, Imperial has joined with China South Railway (CSR) Sifang Corporation the UN International Year of Soils. academics and industrial partners − the world’s largest maker of electric locomotives − in a bid to develop As part of the launch seven have already begun to stimulate the next generation of efficient, high speed trains, supported by the farmers from across the country the genesis of wholly new latest manufacturing and monitoring technologies. spent a week at Imperial learning ideas, which could lead to the about research advances development of next generation The Sifang-Imperial Centre for Rail Transportation Manufacturing in soil health, and how the solutions in the field.” Technologies will focus on streamlining the construction and testing understanding they unlock —HAYLEY DUNNING, COMMUNICATIONS AND of high speed trains, so that they are safer, more cost effective and will support improvements in PUBLIC AFFAIRS environmentally friendly. its management and lead to The new Centre will be based in the Department of Mechanical enhanced yield, quality and Engineering and headed by Professor Jianguo Lin, a world-leading expert sustainability. For the rest of the in using materials processing and moulding or plasticity technologies for year, they will choose a particular the production of structural components. aspect of soil health and Professor Lin said: “In order to truly reap the benefits of the next management to tackle on their generation of rail travel, more work needs to be done to make trains farm, and partner with scientists lighter and durable, so that they are more cost effective to make and and industry to come up with efficient to run, and are cleaner in environmental terms.” potential solutions. Professor Peter Cawley, Head of the Department of Mechanical Cheshire dairy farmer and Engineering, said: “The new Centre really plays to Imperial’s strengths. Sainsbury’s researcher John We are leaders in metal-forming and materials modelling research and Brocklehurst explains why he we have a very strong track record working with the transport sector on joined the programme: “Improving ways to improve safety, efficiency and sustainability of rail, automotive crop yields and quality starts and air transport.” by managing soil health,” he −COLIN SMITH, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS said. “Getting the fundamentals
Marking a shared heritage Latest Athena SWAN awards Staff and students from Imperial continue drive for equality The purple in and The Royal Commission for the Imperial’s Department of Medicine the hoods you wear Exhibition of 1851 came together on has gained a Silver Athena SWAN May 11 to unveil a commemorative award and the Department of was chosen because in brief plaque on the Western Gallery Aeronautics a Bronze award Wall at the back of the Sherfield bringing the total number of of William Perkin… Building, to acknowledge the Athena SWAN awards the College and symbolises the College’s heritage and inform holds to 14. Medicine upgraded its visitors and passers-by. The Bronze award reflecting a number spirit of endeavour section of wall now standing is all of initiatives, including a thriving and discovery that that remains of the Eastern and mentoring scheme, alongside Western Galleries built in 1870 by entwined history of the Commission events including an academic characterises those the Commission to host a series of and Imperial College and the legacy and family life panel discussion. international exhibitions (see centre of that partnership through the The Department of Aeronautics with an Imperial pages). Bernard Taylor, Chairman prestigious Fellowship scheme we is at the beginning of its Athena education.” of the Commission (pictured with fund.” The Commission also curated SWAN journey achieving a Bronze Imperial’s President Alice Gast) a small exhibition in the College’s SPEAKING AT GRADUATION, PRESIDENT ALICE GAST award for the first time recognising CREDITS ONE OF THE COLLEGE’S FOREBEARS WHO said: “This is a unique opportunity Main Entrance displaying historic additional staff training in areas DISCOVERED SYNTHETIC DYE MAUVEINE AT THE ROYAL to celebrate the fascinating and documents, plans and photographs. such as unconscious bias. COLLEGE OF CHEMISTRY IN THE 19TH CENTURY. 4 >> newsupdate www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
Imperial promotes healthy minds with week of activities
Imperial marked Mental Health Awareness Week with a series of workshops and events for staff and students at the South Kensington and Hammersmith campuses.
The aim of the national initiative, run by the Mental Health Foundation from 11–17 May, is to encourage the public to talk more openly about the issues that Dr Laura Barter – Medal for Excellence in Pastoral Care and Award for Excellence in External surround mental health, as well as to help people Engagements and Partnerships think about their own mental wellbeing. This year’s theme was ‘mindfulness’. Leyla Okhai, Equality & Diversity Manager, said: “Research shows that mindfulness can be a College very effective way of managing stress – so I would like to invite the community to find out more and give it a try.” all stars Leyla also highlighted the College’s Mental Health First Aiders scheme which trains staff to Thirty six members of staff have been recognise signs and symptoms when members chosen to receive the 2015 President’s of the community are having problems, to provide Awards for Excellence – celebrating initial help, and to signpost appropriate its twentieth anniversary this year. professional support. Julia Easton (Faculty of Natural Sciences), Awards in the Education stream Engagement and Partnerships. a trained Mental Health First Aider, said: “From my recognise staff who have made She said: “Pastoral care is vital, perspective as Faculty Safety Manager, health and outstanding contributions in teaching, as the students we are training are the safety at work is not just about physical health, pastoral care, research supervision next generation of scientists who will but mental health too. As an organisation, we and supporting the student be tackling some of society’s greatest should be interested in the mental wellbeing of our experience. The Research awards, challenges, so it’s important that we people. I see first-hand the difference higher levels new this year, recognise excellence support their development.” of awareness can make in our community, and in innovation and entrepreneurship, The panel also recognised Laura’s increasing numbers of people are becoming more engagement and partnerships, and research work developing AGRI-net comfortable with coming in to see me to talk.” research support, as well as awards and the Imperial-Sainsbury Farming Addressing members of staff during Mental for an outstanding research team and Scholarship (see page 3). Health Awareness Week, President Alice Gast said: early career researcher. Dr Joshua Edel (Chemistry) was “Mental Health Awareness Week reminds us that Nominations were made by staff awarded the President’s Award this is something that must be part of our daily lives and students with the winners of each for Excellence in Teaching for his 52 weeks of the year. It is a call to action for our award decided by selection panels. contributions to chemistry education, community, friends, family and colleagues, President Alice Gast said: particularly in developing a new to get involved, learn more and be able to help one “Congratulations and thank you to this project in which students build a another. Imperial has undertaken an organisational year’s winners for their outstanding UV-Vis spectrometer, using LEGO. health check by an independent consultant to contributions to the College. It is very He said: “We wanted students’ help us identify areas where we can take practical gratifying to be able to recognise them first introduction into measurement actions to support mental health in the workplace. all for their truly remarkable work. I look sciences to have a fun problem solving Its findings and recommendations guide us as we forward to celebrating with them at our element and making them build their promote mental health and support members of awards ceremony later this year.” own UV-Vis spectrometers from LEGO our community.” Within each category those seemed an ideal way to do that. −ELIZABETH NIXON, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS awardees judged to have made “I think excellent teaching is particularly exceptional contributions vital in capturing the interest and have also been selected to receive the imagination of students in a subject. President’s Medal. To be recognised for trying to do that Dr Laura Barter (Chemistry), is really gratifying.” received awards in both streams, −JON NARCROSS, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC with a President’s Medal for Excellence AFFAIRS in Pastoral Care and a President’s For the full list of winners see: bit.ly/edu- Award for Excellence in External awards and bit.ly/res-awards 5 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 >> newsupdate
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Team arrives with Independent. London universities, Imperial electrifying dream College London and St George’s, claimed first and second place with Cambridge in third TIMES OF INDIA ▸ 01.05.2015 and Oxford in seventh place. Imperial, which came top, has 89.9 per cent of its students in A four-member team that offers to electrify either employment or further education post villages in Uttar Pradesh affordably is arriving undergraduate study. for a field study on Friday 1 May at Bahraich, the Times of India reports. Led by Clementine ‘Marketing’ neglected tropical Chambon (Chemical Engineering), the team plans to use cheap and abundant agri waste to diseases Contagion co-produce reliable and affordable electricity, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES ▸ 14.05.2015 household cooking gas and biochar soil to NEW SCIENTIST ▸ 09.05.2015 improve crop yield. The ‘Oorja project’ was Imagine a single disease that inflicts blindness, runner-up in the Althea-Imperial contest for deforms limbs, stunts growth and affects In a special report, New Scientist asks if female student entrepreneurs. Clementine said: the daily lives of more than a billion people there are viruses out there that are just a few “We will complete prototyping and construction worldwide. In reality, a rash of 17 diseases mutations away from becoming unstoppable of the first full-scale plant by the end of this year plague the world’s poorest communities with killers that really could wipe out half the human then launch the first field trial in 2016.” precisely these problems but these maladies race. Four factors determine the severity of any were largely ignored until three researchers disease outbreak, says epidemiologist Professor Oxbridge bumped off top spots came up with the idea to ‘market’ them to Christophe Fraser (School of Public Health): politicians and private foundations collectively how deadly it is; how easily it spreads from THE INDEPENDENT ▸ 05.05.2015 as ‘neglected tropical diseases.’ The result has person to person; if and how long a person been a surge of funding in the last decade to The universities of Oxford and Cambridge is infectious before symptoms appear; and the tune of around $1 billion. “We’ve made such have been beaten to the top spot in the latest whether it can be prevented by vaccines, fantastic progress that last year; 700 million university league tables treatments or both. “It is feasible to imagine people were treated with one or more of the assessing graduate worse epidemics than we have experienced in drugs needed to treat those diseases,” Professor employment, according the last century,” says Fraser. “I would advocate Alan Fenwick (School of Public Health), director to data from the Higher preparing for such eventualities.” of the Schistosomiosis Control Initiative at Education Statistics Agency Imperial, told the International Business Times. (HESA) reported in the awards and honours (NHLI) for her talk ‘Pulling at Fellows of the Royal Society ENGINEERING heart strings’ about Hypertrophic (see page 2), Professor Sergei Dame Julia Higgins to cardiomyopathy. An additional Kazarian, (Chemical Engineering) become IOP president ‘People’s Choice Award’ voted and Professor Elaine Holmes COLLEGE for by members of the audience (Surgery and Cancer) have been The Institute of Physics (IoP) has Three years in three went to Marianna Micallef (Civil awarded the Royal Society of announced that its next President- minutes and Environmental Engineering) Chemistry Sir George Stokes elect will be Professor Dame Julia for her talk about concrete Award and Interdisciplinary Higgins, who will take up the role This year’s Graduate School 3 and cracking. Award, respectively. Meanwhile in October. Professor Higgins Minute Thesis Competition − the Academy of Medical Sciences will serve as president-elect for a where PhD students condense inducted Professors Wendy two-year term, then as president their research in to a talk of three Atkin (Surgery and Cancer), until 30 September 2019. She is minutes or less − was won by Christl Donnelly (Public Health), currently Emeritus Professor and Ryan Robinson (National Heart Jorge Ferrer, Michael Way and Senior Research Investigator and and Lung Institute) for his talk Martin Wilkins (all Medicine) a member of Imperial’s Council, entitled ‘Getting nervous about among 44 new Fellows elected having previously Diesel’ detailing the health COLLEGE this year. Lastly, Professor Erol served as Principal effects of air pollution. Second Perfect ten Gelenbe (Electrical and Electronic of the Faculty of place was Nisha Ranganathan Engineering) has been made a Engineering (2006– (Medicine) for her talk ‘Why killing Ten Imperial academics have Fellow of The Royal Academy, 07). Watch a video 99.9% of bacteria is not enough’ been honoured by esteemed Sciences, Letters and Art of interview with about antibiotic resistance. learned bodies this month. In Belgium for his pioneering efforts Professor Higgins: Third place was Laura-Ann McGill addition to the College’s latest in computer systems modelling. bit.ly/higgins-vid 6 >> scienceroundup www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
Charting the evolution of pop music
There have been three major revolutions in with evolution by creating ‘Darwin’s tunes’ pop music, with the rise of hip-hop and rap – computer-generated short tunes that they causing the largest change in the charts, watched evolve using a genetic algorithm. say researchers who used data mining and However, for this study, says Professor Leroi, evolutionary biology techniques. “We wanted to track the evolution of culture in the wild as opposed to the lab.” The team from Imperial and Queen Mary “A record of 100 songs per week for University analysed the musical properties of 50 years can be treated like a fossil record, 17,000 Billboard Hot 100 tunes from between and we can ask the same questions as 1960 and 2010. They wanted to explore palaeontologists: Is evolution gradual or diversity and revolutions in pop music by punctuated? What hypotheses can we test?” tracking the range of sounds in the charts and −HAYLEY DUNNING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS when new musical styles came to prominence. Using signal processing and text-mining
they grouped songs by patterns of chord REVOLUTION Hip-hop pioneer Jay Z changes and tone identifying trends with an ROCK? unprecedented degree of consistency. Pundits have often speculated Senior author Professor Armand Leroi about the influence of the ‘British (Life Sciences) said: “The power of large invasion’ in the mid-1960s on rock and roll in the US charts, but the People often argue that datatsets now allows us to answer cultural new analysis suggests that the music becomes ever more questions. People often argue that music rock revolution began before The Beatles becomes ever more homogenous, but we and The Rolling Stones crossed the homogenous, but we have shown have shown that this is not true: diversity has ocean. The analysis suggests they were riding a tide already turning, that this is not true: diversity has remained relatively constant.” rather than creating remained relatively constant.” The team have previously combined music the waves.
Masers make a comeback Flashback Exploring the galaxy and catching drug cheats in Masers were first developed during sports are some applications for a magnetic form the Cold War in the 1950s for intended use in radio-astronomy and satellite of laser called a maser, say Imperial researchers. communication. However, the technology was originally the size of a The basic technology has been around since the large fridge and could only operate in a total vacuum or in temperatures at 1950s but failed to find wide applications due to around five kelvin, which is as cold as practical difficulties including large size and the deep space. Masers also consumed need for cooling (see box). large amounts of energy. The rapid Maser researcher Dr Mark Oxborrow (Materials) development of semiconductor amplifiers in the 1960s, combined with explains: “A maser is a gadget that work a bit like the launching of satellites that could a laser but instead of amplifying light it amplifies transmit signals back to Earth at much very weak electromagnetic signals. Shining higher powers, meant that masers electromagnetic waves through an energy-generating were not widely adopted and research into them rapidly declined. Since crystal ‘tickles’ it into giving up its energy and so then, masers have only been used the wave becomes stronger and its amplitude grows.” on a limited scale by organisations In 2012, a team of researchers including like NASA to amplify extremely weak Dr Oxborrow, Professor Neil Alford and Dr Jonathan electromagnetic signals received back from deep space probes. Only such Breeze (all Materials) made a major breakthrough and improved drug detection in sports. organisations have had the resources with maser technology. They developed a device “The big breakthrough we’ve achieved is getting to operate and maintain the size of a thimble that operates at room our maser to work at room temperature on the bench the technology. temperature with low energy requirements. top and that is quantum leap in functionality,” said Dr
Shrinking the technology even further could Oxborrow. “In the future masers will be used in MRI Model of passive lead to masers being used in a much wider range systems to make them quicker at generating a very hydrogen maser atomic clocks as of applications – from better medical imaging, detailed images of our bodies − maybe in seconds.” used on satellites to more detailed astronomical observations −MARTIN SAYERS AND COLIN SMITH, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS 7 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 >> scienceroundup
Bird flu hops from person to person
A new study suggests there have the virus cannot spread easily been multiple clusters of human- enough in humans to cause sustained to-human transmission in recent transmission at the level required outbreaks of the bird flu strain H7N9. for a pandemic (see box). Co-author Dr Steven Riley There were around 400 human cases (School of Public Health) said: of H7N9 influenza and 177 deaths in “This study shows that H7N9 is 2013 and 2014, all of them in China. currently short of the critical level Most patients are believed to have of transmissibility required to caught the infection from close cause a pandemic. But even if the contact with birds, but the virus’s reproductive number is less than ability to spread between humans one, clusters of human transmission has been uncertain. can occur. Scientists from Imperial studied “In Zhejiang, the reproductive data from these outbreaks and used number increased between the first statistical methods to estimate how wave in 2013 and the second wave transmissible the virus is. in 2014. We have to keep an eye on The results suggest that around further outbreaks to see how the 70 cases were caused by an infection virus is evolving.” Biosphere in the spread between people. However, −SAM WONG, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS palm of your hand
H7N9 INFLUENZA 2013–2014 People can check out local wildlife wherever they are in the world with a new app that says what species of animals and plants might be nearby.
Outbreak The free Map of Life app, developed by an The number of people that one infected person will pass on their infection international team, dispenses with bulky field guides to, on average, is called the basic by allowing users to access a vast global database reproductive number. If the value is of species and their ranges, based on their location. 400 177 less than one, an outbreak would be “The app puts a significant proportion of our expected to die out; while a value Human cases Deaths global knowledge about biodiversity in the palm of confirmed greater than one suggests an outbreak would grow. In the outbreaks studied, your hand, and allows you to discover and connect the reproductive number ranged from with biodiversity in a place, wherever you are,” said 0.06 to 0.35. Professor Walter Jetz (Life Sciences) who worked on ALL OF THEM IN CHINA the app. Photos and text help users identify and learn more about what they see. The app also helps users create personal lists of observations and contribute those observations to scientific research and conservation efforts. “Think of a field guide that continues to improve the more we all use it and add to it; that is the beauty of this app,” said Rob Guralnick, project’s co-leader from Florida University. “Built from 100 years of knowledge about where species are found, we hope to accelerate our ability to completely close the many gaps in our biodiversity knowledge.” −HAYLEY DUNNING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Live bird markets are thought to be the main source of infections for humans Download the Map of Life app, available in six languages for iPhone and Android smartphones: mol.org/mobile 8 >> featurefocus www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
The Beit Quad and Student Union is now here.
An ivy-covered section of this wall Legacy of is all that remains of the 1870 galleries today. It is the oldest structure on site and can be found next to the Sherfield Building renewal (See page 3). QUEEN’S The changing face of Imperial’s South Kensington GATE site from the nineteenth century to the present
Earlier this month the Imperial Festival attracted 15,000 guests to the South Kensington Campus in an extravaganza of science and art exhibited by talented and creative people of many different nationalities. Impressive as the festival has become in its fourth outing, its scale is far from unprecedented in local history and indeed Imperial has its very roots in a similar but far larger event that happened one hundred and sixty four years ago this very month. In May 1851 Hyde Park hosted The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations (or ‘The Great Exhibition’) – the first event of its kind in the world, housed in a monumental glass house filled with over 100,000 exhibits. It was the first step in the vision of Prince Albert, who wanted to “increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art”. Such a grand ambition had required the creation of a Royal Commission to oversee its mission (see opposite).
Early beginnings The Great Exhibition turned out to be a great success, attracting six million visitors between 1 May and 11 Oct 1851 and even turning a tidy profit of £186,000 thanks to an entrance fee of around 5 shillings plus a supplementary fee of a penny to use the flush toilets (a novelty back then). That enabled the Royal Commission to continue Albert’s vision through the acquisition of an 87 acre plot of land in South Kensington. The main square took form in 1855 when the roads of Kensington Gore, Exhibition Road, Cromwell Road and Queen’s Education Gate were laid out and work began on the South Kensington Central to Prince Albert’s vision was to Museum (now the V&A) and the Central Hall of Arts create a great educational centre, and and Science (later renamed the Royal Albert Hall). in 1872 the Royal School of Mines was Within this square, where Imperial now persuaded to move onto the estate, resides, a stunning garden was landscaped by the where the Royal College of Science Horticultural Society, which in 1870 was enclosed was later created. The two Colleges on each side by the ‘Eastern and Western were incorporated by Royal Charter into Galleries’ – which continued the spirit of The Imperial College of Science and Technology the Great Exhibition with ‘miscellaneous in 1907, while The City and Guilds College was displays of science and art’. incorporated in 1910. All that remains on Campus from The end of the 19th Century ushered in an era of frenzied building these formative early years is a section activity on the estate, involving some of the great architects and of the Western Gallery wall at the back engineers of the day, including Alfred Waterhouse who designed the of the Sherfield Building, draped in Natural History Museum (1880) and the now demolished City and ivy looking every bit a vestige from a Guilds Building (1881) and Sir Aston Webb who designed the still- different era, with a small plaque to standing Royal School of Mines building (1907). The centrepiece of remind passers-by what once was the estate though was T.E. Collcutt’s Imperial Institute, completed in (see page 3). 1893 with its three iconic Renaissance-style towers. 9 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 >> featurefocus
Hyde Park, The Royal where the Great Albert Hall was Exhibition was built in 1871. held in 1851.
Lasting legacy: Prince Consort The Royal Commission for Road is now here. the Exhibition of 1851
The main In the early days of the Royal Commission, Prince Albert hoped entrance to that a programme of scholarships for provincial students would the College we serve as a link between the manufacturing towns − which had know today was contributed so much towards the Great Exhibition − and the built here. EXHIBITION institutions on the Commission’s estate. In 1891 the Commission ROAD brought this to fruition with a scheme that allowed universities in the UK and throughout the Empire to nominate their best engineers and scientists for a £150 per year scholarship. The granting of scholarships remains the principal focus of the Commission’s works today with £2 million distributed each year for a range of research, industrial and design fellowships from postgraduate to postdoctoral level. The success of this programme is partly reflected in the list of alumni, among whom are many famous Nobel Prize winners including Ernest Rutherford, James Chadwick, Paul Dirac and most recently Peter Higgs.
Reporter spoke to two members of the current Imperial community who have benefited from the scheme:
PROFESSOR ANNE DELL Professor Anne Dell, a long standing academic in the Department of Life Sciences, benefited from a Royal Commission Scholarship in the very earliest stages of her illustrious career. Anne grew up on an isolated farm in Western Australia, cycling many miles each day to school and then university, where she showed exceptional promise. “As an undergraduate I really didn’t know anything about the Royal Commission or the awards; someone applied on my behalf. I suspect there were members of academic staff who thought it Renewal would be a waste for this bright female chemistry student to do The first five decades of the 20th Century would what most women students did in Australia at that time which was get married, have kids and stay home. That’s what was expected.” see Imperial cement its reputation as a leader in The Commission funded Anne’s PhD studies at Cambridge science and engineering, playing host to pioneering University, after which she came to Imperial where she work in radioactivity and particle physics, zoology, established herself as a world leader in the field of carbohydrate aeronautics and engineering under notable names signalling – discovering a range of new biological functions that depended on these sugar interactions including parasite such as Robert Strutt (4th Baron Rayleigh), W.E. Dalby camouflage and human egg fertilisation. and Sir Alec Skempton. Anne now sits on the Committee of the Royal Commission In the late 1950s the government’s policy to that reviews applications for Fellowships and bestows the awards. expand UK science and Imperial’s own need for “It’s certainly changed my life and I think it has changed the lives of quite a number of other people too.” modern laboratories ultimately led to the demolition of nearly all the Victorian-era buildings. Only a BEN CHAMBERLAIN vociferous campaign saved the 85m East Tower, At the time of writing, Imperial has around which became known as the Queen’s Tower. 12 researchers currently supported by a By the 1960s, the expansion of the modern- Commission Fellowship. One of those is Ben Chamberlain, a PhD student in the era college was well underway, with the Blackett Department of Computing, with an interest Laboratory, Aeronautics and in big data. Chemical Engineering (ACE) Like many Royal Commission Fellows, Ben has an interesting and unique story. After graduating in Physics from Oxford he Building and the foundations worked as quantitative trader at Lehman Brothers bank analysing of the Sherfield Building all in large volumes of financial data. After the economic crash, he place. Aside from additions joined QinetiQ, Britain’s largest private research organisation such as the Main Entrance developing machine learning systems. Now at Imperial, Ben is developing techniques to ‘teach’ and Faculty Building, the computers to understand the structure of online societies same basic site plan remains and identify influential people within these communities. His today, whilst the Royal research helps marketers identify better ways to engage with Commission, from its base relevant communities, offering services and products that those communities value. in the Sherfield Building, Ben said: “The ultimate goal is to make social media spam a continues to be Imperial’s thing of the past, replacing it with useful information, and positive ground landlord charging contributions to engaged communities.” a modest rent on a 999 To find out more about the Commission’s fellowships, visit: year lease. royalcommission1851.org/awards
10 >> featurefocus www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
Do you believe in strict target setting in terms of the number of accidents and so on? No. It’s absolutely the wrong way to go about doing things. If I said: “I want to see year-on-year reductions in accidents of 5% across the board,” I would probably get the results, but it would be because people would stop reporting incidents through fear of being judged. So it incentivises people to ‘go underground’ so to speak. And I don’t want that, in fact I want accidents and near misses reported so that we know what is really happening on the ground. A different example is when a lab manager tells me that they have a policy of no lone working after 8pm. For me, that is the wrong approach, because in this environment people will want to work at various times, when they are most productive and have a flow of ideas. We need to just accept that, and then address how to keep them safe. We don’t want to stop creativity.
How do you go about implementing a more open culture? One of the things I would love to see Risk and reward is for safety to become an integral part of the research here, as opposed to it Dr Surrinder Johal joined the College directions and they really needn’t being seen as an add-on. I have met in July 2014 as Director of Safety, be. Fundamentally, if you do things all the Heads of Department, most of following 27 years working for in a safe way, you usually do them whom are passionate about safety, international life sciences company in a planned, methodical way – and and I am working at the moment LGC, latterly as Group Head of Safety. that’s exactly how good research with the safety representatives, who should be done. I would never stop are leading the way with safety in Having competed a PhD in anyone pushing the boundaries; all their respective faculties. While we microbiology at Surrey University I want to do is to be able to guide have a very comprehensive safety you’re no stranger to academia. them through some of the safety management system, it’s not user What enticed you back? implications. Some friendly so we need to make it a much During my time at LGC I actually had of the best easier, more efficient and simpler a whole host of very different roles, But sometimes the unexpected process. If the Safety Department is for example in business development happens at the frontiers? science comes involved early enough in the research and in areas like drugs of abuse and Of course, and some of the best out of things process, almost at a conceptual level pharmaceutical proposals. LGC has science comes out of things that that haven’t when researchers are writing their worked with Imperial on a number of haven’t gone quite as planned, but grants, we could put in place many different research programmes, and so the question from a safety point of gone quite as of the things they need to be safe and I knew of the reputation and diverse view is whether an adverse event or planned.” even get extra funding in some cases. work of the institution. So in truth I incident was reasonably foreseeable. Often we don’t get told about projects wasn’t enticed into higher education If you’ve done a logical risk until later on. per se; it was the pull of Imperial assessment of what the hazards specifically. I simply would not have might be and put in place In terms of hobbies do you play it gone to any other higher education controls, you cannot be held safe or indulge in extreme sports institution. responsible for something and the like? unexpected happening. I I think there’s enough risk at work with How do you enable researchers to remember CERN published a risk various category three pathogens, push scientific boundaries whilst assessment on the likelihood gas guns, lasers and the like! I enjoy remaining safe? that the Large Hadron Collider movies and travelling – recently I’ve There is a widely held misconception would create a black hole been to Bali, Spain, Hong Kong and that innovative science and safe and swallow us all – it hasn’t India where I was born. I guess there’s practice are always pulling in opposite happened yet! always some risk in travelling!
11 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 insidestory inside story
mini profile Anne Barrett Anne is Imperial’s Archivist and Delve into genealogy with Corporate Records Manager, having joined the College in new interactive website 1982, working in the library. People can explore their detailed family tree and grow its branches by Tell us a little about sharing information with relatives, thanks to new interactive website Imperial’s Archives ZoomPast developed at Imperial. The Archives weren’t formally started until the 1930s under After researching their family histories, people are often left with sprawling Rector Henry Thomas Tizard family trees that are difficult to visualise and share. The new website, and gradually expanded from the leading figures travelled ZoomPast, solves this problem by allowing huge and complex genealogies there, with the first Archivist extensively and corresponded to be explored using an innovative zooming interface, similar to an appointed in the 1950s. with a huge range of people interactive map. When I took over the Archives – including those from fields The family trees of famous and fictional people can also be explored on in 1989, it was moribund and I such as literature. We also the site, from Queen Elizabeth II and George Washington to Harry Potter. spent the first 10 years tackling have correspondence between Genealogies can be viewed from the perspective of any person in a given tree, it on my own. Now we have T.H. Huxley and Charles Darwin and a built-in social and sharing platform allows trees to be shared and grown three staff and handle Records concerning their work in collaboratively or kept completely private. Management and Freedom of evolution and public education. ZoomPast was created by Dr James Rosindell (Life Sciences) and his former Information too. Imperial as an Darwin always started his student Kai Zhong, who is now a software developer. “Family trees easily grow institution can be traced back letters with: ‘My Dearest too large for printing; at least you would need a lot of sticky tape to join the to 1845 with the Royal College Huxley’. You can really see pages. ZoomPast solves this by automatically generating a huge digital view of Chemistry; in addition, we the respect and affection. of your family tree that you can then explore just by zooming, as you would a have the medical campuses digital map.” and their history is far older Why is it important to keep Dr Rosindell hopes ZoomPast will be used not only to help people connect still. We are lucky in the sense these things? with their own past, but as a tool for outreach and teaching through the that we’ve always had staff If you believe that future wealth of information attached to any individual and the intuitive way it can stashing material away – that developments can spring be explored. and the fact that people are from history, I think you need ZoomPast is built on the framework of Dr Rosindell’s “In family trees genuinely interested in our to keep going back to the previous project OneZoom, an interactive map of the there are two heritage. archives. In many manuscript evolutionary tree of life. But while the foundation was parents, multiple scientific papers there will there, this new project had its own challenges. “The siblings and potentially several What sort of interesting be dead ends that can be tree of life shows individual species splitting into marriages that material do we hold? reinterpreted with new several new species, whereas genealogies are more complicate the There are certainly a lot of applications and that’s why complex” he said. “In family trees there are two parents, structure.” manuscripts, drawings and we retain them. For example, multiple siblings and potentially several marriages that letters from the 19th Century. holography was invented and complicate the structure.” Sir Henry Thomas De la developed by Dennis Gabor A special version of the software used for OneZoom Beche’s correspondence is very at Imperial in the late 1940s; and ZoomPast developed for museums and other important as he was the driving but at the time there was public educational venues is available from Imperial force behind the founding of no practical use for it. Now Innovations. the Royal School of Mines and it’s widely, for example as a −HAYLEY DUNNING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS the Geological Survey of Great security feature on credit cards. Trace and share your family tree: Britain. The scientific world −JON NARCROSS, COMMUNICATIONS AND www.zoompast.org was much smaller then and PUBLIC AFFAIRS 12 insidestory www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
Students say ‘thank you’ with awards for staff
THE WINNERS
BEST SUPERVISION Dr John Pinney Department of Life Sciences
BEST TUTORING Martin Holloway Department of Bioengineering
BEST GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT Claudia Schulz Department of Computing
BEST TEACHING FOR UNDERGRADUATES Dr Steven Cook (L–R) John Pinney, Martin Holloway, Michael Jones, Steven Cook, Claudia Schulz, Peter Cheung (on behalf of Paul Mitcheson), Department of Life Sciences Anup Jethwa, Provost James Stirling, President Alice Gast, Elizabeth Hauke
BEST SUPPORT STAFF College staff were recognised at Imperial College having to give an acceptance speech. I am so grateful Anup Jethwa Union’s annual Student Academic Choice Awards to all those students who nominated me for this Department of Medicine (SACAs) in a ceremony held in the Union Concert Hall award and to all those colleagues and friends without on 11 May. whose support I couldn’t teach at all.” BEST INNOVATION Claudia Schulz (Computing), who received the Dr Elizabeth Hauke Imperial Horizons & Science Presenting the awards, Imperial College Union’s award for Best Graduate Teaching Assistant, said: Communication Deputy President (Education), Pascal Loose said “Winning the award was overwhelming and I didn’t that the aim of the SACAs was for the students to expect it. I used some new technologies in my BEST FEEDBACK “say thank you to the academics and the staff.” tutorials and it’s always dangerous to try new things Dr Paul Mitcheson Established in 2013 by the Union to celebrate but I’m glad the students appreciated it.” Department of Electrical staff achievement and share best practice across Speaking at the event Imperial’s Provost, and Electronic Engineering the College, this year’s awards saw a record Professor James Stirling, said: “This evening we have 808 nominations from 568 students, made via seen some wonderful examples of great practice. BEST TEACHING FOR the Union’s website. A judging panel of student Our task now will be, with your help, to spread POSTGRADUATES representatives narrowed down the nominations to a this great practice right across the College so that Dr Michael Jones Department of Medicine shortlist of before choosing the eventual winners. together we can create a community of people with Dr Steven Cook (Life Sciences) received the award the passion, ability and commitment to secure our for Best Teaching for Undergraduates. He said: “I was position as one of the world’s great universities.” 10% hoping I might win, and 90% sweatily terrified of −JON NARCROSS, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Student blogger Emma: Becoming an Independent Visitor
Children in care can get moved friends and family. This essentially all the normal kid around a lot: the average number is why the Independent things that they might have of moves in Hammersmith and Visitor scheme exists. It otherwise missed out on. Fulham is 3.41 per child, but allows volunteers to spend time There is a lot of training and can be much higher. Crucially, getting to know young people paper-work involved (I first the number of professionals in care, and build up a stable, applied around a year ago), involved in their lives − including long-term relationship with but yesterday I sent off a profile social workers, foster parents, them. They try to take them of myself to the young person teachers, children’s rights out once a month to do fun I might be matched with! advocates and so on − activities, such as going Fingers crossed. is much greater than the to the cinema, to a More from Emma and our other student bloggers: number of unpaid close museum, playing sport – wwwf.imperial.ac.uk/utils/sites/studentblogs/ 13 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 insidestory
Imperial team go for gold in ‘bionic Olympics’ At Imperial Festival visitors were able to learn about the up-coming Cybathlon, with Dr Faisal and team members on hand in the robot zone showcasing some of the assistive technologies that they are developing for the unique competition.
Scientists and students from the Departments of Bioengineering and Computing will compete in the inaugural Cybathlon in Zurich in October 2016 – an event that enables people living with disabilities to compete in a range of challenges, with the aid of the latest assistive technologies. Similar to Formula One racing, the Imperial researchers and students along with industrial partners will act as the pit crew, assisting their parathlete team mates, called pilots, to compete. Over the course of 2015, the academics and students will work alongside pilots to develop, test and refine their assistive technologies in preparation for the competition. Technology under development includes devices that electrically stimulate muscles to assist with body FESTIVAL MARCHES movements along with new types of technologies that interface with the pilot’s brain so that they control devices through thought. INTO ACTION Team Imperial are aiming to compete in a range of sports including the arm prosthetic race, Hundreds of researchers and Festival volunteers where pilots hold a hoop in their prosthesis while helped to bring the South Kensington Campus alive navigating through a charged wire circuit, with points for visitors who flocked to Imperial to enjoy the being deducted if the hoop touches the wire. They livelier side of science. will also take part in the brain computer interface challenge, where a pilot wears a cap with electrodes With the Festival entering its fourth year, the to successfully navigate a 3D computer game. programme expanded to include activities for new Imperial team Captain Dr Aldo Faisal, audiences as well as events scheduled for the (Bioengineering/ Computing) said: “It is such whole weekend for the first time. Festivities kicked a powerful feeling knowing that the assistive off with a visit to the College’s youngest scientists technologies we are developing will help our in the Early Years Education Centre, followed by the team mates to compete in sports for the first time Festival Schools’ Day for primary school children for a and we hope team Imperial will propel the UK to series of workshops from researchers and Imperial’s medals glory.” Outreach team. The College is currently recruiting pilots and those Festival previews for funders, journalists, interested should contact Dr Radcliffe for more information members of Court and alumni were followed by [email protected] a celebratory opening for the general public at midday on Saturday 9 May. This included a mounted fanfare and marching display from The Band of the Household Cavalry, based in the Hyde Park barracks, who visited College for the first time as part of the Festival’s programme to collaborate with neighbouring institutions. Over 150 Festival volunteers helped over 500 researchers take part in the Festival to discuss and debate their work. The original Research Zone in the Main Marquee expanded into several themed venues. These included the Superbug Zone to showcase the College’s work in antimicrobial resistance, and the Light Zone, to celebrate the International Year of Light with the GoPhoton! show. Festival Director Natasha Martineau said: “Over 15,000 visitors got to see Imperial at its very best. We’re grateful to everyone who gave up their time to provide an unforgettable insight into some of the work that goes on here and to get visitors engaged with our work. It was exciting to join with so many Dr Aldo Faisal colleagues in bringing the College to life.” 14 insidestory www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285
Staff featured in this Students get revved up over column have given many years of service to the College. Staff motorsports placements listed celebrate anniversaries during the period 2 January–31 January 2015. The data A Formula One racing car, previously driven how important industry placements are in terms are supplied by HR and correct at the by racing legends Sebastian Vettel and Mark helping to kick-start careers.” time of going to press. Webber, had a temporary pit stop at Imperial The year in industry is available to this month. undergraduates who are in their second and third 20 years years, where they convert their four year degree in • Gurjeet Bhangal, Research Technician, The aim was to encourage students to apply Mechanical Engineering to a five year degree. Medicine for a 12 month placement between Infiniti Julia Leutenantsmeyer, a fifth year student from • Professor Austin Burt, Professor of Motor Company and Infiniti Red Bull Racing, the Department, undertook a placement year with Evolutionary Genetics, Life Sciences the Austrian Formula One racing team based Red Bull in 2012–2013. • Professor Alun Davies, Professor of in Milton Keynes. “Working with the race car team gave me a Vascular Surgery, Surgery and Cancer The organiser of the event, Dr Jonathan really sound knowledge in aerodynamics, which is • Professor Richard Festenstein, Clinical Jeffers (Mechanical Engineering): “Having something I wouldn’t have had the chance to learn Professor of Molecular Medicine, Medicine the car here really drives home to students about in my studies. My experiences have given • Bernadette Gahan, Library Assistant how a degree in engineering can potentially me lots to talk about in interviews, which I think (Medicine), Library Services lead to an amazing career in elite motorsports. has ultimately helped me to secure a job with an • Robin Hines, Craft General Maintenance, We know from discussions with industry just engineering firm in Germany.” Estates Division • Professor Alexander Ivanov, Professor of Pure Mathematics, Mathematics • Dr Michael Johns, Research Associate, National Heart & Lung Institute • Dr Gregory Quinlan, Senior Research Fellow, National Heart & Lung Institute • David Woodward, Shift Security Officer, Security Services
30 years • Dr Michael David Jones, Reader in Molecular Medicine & College Tutor, Medicine
The 2010 season RB6 racing car was squeezed through the College’s revolving doors and parked in the Main Entrance.
obituaries
GEORGE KEILBACH George Keilbach arrived in this and staff at all levels. the German language and George Keilbach, country from his native Germany He became a well-known culture and hundreds of students Lecturer in German in the early 1960s and remained figure in the Centre and was must have benefited from his in the Centre for here for the rest of his life. Having greatly appreciated by his knowledge and experience Co-curricular first taught at the Goethe Institute students, some of whom became during his almost 40 years Studies, died and various other institutions, life-long friends. George also association with Imperial. unexpectedly on 24 April 2015. George joined the staff of what enjoyed longstanding friendships He was a regular participant in Two of his colleagues, Charmian was then Associated Studies with fellow staff members who staff seminars inside College as Brinson and Margaret Vallance, (later Humanities, now the were shocked and dismayed to well as in cultural events outside. pay tribute to him. Centre for Co-curricular Studies) hear of his sudden death. He was an interesting, unusual at Imperial where he taught Through his teaching, and thought-provoking man and German, both in daytime and George imparted an infectious will be sadly missed by students, evening classes, to students enthusiasm for Germany, colleagues and friends. Control-click here and choose ‘Download Linked File As...’. to save the asset to your hard disk.
15 www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 29 May 2015 • issue 285 insidestory
Dr Fangjing Hu, EEE Dr Steve Stribbling, Surgery & Cancer Dr Christoph Engl, Life Sciences Dr Susarla Raghuram, Physics Welcome Dr Kit Huckvale, Development Miss Laura Styles, Student Miss Khatra Farah, Catering Services Miss Relinde Reuvekamp, Business Recruitment & Outreach School Dr Adam Januszewski, NHLI Miss Gillian Forsyth, Business Miss Bowen Su, Public Health School (7 years) Dr Regis Riveret, EEE new starters Dr Hae Kang, Medicine Dr Jonathan Swann, Surgery & Mr Attila Gajdacsi, Mechanical Miss Caroline Roney, NHLI Mr Pedro Arcelus Arrillaga, Chemical Mr Shahid Kassim, ICT Cancer Engineering Engineering Mr Jaypal Rooprai, Sport and Leisure Miss Ailish Kerrigan, HR Mr Havelok Symes, ICT Dr Leiming Gao, Aeronautics Mr Paladd Asavarut, Medicine Ms Foteini Rozakeas, NHLI Dr Bradley Ladewig, Chemical Mr Joshua Symons, Surgery & Cancer Mr Adam Gardner, Estates Division Dr Giovanni Barontini, Physics Engineering Miss Louise Sadler, Sport and Dr Mary Underwood, Medicine Miss Corinne Gittens-Noel, Faculty of Leisure Professor Derek Bell, Medicine Dr Daniel Lawson, Life Sciences Medicine Centre on. moving Dr Ghislain Vaillant, Computing Ms Lauren Schulte, Medicine Dr David Bending, Life Sciences Ms Sonja Lehtinen, Public Health Dr Anantharaman Gopalakrishnan, Dr Isabel Van De Keere, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr Lawrence Sheppard, Life Sciences Mr Enrico Berardo, Chemistry Dr Chia-Liang Lin, Medicine Engineering (Silwood Park) Dr Marianne Guenot, Life Sciences Dr Lucas Black, Medicine Dr Susan Little, ESE Ms Rachael van der Toorn, Business Dr Somnath Shinde, Chemical Dr Mariea Brady, Bioengineering Mr Yang Lu, EEE School Mr Todd Harrison, ICT (11 years) Engineering Mr Dan Brewer, Chemical Miss Elina Lulle, Business School Ms Vidhya Varghese, Surgery & Dr Thomas Headen, Chemical Dr Antonio Simoes Monteiro de Engineering Cancer Engineering Marvao, Clinical Science Ms Lea Maitre, Surgery & Cancer Professor Peter Burney, NHLI Dr Charlotte von Essen, Business Ms Katie Henry, School of Dr Subreena Simrick, NHLI Dr Jordi Mayneris Perxachs, Surgery School Professional Development Dr Rohan Bythell-Douglas, Medicine & Cancer Dr Kristyna Sovova, Surgery & Cancer in. moving Professor Dale Wigley, Medicine Miss Nicola Hill, Medicine Ms Laura Carlin, Imperial Mr Christoph Mazur, Chemical Ms Elpiniki Spanoudaki, Medicine Mrs Lucy Wilkins, Research Office Dr Danijela Horak, Life Sciences Innovations Engineering Mr Thomas Stork, Business School Dr Martin Wilkinson, Medicine Ms Despo Ierodiakonou, Medicine Mrs Judith Carr, Library Miss Elizabeth McCormack, Dr Marco Thiene, Aeronautics Medicine Dr Oliver Willhoft, Medicine Dr Henry Jacobs, Mathematics Mr Alan Castleman, Estates Division Mr Anil Thotakura, Medicine Dr Edward McGowan, Medicine Dr Juan Castro Palacio, ESE Mr Robert Wright, Computing Dr Kim Jonas, Surgery & Cancer (6 years) Dr Chris McLeod, EEE (6 years) Dr Yuriy Chaban, Medicine Dr Frank Xu, Medicine Mr Antonio Torres Mendez, Professor Thomas Meier, Life Dr Bernhard Kainz, Computing Life Sciences Mr Jason Cole, Physics Dr Tatsuya Yasuda, Aeronautics Sciences Mrs Anju Kanda, Surgery & Cancer Dr Jeremy Turcaud, Physics Dr Peng Ye, Physics Miss Caroline Cooper, Business Miss Sara Merino Aceituno, School Mr Narinder Kapur, Public Health Miss Samrawit Tzehaie, Surgery & Mathematics Ms Michaela Zajacova, Catering Cancer Mr Joseph Corcoran, Mechanical Services Dr Mindaugas Kirkus, Chemistry Miss Marina Merryweather, Ms Jacquie Ujetz, NHLI Engineering Accommodation Dr Agirta Zalli, Medicine Mr Tomasz Kostrzewski, Life Sciences Mr Sunil Varma, Physics Mr Niccolo Corsini, Physics Dr Katerina Michalickova, ICT Miss Fatima Zaman, Faculty of Medicine Centre Dr Dimitrios Kouzapas, Computing Miss Helen Vaughan, Careers Dr Ceire Costelloe, Medicine Mr Fergie Miller, Faculty of Mrs Vania Da Silva Rodrigues Engineering Dr Shaodong Zhang, Materials Dr Nina Kovalchuk, Mathematics Miss Claire Villette, Civil and Environmental Engineering Goncalves, Public Health Mr Yunuen Montelongo Flores, Miss Yue Zhang, Computing Miss Ruth Kusionowicz, College Dr Verzella Daniela, Medicine Chemistry Headquarters Miss Katie Webb, Business School Ms Angela Del Giudice, Medicine Mr Nicholas Morgan-Smith, Dr Mhairi Laird, Surgery & Cancer Mr Anthony Webb, Sport and Leisure Materials Dr Baptiste Depalle, Materials Miss Elizabeth Laurence, Climate KIC Ms Anna Wheeler, NHLI Ms Maria Mota Martinez, Chemical Farewell Mr Robson dos Santos, Estates Engineering Dr Feng Li, Clinical Science Mrs Toe Yee, Catering Services Division Dr Jaita Mukherjee, Faculty of Ms Yatang Lin, Business School Ms Jenny Zelazowski-Schuarz, moving on Security Service Emeritus Professor Michael Duff, Medicine Centre Dr Olga Lobanova, Chemical Physics Mrs Alina Agaciak, Catering Services Engineering Ms Nora Mulvaney, Library Ms Angela Ellermeier, Business Dr Alexandra Anderson, Life Mr Matthew Musgrave, ICT Mr Nuno Loisas Tome, Catering retirement School Sciences (7 years) Services Mr Christopher Emmott, Physics Dr Giovanna Nicolaou, NHLI Mrs Sharon Baker, Faculty of Dr Katerina Artavanis-Tsakonas, Life Miss Kim Loo, Business School Medicine Centre (24 years) Dr Masahiro Ono, Life Sciences Sciences (6 years) Mr Laurence Evans, Centre for Mr Ioannis Marras, Computing Environmental Policy Professor Ilpo Huhtaniemi, Surgery Mrs Karen O’Toole, Faculty of Dr Julia Balog, Surgery & Cancer & Cancer (13 years) Mr Deepak Mawar, Sport and Leisure Dr Abdulkadir Farah, Physics Medicine Centre Mrs Valerie Barber, Development Dr Pat Leevers, Mechanical Dr Michael Panagopulos, Chemical Dr Rachel McMullan, Life Sciences Dr Dorte Faust, NHLI Miss Carol Barlow, Physics (24 years) Engineering (37 years) Engineering (5 years) Mr Ian Morris, Life Sciences Dr Alberto Favaro, Physics Mr Debarshi Bhattacharya, ICT Dr Grainne McNamara, Clinical Mr Fritz Panaligan, Estates Division (24 years) Science Dr Nicholas Fogell, Aeronautics Dr Nina Biscoe, Strategic Planning Miss Elli Polemiti, Public Health (6 years) Mr Paul Foley, College Headquarters Dr Thais Mello Cintra L Muller, Ms Paz Prieto Martin, Life Sciences Clinical Science Dr Sarah Blagden, Surgery & Cancer Mrs Edina Forman, Bioengineering Dr Laila Read, Grantham Institute (8 years) Ms Irene Mittermayr, Sport and Mr Bradley Forrester, Faculty of Leisure Mr Yakov Boglev, Computing Engineering Dr David Rees, Medicine Miss Jo Monger, Life Sciences Mr Dan Brewer, Climate KIC Dr Markus Fuhrer, Physics Dr Luciano Rigano, Medicine This data is supplied by HR Ms Gaye Norris, Sport and Leisure Dr Michael Brown, Chemistry Miss Zoe Gardener, NHLI Miss Teresa Russell-Redman, and covers staff joining the Campus Services Ms Sasha Oelsner, Student Dr Stephanie Brown, Surgery & College during the period Dr Amy Gelmi, Materials Recruitment & Outreach Mrs Laura Selema, Public Health Cancer 24 April 2015 – 22 May 2015. Dr Dipankar Ghosh, Life Sciences Miss Bethany Orrell, Medicine Dr Kanudha Sharda, Materials Miss Ash Bugno, Faculty of Natural This data was correct at the Sciences Dr Julie Glanville, Clinical Science Mr Juan Ossa Moreno, Civil and time of going to press. Dr Peter Sherrell, Materials Environmental Engineering Dr Valerie Good, Medicine Dr Moises Calderon, NHLI (11 years) Mrs Krupa Shukla, Medicine Mr Mitchell Pallett, Life Sciences Miss Sally Gowers, Bioengineering Ms Rebecca Church, Medicine Ms Marianne Simmonds, Faculty of Mr Richard Parasram, Civil and Mr Allen Coates, ICT Please send your images Dr Claire Greiller, Medicine Medicine Centre Environmental Engineering (5 years) Ms Veronica Daniel, Surgery & and/or comments about Mr Paul Grocott, Physics Dr Anika Singanayagam, Medicine Dr Tamlyn Peel, NHLI Cancer new starters, leavers and Gil Dr Hernandez, Chemistry Miss Emma Staddon, Faculty of Dr Oscar Pello, Medicine retirees to the Editor Medicine Centre Dr Andrea Darling, Public Health Mr Christopher Hester, ICT Miss Katerina Petropoulou, Medicine at [email protected] Mr Graham Stark, Estates Division Dr Radhika Desikan, Life Sciences Ms Samantha Hobbs, Faculty of (8 years) Miss Carissa Phipps, Sport and The Editor reserves the Medicine Centre Mr Benjamin Statton, Clinical Leisure Science Dr Sarah Dwyer, NHLI right to edit or amend these Mr Darren Holdaway, ICT Dr Norman Qureshi, NHLI as necessary. Dr Leigh Stork, Library Dr Jaap Eldering, Mathematics FOR COMPLETE DETAILS: events highlights www.imperial.ac.uk/events June 2015
10 JUNE – 17.30 take note of climate change is growing. In his inaugural Going brown or getting lecture Professor Jon Lloyd (Life Sciences) Sealed and delivered greener? explores how this “terrestrial carbon sink” Recognition of the impact Earth’s compares with the carbon dioxide taken up by Staff and students ordering goods from vegetation and soils have on the oceans, before evaluating how the Earth’s Amazon are encouraged to use the new moderating increases in human- vegetation and soils are expected to respond to Amazon Locker system for deliveries at induced carbon dioxide and the rate – and affect – future changes in our climate. the South Kensington Campus. The facility provides a useful resource for the College community, while freeing up valuable staff time to focus on College business 17 JUNE – 17.30 deliveries. The locker system is now operational and is situated on the walkway Playing the quantum field Professor Arttu Rajantie (Physics) uses his adjacent to the main Sherfield Building inaugural lecture to explain why quantum entrance on Level 2 and can be chosen as Despite the discovery of the Higgs boson fields are so successful in describing the laws a delivery option when purchasing items effectively confirming the Standard of nature, before tackling ongoing problems through Amazon. Model, questions remain about the and mysterious phenomena like magnetic quantum field aspects of the theory with monopoles, which cannot be understood Find out more: implications for our understanding of purely in terms of elementary particles. amzn.to/1HwDczO the earliest moments of the Universe.
1 JUNE 17.00 10 JUNE 18.00 Addressing air quality science and policy Entrepreneurial renaissance in the fintech sector challenges in China and India An expert panel discuss how changes in the Dr Daniel Greenbaum, CEO of the Health Effects Institute, financial sector are opening up new entrepreneurial Boston, discusses the challenges for estimating air opportunities. pollution in the developing world. 11 JUNE 17.30 Mobile pathogens in a changing world
4 JUNE 19.00 From Ebola, malaria, and Creating artificial cells and studying single cells amphibian chytrid fungus to bee health, renowned speakers Dr Oscar Ces (Chemistry) discusses how we can discuss how the mobility of manufacture cells that sense and react to their pathogens, old and new, pose environment at this Friends of Imperial ticketed event. major challenges for human, wildlife and ecosystem health. 7 JUNE 12.00
Family fun day at Heston 16 JUNE 18.00 Free fun and entertainment at the College’s new Reforming high risk patient support in the US Heston venue. Healthcare System 1 JUNE 17.30
How might we reduce the ‘carbon footprint’ 8 JUNE 14.00 Professor David Meltzer, University of Chicago, reviews of concrete on a global scale? Imperial@Crick briefing session patient care at the Institute of Global Health Innovation’s annual lecture. Ellis Gartner, Scientific Director at Lafarge’s Central Two of the Crick Institute’s most senior directors
Research Laboratory in France, looks at concrete in his present the partnership between Imperial and the 17 JUNE 16.00 inaugural lecture as a visiting professor. Crick, including new collaboration opportunities. Building brains: Learning from data
3 JUNE 18.00 8 JUNE 18.00 Steve Furber CBE, professor of computer engineering Additive manufacturing research at the University Increased natural gas production, methane at the University of Manchester, discusses advances in of Nottingham emissions, and climate: A US perspective machine learning and the implications for self-driving cars and real-time machine translation. The Dyson School of Design Engineering host the Professor David T. Allen from the University of Texas EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Additive delivers this year’s Sustainable Gas Institute Manufacturing. Annual Lecture.
4 JUNE 12.00 08 JUNE 18.00 Bioelectricity of cancer: from novel mechanisms Decoding derivatives to clinical potential Professor Katharina Pistor, Columbia Law School, Professor Mustafa Djamgoz (Life Sciences) will discuss discusses these structured finance products and the light the phenomenon of voltage gated channels and the they shed on financial markets and the interdependence spread of cancer. between regulation and financial innovation.
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