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Happy Birthday, Mr President Eric Hobsbawm at 90 Bbk Issue 22 Contents bThe Birkbeckb magazine Issuek 22, Summer 2007 Happy Birthday, Mr President Eric Hobsbawm at 90 bbk Issue 22 Contents TEACHING & RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS ALUMNI NEWS Birkbeck Stratford 1 Crime report 12 Update on the College’s A Scottish Chief Constable on east London initiative his Birkbeck experience Rising star 3 In a class of their own 14 Profile of the School of Psychology Recent graduates on studying at Birkbeck Telling stories 4 Issue 22 of BBK is special. On Peace activists’ workshop She served her cause 15 the cover is a truly remarkable Tribute to Baroness Jeger man – Emeritus Professor Eric Ten years of dance 5 Hobsbawm, who has been One of Birkbeck’s more Solid foundations 16 President of Birkbeck since 2002. physical courses a decade on Money matters On page 24, Guardian journalist John Crace interviews Professor Who cares for the elderly? 6 FEATURES Hobsbawm who, at 90, is still Research on care home volunteers Developments in Bloomsbury 19 busy lecturing, and this month Successes of The Bloomsbury publishes his latest book MASTER’S REPORT Colleges Globalisation, Democracy and Financing our students 7 Terrorism (see page 29 for Extreme conservation 20 details). His contribution to the COLLEGE NEWS Archaeology diploma leads intellectual life of this country, as A building with ‘reel’ style 8 to Antarctica well as to the College, is immense. The new Centre for Film This issue also describes the and Visual Media Birkbeck’s President at 90 24 newly opened Centre for Film and Guardian journalist John Visual Media, a unique piece of Jolly good Fellows 9 Crace interviews Professor architecture, as Professor Ian Birkbeck’s recent Fellows Eric Hobsbawm Christie of the School of History of Art, Film and Visual Media Back to his roots 10 Obituaries 28 explains on page 8. Further visual James Birkbeck IV and genealogy interest is created on page 10, Books and Events 29 where you can judge for yourself Greening the College 11 whether there is a family Initiatives to make Birkbeck resemblance between James a greener place Birkbeck IV and his ancestor George Birkbeck, our founder. In ‘Greening the College’ on page 11 you will learn of the Cover photograph: initiatives that Birkbeck is taking Professor Eric Hobsbawm, President of Birkbeck to become more sustainable. (© Jane Bown, 2002) Conservation of a different kind in Antarctica is the subject of former student Nicola Dunn’s Birkbeck is a world-class research and teaching institution, a vibrant centre piece on page 20. of academic excellence and London’s only specialist provider of evening This is my last edition of BBK; higher education. Its academic reputation also attracts many traditional, Catherine Stevens returns to her full-time postgraduate and research degree students. editorial role in the next issue. Birkbeck Stratford How this exciting initiative in east London is progressing The Stratford project is gathering momentum, as Birkbeck prepares to welcome its first students onto the east London programmes. In partnership with the University of East London (UEL), Birkbeck is providing additional opportunities for students in east London to study an exciting range of higher education programmes in the evening. Staff across the College have been working hard to ensure the success of Birkbeck’s ambitious new project. The summer months are seeing the final stage of a series of initiatives designed to boost student recruitment in the autumn. During May, the Outreach Team of three took part in a number of events during Adult Learners’ Week, ranging from information days at shopping centres, hosting an advice session for the TUC, and attending. It followed the same Stratford joins the CLDP group in running an information day with format as the Bloomsbury Open July, who will provide pre-course Newham Libraries. Birkbeck also Evenings, with a range of subject and in-course advice, and offer sponsored the ‘Progression to HE’ and support stands plus, in this study skills sessions and tutorial category for the regional Adult instance, taster sessions entitled support for Birkbeck Stratford Learners’ Week awards, organised History of Art and Philosophy. As students. by NIACE (The National Institute with the Bloomsbury events, the The Birkbeck Stratford Library of Adult Continuing Education – Stratford Open Evenings are a team is also busy preparing for this England and Wales), a non- critical part of the recruitment drive autumn. They expect to purchase governmental organisation working and will help encourage students to approximately 2000 books for to attract more adult learners. apply. The programme managers processing and sending out to the The second phase of the and course administrators have UEL Library at Stratford for use by marketing campaign, leading up to been working hard in preparation the Birkbeck Stratford students. the June Open Evening, consisted of for the autumn start date and many They are keeping in touch with outdoor and local press advertising of them attended the Stratford programme managers and will and a door drop in May of 200,000 event. purchase the required books for leaflets in east London boroughs. A At Boardman House, the Birkbeck the students to access at the start further 300,000 leaflets will go out Stratford HQ, the Office and of term. in the late summer to publicise the Programme team is now three This autumn will see the next Birkbeck Stratford Open strong. The Centre for Learning culmination of 18 months’ work Evening on Thursday 20 September. and Professional Development on the part of many academic and Birkbeck Stratford’s first Open (CLPD) team launched Drop-in and administrative staff at the College, Evening for prospective students Advice Sessions in the middle of to make this exciting initiative at was held on Thursday 14 June at the May, which are held every Monday Old Town Hall, Stratford, which from 4pm until 7pm in the Above: Prospective For more information about students gain advice proved to be a great success, with Stratford Advice Arcade. An Advice studying at Birkbeck Stratford, at the Stratford event visit www.birkbeckstratford.ac.uk around 500 prospective students and Learning Co-ordinator (JD Moore) Teaching & research 1 Psychology students beat London rivals Students and School are on an upward path Birkbeck has won both of this was to do a full BSc.” Since year’s University of London graduating in July 2006, Rachel psychology project prizes: the Burt has given birth to a son and is Prize for projects in the field of planning to go back to studying in individual differences was won by September. Eventually she is Rachel Sigrist; and the winner of hoping to begin a new career in the Carpenter Prize for projects psychiatry. not in individual differences was Stefanie Nixon (left), who was Stefanie Nixon. supervised by Dr Jennifer The annual prizes are awarded Aydelott, shared the Carpenter in competition with all University Prize for projects not in individual of London Colleges. Professor differences with a student from Mike Oaksford, Head of the School University College London. of Psychology, said: “It is a Stefanie studied the effects on the fantastic achievement for listener of having to listen to two Birkbeck to win both of these words at once, and investigated prizes and it is yet another whether listeners are able to demonstration that part-time process semantic information in students are able to compete with this situation. The prize is a their full-time counterparts. Both fantastic achievement for Stefanie, Rachel and Stefanie produced who had no previous experience of insightful and high-quality work higher education, as she left which is a testament to the broad school at 17 with O-levels and in range of topics and issues within 1996 took a GCSE in Psychology the School.” Above: Stephanie Nixon from which her interest (Birkbeck Photo Unit) In her project, which was blossomed. “Studying psychology supervised by Professor Jay proved to be more fascinating Belsky and Dr Naz Derakhshan, than I ever imagined. By Rachel Sigrist (below, right) examining the workings of the attempted to categorise people brain, you begin to realise the according to their relationship complexities of human nature and attachment styles (how secure or Below: Rachel Sigrist learn to appreciate the vast array insecure they are in their close of tasks individuals undertake on relationships – and, if insecure, a daily basis,” she commented. whether this is characterised by anxiety or avoidance), and also according to certain personality traits, such as overall anxiety levels and overall repression levels. Rachel, who was working as a ministerial speechwriter at the Treasury during her degree, completed her project as part of a BSc Psychology. Although already a graduate, Rachel says: “I could have done a conversion course, For further information about but psychology has always been a Birkbeck’s Psychology courses, visit: www.bbk.ac.uk/study/all_courses/ subject that interested me, so I psychology.html decided the best way to explore it 2 Teaching & research TALENTED BIRKBECK STUDENT RECOGNISED PhD student Abdul Martin, from the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, was selected by the prestigious Medical Research Society from hundreds of applicants across the country to present his work on brain diseases to the Society. Abdul originally entered his application for the ‘Young researchers’ category, but the assessment panel was so impressed by his work that it was submitted to be judged among work by established surgeons and academics. Abdul’s research concerns Balamuthia, a parasite which causes the brain infection encephalitis. Abdul, who received funding from Birkbeck to cover his fees, says: “Birkbeck is one of the only institutions in the world with expertise in Balamuthia. I am indebted to the College for providing me with real insights into using state-of-the-art technology.
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