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PLUGGED IN Life as a blogging professor // SPLASH : Water polo and London 2012 Voyages of particle discovery ➺ KEEPING UP WITH MASCOT RIVALRIES ➺ A grand passion for aviation

THE MAGA ZINE OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON Winter 2012–13

brains trust Together on the frontline of the ght with MS WELCOME |

winter 2012–13 FROM THE ➜ inside issue 38 PRESIDENT & RECTOR Sta • Editor-in-Chief: Tom Miller (Biology 1995) • Creative Director: Beth Elzer Hungry for experiences that stretch them and nourish them, • Editor-at-Large and Features Imperial students go well beyond the nerd Editor: Natasha Martineau (MSc Science Communication 1994) • News Editor: Simon Watts • Managing Editors: Pamela Our 2012–13 University Agar, Saskia Daniel Challenge team jokingly referred • Sub Editor and Distribution: to the reputation of Imperial Saskia Daniel students as nerds who can x 32 Behind the scenes • Designers: Abby Lloyd-Pack, a computer but can’t appreciate BODY OF KNOWLEDGE Beth Elzer a good novel. ey went on The virtual cadaver that’s • Contributors: Elizabeth Atkin, to thrash the competition transforming anatomy training Olivia Davenport, Caroline Davis, in their rst match – their John-Paul Jones, Simon Levey, countless winning responses to 34 Going public Kerry Noble, Emily Ross-Joannou, arts and humanities questions I PROFESS Colin Smith, Elizabeth Swi, giving them the edge. Structural biologist Stephen Katie Weeks, Sam Wong (MSc Curry on life as a blogging Science Communication 2009) I’ve watched Imperial students STUDENT EXPLORERS professor tussle on the sports pitch and Over the summer members of The magazine for Imperial’s sing enchantingly in the Royal Imperial College Caving Club 37 Travel friends, supporters and alumni, Albert Hall and am continually helped discover Slovenia’s President & 18 Feature CERN COURIER including former students of in awe of their wide-ranging longest cave system. Rector’s welcome A MATTER OF COURSE How globetrotting helped Imperial College London, the talents. Each October when The multidisciplinary MSc physicist Jim Virdee change former Charing Cross and West- I welcome the new cohort to Inbox that combines technology, our understanding of how minster Medical School, Royal campus, I urge them to try We’ve had an excellent response, Beyond their formal studies, Imperial Editorial, letters and business and policy to the universe works Postgraduate Medical School, the many doors open to them with undergraduates from College Union plays a vital role in feeding contributors produce a new generation St Mary’s Hospital Medical at Imperial. ey slip easily all departments taking the the broader interests of our students. Each of energy-savvy graduates 38 Special Event School and Wye College. between new discoveries and course. One option synthesises year they lay on a feast of opportunities to In brief IMPERIAL FESTIVAL & REUNION Imperial College Union’s expertise from across Imperial, sample new experiences. Just last summer, Spotlight on recent events 22 Feature Get a taste of what’s to come Published twice a year by the enticing oer to join, for with researchers sharing how members of the Caving Club became

and discoveries SAVING BRAINS at Imperial Festival 2013 and Communications and Develop- NIT example, the ranks of kickboxing they are solving problems the rst to tread the oor of the longest U New treatments to protect Alumni Reunion, as we look ment Division. imperialmagazine barbershop quartet singers. relating to climate change, cave in Slovenia as they delved deep into 14 Product pipeline nerve cells from degeneration back at photos from last year’s @imperial.ac.uk global health, energy and water its underground passages. e College also REDUCE, REUSE, REINVENT and help patients with celebrations Matching the rst-week supplies. ey ignite discussions caters for the musical and sporting talents HOTOGRAPHIC HOTOGRAPHIC OORE FROST OORE P What Imperial researchers progressive multiple sclerosis Subscriptions M enthusiasm of our students among students who wrestle of students, providing facilities and practical are doing to make our 40 Good reception If you would like to subscribe HE is both a privilege and a with the issues, considering support that have helped orchestras to win lifestyles more sustainable 26 Feature Alumni, friends, supporters to Imperial magazine please challenge for those who shape points of philosophy and policy national prizes and athletes to become

GENERATIONS OF LEARNING and sta at College events email imperialmagazine@ UTTRI DGE,T their experiences. We need to that they would not normally Olympians (see page 15). 15 Campus life How lecturers are keeping up around the world imperial.ac.uk both stimulate their interests touch on in their studies. OLYMPIC ODYSSEY with new technologies and and equip them for their next An alumnus was recently overheard saying PhD student and Olympic student expectations 42 Alter ego Online step beyond Imperial. A new With a focus on science, that she hoped her son would grow up to water polo player Adam UP IN THE AIR www.imperial.ac.uk/ programme named Imperial engineering, medicine and be a nerd like her. Imperial students and HOMPSON ; £SLOVENIA CAVE¤ JARVIST JARVIST CAVE¤ £SLOVENIA ; HOMPSON

Scholeeld on his London 30 Picture this Physics technician Martin imperialmagazine T Horizons aims to do just that. business, Imperial is distinct graduates may well enjoy the stereotype, but DON; £MSACOT¤ DAVE G DAVE ON DON; £MSACOT¤ 2012 experience MASCOT SHOWDOWN Pettier pilots us through L among UK universities. But the reality is in nitely more colourful. AYTON AYTON An enthusiast’s guide to his passion for aviation Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints L

OLLEGE OLLEGE specialisation does not equate 16 Careering ahead the long rivalries within expressed by authors in Imperial C to narrowness in vision. Indeed, Best wishes,

LIGHTWORK the College magazine do not necessarily ORIZONS¤

43 Obituaries H through our research institutes, Meet alumnus Afonso reflect those of the College. MPERIAL we are well placed to pull Salcedo who creates 44 In memoriam STFC/I together multidisciplinary teams animated worlds unbound No part of Imperial magazine who are able to tackle the inter- by conventional 46 Alumni dispatches may be reproduced in any form £ FINN©KELCEY, E related challenges facing society NGUS; £CERN¤ £CERN¤ NGUS;

optical laws without permission. A from dierent standpoints and 47 Calendar armed with dierent knowledge ©Imperial College London 2013 HOMAS IMPERIAL HORIZONS and insights. Imperial Horizons SIR KEITH O’NIONS FRS is President & Rector of ON THE FRONT COVER A new programme should prepare graduates to Imperial College London. He is a geologist who has worked Researchers Dr Paolo Muraro and

FESTIVAL¤ T FESTIVAL¤ PRESIDENT & RECTOR¤ MIK designed to broaden at Oxford, Cambridge and Columbia Universities, and has Professor Richard Reynolds; patients make their own valuable contri- Tajinder Dhoot and Clive Challis; and students’ education butions as good communicators served the UK government as Chief Scienti c Advisor to MS clinical trials director Dr Richard and enhance their and team players with a rm the Ministry of Defence, and as former Director-General Nicholas. Photography by Thomas AngusAngus professional impact. of the Research Councils.

HOTOGRAPHY: £ HOTOGRAPHY: grasp of the bigger picture. PHOTOGRAPHY: £ PHOTOGRAPHY: P

SUBTERRANEAN STORIES old drawings in the Illustrated London News In the Spring 2012 issue, we asked for your of earlier days. I guess today they would be tales of the tunnels that run beneath the worth a fortune, but the few we each kept South Kensington Campus. vanished over the years as moving took its toll on possessions. I was resident in Tizard Hall in the ‘60s and We could get to the RSM and, I think, one of our oddball actions was to visit the almost to the basement of the Royal Albert tunnels. In those days, Southside had vertical Hall, and certainly down to the Science shas linking all the oors together to provide Museum. e one easy exit was Southside, FROM THE EDITOR vertical service ducts. One night we went up to which we always came back, once to the sha to see if we could get out onto the be confronted by one of the wardens and roof of Southside but had to ‘freeze’ outside guests who had come down a level too far. Spoilt for choice Doc Cameron’s toilet (which backed onto Diplomatically, they saw nothing. the sha) while one of his children was sick. Imperial, so rich in discoveries, innovations Downwards took us to a service NICK FERN and the pursuit of learning can make choosing corridor running under the pavement and (Mining and Mineral Technology 1965, PhD 1968) what to write about in these pages an almost through a door to a sub-vertical sha that overwhelming task. linked Southside to the main boiler room We accessed the tunnel system from the Every academic is attempting something in Mech Eng. Our route took us towards Imperial Institute, then home to the exami- original in their research and, being Imperial, Civils and then to the old basement of the nation laboratories and also to a basement this oen goes hand-in-hand with solving a real Imperial Institute. Part of the Institute was cafe referred to as ‘Dirty Dicks’, in the hope life problem or addressing a societal challenge, the INBOX still standing and supporting the Queen’s of gaining entrance to the Queen’s Tower. such as the hunt for new treatments for multiple Tower. en up a magni cent old staircase One of our earlier discoveries was the sclerosis described on page 22. to a small room at the base of the tower to a possibility of gaining access to the Royal Students are signing up for exciting new door giving access to a spiral staircase going College of Science (RCS) via a route under- courses like the MSc in Sustainable Energy BRIEF UPDATE PENICILLIN THE MIRACLE up the tower. e door was oen locked but neath Imperial Institute Road (now Imperial Futures (page 18) and oering to road test – and Love the new-look magazine. I was MOULD this was no problem, as over the door was a College Road), which led into the laboratory then improve – the new ways of learning that particularly interested in the article Our Spring 2012 issue featured a case small concrete roof and leading o the roof stores managed by the redoubtable Mr professors are developing (page 26). on protective gear for soldiers (Spring of mistaken fungal identity. a slot about 750mm x 250mm wide. By lying Croker. He could be bypassed by a branch At the same time Imperial is not hiding this 2012, In Brief), sparked by my son’s on your side and leing your feet dangle into which led to the basement of the Post Oce splendid light under a bushel, but doing quite the work for DSTL (Defence Science and Dear Sir, Working in what was fresh air, it was possible to wriggle through on the corner and thence across Exhibition FACEBOOK COMMENT opposite and putting on interactive shows for the Technology Laboratory). His project colloquially known as our ‘bugs the slot and onto the staircase. e views Road to the Mathematics Department. public, for example through the annual Festival team have developed protective department’, Alexander Fleming held from the top of the tower were great! However, a more exciting possibility e magazine is a good, and Alumni Reunion advertised on page 17 (with anti-blast underpants for troops. up my hand one day and remarked, arose when another branch was discovered interesting read and the a taster from 2012 on page 38). Hopefully these types of injuries “there’s more goodness in the sweat COLIN STEWART which led directly underneath the Inorganic new layout and informal style All of which goes to make the job of editing are now less severe. of your hand than a bole of penicillin, (Civil Engineering 1967) Analysis Laboratory at the back of the RCS. works well. Not sure diary and producing Imperial the magazine a great which will be forgoen in 100 years. Via a hatch in the roof of the tunnel it was will allow a trip back to privilege. Luckily we have been able to secure TINA JAMES e lysozymes and opsonins in your I was fortunate to live in Southside (Selkirk) possible to make a direct entrance (or disap- South Kensington though. more excellent writers and artists whose work (Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology hand will be there for another million from 1964–66. I seem to remember that our pearance) to or from adjacent benches. Really can’t believe it was 1980) appears in this issue (page 6), brought to you years”. How wise he was! entry was in the basement by the li sha Later on it was found that much of the 20 years ago – the mind boggles by our wonderful and tireless features editor at the west end of the building. I cannot tunnel network could be traced from above – so a big hello to all former Natasha Martineau and our fabulous creative DAVID MILLER MBBS remember how much of the old Imperial ground following a light fall of snow. To us it friends, lecturers and sta. director Beth Elzer. RAYS OF INSPIRATION (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1949) Institute remained, but there were still bits seemed logical that the tunnels should have Happy times!” We will soon be looking to recruit an editor to anks for a splendid edition of of furniture and hundreds of copper printing had an access to the underground walkway @ARVIND SALWAN join our team – so if you too are excited by what’s Imperial. I thought that you may be plates in the basement area around the from South Kensington station but we were (MSc Humanities 1993) happening at Imperial and have what it takes interested to know that I have been COMING HOME TO ROOST Queen’s Tower foundations, some engraved, never able to nd one... ➜ to help capture it and put it on the page, then ‘Like us’ at www.facebook.com/ responsible for the design and delivery Just to let you know that a reader some more like woodcuts. We took some imperialcollegelondon please drop me a line at [email protected]. LEGION RITISH MARTIN HUMPHREY of a ‘silver sundial’ for the Olympic Park, of the parakeet article (Spring 2012, B and managed to produce beautiful prints Until the summer, I hope you will nd much to in the Great British Garden. In Brief) got in touch with information of plants and animals, in the style of the (Physics 1989) enjoy in this edition. that sounds very promising for nally

DAVID M. BROWN OWENS/VOLUMEONE.COM MATT AGAZINE¤ nding my missing north London roost. ROYAL THE OR (Aeronautics 1961) F TOM MILLER Biology 1995 I’m so pleased! ; £M UNIT Editor’s response ➜ For more Olympic and

Paralympic coverage involving Imperial, see SPECIAL Invisible cloaks and the perfect lens // BUZZ : How to grow 10,000 mosquitoes HANNAH PECK Keeping classic cars on the road ➺ TUNNELLING UNDER CAMPUS ➺ Voice of engineering in government AND TO ALL O F YOU WHO WROTE IN SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS pages 7, 15, and 41. (MRes Life Sciences 2009) Alumni O·ce, SALC Mezzanine, IER¤ SEAN POWER POWER SEAN IER¤ REGARDING THE SWISS©BRANDED By post to • WHOOPEE CUSHION... Level 5 Shereld Building, South Kensington

PHOTOGRAPHIC THE MAGAZINE OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON Spring 2012

THE Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK ,

WE’RE TWEETING! GE Thank you to everyone who got in touch to point out that By email • [email protected] the image on the front cover (Spring 2012) of an inflatable By online comment • www.imperial.ac.uk/ GUTTRI D

D £SOL BEDDALL; ARTIN operating theatre featured the Swiss flag rather than the Red imperialmagazine M No sign of 007 at the Imperial College graduation ceremony in the AVE Cross. It wasn’t a case of political correctness, subliminal ILLER¤ ILLER¤

Royal Albert Hall. Probably for the best. M messaging or, as one reader ventured, sheer ignorance. POP UP @STE PHEN_CURRY T OM SURGERY The Red Cross is a protected emblem: in order to ensure Medical drama in the universal respect for it, the Geneva Conventions forbid Professor of Structural Biology inflatable operating theatre Behind the scenes ➜ Professor Richard Reynolds any unauthorised use. discusses multiple sclerosis with Imperial Creative ➜ Doing something brilliant? Tell us about it at @ImperialCollege or @ImperialSpark HOTOGRAPHY: £ HOTOGRAPHY: D £TUNNELS¤ HOTOGRAPHY:

Director, Beth Elzer. Read the story on page 22. P P

| IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | AND NOW A FEW WORDS FROM OUR CONTRIBUTORS /in brief 2 EVENTS + DISCOVERIES Education journalist JANET 3 MURRAY (1) writes mainly 5 for The Guardian. A former 4 secondary school teacher, 1 she now teaches journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London. For this issue the course in the process of aer his rst degree, in been drawing since he designer ARUNAS KACIN¨ of Imperial she peered into writing the feature on page Natural Sciences, le him was in his mother’s womb. SKAS (5) is a 25-year-old the technology gap between 18. She was The Economist’s compelled to tell stories Influenced by Japanese multimedia art studies ROAD TO RIO educators and students to rst online science editor, about medical research manga comic book illustra- graduate, who hails from discover how the College is and is a former science rather than go into the lab tions, he’s an avid video Lithuania. His detailed and developing new approaches correspondent and educa- himself. He spent a year at gamer whose day job sees complex illustrative style, It was impossible not to marvel at to learning (page 26). tion correspondent for that the British Heart Foundation him working for US video wryly depicts the flows and the spectacle of the Olympic and Although she claims to be paper. An Imperial alumnus before returning to Imperial game company, Valve. infrastructures of everyday Paralympic Games in London this a late adopter of technology, (Physics 1993, MSc Science to join the Communications He has worked in media life, and ably suits the summer. Not just at the sporting she made headlines when Communication 1994), she is and Development Division. ranging from lithography A matter of course feature prowess on display, but also the she recruited the rst the author of a forthcoming He now spends his days to ink washes. These days (page 18) about learning technology that powered athletes journalism apprentice biography of Luc Homann, learning about the latest he draws using tiny bits technologies. Arunas works like ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius via Twitter @jan_murray. an environmentalist and discoveries from the Faculty of colour in Photoshop. He at creative agency The and David ‘Weirwolf’ Weir to glory ALISON GODDARD (2) green philanthropist. of Medicine and disseminat- says, “Afonso’s varied and Design Surgery and also free- inside the stadium. That technology is tempted to apply for the SAM WONG (3) (Saving ing them through the media. always beautiful work was lances. His work has been might seem like a futuristic vision MSc in Sustainable Energy brains, page 22) completed Artist ANDREW¥&REW¦ an honour to illustrate”. featured in several The Times lied from the pages of a science Futures herself now that an MSc in Science Commu- WILSON (4) (Careering London-resident digital supplements, and in Dwell ction novel, but for a group of she has learned more about nication at Imperial in 2009 ahead, page 16) says he’s illustrator and graphic and Modus magazines. Imperial students, it is everyday reality as part of the Rio Tinto Sports Innovation Challenge. Integrated into the existing curriculum for engineering students, it challenges them to design, build and implement Paralympic sporting equipment that can also make a tangible contribution to healthy lifestyles for people with disabilities. Led by the Department of Bioengineering’s Dr Dominic Southgate (Mechanical Engineering 2005, PhD Bioengineering 2009), pictured le with a ski designed for athletes with a through-ankle amputation, the students have been working with Paralympians including TeamGB Javelin-thrower

NGUS Scott Moorhouse. Projects include A State of a wearable coaching aid that gives

HOMAS HOMAS tactile feedback to blind athletes T the nations when moves are correctly executed, GET THE HEADLINES THROUGH YOUR HEADPHONES and equipment for a new form AM WONG¤ WONG¤ AM

S Imperial’s Ethos sports Hyde Park. Among those nation. Imperial students of clay pigeon shooting, where

Hear the latest research straight from our scientists and ¤ centre was transformed into who used the facilities Melanie Wilson (Medicine) athletes aim shotguns by moving

catch up with news from around campus with the Imperial ESA an elite training camp for were Olympic Triathlete and Adam Scholeeld only their heads. some of the world’s ttest Champions – Alistair (Engineering) competed Speaking about the potential, Dr HOTOGRAPHY; £ HOTOGRAPHY; P

podcast, presented by Gareth Mitchell of the BBC World Service £ A GENCY in rowing and water polo GE people during London Brownlee (Great Brtiain) and Southgate said: “London 2012 saw a

and Imperial’s Science Communication Group. Download it and GED 2012. Fourteen Olympic Nicola Spirig (Switzerland). respectively, while alumnus huge leap forward in the technology S PACE listen on the move or nd us on Imperial’s YouTube channel. teams trained at the centre, Eleven medals were won by Alexandra Rickham (MSc used by Paralympic athletes. The HILIPPA HILIPPA including many of the top athletes who used Ethos, Environmental Policy 2006), projects our students are working UROPEAN UROPEAN E 20 triathletes, making use which would rank 23rd took bronze in the SKUD 18 on today could well be informing the D¤ DDAR P ITER ¤ ¤ ITER of Imperial’s location near in the nal medal table if Paralympic Sailing. technology seen on the track and in GO

ORB to the event’s venue in the sports centre were a the pool at Rio in 2016”.

For more information: .../ LISON OLAR OLAR A S

INTERNATIONAL ▸ Alexandra Rickham: Born in Jamaica ▸ Melanie Wilson: Grew up in Hong ▸ Adam Scholeeld: Born in Leeds CONNECTIONS and also competed at Beijing 2008. Kong and has worked in Kenya. and played for PVSK in Hungary. LLUSTRATION: £ LLUSTRATION: PHOTOGRAPHY: £ PHOTOGRAPHY: I

• THE RISE OF C HINA AT IMPERIAL FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE Imperial’s strong relationship with China is reflected both in its numerous academic links and the signicant contributions of Chinese sta± and students to the Imperial community. The last year has seen a number of developments which are strengthening that relationship: Roll over STATE COUNCILLOR VISITS Beethoven, Madame Liu Yandong paid DJ Darwin is a visit in April. A member of China’s Politburo, and in the house the country’s highest Do away with the DJ and cancel the ranking female politician, What a di±erence composer. A computer program Madame Liu toured the powered by Darwinian natural South Kensington Campus selection and the distinguished and learnt more about the half a century makes musical tastes of 7,000 website College’s links with China. LEVEL BY LEVEL users may be the answer to creating When a young academic named Tom Kibble rst walked the perfect pop tune. Scientists the halls of the Department of Physics (now also known as ▸ GROUND // Wellcome including Imperial’s Professors AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH the Blacke Laboratory) in the late 1950s, he could hardly Trust-McMichael Clinical Armand Leroi and Austin Burt, Research Facility – a space TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY, and Dr Bob MacCallum, have have imagined that a theory he proposed would, some for Principal Investigators BEIJING 50 years later, be regarded as fundamental to one of the most across the College to run devised a way of producing music In July, the President & signi cant discoveries mankind has made. Scientists working early translational medical from noises without a composer. Rector signed an agree- at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva including Professor trials They programmed a computer to ment with the President Jim Virdee (Physics) declared in July 2012 that they have identi ed ▸ ONE // Cancer Research produce loops of random sounds of Tsinghua University a particle they are 99.999 per cent certain to be the elusive Higgs Centre – bringing together and analyse the opinions of musical Professor Chen Jining (PhD boson. e Higgs boson is believed to convey mass to the funda- chemists, biologists and consumers, who decided which engineers looking at new Civil and Environmental ones they liked. The result is music mental particles that form the building blocks of the universe, and ways of tackling cancer, Engineering 1992). It the newly identi ed particle has a large mass, around 125 times the such as molecular imaging lled with many of the sophisti- will build a platform for mass of the proton particle that is used as a standard unit of measure new £66 million flagship techniques that help cated chords and rhythms familiar collaboration within the of mass for all particles. Without evidence of its existence, physicists facility which will expand doctors match treatments from modern songs. The research, areas of engineering and could not fully underpin all the laws that explain the interactions to patients and methods rst published in June 2012 in the technology transfer. and accelerate the to reduce the toxicity of journal Proceedings of the National between the universe’s elementary particles. radiotherapy Tom’s 1964 research paper wrien with two American translation of scientic Academy of Sciences, could help ▸ TWO // MRC Clinical explain why popular musical trends colleagues predicted the existence of a particle with physical proper- discoveries into new Sciences Centre – housing NEW CHINESE SCHOLARS continuously evolve and why tradi- ties like the Higgs boson. It was initially ignored by much of the ways of preventing, diagnosing next generation gene The rst cohort of students scienti c community. “No-one paid any aention and it had hardly and treating diseases, has opened sequencing machines tional musical forms can persist for to benet from an agree- any citations in the rst three years,” Tom, now Professor, Kibble which are helping to thousands of years. ² Take part at: ment between Imperial recalls, but in 2008, Global conservation laws and massless particles was on the Hammersmith Campus. The develop improved darwintunes.org and the China Scholarship selected as one of the most important papers of the last 50 years by methods for preventing, Imperial Centre for Translational and diagnosing and treating Council joined the College. leading journal Physical Review Leers. Experimental Medicine combines common problems such as Fieen full scholarships Commenting on the current interest, Tom says: “ere is laboratory space for up to 450 scientists heart disease and raised are enabling some of something slightly surreal about realising that something you were cholesterol. China’s best students to involved in nearly 50 years ago is once again the centre of aention, with a dedicated facility for evaluating ▸ THREE TO FIVE // study towards a PhD at but it was a very interesting development.” Earlier this year, Tom and developing new medical treatments A major theme for heart

Imperial. CERN BRICE, AXIMILIEN scientists on these floors was awarded a Royal medal by the Royal Society. Founded by M through clinical trials. The opening King George IV in 1825, the Medal is awarded to just three top is regenerative medicine of the Centre, built over four years using stem cells to make + scientists each year for the most important contributions in the new heart muscle to , physical, biological and applied or interdisciplinary sciences. with support from the British Heart replace the cells that are Foundation, Imperial College Healthcare damaged in a heart attack Number of people in England in 10,000 brains • 100 countries IS YOUR HEAD SPINNING YET? NHS Trust, the Medical Research and don’t grow back. 2010 that had a pacemaker tted to ¾¿.À billion project has involved over Tens of petabytes of data are produced ▸ THREE // NHLI Heart keep their heart beating regularly. I cringe when 10,000 scientists and engineers from each year. 1.5 petabyte is the size of ¤ TUNNEL £LHC FINN©KELCEY; E Council and Wellcome Trust, by George Science, British Heart Scientists at Imperial studying the effects over 100 countries. 10 billion photos on Facebook. Foundation Labs of adrenaline on the heart have identified NGUS Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer A it is called the BB LE¤ MIK a family of proteins, dubbed ‘Popeye A «KM DONUT IN THE GROUND AND IT’S JUST REALLY COOL KI in May 2012, marks the fruition of the ▸ FOUR // NHLI Heart The LHC lies in a tunnel 27km in The Large Hadron Rap has had Science and Myocardial proteins’, which play an essential role in HOMAS HOMAS T OM God particle.” T circumference, as deep as 175m below more than 7.5m views on YouTube. College’s largest ever investment in Function allowing the heart to respond to stress. ground, and spanning the border Watch it: www.youtube.com/ These findings could help develop new ¯ TOM KIBBLE research facilities. ▸ FIVE // NHLI Vascular between Switzerland and France. watch?v=j50ZssEojtM treatments for abnormal heart rhythms. Science No spinach required. HOTOGRAPHY: HOTOGRAPHY: HOTOGRAPHY: £ HOTOGRAPHY: P P

Educating PREDICTING RISK IN BREAST CANCER Return of the GEDI innovators If you believe the boasts of contestants on the reality TV T HIRTY YEARS OF INNOVATION show e Apprentice they were born winners, blessed DESIGN ENGINEERING with the entrepreneurial gene and a natural air for Dr James Flanagan from the nancial success. Department of Surgery and e reality, as anyone with genuine experience in A joint Master’s course run by Imperial Cancer has uncovered the business will know, is a lile more complex. Many factors and the Royal College of Art, now named rst strong evidence that may help or hinder entrepreneurial spirit, and its contribu- NIT; NIT; Innovation Design Engineering, was U epigenetic changes in a tion to the economy. Now a group of academics, including celebrated by a recent special exhibition gene can be associated with Imperial’s Professor Erkko Autio from the Business School, · United States marking its 30th anniversary that brought breast cancer risk, and can be have aempted to review the entrepreneurial health of Australia alumni back to the College to showcase HOTOGRAPHIC detected many years before a 78 countries in the Global Entrepreneurship and Develop- P their work. Over the last three decades HE cancer develops. ment Index (GEDI). Sweden the course has been producing a new ‘HUMANE’ FISHING His research involved 640 GEDI aims to capture the context of entrepreneurship Canada type of designer: one who is focused on Each year, shermen return women with breast cancer and by indexing aitudes, actions and aspirations, to understand Switzerland UTTRI DGE,T innovation, with rened design skills and a over seven million tonnes G 741 controls who enrolled in the ingredients of entrepreneurship and explore what policy ª Iceland mastery of engineering and technology. of unmarketable sh, dead, three previous studies starting levers can be pulled to help promote it. Denmark to the sea. Dan Watson’s in 1992. Blood samples As the ranking above shows, the US and Australia

EILSON¤ DAVE DAVE EILSON¤ ´ Belgium (MA(RCA)/DIC Mechanical N donated by them, on average come out best for entrepreneurial performance, whilst the Engineering 2011) multiple three years before diagnosis, UK lags behind in joint 14th place, trailing near neighbours µ Netherlands NGUS; £ NGUS; FOLDING WHEELS BENDING BOUNDARIES IN DESIGN award-winning SafetyNet is A were analysed to see if the Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and Denmark. Whilst the Taiwan Duncan Fitzsimons, Best described as robotic origami using plastic and an innovative trawling system alteration of single genes by UK scores strongly for its level of start-up activity, the index Norway HOMAS HOMAS Clara Gaggero and metal instead of paper, the revolutionary Robo-Fold that exploits the natural T a process called methylation suggests more needs to be done to encourage individuals · Singapore Adrian Westway (MA(RCA) system is the result of 15 years’ experimentation by behaviour of dierent species could predict an increased to invest in new businesses and to give entrepreneurs easier

/DIC Mechanical Engineering Gregory Epps (MA(RCA)/DIC Mechanical Engineering and ages of sh to ensure UMPHRIS¤ breast cancer risk. access to nance. · Austria 2007) established Vitamins 2007). Manufacturing at a large scale is done with that only marketable sh are He found that the women Professor Autio said the UK could close the gap on the design and invention studio aer graduating. giant robot arms – normally used in car manufacturing caught. The SafetyNet has with the highest level of US and Australia, if the “bolenecks” the index identi ed · Finland France The products they have developed include – that are programmed to follow a simulation of people rings powered by an in-built methylation on one area of a were addressed. THOMPSON ; £H Germany the folding wheel, pictured above, which folding paper with their hands. The robots (shown mini turbine that act like gene called ATM were twice as “e good news is that there does not seem to Ireland makes for easier travel and storage of wheel- right) gently bend sheets of metal and plastic into an ‘exit sign’, AYTON likely to get breast cancer as be anything wrong with the formal support system. Israel chairs. Thanks to their ingenuity, a folded shapes hard to achieve by conventional methods, lighting up women with the lowest level. e UK could signi cantly improve its performance United Arab Emirates wheelchair can now t in an overhead locker to form creative designs of household to enable under- ROOTS¤ L The ndings provide strong through well-targeted policy measures, especially those United Kingdom on a plane. The folded wheel takes up only items such as door handles and sized sh to ING© evidence that looking at this encouraging individuals to invest in start-ups.” AR D 12 litres of space – half the volume compared shelving, and decorative interior escape H type of alteration on individual e 2012 GEDI uses mid-2010 data drawn from to the 22 litres when it is circular and in use. facades. capture. genes could be used in a blood the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop- test to help assess breast ment, the World Bank and Babson College in the US. cancer risk. e authors are now looking at how regions and cities

ATSON; £KELLEHER & & £KELLEHER ATSON; compare in relation to entrepreneurship. W ET¤ DAN LET US INTRODUCE YOU TO… A number of new faces have joined Imperial’s senior sta ETY N in recent months: NOT JUST THE FEVERED FEW 1. Professor Dermot Kelleher, Principal of the Faculty of Medicine. Dermot has over 30 years’ experience in research, ne hundred million new treatments for Neglected Tropical Diseases teaching and medical leadership. He is a pioneer in the eld of e public (NTDs) in Africa have been made possible following renewed support

immune response and infectious disease, and joins Imperial N RESEARCH + DESIGN; £SAF support is critical from the British government. LT from the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. A to allow us to The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) and the Partnership 2. Professor Debra Humphris, Pro Rector (Education). reach out into for Child Development, both based at Imperial, will play a key role A leading innovator in higher education and healthcare, new countries in a global push to eliminate infectious tropical diseases, working

Debra was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and DIRECTOR, ETT, and alleviate the in partnership with the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases at Liverpool

Student Experience) and Professor of Health Care UC K suering these School of Tropical Medicine.

Development at the University of Southampton. P IC K diseases inict.” The funding – £25 million over four years – will provide treatments to 3. John Neilson, College Secretary and Registrar. protect 40 million people from schistosomiasis in at least eight African OL D ¤ N John joins Imperial aer 30 years working in government, ©F Professor Alan Fenwick, countries, including Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. including six as Director of the Research Base in the Department Director of the Schistoso- Schistosomiasis is caused by a parasitic worm infection which invades for Business Innovation and Skills. Prior to starting at the miasis Control Initiative the body during contact with contaminated fresh water. It leads to chronic ill

College John was most recently Director of Financial BO£RO ITAMINS; (SCI) health, damages internal organs, impairs the growth of children and causes Management in the Ministry of Defence. V more than 200,000 deaths a year in Africa. Intestinal helminths – parasitic 4. Simon Harding-Roots, Chief Operations Ocer. worms – are common in children who live without clean water and sanitation.

Simon joins from Treasury Holdings Group and is WHEEL¤ ING The SCI was set up at Imperial in 2002 to deliver treatments for OL D responsible for maintaining and developing the College’s F schistosomiasis and other NTDs to people in sub-Saharan Africa at high infrastructure. His initial focus is on developing a space risk of serious disease. It was recently rated as one of the top two charities masterplan, to shape Imperial’s campuses for future generations. globally for achieving impact with donations by American-based independent charity evaluator, GiveWell. HOTOGRAPHY: £ HOTOGRAPHY: P

AWARDS AND HONOURS KG AFTER A JOURNEY OF MORE THA N ¸,¸¸¸,¸¸¸ KM FOR IMP ERIA L STA FF Weight is similar LASTING DAYS, the Curiosity rover had a near perfect to a Clydesdale landing at Gale Crater on the equator of Mars on 5 August 2012. Professor Sanjeev Gupta from Earth Science and Engineering is .M X .M QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS one of only two UK scientists in a team of 200 to take part in the Adjunct Professor Sir Tom Hughes- X .M Mars Science Laboratory mission, which hopes to determine Hallett, Executive Chair of the Size is roughly the equivalent whether Mars could ever have supported life, and to study its Institute of Global Health Innova- of a Mini Cooper tion, received a knighthood for his climate and geology. Speaking of his hopes before the landing, services to palliative care. From the Professor Gupta said: “Sedimentary rocks are the history books National Heart and Lung Institute ≈ CM PER of a planet, preserving information about past environmental Professor Margaret Hodson was SECOND awarded an OBE for her services to conditions. I want to reconstruct the changes that happened Top speed is 2.5 x respiratory medicine, while Profes- faster than a snail on Mars about 3.5 billion years ago, and read those records.” sor Duncan Geddes (Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School In November, NASA shot down rumours of a major discovery, 1970) received a CBE for his services . KG OF saying in a statement: “At this point in the mission, the instruments to medical research, charity and on the rover have not detected any de nitive evidence of education. Mr David Nott, an Honor- PLUTONIUM ary Clinical Senior Lecturer in the DIOXIDE Martian organics.” e hunt for life on Mars goes on. Department of Surgery and Cancer, The power source is who is also a Wing Commander 20 packed in 32 cubes, in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, each about the size received an OBE in the military of a marshmallow honours for his medical work in war regions. Former College Secretary Dr Rodney Eastwood was made an MBE for his services to education. C URIOSITY ROYAL ACADEMY OF R OCKS! ENGINEERING Professors Bill Lee, Department of Materials; Wayne Luk, Department of Computing; Jane Plant, Depart- orecasting the future ment of Earth Science and Engineer- ing; Hugh Spikes, Department In days gone by, predicting all kinds of opportunities – of Mechanical Engineering (PhD the future was the preserve and dilemmas – for industry; Mechanical Engineering 1971); and of soothsayers and crystal for instance, brain-computer Eric Yeatman, Department of Electri- ball-gazers. Nowadays things interfaces are likely to oer cal and Electronic Engineering (PhD are a little dierent, at least at many improved ways for workers Electrical and Electronic Engineering Imperial, where looking ahead to interact with information. 1989) were elected as new Fellows to the world of the future is However, might they also oer of the Academy in 2012. based on research and reason. more dubious temptations; by The 2032 Tech Foresight allowing businesses to monitor ROYAL SOCIETY conference, hosted by Imperial – and dictate – an employee’s Emeritus Professor Tom Kibble FRS The rising tide of diabetes £¤¥ Business Partners in July 2012, work ethic?” from Physics and Emeritus Profes- The worldwide ranking of the UAE brought academics and industry So what can society look sor Andrew Holmes FRS of Chemis- in the Middle East for diabetes prevalence. 40% of together to look at how current forward to in the next 20 years? try received the Royal Medal. e gures speak for themselves; diabetes is one of residents over 60 have diabetes and technological breakthroughs The output of the conference From Physics, Professor Jenny the most pressing healthcare issues in the Middle the number is expected to increase might evolve over time and the discussion would suggest: Nelson won the Royal Society East. e ocial opening of the second Imperial over the coming years. impacts that these could have on DNA sequencing while you wait, Armourers and Brasiers’ Company College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) in how companies operate in the the rst person to live to 140, prize, for excellence in materials Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, took place in future. progress towards a doctorless science and technology, and Profes- May 2012 and provides world class standards of ¦§% With new technology healthcare system in which sor Roy Taylor won the Rumford Half the people with diabetes in ALTECH patient care and research. e launch of the new ©C

come fresh moral and ethical diagnosis is done by machines, Medal, for important discoveries in PL facility follows the establishment of the rst ICLDC the UAE are unaware they have the questions, as panel member and the possibility that our the eld of thermal or optical prop- /J in Abu Dhabi in 2006 and is an extension of the condition. Dr Simon Schulz, Director of the brains could be kept alive in erties of matter. Professor Molly partnership agreement between Mubadala Health- Neural Coding Laboratory in the perpetuity. Stevens, Departments of Materials care and the College. Research programmes are

Department of Bioengineering, The next conference will be and Bioengineering (CAS 2005), C URIOSITY¤NASA being developed to understand more about diabetes º»% ©¦.¦ BILLION explained: held in May 2013. To learn more was awarded a medal and prize and why there is such a high prevalence of the One in ve people in the Middle East are now Amount the region spends annually “We discussed technologies visit: www.imperial.ac.uk/ following her selection to deliver the condition in the country, to provide new insights living with diabetes, a number expected to on diabetes, accounting for 14% of which could, in the future, pose imperialbusinesspartners/2032 2012 Cliord Paterson Lecture. increase to 1 in every 3 by 2030. its total healthcare expenditure.

HOTOGRAPHY: £ HOTOGRAPHY: into how diabetes can be prevented. P

Small changes in our behaviour can REDUCE, REUSE, REINVENT have a big impact on the environment. Olympic Imperial researchers are busy working to make our lifestyles more sustainable in all sorts of ways. odyssey

For an Olympian the routine . / Plastic fantastic becomes extraordinary, says Co-founded by Visiting Professor Vernon PhD student Adam Scholeeld Gibson (Chemistry), spin-out company (Electrical and Electronic Plaxica is converting sugars, such as cereals Engineering 2007). and sugar cane, into the next generation of plastics. ese new biopolymer-based materials have a lower environmental foot- e GB kit slowed me down, out of the print, and comparable thermal and mechani- water. Each journey I made during the cal properties to oil-based plastics, such as Olympic fortnight meant people jostling, nylon. ey could have a large impact on the snapping photos and grilling me about my use of nylon in products like plastic bags, sport. No-one knew my name but there was without compromising the performance that instant celebrity status in wearing this blue- consumers expect. white-blue version of the Union ag. Many athletes chose to give the . / Mini motors opening ceremony a miss, put o by its Whilst hybrid vehicles are increasingly length, but walking round the track of popular, they are still limited by the size the blazing stadium, I wouldn’t have been of the baeries and motors required to run anywhere else. e invisible crowd made the them. By developing engines and motors most amazing noise. Country boundaries that are lighter and smaller without compro- were dissolved as the athletes were drawn mising on power, the co-founder of spin-out into a massive circle, singing the lyrics: Evo Electric, Dr Michael Lamperth (MSc “Na na na, na-na na na, Na-na na na, Mechanical Engineering 1996, PhD 1999) hey Jude”. We were in this together, red up of the Department of Mechanical Engineer- to be the best we could possibly be. ing, has developed electric motors that are When the news came in December already in use in vehicles like the iconic 2011 that, for the rst time since 1956, London taxi cab. Great Britain would compete in water polo, I was quietly con dent I’d be put forward for . / Silicon saving London 2012. I was vice captain of the Award-winning start-up company Nexeon, GB national team and for two years I’d put founded by Professor Mino Green (Electrical my PhD studies on hold to play for the and Electronic Engineering), has developed professional club PVSK in Hungary. Over a new type of rechargeable baery with that time my ngers had been wrinkly for at twice the energy capacity of those currently least four hours a day as I honed my tech- available. Nexeon uses new technology to niques in the water, and gym sessions were stabilise silicon, so that it can be used as a almost as regular as mealtimes. viable alternative to carbon in the baery During the Games, the training routines body, extending both the lifespan and perfor- I’d done for years became extraordinary. mance of this essential everyday technology. Stretching alongside multiple medal- ing support we encountered across all our at sunrise brought down the curtain on winning swimmer Michael Phelps was matches made ve successive defeats easier their Olympic performance. As I joined the . / Fungal fuel surreal – my consolation for failing to to taste. Even when we were behind and the McDonalds party at 05.00 aer a night of Biofuels are an aractive sustainable alterna- coincide with the synchro team, which crowds could have been critical of us, their celebrations, I broke a cycle that has been tive to diesel and petrol but the crops that was the goal on training days. roars continued. my life for so long. It’s been hard, as I love produce them take up land that could be e cheers as we lined up to go out for In a host country unfamiliar with the my sport, but the pause has given me time to used for food. Founder of spin-out company our rst match were crazy and generated ins and outs of water polo, the media latched focus on my PhD – I now spend 14 hours a Mycologix, Life Sciences’ Professor Richard extreme nerves. We were the youngest water on to the sport’s unsporting side. Players day absorbed by imaging techniques. Murphy (PhD Pure and Applied Biology polo team at the Olympics, competing know the unwrien rules of the game and Before the Olympics my supervisor 1981), is using his 20 years of research to against players from countries where kids accept that no part of the anatomy is safe would say I should be looking for a real demonstrate how wood can be broken down grow up watching matches on TV and underwater. Beneath the surface you can’t job. Now, having watched me in London, by brown rot fungi, turning it into a low long for the stardom aached to the sport. be seen so if you put your head down there, he’s pushing me to play more water polo. cost, ecient source of biofuel and reducing We were also in the ‘Group of Death’, you are going to get hit. While the cameras Whether in a place in the 2014 Water Polo competition for agricultural land. alongside Hungary, the US and Serbia, zoomed in on any blood spilt and the European Championships or in a position in the respective winners of gold, silver and crowds appeared shocked, punches, kicks academia or a tech company, I’ll be immers-

bronze in Beijing 2008. and grabs are everyday occurrences in the ing myself fully in whatever comes next. 6 million tons 0.2% . % While we felt under immense pres- world of water polo – Olympic matches of plastic are produced of the world’s oil production of the road fuel used sure, there was no space for anxiety in our were no dierent. Based on an interview with ADAM SCHOLEFIELD each year is used to make plastic bags in the UK is biofuel play. We were solid in some games, but For many athletes who had spent years (Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2007) who is studying made frustrating mistakes. e unwaver- perfecting their physique, a burger and fries for a PhD in imaging processing. LLUSTRATION: MASA LLUSTRATION: I

IMPERIAL: What the little details around accessible, so it will ➾ does a lighting me: how a museum be great to see new MAKE A DATE WITH DISCOVERY artist do? displays artworks, how movies and ideas from AFONSO SALCEDO: a performing artist all corners of the world: It’s the process of composes their show, competition will only creating the nal image how a photographer drive new ideas forward. you see on screen, the captures a story with I wish animated lms mood, atmosphere and just one image. It’s could be considered emotional depth that grabbing inspiration for cinematography bring life to a specic from everything you see. Academy Awards. shot. It’s about the little You learn how to create IMPERIAL: What lm are details, the things that a space in your mind you most proud to have IMPERIAL normally go unnoticed where you are open to worked on? but create a world that really looking at the SALCEDO: Working is believable and that world around you. alongside a creative the viewers connect to IMPERIAL: Were you team of ve others, emotionally. a typical computing I was the creator of the IMPERIAL: Take me student? It Gets Better... Love, through the life of a SALCEDO: I don’t think Pixar short that became project. so. I didn’t want to do a viral sensation on FESTIVAL SALCEDO: Typically any programming or YouTube with more you spend some time technical computing than 1.3 million views. creating a basic lighting things, so I had a bit I had this idea that with set-up that will work of a hard time keeping the power of the Pixar as a dra version for a myself motivated. brand we could create sequence of shots that I loved London though, something honest, happen in the same set. and Imperial was genuine and heartfelt You then start going perfectly placed to that would hopefully into the minute details be surrounded by influence a lot of kids of individual shots incredible people, the and families worldwide, to full the creative best of the best. During and bring hope and vision of the director: the summer, I would optimism to anyone the eye highlights, always go to the Royal who’s ever been bullied. shadows, reflections, Albert Hall to watch the IMPERIAL: Do you fog. In live action, you’re Proms for inspiration. think lm makers and bound by the physical That was my creative studios have a social properties of light but escape from computers responsibility? in an animated movie at the time! When I SALCEDO: Not everything is created graduated from Imperial necessarily. I think from scratch. I went to Pineapple lm has the power IMPERIAL: What’s been Studios and danced to influence social your most challenging every day. That helped responsibility and to A special project? me connect with the educate people, but invitation SALCEDO: Every creative and artistic side it should also be pure It’s back! The Imperial Festival ➺ ALUMNI project I’ve ever of London, and helped entertainment – worked on seems me fall in love with the almost a means of returns for a second year of hands-on REUNION insanely daunting city once again. escape from the reality and impossible in the IMPERIAL: What do you of day-to-day life. research, interactive talks and street Saturday May 10.00–18.00 beginning, and so easy think the future holds I think there’s space for and eortless a month for animation? both, and I’m glad that performances for adult and family Catch up with the College, reunite with aer it’s done. SALCEDO: The studios like Pixar aren’t IMPERIAL: What technology keeps afraid of doing both. audiences. Come and explore the old friends and make new connections inspires you? evolving at such a pace at this year’s reunion for alumni and their SALCEDO: Anything and that live action and best science and arts on o£er from families. The programme includes a private LIGHTWORK everything. Day to day I animation are not that + ONLINE EXTRA: Read more am constantly observing dierent anymore. It of the interview and see some of Imperial sta£ and students: try your Afonso’s work at view of the Festival Research Zone and is becoming way more www.imperial. REFLECTIONS ON and appreciating all ac.uk/imperialmagazine hand at surgery, dance to new beats, SHADOWY FORMS exclusive social events. Details and tickets:  D IRECTOR’S C U T and quiz our soapbox scientists. www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni/reunion

Coding sunshine, starlight OCCUPATION LOCATION FAVOURITE FILM INFLUENCES WILSON and shadows, Afonso Salcedo Animation San Francisco, 2001: A Space Everyone lighting special- California Odyssey I’ve met at Pixar £&REW¤ www.imperial.ac.uk/festival (MSc Computing 2002) creates REW ist. Formerly of Literally every- and, of course, animated worlds unbound by DreamWorks HOMETOWN thing is perfect. my parents, sister conventional optical laws. Animation, Pixar, Porto, Portugal and partner. and Framestore. LLUSTRATION: AN D LLUSTRATION: I ·ª.¸¸ ·.¸¸ ·ª | IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° FRI MAY .¸¸ SAT MAY ·´.¸¸ A MATTER OF COURSE

Low-carbon technologies

As Imperial’s MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures celebrates its 150th graduate, Nuclear power ALISON GODDARD explores what went into developing this unique approach to interdisciplinary teaching and the production of a new energy and business savvy generation of graduates.

ILLUSTRATIONS B Y A RUNAS KACINS K AS

Sustainable transport Peals of laughter drift through the foyer of the Electrical Engineering Building. Glasses are raised and clinked. Past and present students are in good cheer as they meet on the eve of Imperial’s Alumni Reunion to mark the h anniversary of the MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures. Course director Dr Andy Heyes praises the assembled company for their achievements: completion of a programme that is unique, both within the College and the wider world; and an impressive employment record. The buzz of conversation resumes and laughter spills forth once again. A sense of belonging The MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures is the “Energy is a systems problem with many most multidisciplinary course to be oered by the facets,” says Sandro. “You really need College. Rooted in energy technology but with a to have a vision of how they interact with hey slug of business, economics and policy, the one another to tackle global warming and course aims provide its graduates with the ability energy supply. We wanted to create a course to grasp the complex interactions inherent in that looked at energy systems rather than Clean fossil fuels global energy systems. It is delivered by sta with specic aspects and it was clear, at that both academic and industrial experience from 12 stage, that no one in the world was doing it. departments and, unlike any other College course, it However, if you put such a course within a has no departmental home. Instead, it is attached to single department, then other departments the Energy Futures Lab, Imperial’s multidisciplinary are likely to feel much less committed to it.” Urban energy response to the many challenges presented by the The high calibre of the students recruited Energy transmission systems energy sector. The arrangement makes it not only onto the course also helped to encourage and storage distinctive within the College but also extraordinarily sta from each of the departments tricky to duplicate elsewhere. involved to devote their time, energy and Creating any new course is hard work but the enthusiasm to the course and its students. interdisciplinary aspect made this one particularly The MSc attracts applicants not only challenging, says Sandro Macchietto, Professor of from engineers and scientists who have Process Systems Engineering in the Department recently graduated, but also from bankers, of Chemical Engineering, who was the founding nanciers and people already working director of the course in 2007. He was determined to in the energy sector. Such a mix proves develop the ‘MBA in energy’ that people had been enriching for sta as well as students, says talking about for some time and to ensure that it was Sandro. not dominated by any one discipline.

·´ | IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | ·µ Blazing a career trail Five years on, the course is succeeding in its aim to develop a generation of graduates equipped to work not only in the energy industry but also the investment sector and both public and private organisations. Graduates have pursued careers with nancial services rms such as J.P. Morgan, management consultancy companies including McKinsey, with governmental organisations such as the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and Minerals, and Peering ahead with energy companies For example, Anthony Dixon enrolled on including ABB, BP, the MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures in Exxon Mobil, Gazprom, October 2009, 25 years aer completing Schlumberger, Shell his degrees in physics and philosophy from and Total. Many have the University of Western Australia, and I DON’T KNOW also joined smaller two decades aer receiving an MBA from consultancies such as Harvard Business School. “Aer Harvard, OF ANY OTHER London-based Element I spent 15 years in nancial markets, but PROGRAMME Energy and EnergyExcel, I always intended to pursue a second start-up companies and career in the environment. It is what LIKE IT. ENERGY, other small businesses. I am passionate about,” he says. “When I BUSINESS AND Graduates also help le banking, I focused initially on doing POLICY: THE MIX support each other’s what I knew: oering nancial advice to careers, thanks to a companies in the renewable energy sector IS VERY RARE IN community of alumni and it might have been possible to go on THE SECTOR.” that Andy has helped doing that with not much more than a establish and maintain. dilettante’s knowledge of the technologies More than half of the and the issues but I wanted to get much course graduates deeper into the underlying science. So the remain connected to the MSc was a way to scratch my intellectual as Europe or the United States in terms of the deployment of In common with many of Imperial’s more traditional courses, College through this network and can be itch and get rigorous. renewable energy technology and supporting policies, so there is students are also expected to study subjects that do not called upon to support and advise existing “I was surprised to nd how much a lot of opportunity here.” count towards their nal qualication, including transferable students – as well as to toast the success of I enjoyed being back in an academic Sabine Ziem gained her degree in philosophy and economics skills workshops on personal eectiveness, presentation and the course on its h anniversary. environment: it was like a part of my brain from the London School of Economics and then held various communication, and a tailor-made literature review course. In recognition of his work to establish the woke up again. I liked the fact that it was leadership roles at AIESEC, an international youth-run organisation The current course director has also added material since taking MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures, Sandro so multidisciplinary. It was also a pleasure to develop management and leadership skills. While working as over. For students who start in October 2012, Andy has included a received a Rector’s Award for Excellence and a privilege to be taught by so many a sustainability consultant for an oil company in Colombia, she module on debating to prepare them better for the cut and thrust in Leadership and Management in 2008. people who are world leaders in their eld: realised she needed a more technical background, so, in October of o·ce politics and to help persuade the wider world of their The following year the College won the Imperial is packed with them. And of course 2010, she enrolled on the MSc. She now works for E4tech, an case. Proponents and opponents will thrash out topics, such as Institution of Chemical Engineers Education it was interesting and great fun to be in energy consultancy based in London and Lausanne. “Our projects the role of industrialised nations in combating climate change, the and Training Award in recognition of the class with people much cover diverse energy issues, but go deep into each of them,” she construction of new nuclear power stations and their role in Britain, course. younger than me. That explains. “On the course we did something similar: it gave us an and whether an individual can influence the use of one technology Dr Ray Orbach, director of the new Energy “I couldn’t have anticipated sort of diversity is a overview with depth, it was a good preparation for the workplace.” through his or her investment in it. Institute at the University of Texas at Austin the central role my peer great benet to groups Dylan Rebois graduated in mechanical engineering from the In the spring term, the students take a succession of deep dives and a former under-secretary for science group would play in the I think – whether they University of Maryland and won a Marshall Scholarship, oered into subjects such as clean fossil fuels, energy transmission and in the United States Department of Energy, learning experience.” are classes, teams or to high-ability Americans to pursue graduate study in Britain. storage, low-carbon technologies, sustainable transport, and urban chairs the strategy board that oversees — Dylan Rebois the workplace. He enrolled on the course in October 2011. Many of the other courses energy systems. A new course introduced by Andy and delivered by the operations of the Energy Futures Lab. (MSc Sustainable Energy “The degree was also he considered would have given him only a technical grounding, the Business School will examine the role of entrepreneurship in He says, “What I love about the programme Futures 2012) helpful to my career he says, but the Imperial course oered both breadth and depth. renewable energy, including technology commercialisation, product is that the entire College is involved with transition: it gave me The mix of students and sta enhanced their conversations: positioning, new market development and nancing options. the curriculum, both in the sciences and added credibility in “It is helpful to have people who deal with issues and know The courses are designed to equip students with the ability to make the business arena, and the students are the subject and, while how feasible the proposed solutions really are. I couldn’t have meaningful comparisons between competing technologies. required to work at a postgraduate level in I was still on the course, I was oered the anticipated the central role my peer group would play in the The summer term is devoted to a research project supervised science as well as policy. The quality of the job of Chief Executive O·cer of a start- learning experience,” he adds. by two academics, usually from dierent departments. These can students needs to be noted: they will do up biodiesel company in Hong Kong. As a range from an impact assessment of smart meters in developing so well in their careers and it is to the start-up with signicant capital still to be economies, to assessing the potential of using hybrid vehicles College’s credit. I don’t know of any other raised, the company needed someone with Structural integrity as batteries to store surplus energy generated by wind, or using programme like it. nancial markets experience, as well as Not only does the course oer a diverse range of disciplines, sewage to generate energy. “Energy, business and policy: the mix is technical knowledge and an understanding expertise and people, it also has a unique structure to enable the At the end of the academic year, the students organise very rare in the sector. In America this would of the big picture, in order to articulate mix. The 40 students who enrol each year take three compulsory a conference at which they present the results of their research be a very unusual programme. I was so a strategic direction to investors. I was foundation courses in the autumn term to provide them with a to each other and to some of the students who will enrol the impressed by the course that I have invited excited to be coming to work in Asia again. common toolset, language and analytical skills. The foundation following year. Guest speakers at this event have included David Andy over here [to Texas] to see if we can Countries in this region, with the exception courses cover energy economics and policy, energy systems MacKay, chief scientic advisor to the Department for Energy and project it onto the American system, I nd of China and Japan, are not as advanced technology, and methods for the analysis of energy systems. Climate Change. it so exciting.”

¸ | IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | · Around 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis and, while several treatments exist to treat early aacks, there is currently nothing to stop the disease from progressing. Over the last decade, Imperial scientists have contributed to major advances in our understanding of the condition by studying post-mortem brain tissue. Now they are taking new treatment strategies to patients for the rst time.

✒ SAM WON G THOMAS A N GUS

alking along a beach while on holiday in Devon with her sister in 1996, Jane began to feel pins and needles in her feet. As she trod on the stones, the tingling became painful, and it became clear SAVING BRAINS that something was wrong. When she returned home, the pain went away, but three weeks later it came back. Her doctor sent her for tests at Charing Cross Hospital. eciently. e reason for the aacks is still “e early aacks of MS seem to involve A few months later, at the age of 38, she was a mystery. a rapid inux of immune cells into dierent told she had multiple sclerosis (MS). Most suerers start to experience symp- parts of the brain,” Richard says. ese “It was the end of the world when I was toms between the ages of 18 and 40. Many cells normally circulate in the bloodstream, rst diagnosed,” she says. She didn’t tell her drugs designed to quell the immune system moving out when they are summoned to children at rst because she didn’t want are available to prevent aacks in the early sites of infection. In MS, they migrate in them to be worried. “When I got the blue phase of the disease, known as relapsing- large numbers into the brain and cause badge for the car, they said, ‘why do you remiing MS, but Jane has entered the phase inammation. e cells must rst stick to have this? ere’s nothing wrong with you.’” called secondary progressive MS, in which the blood vessel wall before they can pass Multiple sclerosis usually Gradually, her legs grew more unsteady and symptoms steadily get worse. So far no treat- through it into the brain. In these early starts to affect sufferers walking became more dicult. ment has yet been shown to prevent the slow stages, Tysabri works by stopping immune between the ages of 18 and 40 and in some Sixteen years on, Jane can still walk progression of disease that might eventually cells from sticking to the walls of blood patients, symptoms but she relies on the aid of a stick. Working mean she has to use a wheelchair. vessels. steadily get worse into old from her home in west London, she keeps at could be about to change. Jane has By looking at post-mortem brain age. Dr Richard Nicholas up a successful career as a journalist, but just had her rst infusion in a clinical trial tissue donated by patients, Richard’s team (right, centre) is Director travelling to meet people becomes harder being run by Imperial researchers in the MS discovered that in the later stages of MS, of the MS Clinical Trials Unit at Charing Cross each year. Her appearance is healthy and her clinic at Charing Cross Hospital, part of the inammation is no longer caused by Hospital, where around demeanour positive, but the disease, and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. She immune cells moving from the bloodstream 1,200 patients have knowledge that it will continue to get worse, was either given the drug Tysabri (natali- into the brain, but by immune cells that taken part in research can’t escape her mind for long. zumab) or the control, a saline solution, but are trapped in the tissues that surround studies in the last four “I do think about it every day and have neither she nor her doctor knows which. the brain and in the brain itself. “e data years. Their progress is monitored closely done since I was diagnosed,” she says. “It “People told me you can tell if you’re suggest that if we can dampen those cells using questionnaires stops you thinking about the future in a geing the drug because it just feels dier- down and stop their movement once they and tests of vision and warm comfortable way, or being able to ent,” she says. “Obviously I hope I’m not on get into the brain, we might stop that slow coordination. Studying picture the ‘Saga poster old age’, which is a a placebo, but I didn’t really feel anything or progression,” he says. “We need to see post-mortem brain tissue loss. It’s a sort of bereavement.” notice any side eects.” whether Tysabri can also do this, and in two has enabled scientists years’ time we should know whether or not to better understand what goes wrong in FRIENDLY FIRE KEEPING IMMUNE CELLS AT BAY it works.” MS patients. Professor Jane’s symptoms are the result of her Tysabri is already approved for treating Richard Reynolds (above, brain coming under aack from her own early aacks of MS, but it’s still unclear KNOWLEDGE BANK centre) set up the MS immune system. Her immune cells, whose how these aacks are related to progression To nd out what goes wrong in the brain Tissue Bank at Imperial in job is to protect her body against microbial of the disease or whether this drug could of an MS patient, you need to look inside 1998. Dr Paolo Muraro (far right) is investigating invaders, have instead set their sights on a help at later stages. e trial has been it. Richard has been collecting brains since new treatments based on fay substance called myelin, which wraps based on results of research by Professor 1998, when the MS Society funded him to stem cells. around her nerve bres. Gradually they are Richard Reynolds’ group, at Imperial’s set up a tissue bank at Imperial. He and his tearing apart this myelin insulation, leaving Hammersmith Campus, which oer clues colleagues travelled the country, meeting her neurons unable to carry electrical signals as to why MS progresses. groups of patients and their families, asking

WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | them to consider donating their organs for science when they die. “I think we’ve visited something like 170 groups over the years,” he says. “We go and tell them about the research that’s going on in MS, how it’s helping develop new drug treatments and why we need human tissue to do that.” e response has been extremely supportive. “We found that people with MS and their families are very much behind this idea. ey don’t think, ‘ooh no, I can’t do that’. ey’re hungry for knowledge and “We’re learning they want to contribute to that knowledge.” A similar scheme was set up by we’re at the front end Parkinson’s UK a few years later, and now Previous page: Dr Paolo Muraro and Professor Richard Reynolds examine slices of brain tissue donated by the collection for the two diseases together a patient with MS. Above left and centre: Each brain is dissected according to a fixed protocol and the slices of things. WE TAKE THE. numbers more than 1,000 brains, making carefully organised so that researchers can examine damage in different areas. Above right: Dr Richard Nicholas tests patient Clive Challis’ hand control. it one of the largest in the world. Almost PATIENTS WITH US.” 10,000 more people have pledged to give their brains, ensuring a steady supply of DR RICHARD NICHOLAS about three brains a week. e brain tissue isn’t just used for research at Imperial; it’s also sent around the world to enable other scientists working on MS and Parkinson’s to study.

is neurodegeneration is clear when approach: obliterating the immune system lesions visible on MRI scans compared across Europe. It will be ve years before the In the last four years, around 1,200 patients you look at a brain under the microscope, but with chemotherapy or radiation, and with those who don’t respond to the drug results are known. with MS have enrolled in research studies at “WE FOUND THAT PEOPLE doctors don’t have the luxury of being able to replacing the mis ring cells with new ones in this way. e reason for this is unclear, Charing Cross. e director of the MS Clini- WITH MS AND THEIR FAMILIES take out slices of brain from living patients. grown from a patient’s own stem cells. but if this observation is con rmed in INTELLIGENT THERAPY cal Trials Unit, Dr Richard Nicholas, sees ARE VERY MUCH BEHIND Richard and others at Imperial are therefore One of those researchers is neuroimmunolo- larger studies, it could be a useful personal Some scientists think that stem cell nding new treatments as an integral part of THIS IDEA. THEY DON’T THINK, working on non-invasive ways to measure the gist Dr Paolo Muraro, also based on the indicator of the drug’s success. For instance, therapies, while informative about possible his job as a clinician. “ere are increasingly ‘OOH NO, I CAN’T DO THAT’. number of neurons in dierent areas of the Hammersmith Campus. doctors might consider taking a patient o mechanisms for repair in the brain, are too eective treatments for relapsing-remiing THEY’RE HUNGRY FOR KNOWLEDGE brain, using advanced imaging techniques. “We call this ‘rebooting’ the immune treatment if the numbers of stem cells in complex and expensive to ever be used MS, but we can do lile to help patients AND THEY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE Recently they have begun to experiment system because it essentially aims to start the their blood don’t increase. widely. But Paolo believes the costs will with secondary progressive MS,” he says. TO THAT KNOWLEDGE.” with scanning donated brains, as they would immune system anew,” he says. “e hope come down as technology improves, and “You have to sit in front of people every day a patient’s brain, before cuing them into is that any aberrant immune cells that have NURTURING CHEMICALS that cells have certain qualities that make who are geing worse, so you constantly slices. Researchers can then compare the developed in the MS patient would be wiped HSCs are one of two types of stem cells them a more intelligent therapy than drugs ask: ‘why can’t we do something about it?’” scans with what they see in the slices to help out by the immunosuppression and would that reside in the bone marrow. e other, could ever be. is determination to improve patients’ them interpret the imaging data. not be regenerated and, therefore, there mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are “It’s possible and desirable that we could lives leads him to a wide range of collabora- LOSS OF NERVE Another line of investigation is looking would be a prolonged remission from any another promising treatment possibility. gain a detailed knowledge of what cells do, tors, at Imperial and beyond, whose ideas e insights gained from studying these at molecular changes in the MS brain. inammation. Hopefully lifelong, but we ey form a supportive tissue that shelters isolate molecules that they produce and are ripe for clinical investigation. “We are specimens have been signi cant. It’s now Modern genetic techniques allow research- don’t know yet.” the HSCs in the bone marrow, but they can deliver them in drugs,” he says. “But one one cog,” he says. “We work with people clear that far from being simply a disease ers to look at how all 30,000 human genes So far, around 600 patients worldwide also be taken out and grown in culture to thing that would be hard to replicate with who are much cleverer than us.” of the nerve bres’ myelin coating, there were either turned on or o at the moment have had this treatment in small trials. large numbers. Scientists initially thought conventional drug therapy is the fact that While some of the studies are showing is also extensive damage to the nerve cells when the patient died. ey can also e results for patients with early-stage that they could transform into new neurons certain cells used in cell therapies, such as promising results, inevitably, some don’t go themselves. compare the levels of speci c molecules in MS have been promising, but the safety or new myelin-producing cells and replace MSCs, have a so-called therapeutic plastic- so well. Such occasions are hugely disap- “When we cut sections of the brain brains from people who died younger with and ecacy of the procedure is still being cells that were damaged in the MS brain. ity. is means that the cells adapt their pointing for patients, scientists and funders, and actually count the neurons in various levels in the brains of people who had milder established. Paolo is now working with an It turned out that this didn’t happen, but behaviour depending on the environment but no one is about to give up on looking parts of the brain tissue, we can see that the disease and lived much longer. “We can now international team of scientists to devise a they did demonstrate a number of other that they are in.” for beer treatments. Jane took part in a numbers have reduced quite substantially,” say that, in people whose disease progressed protocol for a major trial that would give a properties that could make them useful Some studies have shown evidence trial six years ago that was abandoned when Richard says. is loss of nerve cells is called more rapidly, certain molecules are more de nitive answer. in treatment. that the more inammation there is in the the treatment proved ineective. is time neurodegeneration, which is a feature that increased in the brain in areas of damage,” e type of stem cells that replace the ey actually produce a range of chemi- body, the more MSCs suppress the immune around, she has her ngers crossed that is common to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Richard says. “is has now enabled us to harmful immune cells are called haemat- cal factors, some of which alter the behav- system. “ey don’t just switch on and o; Tysabri might stop her geing worse, or motor neurone disease. set up experimental systems where we can opoietic stem cells (HSCs). ey’re found iour of immune cells, and some of which they have a continuous variation in their perhaps even improve her condition. “It’s very much changing the way we change the levels of the protein up or down in the bone marrow, but they also circulate protect nerve cells and encourage repair. biological behaviour. is makes them an Meanwhile, Richard Nicholas is working think about how the disease progresses over to see if that molecule is involved in causing in the blood in low numbers. Some drugs, “e idea,” explains Paolo, “is that by taking order of magnitude more advanced in their hard to recruit more volunteers who might time and how we can treat it. Most of the the damage, which helps towards developing including Tysabri, seem to increase the MSCs from the bone marrow, growing them re nement compared to any drug that we bene t from Tysabri and contribute to our drug treatments that are available now, based new therapies.” numbers of HSCs in the blood in some to large numbers and giving them back to a use. I don’t know if science will be able to understanding of how it could be developed on the previous 10 years’ research, are drugs patients, and it’s been suggested that patient, we could aim to reduce the inam- replicate that.” as an eective treatment. As ever in science, that dampen down the inammation in the REBOOTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM mobilising stem cells in this way could mation, or hopefully stop it. Even without it’s a step into the unknown. “We’re learning brain – what are called immune-modulatory Richard estimates that there are about help tissues to repair themselves. turning themselves into other cells, they INTO THE UNKNOWN – we’re at the front end of things. We take drugs. Instead, we’re now beginning to think 100 drugs for MS in clinical trials right now, A recent study by Paolo’s group found could still help in another way.” Paolo and Richard work closely with the the patients with us”. about how to protect the neurons from compared with fewer than 10 a decade that patients whose circulating HSCs Paolo’s group is about to start giving sta at the MS clinic at Charing Cross degeneration, which is something that’s ago. In addition to these drug trials, some increase in response to Tysabri have fewer MSC treatment to patients in the UK arm of Hospital to get promising treatments from + ONLINE EXTRAS: View a slideshow of the brain bank really just started for MS.” researchers are investigating a more radical relapses, less disability, and fewer brain a trial that will involve a total of 150 patients the lab to patients as quickly as possible. and research labs: www.imperial.ac.uk/imperialmagazine

| IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | ▸ G ENERATIONS OF ◂

How might today’s educators respond duplicating work, writing lesson plans and resources that to their students’ changing relationship probably already exist – and delivering the kind of teaching I experienced as a student, almost 20 years ago. with technology? Imperial magazine If universities want to keep pace with business in an investigates the College’s new approaches increasingly competitive marketplace, they need to up to learning. their game, says Matar. “e range of technology that people come across in their everyday lives means that aention spans are becoming shorter and shorter. If we A decade ago, turning up to a lecture with don’t try to work with that, we are not going to be able to a handful of “good quality transparencies” capture students’ interest, and quite frankly, we are going was usually enough to keep students to fall behind.” engaged, says Omar Matar (Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology 1993), Professor Business needs of Fluid Mechanics and chair of Imperial’s e-Learning At the Business School, this year sta are giving an Strategy Commiee. But advances in mobile technology, iPad to the majority of students and uploading course particularly in smartphones and tablets, mean today’s materials to a central social media hub. In the past, learners have higher expectations of how sta will use students could access lecture notes and PowerPoint via these technologies. Most regularly access information the College’s virtual learning environment, but many from a variety of media sources, particularly social complained it was “slow, cumbersome and dicult to networking platforms like Facebook and Twier, which navigate”, says Colin Love (MBA Management School can make traditional teaching methods look uninspiring 1995), Programme Director of the School’s MSc in and outdated in comparison. Strategic Marketing. Now when students arrive at a lecture, slides and other materials are available on their Competitive advantage tablet immediately. “Last year, we didn’t give out a single At the same time, the recent hike in UK undergraduate piece of paper,” says Love. tuition fees – now around £9,000 a year in many institu- At around £300 each, the initial outlay for iPads tions – means universities feel under increasing pressure might sound steep, but balanced against savings on to improve learner experience. As David Lefevre (MSc printing and paper, it has turned out to be surprisingly Computing Science 2002), Director of the Educational cost-eective. Love has calculated that posting content Technology Unit at Imperial’s Business School puts it: to the hub as well as Facebook and Twier saves the “If students don’t get what they want, they’ll become 10kg of paper that an average marketing postgraduate critical”. student is likely to use on a year-long course. It has also When it comes to technology, many higher educa- proved to be a big time saver. As Love explains: “Before tion institutions are lagging far behind the business we went paperless, if I saw something interesting in print world. As a part-time journalism lecturer myself, I’m that was relevant to the course, I’d come in, get a pair reminded of this every time I nd myself handing out of scissors, cut it out, put it on the photocopier, run o wads of paper-based course materials or queuing for 100 copies and take it to a lecture with me. Now I can the photocopier. While colleagues are happy to share capture the page on the iPad while I’m on the train and resources, there are few mechanisms in place to make send it through to the communications hub…and the this happen quickly and eciently. I feel I am constantly quality is perfect.”

WORDS BY JAN MURRAY // ILLUSTRATIONS BY BETH ELZER

ª | IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | « showed that transfer of knowledge to the New challenges “We need to embrace the value of technology in enhancing the student students was the same whether they were Working with new technologies rarely experience,” says Partridge. “At the same time, no single learning experience taught in the traditional manner or used comes without challenge. Geing the robots is right for all subjects or students and it is important to review the role of e-learning, but that those using e-modules to a stage where they can be evaluated by technology, so we can compare it to more traditional methods. at process were beer at interpreting data. end-users within the time frame of univer- is in itself valuable.” e School has also explored the poten- sity teaching requires a signi cant engineer- Partridge now also works as Senior Vice Dean at the new Lee Kong Chian Employability tial of virtual world technology, building a ing eort, which in turn means group work. School of Medicine in Singapore, the joint medical school between Imperial Lefevre goes on to explain that respiratory ward in Second Life and populat- e biggest challenge with large group and Nanyang Technological University, due to take its rst cohort of students in the Business School’s adoption ing it with patients. Visually appealing and projects, says Demiris, is “separating those August 2013. e School has a major interest in technology-enhanced learning: of learning technology is about engaging, the virtual environment allows that worked hard from those who took more all students will be issued with iPads pre-loaded with learning resources for each not only improving the students’ students to listen to ‘real’ breath sounds, of a back seat.” Sta have addressed this by half-day of teaching, along with soware that will enable them to evaluate each experience while at Imperial but order investigations and even diagnose giving each student individual components session as soon as it has nished, and to record any work-based assessments. also helping them acquire the skills patients. As Ashish Hemani, e-learning of the robot design that they are solely Students will also have access to an e-portfolio similar to the one already used by and expertise they will need for the project manager in Medicine points out, responsible for and asking them to submit Imperial students. workplace: “Technology, including online this was not intended to replace face-to-face an individual design report for their work. With each student visiting the communications hub up to 10 times a day, or e-learning, has swept through the corpo- teaching, but to complement it as “a kind of Students are also required to aend both there is lile doubt that the iPads and paperless approach are proving a big hit rate world. If you go to work in the city or preparatory study, so that when students go individual and group interviews, where they with learners at the Business School. Love, who recently received a President for a large corporate company, as many to see patients, they are more con dent”. are questioned about their work. & Rector’s Award for Excellence, awarded annually to sta who have made of our students do, you will be expected In the Business School, sta have found outstanding contributions in teaching, pastoral care, research supervision and to be tech-savvy, so there’s competitive Research-led teaching that going paperless can also bring its own, supporting the student experience, says other departments are considering a pressure on business schools to embrace In the Department of Electrical and new problems. “If you post a course message similar approach. new technologies.” Electronic Engineering (EEE), Reader in across multiple social media channels, Initially piloted last year with 70 students, the new approach to teaching Professor Dot Griths, Principal of Personal Robotics Dr Yiannis Demiris has you soon receive a whole ra of messages and learning has now been rolled out to 750 students in the 2012 intake to the the Business School, adds, as an example, developed a research-led teaching approach from the students in return,” points out Business School’s postgraduate programmes. Love says: “is time last year, that many graduates of the School’s MSc in to give undergraduates the chance to learn Lefevre. “One challenge for universities we were prey much the rst UK business school to issue iPads to our students. Strategic Marketing go on to jobs where they are from participating in his cuing-edge robot- moving in this direction is how to deal with Now I think we have the largest and most ambitious such project in the country required to commission websites or use customer relationship manage- ics research, and from having their work this. How do you respond to everyone if – it’s prey revolutionary.” ment systems. “ey can’t do this unless they have an understanding of evaluated by real end users. As Dr Demiris you’re geing so many messages each week?” how websites are built and hosted. ey certainly won’t be able to have explains: “is helps the students get more In the School of Medicine, evaluation intelligent conversations with technical people unless they have some excited about the end result, as they’re of projects based on new technologies has understanding of how technology works.” not just jumping through hoops for me as highlighted some teething problems. While the lecturer. ey are also producing real a randomised control trial showed a slight Personal touch technologies.” increase in understanding from those who Griths also points out that technology can help create a more person- had taken up the respiratory e-learning alised approach to teaching and learning. is is particularly relevant for option, evaluation of the Second Life her faculty, as unlike subjects such as computing or physics, which tend respiratory ward showed that although it to aract students with a rst degree in that subject, business studies Before we went paperless, if I saw was highly interactive, the learning process can appeal to learners from a variety of disciplines. As a result, it is not something interesting in print that was was less well suited to the skills of year three uncommon for students to need to brush up on speci c areas, like relevant to the course, I’d come in, get a medical students for whom it was originally maths, that they feel rusty on in preparation for starting the course. designed, and the College has therefore For these students, short e-learning courses can be very eective, pair of scissors, cut it out, put it on the decided not to roll it out any further. says Griths. “It’s very dicult to learn subjects like that [maths] photocopier, run o 100 copies and take “is isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” says very intensively and quickly. ey’re usually best taught bit by bit and it to a lecture with me. Now I can capture Partridge. e evaluation of the Second Life we nd that students do much beer at these pre-study courses if they project has also highlighted some important do them online, at their own pace.” the page on the iPad while I’m on the train lessons about usage, with students being far E-learning can also be a great way to give learners individual and send it through to the communications more likely to use resources that are easy feedback, which as Lefevre points out is “a burning issue” in higher hub…and the quality is perfect.” to access when they are on the move, via education at the moment, as well as a priority for the College. smartphone or tablet. “Business school students want more feedback than universities are providing, and those studying at Imperial are no exception. Fourth year students on the Electronic We encourage our lecturers to use simulations, quizzes and interactive and Information Engineering undergradu- exercises in their teaching as much as they can, giving students greater ate course are required to design and build opportunity to get feedback on how they are doing.” their own interactive robots and put them to the test with members of the general public. Standardising medical training Recent projects have included robotic Over at the School of Medicine, sta have been exploring the potential recycling bins, receptionists, buskers and of e-learning as a way of standardising the quality of learning experience, even a robot guide for blind people. e for example in respiratory medicine. e programme for this topic used course, now entering its third year, has to involve two lectures – one on breathlessness and one on pulmonary proved so popular with students that it embolism – followed by practical experience in a hospital environment. received Imperial’s highest student online e problem was that students were sent to dierent hospitals, which evaluation score in 2012, and also earned meant their hands-on experience and exposure to specialists could Demiris Excellence in Teaching Awards vary dramatically. from the President & Rector, as well as In an aempt to give students a more ‘uniform’ experience, from the Faculty of Engineering. He adds: Martyn Partridge, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial, “Many students continue working on their developed e-learning modules on diagnosing respiratory disorders, projects just for their own interest long emergencies and each of the common lung diseases, timetabled for aer the course has nished and grades have students to review at regular intervals during their training. Evaluation been awarded.”

★ BOANERGES ★ FIRST ★ SPANNER ★ FIRST ★ MIKE ★ FIRST ★ JEZEBEL ★ FIRST ★ CLEMENTINE ★ FIRST MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT Version II Version II Version I Version I Version II ‘20 ‘37 ‘52 ‘55 ‘55 MASCOT SHOWDOWN PAST INCARNATIONS: Bo’ I PAST INCARNATIONS: PAST INCARNATIONS: PAST INCARNATIONS: None PAST INCARNATIONS: was a 1908 Rover purchased in 1920 Spanner I (1937), Spanner II (1964) Herbert, a cast metal phoenix (1952), CURRENT: Jez is a 1916 Dennis Clementine I (1955) was a 1919 CURRENT: Bo’ II is a 1902 James and Browne CURRENT: Spanner II is a 4 long brass hand Lamppost, Queen’s Tower (1958) “N” Type re engine named a er a Phoenician Aveling & Porter ve-ton steam roller AN ENTHUSIAST’S purchased in 1934 for £40 tool weighing in at 64lbs (33kg) that ts neatly CURRENT: Mike (1966) is a 4 long, 170lb princess of Sidon CURRENT: Clementine II is a 1926 Morris OWNER: City & Guilds College Union around the bolts of Tower Bridge (77kg) micrometer that measures minute distances OWNER: Royal College of Science Union ‘T’ Type truck purchased in 1960 GUIDE TO IMPERIAL’S STATUS: Inviolate OWWNER: City & Guilds College Union OWNER: Imperial College Union STATUS: Inviolate OWNER: Royal School of Mines STATUS: Violate STATUS: Inviolate STATUS: Inviolate LONG RIVALRIES

mperial has an age-old tradition of mascotry, Isymbolising its spirit and character. Mascots are either ‘inviolate’ (they can’t be stolen) or ‘violate’ (they can be swiped and then held for ransom). The kidnapping of mascots is a game of skill, cunning and opportunity played by the various students’ unions to raise money for well-deserving, student-run charities (RAG). ➼ ➼ ➼ ➼ ➼ Imperial College Union President 2011–12, Scott In 1924 Bo’ I was le at No. 10 Downing Spanner III was cast in the Bessemer Lab e Rie Club saved spent cartridge cases In 1965 at Imperial, the Queen Mum almost Clem used to belong to the Courage Heath, described it as an “adults’ game of hide and Street – its gearbox lled with gravel and carry- in 1961 unbeknownst to the RSM Union. to make Mike in 1966. Designed in the Royal became a victim of Jezebel’s new paint job, Brewery Estate and is therefore a ing mascot ing a lifesize egy of the Prime Minister holding e rst Spanner was lost to King’s, and the College of Science, cast in the Royal School having her pristine white gloves saved from the for the students of the Royal School of Mines, seek”. Those caught attempting to steal have faced a giant biscuit, either in protest against the second broke when sat on by a Guildsman of Mines and machined in the City & Guilds’ stain of scarlet coach paint by of one of its quick who are very fond of the more than occasional retaliation, such as being covered in motor oil, knighthood of a biscuit maker or due to a gi of a er being recovered from being buried in the College, Mike was a truly collaborative eort thinking keepers who shouted “Don’t touch, tipple. She is a yearly participant in the historic wood chips and a can of lasagne, before being a Rolls-Royce to the PM by a lord. Putney towpath. and is more useful than a lamp post. Ma’am. It’s still wet!” Gallantry at its nest. London to Brighton Run. set free. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Boanerges means Spanner – the largest tool available The first college to steal Mike Jez weighs five tons and has Clem runs like a charm and ➼ SHARE your mascot memories and ‘sons of thunder’ – is wielded in defence of Bo’ was UCL 55 sq ft of brass to polish continues to pass her MOT see photos of our collection online at: www.imperial.ac.uk/mascots

★ THETA ★ FIRST ★ DAVY ★ FIRST ★ BOLT ★ FIRST ★ DERRICK ★ FIRST ★ PHOENIX ★ FIRST ★ VICTORIA AND FIRST MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT MASCOT Version IV Version I Version I Version I Version I ALBERT ★ Version I ‘58 ‘68 ‘79 ‘09 ‘10 PAST INCARNATIONS: PAST INCARNATIONS: ‘58 PAST INCARNATIONS: None PAST INCARNATIONS: None PAST INCARNATIONS: None PAST INCARNATIONS: None eta I (1958), eta II (1964), Mitch the Michelin Man (1958), CURRENT: Bolt is a steel shackle with CURRENT: Derrick is a Ner-a-Car CURRENT: A costume representing CURRENT: Since ancient times lions eta III (1970) Davy I (1965) a chrome bolt passing through it, mounted on classic motorbike built in 1926, the last year of the mythical sacred rebird, Phoenix was have been revered in mythology and legend CURRENT: eta IV (1975) is a 7 long CURRENT: Davy II (1975) is a 3 high, 132lb concrete and weighing 68lb (30kg) its production originally created for the annual Varsity match for their power and strength. Just like Imperial thermometer, weighing over 100lbs (45kg) (60kg) brass and aluminium mining lamp OWNER: City & Guilds College Union OWNER: City & Guilds College Union between Imperial College and Imperial Medics athletes, but much more hairy. OWOWNER: Royal College of Science Union OWNER: Royal School of Mines STATUS: Violate STATUS: Inviolate OWNER: Imperial College Medics Union OWNER: Sport Imperial STATUS: Violate STATUS: Inviolate STATUS: Violate STATUS: Inviolate NIT U

➼ eta can be dismantled into four separate ➼ A ransom demand for Davy II included ➼ Bolt has been kidnapped with his faithful ➼Derrick is a male motorbike and the name ➼ Phoenix’s head was stolen in 2011 with a ➼ Victoria and Albert are apt names given that pieces and hidden in separate locations around at least two complete rugby teams spending companion Spanner on a number of was intended to complement Bo’. Suggestions ransom demand that included a £200 donation Imperial is a part of Albertopolis, with a statue HOTOGRAPHIC HOTOGRAPHIC campus. Once completely violated, tradition the night in front of Big Ben. Photos were occasions through the years, resulting in various not chosen include ‘Peep’, ‘Geste’ and ‘Llocks’. to RCSU G, the ICSM President streaking in of Queen Victoria standing in the College’s P states that the eta must be completely to be taken every hour with the clock in the ransom demands. An outrageous one was for e vote swung towards Derrick, inspired by Beit Quad with only the Phoenix head on and main entrance. ese towering costumed HE reassembled before being tossed into the background, showing them holding the student £1,320 – 10 times the combined weight of Bolt the deeply respected (cough, cough) 1978 a department-wide email stating that “RCSU is mascots rally the crowd’s spirit at Varsity sports Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. newspaper Felix and e NewStandard. (68lbs) and Spanner (64lbs). Tarzan movie starring the actress Bo Derek. beer than ICSMSU”. matches. UTTRI DGE,T G

The original Theta was made from a Rumour has it Davy once was buried Bolt fits into the other end of Spanner Derrick is a local boy, made in Phoenix struts his stuff by dancing on Victoria and Albert are our ballcock stuck onto a broom handle under the Queen’s Lawn – a match made in heaven Kingston-upon-Thames in 1926 the sidelines at sports matches youngest –and plushest – mascots HOTOGRAPHY: DAVE DAVE HOTOGRAPHY: P

✷ DISCLAIMER: Stringent attempts were made to verify the facts and we did our best, honest. But it proved harder than finding a black cat in a coal cellar as over 70 years of Felix archives and countless personal interviews proved finding the real answer was not always possible. Dates were contradicted, facts were embellished, and truths were half-baked — but we stand by the motto of never letting the truth get in the way of a good story for this one, folks. So feel free to share your personal tales of the mascots online — and we might print the best in the next issue: www.imperial.ac.uk/mascots WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | · BEHIND THE SCENES |

02 NO SUBSTITUTE The table, made by US rm Anatomage, was bought for $60,000 in 2011, and is the rst of its kind in Europe. Melanie has obvious advantages over a real cadaver. “With a body you can only dissect it once, whereas the table boots up and starts BODY as many times as you want,” says Dr Philip Pratt of the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, pictured to the le. Unfortunately for squeamish medical students, it won’t replace cadavers completely. Handling a real corpse is important for students to develop technical skills and KNOWLEDGE professional attitudes. ➽ Humanuman dissections are a vital part of every doctor’s training, but the experience might be a little di±erent for medical students from the iPad generation. Meet Melanie, a virtual cadaver that can be sliced and viewed from any angle on a touchscreen table.

01 PICTURE PERFECT Based in the Department of 03 CLINICAL APPLICATIONS Imperial researchers are NIT

Surgery and Cancer on the St Mary’s Campus, the table’s exploring applications of the technology that go far beyond U powerful rendering engine combines graphics and CT the teaching of anatomy. CT scans from a patient can be scans to produce a realistic image of a human body. uploaded onto the table and displayed as an interactive 3D Students can interact with the image by swiping a nger image, instead of the slices that doctors normally look at. HOTOGRAPHIC HOTOGRAPHIC over the screen to rotate and slice the body or enlarge the Since the arrangement of blood vessels varies from person P HE view. Skin, organs, bones and blood vessels can be added to person, this display is invaluable to surgeons when they or removed so the viewer can focus on whichever systems have to clamp the vessels before removing part or all of an UTTRI DGE,T

they want to look at. organ, such as a kidney. G HOTOGRAPHY: DAVE DAVE HOTOGRAPHY: P

and momentum of my research group – the or at least those who take the trouble to leave a comment. And projects, the papers, the grant applications although the blogosphere is commonly supposed to be populated – or from the demands of undergraduate by trolls and hecklers, this simply isn’t the case. Among those teaching, which is oen a pleasure to deliver interested in science, there is a growing community with a keen but a struggle to prepare: there never seems appetite for direct interaction with scientists. I had a positive to be enough time to get everything done. initial reaction to my scrawlings on science and life in the research You might think that 20 years in the business lab and soon developed a degree of self-condence – I hesitate to would have taught me how to balance this call it courage – about sharing my views online. tension with professorial poise but you would I was surprised to discover that sitting down at my keyboard to be wrong. write took me out into the world in ways that I never imagined and Nevertheless, amidst this ongoing helped to redene how I see my role as a scientist and professor. mêlée, the freedom that came with being At rst I didn’t recognise myself. a professor oered me an opportunity to Before long I found myself banging on the door of The Guardian enlarge my scientic activities. In 2008, as I newspaper demanding – and getting – the right of reply to was nalising yet another grant application, I columnist Simon Jenkins who, ri·ng found myself stalled in front of my computer o the non-appearance of a bird flu trying to concoct 400 words on my plans epidemic, had castigated scientists for how I might engage broader audiences “Among those interested as a self-appointed clerisy that » with my research. This part of the form had in science, there is a growing considered itself above criticism. always troubled me. I had no problem with I wrote to remind him that the rigours the implied duty to reach out to the public to community with a keen of peer review of our papers and grant give a good account of how I was planning appetite for direct interaction applications regularly serve to keep to spend taxpayers’ money, but had few scientists grounded in reality and, ideas, beyond visiting my children’s school, with scientists.” occasionally, painful humility. of how to go about it. But around that time, In May 2010 I went to a meeting I had become dimly aware of the scientic for those angered by a High Court blogosphere and began to think that a blog ruling that science writer Simon Singh WHEN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGIST STEPHEN CURRY might be an easy way both to fulll my duty (Physics 1987) had a libel case to answer when he wrote that the to the citizenry and to demystify the idea of British Chiropractic Association (BCA) had “not a jot of evidence” STARTED BLOGGING, HE DIDN’T ANTICIPATE TRIPS professor. to support its claims that spinal manipulation was an eective TO THE HIGH COURT OR INTO THE HEART OF It was a risky move because even now treatment for childhood asthma. GOVERNMENT. HERE HE REVEALS HOW PLUGGING people look quizzically at you if you confess Picking up on that issue in my blog and joining in with the PROFESS to blogging. “Gra·ti with punctuation” is noisy campaign to challenge the BCA, I found myself in the HIMSELF INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN HAS ADDED how the gru scientist in the movie Contagion High Court listening to Singh’s barrister debate the ner points NEW PERSPECTIVES TO HIS PROFESSORIAL LIFE dismisses blogging. That view still has many of what constitutes scientic evidence with three of the most real world proponents, who tend to see it senior judges in the land. It was almost surreal to witness science OF RESEARCH AND TEACHING. as an insular, narcissistic activity. Within dissected in a courtroom but a salutary reminder that it reaches the scientic community blogging is still well beyond the connes of the laboratory. sometimes seen as a distraction from the real As support for Singh, who eventually won his case, transformed Words by Many people outside academia When I was promoted to professor business of research. into the Campaign for Libel Reform I found myself in parliamentary STEPHEN CURRY don’t seem to know what to make of back in 2007 my parents asked me So, despite enjoying the new-found sense committee rooms absorbing the testimony of a wide range of professors. This was driven home to how my job would change as a result. of academic freedom that came with elevation interest groups, several of them scientists, science writers and Illustrations by me a few years ago in a conversation I was surprised at the question; as to the rank of professor, I dithered. Fear of journal editors. They each recounted examples of the pernicious SHOTOPOP with one of our undergraduate anyone familiar with academia will losing scientic respectability wasn’t the eects of the archaic defamation law of England and Wales, under students. Though no stranger to know, apart perhaps from an increase only impediment. Starting a blog may be which a threat of libel can be issued with little or no evidence professors, having been taught by in committee work, I expected my technically straightforward — all you need of damage and throws the burden of proof on the defendant. several during his degree course at primary duties of research and to do is log on and begin typing — but for a Because they are so expensive to defend, even if you win, libel Imperial, he was incredulous when teaching to remain largely the same. scientist who has only previously published writs are oen used to stifle legitimate scientic debate. Science I informed him that Professor Curry But something did change. When research papers, the immediacy of blog as a discipline depends critically on the cut and thrust of argument regularly took the 52 bus from Victoria called upon to deliver my inaugural writing feels strange, even dangerous. but where that clashes with powerful commercial interests, such train station on his way to work. lecture, I had the chance to reflect There is not the protection of peer review by as in the treatment regimes of chiropractors or the management Somehow he saw professors as a class on the journey that led to promotion, colleagues who will catch your more egregious of drug trials of pharmaceutical companies, wealthy organisations apart – not like ordinary mortals. which was mainly devoted to the errors before publication. So I hesitated on can silence critics with the mere threat of a libel action. The revelation gave me pause for structural analysis of virus proteins the edge of the blogosphere, that great ocean There is little doubt that the scientic dimension to the thought: professorships are much and protein-drug interactions; but of free expression, testing the waters at rst campaign helped to propel it up the political agenda and, more numerous than they used to be more importantly, I started to consider with my toe by leaving comments on other astonishingly, the UK’s coalition government is now shepherding – the days of one prof per department what I might do with the position. As people’s blogs. Finding that these weren’t a new Defamation Act through parliament that oers much are long gone – but clearly they retain I did so I felt able to relax a little and beaten back by an adversely critical reaction, stronger libel protection for science (and many other areas of some mystique. I wouldn’t wish to began to enjoy the sense of arrival. that in fact some people took what I wrote public life). I cannot claim to have played a major part in the diminish the position, but sense that a There was no let-up from the seriously, I eventually took the plunge and campaign but have given steady written and personal support; reality check is in order. pressure of maintaining the funding started my own blog: Reciprocal Space. seeing it from close quarters has been an education in legal and Since then, I have never looked back. political processes. I found that once you start, it’s di·cult to shut Like I said, once you get a taste for these things it is di·cult to up. The great thing about writing a blog is that stop. When, in September 2010, Vince Cable, the new Secretary you get instant feedback from your readers, of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, sought to justify

a warning that scientists would have to take their share of impending budget cuts by declaring “something in the order of “The experience of leaping from the » 45%” of publicly funded research to be “not of excellent standard”, keyboard into the public domain has I did not hesitate. Former MP Dr Evan Harris and I wrote a stern rebuttal of Cable’s claim in The Guardian and immediately joined a brought home to me how standing up for small band of like-minded scientists, led by cell biologist Dr Jenny something can make a real dierence.” Rohn, to found the Science is Vital campaign. It is a testament to the power of blogging – and Facebook and Twitter – that within 42 frantic days we had amassed a petition of over 35,000 signatures, lobbied parliament and rallied with over 2,000 supporters right Of late, the focus of my writing has outside the doors of the Treasury to protest the threatened cuts looped back into academia. A post I wrote to the science budget. Harnessing grassroots support was an last year to assert the importance of important llip to behind the scenes eorts by more august bodies mathematics in the training of life scientists such as the Royal Society to lobby the government. It led to direct sparked an enormous response that is talks with Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts now helping me, in my role as Director and – it still seems incredible – to signicant protection of UK of Undergraduate Studies, to organise a spending on science spend. rethink of our curriculum. The science budget for 2010–14 was xed in cash terms and so Most recently I have been exploring the is being eroded by inflation. There is no doubt that pressure on issue of ‘open access’, a revolutionary funding is much more intense than in recent years – many working approach to publishing research papers scientists seem gripped by a grim determination to weather the that makes the scientic literature freely detectors found himself as deputy project made in Russian roubles.” It turned out recession. But I was immensely heartened by our ability, through available to readers. It is an obvious CERN Courier leader of the Compact Muon Solenoid to have been a good investment though, Science is Vital, to mobilise support, not just from scientists, who innovation in a web-connected world that (CMS) experiment – the project to design as it was in these very crystals that were only about half the signatories on the petition, but from large enables the taxpayer to access the research a new particle detector that has since CMS detected the strongest signal for swathes of the UK population. that they have paid for. With luck, open become known as the ‘united nations of the new boson. As with the libel reform campaign, the experience of leaping access should enrich the technological science’, involving over 3,000 scientists All the while he was away, Tejinder from the keyboard into the public domain has brought home to dimension of political discourse as our Born in the foothills of Mount Kenya, and engineers from 40 countries. kept up strong connections with Imperial: me how standing up for something can make a real dierence. society turns to face serious problems, now commuting between the foothills The experiment called for input “I have always felt part of the Imperial Something I thought would be di·cult turned out to be quite such as climate change, energy generation, of the Alps and London, Imperial’s from institutions and governments in family,” he says. “It is one of the few straightforward. I hope my eorts might also have made blogging food supply and the medical demands of Professor Tejinder Virdee is a well-heeled many countries, which Tejinder and his places in the world that could have let more respectable within science, by showing something of its an ageing population. citizen of the world. Over the last 30 years colleagues set o to visit one by one. me do the research I wanted. Everyone potential to energise dialogue, both amongst scientists and with Open access is backed by the his work as a particle physicist has taken “We had grand scientic goals, and went has been very supportive and we are the wider public. With increasing frequency I bump into colleagues government, but it is a complex policy him around the globe while championing on a journey of discovery to countries known the world over as a leader in who tell me they have read my blog, something that is always that is inflaming cultural and budgetary a border-crossing experiment that has such as Brazil, China, India, Iran, Korea, particle physics.” satisfying to hear because although I might now be less shy of conflicts among scientists, who feel changed the face of physics and our New Zealand, Pakistan, Ukraine, USA Aer almost two decades at the helm oering an opinion in public, part of me feels little dierent from tethered to an established journal system understanding of the Universe. and more,” he recalls. “Everyone treated of CMS, Tejinder now devotes his time the di·dent undergraduate I was 30 years ago. The openness of that is increasingly unaordable. The us really well, and each trip held a new to extracting the science from CMS and the form, I tell them, gives blogging a scholarly edge: writing in innovation is by no means a done deal, surprise. In Beijing we were taken to spending more time at Imperial. His home public disciplines your thinking and challenges it by exposing you so I have been writing extensively about ➼ TEJINDER’S GLOBETROTTING BEGAN the Forbidden City before our meeting. remains in Geneva with his wife Vatsala, fully to the counter-views of your commenter critics. open access this year, trying to unpick when he was a postgraduate at Imperial, In Taiwan I found myself in the middle who works for the United Nations. “When its Gordian knot of issues for myself and with trips to America’s national accelerator of an earthquake. And in India we I’m travelling I stay in hotels, but it’s much anyone who cares to read. laboratory in Stanford to collect data stayed in a makeshi bed and breakfast more pleasant when you have your own Having plugged my professorial self for his PhD (Physics 1979). “At the time, where the villagers still hand weave place to go to. London is refreshing and into the public domain, I am increasingly few universities oered this kind of beautiful shawls.” I can focus on teaching.” It’s also a chance called on for comment in the press and on opportunity for a young student to The scale of the CMS project meant it for him to catch up with his children, the radio. How things have changed. A few travel on the job, but there were only would take almost 20 years to complete. Oxford astrophysics doctoral student months ago I found myself in a booth at the a few places where you could do large One of his early trips turned up a key Jasmeer (Physics 2009) and primary school BBC studio in Westminster, staring down at scale particle physics experiments,” component for the detector in the form teacher Natisha, who both moved to the the microphone in front of me, waiting for he explains. of lead tungstate crystals in the former UK for university aer growing up the ‘voice of Radio 4’, Eddie Mair, to cue These early experiences inspired USSR. “I knew these would be perfect in Switzerland. me in as the professorial expert to another Tejinder to move from London to the for measuring the high energy photons So where next for Tejinder? He was discussion on open access and wondering: European Organization for Nuclear so vital in our search for understanding just back from a meeting in Edinburgh “How did I get here?” Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, how elementary particles acquire mass,” with only a small suitcase when Imperial where he pioneered new approaches to Tejinder remembers. “Manufacturing magazine met up with him. He le high energy physics. By 1989 CERN’s the crystals turned out to be our biggest promptly to board a plane to Corsica to Structural biologist PROFESSOR STEPHEN CURRY Large Hadron Collider project was challenge. It took 20 visits to Russia and talk about the results on the recently works on virus replication, using X-ray crystallography beginning to get going. Tejinder worked earned me an open visa, but we eventually discovered Higgs-like boson, to be to determine protein structure and function. He is also with colleagues to develop the proposal for got them grown in an ex-military factory followed by a CMS symposium in Lisbon, Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of an experiment that, in 1993, was chosen outside Moscow – a production that ran Portugal, and then on to Krakow, Poland Life Sciences and teaches on the BSc in Biochemistry course. over sti competition from scientic rivals round the clock for 10 years.” It also turned to discuss the future of particle physics. He blogs about the place of science in the world at as the best way to detect the now famous out to be the project’s biggest contract, “This is an exceptionally busy time for http://occamstypewriter.org/scurry Higgs boson particle. worth 50 million Swiss francs. “We initially me,” he laughs. “It’s hard to say no to And so it was that this young experimen- settled in US dollars, but the changing these invitations. It’s always exhilarating talist and self-made inventor of particle economy meant that nal payments were to share my passion for particle physics.”

ª | IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | « SPECIAL EVENT IMPERIAL FESTIVAL ➻ As plans for the 2013 Imperial Festival and Alumni Reunion get underway, & ALUMNI REUNION Imperial magazine takes a look at what we got up to last year. Hands-on research,  dance classes, live music and children’s workshops kept adult and family audiences busy, while alumni got to reunite with old friends and make new connections.

´, SOAPBOX SCIENCE PhD students took to JUMP TALKS OF THE TOWN REGISTERED their soapboxes to debate scientic issues Imperial College Road Visitors enjoyed lectures from ALUMNI & THEIR with Festival visitors, such as whether the sprang to life with student world-leading researchers GUESTS carbon cost of flying can be justied, or should societies showcasing their throughout the day, including we be trying to live for longer? Medicine skills. The Parkour Society sessions on how our bones postgrads Alice Brown and Katerina Seich al reached new heights work, how Britain became an Basatena (le) made the case for how best to with their gravity defying island, digital technologies communicate science with the public. moves. and entrepreneurship.

EXPLOSIVE EXPERIMENTS From the very big to SING The Festival ALUMNI NETWORKS the very small, the Festival Research Zone marquee was music stage buzzed Alumni from across the globe packed with interactive demonstrations, experiments with performances from enjoyed opportunities to catch up and opportunities for alumni, families, sta and students College musicians while the Festival programme kept to quiz scientists and engineers about their work. such as the Techtonics their families amused. The 2013 The highlight for one family was “the interactive, a cappella group (right), Alumni Reunion includes a private hands-on things, because they show you how science and DJ78 and his wind-up view of the Festival Research Zone works and you can take part in it”. gramophones. as well as exclusive social events.

THE ODDITIES OF PHYSICS Friends of QUEENS TOWER EGG DROP SEEING ISN’T BELIEVING Imperial teamed up with Department of Physics Imperial’s Reach Out Lab challenged Bioengineering student Richard sta and students to produce a show of “the younger visitors to design, build Pangonis navigated the Festival strangest, most intriguing and nerdiest feats and test a contraption to protect Research Zone marquee using a that science has to oer”. Alumni and Festival an egg dropped from the rst device developed for visually visitors of all ages were kept entertained floor of the Queen’s Tower. Other impaired Paralympic sailors with acts inspired by particle physics, inspiring activities included making as part of an relativity and classical mechanics. planispheres and polymer worms. undergraduate sports innovation design RESEARCHERS project. PRESENTING , VISITORS

BIOFUEL BIOLOGY HAND IN HAND “I wanted PhD student Ben Reeve to thank Imperial Festival. demonstrated how he You kept three generations is using E. coli to of my family entertained all develop synthetic day. Two weeks later, the only biofuels, with the help POP UP SURGERY. Technologies for training surgeons were put to thing anyone wants to do is of a cuddly version good use in Imperial’s inflatable operating theatre, where medical dramas to come back and talk to the of the bacterium. unfold and wannabe surgeons can get to grips with surgical procedures. robots again…”

DANCE Student dance groups POP MUSIC Exploding QUESTION TIME Imperial GIVGIVE ME A BEAT. Can you breathe? The Imperial including Belly Dancing (right) and stripy paper bags added Consultants invited visitors to College student division of St John Funkology ran workshops, gave drama, entertainment and put burning questions to College Ambulance, IC LINKS, gave lessons in visitors opportunities to put their audience participation to researchers and nd out how their life saving, as they taught visitors new skills into practice, and staged Imperial College Symphony work has solved real-life problems the basics of rst aid and special performances in the Dance Orchestra’s performance from surveillance robots to squeaking resuscitation, and invited Tent throughout the Festival. of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 windscreen wipers and drying them to try out what they Overture. mangoes. learnt on the resident dummy.

ª µ ALUMNI RECEPTIONS

1 / In July 2012, President & HOMPSON Rector Sir Keith O’Nions hosted T an alumni reception in Shanghai AYTON AYTON at the Swissotel Grand for alumni L living in the region.

2 / The President & Rector CHOLARS¤ S visited Houston in September 2012, as well as New York,

San Francisco and Boston, FAMILY EE hosting alumni receptions in each city. · 3 / The alumni event in S HUBB ER, L Shanghai attracted over 100 ·¸ HIM Imperial graduates to hear the 6 / Face painting, jousting and dancing the latest updates on activities in night away featured at this year’s uncommonly sunny Silfest, the student-run music festival

London and share stories of their KA D LECTURE, time at the College. held every year at Silwood Park Campus in Berkshire. 4 / The New York event, which

7 / We welcomed over 2,200 prospective D AWAR OHN

also featured representatives K from Imperial College Rugby students and 1,400 parents at the Club, who were in the US on tour, undergraduate Science and Engineering was held in the British Consulate Open Day on 28 June 2012. on 13 September. 8 / More than 5,000 graduates and 12,000 5 / July 2012 marked the guests celebrated their success at the 2012 30th birthday celebrations for graduation ceremonies at the Royal Albert Hall. ICAAHK, celebrated at the Hong 9 / A·er limbering up at Imperial’s Ethos sports S¤ PHOTOVERULAM; £ PHOTOVERULAM; D S¤ S IMMON Kong Bankers Club with a dinner centre, British triathlete Alistair Brownlee won LLIE LLIE attended by around 200 alumni. Olympic gold as brother Jonny took bronze. 10 / British Paralympic swimmer Ellie PREW; £E GOODRECEPTION Simmonds trained at Ethos before winning gold in the 400m freestyle and 200m individual AROLINE AROLINE medley. C « ´ LISTAIR BROWNLEE¤ BROWNLEE¤ LISTAIR

·· · · · A 11 / Prime Minister David Cameron was one of the NGUS; £ NGUS;

speakers at the Global Health Policy Summit, hosted by A Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation. HOMAS HOMAS

12 / The President of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza, T visited the College to learn more about research links between Imperial and Mozambique, including HIV prevention and helping tackle the parasitic disease schistosomiasis. 13 / The Department of Chemical Engineering launched its new ChemEng Discovery Space, including labs and a fully functioning pilot plant, with tours and talks. ISCOVERY SPACE, LEGACY LUNCH¤ LUNCH¤ LEGACY SPACE, ISCOVERY

14 / Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov FRS, joint D recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, gave the 2012 Kohn Award lecture on his discovery, graphene, and what the future holds for it. UATION, CHEMENG CHEMENG UATION, , GRA D , ·´

15 / Alumni attended the Legacy Lunch with the ROE; £SILFEST President & Rector at his home. 18 / Rio Tinto and Imperial 16 / Last summer, Kadhim Shubber (Physics 2012) signed an education partnership, ARTIN raised £3,000 for the Rector’s Scholarship Fund which includes scholarships by cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End on and support for teaching. a tandem... with a skeleton. 19 / The Lee Kong Chian 17 / Dr Richard Lee (Chemical Engineering 1960, School of Medicine, the joint K¤ M YOR £NEW HORN; PhD 1964) visited with Sir Keith O’Nions and medical school being developed T by Imperial College London three current Lee Family Scholars: Zichen Xue ERRY (Earth Science and Engineering), Yu Luo (Physics) and Nanyang Technological and Shouhua Chen (Mechanical Engineering). University in Singapore, held its ground-breaking ceremony Since 2002, the Lees Charitable Foundation has HOUSTON¤T provided 10 full PhD scholarships for top students in May 2012. from China and Hong Kong. · ·ª ·« ·µ PHOTOGRAPHY: £ PHOTOGRAPHY:

IN THE AIR The meshing of engineering and medicine was the bedrock of a career in which Hugh Glanville (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1942) transformed the lives of “WHEN I WAS A LAD thousands of people with mobility GROWING UP NEAR GATWICK, I had this issues across the UK. recurring dream that I would suddenly become airborne Professor Hugh Glanville, who died in December and go ying round the 2011 at the age of 95, was tempted into medicine by countryside,” says Martin the promise of sport alongside study. A school friend Peifer, a technician in the told him how much he was enjoying his training at Mechanical Instrumentation St Mary’s Hospital Medical School, highlighting the Workshop in the Department excellent rugby team. On gaining a place, Hugh went of Physics. “My whole life on to learn from Sir Alexander Fleming, or ‘Old Flem’ I’ve been obsessed with the as the undergraduates called him, and on one occasion sky,” he admits. received penicillin from the drug’s discoverer as Martin quali ed as a treatment for a minor ailment. pilot by the age of 21 and Aer serving in the Westminster Dragoons during has been doing aerobatics in the Second World War, Hugh joined the edgling NHS vintage planes, and passing as a junior doctor, and began to specialise in rehabilitative Professor Hugh Glanville (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1942) 1916–2011 on his passion by working medicine, working to improve the lives of people who as a ying instructor, at the had suered severe injury and physical impairment. Rehabilitation Centre at Salisbury District Hospital in 1956. He went on weekends ever since. In 1953 he was asked to move to Salisbury to help set to become the UK’s rst Professor of Rehabilitative Medicine at the University He relishes a chal- up the UK’s rst rehabilitation service, something he of Southampton 14 years later. lenge; whether that be in described as the second best thing he did in his life, Hugh’s willingness to explore and embrace new techniques led him to his weekday role – making the rst being his marriage to his wife, Estelle. introduce functional electrical stimulation (FES) to the UK in the 1970s. tiny prototypes from start to Hugh brought to the role his enthusiasm for e treatment deploys electrical currents to activate nerves in limbs aected nish for academics to enable engineering, having always enjoyed tinkering with by paralysis, helping patients to regain speech and mobility. them to do their experiments motors and engines. He converted an old Nissen hut Hugh drew most satisfaction from seeing the people he treated rebuild their with lasers or cryogenics – or in the grounds of Odstock Hospital into a workshop lives. Patients say that FES has enabled them to do things that previously seemed looping the loop in a WWII to explore how machinery could be beer applied distant dreams. e bene ts of Hugh’s work are still felt today, championed by Tiger Moth. “I prefer ying to improve patients’ mobility, working on the the National Clinical Centre for FES which opened in 2007 and currently treats older planes, as their lack of development of prosthetic limbs. around 2,500 people a year. technology makes them a real e approach he honed throughout his clinical Hugh is survived by Estelle, daughters Margot and Felicity, his grandchildren handful to y,” he explains. work was cemented when he founded the Wessex and his brother John (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1953). Martin would love to use his expertise to build his own plane one day but dismisses making one from a kit, in favour of doing it from scratch. “e problem Academic adventurer

is that would take up to UNIT

15 years and, for me, that’s Alumna Janet Folkes (PhD nation, but added that Janet also airborne for over 69 hours with valuable ying time I’m not Metallurgy and Materials Science took life by the scru of the neck. her co-pilot Dr Ann Webb, prepared to sacri ce.” 1985) excelled in science but was Her subsequent career took achieving the longest hydrogen PHOTOGRAPHIC happiest exploring the skies. in both academia and industry, gas balloon ight by an all-female THE ,

GE Janet, who died aged 52 in and she seled as a senior lecturer crew in the 2009 Gordon Benne

CKENZIE January 2012, came to Imperial in manufacturing engineering at race launched from Geneva. M GUTTRI D to take a PhD in the laser surface the University of Noingham. Describing the grip that

AVE treatment of titanium and Janet was an adventurer ballooning held on her, Janet titanium alloys, graduating in with a passion for ballooning, said: “Up there you see the Dr Janet Folkes (PhD Metallurgy and 1986. Her supervisor, Dr William seing over 50 world records. sunrise and the sunset. Flying Materials Science 1985) 1959–2012 Steen, recalls her quiet determi- Among her triumphs, she stayed puts your worries in perspective”. LLUSTRATIONS: DONNA DONNA LLUSTRATIONS: I PHOTOGRAPHY: D PHOTOGRAPHY:

• Mr Andrew Kopec • Mr James R. Ellis In memoriam ·µ¸s (DIC Civil Engineering 1957) (Mining and Mineral Technology 1965, ·µ´¸s • Mr John E. Arregger • Mr Hoi-Wai Leung MSc Geology 1976)* • Mr Tassos Anastasiou (Chemical Engineering and (MSc Civil Engineering 1954) • Emeritus Professor Kenneth J. Barnes (Electrical Engineering 1989) Applied Chemistry 1952) It is with regret that we announce the death of the following alumni of Imperial • Mr Martin Lovering (PhD Physics 1963)* • Mr Robert K. Birrell College London and the constituent medical schools and Wye College. • Dr Albert E. Ashcro (Chemical Engineering 1957) • Dr Otto S. Frank (MSc Humanities 1983) (Westminster Medical School 1957) (Charing Cross Hospital Medical Alumni are listed according to their year of graduation. When an alumnus has • Mr Bruce P. MacKenzie • Mr George Davis • Mr John D. Austin (Mining 1953) (Electrical Engineering 1951) School 1963) (MSc Management Science 1982) obtained more than one degree from the College they are listed according to • Surgeon Commander Peter J. Baneld • Mr Alan J. Marles • Mr Patrick M. Gamble (Geology 1967) • Mr Michael Isaacs the graduation year of their rst degree. Where indicated by a dagger (†) the (Westminster Medical School 1957) (Mechanical Engineering 1950) • Mr Lawrence Goodhand (MSc Computing and Control 1980) alumnus was also a member of sta. Where indicated by an *, obituaries are • Dr Michael H. Benn • Mr Brendan G. McKeown OBE (Chemistry 1963) • Mr John A. Jones (MSc Geology 1983) available online at www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni/obituaries. Printed copies (Chemistry 1954, PhD 1957)* (DIC Geology 1956)* • Dr Roger M. Henson • Mrs Gwen J. Luker née Gri·ths of obituaries are also available on request from [email protected]. • Mr Graham H. Booth • Dr Colin G. McKerron (Chemistry 1962, PhD Chemistry 1965)* (Mathematics 1980) (Electrical Engineering 1953)* (Charing Cross Hospital Medical • Mr Jerey Kay (Physics 1960) • Mr Simon E. Rust (Wye College 1986) School 1958) Professor Martin Fleischmann • Mr Donald G. Bowtell (Geology 1952) • Dr Philip J. Kingston • Mr Darius C. Webber (Chemistry 1947, PhD 1950) • Dr Kevin Browne (Charing Cross • Mr Richard J. Meader (Westminster Medical School 1965)* (MSc Management Science 1986)* • Mr Richard M. Hadeld (Chemistry 1943) (DIC Civil Engineering 1957) 1927–2012 ·µ¸s Hospital Medical School 1956) • Dr Michael J. Losty • Mr Douglas W. Haigh • Gp Capt. S.J. Carter (Charing Cross • Mr Raymond C. Morgan (Physics 1965, PhD 1968)* • Mr John R. Ewans (Mechanical (Chemical Technology 1940)* Hospital Medical School 1955) (Aeronautics 1957, DIC 1958)* • Dr William MacMillan Engineering and Motive Power 1937, ·µµ¸s • Mr William B. Hall (Metallurgy 1947)* • Dr R.A. Neve (Wye College 1956) (PhD Chemical Engineering Aeronautics 1938)* • Professor Ian C. Cheeseman • Dr Gerald H. Hargreaves (Mathematics and Mechanics 1949, • Emeritus Professor Denis O’Kelly and Chemical Technology 1962) • Mr Ebrahim Amanollahi In search of cold fusion • Mr John Grensted (Electrical (Chemistry 1943, PhD 1945) PhD 1951) (MSc Electrical Engineering 1952) • Mr Michael J. Matthews (MSc Civil Engineering 1994) Engineering 1933, DIC 1934) • Mr Bryan Hildrew CBE • Mr Michael J. Cooper (Wye College 1957) • Mr Martin Olive (Mining and Mineral Technology 1961) • Mr Roger Carless (Computing 1997) A visionary chemist, Martin Fleischmann (Chemistry • Dr William Hewitt (St Mary’s Hospital (MSc Mechanical Engineering 1948)* (Chemical Engineering and Chemical • Dr Barry D. Perrott 1947, PhD 1950), briey turned the world of nuclear Medical School 1945) • Dr John S. Cornes • Mr Ashley D. Collins (Computing 1992)* • Mr Peter H. Hutchinson (Westminster Medical School 1951) Technology 1953) (Westminster Medical School 1961) energy on its head. • Dr Kaspar S. Hocking (Biology 1935)* • Mr Russell L. Crockford (Electrical Engineering 1941)* • Mr John D.H. Reddick (Geology 1951) • Dr Edward M. Orton (Charing Cross • Mrs J.J. Pitts née Cundy (Wye College 1992) • Dr Derrik J. Littler • Mr Wei Lu Huang Hospital Medical School 1952) (Wye College 1964) e signi cant contributions to modern electrochemistry of (Physics 1939, PhD 1956)* • Dr Iain C. Dow (St Mary’s Hospital • Dr Christiana Dymiotis-Wellington (MSc Electrical Engineering 1947)* Medical School 1952) • Dr M.F. Porter (St Mary’s Hospital • Dr Beverly J. Rathcke (MSc Civil and Environmental • Dr Alfred F. Millidge alumnus Professor Martin Fleischmann, who died in August • Mr Thomas D. Jones Medical School 1953) (MSc Botany and Plant Technology 1968) Engineering 1996, PhD 1999) (PhD Chemistry 1936) • Dr James L. Down 2012 aged 85, were eclipsed by his claims in 1989 to have (Civil Engineering 1948)* (Chemistry 1956, PhD 1959) • Dr Vincent Pratt (Westminster Hospital • Dr David W. Robinson • Mr Ivan A. Hiscox (MSc Earth Resources • Mrs Margaret Morten née Norris • Mr Ernest J. Kaye Medical School 1957)* (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1964) Engineering 1995) achieved cold fusion. If correct the development would have (Wye College 1939)* • Mr Richard A.G. Downes met the world’s energy needs overnight. (Electrical Engineering 1942)* (Chemical Engineering and • Mr Tom Ridley • Dr Peter J.Y. Scott • Mrs Soa I. Jourdan (Computing 1997) (DIC Civil Engineering 1954)* (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1960) While out hiking in the early 1980s Fleischmann and his • Dr Euan C.B.S. Keat (Charing Cross Chemical Technology 1959) • Mr Nimish Shah (MSc Computing 1992)* Hospital Medical School 1943)* • Mr Derek J.W. Rose (Botany 1951)* • Mr Charles N. Sutton-Smith colleague Stanley Pons puzzled over how nuclear fusion could • Dr Maurice V. Driver (Charing Cross • Dr Pavel Pinkava (PhD Physics 1990) ·µ¸s • Mr Adrian Pelly (Wye College 1940) Hospital Medical School 1951) • Mr Peter S. Rose (MPhil Computing and Automation 1969) • Professor Gunnar Thorsen be achieved at room temperature. eir contemplation of a new (Electrical Engineering 1959) • Mr Brian D. Steel • Dr John Attenburrow (Chemistry 1943) • Dr W.H.R. Rees (Charing Cross Hospital • Dr A.J. Earl (Earth Resources Engineering 1997)* experiment into cold fusion was foreshadowed by Fleischmann’s Medical School 1949) (Westminster Medical School 1958) • Eur.Ing. Royston J. Froud (Chemical Engineering and • Dr Robert (Robin) Armatage (St Mary’s Chemical Technology 1968) doctorate from Imperial, investigating how hydrogen diused Hospital Medical School 1946)* • Mr John Rendall (Metallurgy 1941) • Dr Georey Evans (St Mary’s Hospital (Electrical Engineering 1959) through platinum. Using an electrical current they aimed to Medical School 1958) • Mr G.F.C. Selby-Lowndes (Physics 1955) • Dr Christopher D. Walker • Mr Louis Badone (Metallurgy 1945) • Mr Stanley E. Richardson (Mathematics (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1961) ¸¸¸s facilitate the absorption of hydrogen atoms from water into • Dr Charles E. Bagg and Mechanics 1942, DIC Aeronautics • Dr Norman Evans (Aeronautics 1957) • Dr Amalendu Sen • Dr Michael A. Williams • Miss Elsa Carneau (Biology 2006)* a cathode of palladium. e theory was that the hydrogen (Westminster Medical School 1946) 1943, DIC Computing and Control 1972) • Dr Roy G. Fender (St Mary’s Hospital (PhD Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology 1959) (Metallurgy 1967, PhD 1971) atoms would fuse together, releasing a burst of energy. • Mr Roderick K. Barnes (Physics 1943) • Mr Frederick D. Robinson Medical School 1951) • Dr Joseph I.M. Footitt (PhD National Heart and Lung Institute 2011)† (Geology 1947) • Dr Paul M. Forster (St Mary’s Hospital • Mr Graham P.J. Shepherd Aer years working on the experiment, the team • Dr Derek F. Bedford (St Mary’s Hospital (Chemical Engineering 1954)* Medical School 1948) • Mr John Rudd Medical School 1952) discovered one morning that overnight their equipment (Electrical Engineering 1943) • Mr Peter L. Sidey (Physics 1950) ·µ«¸s had melted a hole the size of a dinner plate in the lab bench. • Mr Peter A. Branch • Dr Norman R. Fraser (PhD Zoology (DIC Chemical Engineering and • Professor Arthur J. Rutter and Applied Entomology 1952) • Mr Georey R. Snelling • Dr David A. Binder Students “It had obliterated itself,” Fleischmann is said to have recalled. Applied Chemistry 1942) (Botany 1938, PhD 1941) • Dr John R. Gough (St Mary’s Hospital (Chemical Engineering and (Mathematics, PhD 1976)* Applied Chemistry 1951) • Mr Nishil Shah e evidence of signi cant heat release led to the university’s • Dr H.R. Cla • Mr Kenneth H. Sargent Medical School 1950) • Dr David T. Elliot (Civil and Environmental Engineering) shock public announcement four weeks later that cold fusion (Westminster Medical School 1941) (Chemistry 1945, MSc 1948) • Dr A.B. Gray • Dr Peter H. Swinhoe OBE (St Mary’s (Physics 1970, PhD 1973) Hospital Medical School 1952) • Mr Marcin Makowski had been achieved. • Mr Glascott E. Dawson-Grove • Mr Jack Schoeld (Mechanical (Westminster Medical School 1955) • Mr Jonathan G. Goodman (Chemical Engineering) (Geology 1949) Engineering and Motive Power 1946)* • Mr John A. Greenwood • Mr Cyril R. Taylor (Aeronautics 1955)* (Mining and Mineral Technology 1972, Imperial physicist Professor Steve Rose, who was working MSc Wye College 1979) on hot fusion at the Rutherford Lab at the time, recalled how • Dr Alan Du·eld (Mechanical • Mr Peter Selwood (Geology 1949) (Aeronautics 1959) • Mr Ian J. Taylor (Chemical Engineering 1957) • Mr William Honeyman the news provoked furore in the worlds of science and industry. Engineering 1948, PhD 1953) • Dr Maurice Sevik • Mr Ernest J. Grossman (Mechanical Engineering 1952) (MSc Geology 1974) Sta± ere was signi cant scepticism that fusion could be achieved • Mr Jerey Edelman (Botany 1948) (DIC Aeronautics 1945)* • Mr Arnold J. Versteegh • Dr Margaret J. Pleasance née Thornley • Mr Maurice C. Hately (Electrical Engineering 1952)* • Professor Jeremy R. Jass • Emeritus Professor David Binnie without blisteringly high temperatures. Other scientists • Dr John B. Enticknap (Charing Cross (Westminster Medical School 1975) (Physics) Hospital Medical School 1945) (Botany 1945) (Electrical Engineering 1952) • Dr David J. Ward were unable to evidence nuclear activity when recreating the • Mr Jack Tolman • Mr Dennis F. High (Chemistry 1958, PhD 1961) • Dr Raymond H. Jones • Sir Christopher Booth (Medicine) • Dr A.J. Essex-Cater (Charing Cross (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1974) processes and Fleischmann and Pons, who continued with Hospital Medical School 1948) (Electrical Engineering 1944) (Electrical Engineering 1950) • Eur.Ing. James Wendon • Mr Allan Larson (Catering) (Mechanical Engineering 1958) • Mr Alfred F.H. Knight the research until 1995, could never reproduce the results. • Dr Desmond L.B. Farley • Mr Derek C. Topham (Wye College 1948) • Dr Colin B. Hobbs • Ms Wendy Surridge (Planning) (Westminster Medical School 1953) (MSc Computing and Control 1977) e shadow cast by the cold fusion episode risks obscuring (St Mary’s Medical School 1944) • Mr Ian B.A. Turnball • Dr Jonathan Weaver (Materials) • Mr Malcolm (Mac) A.C. Newton Fleischmann’s substantial achievements as an electrochemist. • Dr Georey E. Ficken (Civil Engineering and Surveying 1941) • Mr Ian P. Husbands (Chemical Engineering 1954) (Civil Engineering 1975)* Subsequent generations of instrumentation of his design are (Chemistry 1949, PhD 1952) • Mr James W.R. Twyman ·µª¸s • Mr Peter J. Hyslop • Mr Angus I. MacInnes • Professor Hans (Martin) M.F. (Civil Engineering and Surveying 1943)* • Dr Adrian J. Almond (St Mary’s Hospital still used in laboratories throughout the world to control ‘poten- (DIC Civil Engineering 1959) (MSc Civil Engineering 1979) Fleischmann (Chemistry 1947, • Mr Jack A. Waller (Civil Engineering Medical School 1963) tial’, which he rst recognised as important to determining the PhD 1950) • Mr William R. Ingram (Botany 1954) • Dr Stewart E. Male (PhD Physics 1975) and Surveying 1947, DIC 1956)* • Mr David P. Anderson rate of electrode reactions. He also developed spectroscopic • Mr Dennis A. Gerhold (Metallurgy 1946) • Mr Robert H. Walpole (Civil Engineering • Mr Albert Jackson (Civil Engineering 1963) • Mr Joseph D. Sykes (Wye College 1979) methods used to give new insights into materials at a molecular • Mr Terence H. Gibbons (Mechanical and Surveying 1942, DIC 1947)* (Mechanical Engineering 1955)* • Mr Richard P. Trehane • Dr John A. Anderson ➼ level, in particular surface enhanced raman spectroscopy. Engineering and Motive Power 1944)* • Mr John E. Wardill • Dr Richard J.B.H. Jones (St Mary’s (Westminster Medical School 1967) (Wye College 1972) To enquire about leaving a Hospital Medical School 1950) Despite the disrepute caused by his work in the eld, • Dr Hugh J. Glanville (St Mary’s Hospital (Chemistry 1946, DIC 1954) • Mr Nigel A. Butt (DIC Geology 1964) • Dr Jill B. White (St Mary’s Hospital legacy to Imperial in your will, Medical School 1942)* • Dr Seth Jones (Charing Cross Hospital Medical School 1974) Fleischmann remained a champion for the potential of • Mr David Wickham (Wye College 1949) • Dr Walter E. Duckworth please contact Clare Dodds on Medical School 1954) nuclear fusion. In an interview published by New Scientist • Mrs M. Goodale (Wye College 1948) • Mr David M. Yuill (Chemical Engineering (Mathematics 1960) • Mr Johan J. Zethraeus +44 (0)20 7594 6132 or email • Mr Gerald Kaye (MSc Botany and Plant Technology in 2009, he reected: “I think unless we get fusion to work • Mr David Grant (Mechanical and Applied Chemistry 1944) • Dr Peter Dunn (Mechanical Engineering [email protected] (Physics 1957, PhD 1960) 1977, MSc Wye College 1997) in some fashion we are doomed, aren’t we?” Engineering and Motive Power 1945) 1968, PhD 1972)* He is survived by his wife Sheila, son Nicholas and daughter Vanessa.

| IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | ALUMNI  From South Kensington to Northern California, Imperial’s alumni associations EVENTS + MEETINGS + OCCASIONS DI SPATC HES will help you nd our community wherever in the world you might be. calendar Get in touch and they’ll be pleased to welcome you. 21 FEBRUARY ➜ 27 FEBRUARY ➜ DATE WITH DISCOVERY PETER LINDSAY MEMORIAL LECTURE Imperial Fringe Nature, nurture or neither?

This year’s Alumni Reunion The ICAAHK’s 30th anniversary The west coast had the Join us for February’s Imperial A public lecture from geneticist Fringe, part of a series of monthly had a festival twist. was the icing on the cake. sunshine. and popular science writer 01/ 02/ 03/ evening events exploring the Professor Steve Jones (UCL). unexpected side of science. www.imperial.ac.uk/events www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/fringe South Kensington Campus, London LEON LABOVITCH ¥WYE COLLEGE ·µ«¦: ADRIAN SOU ¥CIVIL ENGINEERING ·µµµ, PARRIS HAWKINS ¥MANAGEMENT South Kensington Campus, London Dressed to kill in their party frocks, MSc MANAGEMENT SCHOOL ¸¸¦: SCIENCE ·µ«µ¦: my daughters Leah (5) and Emma (3) The 30th Anniversary Dinner of the Año Nuevo State Park is were given free rein to enjoy Imperial College Alumni Association something of a hidden 13 MARCH 14 MARCH the Alumni Reunion and of Hong Kong was the grand nale of gem, located along the PUBLIC LECTURE FRIENDS OF IMPERIAL Imperial Festival. We enjoyed alumni activities for the year, bringing 70-mile stretch splendid music, dancing together a gathering of alumni of all of sparsely Tom Kibble: breaking Breaking into your brain and festivities, a superb lunch ages and across various disciplines. inhabited ground by breaking symmetries Dr Aldo Faisal (Bioengineering) and the children’s orchestral A total of 135 alumni and guests California coast talks about how computing, concert. And what a surprise that was! celebrated at the Bankers Club in between San Fran- Nobel laureate and University engineering and physics can help us understand our brains. Richard Dickins, conductor of Imperial Central, dining on a cisco and Santa Cruz. It is also the sit of Texas professor Steven Weinberg talks particle physics. bit.ly/breakingintoyourbrain College Symphony Orchestra, had an sumptuous menu of of the largest mainland breeding colony bit.ly/kibble80 alluring array of music planned, including Chinese delicacies. in the world for the northern elephant South Kensington Campus, London Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. We were as Our Chairman, seal. With the weather sunny but cool South Kensington Campus, London amazed as everyone when all the kids in Dr Leonard Chow (Mechanical Engineer- with an ocean breeze, we set o from the audience were invited to the podium ing 1984), kickstarted the event with the visitor centre to the beach. 17 APRIL ➜ ➜ 1 MAY to try their hand at conducting. a welcome note, recollecting his own About half way we stopped at a ranger INAUGURAL LECTURE GRADUATION Leah and Emma with baton in their memories of Imperial – including station for a discussion of the elephant hands took us through the grand revising for his nal exam whilst watch- seal life cycle and mating habits. I can Parkinson’s disease: Postgraduate Graduation a car crash in the brain Ceremonies HOMPSON

nale of crashing cymbals ing the European Cup Final. Sir Keith honestly say that in both regards the T and drums, accompanied by O’Nions, President & Rector, followed elephant seals give humans a run for Meet new professor David Dexter Postgraduates return to celebrate popping bags that had been with a congratulatory note to ICAAHK their money. The seals come ashore AYTON (Medicine) as he explores his their achievements and begin their supplied free to the audience. and an update on the latest Imperial twice per year (once to mate and once to research and role in the UK’s journey as Imperial alumni. Brain Bank. Smiles on their faces lasted for developments – the new campus at moult), and spend the rest of the www.imperial.ac.uk/graduation D FESTIVAL¤ L www.imperial.ac.uk/events/inaugurals days aerwards, and what better Imperial West, an alumni visitor centre year hunting across the Pacic. South Kensington Campus, London

way to introduce children to the at the South Kensington Campus, Aer the return walk to the D AY AN South Kensington Campus, London great classics? and the new President/Provost visitor centre to enjoy a picnic lunch, At lunch we sat next to some leadership model. our day continued with a short drive 3 4 MAY 27 JUNE NGUS; £OPEN £OPEN NGUS;

of the older, pre-WWII alumni, one of A highlight of the evening down the coast to Waddell A FESTIVAL COME AND VISIT whom had had an illustrious career in was a violin performance Beach. There we walked HOMAS HOMAS rocket science before the term ‘rocket by Heidi Luk (Life Sciences and watched T Imperial Open day scientist’ was even invented. Others 2010). Heidi really set the crowd kite surfers

UATION¤ UATION¤ Prospective undergraduates had graduated more recently, and were alight towards the end when displaying Festival 2013 and their parents are invited to happily swapping stories of their lives, she gave an impromptu encore of the their high speed It’s back! The Imperial Festival come along and nd out what it’s

experiences and studies at Imperial. can-can. acrobatics. D £GRA ON; returns for its second year, including really like to study at Imperial. ON D

We loved the atmosphere, as well as The dinner concluded with the For most travellers, this was the end of L Saturday’s Alumni Reunion. www.imperial.ac.uk/visit www.imperial.ac.uk/festival the buildings and fun activities. participants in very high spirits, and the the trip, but a few intrepid souls continued South Kensington Campus, London OLLEGE OLLEGE

Heading out of the building presentation of a memorial album to with a bike ride to Berry Falls – a popular C South Kensington Campus, London at the end of the day, Imperial mark the occasion. The evening has truly waterfall in a redwood forest with pools

balloons in hand, the orchestra’s brought this year’s activities to a climax, at the base, and rock faces on both sides MPERIAL ➜ THROUGHOU T THE YEAR ANYTIME ➜ conductor recognised his budding and with brimming enthusiasm we look cloaked in moss and ferns. The biking STFC/I ON THE ROAD PUBLIC LECTURES prodigies and gave them a pat on forward to seeing even more alumni turn was pleasant, mostly in the shade, with the back – a very nice ending for out for the diverse programme of events the last mile covered on foot as the path Imperial Online lectures

Leah and Emma and our day at planned for the coming year. Last but not narrows to a trail. The day ended with £CERN¤ AREY; Stay up to speed with Imperial C the Alumni Reunion. least, Happy 30th Birthday to ICAAHK! dinner in the nearby town of Davenport. visits you research by watching our inaugural and special lectures online. President & Rector Sir Keith www.imperial.ac.uk/events/ ONES¤ JOHN JOHN ONES¤ J O’Nions will be visiting alumni catchup WITH THANKS for contributions from alumni associations QUESTIONS? Alumni membership is free. Contact us for help with issues across the globe throughout in Hong Kong and Northern California. concerning membership or services. the year.

➺ Find out more about alumni groups at Imperial: Email: [email protected] STEVE ESSOR www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni/events

www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni/alumnigroups RO F

Phone: +44 (0)20 7594 6138 P ➺ Contact us if you’d like to be proled in the next issue: Post: Alumni O·ce, Imperial College London, SALC Mezzanine, Level 5 [email protected] Shereld Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK For more details on Imperial College events, visit: Sign up and receive the e-Bulletin every fortnight by emailing: Web: www.imperial.ac.uk/alumni www.imperial.ac.uk/events [email protected] HOTOGRAPHY: £ HOTOGRAPHY: P D HUBBAR CATHY SEAL¤ £ELEPHANT ILLUSTRATION:

ª | IMPERIAL | WINTER «¬®«¯®° WINTER «¬®«¯®° | IMPERIAL | « R elax in the weekend’s best moments.

Charles Day out for a Sunday stroll with his dog, Echo, in Washington DC. Charles is the online editor at Physics Today and an Imperial alumnus (BSc Physics 1984).

Vint age Striped Polo A timeless classic ➼ Shop these looks and more at: College Scarf Stylish signature piece www.imperial.ac.uk/unionshop