JUNE/JULY 1997 PRINCESS OPENS UNIQUE CENTRE AT UNIVERSITY TIN OFFICIAL OPENING: Richard Attenborough CentreThe open. Princess unveils the plaque to declare the http://www.le.ac.uk/ LE WELCOME: The Vice-Chancellor greets the Princess and Lord INSIDE Attenborough outside the Centre. WINNING LINES: Student More fundraisers in pictures and telephone full story, see appeal praised by Michael special Nicholson. Page 3 supplement in centre pages. CURRENT RESEARCH: Report of a study into the SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER: effect of waves on climate. The Princess greets Aamena Hajee Page 9 who slipped past the crush barriers outside the front of the Richard BUL Attenborough Centre. MALAYSIAN MAGIC MOMENT: The Princess CONNECTION: meets Mrs Margaret Gray inside the Sunway College’s 10th Centre. Anniversary. Page 20 BULLETIN: Your award-winning newsletter - Heist Marketing Awards 1996 NEWS VOLUME 29 PROFESSOR IN NUMBER 9 PRESIDENTIAL MEETING JUNE/JULY 1997 NEWS........................1-11 BUSINESS.............12-13 OUT & ABOUT....14-17 FEATURES............18-22 ACADEMIC SERVICES..............23-24 ARTSTOP....................25 CUTTINGS.................26 BOOKS...................27-28 PEOPLE..................28-31 MEETING: The President of Ireland Mary Robinson, former Director of the School of Cosmic RESEARCH............31-33 Physics Professor Brian Jacob and Professor Khan at Dublin Castle. A.O.B. ..........................33 PROFESSOR Aftab Khan and other members of the Geology Department NOTICES...............34-35 have recently returned from an international conference which was Back Page followed by a reception at Dublin Castle with the President of Ireland. CROSSWORD Professor Khan, whose meeting with the President of Kenya was BULLETIN reported in the Annual Report three years ago, was at the Dublin Institute The Bulletin aims to publish news and features which inform for Advanced Studies for the conference on continental rifts. staff and students of developments affecting the University, and Professor Khan has specialised in the study of the East African Rift to report on the decisions of Council and Senate. Tell us your news! We welcome stories and pictures from where he is part of an international project carrying out controlled source individuals and departments, so send your copy to the Editor in seismic experiments in Kenya. He chaired a workshop on the subject at Press and Alumni Relations, Registrar’s Office. The closing date the conference. for the next issue is Wednesday 9 July for publication in early August. The Editor reserves the right to amend or abbreviate Professor Khan is also the Chairman of the School of Cosmic Physics copy without notice. which is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year. The School was The Bulletin is edited in Press and Alumni Relations. established in 1947 as the third constituent school of the Dublin Institute Small advertisements (up to 30 words in length) should be for Advanced Studies. accompanied by cheques, payable to University of Leicester, at the The primary duty of the School is theoretical, observational and following rates: House sales and lettings: £5.00 experimental investigation of the problems of cosmic physics, including Other sales and services: £2.00 astronomy and astrophysics, cosmic rays, geophysics, meteorology and Prices for display advertisements are available on request. oceanography. Please contact Julie Franks, Marketing Officer LUSU, extn 1168, to whom all adverts should be sent. Private, non-commercial announcements are carried free of charge, subject to space. Editor: Ather Mirza (Extn 3335) The University of Leicester Bulletin includes advertising to e-mail: [email protected] Deputy Editor: Barbara Whiteman (Extn 2676) offset production costs. It should be noted that the e-mail: [email protected] University of Leicester does not necessarily adopt or People, Books, Research, Cuttings, Notices, Artstop. endorse the products and services advertised in the Reporters: Judith Shaw/Jane Pearson Bulletin. The Bulletin cannot accept responsibility for any Design and layout: Graphics, AVS Pictures: Central Photographic Unit, errors in advertisements. Leicester Mercury, members of staff The Editor reserves the right to refuse any advertisement Printed by Central Reprographic Unit. Newsline: 0116 252 3335 ON-LINE BULLETIN Advertising: 0116 223 1168 Issues of the Bulletin in 1997 are accessible on CWIS via the following web address: http://www.le.ac.uk/bulletin/ 2 NEWS BELLS ARE RINGING FOR JUBILEE CAMPAIGN PLEDGES for the alumni have been able to telephone fund-raising chat about old times and appeal, launched in August learn how the campus has 1996, have now topped the changed, and parents have £600,000 mark. The been able to hear news of appeal, headed by Leicester the forthcoming graduation graduate and ITN Senior ceremonies. Foreign Correspondent, It is also an opportunity Michael Nicholson, is for them to commemorate raising vital funds for their children's graduation improvements to the with a gift that will benefit library and sports facilities students in the future. for students and staff at Plans are now well Leicester. advanced for a direct mail Michael met up with campaign to around 16,000 some of the student callers alumni who have not been when he visited the telephoned. It is hoped that University to give a lecture, support from the remainder and he was quick to of the alumni will bring the congratulate them on their campaign total closer to £1m. GOOD NEWS: Michael Nicholson with members of the student calling team and programme director, Andrea great work. Development Manager Greenwood, left.. From Monday to Peter Allen commented: “It Thursday, every week in term around 30, all of whom are reasons for the campaign and would be fantastic to raise £1m time, 10 students gather at the managed by programme director, asking for support through a with this appeal and I am remaining calling room in the New Building to Andrea Greenwood of IDC. substantial covenant over four cautiously optimistic. The campaign begin contacting alumni and They follow up two letters that years. The experience has been has already surpassed our parents. They are part of a team of have been sent out detailing the very positive for all concerned; expectations which is great news .” ‘ROBOT OLYMPICS’ AT UNIVERSITY A TOTAL of 120 students took part in a ‘robot Olympics’ in the University’s Department of Engineering. Student Tom Harrison, one of those in the competition, said: “Eight robots were entered into the race which involved flat sprint as well as THOUGHT PROCESS: Engineering students discuss strategies for the race. climbing up inclines. “The fastest sprint time was 23 seconds for covering a distance of nine feet, while one robot almost managed a sheer face climb. “Many different types of robot were produced from a multi-legged caterpillar design to a hovercraft creation utilising a bicycle pump. “The day was great fun and CREATION: Another second year design project the majority of the was a winch control. Chong Yen Tan is pictured Engineering Department with fellow students. were there cheering loudly.” ACTION: The ‘robot Olympics’ saw contraptions of various sorts in competition. Pictures: Paul Smith 3 NEWS INAUGURATION OF THE GEZA VERMES LECTURES IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS THE University hosted a lecture by Academy in 1985 and has one of the world's foremost LECTURE received honorary doctorates authorities on the Dead Sea Scrolls LAUNCHES NEW from the Universities of 50 years after their discovery in the CENTRE AT Edinburgh, Durham and Judean Desert by young Bedouin UNIVERSITY Sheffield. He has been shepherds. director of the Forum for Professor Geza Vermes, FBA, Qumran Research at the Professor Emeritus of Jewish translations of all the texts Oxford Centre for Hebrew Studies at the University of Oxford, sufficiently well preserved to be and Jewish Studies since delivered the first of an annual translated into English. It includes a 1991. lecture named in his honour to number of hitherto unpublished The Lecture, part of the inaugurate the University's new texts. Of particular note are University's Jubilee series, Centre for the History of Religions, documents relating to the Essene took place on May 28 in Inter-Faith Dialogue and Pluralism. Community's liturgical calendar, its the Rattray Lecture The Discovery of the Dead Sea rules and observances. There is also Theatre. Scrolls: 50 Years On assessed the a crucial newly-discovered impact of the discoveries and fifty inscription from 1996 found among years of research on the Dead Sea the Qumran ruins. Scrolls; provided an up-to-date During the lecture Professor verdict on the Scrolls for a study of Richard Bonney, who is director of DIRECTOR: Professor Bonney is head of the new the Hebrew Bible; discussed other the new Centre, displayed Centre for the History of Religions, Inter-Faith contemporaneous Jewish religious selections from Oxford University Dialogue and Pluralism in the Department of literature; identified and Press’s complete visual History. characterised the Qumran community; and considered the relevance of the Scrolls for a better understanding of early Christianity. LEICESTER GRADUATES - The scrolls, and the ruins at Qumran, a complex of DID THEY GET YOUR structures located on a barren terrace close to the cliffs where the caves are found, VOTE? have been dated as coming AS THE dust settles on the recent General Election you will from the late Second Temple be interested to know that Leicester graduates were once Period, a time when Jesus of more in the thick of it, fighting seats, advising politicians or Nazareth lived, and are almost a covering the election in the media. thousand years older than other One of our best known graduates, Michael Jack (BA surviving biblical manuscripts. Economics 1967) was re-elected as MP for Fylde. For The extraordinary manuscripts Professor Geza Vermes Labour, Bruce Grocott (BA Social Sciences 1962) retained appear to have been deposited or INAUGURATION: his seat at Telford. He previously represented Tamworth hidden in the caves at Qumran by edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls on and the Wrekin in the 1970s and 80s.