THE MAGAZINE OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON The Summer Issue 2014 WELCOME | summer 2014 From the President & Rector inside ➜ issue 39 It has been an enormous privilege to lead Imperial College London since January 2010. Staff • Editor-in-Chief: Tom Miller (Biology 1995) • Creative Director: Beth Elzer • Editor-at-Large and Features Editor: Natasha Martineau (MSc Science Communication 1994) One of the most rewarding 28 • News Editor: Laura Gallagher and enjoyable aspects of my • Managing Editor: Pamela Agar role has been meeting Imperial • Sub Editor: Tess O’Neill alumni and supporters. In all 24 Feature • Distribution: Elizabeth Swift those I meet, whether at the CATALYST FOR CHANGE • Designers: Beth Elzer, annual Imperial Festival in Chemistry alumnus Les Ebdon Abby Lloyd-Pack South Kensington, or at one of discusses his career and • Contributors: Jessica Adams, our many alumni events around life at the head of the Georgia Bergson, Andrew the world (see p32), three strong Office of Fair Access Czyzewski, Caroline Davis, feelings consistently come John-Paul Jones, Simon Levey, across: a sense of connection, 28 Picture this Dominic McDonagh, Maxine pride and optimism about GOT THE BOTTLE? Myers, Maddi O’Brien, Andrew our future. Dip into the competitive Scheuber, Colin Smith, 18 history of the Royal School Elizabeth Swift, Gail Wilson, These feelings unite an of Mines Bottle Match Sam Wong (MSc Science Imperial community which Communication 2009) spans many generations. 30 Going public From alumni in their tenth 3 President & 17 Campus life FRINGE BENEFITS The magazine for Imperial’s decade who remember lectures Rector’s welcome EASTERN PROMISE Explore what happens when friends, supporters and interrupted by Second World Medical student Jia Ying researchers and students get alumni, including former War air raid warnings, to recent A record-breaking 800 alumni from 26 countries joined 4 Inbox Tanoto Lim shares her creative as part of the Imperial students of Imperial College graduates, about to embark on FESTIVAL FUN Sir Keith at the 2014 Imperial Festival and Alumni Reunion. Editorial, letters experiences of being one Fringe programme of events London, the former Charing their careers, every alumnus and contributors of the first students at the Cross and Westminster Medical I have met has a story which Lee Kong Chian School of 32 Good reception School, Royal Postgraduate is a privilege to hear. The sum 6 What’s on Medicine in Singapore Alumni, friends, supporters Medical School, St Mary’s of those stories is nothing less The College has a compelling On a personal level, my family and I will take and staff at College events Hospital Medical School than the reputation of Imperial. future ahead of it. Imperial away many fond memories of College life 7 In brief 18 Feature around the world and Wye College. West offers an opportunity beyond the core academic activities for which Spotlight on recent events WHO DIES OF THE FLU? Imperial is one of the few truly unprecedented in the College’s Imperial is renowned. My wife Rita and I and discoveries Two people catch the same 34 Alter ego Subscriptions global universities: around the recent history to create were honoured that the College Choir and flu virus: one dies, and the PITCH PERFECT If you would like to subscribe world you will find a growing a new and innovative Symphony Orchestra performed at my leaving 14 Technique other doesn’t even get sick. Members of Imperial’s to Imperial magazine please presence of Imperial and its environment for research, event. Other highlights of my time at Imperial GLASS ACT Catch up with what we a capella group test their voices email imperialmagazine alumni networks. I am proud education and translation. include the annual Varsity rugby game where Imperial’s resident scientific learnt from the 2009–2011 in the Centre for Bio-Inspired @imperial.ac.uk to have been at the College to Our vision for Imperial West is I never cease to be amazed by the ability glassblower drives chemistry pandemic Technology’s anechoic chamber witness this period of increased taking shape at a thrilling pace. of Imperial students to combine sporting research forward Online international presence, such Last summer we seized the excellence with academic achievement. 22 Behind the scenes 35 Obituaries www.imperial.ac.uk/ as the Lee Kong Chian School opportunity to increase 15 Travel TALL ORDER imperialmagazine of Medicine in Singapore and our landholding at this new From September 2014, I join the distinguished FUEL FOR THOUGHT Chemical Engineering 36 In memoriam greatly increased collaborations campus to 25 acres. In two ranks of the Imperial alumni community. I will Brazilian research associate students get their hands Published by the Communications in China, India, Brazil, and years’ time, the campus’ flagship watch the College progress with great interest Alexandre Strapasson on on the College’s £2 million 38 Alumni dispatches and Public Affairs Division. Malaysia to name a few. Research & Translation Hub from the sidelines and I hope you will, like global thinking for bioenergy Carbon Capture Pilot Plant [email protected] will open, bringing together me, keep in touch, stay connected and carry research Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints industrialists, entrepreneurs on being brilliant ambassadors and supporters expressed by authors in Imperial and researchers to co-locate of this great university. 16 Careering ahead magazine do not necessarily reflect with our academics. THE CUTTING EDGE those of the College. Best wishes, Meet Mechanical Engineering Furthermore, the generosity alumnus Roubi L’Roubi, No part of Imperial magazine of Michael Uren OBE and his bespoke tailor to the glitterati, may be reproduced in any form Foundation will enable the at his Savile Row studios without permission. College to create a pioneering ©Imperial College London 2014 biomedical engineering centre GAME CHANGER at Imperial West. I hope that SIR KEITH O’NIONS FRS is President & Rector of Imperial ON THE COVER Alumnus Michael Uren this is the first of many headline College London. He is a geologist who has worked at Oxford, Grab your pencil and complete OBE donated £40 million projects which will pave the Cambridge and Columbia Universities, and has served the UK the maze illustration by artist to transform biomedical way for the College to grow for government as Chief Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence, Kyler Martz 16 engineering research generations to come. and as former Director-General of the Research Councils. PHOTOGRAPHY: (FLU) SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY; (RSM TEAM) WILL TURNER; (PATTERNS) LAYTON THOMPSON LAYTON TURNER; (PATTERNS) WILL TEAM) LIBRARY; (RSM SCIENCE PHOTO (FLU) PHOTOGRAPHY: ANGUS THOMAS (FESTIVAL) ANGUS; THOMAS (UREN) FINN-KELCEY; MIKE (RECTOR) PHOTOS: 2 | IMPERIAL | SUMMER 2014 SUMMER 2014 | IMPERIAL | 3 | INBOX INBOX | Sorry to say the story under Theta’s “last EXPLOSIVE SCIENCE violated” is incorrect. I was part of the Looking at the Queen’s Tower reminds me dynamic bearer duo with Bob Leman on the that in 1965, I viewed it as a place we might fateful evening in 1991. Steve Dorman was emulate a “high” strain rate metal compres- part of the team defending Theta and was sion apparatus then at Oxford where they unfortunately run over before Bob, Theta dropped weights beside a lift shaft. It turned and I left the Union. Being a resourceful out that I could get much higher rates using pair Bob and I took Theta on the next bus to detonators and a gun, and located them in Hammersmith and it remained inviolate! A a disused rail tunnel that went under the lucky escape for all but Steve. Theta did visit Royal School of Mines. him in hospital the next day, have a look When we first visited the tunnels, we FROM THE EDITOR through the Felix archive for a photo. found apparently normal light bulbs and The whole thing sparked a root and connected then up. The bulbs all exploded branch review of Mascotry chaired by Zoe, — perhaps from an era when a lower voltage Ahoy there! the ICU President at the time, and set me on was used! the path to succeeding her in the role. I once paced As this edition lands I hope all Imperial out the point in readers have some holiday refreshment CHRIS DAVIDSON the tunnel that close to hand. Like miners with a lot of (Physics 1994) we used and did bottle (p28) we aim to help you reach the same outside, the parts other universities can’t. We’ve Read more memories and share your own at finding that where got tattoo artist Kyler Martz inking this www.imperial.ac.uk/mascots we exploded over summer’s cover, featuring Sir Keith and the 300 detonators ‘Imperial Amaze-Whale’. It’s for future the INBOX was under Prince FACEBOOK COMMENT Imperial alumni and the puzzler in us all. REMEMBERING FELIX Consort Road. And as we say a fond farewell to Felix Weinberg, FRS was Emeritus We closed the door In my days as a student at Sir Keith, we also prepare to welcome Professor of Combustion Physics at to the tunnel and the RSM (1957–60) the RSMU Professor Alice Gast to the Imperial family COMPETITIVE SPIRIT A lunchtime expedition was launched to Imperial until the time of his death in not much was heard in the main building. had a purloined Michelin Man as (p9) from September. In our last issue, we asked for your retrieve it. Somehow, a large number of December 2012. His story — Boy 30529: Then the geology department set up a creep a Mascot, appropriately named On dry land in May, over 12,000 joined tales of Imperial’s mascots us entering, buying drinks and standing A Memoir — recounts his childhood machine in the adjacent tunnel and they “Mitch”, in honour of Professor in the third Festival and Reunion weekend.