BUAV Secures Review Into Home Office Investigation of Animal Abuse
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felixonline.co.uk @felixImperial /FelixImperial [email protected] Keeping the cat free since 1949 issue 1606 May 22nd 2015 Students stage peaceful protest against Inside... The latest scandal arrest of popular homeless book critic in Game of Thrones Page 7 BUAV secures review into Comment 10 Felix asks: where is our Home Office investigation petting zoo? of animal abuse at Imperial Features 9 Is it time for electoral reform? BUAV claim: Politics 22-23 • Home Office report has discredited them in Arts: the Jack Steadman issue media • Imperial is “misleading the public” • Sanctions against researchers were “extremely weak” • “Home Office guilty of foul play” Pages 4 and 5 Arts 25- 32 8 22.05.2015 THE STUDENT PAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON FELIX This week’s issue... [email protected] Felix Editor Philippa Skett Contents EDITORIAL TEAM “The use of animals in science Editor-In-Chief PHILIPPA SKETT News 3-8 Deputy Editor research is a necessity but should PHILIP KENT Features 9 Treasurer THOMAS LIM Comment 10-11 still be treated as a privilege” Technical Hero Film 13-15 LUKE GRANGER-BROWN his week we’re covering the is still developing, but for the time News Editors Television 16 latest developments in the being, we rely on those little mice, CAROL ANN CHEAH TBUAV investigation against fish, ferrets and rabbits to test and CECILY JOHNSON Fashion 17 Imperial. The BUAV has been refine the drugs that keep us healthy KUNAL WAGLE granted a judicial review against the and save our lives. Politics 22-23 Home Office findings, stating that There will always be casualties in Comment Editor their sanctions weren’t too severe. animal testing, and obviously no life TESSA DAVEY Arts 25-32 They have also seemingly chucked is worth more than another, but if we Politics Editor in a few allegations against Imperial are going to ensure that these animals JOSHUA RENKEN Hangman 33-35 too, just in case we start to think are to give up theirs to increase the College are off the hook, this time quality of our existence, we need to do Science Editors LAUREN RATCLIFFE Puzzles 36-38 accusing College of “misleading the everything in our power to ensure the JAMES BEZER public” in the care they provide for THIS WEEK’S EDITORIAL pain is minimal, the suffering is short C and S 39 research animals post surgery. and the value of the findings from Games Editors Imperial’s track record in animal and are thinking about the future of such testing is maximised. MAX EGGL Sport 40 testing hasn’t been the best, but they animal testing to make sure we don’t Imperial, despite their flashy CALUM SKENE seem to be getting it right this time make the same mistakes again. websites, blog posts and news stories, Arts Editors around. After reading their Annual Imperial took those BUAV seem to have finally got to the root of FRED FYLES Animal Research Review, and putting allegations seriously; the use of this ethos, and I have full faith that KAMIL MCCLELLAND the cooperate branding overkill animals in science research is a the judicial review will find Imperial aside, the document does seem to necessity but should still be treated is still doing all it can to ensure Music Editor What’s on this successfully convey just how much as a privilege instead of a right. The animals are kept safe and happy. GRACE RAHMAN time and effort they really are putting use of living animals to further Good management and guidance Television Editors week: into their reform. They’ve introduced our knowledge, understanding and will ensure that these values will GIULIA GABRIELLI new advisory boards and committees development of science and medicine continue to trickle down into the lab JOHN PARK to bring together academics from all is a terrible trade off, and if we could groups and beyond, and hopefully the Hot Dog Special departments and hopefully improve use models, tissues and programs to reputation of Imperial as a science Film Editors All week JOHN PARK the way we use animals in science, do it for us we would. Technology institute will slowly recover. ELLEN MATHIESON Just when you thought JACK STEADMAN there couldn’t be any more Fashion Editors sausages in FiveSixEight. CECILE BORKHATARIA Prices start from £4.75 Food Editors CAROL ANN CHEAH Reynolds Cocktail Club Travel Editor Friday 22nd May YUNG NAM CHEAH Reynolds will be transformed Welfare Editors into a cocktail lounge with DIBA ESBATI CHANON WONGSATAYANONT relaxed music and a chilled atmosphere. Puzzle Editor MICHAEL FAGGETTER Clubs and Societies Editor Union Awards BEN HOWITT Wednesday 27th May The deadline for nominations Sport Editor KUNAL WAGLE is fast approaching COPY EDIT TEAM Copy Chiefs JACK STEADMAN There is still time to get BEN HOWITT Copy Editors CECILY JOHNSON involved! PHILIP KENT TESSA DAVEY STEPHEN BALL Email felix @imperial.ac.uk KUNAL WAGLE Felix Offices Printed by Iliffe Print Cambridge, Winship Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, Road, Cambridge. London SW7 2BB Registered newspaper ISSN 1040-0711 Email: [email protected] Copyright © Felix Tel: 020 7594 8072 www.felixonline.co.uk Front page picture: John-Paul Jones Top banner: Facebook FELIX THE STUDENT PAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON 22.05.2015 2 News [email protected] News Editors Carol Ann Cheah, Cecily Johnson & Kunal Wagle Imperial Citizen Science Project expands Kunal Wagle finds out what’s coming next for Open Air Laboratories pen Air Laboratories (OPAL), Northern Ireland and Scotland than a citizen science project run by it is in England and Wales. OImperial College London, has “Generally, most of the pests and expanded to cover the entirety of the diseases tend to come into South-East United Kingdom. England and spread northwards. The project, which was initially Here’s one that might be moving in launched in 2007, is being rolled out the opposite direction.” across Wales, Northern Ireland and Alys Fowler, who is a gardening Scotland courtesy of a grant from the columnist for the Guardian, said of the Big Lottery Fund. project “OPAL is a great way to find The project’s aims are to allow out about the nature right on your people to engage with nature and doorstep – wherever you live in the environmental issues, provide the UK. health and wellbeing benefits of “It’s really easy to get started; you being outside, and provide a learning don’t need any previous knowledge experience. It also intends to provide or experience and it doesn’t matter if valuable data that helps professional you live in the countryside or a city. scientists understand the current Best of all, OPAL resources are free state of the environment. and available to download from www. More than 850,000 people have taken part in the OPAL citizen science project since its inception in 2007. The expansion will allow OPAL opalexplorenature.org right now, so Photo: Natural History Museum to launch a new activity on the New you don’t have any excuses not to get Zealand Flat Worm, a species that involved!” water and biodiversity (in 2010), and to make. tree health survey, we asked people feeds on the earthworm, which is Over the last eight years OPAL has climate and bug counts in 2011. “We designed the surveys very to identify insect pests (not fungal crucial for soil health. Of the worm, conducted surveys on topics ranging Dr Slawson said, “This really does carefully, and we did not ask people to infections) which are easy to identify. Dr David Slawson, director of from earthworms to air pollution. increase the number of observations do anything that was too complicated. “This offers reassurance about data OPAL, said, “It is more prevalent in They also have completed surveys on that experts alone would not be able “For example, when it came to the accuracy.” Five Imperial researchers Professor to join elected Academy Fellows Royal Academy CECILY JOHNSON CECILY JOHNSON Over the past four decades, SECTION EDITOR SECTION EDITOR Professor Gelenbe has been developing programs that test the performance of computer systems, ive researchers from Imperial rofessor Erol Gelenbe, checking whether they respond in a College London have been a researcher from the logical and timely manner. Felected to the Fellowship of PDepartment of Electrical and These simulations and the Academy of Medical Sciences in Electronic Engineering, has been mathematical models have been used recognition of their work in medical made a Fellow of the Royal Academy, by telephone companies in early science. Sciences, Letters and Art of Belgium. digital switching technologies and in Professors Wendy Atkin, Christl The prestigious society elected modern mobile telephone signalling. Donnelly, Jorge Ferrer, Michael Way just 19 new Fellows this year, A number of industrial projects and Martin Wilkins will join 39 other including a Nobel Laureate and a have resulted directly from Professor new Fellows to be formally admitted Fields Medallist. Professor Gelenbe Gelenbe’s research, including the in a ceremony this July 2015. was recognised for his work in the manufacturing process simulation Academy Fellows are recognised modelling of computer systems, tool FLEXSIM, and the commercial for excellence in medical research, The Academy of Medical Sciences elected a total of 44 new Fellows this which inspired several industrial software GNAP/Modline, which and in particular for their innovative year. Photo: Imperial College London prototypes. is used to optimise processes by application of scientific knowledge, or “I am very touched and honoured,” predicting the performance of a service to healthcare that is perceived Public Health. Her research is crucial Department of Medicine. His work said Professor Gelenbe. “The computer system.