THE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO 167 | MAY 2006 Strand South Range spectacularly restored NE OF THE MOST IMAGINATIVE facilities will serve us well for years and creative refurbishments to come. King’s continues to invest Oof a major British university in its estate providing premises Midnight on analysis building was unveiled on Monday appropriate for one of the UK’s 24 April, with the completion of the premier universities.’ scoops prize first phase of the redevelopment of the Strand Campus. The South Range of the College’s Part of a £500 million Grade I listed building reopened strategy to transform after a two-year £40 million the College estate refurbishment project which has seen many of the original elegant features of the 1830’s building The King’s Building, designed by restored whilst providing a first-class Robert Smirke, architect of the environment for the 21st century. British Museum, was originally opened The redevelopment is part of a in 1829 alongside Somerset House, £500 million strategy to transform with which it shares a distinguished the College estate. Since 1999 more river frontage in classical style. than half of the College’s activities HRH The Princess Royal, have been relocated in high-quality Chancellor of the University of new and refurbished buildings. London, officially opened the South This makes it the most ambitious Range on 16 May. redevelopment programme recently The College is already embarking undertaken by a UK university. on the second phase of this project The South Range has undergone – a £20 million programme with an an exceptional conservation-led emphasis on staff offices together redevelopment with an emphasis on with laboratories and student work easier access and sustainability. It areas, mainly on the upper floors of includes high quality teaching, social the King’s Building and in the Strand and research space for the 7,000 Building – and is beginning to students and staff based here, as consider possibilities for the third well as facilities of value to the phase. Through this work King’s will whole College. be progressively refurbishing this Musicology student Tom Clifton wins this year’s photographic The Principal, Professor Rick campus, retaining the best of the competition with the above entry. See the full story on page 2. Trainor, says: ‘This is a remarkable old and enhancing it to provide new, transformation at the heart of the high-quality, world-class facilities. Enclosed with this issue of Strand Campus. With vision and The funding of the project has Comment is a special supplement empathy the South Range has been been assisted by capital grants illustrating the Strand restored to its former glory. These from the Higher Education Redevelopment Project. handsome and well-designed Funding Council for England. | 2 |Chairman 2 RAE 2008 of | Council4 Online writes history | 3 databases Hong Kong |MoU 5 ‘Topping | 4 American out’ | 6 Ambassador Admissions Policy| 5 Biomedicine | 7 Departmental book | 8 Nobelfocus: Laureate Pharmacy | 9| Departmental8 King’s people focus: | 10 Flashback Catering || 1311 FlashbackSolidarity exhibition| 17 Research | 12 |Research 18 In the news| 13 Student | 19 Student news news| 14 In | 20the Books news | 16 Books News News Midnight on analysis Chairman of scoops prize Council writes Hong Kong MoU University Challenge HIS YEAR’S PHOTOGRAPHIC music late into the night. than anticipated reflecting the On 22 March students battled it selected. They will now take on a competition generated an Winner Tom Cliffton received a extremely high standard. Dear Colleagues, out for a place in King’s University team of the Vice-Principals in Timpressive response with cheque for £500. ‘It is an unexpected The prize-winning photographs One of the great privileges of being Challenge team. After rounds of preparation for their possible TV more than 300 entries depicting privilege to win and I am really have been enlarged and are on Chairman of the King’s College tough questioning the team was appearance. staff and students’ excitement in excited,’ he says. display in the newly refurbished Council is to welcome distinguished NARESH VERLANDER their chosen field of study, teaching Judging was led by the Principal, South Range of the King’s Building guests to the College, of whom or research including field trips, Professor Rick Trainor, and the at the Strand Campus. there are a large number; this is a laboratory work and lectures. overall standard of entries was The winning entries are also source of great pride to me. The winning entry [see cover] excellent. available to view online at: Recently, for instance, I was able shows a student of musicology Six runners up [see below] were www.kcl.ac.uk/iss/archives/conews. to show the American Ambassador, undertaking analysis on a piece of each awarded £100, one more prize html Robert Holmes Tuttle, and his wife, Maria, around the refurbished South Range of the King’s Building, which looks truly magnificent. N 11 MAY KING’S SIGNED Principal Emeritus at King’s. In the space of a fortnight in May, a major collaborative Mr Rammell was in Hong Kong other visitors to the College include Oagreement (a Memorandum to formalise UK and HK strategic the Chancellor of the University of of Understanding) with the University education collaborations. London, HRH The Princess Royal, of Hong Kong. The ceremony took Professor Hoggart comments: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the place in the presence of Higher ‘This is a very significant agreement Archbishop of Canterbury. Education Minister, Bill Rammell. and we are delighted to be working Greg Funnell Dr John Reid talks to students Gihan Ganeshanantham Waiting for pressure Iggy Tavares Cells in culture Dr John Reid, former Secretary King’s Vice-Principal, Professor with such a prestigious and breathing of State for Defence, chose to give Keith Hoggart and University of Hong internationally renowned university. a keynote speech at King’s earlier in Kong Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lap- This formally builds on links that have the year, and we have enjoyed other Chee Tsui (pictured) signed the MoU been long established between our King’s University Challenge team. Back row (from left): Matt Walker (Computer Science), Tim recent talks by former Secretary on behalf of their organisations. Also institutions. It will encourage the Sparkes (Medicine) and Stephen Spencer [captain] (MA War Studies). Front row: David Perry [reserve] (History) and Caroline Hatwell (Maths & Philosophy of Maths). of State, Chris Smith, Nobel present was Dr Abe Lue, Assistant exchange of staff and students.’ Laureate Sir Peter Mansfield and the Advocate General of the Court of European Justice, Luís Miguel Genetic cause for cocaine addiction discovery Poiares Maduro. Juliet RuffordBeckett on the box Michael Paleodimos Microtitre plates in Andrew Brooks Young child in traditional dress Furthermore, I recently hosted a NSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY abusers and 850 ordinary people in the development of cocaine ‘This means that although immunoassays ‘think tank’ of some of this country’s scientists, led by Dr Gerome and found that cocaine abusers dependence. It makes sense repeated exposure to cocaine most influential ‘movers and IBreen, have made a new had a specific genetic variation that variation within the gene will lead to compulsive use in shakers’ at home to consider the discovery that throws light on the in DAT more frequently than the encoding DAT influences cocaine everyone, it seems some people King’s wins four AHRC awards future direction of the College. impact genes have on a person’s control subjects. People carrying dependence,’ says Dr Breen. will become addicted to the drug Such exceptional and busy reaction to cocaine. two copies of this variant were Analysis of this DAT variant more quickly than others ING’S HAS BEEN SuccESSFul three awards and the School of Max Saunders (Professor of English) people give their time because they Research findings were 50 per cent more likely to be revealed that an element of it was because of a genetic difference,’ in securing four Arts & Social Science & Public Policy one: and the Imperial War Museum recognise that King’s is a powerhouse published on 13 March in the online cocaine dependent. directly sensitive to cocaine. In the explains Camila Guindalini, PhD KHumanities Research Council A study of the Imperial War Museum’s of research and scholarship that can edition of PNAS, the journal of the brain it may act to reduce the level student, who performed the collaborative doctoral awards. Dr Gordon McMullan (Reader in Archive of the BBC’s Great War make a real difference to the world in American Academy of Sciences. of DAT in response to the drug. genotyping analysis. Now in their second year, English) and the Globe Theatre series which we live. The research was carried out ‘Helps our understanding This action could also make ‘I was asked to determine these awards aim to improve the The relationship between dramaturgy King’s is also home to some of at the MRC Social, Genetic and of the development of the brain more susceptible to the functional effect of this risk support, training and development and theatrical space in early modern Dr David Green (Senior Lecturer in the brightest students from this Developmental Research Centre at cocaine addiction’ cocaine’s addictive effects and variant. In our lab, we put the opportunities offered to graduate London Geography) and the Museum of country and around the globe, the Institute. might be important in influencing different versions into artificial students. Their purpose is to London who will doubtless make a real Cocaine’s action within the the initial stages of addiction. systems that we use to test promote partnerships and Dr John Pearce (Lecturer in The history and management of the difference to tomorrow’s world brain is relatively well understood.