Issue 1001 3rd June 1994 V^H" J_r^^ rf» >)-(ft) If you plan to travel this summer, some of this week's articles may help you decide how and where to go. 2 News Royal Visits to Imperial College First Year Student Expelled BY SIMON SHAW A Physics student has been expelled from Imperial College after breaching the conditions under which he was temporarily suspended. Ronnie Wong, a first year Physics undergraduate, was sus- pended from College for harassing a female student {Felix 996). He had anonymously sent the woman messages by handwritten notes and electronic mail for more than two months before he was identified. A College disciplinary hearing on 29th March suspended Mr Wong until the next academic year and banned him from his victim's hall of residence. Computing student Rafal Lukawiecki discusses his work with Princess Anne Just over a month later, Mr Wong was spotted in the woman's BY PATRICK WOOD users, who will share all software place to enter," he said. "You've hall of residence by three students developed on the machine. Areas of got to refurbish the infrastructure who alerted College Security. A The Princess Royal, Chancellor of research in which the API000 is sooner or later and it does lift the second College disciplinary hearing the University of London, opened already being used include chaos, morale of people working here." was held on 16th May at which it the Imperial College/Fujitsu virtual reality and artificial life A second royal visit took place was decided to expel him. Mr Parallel Computing Research simulation. The new machine is two days later. Prince Andrew Wong appealed to the Rector, Sir Centre in the Huxley Building on also available for use in relevant attended one of the talks given in Ronald Oxburgh, but the decision Tuesday 24th May. undergraduate projects. the Huxley Building as part of the of the hearing was upheld. The Japanese electronics giant The Princess Royal was shown seminar 'Is Life Becoming Hard?'. College Security have put up Fujitsu, in its first such collabora- the API000 in operation and then The lectures dealt with topics warning posters around College tion with an academic institution, unveiled a commemorative plaque common to both the physical and bearing a photograph of Mr Wong. has donated an AP1000 parallel in the newly refurbished foyer of biological sciences, such as neural If he is sighted in College, machine to the College. The the Huxley Building. Some have networks. The seminar, jointly Sherfield Security should be API 000, located in the Department criticised the £60,000 refurbishment sponsored by Imperial College and notified directly on extension 3372. of Computing, is available to as a cosmetic exercise. Professor SEMA Group pic, was one of the research groups throughout Europe John Darlington, Director of the events taking place to celebrate the via the SuperJANET network. Centre, defended the decision. "It 200th anniversary of the Ecole Access will be free to registered was pretty dowdy...a depressing Polytechnique in Paris. Record Drop In University Funding Breaker The world record for the furthest BY LYNN BRAVEY authors feel that the resultant short- university education and research is distance flown by a paper aeroplane fall, estimated at around £2 billion, rising fast and will not abate. The was broken at the International University funding has been slashed "has already impaired the quality of Government should recognise that Paper Plane Tournament on by 25% per student over the past the student experience because of the universities are one of the UK's Saturday 19th May. four years, according to a report larger teaching groups...[and] less success stories. How long will the Flight Refuelling Ltd broke the from the Committee of Vice- spent on library books". Government continue to risk the record with a flight of 203ft 4in. Chancellors and Principals (CVCP). The CVCP want to enter into quality which underlies that Imperial College's team came 9th The report, published on 20th discussions with the Government success?" in the competition, with a flight May, warned that standards of about a new funding system able to In the past ten years, the pro- distance of 86ft 4in. teaching were bound to be affected deliver both expansion and quality portion of school-leavers going to The team from the Aeronautics by this reduction in funding per in higher education. CVCP university has risen from one in department were: Martin Ng, student. They also forecast that Chairman, Dr Kenneth Edwards, five to almost one in three, but Anand Mantri and Manish Sinha. funding will fall by a further 14% said: "To invest in universities is to Government funding has not kept The team also had lecturer Dr over the next three years. The invest in the future...demand for up pace with this growth. Morrison advising. What's it like to spend a holiday in Malaysia? See pages 4 & 5 News 3 Journalist's Rights Violated Soup Run BY LYNN BRAVEY reveal the person's identity, even enabling the press to perform its when the High Court ordered him to important function of 'public In Peril A former Felix Editor is to have his in November 1989. Mr Goodwin watchdog' in a democratic society." case heard in the European Court of was later fined £5,000 for contempt The Commission felt that, as the BY LYNN BRAVEY Human Rights after he was fined of court, which he felt was a breach matter was not one affecting national £5,000 for refusing to reveal his of his freedom of expression. At the security, there was no justification The future of the Soup Run is in sources. time, he told Felix that, although he in ordering Mr Goodwin to identify doubt due to a lack of minibus Bill Goodwin (27) was Felix had faced a possible 12 year jail his source. They also decided that drivers. Editor in the academic year 1988- sentence, he had not been impris- the company's claim that 400 jobs The Soup Run is organised by 89. He went to work as a trainee oned "because of the publicity". His would be lost as a result of the the Imperial College Community reporter for The Engineer where he case was later thrown out of the information being made public was Action Group (ICCAG) and offers received confidential financial court of appeal and discarded by the unsubstantiated and that it had not food to London's homeless. information about Tetra Ltd, a House of Lords without a hearing. suffered any of the harm predicted. Despite placing adverts in Felix computer company. He was told However, it was revealed last Geoffrey Robertson, QC for Mr requesting more volunteer drivers, over the phone by an informant that Wednesday that The European Goodwin said: "This decision is none have come forward. the company was in financial Commission of Human Rights is to important because it is the first time... The current minibus driver leaves trouble and was urgently seeking a refer the case to the European Court [the Commission] has accepted that at the end of this term, leaving the large loan. of Human Rights after ruling that the right to freedom of expression volunteers without transport. They Mr Goodwin contacted a senior the British Government violated the must extend to protect people who need people over 21 with a current executive of Tetra Ltd about the reporter's rights. If the court agrees disclose newsworthy information to driving licence who are willing to information. The company then with this ruling, Britain will be journalists. Our contempt law fails to take the Imperial College Union obtained an injunction preventing forced to provide stronger protection give journalists the protection they minibus driver test. publication of the story. It claimed for journalists under the 1981 need to tell the public the truth." ICCAG operate the Soup Run that the information had been stolen Contempt of Court Act. Mr Goodwin told Felix that he is every Thursday evening, leaving from its offices and might be passed In a ruling that the Government hoping for a favourable ruling, Weeks Hall at 9pm. on to customers or competitors, had violated article 10 of the saying: "As part of a settlement, I threatening the jobs of 400 employ- Convention of Human Rights the would ask the Government to ees and the company's survival. Commission said: "[We] consider change the law...Britain is very Tetra Ltd wanted to take action that the protection of the sources backward [in contempt law] com- against the informant but were from which journalists derive infor- pared to other European countries." St Mary's unable to as Mr Goodwin refused to mation is an essential means of Union Election Imperial Enters The Big League Results BY LYNN BRAVEY College held the pole position in news. The College came a poor The results of the St Mary's Government supported research, 37th in the student accommodation Union officer elections are as Imperial College is once more in staff with PhDs, contract research league, with only 40% of students follows: the top three in The Times and the number of students attaining living in accommodation provided University League tables. first class honours. by College. Institutions rating high President This is the second year that The In an interview with Felix Dr in this category offer housing for Dave Adams 48 Times has published tables ranking Rodney Eastwood, Deputy over 70% of their students. Will Man 86 Managing Director of Imperial all British Universities. It has also Imperial College also fared Claire Moloney 150 printed the criteria on which the College, questioned the reliability badly on drop out rates (40th, with New Election 76 league table was based.