Link-Magazine-2019.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
OUR ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER HAS BEEN NAMED Alumni magazine HOW YOUR ALUMNI GIFTS ARE MAKING 2019 A DIFFERENCE CELEBRATING 100 PIONEERING BRUNEL WOMEN THE FAMILY KEY TO UNLOCKING SOCIAL MOBILITY BRUNEL GETS PEDALLING 2 BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE: WELCOME AND CONTENTS CONTENTS WELCOME 3 RECOLLECTIONS OF A BRUNEL From our Vice-Chancellor and President STUDENT I am delighted to welcome you all to your 2019 Link Magazine - a round-up of Brunel news, education, research and developments over the past year and a celebration of your many wonderful achievements. As ever, our alumni community continues to grow and thrive - Brunel has been able to go from strength to strength with your continued support and the foundation you have helped to build. BRUNEL BIKES GET HILLINGDON ALUMNUS OF There has been so much happening at the University recently and so much of it is PEDALLING THE YEAR down to the support of our alumni. It is truly humbling to have such a network of 4 6 supporters. 8 BRUNEL NEWS The donations you have made have supported life at Brunel academically, culturally, socially and have contributed to the campus environment as a whole, not least through helping us secure the Santander Cycles Brunel scheme and supporting our Global Opportunities Fund which helps students have an international experience as an integral part of the degree programme, something TAKING I am very keen to encourage. Of course, not all help is financial and I am delighted ON THE THE that we are once again able to recognise a fantastic team of mentors who regularly PREMIER STUDENTS 12 LEAGUE INSPIRING give their time to advise our students. Thank you also to all those who offer IN SPORTS THE NEXT internships and placements, those that sponsor or take part in events and those SCIENCE GENERATION 14 who give back through placing their profiles online and delivering talks. As always, we are available to support you in your time after graduation and are always eager to hear from you with news of your successes, career journeys and CELEBRATING 100 reunions following your studies with us. 16 PIONEERING BRUNEL WOMEN FROM LAW DEGREE TO TRAILBLAZER Professor Julia Buckingham CBE 18 Vice-Chancellor and President 20 ALUMNI NEWS From our Development and Alumni Relations Team Ahead of this edition of Link, we’ve been thinking about all that has happened this year and we’re once SUPPORTER again blown away by your support, 24 NEWS generosity, engagement and achievements. You have shown the RESEARCH passion you all have for Brunel, but NEWS also for your fellow alumni and our 26 current students, in the way that you support and embrace our efforts here in the Alumni Office and across the wider University. Thank you for all you do and for genuinely making Brunel a better place, with opportunities available to future Brunelians thanks to your contributions, inspiration and support. 28 BRUNEL IN PRINT We couldn’t do what we do without you: 30 PLAYED IN BRUNEL We are our alumni. 31 REUNION GLOBETROTTING Contributors Karen Auld - Senior Alumni Officer Joe Buchanunn - Senior Media Relations Manager Hayley Jarvis - Senior Media Relations Officer Tim Pilgrim - Senior Media Relations Officer Gillian Trevethan - Senior Campus Communications Officer Brunel University London Archives BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE: BRUNEL MEMORIES 3 DR SIMON RECOLLECTIONS OF A (CLASS OF 1993) “I took a PhD in Materials Technology BRUNEL STUDENT… in 1992 here. The electron microscopy building & facilities were ‘State of the Art!’ What a privilege to be part of a ANDY MICHAELA great institution with such a superb, (CLASS OF 1995) (CLASS OF 2013) worldwide reputation! Some difficult “I was at Brunel for four “I met my now-husband days I remember, but they forged my years in the 1990s and I’m at the Isambard Complex foundations for me to grow into the still amazed that no-one during fresher’s week!” person I am today! Thank you is not mentioned to me that ‘A enough.” Clockwork Orange’ was filmed there!” FIONA (CLASS OF 1989) ALIKI IMRAN “Always thought the lecture (CLASS OF 2002) (CLASS OF 2006) theatre looked like it was built “Unforgettable memories from the “I still remember the back to front!” Hamilton building and of course construction of the DARREN Fleming Hall, with the cherry trees Sports Centre and the (CLASS OF 1988) and us climbing with baskets to halls (behind the Maths “1980s legend had it that it collect them....” building) were being WAS! According to the legend, constructed. Still have the main Lecture Theatres memories of doing my were supposed to have been final year exams with on the south(?) end towards construction machine engineering and that either the JADE noises in the background building was switched around (CLASS OF 1995) and builders shouting at due to foundation problems “I’m half of another one of each other - lol! or that there were foundation those [Brunel] couples! Dr Ahh those were the days. problems because it was Rod Badcock, now at Victoria Best times of my life to accidentally switched around?” University of Wellington, New date! Like others, so glad I Zealand and I met in my second went to Brunel!” year and got married four months after my graduation!” HANAN 刘兆基 (CLASS OF 2006) “I met my girlfriend “Met my husband at at the Brunel Sports GAURANG Brunel! Ten years on and Centre and we (CLASS OF 1999) we are still facing the are going to stay “My favourite places were the ‘Refec’ world together with our 3 together for the rest (The Refectory) & the Sports Centre! On kids. Thank you Brunel!” of our lives.” campus, the HSBC branch was Midlands Bank back then. A Nourishment drink & a packet of McCoys crisps from the shop was sufficient between lectures and FRANCESCO (CLASS OF 1993) weekly CD purchases from the bearded VARUNRAJ gentleman were the norm! ‘U’ buses “Goose bumps thinking of my (CLASS OF 2006) were great to get us to Uxbridge centre time at Brunel. Great times “The Kebab shop & back! Isambard Close was home with I’ll never forget. My BEng round the corner the occasional late night kebabs nearby. has helped me enter the behind the Isambard Remember dashing to get work printed & motorcycle world, with MV building… late nights dashing to hand in before the deadlines Agusta in Italy and working hopping over to the ... after a late night chatting absolute with Harley Davidson and shop for a quick nonsense. Loved my time there... made BMW. Thanks Brunel!” bite!” loads of lifelong friends!” 4 BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE: FUNDRAISING ‘A GREAT THING FOR UXBRIDGE’: BRUNEL BIKES GET HILLINGDON PEDALLING BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : FUNDRAISING 5 Bright-red bikes will be a regular feature of Uxbridge and Hillingdon life after the area launched its first public cycle-hire scheme. Santander Cycles Brunel - affectionately-dubbed ‘Brunel Bikes’ - will initially connect six docking stations across Uxbridge town centre, Brunel University London and Hillingdon Hospital, with proposals being drawn-up to extend the network to West Drayton in the future. It’s hoped the scheme - which has been described as a “great thing for Uxbridge” by local MP Boris Johnson - can give people in Hillingdon a convenient new means of getting about town, while encouraging exercise, easing traffic and reducing pollution. their scheme, after narrowly pipping other Taking on a winning universities with a flurry of late pledges. challenge Matt Hutnell, Director, Santander Universities UK said: “We’re really excited to be bringing The new bikes come thanks to Brunel’s winning Santander Cycles to Uxbridge and Hillingdon effort in the Santander Cycles University after the amazing response we had from the Challenge, a national competition which tasked local community to our Santander Cycles universities with raising funding for their own University Challenge. Over the past five years local cycle scheme. Backed by key partners we’ve supported Brunel University London in such as Hillingdon Hospital, Brunel had just 33 a range of ways, from helping students start days to raise operating costs of £48,650 - a their own businesses to connecting students target that was eventually smashed by more with local SMEs, supporting the local than £36,000 to raise over £85,000 in total Gathering support economy. We’re delighted that the Santander thanks to donations from over 400 supporters, Cycles scheme will ensure that both Brunel including local businesses and a host of current University London and the local community Supporting the scheme is local MP and and former students. A further £100,000 of prosper even further from our partnership.” former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, capital investment was awarded to the scheme who was famously in office when the first by Santander. public cycle scheme, originally proposed by his predecessor, launched in the capital. “It’s wonderful, I think Brunel have been pioneering,” said Mr Johnson. “It’s also a great thing for Uxbridge and the local community because what they are creating is not just a cycle scheme for the university but for the whole of the town centre. I’ve no doubt that it’ll expand and this is the start of something really beautiful.” Launching the scheme, Brunel Vice- Chancellor and President, Prof Julia Buckingham CBE, said: “This is a wonderful Krysia Solheim, nextbike UK MD, said: “The opportunity for us to all to work together The bikes are supplied by leading bike share positive impact bike share can have on to promote a healthier campus, and indeed, operator nextbike, which has more than reducing congestion and carbon emissions, a healthier community - something we’re 200 schemes worldwide, including 10 in the while improving and public health is well- working very closely on with our NHS UK.