BulletinFortnightly news for staff | 20 November 2008 | 489 Professor honoured at Shakespeare’s Globe As a world-renowned research and teaching 489 | IN THE NEWS: institution, the University of Reading is rarely out of the local, national and international media. This is a selection of media appearances by members of the University and press cutting summaries which highlight the important work being done by the staff and students of the University. View all ‘In the news’ items at www.reading.ac.uk/about/about-readinginthenews2008.asp 20 November 2008 Front cover: View of 16 & 17 July 23 October, BBC Radio Berkshire 30 October New Scientist | Shakespeare’s Globe Former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr Orla Kennedy (Food Dr Emma Johnson (Centre for Sir Roger Williams received an Biosciences) talks about the Biomimetics, School of at night. Photographer Bulletin Honorary Degree from the impact on the digestive system Construction Management and Pawel Libera University of Glamorgan and an if we are not chewing our food Engineering) gives expert Honorary Fellowship from Cardiff properly. comment on a tiny bug-eyed The Bulletin can be found online at University on subsequent days this camera that provides a field of 23 October, BBC Radio Berkshire www.reading.ac.uk/bulletin summer. view six times that of the Professor Leopold (Law) talks where you can read a pdf of this conventional camera, allowing the 21 September, BBC Radio 4 about the Reading Law students issue and access archived issues of field of view of cameras to Professor Peter Scott (Henley who have used their legal past Bulletins. approach that of human vision. Business School) broadcast a four knowledge to train as volunteers The Bulletin is published in-house minute essay on Radio 4’s for the citizens advice bureau, 1 November, Woman & Home fortnightly during term time. Items Broadcasting House programme on and who have recently been An article on how adding a little are welcomed from every member The life and death of the local recognised for their contribution indulgence to your diet is good for of the University and should be building society’. in the community. your body as well as your soul. sent, marked ‘Bulletin’, to Recent research from Dr David Carol Derham 21 October, Reading Evening Post 24 October, BBC Radio Berkshire Vauzour (Food Biosciences) has Communications, DEAO University of Reading Professor Peter Scott (Henley found that champagne is actually Whiteknights postgraduate planning and Business School) gives his expert packed with antioxidants that The University of Reading regeneration students, with the opinion on the current and future seem to specifically protect the Reading RG6 6AH help of Reading Borough Council, impact of the economic downturn. brain from damage associated email [email protected] visited a number of estates to 27 October, The Guardian with problems such as strokes. Please note that we reserve the discuss how they could apply their Changes in the salinity of our right to edit items and not all development skills to real 2 November, The Observer oceans are being brought about by material may be used. Free small communities. An article looking at how water, the man’s influence on our climate, ads from University members will world’s most precious commodity, 21 October, ITV Thames Valley suggests new research conducted be included if space permits. has been taken for granted and Tonight by the Met Office Hadley Centre how that’s all about to change. Copy date for the edition published covered a special launch that took and the Walker Institute for With expert comment from on 15 January is 4 December. place on Tuesday 21 October to Climate System Research at the Steven Mithen (Archaeology). The Bulletin is typeset by celebrate the selection of the University of Reading. Diana Arnold in Communications, University of Reading, with Little DEAO and is printed by Advent Heath School, as a major player in Colour, Andover. a national science and engineering outreach project. You wore it well Huge thanks are due again to here at the University, so if everybody who wore it pink for anyone wishes to take over the Breast Cancer Campaign on the mantle of donations Friday 31 October. collector, please let me know. £448 was raised throughout Diana Arnold the University, with the Communications Office School of Chemistry, Food Biosciences and Pharmacy raising half of that. Unfortunately I personally didn’t manage to organise anything in Whiteknights House on the scale of last year, but there was a profusion of pink outfits – including a very natty pair of socks worn by a member of Senior Management Board, Mick O’Callaghan, School of Chemistry, who shall remain nameless! Food Biosciences and Pharmacy, won the prize for the best ‘wear it pink’ This year’s event was my last outfit for the day! 2 489 Halls | redevelopment Redevelopment of the Halls of Residence 20 November 2008 got under way in the areas of Childs Hall | and Foxhill House on 17 November and will continue into the new year. Bulletin The areas affected are fenced off, signs indicate diversions where necessary and crossover plates used on roads to allow for continued access. The demolition of Whiteknights Hall by contractor, Morgan Ashurst, has also begun. The schedule of works and the major demolition work will continue until the end of the year. Commencement of new Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tony Downes, begins demolition of Whiteknights Hall supported by members of the University’s project team and contractors, Morgan Ashurst buildings is planned for February 2009. Details of the Whiteknights halls redevelopment can be found on the University website http://www.reading.ac. The hall on the site of Whiteknights Hall under his stewardship, the Treasury uk/about/about-localHallsRDPapp.asp will be known as Mackinder Hall, while Commissioner had granted Reading the new hall to the south of Childs Hall University College status. Sir Frank Names for new halls will be known as Stenton Hall. Stenton became the University’s third Following suggestions from the Project Halford John Mackinder was the first Vice-Chancellor (1946–50). He presided team, Senior Management Board has Principal of The College at Reading from over the University’s purchase of approved names for the two new halls 1892 –1903, coming from Christ Church Whiteknights Park, creating a new to be built on the site of Whiteknights College as part of the Oxford University campus for expansion of the University Hall and to the south of Childs Hall. Extension movement. Within ten years, in later decades. Globe conference On 23–26 October the Shakespeare’s University’s web pages which in its first The first of a pair of conferences Globe Centre in London ran a conference years secured one-third of all the hits the celebrating this work, the sessions in honour of Professor Andrew Gurr, University’s site received. featured talks by leading Shakespeare Professor Emeritus of English. On 22 October to launch the Globe scholars and theatre experts from around the world. The conference saw the launch Professor Gurr spent twenty years conference, Professor Gurr gave the first of a project to complete the Globe’s while at Reading chairing the research of a series of annual lectures in memory companion indoor theatre, the shell of committee that designed Shakespeare’s of Theo Crosby, the architect with whom which already exists. It will be a replica Globe, and ran a site forming part of the he worked to design the Globe playhouse. of the Blackfriars playhouse, which was built for Shakespeare’s acting company in 1596, three years before Shakespeare and his fellows built the Globe. The second conference in celebration of Professor Gurr’s work will be held next October in the USA, at Staunton in Virginia, where a Blackfriars replica already exists. The Shakespeare Center of America at Staunton plans to build a replica Globe to accompany its indoor Blackfriars in 2011 with Professor Gurr’s help. Shakespeare’s Globe theatre on the South Bank of the Thames. Photo by Pawel Libera 3 489 | Degrees at Greenlands On Saturday 18 October, the Chancellor (Dr John Madejski) presided over two Degree Congregations at Greenlands, the 20 November 2008 first at which degrees of Henley Business | School at the University of Reading were conferred upon students of the former Bulletin Henley Management College. news Our photograph taken on that occasion shows (l to r): David Savage (Director of Finance and Corporate Services), Professor Chris Bones (Dean of the Henley Business School), Professor Christine Williams (Pro-Vice-Chancellor), Tim Ford (President of the University Council), the Chancellor, the Vice- Chancellor, Professor Jim Pemberton (Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences) and Keith Hodgson (University Secretary). Map collection relocated Wallace and Following the hard-work and strenuous are now found near the Information Muriel Hirst Prize efforts of Library staff and Cripps removal Desk on the 2nd Floor, where they are men over the summer, the University’s more accessible than ever before, as they The Wallace and Muriel Hirst Prize for map collection is now operating from can be used whenever the Library 2008/09 has been awarded to Mrs Putso the 2nd Floor of the Main Library is open. Geographic atlases are on the Nyathi from Zimbabwe. Mrs Nyathi is Whiteknights. 4th Floor. Thematic atlases are with studying MSc Agriculture and The move went very smoothly, despite other material on the same subject. Development, Graduate Institute for the difficulties of dealing with heavy and Both the field maps and atlases can be Development and Applied Economics awkward map cabinets, and the maps borrowed using your Student Access (GIIDAE) in the School of Agriculture, were back in business on 1 September, Card/Library Card, for the standard loan Policy and Development.