COMMUNICATING RISK Interviews with scientists and journalists on the challenge of communicating risk accurately. Page 10 “Keep the Cat Free” ISSUE 1487 FELIX 06.05.11 The student voice of Imperial College London since 1949 NEW WEBSITE £40 million MECH ENG BLUNDER budget shortfall £3 million exhaust system built with wrong type CEO of Imperial NHS Trust, Stephen Smith, warns of fund- ing gap due to ‘funding with- of steel; responsibility for error undetermined drawals’ from local Primary Care Trusts. Page 2 Kadhim Shubber supposed to ventilate toxic gases from mistake was discovered, “it was felt that engine test labs to the roof, and is part [the exhaust system] wouldn’t stand up We redesigned our A team of technical experts is currently of a wider £13.5 million refurbishment to long-term use”. He emphasised that Science investigating how a £3 million exhaust of Mech Eng being carried out by the the liability for the mistake was still website. Check it out! system, in the Mechanical Engineering construction fi rm ISG. unknown and didn’t rule out the possi- Challenge starts building, came to be built with galvan- The refurbishment was originally bility that Imperial would have to meet felixonline.co.uk ised, instead of stainless steel. The Col- planned to have been completed in some of the extra costs. Funding diffi culties mean this lege were reluctant to reveal the cost October 2010 but has faced delays and He said that other work, in addition year’s delayed Science Chal- of fi xing the error, saying only that it rising costs due to the exhaust system to the original £13.5 million contract, lenge is vastly scaled-down in was less than half of the original cost, mistake and other additional work. The was also ongoing and said that the fi nal comparison to previous years. meaning that whichever party is found refurbishment is now intended to fi nish cost of the refurbishment was still to be Page 2 liable could face a bill of up to £1.5 in the summer. agreed. BOOKS million. Steve Howe, Director of Capital Proj- ISG did not respond to a request for The heavy-gauge exhaust system is ects and Planning, said that when the comment. Football team fi ned Football team sanctioned by Facebook fraud befriends freshers Amateur Football Association and Sport Imperial after fans fi ght with UCL players at ULU This year, Cup Final. Page 4 Interview with unsuspecting novellist David freshers became Campus Mitchell: Page 25 friends with ‘Demi’. demonstration But she doesn’t exist Anti-Ethiopian government protestors descend on and the photo is campus to protest an Ethiopian HANGMAN government conference in the stolen. Page 2 Great Hall. Page 4 Imperial mourns The Summer Ball 2011 Anthony Soh Friends hold memorial service A new-look Summer Ball has been in memory of 1st year Me- chanical Engineering student announced, with more live acts and a Looking back at Anthony Soh, who lost his life this Easter. Page 5 festival feel. But what do students think? ‘SexyOsama69’: Page 7 Headliner Laura Marling Page 30 2 Friday 06 may 2011 FELIX HIGHLIGHTS On campus Sylvester goes to Union Notice Lunchtime Concert the Himalayas Union Elections If you are looking for a break during all those hours Nominations open Monday 9th May of revision, or simply to enjoy something a little bit different on campus, this lunchtime concert, with From the people who brought you ‘The Sabbatical Elec- Imperial performers, is just the right thing for you. tions’ last term, get ready for this term’s epic ‘Central The programme is yet to be decided, but it’s free Union Elections’. The positions are all about contributing and open to all. Contact Andrea Robins – a.robins@ positively to the Union and to your fellow students’ experi- imperial.ac.uk – for more information about the ences at Imperial, and span a range of welfare and rep- programme. resentation roles. They include: Council Chair, Court Ad- vocate, Community Action Group Chair, RAG Chair, Equal Read Lecture Theatre, Sherfield Opportunities Offi cer, Disabilities Offi cer, LGBT Offi cer, International Offi cer, Interfaith Offi cer, Gender Equality 12 May 13:00–13:45 Offi cer, Healthy Living Offi cer, and Environmental Offi cer. More information about these positions and running for election can be found at www.imperialcollegeunion.org. Get involved! Swarm of Robots Dr Frantisek Stepanek Exam Calendar Centrefold discusses the role of microscopic robots in We hope that you’ve all been revising extremely hard this drug delivery in the past Easter and... oh, you haven’t? You’ve been frolicking body. These robots are in the sun, drinking Pimms and fantasising about Pippa being designed to adopt The library gets really weird after midnight... Middleton? Well not to worry, there’s still time! And to the characteristics of help you organise your revision schedule and remember swarms of birds to what day your exams are on, we’ve made you a lovely deliver drugs in new You may have exam calendar. It’s on the opposite side of the Naked ways. £3. Contact Centrefold. Good luck Imperial! Jill Cook – admin@ spotted Serge friendsofimperial.org.uk – for more information. Vasilechko, pictured, G16, SAF Building running around Lolcat of teh week 12 May 19:00–20:00 campus this Easter, climbing stuff and generally acting Better, Stronger, Faster silly. Fortunately it’s not because exam Lower back pain will affect some 80% of us at some stress has got to him. He’s raising money point in our lives, but our ability to treat this problem is limited at best. Professor Alison McGregor talks for an epic 18-day, 660km cycle across about why our backs have not been built to last and how environment, lifestyle, injury, and genetics the Himalayas. The money raised will go to affect the spine. Registration in advance. Contact Kathleen Weeks – [email protected] – to community development projcets through reserve a place and for more information. ChildReach International. Find out more by Glenister LT, Charing Cross Campus searching ‘Sylvester goes to the Himalayas’ 12 May 17:30–18:30 on Facebook. Felix, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BB. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 020 7594 8072. Fax: 020 7594 8065. Printed by The Harmsworth Printing Ltd, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby. Registered newspaper ISSN 1040-0711. FELIX Copyright © Felix 2011. Editor-in-Chief Kadhim Shubber Deputy Editor Gilead Amit Copy Chief Lizzy Griffiths Assistant Editor Dan Wan News Editors Alex Karapetian Matt Colvin Reporters Katherine Bettany Charles Betts Sophia David Maciej Matuszewski Deepka Rana Aemun Reza Ian Wei Umair Aasem Genevieve Pugh Haralambos Dayantis Madhura Ghosh Victoria Druce Catherine Lu Design Editor Veronika McQuadeova Features Editor Lizzie Crouch Sports Editors Jovan Nedic David Wilson Science Editors Kelly Oakes Charlie Harvey Thea Cunningham Business Editors Sina Ataherian Afonso Campos Politics Editors Rory Fenton Rajat Jain Joseph Letts Technology Editor Samuel Gibbs Feroz Salam Comment Editors Anna Perman Jan Piotrowski Arts Editor Rox Middleton Music Editors Greg Power Christopher Walmsley Luke Turner Film Editors Jade Hoffman Ed Knock TV Editors Matt Allinson Veronika McQuadeova Food Editors Dana Li Vicky Jeyaprakash Fashion Editor Saskia Verhagen Games Editor Simon Worthington Online Editors Niharika Midha Dakshaa Rai Chris Birkett Jonathan Kim International Editor Kenneth Lee Puzzles Captains Polly Bennett James Hook Aman Nahar Books Editor Guo Heng Chin Photo Editors Miles Robertson Thomas Welch Travel Editor Chris Richardson Copy Editors Alex Nowbar Hannah Thomas Sharanya Subbu Ritika Gupta Zainab Ali Shruti Mishra Sophia Man Tim Arbabzadah Jamie Fraser Veli Akiner Illustrators Luca de Benedetti Hamish Muir Benjamin Kennedy Amanda Diez Joshua Yerrell FELIX Friday 06 may 2011 3 NEWS £40 million shortfall in Imperial NHS Trust budget Facebook fraud Mike Finn-Kelcey/Imperial College London Christopher Richardson With her big bright eyes, a selfl ess de- sire to help those in need, and an unri- valled passion for the sounds of obscure bands you’d have to Google just to maintain conversation, Demi Atkinson certainly ticked all the boxes. And to your average Imperial fresher, confi ned to our beloved South Ken bubble with a less-than-ideal male to female ratio, perfect she did seem. We’re lucky to live in a time and age university life. dozens of faux accounts they’d created. where new students no longer face that When her best friend Lara announced One has to wonder what kind of motive Imperial NHS Trust CEO Stephen Smith daunting prospect of showing up at uni- the tragic news of her death we were all someone would have. I mean, Imperial versity and having nobody to talk to: devastated. Demi had died of sudden freshers are hardly the most robust or thanks to Zuckerberg and his cronies unexpected death syndrome due to the interesting targets in the world. Perhaps Ben Scally West London; and includes Charing one can muster up a whole jamboree of unbearable stresses that life had bur- someone has a deranged ex-lover look- Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Char- acquaintances before arriving on that dened her with. As is the custom in this ing to keep tabs on them. Imperial College NHS Trust faces a lotte’s & Chelsea, St Mary’s and West- rainy day in October. And that’s what bizarre and often cringe-invoking age, The whole situation seems like an budget shortfall of £40m next year, ac- ern Eye hospitals. It is one of the biggest I and countless other schmucks spent countless messages bombarded Demi’s Aesop’s fable for the Facebook genera- cording to CEO of the Trust and Pro- acute trusts in the country, with more hours doing in the months preceding wall, and amongst the dozens of fresh- tion: we should certainly be more careful Rector Stephen Smith.