AUTUMN 2005 AA MagazineMagazine forfor GraduatesGraduates && FriendsFriends ofof Queen’sQueen’s UniversityUniversity BelfastBelfast £1m£1m UnionUnion AppeaAppeall SportSport forfor AAllll ClassClass ofof 20020055 Supported by BlueBlueZoe bellbel Salmonlee The best view of Belfast! As Domestic Bursar at Stranmillis University College, Christine Nesbitt is no stranger to visiting conferences. A Catering Administration graduate of the University of Ulster, Christine has been at Stranmillis for 11 years and was appointed Domestic Bursar in 2001. Christine Nesbitt Christine and her team are who were pleasantly surprised at how topics and visits to historical sites. responsible for the full range of convenient it was to travel to Belfast So to ensure that visitors would get housekeeping and catering services and to the College, it was unanimously the best view of Belfast we provided for conferences, which now agreed that the conference should contacted BVCB. form a regular part of the out-of term come to Northern Ireland for the first business at Stranmillis. Christine time. ‘BVCB have been extremely helpful, explains the importance of bringing providing useful information on city conferences to Belfast and the ‘The AMHEC Conference is one of the tours, hotel room deals, sponsorship support available from BVCB. most prestigious in the third level contacts and local musicians and education sector and Stranmillis staff very valuable promotional booklets ‘My colleague, Norman Halliday, who look forward to welcoming the for every conference delegate. The is Director of Corporate Services at Association’s members to the College assistance has been refreshing, in the College, is a founder member next year. Key business matters that the attitude from BVCB staff has and enthusiastic supporter of the discussed at previous conferences has been ‘what can we do for you’ which Association of Managers in Higher included tuition fees, cost effective gives me great confidence that a Education and Colleges (AMHEC). reward strategies, governance, bench group of this importance will be Norman suggested to the AMHEC marking and a code of conduct for dealt with committee that the 3-day annual governors. professionally conference in 2006 should be held in and will Belfast. ‘Following the meeting with the leave having AMHEC executive committee it was had a good ‘After an overnight visit to the clear that local knowledge would impression College by the executive committee, influence the conference discussion of Belfast’. 2 QUEEN’S TODAY Editor: Gerry Power Managing editor: Kerry Bryson Designers: Page Setup, Belfast Editorial Advisory Board: Emma Courtney Message Aíne Gibbons Colin McClatchie from the Editor Kevin Mulhern Advertising: Julie Forster Typing & Production: The revamp of the alumni magazine has taken Jacqui McCormick account of the views of the many graduates who took part in focus groups or completed survey forms in recent months, and to whom special Editorial office: o thanks are due. The new-look Queen’s today Development and recognises that over 60% of our graduates are less Alumni Relations Office t day than 40 years of age, with different communication Queen’s University needs and expectations. Belfast BT7 1NN Queen’s communications with its graduates has moved on. The spring Northern Ireland publication is now in a shorter newsletter format, while the autumn issue has been expanded to give a wider view of life at Queen’s today – which also happens to be the title of the new magazine! Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5322 Fax: +44 (0)28 9097 5188 Added to this, the Class of 2005 became the first to be offered ‘email for [email protected] life’ and we continue to circulate the latest news to association members, www.qub.ac.uk/alumni donors and others in our quarterly e-bulletin. Queen’s today Cover: Zoe Salmon (see Profile p.6) The new-look offers more graduate news (pp.9-11, pp.26-30) and takes a closer look at life at the University on a faculty basis (pp.12, 16 & 20), while retaining a healthy smattering of nostalgia © Development and Alumni (p.44). In this issue Derick Bingham highlights Queen’s links with Relations Office CS Lewis (p.38), Blue Peter’s Zoe Salmon is the profile subject (p.6) and Robin Ramsey explains the role of Convocation (p.24). Queen’s today is a magazine published by the Development and I am delighted to announce that Queen’s today has received corporate support from Ulster Bank. In this and subsequent issues of the Alumni Relations Office, for alumni magazine, readers will receive details of a variety of products which and friends of Queen’s University I am sure you will find of interest. Belfast. And remember, you can keep up to date with all the latest graduate Extracts from Queen’s today should news from Queen’s by visiting the website – www.qub.ac.uk/alumni not be published without the QUEEN’S Editor’s approval. While every Comments on the new magazine format would be most welcome (to [email protected]) or in writing to the address given. effort is made to ensure the accuracy of printed information, I look forward to hearing from you. readers should be aware that this is an alumni magazine and not an Gerry Power official publication. Any views Editor expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the University or the editorial team. Advertisements are carefully vetted, but the University can take no responsibility for their content. Printers: W & G Baird, Antrim QUEEN’S TODAY 3 Faculty 12Medicine Safer Medicines for Children by Professor James McElnay Fit for Practice by Professor Jean Orr Graduates Gingivitis and premature babies – is there a link? 6Blue Belle – Profile of Zoe Salmon 16Engineering Astronomers on NASA 9 & 26Classnotes mission by Professor Alan Fitzsimmons 19Graduate and Student Telecoms of the future of the Year contents 20Arts 45What’s in it for you? Why join a Queen’s association? The Winds of Change by Dr John Barry Film makers on show Creative writing Queen’s extra Students 42The Class of 2005 – summer graduation 35£1million Union Appeal 46Miscellanea - Quiz/brain teaser/Sudoku Features 23Convocation – making your voice heard by Robin Ramsey 32Sport for all – developments at Queen’s 38A Mind Awake – Derek Bingham looks at the life of CS Lewis 40£39million bookmarked for library by Aíne Gibbons 44Bygones – Martin Gray looks back at a different Queen’s QUEEN’S TODAY 5 PROFILE From the age of eleven, Zoe attended Bangor’s all girl Glenlola Collegiate School. In the evenings she did amateur dramatics and tap dancing, two skills that were later to play a big part in her Blue Peter audition. ‘Glenlola was very competitive, with so many girls all striving to be the best’, said Zoe. ‘This really suited me as I was very keen to succeed. And when I was there all I wanted was to go to Queen’s to Blue Belle study law. My parents hadn’t attended university but it From the moment the conversation starts it’s clear that Queen’s was something I knew I was law graduate, Zoe Salmon, is a focused and bubbly individual. destined to do’. She loves life, adores London and clearly cherishes her new job. As the 30th presenter on the BBC’s Blue Peter, and the first new Still living at home, Zoe enrolled member in four years, Zoe has every right to be upbeat. Queen’s in the law school at Queen’s today editor, Gerry Power, caught up with Zoe at her apartment in in October 1998. As an south west London in August. undergraduate she didn’t take part in many extra curriculum student ‘I really love my job; it’s been a very supportive when I left for activities, preferring instead to complete whirlwind since I London,’ said Zoe. concentrate on her studies. Her started. Working on Blue Peter is favourite tutors included Norma a dream come true for me,’ said Zoe’s dad, Joe, worked in the Dawson and John Stannard, Zoe. ‘Blue Peter is a television carpet industry all his life, both of whom are still working institution which has withstood formerly as MD of Northern in the school. the test of time. Like most kids I Ireland Carpets and latterly in the grew up watching the programme retail sector. As a result Zoe has ‘I was a real geek at the time; and it’s a real honour now – if acquired a lengthy list of random always in the library studying. somewhat surreal – to be part of facts about carpets, which no I really hated exams and so I felt I the team’. doubt will come in useful in the had to concentrate on not failing. Blue Peter studio where the Perhaps I should have taken up a At just 25 years old Zoe now has presenters face endless challenges. sport and entered into university the prospect of a lucrative career life a bit more, but I really in television ahead of her. Blue ‘My mum didn’t work, which wouldn’t have had it any other Peter is well known as a fertile meant I never had a child-minder way’, Zoe said. nurturing ground for talent and when I was young. I was always Bangor-born Zoe is set to follow very involved at school and Zoe’s social life revolved around in the footsteps of some of TV’s wanted to do loads of things. So I part-time modelling and at the most famous names – John was in the school choir, played in end of her first year at Queen’s she Noakes, Anthea Turner, Valerie the hockey team, joined the entered the Miss Northern Ireland Singleton and, of course, the Brownies and the Girl Guides and contest.