“Keep the Cat Free” ISSUE 1488 FELIX 13.05.11 The student voice of Imperial College London since 1949 THE END OF AN ERA The Space Shuttle retires: Page 6 Further details Rob Bishop ARTS emerge on Mech Eng Musical Theatre refurbishment Society in epic 24- College tight-lipped on specifi cs hour show: Page 14 Kadhim Shubber School-esque façade facing onto Exhi- bition Road. The project, which it was New information about the delayed said would ‘make a statement about En- GAMES refurbishment of the Mechanical Engi- gineering at Imperial’, was eventually neering department has come to light in shelved at the beginning of 2010 when the past week; showing the effect of the Westminster Council rejected the Col- disruption on PhD students and imply- lege’s planning application, demanding ing that the College was unhappy with changes to the design, and the College the way the project was being managed decided that the funds required to com- and that the error with the £3 million plete the project would be diffi cult to exhaust system is just one area where raise after the recession. the refurbishment has not proceeded However, Phase One of the proj- smoothly. ect, involving the refurbishment of In an extreme case, Felix has been the Skempton Building as well as the told that due to the disruption from the ongoing Mech Eng refurbishment had Are computer games refurbishment one PhD student is yet to already received planning permission start his experiment, three years after and funding from the College and both a waste of time? beginning his PhD. The student was not were well underway. Reports from Im- willing to speak to Felix about his situ- perial’s former Chief Operating Offi cer Page 21 ation as he is currently applying for an Dr Martin Knight seemed to indicate Bye, bye NatWest extension to his PhD. Several research that the refurbishment was continuing groups have been hamstrung by the de- smoothly until May 2010, when he re- lays, mostly from the uncertainty over ported to College Council that the Mech Sherfi eld branch closes: Page 2 the completion date and from diffi cul- Eng refurbishment was “now under the ties in providing temporary facilities for management of a different Arup project FOOD research. Currently around 12 PhD stu- manager [...] and is under tight con- dents in the thermal fl uids division have trol”. The minutes record that he also to share a lab where only one student at said “An interim agreement has been Imperial NHS Trust worst a time can carry out their combustion drawn up to settle all current claims experiments, due to insuffi cient ventila- and variations”. The statements suggest tion. that problems with the refurbishment in country for cancer patient The refurbishment of the Mechani- were encountered as far back as spring cal Engineering building began as part last year and that the College were experience says cancer charity of a wider £277m South-East Quadrant unhappy with Arup’s performance as (SEQ) project that envisaged a new project manager. The College declined modern building that would bring Me- to answer questions about the nature Catherine Lu The fi ndings come from a Macmillan chanical, Aeronautical, and Civil Engi- or scale of the problems referred to by Cancer Support league table, based on Meat fruit at neering together under one roof where Dr Martin Knight. Arup also declined The Imperial College NHS Healthcare research carried out by the Department the Mechanical Engineering building to comment on this matter, suggest- Trust has been ranked as the worst in of Health between January and March Heston’s new currently sits. It was fi rst mooted in ing that Felix ask the College. Neither the country in cancer patients’ experi- in 2010, and follows news that the 2007 and included plans for a Business ...Continued on Page 3 ences. ...Continued on Page 4 restaurant: Page 22 2 Friday 13 may 2011 FELIX HIGHLIGHTS On campus Volunteering with Notice Resisting Earthquakes special needs children Union Awards Designing buildings to resist earthquakes, fires, and Nominations open now explosions is the focus of this lecture by Professor Ahmed Elghazouli. These situations, known as loading conditions, present complex engineering Do you know someone who has been such a bad-ass, I challenges and require structural engineers to mean, selfl ess contributor to the student experience at come up with unconventional design philosophies. Imperial, that they surely deserve some recognition? If Registration in advance. Contact Kathleen Weeks so, here’s your chance to make sure they get some love, – [email protected] – to register. in the Union Awards sense, not in that other sense you fi lthy reprobate! The Union Awards are given to students Clore Lecture Theatre, Huxley who have made signifi cant and repeated contributions to the student experience at Imperial. The standard award is 17 May 17:30–18:30 a Union Colour, going up to an Imperial College Union Fel- lowship with Distinction, which is given to students who have made “an innovative development to the work of the Union such as to leave a positive legacy that will make a lasting impression for future members”. Head over to Avoiding climate change www.imperialcollegeunion.org for more information and remember that nominations close on the 24th of May. ‘Carbon Capture & Storage: our only hope to avoid dangerous climate change?’ Correction marks the launch of the Grantham Institute’s In the article entitled “£40 million shortfall in Briefing Papers. Imperial NHS budget” (Issue 1487 – 06/05/11), Professor Martin Blunt Stephen Smith was incorrectly named the CEO of and Dr Nicholas Florin the Trust. He has left the position. Editor will speak. Contact Gosia Gayer – g.gayer@ imperial.ac.uk – to Are you interested in volunteering with children register (required). with special needs? Do you want to give back to Lecture Theatre 1, Acex Building your community? Would you like to meet students 19 May 18:00–20:00 and staff at Imperial with similar interests? If so, a new project, Activities for Children with Disabilities (ACD), has recently been set up to help How butterflies stay dry you volunteer. ACD is linked to a charity called KEEN London which runs playgroups for children Professor Serafim Kalliadasis cross the divide between engineering and natural sciences to show with special needs. It gives disadvantaged children ‘how raindrops form patterns on glass and why butterfly wings don’t get wet’. The lecture will show access to fun recreational opportunities in a safe why chemical engineering is more than simply the environment, giving their parents much deserved use of chemical processes in large-scale industry. Registration in advance. Contact Kathleen Weeks respite. Their fi rst event is an autism awareness and – [email protected] – to register. information evening on Monday 16th of May from Clore Lecture Theatre, Huxley 19:00-20:00 at R3 at the Reynolds building. 20 May 17:30–18:30 For more information email Kaush at kkt07@ imperial.ac.uk 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 Stephen Smith 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 13 may 2011 3 NEWS NatWest shuts its doors for last time Extra uni places for rich students? Maciej Matuszewski Limited has been contracted to deliver be held responsible for any such agree- money to and from this room. Renova- ments. The Imperial College branch of Nat- tion work was carried out to ensure that Dr Sharon Bolton, Head of Interna- Genevieve Pugh telling the BBC “There is no question of West in the Sherfi eld building closed the room is secure enough to hold sig- tional Student Support, says that the people being able to buy their way into its doors for the fi nal time last Thurs- nifi cant amounts of money. College will provide international stu- The government is considering propos- university”. day. The reason for the closure, which One of the major concerns raised at dents with more information about oth- als to allow universities to offer extra This latest development in the student was fi rst reported in Felix in February, the time the closure was announced was er banks in the existing area, including places on their courses at market prices, fees saga comes as the government tries is unknown as NatWest has repeatedly the effect that it would have on inter- “details of accounts that can be opened outside the government loans system.