Making Ideas Community and Meet the New 16 Happen 18 Communication 28 Chancellor Promoting the Sharing the goal The Right Hon Lady excitement and thrills of energy, food and Justice Rafferty DBE of enterprise education. water security. relishes her new role. You r UniversityALUMNI MAGAZINE • 2015/2016 BE BOLD AND THINK RADICALLY ENTER THE STIMULATING WORLD OF ECONOMICS’ GURU LORD O’NEILL. Contents FEATURES 08 40 16 Making Ideas Happen REGULARS How the University helps, supports and mentors 04 University News budding entrepreneurs 10 Research in the News 18 Community and Communication 14 My Sheffield Introducing the new Grantham Sir Peter Middleton GCB, Centre for Sustainable Futures Chancellor of The University of Sheffield 20 Be Bold and Think Radically 28 30 Alumni Board Economics’ guru Lord O’Neill discusses his latest challenges 32 In Profile 26 A Huge Boost 23 Art, Craft, Science in Confidence 34 Dates for Your Diary A video goes viral and saves a City Connections promotes scissors factory careers and skills’ development 36 Your Notes and News 24 Pushing the Boundaries: 28 Meet the New 40 Honours and Awards Understanding Disease Chancellor Multi-stranded research Introducing the first woman 42 Extracurricular is tackling the global problem to be Chancellor of The of antibiotic resistance University of Sheffield 43 A Legacy with Impact A note from your editor Read Your University online! Your alumni It’s been an who retires this summer. You magazine is also outstanding can read about these and many available online. If year at the other aspects of University life in you would prefer University. We the following pages. to opt out of scooped a trio receiving the print of accolades Thanks edition please at the Times email [email protected], Higher Education Awards, subject: Your University Online, received a major donation for and be sure to include details of our ground-breaking research your preferred email address. We into food security and we’re will send you an email when next about to welcome our first Sarah Hopkins year’s edition is available. In the female Chancellor, who I’m (BA English Language with meantime, you can see this year’s Linguistics 2003) sure will carry on the excellent Alumni Relations Marketing and magazine here: www.sheffield. work of Sir Peter Middleton Communications Officer ac.uk/youruniversity 2 YOUR UNIVERSITY | 2015/2016 Welcome At this time of the year, new graduates and their families mark achievement and look forward to the future. Graduation ceremonies are proud celebrations which remind us of our core purpose; to pass on knowledge to the next generation, to engender a lifelong respect for learning and to equip them to use their talents to improve the world that they are inheriting. Universities and policy makers talk a lot about the impact of education, and seek ways to measure this. But the most significant way any university changes the world is through the Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Keith Burnett ideas and lives of people – those who continue to develop that learning, taking it into every profession and continent of a world which surely needs the commitment of people who have benefitted from the education we are so fortunate to share. Your University is not shying away from global challenge either. We have been greatly encouraged by the support of students and alumni for issues such as environmental sustainability, including through the new interdisciplinary Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures. Our work across all forms of low-carbon energy has attracted talented researchers keen to translate ideas into action. Research into neurological diseases urgently seeks breakthroughs in some of the most debilitating conditions in medicine. And as I write, significant progress in the treatment of breast cancer is being reported – life-changing work carried out here in Sheffield. We are also thinking hard about the needs of the economy and business. The University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is rapidly developing into Europe’s first Manufacturing Innovation District. Building is underway on Factory 2050, the world’s first fully reconfigurable factory. Your University is the first to pilot advanced apprenticeships with routes into manufacturing engineering degrees and beyond. And our £80 million new engineering building, known as The Diamond, will welcome its first students in the autumn of 2015. The vital importance of such work has been recognised by distinguished Sheffield alumnus, Lord O’Neill, now Commercial Secretary to the UK Treasury. Sheffield will certainly be playing its part in turning the vision of a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ into reality, and you can read an interview with Jim in this magazine. And after 16 years of exceptional service, our Chancellor Sir Peter Middleton will be stepping down from this role, although he has generously agreed to continue to work closely with alumni. I have deeply valued his care for this University. He hands on the role of Chancellor to another Sheffield graduate, the Right Honourable Lady Justice Anne Rafferty. Dame Anne shares Peter’s dedication to the University which she says “gave me so much. This privilege – which means the world to me – begins my opportunity to repay.” I know you will join me in wishing her the very best. She joins a tremendous international family of talent and commitment to making our world a better place. Keith Burnett www.sheffield.ac.uk/alumni 3 University News A world-leading university Firth Court. he University’s international reputation Engineering, Computer Science, Education, FAST for research excellence across a wide and Mechanical Engineering (with the FACTS: Trange of disciplines was confirmed by Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre). the results of the 2014 Research Excellence Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Law The Students’ Union was Framework (REF). The quality, breadth and and Music were ranked in the top ten. voted best in volume of the University’s research activity A new feature of this national assessment the UK for were demonstrated by the fact that 86 per exercise was measuring impact. Professor the third year cent of the research submitted by academic Richard Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for running in staff was rigorously judged as world-leading Research and Innovation, commented, the National Student or internationally excellent. “Across the University there are many Survey. The submission for Biomedical Sciences, powerful examples of this: how our work including staff from the Faculties of Science helps patients by finding new medicines and The University of Sheffield and Medicine, Dentistry and Health, achieved assessing the best ways of treating them; was ranked particularly outstanding results, coming how it boosts jobs and growth by creating 12th best top in the UK in its Unit of Assessment spin-out companies and helping existing in the UK – for subjects allied to healthcare. History, companies develop new products and and No 1 in Politics, and Automatic Control and Systems processes; and how our work impacts policy, Yorkshire – in the QS World Engineering were each ranked third. A further and enriches the cultural life of the city University six Units were judged to be in the top five: and country.” Rankings 2014. Architecture, Landscape and Town and Visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/ Regional Planning, Biological Sciences, Civil research/ref2014 4 YOUR UNIVERSITY | 2015/2016 Round-up Double Chinese honour Sheffield has been named as one Performance Excellence Award from of the first of a small number of Liu Yandong, Vice-Premier of China. universities worldwide to host a The award was made in recognition Model Confucius Institute. Building of his contribution to a greater on the success of our thriving understanding of Chinese language Confucius Institute, the University and culture. He commented, “We will extend the current provision of need to pool our talents as we create courses and public events to include the sustainable energy the world will a focus on the needs of business, need, address problems of pollution manufacturing and healthcare. and think about how to care for an The signing of the new agreement ageing population. In all these areas, took place at the ninth annual global the UK and China must simply conference of the Confucius Institute work together.” The Vice-Chancellor with Xu Lin (Hon LittD 2014), Director in Xiamen in China. Vice-Chancellor General of Hanban and Chief Professor Sir Keith Burnett also Visit www.sheffield. Executive of the Confucius received a prestigious Individual ac.uk/confucius/sci Institute Headquarters. The University is also hosting the pilot GREAT Ambassadors (China) Scheme, which is providing student placements with companies across the UK who want to develop and expand their trade links with China. Contact the GREAT Ambassadors (China) Scheme: Visit www.youruniversity.group.shef.ac.uk/ Email: [email protected]: 0114 222 0938 news/double-chinese-honour/ A contemporary campus As the University continues to grow, both in terms of An artist’s reputation and in student and staff numbers, there is impression of Leavygreave an increasing need to expand and improve the quality Road. of our buildings and the surrounding campus. The Campus Masterplan is our vision for the next decade, building on the progress we’ve made so far. The aim is to create the best possible environment for all our students and staff, and make better links with local communities and the wider city. We want to make it even easier and safer for people to walk and cycle, and we also want to create public spaces which encourage people to visit and enjoy the campus. Visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/ Ongoing public discussions are informing the details campusmasterplan and of the Masterplan. watch the accompanying video. www.sheffield.ac.uk/alumni 5 University News Peerless peregrines A Sheffi eld welcome for The nest site on St George’s Church international students has been successfully used again – four eggs laid and two chicks hatched in 2015! peregrine.group.shef.