BulletinFortnightly news for staff | 15 February 2007 | 461 Beijing Opera comes to the University As a world-renowned research and teaching 461 | 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.extra.reading.ac.uk/news/inthenews.asp 15 February 2007 Front cover: The front cover 17 January, Reading Chronicle 26 January, Reading Evening Post 1 February, Reading Chronicle | shows the Monkey King The University puts its name to the The University’s Walker Institute Feature on Olympic rowing fight against racism by signing the for Climate System Research will hopeful and Reading Maths and his followers from The Bulletin Reading Declaration, a racial share a £5 million Government student Anna Bebington Adventures of the Monkey equality charter. grant. The money will be spent 1 February, Society for Experimental King, a Beijing Opera to be increasing links with fellow 21 January, Channel Four Biology Bulletin researchers in India to predict the performed by a Chinese Dr John Creighton, Department of Feature on the work of the impact global warming will have Archaeology, appeared on Time University of Reading Biomimetics theatre troupe in the on the country’s monsoon season. Myra McCulloch Theatre, Team, discussing social change in team, Professor George Bulmershe Court on the Early Roman period in 26 January, Farmers Guardian Jeronimidis, Dr Richard Bonser Somerset. Defra has been told to urgently and Dr Emma Johnson – the team Monday 19 February – the review its flagship environmental behind the discipline of looking to 23 January, The Times first day of the Chinese New scheme. Reading researchers nature for inspiration for new Article examining the health concluded that the Entry-Level technologies and designs. Year. See page 3 benefits contained in everyday Scheme would not deliver the spices. With expert comment from 1 February, Pulse The Bulletin can be found online at Government’s own targets for Dr Ann Walker (Food Biosciences). Dr Rachel Howard (Pharmacy) www.reading.ac.uk/bulletin biodiversity. comments on the new prescribing where you can read a pdf of this 25 January, Reading Chronicle 27 January, New Scientist alert system designed to cut drug- issue and access archived issues of Olympic rowing hero and Reading Name any academic discipline and related morbidity. past Bulletins and Campus Authors. alumnus James Cracknell is it will offer a career opportunity in returning to the University to The Bulletin is published in-house climate change science. With open the new fitness facility on its fortnightly during term time. Items expert comment from Professor Whiteknights Campus. are welcomed from every member Keith Shine (Meteorology). of the University and should be sent, marked ‘Bulletin’, to Carol Derham Communications Office Whiteknights Biomimetics award The University of Reading Reading RG6 6AH The career development of a adhesives, robots, medical email [email protected] promising biomimetics devices, pharmaceuticals and Please note that we reserve the researcher has just been self-healing materials have all right to edit items and not all material may be used. Free small boosted by the award of the recently been launched and ads from University members will first BIONIS Biomimetics Award. are being rapidly taken up by be included if space permits. consumers. Biomimetics – the discipline Copy date for the edition of looking to nature for Dr Carlo Menon was awarded published on 15 March is 1 March. inspiration for new the prize in the face of stiff – will be spent by Dr Menon to The Bulletin is typeset by technologies and designs – competition from a field of conduct visits to a number of Diana Arnold in the is rapidly yielding new high-quality applicants from Communications Office and is internationally-renowned commercially successful around the world. printed by Advent Colour, Andover research centres for technologies. The prize of £5,000 – sponsored biomimetics research in Self-cleaning paint, novel by Swedish Biomimetics 3000® North America and Europe. Extended research Molly Courtenay, Professor of professionals i.e. nurses, £200,000 from Galderma UK Prescribing and Medicines pharmacists, optometrists and to investigate the prescription Management, School of Health allied health professionals. of medicines by nurses for and Social Care, has received The aims of non-medical patients with dermatological two extended industrial grants prescribing are to make it conditions and £100,000 from in order to continue her easier for patients to access Sanofi-Aventis to explore the research in the area of non- their medicines, make better prescription of medicines by medical prescribing. use of health professionals’ nurses for patients with Government policy has skills and encourage more diabetes. Galderma UK have recently been introduced to flexible team working across granted further £200,000 and extend prescribing the NHS. Professor Courtenay Sanofi-Aventis a further responsibilities to non-medical has previously received £100,000. 461 Chinese theatre | The Department of Film, Theatre & Television will play host to a Chinese theatre troupe from Beijing, who will 15 February 2007 perform Adventures of the Monkey King in | the Myra McCulloch Theatre on Monday 19 February – the first day of the Chinese Bulletin New Year. The troupe, which has toured internationally to the USA, Malaysia and Singapore, was invited to perform at Reading by Dr Ashley Thorpe, who teaches a critical option on traditional and modern Chinese theatre. Dr Thorpe met the leaders of the troupe in Beijing, when he was studying Beijing Opera at the Zhongguo Xiqu Xueyuan (Chinese Traditional Theatre Academy) in 2001, and has maintained contact ever since. The Princess from the Adventures of the Monkey King When he heard that they were touring havoc in heaven. The performance is troupe. The troupe will also perform the UK, he invited them to perform here. innovative in that it remains close to the classic scenes from the traditional The troupe, The International Center traditional style of performing, but will Beijing Opera repertoire in Chinese. for Beijing Opera, is on a UK tour to utilise English alongside Chinese. This Date: Monday 19 February 2007 at 7.30pm coincide with the arrival of the Chinese development is largely due to Ghaffar Place: Myra McCulloch Theatre New Year – a time when traditional Pourazar, a British performer who (Bulmershe Court) drama is staged more often. They became one of the first Westerners to will perform Adventures of the Monkey complete the rigorous course of training Tickets: £10, £7 conc. King, which follows the exploits of the at the National Academy for Traditional To reserve tickets: Liz ext. 8878 mischievous monkey god who wreaks Chinese Opera, and who leads the UN climate change report Fellow, and Professor Brian Hoskins, a Experts from various University Olympic gold medallist and former Royal Society Research Professor and departments have contributed to a global University of Reading student James Professor of Meteorology – were in Paris UN report on climate change. Cracknell MBE opened the new fitness for the IPCC meeting to help with the The latest report on climate change facility on the Whiteknights Campus on 15 wording of the report. The scientists by the UN Intergovernmental Panel February. involved are from the National Centre on Climate Change (IPCC) was made for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), the James, who graduated from Reading public on 2 February in Paris, after being University’s Department of Meteorology with a BSc in Human Geography in 1993, scrutinised in a four-day meeting by and the Environmental Systems Science officially opened the new £2.23million delegates from 113 countries around the Centre – all components of the new Walker Vo2 fitness centre – previously known as world. It presents stronger evidence than Institute for Climate System Research. the Wolfenden Sports Centre but ever that climate change is happening renamed SportPark. and that it will worsen this century. Professor Julia Slingo, Acting Director of the Walker Institute said: “This latest Our scientists – working under the newly- IPCC report shifts the debate firmly from formed Walker Institute at the University doubt to certainty about climate change, – helped to write the report, contributing and hence the need for action. What particularly on how much greenhouse businesses and governments require gases warm the climate, how ice sheets are more confident forecasts of local contribute to sea level rise, how El Nino and regional changes in climate and and monsoons might change, and on extremes, not just for 2050, but for 2010 important feedbacks within the earth or 2015. The report adds yet more weight system which can act to amplify warming. to the urgent need for well-informed Two of our scientists – Professor responses to adapt to and mitigate the Jonathan Gregory, a Principal Research effects of climate change”. Ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels quality, accommodation, bursaries on Our survey says... offer and graduate employment figures – all contributing to an overall positive A University of Reading survey has image of the University. shown that a good ‘gut feeling’ about the Carey Singleton, Director of Student University was one of the most influential Recruitment and the organiser of the factors when choosing to study here. survey, said: “Student feedback is really Ninety percent of undergraduates important to us and we take it very polled in an undergraduate Freshers’ seriously. Running annual surveys Survey said Reading “just felt right”, and such as the Freshers’ Survey helps us More than 500 Freshers were polled. that this was either important or very to understand better our prospective Key factors in choosing Reading over important when making their choice students and their needs and to address others were the availability of halls to – and a similar percentage chose Reading them, where possible.