May/June 2011 - University of York

the university of york magazineNEwS3New awards recognise excellenceThe new Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Achievementaim to recognise and reward staff and students who are makinga particularly significant contribution towards key elements in theUniversity Plan.The awards are divided intocategories corresponding to thePlan’s four themes – Excellence,Internationalisation, Inclusivity andSustainability.In this first year, a total of 68 groups orindividuals were nominated and the goldand silver award winners were chosen by apanel chaired by Vice-Chancellor ProfessorBrian Cantor and members of the University’sSenior Management Group. He presentedthe awards to the gold award winners at ameeting of University Court in May.“These new awards recognise membersof the University who are making anoutstanding contribution towards achievingthe University Plan’s principal themes,” saidProfessor Cantor. “The judging panel had adifficult task in deciding the winners fromextremely high calibre entries, who deserveevery congratulation for their outstandingachievements.”Winners in the gold category are:the CNAP Artemisia Research team, JonMeacock (Project Director for HeslingtonEast), Professor Howard Wilson (Physics),Ellen Roberts (Social Policy and Social Work),Professor Simon Duckett (Chemistry),Professor Gary Green (Psychology),Andrew Clemo, Simon Donnelly, Ben Keaneand Chris Caudwell (University ChallengeTeam 2010–11), Professor Sultan Barakat(PDRU), the Centre for Lifelong Learning,the Athena SWAN team of the Departmentof Chemistry, Kate Harper and the Kids CollegeTeam, Dr John Schofield and Rachel Kiddey(Archaeology), the Music Education Group, theGreen Chemistry Centre of Excellence, GordonEastham and his Estates team, Callum Robertsand the Marine Research Group and JamesCollege Junior Common Room.“The judging panelhad a difficult task indeciding the winnersfrom extremely highcalibre entries”Teaching Awards 2011Twelve Vice-Chancellor’s TeachingAwards will be presented at thissummer’s graduation ceremonies.The awards recognise staff (eitherindividually or in teams) andpostgraduates or postdocs whodemonstrate excellence in teachingand/or learning support at York.Award winners are: Phil Lightfoot(Physics), Liat Levita (Psychology), thePlasma Physics and Fusion Group (BenDudson, Kieran Gibson, John Pasley,Greg Tallents, Roddy Vann, HowardWilson, Nigel Woolsey and RachaelStephenson), the Field ArchaeologyTeam (Steve Roskams, Cath Neal,Helen Goodchild, Penny Spikins,Andrea Dugdale, Allan Hall and AndrewNeedham), Vivien Burrows (Economicsand Related Studies), Barbara Gribling(History), Christopher Hogg (Theatre,Film and TV), Chris Poskitt (ComputerScience), Marta Szreder (Languageand Linguistics), Adam Tuff (Physics),Pragya Vohra (History), and IsabelleWinder (Archaeology).Photo by Ian MartindaleRoses victory for YorkThe University secured a convincing victoryat the 2011 Roses tournament in May, beatingLancaster University by over 70 points. Morethan 2,000 students participated in over 25different sports, including rugby which washosted at the York City Knights stadium.Thousands of spectators, including a largegroup of alumni, gathered along the Ouseto watch the rowing. The University’s BoatClub President, Rosy Temple, competed inthe Women’s IV and VIII, and commented,“It was really exciting to have such greatsupport for the University, right in thecentre of York.”Royal SocietyhonourProfessor JohnGoodby, of theDepartment ofChemistry, wasamong 44 newFellows announced bythe Royal Society on18 May.Election to the Fellowship of the RoyalSociety is recognised worldwide as asign of the highest regard in science.Candidates must be proposed by at leasttwo existing Fellows and are assessed bySectional Committees in each major fieldof science.Professor Goodby’s research focuseson the use of liquid crystals in a rangeof high technology applications,including large area flat panel displays,microdisplays, sensors, imaging devices,biomedical materials, surface coatings,and smart adhesives.

4the university of york magazineNEwSNEWS IN BRIEFThe Annual Conference for the Associationof University Directors of Estates (AUDE)was hosted by the University in Apriland organised by York Conferences.AUDE promotes excellence in the strategicplanning, management, operation anddevelopment of Higher Education estatesand facilities. The conference programmecomprised sessions on financial andenvironmental sustainability in the HigherEducation sector, including a transatlanticvideolink with Harvard University and akeynote speech from Sir Alan Langlands,CEO of HEFCE.York students from China were able tohear about the experience of alumniliving and working in China through anew online ‘China Link’ forum held inMarch. The first of its kind on offer fromUK Careers Services, the China Link 2011forum enabled current York studentsto learn about the realities of workinglife back home in China. The forum hadaround 1300 views throughout the weekby Chinese students, alumni and Chinabasedemployers. The discussions werearchived in a blog resource for ongoinguse to help students inform their careerplanning. “Projects like this are vital to ourfuture development,” said postgraduatestudent, R Hu, who took part in the forum.“It is very important for Chinese studentsto be connected to the home employmentmarket when studying in the UK.”The Department of ChemistryUndergraduate Admissions team has beenshortlisted for the Outstanding StudentAdmissions Team at the Times HigherEducation (THE) Leadership andManagement Awards 2011; the winnerswill be announced on 16 June. Theseawards are a highlight of the academiccalendar and a celebration of the best ofthe sector. Undergraduate applications toChemistry in York have had a 100%growth over the past five years,significantly outperforming the nationalchemistry statistics. Professor RichardTaylor, Head of Department, noted thatthis “is well deserved recognition of thehard work and enthusiasm of theadmissions team and their commitmentto the personal approach to applicants.”Speeding into energy futureThis spring a team of scientists led by York’sPlasma Physics and Fusion group conductedan experiment at the Vulcan laser facilityin Oxfordshire, to study how an intenselaser produces beams of electrons movingat relativistic speeds – speeds which are asignificant proportion of the speed of light.The research aims to achieve suitableconditions for a process called ‘fast ignition’which may be used to heat fusion energyexperiments. Fast ignition conditions requireextremely high electrical currents, of theorder of millions of ampères (by comparison,a kettle draws a current of 9 amps), containedin a laser beam a fraction of the width of ahuman hair.Teams from the Department of Biologyand Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)were winners in two of the categories in thecity-wide York Cycle Challenge. The eventwas held over three weeks and involved 54teams representing major employers acrossYork. The combined efforts of the hundredsIn the experiment, x-ray measurementtechniques were used to measure thecurrents and spreading of a relativisticelectron beam in dense plasmas.Each measurement was completed inapproximately 1 picosecond (one millionthof one millionth of a second!). The team(including three York PhD students as wellas research staff from York and other UKinstitutions, Germany and Russia) is nowengaged with the much lengthier task ofinterpreting the data.It is hoped that this research will shedfurther light on processes which can facilitatethe viable production of clean, cheap,sustainable fusion energy.University rises to cycle challengeof people who commuted by bike duringthe challenge period prevented 20,201kilograms of CO 2from being released into theenvironment – enough to fill morethan four million balloons. For a fullbreakdown of the results, visitwww.yorkcyclechallenge.org.uk.Staff from SEI clocked up 1,413 miles,burned 27,210 calories and saved 245kg of CO 2

the university of york magazineNEwS5David Kato rememberedIn celebration of thelife and struggle ofcourageous gay rightsactivist David Kato, apanel discussion onLGBT and Faith washeld at the Universityon 5 May. David wasa Protective Fellowat the Centre forApplied Human Rightsin 2009–10. He was brutally murdered in hishome in Kampala in January.Speakers at the event included CanonJonathan Draper from York Minster andGodwyns Onwuchekwa, Co-ordinatorof Justice for Gay Africans Society. Thediscussions emphasised the need for furtherdialogue around gay rights, particularly withinTheme park goes wild for gold awardIn the park, University CIRCLEresearch interns have set up45 bird nest boxes, includingan owl box, and ringed birdsand nest boxes. They arealso developing conservationareas, creating a two hectarewooded area and plantingcornfield flowers to helpmaintain seed stocksfaith communities. There were heartfelttributes from David’s colleagues and thosewho have been touched by David’s struggle.Godwyns described his reaction to David’sdeath: “I could not but weep tears of distress;of a desire for a better world. But above all,of hope for a better future.”“The event was held following asuccessful campaign by the organisation‘Speak Out 4 David Kato’ which called onthe Ugandan-born Archbishop of York,John Sentamu, to personally condemnhomophobic violence. The Archbishoprecently clarified his position, condemningDavid’s murder and emphasising everyone’sright to enjoy safety and security regardlessof sexual orientation,” said Lucy Hardingof the Department of Politics, one of theevent organisers.STAFF NEWSDr Julian Miller (Electronics)was awarded the Evostaraward at the annualconferences andworkshops in Turin, Italy inApril for his outstandingcontribution to the field of evolutionarycomputation.Professor Dave Smith(Chemistry) has beenawarded the 2011 RSC‘Bob Hay Lectureship’,given to a younger chemistworking in the field ofsupramolecular chemistry.Dr Verena Görtz (Chemistry)was awarded the BritishLiquid Crystal Society’s 2011Young Scientist Prize inrecognition of her‘significant researchcontributions to the field of liquid crystals’.Hilary Blake has joined theDevelopment and AlumniRelations Office team asAnnual Fund Officer. Herrole is to increase supportfor the York Annual Fund,run twice yearly telephone campaignsand raise the profile of the Fund acrosscampus. A York alumna (History, 2003,Vanbrugh), Hilary has experience infundraising and volunteer supporthaving worked with Christian Aid andthe Iona Community.Thanks to a pioneering partnership with theUniversity, Flamingo Land Theme Park andZoo has won a prestigious 2010 Gold DavidBellamy Conservation Award. The annualawards scheme looks at all aspects of parkmanagement from protection of plant andanimal habitats to the efficient use of energyand recycling.Professor David Bellamy, the botanist andvociferous campaigner on environmentalissues, particularly impressed by theconservation work of the CIRCLE institute(Centre for the Integration of Research,Conservation and Learning), a jointlyfundedventure between the University’sEnvironment Department and Flamingo Land,based at the theme park. “The role of themodern zoo is to educate the public and toconserve global biodiversity,” said Dr AndyMarshall, Director of Conservation at FlamingoLand and lecturer in the EnvironmentDepartment. “At Flamingo Land we are doingthis through our Udzungwa Forest Project,which involves working with local peopleand researchers in Tanzania to conservethreatened species and local habitats.”Dr TT Arvind (Law) wasawarded the ICLQ YoungScholar Prize 2010 for hisarticle ‘The “TransplantEffect” in Harmonisation’(2010) 59 ICLQ 65-88.Maria Goddard (Centrefor Health Economics)has been elected aFellow of the LearnedSociety of Wales in itsinaugural election.Dr Peter Rudd (Institutefor Effective Education) hasjoined the IEE as a Reader,focusing on the theme ofovercoming educationaldisadvantage. He works inthe areas of school improvement, schooleffectiveness, raising attainment,overcoming the barriers to educationalachievement, and using new technologiesfor teaching and learning.

6the university of york magazineNEwSStem cellresearch inthe spotlightAdvances in stem cell science werethe focus of a major conferenceat the University in March whichdrew researchers from acrossthe world.The UK Stem Cells Network’s annualconference showcased potential rolesfor stem cells in the understanding,prevention and treatment of cancer,osteoarthritis, damage to the larynx,inflammatory disease, and Parkinson’sdisease. Delegates also considereddevelopments in our understanding of thefundamental biology of stem cells and thechallenges of producing and using stemcells in a clinical environment.Speakers included US developmentalbiologist Professor Gail Martin andProfessor Martin Birchall, who led theteam which successfully performed theworld’s first stem-cell based, tissueengineeredorgan transplant.Dr Paul Genever of the Departmentof Biology was among scientists whopresented papers during the three-dayconference. He described his work togrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) –currently one of the leading candidatesto be used in stem cell therapies – as tinyspheres. Under these conditions MSCsshow potential to become a variety ofdifferent cell types including, possibly,the early precursors to heart muscle cells.MSCs are common in children and adultsand quite easy to find in blood, bonemarrow, and many other tissues.On the eve of the conference, theUKNSCN screened the UK premier of thefilm Indestructible, the story of filmmakerBen Byer’s three-year battle against ALS,a type of motor-neurone disease, whichincluded travelling to a stem cell clinicin China.In parallel with the conference,the Department of Biology staged twoperformances of a poignant dramawhich explored the social and ethicalimplications of stem cell research.Audiences of 14-to 18-year-old pupilsfrom schools across Yorkshire saw thedrama by award-winning playwrightJoy Wilkinson. It was commissioned byThe Biochemical Society to markits centenary.The chairman of The BiochemicalSociety, Professor Colin Kleanthous,of the Department of Biology,said, “This thought-provoking play is ahighly effective way of introducingissues around stem cell research to ayoung audience.”An international approach to equalityDr Irene D’Amico (pictured far right with other delegates)This April Dr Irene D’Amico represented theDepartment of Physics and the UK at the4th IUPAP (International Union of Pure andApplied Physics) International Conferenceon Women in Physics in Stellenbosch,South Africa.Over 200 physicists from over 60countries attended the conference, tocelebrate the contribution of women in thissector of science, as well as to debate recentscientific results. The event was openedby South Africa’s Minister for Science andTechnology, Ms Naledi Pandor, who deliveredan inspiring speech about the role ofeducation in the future of South Africa.The ‘Climategate’ affair in 2009 led tospeculation that some scientific data aboutglobal warming was manipulated by topscience researchers.In order to rebuild public trust in climatechange science, an event was hosted by theUniversity in March which saw the UK’s topscience communicators give advice to earlycareer scientists.The workshop was organised by PhDstudents Andrew Suggitt and Alex Bell, bothof the Department of Biology.“There was a tendency, particularly afterthe Climategate incident, for the scientificcommunity as a whole not to put their headsabove the parapet. This was wrong, and Ithink we need to take collective responsibilityfor that. The workshop was our way of doingthis, equipping the next generation with thecommunication tools we need to improve thesituation,” explained Andrew.The audience of 100 attendees, from abroad range of universities and disciplines,heard from experts in the field, includingrepresentatives from the British Council, theScience Media Centre and the Independentnewspaper. There were also plenty ofopportunities for discussion throughout,In their presentation, the UK teamdescribed national initiatives from theInstitute of Physics’ Project Juno to theEquality Act 2010, celebrated recent awardsto female physicists in the UK, and discussedthe UK trends for the percentage of women inphysics in recent years.“Contributions from all countriesconsistently depict a physics worldwhich remains male-dominated, withthe percentage of female representativesdecreasing towards the top of the academichierarchy.“Specific issues vary widely: the Pakistanidelegation advocated social change to givewomen equal rights and status; Irelandidentified the lack of female role modelsas a fundamental ‘broken link’; Tanzaniacelebrates its first woman holding a PhD inPhysics, though sexual harassment remainsa problem; Portugal presents probably thehighest percentage of female physicists atprofessorial level (24%), but lamented thefact that this appears now to be decreasing,”said Dr D’Amico.“From the conference a general consensusemerged on the importance of female rolemodels, of gender-aware teaching, of clearand transparent criteria for awards and prizes,and of mentoring towards closing the gendergap in physics.”Rebuilding trust after ‘Climategate’Professor Bob Watsonwith a ‘Question Time’ style debate to wrapup the day.Among the speakers was Professor BobWatson, Chief Scientist at the Departmentfor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,who said, ”I think the public do get climatechange, but they do not always see or feelit happening: especially with a series of coldsnowy winters. But the scientific communitydoes need to improve its communicationskills, openly acknowledging what we knowand what we don’t know.”The event was funded by the Universityof York, the British Ecological Society andthe Institute of Ecology and EnvironmentalManagement.

the university of york magazineNEwS7IN THE COMMUNITY…Lessons in real-world scienceSTAFF NEWSDr Tracey Bywater (Institutefor Effective Education) hasjoined the IEE as a Reader.Her work focuses on thedesign and implementationof randomised controlledtrials of complex interventions,specifically parent, child, and schoolsprogrammes, to assess behavioural andhealth outcomes for children and theircarers/families.Professor Paul Kaye hasbeen appointed AssociateDean for Research at theHull York Medical School(HYMS) in addition to hisexisting role as Director ofthe Centre for Immunology and Infection.The highlight of the CNAP schools workshop is a chance to use the powerful fluorescence microscope owned by theRaymond Microscopal SocietyPupils from Holmfirth High School wereamong school children across Yorkshirelearning how scientists are using the latestgenetic advances to combat malaria.Scientists from the Centre for NovelAgricultural Products (CNAP) are runningworkshops explaining how their ArtemisiaProject is helping improve the supply ofanti-malarial treatments. The sessions giveteenage pupils a unique insight into howscience learned in the classroom is applied toreal world problems.The free workshop covers plant science,genetics and infectious diseases, andprovides Key Stages 4 and 5 pupils with thechance to work with a powerful fluorescencemicroscope. The microscope is used to lookCycling back to healthThe Environment Department’s Nic Carslawwas diagnosed with breast cancer inJanuary and, following surgery, is now on aprogramme of three-weekly chemotherapysessions. Although each chemo sessionknocks her out for a few days, she is able towork and cycle for two weeks out of three. Agroup of Nic’s friends, the Minster Belles, aretaking part in the Moonwalk in Edinburgh on 11June to raise funds for breast cancer supportand research. To coincide with this event, Nicis undertaking a 13-mile cycle ride near York,when she will be joined by colleagues fromEnvironment, Chemistry and the StockholmEnvironment Institute. The Minster Belleshave so far raised around £6,000. To sponsorNic visit www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/minster_belles.at trichomes on the surface of Artemisiaannua leaves – the clusters of glandularcells on the leaf surface that producechemicals, including artemisinin, which isused to treat malaria.The workshops involve a mixture ofpresentation, discussion and hands-onactivities. Pupils learn about the problem ofmalaria and how CNAP is improving suppliesof an anti-malarial drug from the medicinalherb Artemisia annua, using the latest geneticand analytical technologies.Professor Dianna Bowles, CNAP ArtemisiaResearch Project Co-director at the Universityof York, said, “It’s really important to giveschools insight into the work that Universityscientists are doing to benefit society.”Adam Tuff (Physics) haswon the Space Zone sectionof the national scienceoutreach competition, ‘I’ma Scientist, Get me out ofHere!’, an initiative set upby the Wellcome Trust to help bringscience to life for school pupils.Professor James Clark(Chemistry) has beenawarded the RSCEnvironment Prize 2011. Hisresearch into greenchemical technologiesfocuses on including low temperaturemicrowave activation, heteogeneouscatalysis and supercritical fluid extractionto convert biomass and other wastes tochemical, materials and fuels. His passionis to view ‘waste as future feedstockusing green chemistry’.Dr Stephen Connor(Mathematics) learned to bea Maths busker, and spent amorning busking in Leedscity centre as part of theLeeds Festival of Science.Maths buskers entertain people withmaths tricks/games in the street, tryingto get them interested in maths. See moreat www.kevinhouston.net/blog.The University’s ExecutiveChef Andrew wood is in themix to win an accolade atthe prestigious 2011 CraftGuild of Chefs Awards. Hehas been shortlisted in theCost Sector Chef award and will join othertalented chefs from across the UK at aceremony on 2 June at the new Park PlazaWestminster Bridge Hotel in London.

the university of york magazineNEwS9INTERVIEW …Charles Cecil on the games revolutionIn their 30 years of existence, computer games have undergone an extraordinary evolution but,ironically, the vaulting digital advances have enabled the industry to go back to its roots, accordingto video games pioneer Charles Cecil who is working with the University on a range of projects.Charles Cecil is convinced that theopportunities provided by webpublication mean that, in the worldof video games, small is once againbeautiful after a period when the mediabehemoths held sway.He was talking during a visit to theUniversity to share his reflections on threedecades of video game development withstaff, students and the public. He hasan increasingly close relationship withthe University, working with a numberof departments, including Theatre, Filmand Television, Computer Science andArchaeology. He has also led a workshopon interactive narrative with students in theHumanities Research Centre.Cecil is a key player in the industry in2011 and his involvement stretches back towhen video game development was in itsinfancy. His company, Revolution, is behindthe internationally successful Broken Swordseries of games, but the sophistication ofmodern games such as these is a far cry fromthe industry’s beginnings.He recalls, with misty-eyed nostalgia, thetime when Sir Clive Sinclair produced his ZX80computers helping to kick-start an industrythat generates huge revenues.In 1981, an 18-year-old Cecil was askedby a friend to write an adventure game forthe Sinclair ZX81 which at the time was at thecutting edge of computer development. Hegave the game the imaginative working titleof Adventure B – his friend had previouslywritten Adventure A – and was, by his ownadmission ‘very, very basic’. But all thenascent video games were - they werelimited to 16KB and the packaging was asimple lithograph.Cecil says,“It is extraordinary to think ofthe way the industry has developed overthose 30 years commercially, creatively andcertainly technically.”So, is video game developmentcreative endeavour or technicalexercise? Cecil is in no doubt thatit is both.“What makes it unique isthat it is all about creativitybut also it’s about technicalunderstanding,” he says.“I just happen to be verylucky in that I was readingengineering and writingA scene from ‘The Sleeping Dragon’, the third in Games Republic’s Broken Sword seriesstories at the same time. It was the perfectplace to be at the perfect time.”What has changed since the formativeyears is the computing power – the ZX81 had1K of memory (Cecil points out that his 32GBiPhone has some 32 million times more). Buthe says the early game developers regardedthis technical constraint as a challenge ratherthan an obstacle.“At that time programmers wereincredibly creative,” he says. “Games werewritten by either one or two people who dideverything. You had the ‘bedroom coder’who would design a game, create thegraphics, they would write the codes, theywould create the music and thenprogramme it. They’d come up withthis funky idea and it was verymuch their vision.“What is so exciting isthat, in many ways, we arereturning to those days andthat’s the reason why theindustry is so dynamic atthe moment. In the ’80swe were communicatingdirectly with our audience and it wasincredibly exciting. I remember the firsttime that somebody came and asked me toautograph one of my games, I couldn’t believeit. I was 18 or 19. I felt like a rock star.”As the industry grew and became moreprofitable, inevitably the big media companiestook an interest. A complex network ofpublishers, distributors and retailers graduallyreplaced the close relationship that existedbetween game developers and users in theearly years. But Cecil sees digital publicationas rolling back the years.“We have the ability to communicate withand sell directly to our audience,” says Cecilwho co-founded Game Republic, an allianceof game developers, and is on the board ofScreen Yorkshire. “It’s incredibly liberatingand it also means we can react quickly towhat people want. It’s actually a much purerway of writing, marketing and selling games.”He believes that Revolution has been ableto adapt as the industry has evolved. It hasfew direct employees and works with a smallgroup of freelance developers with whom ithas a “wonderful creative relationship”.“Larger publishers, which traditionallydominated the industry are increasinglyrunning into trouble as they fail to adapt,”he says. “The benefit of a small companylike Revolution is we are nimble enough torespond to changing audience demand andmarket conditions.”

10the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHTSTUDENTS GIVETOP MARKS TONEW LIBRARYFACILITYTHE SUMMER TERM SAW THE OPENING OF THE HARRYFAIRHURST BUILDING, OUR LEARNING AND RESEARCHCENTRE LINKED TO THE J B MORELL LIBRARY

the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHT11It has taken seven months and £3.5 millionto transform the former Department ofComputer Science to a stimulating andrelaxing study environment which includes500 study spaces and a 57-computerclassroom.The building has already proved popularwith returning students keen to get downto revising for their exams. The informaland relaxed spaces provide a wide varietyof flexible, modern furniture and studentcomments include, “Beautiful building, reallynice atmosphere, love the new seating,” and,“More of the same please.”The IT classroom, two teaching rooms anda seminar room are available to Universitystaff and can be booked centrally. There arealso breakout areas for conference use. Thebuilding is also home to the IT Support Officesituated on the first floor (and open fromMonday to Friday 9am to 5pm).Who was Harry Fairhurst?2011 commemorates the 25thanniversary of the death of HarryFairhurst, the University’s firstLibrarian. Harry was appointed in1962, before a large majority of theUniversity was built, including theCentral Library (now the J B Morrell).He spent 22 years at the Library helmand was instrumental in developingthe initial collection, which amassed300,000 items by the time of hisretirement in 1984. Speaking in 1965,Harry said, “What I want is a librarywhich is alive, and which is seen tobe alive,” and with the refurbishmentof the J B Morrell and opening of theFairhurst Building, his vision continuesto hold true.This development complements the£15.7 million Library refurbishment, dueto finish in March 2012, which aims toprovide environments for contemplation,concentration and collaboration in associationwith information resources and services.Work on the second and third floor of theJ B Morrell Library is already complete, withthe South side of the first floor due to re-openin June 2011.“Beautiful building,really nice atmosphere,love the new seating,”and, “More of thesame please”Stephen Town, Director of Information,said, “The opening of the Harry Fairhurstbuilding is an important step forward as itmeets our objectives of providing modern,flexible and IT rich spaces for learning,teaching and research.”Photos by John Houlihan

12the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHTYORK FESTIVALWORLD-CLASS SPEAKERS, EXHIBITIONS AND ARTISTS COMThe York Festival of Ideas, whichruns from 16 June to 10 July, is apartnership between the Universityof York, York Theatre Royal, theNational Centre for Early Music,York St John University and YorkMuseums Trust.“The Festival is a celebration that hasthe community at its heart and featuresa huge and varied tapestry of events, theoverwhelmingly majority of which are free,”says Professor Jane Moody, Director of theHumanities Research Centre, who with JoanConcannon, Director of External Relations,has masterminded the Festival.“We’re so grateful for all the supportwe have had from the city and oursponsors to ensure that this first Festival isa huge success.”Through intriguing links betweenpast and present, the Festival showcasescontemporary ideas, arts and culture to revealnew and exciting stories about York, Britainand the world.Here we highlight those events hosted bythe University or involving University staff.John Minihan Photographic ExhibitionThursday 16 to Sunday 26 June,9.30am - 5.30pm, Ron Cooke HubThe Irish photographer John Minihanphotographed Samuel Beckett many timesin Paris and London, capturing moments thathave become iconic images of 20th-centuryculture. Each framed photograph is a newhigh quality print on specialist paper. Pricesrange from £500. Admission is free.Island of GreenThursday 16 to Sunday 26 June,Ron Cooke HubVisit the calm, sensory green space createdfrom real grass by York based Lindum TurfLtd. You can even take off your shoes andsocks and walk bare foot across it!Sensory Stories CaféTuesday 21 June, 3.30-5.30 pm,Tulip Tree Garden, Berrick Saul BuildingSensory Stories uses taste, sound, smell, sightand touch to present history research stories.Admission is free. Visit website for tickets.Gare St Lazare Players: First Loveand The EndWednesday 22, Thursday 23 andFriday 24 June, 8pm, Dixon Studio Theatre,Wentworth CollegeThe celebrated Gare St Lazare Playersperform stage adaptations of SamuelBeckett’s short stories: First Love andThe End. Visit website for ticketsReading by John BanvilleThursday 23 June, 6pm, Room P/X001,Physics BuildingBooker Prize-winning novelist John Banvilleis the author of remarkable novels such asThe Book of Evidence and The Sea. Admissionis free. Visit website for ticketsA Mad World, My Masters byThomas MiddletonThursday 23 to Saturday 25 June, 7.45pm,Department of Theatre, Film and TelevisionThis Jacobean comedy, offers a line-upof exuberant conmen and the cons theyperpetrate, in a plot full of sudden twistsand unexpected reversals. Visit websitefor tickets.Reading by J M CoetzeeFriday 24 June, 6pm, Central HallWinner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in2003, J M Coetzee will be reading from workin progress. He is one of only two novelists tohave been awarded the Booker Prize twice:for Life and Times of Michael K in 1983, andagain for Disgrace in 1999. Admission is free.Visit website for tickets.Exhibiting Etty: Mark HallettSaturday 25 June, 6.30-8.30pm,York Art GalleryThe Head of the Department of History of Artand one of the curators of William Etty: Artand Controversy on show at York Art Gallery,gives a talk on the challenges of puttingon a major exhibition of the artist’s work.Admission is free. Visit website for tickets.Beckett in MusicSaturday 25 June, 1 pm,Sir Jack Lyons Concert HallIconic photographsof Samuel Beckettare on show in theRon Cooke HubCurated by Catherine Laws, this concertcelebrates Samuel Beckett’s influence oncontemporary music with four varied andcolourful responses to his texts. Visit websitefor tickets.University of York Sunday @the Yorkshire MuseumSunday 26 June, 11am to 4pm,Yorkshire Museum, Museum GardensStudents of the Institute for the PublicUnderstanding of the Past (IPUP) tempt thepublic to explore the past in innovative ways.Admission is free to those showing a YorkCard or Student Union Card.Judith’s vampish virtue in film,art and literatureMonday 27 June, 6pm, De Grey CourtLecture Theatre, York St John UniversityA talk by Judith Buchanan of the Departmentof English and Related Literature withclips from D W Griffith’s silent film, Judithof Bethulia (1913). Admission is free. Visitwebsite for tickets.Kester Aspden: writing the Criminal ActTuesday 28 June, 5.30pm,National Centre for Early MusicThe author of The Hounding of DavidOluwale will be discussing past and currentwork. Admission is free. This is part of theYork Deviancy Conference hosted by theDepartment of Sociology.Photo© John Minihan 2011

the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHT13OF IDEASE TOGETHER IN THE CITY THIS SUMMERThanatoscope: A Film/Art InstallationFriday 1 to Sunday 3 July, 10am to 4pm,Ron Cooke Hub, University of YorkThis 15-minute film on a loop by theatre artistMischa Twitchin explores images of the deathmask. Admission is free.Histories of Conversion in YorkSaturday 2 July, 11 am. Meet at the fountain inExhibition SquareYork’s turbulent and bloody religious past isillustrated by Abigail and Helen Smith on anunusual walking tour. Free event.King Arthur by Henry PurcellSunday 10 July, 7pm, Sir Jack LyonsConcert HallFeaturing some of the composer’s bestknownand spectacular music, the ensembleis joined by members of the Theatre, Film andTelevision Department for this semi-stagedperformance. Visit website for tickets.TALKSEXHIBITIONSTHEATREMUSICCINEMAFor a full York Festival ofIdeas programme and furtherinformation about ticketing visitwww.yorkfestivalofideas.comJacobean comedy inTFTV spotlightAlavish production of a 17thcenturycomedy will markthe end of the Department ofTheatre, Film and Television’sfirst academic year in its new, state-ofthe-artbuilding on Heslington East.Professor Mike Cordner, togetherwith Dr Tom Cantrell and Mark Smith,are directing Thomas Middleton’ssatirical masterpiece, A Mad World, MyMasters (c 1605).“The play will provide an opportunityto deploy to full advantage theoutstanding technical resources of theprincipal TFTV theatre. It is an excitingand unique performance space, in whichstudents love to work,” says Mike.Both set and costumes will bedesigned by a professional designerAlex Lowde, thanks to a generousendowment from the Sylvia and ColinShepherd Charitable Trust.The production is the work of TFTV’sOut of the Blue Theatre Company,which Professor Cordner foundedwith Professor Mary Luckhurst, andwhose recent successes include CarylChurchill’s Far Away and Mad Forest (atthe York Theatre Royal), John Marston’sThe Malcontent (in the Dixon StudioTheatre in Wentworth), and Raising theRoof (a comedy revue performed in theDixon and at BAFTA in London in spring2010). This show will employ a large castof student actors, and the productionteam will be drawn from TFTV students.A Mad World, My Masters is onThursday 23, Friday 24 and Saturday25 June at 7.45pm. Advance bookingis via the York Theatre Royal (www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; tel. 01904623568). Tickets cost £4 (students),£6 (non-students ). For group bookings,tickets are ten for the price of nine.Mike Cordner on MiddletonMiddleton is most famous todayfor writing two of the greatest17th-century tragedies, TheChangeling and Woman BewareWomen. But he also created abrilliant array of entertaining andwitty comedies set in early JacobeanLondon, which explore with relisha duplicitous and cutthroat urbanworld, where the ‘best art’ of theinhabitants is ‘to dissemble well’.A Mad World offers its audiencea whirlwind ride through a seriesof plots and counterplots, withsurprises around every corner andsome of the cleverest comic dialogueof the pre-civil war stage. The actionmoves swiftly between radicallycontrasted locations and weavestogether two ingenious stories oftrickery and deceit (one involvingmoney, the other adultery), in whichthose who think themselves mostcunning (and may indeed seem to beso) do not always win the race.

14the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHTTURNINGTHE TIDE INTHE CLYDEA STUDY OF SCOTLAND’S FIRST MARINE RESERVESHOWS THAT FISH STOCKS ARE FINALLY REPLENISHINGThe Island of Arran in the Firth of Clyde once boasted a booming commercial and recreational fishingindustry. In 1967, at the annual Lamlash Festival (one of two festivals hosted by the Island) over seventonnes of fish were caught. Yet by 1994 the catch was below 200 lbs and the Festival was abandoned.Lamlash Bay Photo by Leigh HowarthThis devastating decline in fish stockswas finally acknowledged when in2008 the government agreed on a‘No Take Zone’ in Lamlash Bay, andScotland’s first fully protected marine reservewas established. This followed 13 years ofcampaigning by the Community of ArranSeabed Trust (COAST).Now, after just two years in operation,the marine reserve is already providingcommercial and conservation benefits,according to research by MSc student LeighHowarth of York’s Environment Department.His study, a joint collaboration with COASTand published in the journal Marine Biology,was based on intensive surveying of theseabed, with data gathered from 40 divesurveys in Lamlash Bay and the surroundingarea. It showed that commercially valuablescallops and several species of algae knownto promote biodiversity are much moreabundant in the ‘No Take Zone’ of the marinereserve than in surrounding waters.Similar marine reserves are beingdeveloped in Europe and around the world,where they are showing a range of benefits,allowing natural ecosystems to recover andflourish. Leigh said, “Marine ecosystemscan continue to recover for decades whenprotected inside reserves. The reason thisstudy is so exciting is because this is justthe beginning.”One of the most significant findings ofthe work was that the abundance of juvenilescallops was much higher in the reserve thanoutside. This was linked to the high levels ofkelp and maerl, a type of algae that formscoral-like beds, inside the reserve where adultscallops were also larger and older. As stocksof scallops build up in marine reserves theycan start to breed at high levels, helping toseed surrounding fishing grounds.Dr Bryce Beukers-Stewart, who supervisedthe project, added, “It is brilliant that ourresults have provided a win-win scenario.Marine reserves like this can benefit bothfishermen and conservationists.”Although scallops are not widelyconsumed in the UK, they are currentlyour third most valuable seafood species,worth almost £50 million in 2009. However,dredging for them can severely damage somesensitive seabed habitats.The marine reserve at Arran is small,but highly significant. The UK and Scottishgovernments have recently passed MarineActs, which will fundamentally changethe management of our seas. Part of thisprocess will involve setting up networks ofmarine protected areas around the UK coast,some of which will be fully protected marinereserves similar to the one off Arran.“Despite some scepticism in the UKfishing industry about marine reserves dueto their being largely untested in our waters,the work at Arran provides some verypositive and timely evidence about theirpotential,” added Dr Beukers-Stewart.“The University of York’s partnershipwith COAST is a highly progressivecollaboration, because it providesmeaningful research for a vital policyarea,” said COAST chair Howard wood. Buthe also warned: “without political will forgenuinely changing the management of ourseas it doesn’t matter how many scientificpapers are published. we hope the ScottishGovernment will take this study seriously.”Staff in the Environment Departmenthave supported the campaign and workof COAST for many years and theDepartment has secured funding to continuemonitoring the Arran marine reserve for afurther three years.

the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHT15Scallops are the UK’s third most valuable seafood speciesHydroids and maerl in the sea bed atLamlash Bay“Marine ecosystems cancontinue to recover fordecades when protectedinside reserves. Thereason this study is soexciting is because this isjust the beginning.”Maerl is a fragile pink coral-likeseaweed that grows on the sea bed.It is thought to take hundreds ofyears to establish, forming an idealnursery where marine animals suchas scallops, juvenile cod, saithe andpollack, can lay and hatch their eggs,safe from predators. A maerl bed canbe severely damaged by aggressivefishing techniques and will take yearsto regenerate.

16the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHTINTERNSGO PUBLICKey cultural institutions in York, including York Museums Trust, York Minster, Fairfax House, TheNational Trust and the National Railway Museum, are tapping in to the talents of York postgraduatestudents for new ways to encourage the public to explore the past.Photos by Ian MartindaleThe University’s Institute for the PublicUnderstanding of the Past (IPUP) nowhas some 60 student interns workingon history projects all over the city.They are using their academic knowledgeand research skills to work on interpretationsessions, trails and web products focusing onYork’s rich cultural past.In one of the most challenging projectsthis year, interns are working with the CityArchaeologist, John Oxley, to design a walkingtrail and podcast introducing a wider audienceto the History of the Jews in York from beforeand after the 1190 massacre, up to thepresent day.Meanwhile, at York Minster, studentinterns have been given the task ofinterpreting some of the Minster’s 300,000precious artefacts, ranging from roofpaintings and stained glass to a Viking hornand a brass funerary monument that wasturned into a 17th century weather vane inthe traditional shape of a cockerel.Hilary Gould’s challenge was to trace the originsof this 17th-century weather vane which sheidentified as having been refashioned from a brassfunerary monumentNicola Hayes, who worked on the late 12th-centuryTree of Jesse Window, had an adventurous research tripup to the Minster roof during her internship. Salvagedfrom the earlier Minster building in the 14th century, theimagery portrays the lineage of Christ, the Virgin, theProphets, and various kingsAlice Bennett, from the Centre for MedievalStudies, worked on some of the Minster’shistoric vestments and gained useful insightsin to the workings of the heritage business:“The IPUP internship has been a really greatopportunity and a fantastic vehicle forresearch. I really enjoyed the gear-shift ofwriting for the public. It’s been fantastic to gobehind the scenes of the Minster, and handlesome of the objects. For me, that’s been veryspecial.”The Minster’s Collections Manager, VickyHarrison, is expanding the intern programmewith IPUP over the coming year: “We’ve allreally enjoyed having the group of studentinterns working with us at the Minster.Helping them use their research skills tocommunicate academic knowledge to awider audience has been a really valuable andconstructive project for both sides.”Students have also contributed to theHistory of York website www.historyofyork.org.uk, researching and writing articles ona wide range of subjects, from the King’sManor, the Shambles, Rowntree Park, theRetreat, Clifford’s Tower, and the JewburyCemetry. Michael Woodward, the YorkMuseums Trust Commercial Director, whoproduced the website said, “It has been reallyrewarding to see the IPUP intern studentsdevelop this project, and it is a great resourcefor residents and visitors to the city alike.”Commenting on the success of theprogramme, Director of IPUP, Helen Weinstein,said, “These internships help to equip ourstudents with skills that will make themstand out in the job market. Several have wonvery competitive jobs in media productioncompanies and the heritage sector as adirect result of their placements. We’re verygrateful indeed to York heritage institutionsfor the opportunity to partner with them inthis scheme.”Read blogs by IPUP interns about theirplacements in media companies and thecultural sector: www.york.ac.uk/ipup/blogs/York Festival of IdeasYou can meet some of the IPUPinterns and hear about their projectsat ‘University Sunday @ the YorkshireMuseum’ on Sunday 26 June in York, partof the York Festival of Ideas – see featureon page 12.“This is a great way to celebrate thepartnership between YMT and IPUP,and the excellent contribution of IPUP’sstudent interns,” said Janet Barnes,CEO of York Museums Trust. “It is soimpressive to see the enthusiasm andcreativity of the students in testing outnew and innovative ways to engage thepublic in all aspects of our city’s past.”

the university of york magazineSPOTLIGHT17“These internshipshelp our studentsstand out in the jobmarket... Severalhave won jobs inthe heritage sectoras a direct result”Rachel Backa examines theHorn of Ulph with York Minster’sCollections Manager, VickyHarrison. The horn representeda medieval deed of tenure of theland given to York Minster bya Norse nobleman around theyear AD1030. Decorated withplant and animal motifs showinginfluences of Babylonian andSyrian art, it was probably madein Amalfi, Southern Italy andpicked up by a Norman invader

18the university of york magazineDEPARTMENTAL NEwSBULLETIN BOARDAT THE CHALK FACEPROTEA PROJECTThe best way to find out whether a pieceof software is accessible is to observethe way people with disabilities use it inreal-life situations. Planning this can becomplex, but a new accessibility testingprotocol called Protea makes this easier.Protea (PROtocol for TestingE-Accessibility) is being developed byProfessor Helen Petrie of the Departmentof Computer Science from SIPIG funding.An expert user guides the tester throughthe steps needed to complete each task.This means testers don’t have to know thesystem before they use it, and the issuesthey come up against only relate to howaccessible it is.The University is already seeingthe benefit of this small but importantinvestment. Protea has just been used aspart of the purchasing process for the firsttime: to evaluate the accessibility of the HRe-recruitment software which will replacei-Grasp. Alex McFarlane of HR commented,“We found the Protea testing very usefulin identifying real accessibility issues withthe systems, allowing us to raise thesedirectly with the suppliers.”Protea has also been used to test otherhigh-profile pieces of software, notablythe Digital Library system, which proved tobe highly accessible.SAVINGS ON CHILDCARE COSTSStaff with children over two yearsattending the University Nursery couldmake huge savings on nursery fees withthe introduction of the new Nursery Extrascheme. Depending on circumstances,staff could typically save 29% and 41%from tax and NI payments, meaning acost of just £23.90 per child per day.To take advantage of this new rewardsbenefit (which unlike the long-standingchildcare voucher scheme* has no upperlimit for tax/NI savings) visit wwww.york.ac.uk/rewardsextra or select the Financestab at www.york.ac.uk/univ/nrsryNursery places for two-to five-yearoldswill become available in Septemberas older children leave to start school.There may also be spaces over thesummer. Contact the Nursery on www.york.ac.uk/univ/nrsry*There are restrictions on higher andadditional rate taxpayers who joined achildcare voucher scheme on or after 6April 2011 – see the childcare voucherwebsites for more information.20-TRIP TICKET BUS LAUNCHEDBus rides between the campus and YorkRailway Station now cost just £1 a timewith the new 20-trip ticket launchedby the Number 44 Unibus. This meansyou save 50p on each journey with antotal saving of £10 over 20 trips. Theticket does not expire until all the tripshave been used. “The new ticket wasdesigned by Goodricke College Students,but if it turns out to be a success eachcollege could design their own,” saysFiona Macey, Travel and TransportManager. Tickets are on sale at theInformation Centre, through the onlineUniversity store and the Langwith CollegeAdministrator.E-LEARNING CONFERENCEThe Higher York e-Learning Networkis holding an e-learning conference onMonday 6 June at York St John University,which will focus on sharing best practicein the use of learning technologies tosupport teaching and learning. Theconference will be aimed at academicsand support staff working across thecity’s higher education institutions andwill involve hands-on demonstrationsand presentations of e-learningbestpractice by academic staff.Further details on this event willbe published on York Extra and theUniversity’s VLE support site:http://vlesupport.york.ac.uk/UPGRADE TO YORKSHAREThe University’s centrally supportedvirtual learning environment (VLE)‘Yorkshare’ will be upgraded to the nextgeneration version of Blackboard softwarein July. The upgrade will bring with it anumber of enhancements to the currenttool-set, including tools to integrateinteractive media from sites such asYouTube and Flikr within VLE modulesites. The upgraded version will offer a farsmoother experience for users in terms ofits accessibility and ‘look and feel’. Furtherdetails on the upgrade are available at theUniversity’s VLE support site:http://vlesupport.york.ac.uk.ArchaeologyDr James Symonds gave a paper on ‘Archaeologyand poverty’ at the School of Archaeology andAncient History, University of Leicester, anda lecture series on ‘Introducing historical andcontemporary archaeology’ at the University ofWest Bohemia, in Pilsen, as part of an EU-fundedknowledge transfer and capacity-building scheme.He also collaborated with anthropologists to makea short film about the Czech tramping movementin the 1970s, and visited a former hard labour campand uranium mine as part of a joint project toexplore the archaeology of Communism.BiologyProfessor Jo Milner described the latestdevelopments in the treatment of cancer andneurodegenerative disease in a talk to students andstaff at Ampleforth College.Professor Simon McQueen-Mason organised abiofuels workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam, attended bysenior academics from the UK and Vietnam.At the European Association of Urologycongress in Vienna, Dr Felix Wezel gave a talk on‘Characterisation of a distinct c-kit expressing cellpopulation in human urothelium’, and ProfessorJenny Southgate (Jack Birch Unit of MolecularCarcinogenesis) gave a plenary talk on ‘Stem celltissue engineering’. Professor Southgate also gavea talk at the University of Vienna on ‘The ABC ofhuman urothelium’.Graduate students Lisa Kirkwood and JennyHinley presented posters at the AmericanAssociation for Cancer Research conferencein Florida.Matthew Lakins (CII) spoke at the UK NationalStem Cell Network conference hosted by York. Hisposter abstract was picked out of about 130 to beupgraded to a talk, and he also spoke in the ‘Stemcells and the origin of cancer’ plenary session.ChemistryIn Cordoba, Professor James Clark spoke on ‘Theuse of waste as a starting material for sustainablechemistry’, within the programme of events for theInternational Year of Chemistry. He also spent threeweeks in Brazil where he gave ten invited lecturesin places including the Universities of São Pauloand Campinas, the Embrapa Research Institute,and the company headquarters of Braskem andNatura. Professor Clark has accepted an honoraryposition at the Federal University in Rio which willallow him to stay involved in Brazil’s growing greenchemistry movement including the Green ChemistrySchool which is being modeled on York’s own GreenChemistry Centre.Dr Marek Brzozowski gave a lecture on‘Molecular crossroads of insulin and IGFs’ at theGordon Research Conference on ‘IGF signalling inhealth and disease’ in Ventura, CA.Professor David Smith gave a plenary lecture on‘Hard facts about soft matter’ at a conference onFoldamers in Barcelona.Computer ScienceDr Alan Wood won a Royal Academy of EngineeringIndustrial Secondment Award enabling him to workat IBM Hursley for three months with the team ledby Gerry Reilly (Director, WebSphere Messaging andIntegration) on aspects of cloud computing and how

the university of york magazineDEPARTMENTAL NEwS19industry experience might be integrated into theacademic Computer Science curriculum.Simon Poulding and Professor John Clark wonthe Best Paper prize for ‘A principled evaluation ofthe effect of directed mutation on search-basedstatistical testing’ at the International Workshop onSearch-Based Software Testing, held in conjunctionwith the IEEE International Conference on Testing,Verification and Validation.‘Searching for invariants using geneticprogramming and mutation testing’, a paper bySam Ratcliff, Dr David White and Professor JohnClark, was accepted to the search-based softwareengineering strand of GECCO 2011 in Dublin, gainingnomination for best paper. Jan Staunton andProfessor Clark were also nominated for the paper‘Finding short counter examples in promela modelsusing estimation of distribution algorithms’.Dr Paul Cairns edited a special issue of thejournal Entertainment Computing on ‘Video gamesas research instruments’ with Eduardo Calvillo-Gamez (Universidad Politecnica de San Luis Potosi)and Jeremy Gow (Imperial College).‘Quantum reading of a classical digital memory’,a paper by Dr Stefano Pirandola, was published inPhysical Review Letters.PhD student Amer Alzaidi published severalpapers about using advanced IT for Islamic bankingsystems and products and spoke at the WorldIslamic Finance conference on creating a distinctShariah (Islamic Law) compliant banking platform,using artificial intelligence to provide innovationsolutions for liquidity management, and facilitatingclient interaction.The Department hosted the Society for theStudy of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation ofBehaviour’s annual convention, with keynotespeeches from Dr Katie Slocombe and ProfessorAlan Baddeley (both Psychology). One of thehighlights of the event was a keynote webcast livefrom the United States, given by Professor StephenWolfram, the creator of Mathmatica and theWolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine.EconomicsProfessor Keith Hartley gave a lecture on‘Defence budgets: trouble ahead’ to the NATOParliamentary Assemby, Athens. He also lecturedon ‘the economics of conflict’ at a conferenceon 9/11: Ten Years After, University of Leeds, andgave the keynote speech on ‘Defence economics:achievements and challenges’ at a meeting held inMadrid to mark the inauguration of a new Chair inDefence Economics at the University of Barcelona.EducationDr Gillian Hampden-Thompson presented a paperon engagement in science at the annual meeting ofthe American Educational Research Association inNew Orleans.Together with Dr Adél Pásztor (NorthumbriaUniversity), Paul Wakeling was awarded a grant bythe British Academy for ‘Access to doctoral study: amulti-institutional investigation of participation andnon-participation at PhD level’.Dr Ian Abrahams, Professor Robin Millar andMary Whitehouse presented a paper on ‘Howlearning outcomes in science are specified andmeasured in the English school system’ atan international symposium on defining andmeasuring learning outcomes in science, hostedby the Leibniz Institute for Science Education,University of Kiel, Germany. Professor Millar gavea plenary presentation on ‘Teaching about thenature of science’ at a conference organisedby SCORE (Science Community RepresentingEducation) to inform submissions to the currentreview of the national curriculum, held at theInstitute of Physics, London.Effective Education, Institute forAn article by Professors Bette Chambers, RobertSlavin, and Nancy Madden was published in theInternational Journal of Innovation and Learning. ‘Athree-tier model of reading instruction supportedby technology’ describes an evidence-based,technology-supported literacy programme thatintegrates core classroom teaching, follow-upsmall-group remedial support, and one-to-onetutoring for struggling readers. The model hasbeen developed by revising the Success for Allreading programme. Professor Slavin and ProfessorMadden have also co-written an article publishedin the Educational Research Review. ‘Effectiveprogrammes for struggling readers: a best-evidencesynthesis’ reviewed research on the achievementoutcomes of alternative approaches for strugglingreaders aged five to ten.Dr Allen Thurston jointly conducted a survey forRNIB Scotland exploring the accessibility of medicalinformation for blind and partially sighted people,and gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’sHealth and Sport committee. The bill was passed asan Act, with an amendment making it law that blindand partially sighted people must receive healthinformation in an accessible format.Dr Peter Rudd has written an exploratory paperon current initiatives to widen access in HigherEducation. In particular he looked at interventionswhich research has shown works well, and whichare the most cost-effective.The IEE Annual Report 2009/10 is available atwww.york.ac.uk/iee/about.htm.EnglishDr Judith Buchanan gave a public lecture on theapocryphal Judith at the Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum, Berlin as part of the MovingAntiquity programme run in conjunction with theDeutsches Historiches Museum. She also chaireda two-day international conference on ‘Mythsand fairy tales in film and literature, post-1900’in the Berrick Saul Building, gave a guest lectureat the Theatre Institute of the University of Bern,Switzerland, and gave an invited talk as part of theVisual Shakespeare symposium at the University ofAgder, Norway.EnvironmentDr Rob Marchant spoke on ‘Environmental andecosystem responses to climate change inEast Africa’ at the Dodo Research ProgrammeSymposium in collaboration with University ofAmsterdam and Naturalis Museum, Leiden.Health Economics, Centre forMaria Goddard has been a member of a number ofgovernment and research council reviews of majorhealth-related research funding initiatives for theNetherlands, Switzerland, Finland and Scotland.Dr Adriana Castelli gave a seminar on‘Measuring NHS output and productivity in England’at the Health Economics Research Unit, Universityof Aberdeen.Andrew Street gave presentations onhospital funding in Europe and on NHS reforms atconferences organised by the Economic and SocialResearch Institute in Dublin, by the European HealthManagement Association in Brussels, and at theannual health summit organised by the NuffieldTrust. Recommendations from his research withSilvio Daidone about how to pay for specialisedhospital care have been implemented by theDepartment of Health.Dr Rowena Jacobs presented a paper on ‘Theimpact of crisis resolution and home treatmentteams on psychiatric admissions in England’ atthe tenth Workshop on Costs and Assessment inPsychiatry – Mental Health Policy and Economics,Venice, and discussed a number of papers on‘Medical co-morbidity’.Dr Bernard Van den Berg presented a paperon ‘A composite measure of health care quality topurchase care in the Dutch system of managedcompetition’ at the Health Economics Research Unit,University of Aberdeen.HistoryProfessor Richard Bessel spent a month as a VisitingProfessor at the Institute of Contemporary History,Munich, where he presented lectures on ‘Die“Stunde Null”: 1945 und danach’ and ‘Gewalt undFormen der Gewaltperzeption im 20. Jahrhundert’.History of ArtDr Michael White gave the paper ‘What’s Merz inEnglish? The task of translating Kurt Schwitters’ atthe conference ‘Transgression und Intermedialität:Die Texte von Kurt Schwitters’ at the SprengelMuseum, Hanover.Dr Jo Applin gave an invited paper at an eventco-sponsored by UCL and Hauser and Wirthto coincide with an exhibition of work by IdaApplebroog in London. She also presented an invitedpaper at the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, on theirexhibition of work by Eva Lofdahl.Dr Jason Edwards gave a paper, ‘Queer andNow: on William Etty’s Male Nude with UpraisedArms (1830) and Autobiography (1849)’ at EmoryUniversity.Hull York Medical SchoolProfessor Paul Kaye gave research talks onthe immunology of leishmaniasis and currentprogress in vaccine development at the CentenaryInstitute in Sydney, the Walter Eliza Hall Institutein Melbourne, and was a special invited speakerat the Lorne Immunology and Infection meeting.He was also an invited speaker at the Society forGeneral Microbiology meeting, Harrogate, where hediscussed new approaches in vaccine development.At the Palliative Care Specialty GroupConference, Royal York Hotel, Dr Miriam Johnsonwelcomed delegates and shared key results fromthe ‘Doctors decide’ study with Dr Laura Sheard.Other speakers included Susan Browne on ‘End oflife care in heart failure’; Dr Amy Gadoud on ‘Howcan we improve access to palliative care for peoplewith heart failure?’; Dr Paul Taylor on ‘Are there anyclues of imminent death? Presentation of interimdata’; and Sue Pender (Health Sciences) withAngela Orr (Macmillan CNS) on ‘Starting a projectfrom scratch’.Language and Linguistic ScienceDr Carmen Llamas and Dr Dominic Watt gave aguest lecture at Lancaster University on results fromthe Accent and Identity on the Scottish–EnglishBorder project, entitled ‘British, Scottish, English?National identity groupings and phonologicalvariation in a border region’.Dr Richard Ogden and Rein Ove Sikvelandattended the final workshop of ‘Sound to Sense’, aMarie Curie Research Training Network exploringhow humans and computers understand speech.

20the university of york magazineDEPARTMENTAL NEwSLifelong Learning, Centre forThe Centre is currently leading a Learning andTeaching Strategy Award-funded project, workingin collaboration with the Borthwick Institute forArchives and representatives from humanitiesdepartments. Entitled ‘Documents are Different’,the programme will encourage students to makegreater use of source materials throughout theirstudies.Iain Barr is currently leading a Rapid Responsefundedproject which will develop the skillsneeded for successful postgraduate study in theHumanities. This distance learning initiative isaimed primarily at those returning to learn after asignificant study break. Involvement from otherdepartments is welcomed.Dr Adrian Lee has recently completed teachinga new, accredited community-orientated module‘Confidence to volunteer’, in collaboration withthe York Council for Voluntary Service. The pilotprogramme offered an insight into the expectationsorganisations have of volunteers, and how thevoluntary sector seeks to address local need.ManagementDr Neil Lunt was awarded a contract from the OECDto undertake a pilot study in the field of medicaltourism mapping health expenditure.Professor Josephine Maltby was discussantfor ‘Consumer ethics in Japan: the morality ofgrocery industry managers’, a lecture in the JapanFoundation Fellows lecture series at the JapanFoundation, London.Dr Andy Charlwood and Professor Francis Green(Institute of Education) gave a paper on ‘Job qualityand employee wellbeing’ at the Centre for EconomicPerformance’s Work and Wellbeing seminar series,London School of Economics.MathematicsDr Jason Levesley gave a colloquium talk ‘Fromp-adics to mixed metric number theory (or how weturn undergraduate fiction into fact and vice-versa)’at National University of Ireland, Maynooth.Professor Tony Sudbery gave a lecture on‘Philosophical lessons of entanglement’ at aconference to mark 75 Years of Entanglement at theS N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata,India. He also gave a talk on ‘The Geometric Measureof Entanglement’ at the Institute of MathematicalSciences, Chennai.While on a research visit to Professor StuartMargolis of Bar Ilan University, Dr Brent Everittand Professor John Fountain gave research talkson ‘Knots, posets and sheaves’ and ‘Reflectionmonoids’ respectively.Professor John Fountain was a member of thejury for the habilitation defence of Dr Eddy Godelleof the University of Caen. He also gave a lecture on‘Reflection monoids and renner monoids’ at themeeting Journee D’Algebre.MusicDr John Stringer’s piano work Disquiet received itsUS première at the University of California, Davis,performed by Michael Seth Orland.Dr Áine Sheil co-organised the symposium‘Digital opera: new means and new meanings’, heldin the Department of Music.Leslie Gaston, Assistant Professor of Music inRecording Arts at the University of Colorado, hasreceived a Fulbright Scholarship to spend the firsthalf of 2012 at the Department. She will be studyingthe potential of Blu-ray audio discs as a deliveryformat for various types of high quality musicrecordings, especially those that are in surroundsound.The Department hosted a seminar jointlyconvened with the Orpheus Research Centre inMusic, Ghent, for which Professor Bill Brooksand Dr Catherine Laws are Fellows. Researcherspresented work on the theme ‘Embodiment andExperimentation’, and Professor Rolf Inge Godøy(Oslo University) was the keynote speaker.Dr Catherine Laws presented a paper andperformed two new works for piano at the RoyalMusical Association Colloquium, ‘The piano incontemporary music’, held at Liverpool HopeUniversity.PhilosophyAt the AGM of the British Society for the History ofPhilosophy, Professor Michael Beaney was electedas the new Editor of the British Journal for theHistory of Philosophy. He had been an AssociateEditor since 2008.The Centre for the History of Philosophy held itsinaugural conference ‘Emotions in the History ofPhilosophy’. Details on the website: www.chiphi.eu.PhysicsDr Roland Kröger, Professor Jun Yuan and Dr PeterO’Toole (Biology) have formed the MicroscopyUser Group in York (MUGY), an interdisciplinaryforum to provide a campus-wide interface toaddress hot research areas requiring electronand optical microscopy available at the differentdepartments and to identify areas of collaborationfor the future. Members of Physics, Chemistry,Electronics, Archaeology, Biology and the JEOL YorkNanocentre took part with representatives from theResearch Innovation Office. Professor Yuan gave apresentation on the potentials of analytical electronmicroscopy for studying soft-matter and possiblybiological materials.Dr Sarah Thompson gave a seminar at theLaboratoire de Physique de Solides (Université ParisSud) on ‘Probing and imaging magnetotransportin thin film magnetic materials using infra redspectroscopy’.Dr Andrew Pratt gave a talk to school teacherson ‘Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials’ at theNational Science Learning Centre, as part of an‘Inspiring post-16 chemistry’ course.Dr Matt Probert has been involved in asuccessful grant bid for £300m of funding fromEPSRC for a High Performance Computing trainingprogramme for PhD students, which will run overfour years from this autumn.Dr Irene D’Amico gave a talk on ‘Feasibility ofapproximating entanglement in nanostructuresusing Hubbard models’ at a Quantum Information,Cold Atoms and Condensed Matter joint seminar atthe University of Nottingham.PhD student Andrew Vick gave a talk on‘Measuring electrical properties of nanoscalesilicide-silicon interfaces via scanning probespectroscopy’ to the University of LeedsNanotechnology group as part of its early careersseminar series.PoliticsMembers of the Department have recently wonseveral external grants. Dr Liam Clegg has a oneyearESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship examining ‘Thepolitics of accountability at the World Bank andIMF: reforming engagements with low-incomecountries’. Dr Tim Stanton has been awardeda three-month fellowship at the University ofCambridge from the Balzan Foundation for a projecton ‘John Locke and the fable of liberalism’. DrMartin O’Neil has received a British Academy SeniorFellowship for a study of ‘Banks, finance and socialjustice’. Professor Neil Carter has been awardeda Leverhulme Research Fellowship for his project‘Blowing hot and cold: a critical analysis of Labour’sclimate policy’. The Post-war Reconstruction andDevelopment Unit is being funded by the AfghanMinistry of Rural Rehabilitation and Developmentto carry out a study of the National SolidarityProgramme’s impact on returnee re-integration. Inaddition, the University’s Central Fund is supportingtwo projects: Dr Jim Buller and Dr Nicole Lindstrom’s‘Understanding change in EU financial servicesregulation’ and Dr Adam White’s ‘Help for antiheroes’.Professor the Baroness Haleh Afshar gave a talkat King’s Manor for International Women’s Week on‘Political participation: comparative analysis of theIranian and British women activists’. She also hostedan event at the House of Lords for the University ofYork London Alumni Group, and gave a talk aboutlife at the Lords and her personal ‘journey’ to theHouse.The Department has re-launched its seminarseries, with events being enjoyed by a staff andstudents.PsychologyDr Peter Bull delivered a plenary lecture on ‘themicroanalysis of political discourse’ to the AnnualCongress for Psychology Students in Ireland,University of Cork.Social Policy Research UnitDr Fiona Aspinal presented ‘Integrated communityteams: promoting continuity of care for peoplewith long-term neurological conditions?’, writtenwith colleagues, at the International Network forIntegrated Care conference, University of SouthernDenmark, Odense.Professor Nina Biehal gave an invitedpresentation ‘Randomised controlled trials inchildren’s services: challenges and strategies’at the ‘Randomised controlled trials on familyprogrammes: experiences from neighbouringcountries’ conference, Copenhagen, organised bythe Danish National Centre for Social Research.Anne Corden gave an invited plenary‘Participatory research and poverty’ at the ScottishAssembly for Tackling Poverty, Glasgow, organisedby the Poverty Alliance.Professor Gillian Parker gave an invitedpresentation ‘Children’s community nursingservices: what does the research say?’ at ‘Inspiring,achieving success and keeping it going: launch ofthe practical “how to” guide for achieving highquality in children and young people’s emergencyand urgent care. Learning from the RapidImprovement Programme’, University of Warwick,organised by the NHS Institute for Innovation andImprovement.Professor Roy Sainsbury presented ‘Fraud, errorand 21st-century welfare reform’ at the ‘Tacklingfraud and error in the benefit system’ conference,London, organised by Inside Government.Professor Mike Stein gave a seminar ‘The neglectof adolescent neglect’ at the Institute for Child CareResearch, Queen’s University Belfast.Jim Wade presented ‘Implementing specialguardianship: findings from an exploratory study’ at‘Special guardianship orders’, London, organised by

the university of york magazineDEPARTMENTAL NEwS21Community Care.Katharine Weston presented ‘Service userresponses to UK labour market activation policiesaimed at sick or disabled people’ at the ‘Re-formingactivation: a new turn in policy?’ conference,University of Hamburg, organised by the ReconcilingWork and Welfare Network and the Centre forGlobalisation and Governance, University ofHamburg.Members of the ‘Choice and change: aqualitative longitudinal study’ project teampresented their findings at a seminar ‘Choice andchange – sharing experiences of a qualitativelongitudinal study’, organised by the Timescapes,ESRC Qualitative Longitudinal Research Group,University of Leeds. The presentations wererepeated at an ARRC seminar at the University.Social Policy and Social WorkDr Elizabeth McDermott gave a paper at the BritishSociological Association conference, LSE, on‘“Counting” for equality: young lesbian, gay andbisexual people, class and disadvantage’.Professor Ian Shaw is undertaking research atthe University of Chicago on the early history of therelationship between social work and sociology.Professor Jonathan Bradshaw gave oral evidenceto the Welsh Assembly government expert groupon child poverty. He also presented papers on ‘Childdeprivation and happiness’ at a Children’s Societyseminar on wellbeing and poverty, London, and ‘Acomparative analysis of generational equity in theAustralian and UK welfare states’ at a seminar atthe University of New South Wales Australia on thewellbeing of children in Australia.SociologyProfessor Colin Campbell gave a lecture on‘Status matters? The contradictions surroundingconspicuous consumption’ at a conference on theConsumer Society held at the IESE Business Schoolin Barcelona.Professor Celia Kitzinger gave two talks inCardiff Law School: ‘Defending our marriage’ (withProfessor Sue Wilkinson, Loughborough University),an opening address to a national conference onEqual Marriage concerning her High Court case,supported by Liberty, for recognition of her validCanadian same-sex marriage as a marriage(and not a civil partnership) in England; and ‘Themental capacity act: a case study of translatingprinciples into practice’ (with Jenny Kitzinger,Cardiff University). Professor Kitzinger has receivedan International Seedcorn Award to fund a VisitingScholarship at Yale University InterdisciplinaryCentre for Bioethics and Hastings Centre, and willalso be taking up a Rockefeller Foundation BellagioCentre residency to work on the project ‘Coma,consciousness, culture: medical decision-making inthe 21st century’.Dr Amanda Rees gave a lecture on ‘Puttingprimates in their place, the artful science ofprimatology’ to the Archaeological Field Club andPersonal Histories Project at the University ofCambridge.Dr Merran Toerien visited South Africa as part ofthe official York delegation where she gave staff–student seminars in the University of Cape TownSociology Department and the Rhodes UniversityPsychology Department. She also delivered aone-day workshop introducing participants toconversation analysis in the University of Kwazulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg) Psychology Department.Information, Communication and Society, whichis edited and housed within SATSU, is now includedin the Thomson Reuters Social Sciences CitationIndex®.Professor Andrew Webster and colleagues fromSATSU attended the final international conference,Bilbao, Spain, organised by the Unit relating totheir work on regenerative medicine (furtherdetails on the SATSU website). Professor Websteralso presented a paper on stem cell banking atthe Annual Symposium of the Society for LowTemperature Biology in London.At the British Sociological Association meeting,London, Dr Merran Toerien, Professor Paul Drew,Ms Annie Irvine (Social Policy Research Unit) andProfessor Roy Sainsbury (Social Policy ResearchUnit) presented ‘Personalisation in practice? Twoapproaches to conducting benefits interviews inJobcentre Plus’; David Hill presented ‘Ethics, newmedia and social theory: the messenger is themessage’; Kim Jamie presented ‘Pharmacogeneticsand the pharmacy profession: a (re)professionalisingproject?’; Professor Roger Burrows presented‘Measuring the value of sociology? The comingcrisis of empirical sociology symposium’; ProfessorMike Savage gave a sub-plenary for MethodologicalInnovations’ stream on ‘The BBC’s Great BritishClass Survey: sociological tool or methodologicalfad’, a roundtable on ‘60 years of social class’, anauthor-meets-critics session on ‘Identities andsocial change in Britain: the politics of method’ anda paper on ‘Sociology’s changing jurisdiction’; andDr Rowland Atkinson and Dr Dave Beer presented‘Sound affects: living with noise and urbandissonance’.Professor Mike Savage, Dr Chris Renwick(History), Dr Mark Roodhouse (History) and DrRowland Atkinson are collaborating on ‘Urbaninequality: an interdisciplinary social science historyof York, 1900–2000’.Stockholm Environment InstituteDr Gary Haq attended the launch of the ClimateWeek at Lancaster House in London. His York GreenNeighbourhood Challenge project was shortlisted inthe Best Local Initiative category.Dr John Forrester was an invited participantat a workshop by the French Ministry of theEnvironment’s ‘Concertation, décision etenvironnement’ research programme, held inWadham College, Oxford, to determine futuredevelopments in Anglo-French research on publicparticipation in environmental decision making.York Centre for Complex SystemsAnalysis (YCCSA)Dr James Cussens gave an invited talk on ‘Bayesiannetwork learning using cutting planes’ at the GatsbyInstitute, UCL, London.Dr John Forrester and colleagues at SEI havebeen awarded a EU FP7 project grant to model‘Building resilience amongst communities in Europe’(emBRACE) as part of a larger study with colleaguesat the University of Northumbria, the UniversityCatholique de Louvain in Belgium, and others.Dr Dan Franks is published in the Proceedings ofthe Royal Society of London B: Biological Scienceswith ‘Experiments with humans indicate thatdecision accuracy drives the evolution of nichewidth’, an article looking at how specialists andgeneralists can evolve. Dr Franks also visited DrDarren Croft at the University of Exeter to completea review of network analysis in ecology. YCCSAgraduate student Nikolai Bode has been there sincethe start of March working with automatic videotracking of guppies in this collaboration.Dr Giuliana Indelicato was part of the organisingand training committee for two training courses forhigh school teachers in Italy for the Compagnia DiSan Paolo Fondazione Per La Scuola – AccademiaDi Matematica held in Venice and Modena. DrIndelicato also gave a talk at ICMBC2011 on ‘Amathematical approach to structural transitions inviral capsids’.Professor Richard Law spoke on ‘Structure andstability in species-based and size-based ecologicalcommunities’ at ‘SIZEMIC workshop: changingclimate, physiological adaptation, ecosystemresilience and body size constraints’ held at theInstitute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science,University of Hamburg. He gave a further talk on‘Dynamic size spectra: developing an ecosystemperspective to fisheries management’ at theUniversity of Durham’s School of Biological andBiomedical Sciences. Professor Law has also beeninvolved in the preparation of ‘Selective fishingand balanced harvest in relation to fisheriesand ecosystem sustainability’, a report for thefuture use of marine resources, resulting from ascientific workshop organised by the IUCN-CEMFisheries Expert Group and the European Bureau forConservation and Development, in Nagoya, Japan.Professor Reidun Twarock gave an invited talkat the Isaac Newton Institute for MathematicalSciences in Cambridge on ‘Viruses under themathematical microscope: deciphering the codeof viral geometry’, and gave a talk on ‘Virus andgeometry – where symmetry meets function’ atthe International Conference on Mathematical andComputational Biology, Universiti Putra Malaysia.Dr Julie Wilson gave a talk on ‘Automatedanalysis of ancient starch granule morphology’during a visit to Dr Karen Hardy at the Departamentde Prehistòria at Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres,Barcelona.Dr Jamie Wood organised a workshop on‘Metabolic networks and modelling’ at the Nationale-Science Centre in Edinburgh, as part of a year ofactivities on e-Science Theme 14, Modelling andMicrobiology, for which Dr Wood is a co-leader.YCCSA graduate student Richard Williams give atalk on ‘In silico experimentation using experimentalautoimmune encephalomyelitis’ at Sheffield MedicalSchool, and a talk on ‘Project management inpostgraduate research’ for the Nature Network atCambridge Union.Graduate student Jenny Burrow and Dr JonPitchford have been published in the Journalof Plankton Research with ‘The importance ofvariable timing and abundance of prey for fish larvalrecruitment’.Graduate student James McKenzie gave apresentation on ‘Fusion of data from metabolomicstudies’ at the Data to Knowledge conference atAstraZeneca, Cheshire.Graduate student Samik Datta, Dr Gustav Deliusand Professor Richard Law with Dr Michael Plank(University of Canterbury, New Zealand) have beenpublished in the Journal of Mathematical Biologywith ‘A stability analysis of the power-law steadystate of marine size spectra’.York Health Economics ConsortiumProfessor John Hutton presented a paper on ‘Healthtechnology adoption: recent UK experience’ at aconference organised by the Basque Department

of Health and the Spanish Health TechnologyIndustry Federation, in Bilbao. He also spokeon ‘What evidence does NICE need to make arecommendation?’ at the UK Perioperative ClinicalResearch Forum, Manchester; co-chaired theCambridge Market Access Summit held at DowningCollege; and presented on ‘Improving orthoticservices in the NHS’ at a Developing SpecialistFootwear conference at the University of Leeds.York JEOL NanocentreProfessor Ed Boyes spoke on ‘Nanoscienceand managing magic’ to the Leeds Associationof Engineers. He also took part in the RoyalMicroscopical Society Council and the organisingcommittee for the European Microscopy Congress.Professor Pratibha Gai took part in a RoyalSociety-sponsored industrial catalysis internationalconference.Gonzalo Vallejo-Fernandez visited Nanofactoryuniversities.Aberration corrected atomic scale in-situelectron microscopy studies of biomass-derivedmaterials for applications in separation media andfor polar biological compounds are being carriedout with the Mass Spectrometry Centre ofExcellence and Green Chemistry CE, includingSMALL ADSYORK BOOKBINDING Antiquitarian books –sympathetic restoration in cloth or leather; thesesbound or boxed; Magazines into personalisedbook. Contact Philip Winskill, 01904 415240, info@yorkbookbinding.co.uk, www.yorkbookbinding.co.uk. The Bindery: 86 Thief Lane, Hull Road, York,YO10 3HU.D.L.HOwE PAINTING AND DECORATING Experienced,reliable painter and decorator. Very reasonablerates. No job too small. Telephone 01904 651769.LOCAL FAMILY BUILDER Brickwork, plastering,joinery, groundworks. Kitchens, bathrooms.Painting, decorating. Landscaping. No job too small.Free estimate and friendly advice. Proprietor: StevenQuirke. Tel: 01904 702229. Limousin French holidayhome www.picassoholidayrental.co.uk.3C PROOF READING Clear, concise & consistent.Assistance with all written work: CVs, Dissertations,Essays & Theses. Ideal for students with English as asecond language. E-mail: pat.haywood53@yahoo.co.uk. Telephone: 01904 448918C17TH COTTAGE IN wENSLEYDALE, sleeps 3.Spectacular views, walks from the door, open fire,dogs & children welcome. Available for short orweekly breaks. Tel: Vicky 07958 729516 orvicky.grantsmith@btinternet.comHOUSE CLEANING AVAILABLE Thorough and reliablewith ten years experience. References availablefrom existing customers. £9.00 per hour. Call Neilon 01904 633282 or 07546582425LARGEADS.CO.UK. Do you want your small ads togo large - reach a larger student audience in York?Advertise your accommodation, goods and servicesfor FREE at www.largeads.co.uk.CELTA QUALIFIED ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER.Tailored tuition to suit all levels and ages frombeginner to advanced. Business English a speciality.Also coaching for IELTS and ESOL exams. ContactKate Jones on 07824 554026 or email kjeffjones@googlemail.comProfessor Jane Thomas-Oates, Professor JamesClark and their groups.Collaboration with Professor John Goodby’sgroup has resulted in a full-length publication:M Draper, I M Saez, S J Cowling, P L Gai, BHeinrich, B Donnio, D Guillon and J W Goodby.(2011) Self-assembly and Shape Morphologyof Liquid Crystalline Gold Metamaterials,Advanced Functional. Materials, DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201001606.Aberration corrected in-situ electronmicroscopy with sib-Angstrom resolution hasbeen successfully used by Professor PratibhaGai, Professor Ed Boyes and their co-workers inthe development of a heterogeneous process forpharmaceutical NSAIDS (Paracetamol). The workis published by the Royal Society of Chemistry(Catalysis Science and Technology, March 2011: DOI:10.1039/c0cy00063a).Recent vistors include the Vice Rectorfor Research and Study and the InternationalOffice Manager from Rudny Industrial Institute,Kazakhstan; Dr M Iwatsuki (Senior ManagingDirector), M Hepburn (Chairman) and J Dalby (SalesDirector) of JEOL Ltd, Tokyo; a Japan Society for thePromotion of Science (London Office) delegation;and a Korean delegation.THREE BEDROOM SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE to rent inFishergate/Fulford. Recently decorated, very wellpresented, quiet “cul-de-sac”, walking distanceof city centre/University. Staff only. No smokers/pets. Available: August 2011. Rent: £750 pcm. 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16 June-10 July 2011visit:www.yorkfestivalofideas.comTALKSEXHIBITIONSTHEATREMUSICCINEMABeckett, Banville, Coetzee,Etty, Gare St Lazare Players,Minihan, Minghella and more