MISSIONSTATEMENT

The University of Leicester• re-affirms the commitment in its Charter to

the advancement of knowledge, the diffusion and extension of arts,sciences and learning and the provision of liberal, professional andtechnological education

and will strive to enhance its position as a leading research andteaching institution, cultivating the synergy between research andteaching;

• will strive to enhance and fully utilise its physical resources anddevelop and nurture its human resources in order to further theseacademic purposes;

• will offer an education of the highest quality to its undergraduate andgraduate students, encouraging and stimulating critical intellectualdevelopment through guided learning in a research environment;

• will develop and enhance its international reputation for research atthe cutting edge of a range of disciplines through the encouragementof centres of excellence and individual scholars;

• will make available the University’s knowledge and expertise to theinternational, national and local communities and to industry andcommerce through publication, technology transfer and other ways ofdisseminating knowledge;

• will develop its role as a significant resource to enrich the localcommunity and provide continuing professional, vocational and adulteducation to the surrounding region, collaborating with nearbyeducational institutions in order to maximise the benefits to thecommunity.

COVER PICTURES

Front cover: (Clockwise from top left) Model of TheNational Space Science Centre for which Leicester won£23 million of Millennium Commission funding;Celebrations at Graduation; Jubilee Open Day, attendedby more than 10,000 people; Diana, Princess of Wales,opening the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disabilityand the Arts on May 27.

Cover picture of Diana, Princess of Wales, by JohnStillwell, Press Association.

This page: A winter’s morning on campus. Picture by Jo Vivian.

Back cover: Students head for the University along thetree-lined routes through Victoria Park.

© University of Leicester

There are three companion volumes to this report:

OFFICIAL RECORD, Volume I: Contains departmentalreports for the year August 1 1996-July 31 1997.

OFFICIAL RECORD, Volume II: Contains details ofresearch grants and contracts, publications, personalia,degrees and prizes for the period August 1 1996-July 311997.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: Contains Treasurer’s reportand detailed accounts for the year ended July 31 1997.

Available from Press & Publications OfficeUniversity of LeicesterUniversity RoadLeicester LE1 7RHTel: 0116 252 2415.

CREDITSThe Annual Report is compiled and edited by Press andPublications Office, Leicester University.Design: Julie Davies, Graphics Studio, LeicesterUniversity.Photographs, unless otherwise credited, by CentralPhotographic Unit and by members of staff

Pict

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Vivi

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VisitorHER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

OFFICERSChancellorSIR MICHAEL ATIYAH, O.M., F.R.S., M.A., Ph.D., D.Sc.

Pro-ChancellorsSIR EDWIN NIXON, C.B.E., D.L., M.A., LL.D.J. C. FOSTER, O.B.E., M.A., Dip.Ed.

Vice-ChancellorK. J. R. EDWARDS, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.

TreasurerG.A. CINDERBY, I.P.F.A., F.C.C.A.

Pro-Vice-ChancellorsPROFESSOR P. S. FEARON, B.A.PROFESSOR J. L. BEEBY, M.A., Ph.D.PROFESSOR A. G. H. BLAKELEY, M.A., D.Phil., B.M.,B.Ch.

Dean of the Faculty of ArtsPROFESSOR S. M. PEARCE, M.A., Ph.D., F.S.A., F.M.A.

Dean of the Faculty of SciencePROFESSOR W. J. BRAMMAR, B.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S.A.

Dean of the Faculty of the Social SciencesPROFESSOR D. J. PYLE, B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D.

Dean of the Faculty of LawJ. C. WOODLIFFE, LL.B., LL.M.

Dean of the Faculty of MedicinePROFESSOR F. HARRIS, C.B.E., M.B., Ch.B.,M.Med.(Paed.), M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.P.(Ed.), F.R.C.P.C.H.,F.R.S.A.

Dean of the Faculty of Education & Continuing StudiesPROFESSOR M. J. GALTON, B.Sc., M.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D.,F.R.S.A.

Registrar and SecretaryK. J. JULIAN, M.A.

LibrarianT. D. HOBBS, M.A., Ph.D., Dip. Lib., A.L.A.

1

CONTENTS

Vice-Chancellor’s Report 2

Building on Success 4

Partnerships 6

A Date with Destiny 10

A Year of Jubilee Joy 8

Reaching Out 12

Shaping the Future 14

Knowledge for Life 16

Advancement 18

Statistics 21

The past year has been dominated bynational introspection about highereducation. The focus for this discussionhas been the deliberations of the NationalCommittee of Inquiry into HigherEducation, the Dearing Committee. Thereport of the Committee, which waspublished in July 1997, covered a widerange of topics and contained 93recommendations. Parallels have beendrawn between the Dearing Committeeand the Robbins Report in the early1960s, but there is an essential differencein the circumstances of the two reports.The Robbins analysis created the caseand provided the framework for largeexpansion in higher education whichfollowed in the late 1960s, while theDearing Inquiry took place after the largeexpansion which occurred in the early1990s and attempted to deal with theconsequences of that expansion. One ofthe principal concerns of Dearing was theissue of providing appropriate funding forthe enlarged system. Immediatelyfollowing the publication of the DearingReport the Government proposed itsown mechanism for dealing with fundingrather than accepting any of the optionsproposed within the Report. The otherrecommendations of Dearing will be thesubject of a Government White Paperdue to be published soon.

The general nature of the likely responseby the Government is, however,reasonably clear in that there willprobably be strong emphasis on lifelonglearning and on the contribution whichhigher education can make to thecommunity, especially in producing askilled work force and creating a highlevel of employability amongst thepopulation. Lifelong learning has a varietyof facets and relates to a wide range ofdifferent higher education courses.Programmes followed might be at sub-degree level, first degree level,postgraduate courses or related tocontinuing professional development.

The opportunities at different levels willinvolve funding from a variety of sources;for undergraduate programmes this islikely to include some contribution fromgraduates, but at postgraduate level willbe largely private, whether provided bythe individual student or by someorganisation on his/her behalf.

Each university must seek to find anappropriate niche or niches within thiswide diversity of provision. Questionswhich must be asked include: ‘What isthe University good at?’, ‘What can it offerthat is distinctive?’ and ‘How does thatmatch the opportunities which occur?’The University of Leicester is in theprocess of re-assessing its own strategicobjectives against the background of astrong wish to take positive steps todetermine its own future. What kind ofUniversity do we hope to be in five years’time or in ten years’ time? How can we

create a strategy towards achieving thoseaims? Is the strategy robust enough tocope with minor fluctuations in theenvironment, while at the same timebeing flexible enough to be able to adaptin a coherent way to major perturbations?These are some of the questions whichsuch a re-assessment must address.

There are many uncertaintiesfacing the University. First,and amongst the mostimportant, is the impact onthe demand for educationthat the Government’sdecision about studentcontributions towards thecosts of tuition will have. Inparticular it raises thequestion as to whether therewill continue to be a largedemand for the traditionalfull-time, campus-basedundergraduate programme.Second, what will be theimpact which the newinformation andcommunication technologieswill have, especially onteaching and learning but alsoon other aspects of the waythe universities operate?Third, will the funding forresearch become yet moreselective? Fourth, to whatextent will competition from

outside the university system in theprovision of educational programmes andin research increase?

Bearing these factors in mind, thediscussion within the University about itsown future continues, but amongst theaims which are becoming clear are:

• The development of courses and oftotal support facilities which willcontinue to attract high-qualitystudents who seek a campus-basededucational experience.

2

During a year of national introspection about higher educationrelated to the Dearing Inquiry, Leicester University celebrated aJubilee Year distinguished by major milestones.

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S REPORT

LANDMARK YEAR: The Vice-Chancellor, right, with Pro-Chancellor Sir Edwin Nixon, centre, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Asa Blakeley, left, marking the start ofJubilee Year.

• Continued expansion at postgraduatelevel and in the provision ofprogrammes for continuingprofessional development; inparticular, it is likely that extensivedevelopment in distance learningtechniques and part-time provision,possibly combined, will continue.

• Stimulation of research within anoverall coherent University strategywhich encourages and facilitatesinterdisciplinary programmes.

Our aims for the future must be based onour present achievements and ourcurrent excellence. The past year hasdemonstrated again the academic vigourof the University in ways which aredeveloped in some detail in the rest ofthis Annual Report.

One of the major events has been theannouncement by the MillenniumCommission of an award of £23Mtowards the costs of creating a NationalSpace Science Centre in Leicester. Thisproject was the subject of a joint bid bythe University and Leicester City Counciland its implementation has now attractedwidespread involvement and supportfrom local businesses and other parts ofthe community. In particular, attention isnow being devoted towards closing thefunding gap. The Centre will be a greatasset to both the City and the Universityand it has an enormous potential toinform and enthuse young people aboutscience. The academic heart of the NSSCwill be the excellence of the University’sown astronomy and space programmes,particularly, of course, in the Departmentof Physics and Astronomy.

The Department of Physics andAstronomy achieved a Grade 5 in the1996 Research Assessment Exerciseresults announced last December. It wasone of five departments to achieve thatrating, while one department, CellPhysiology and Pharmacology, achievedthe highest rating of 5*. Overall theresults demonstrated the generalresearch strengths of the University, aconclusion confirmed by the fact thatLeicester was one of only 15 universitiesreturning 90% or more of all eligible staffin the exercise.

The University continues to be verysuccessful in obtaining research grantsfrom a variety of sources to support itsactivities. For the year 1996/97 theincome generated in this was £24,652,000which is nearly double the figure fiveyears ago when the income (in 1991/92)was £12,723,000. This success is highlycommendable, but it has brought its ownproblems because over that same periodthe level of support for research in theform of money provided by the FundingCouncil has remained more or lessconstant at about £10M. The FundingCouncil money is supposed to providefor most of the indirect costs of researchprogrammes which are supported byexternal sponsors, as well as allowing forinnovative research and for research inareas where there is little likelihood ofobtaining direct sponsorships. Thisdeveloping gap in our ability to supportour own research infrastructure is aserious problem to the University as it isfor all research-active universities. It wasidentified as a problem in the Dearingreport and Government Ministers have

recognised it as an issue. Wenow await to see if action

follows.

In May 1997 the formalopening of the Richard

Attenborough Centre forDisability and the Arts was

performed by Diana,Princess of Wales. It

was one of her lastformalengagementsbefore hertragic death,but we areleft with verypositivememories of thehappiness of thisoccasion and the

warmth and genuine sense of caringwhich she displayed, particularly for thestudents of the Centre.

Our future ambitions require that wehave a sound financial base. Over the pastfew years, the University has beenconcerned to ensure that we make thebest possible use of the funds which wehave received; funds which fromGovernment sources have been decliningin value in real terms on a per studentbasis. In doing this we have had as ourprimary objective the maintenance of thequality of our teaching and researchactivities.

Over the past year, we have satisfied thisobjective while also achieving somefurther build-up of reserves. During theyear our income increased somewhat.Much of this, however, was due tosignificant one-off items, of which thelargest was a £1.3M VAT repayment. Thecreation and maintenance of a reasonablelevel of reserves is important for, on theone hand, it provides some buffer againsta sudden loss of income or a rapid rise ininflation, while on the other hand, itcreates the potential for someinvestments in new developments toenable the University to seize newopportunities. These will certainly occuras the range of contributions whichuniversities can make to national, andindeed international, life increases in thefuture.

The University is now in a very strongposition to take advantage of suchopportunities while also maintaining itsstandards of excellence in teaching andresearch and the vital interactionbetween them. The splendidachievements of the University ofLeicester so far in the 1990s provide anexcellent track record and a firm basis fordevelopment into the next decade.

3

The splendid achievements of theUniversity of Leicester so far in the1990s provides an excellent track

record and a firm basis fordevelopment into the next decade.

HISTORIC OCCASION: The Vice-Chancellor greets Diana, Princess of Wales,with Lord Attenborough, at the opening of

The University continued to expand and develop in exciting newdirections – the building of a Space Research Centre and the openingof the new Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Artswere two landmark developments during the year.

A year when the Universitywent from strength to strength

4

SPACE FOR SPACE RESEARCH:Construction of the new building for theUniversity’s Space Research Centrecommenced and will provide newaccommodation for the Department ofPhysics and Astronomy’s SpaceHardware and Earth ObservationScience Groups. The University’s SpaceResearch Centre will eventually form anintegral part of the National SpaceScience Centre which is a jointUniversity and City Council-ledMillennium Project.

NEW OBSERVATORY: Staff and studentsbenefited from a new observatory onthe University estate at Manor Road. Thefacility was funded by a donation of£10,000 from Dr A K Velan who formallyopened the observatory.

ANCIENT GARDENS:The Friends of theBotanic Garden haveraised £25,000 towardsthe cost of a project tobuild a new displaygreenhouse. Theproposed greenhousewill contain tropicaland temperateplantings, devised notonly to be informativebut also to provide abetter facility for theGarden’s burgeoningschools programme. Itwill feature areconstruction of agarden from ancientGreece.

HOSPITAL BUILDING: A major impetusto development in the UniversityDepartment of Oncology was theopening of the Osborne Building at theLeicester Royal Infirmary. This provideshigh-quality accommodation forpatients.

REFURBISHED SITE: The Department ofMuseum Studies’ newly consolidatedand refurbished premises was formallyopened. Formerly, the Department wassplit into two sites.

NEW MOVE: The MRC Institute forEnvironment and Health, which worksclosely with the University, moved fromits temporary buildings adjacent to theCentre for the Mechanisms of HumanToxicity to new premises on RegentRoad, Leicester.

NETWORKING: The Computer Centrewas successful for the second yearrunning in its bid for funding from theHigher Education Funding Council forEngland to enhance the computernetwork links.

FACILITIES: A new computer suite forstudents was provided by the Universityin the Students’ Union building, andplans for a new gymnasium to be run bythe University Sports and RecreationService were set in motion.

BUILDING ON SUCCESS

GREEN SPACE: Sir David Attenborough opened the newUniversity arboretum on Carisbrooke Road, Knighton, Leicester,naming it the Attenborough Arboretum after his family, several ofwhom are closely associated with the University. Scores of schoolchildren attended the event.

NEW BOAT: Left, members of the University’sRowing Club acquired a new £8,000 boat. Theboat, named The Magic Sponge, was funded bythe University and the Students’ Union sportsassociation. Members of the club also raised£2,500 towards the final cost of the boat. Above: The construction of the new SpaceResearch Centre.

INVESTMENT: As part of the ChemistryDepartment’s strategy to maintainexcellence in teaching and research,state-of-the-art NMR machines have beeninstalled. One of the machines, costing£320,000, was among the first to receivejoint funding from industry and has ledto the creation of an NMR teachingfacility. The Department’s investment ina modern X-ray structure facility was alsowell rewarded helping to determine thepreviously unknown shapes of 120molecules during the year.

LABORATORIES: New cell biologylaboratories were created within theDepartment of Child Health. A newdevice for measuring lung function ininfants and young children wasdeveloped and piloted in partnershipwith the Department of Paediatrics,University of Bern. New laboratorieswere also officially opened in theDepartment of Medicine andTherapeutics’ new Division ofGastroenterology. The new laboratorieswere set up with the aid of a £400,000grant from Leicester General HospitalNHS Trust.

RESEARCH GYM: TheDepartment of OrthopaedicSurgery is extending itsresearch into trauma,particularly hip fractures, bythe opening of anorthopaedic research gym atthe Leicester Royal Infirmary.This facility will have bothgait and balance analysisequipment, which will enablea more detailed assessmentto be made of patients whohave sustained fracturesaround the hip.

TECHNOLOGY: The UniversityDepartment of Surgery saw the

development of a laser cytometer facilityat the Glenfield General Hospital. Itattracted a steady stream of visitors fromUK and Europe and the new technologywill allow the Department to becomeinvolved in new aspects of cancerresearch. Also at Glenfield, theDepartment of Radiology established aresearch facility, a development whichcoincided with the opening of theMagnetic Resonance Unit.

HITTING THE AIRWAVES: A trial run ofthe Students’ Union new radio stationLUSH FM took place in the Unionbuilding and a licence to transmit wasgranted for November 1997.

5

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, OPENED UNIQUE CENTREOn May 27, just weeks before the tragic accident that claimed the life ofDiana, Princess of Wales, the University was honoured by her presence onthe occasion of the official opening of the Richard Attenborough Centrefor Disability and the Arts.

Describing the visit as ‘an auspicious and triumphant day for theUniversity’, Lord Attenborough praised the University and Centre staff forthe development of the unique Centre.

The Princess toured the Centre, met staffand students, and saw demonstrations ofwheelchair dancing, art and sculpture.She described it as a Centre that‘enriched the lives of us all, and added:“In this beautiful building I have seenwhat I thought was impossible.

“I have met students in wheelchairs whowere dancing, visually disabled artistscreating superb sculptures and a painterwho has been blind since birth.

“People with disabilities are able tobecome involved and excel in all kinds ofartistic activities. The joy and purposethroughout the building can be felt.”

The purpose-built £2million Centre - partof the University’s Department of AdultEducation - was designed by architect IanTaylor of Bennetts Associates following a

national competition whichattracted 128 entries. The

two-storey Centre provideshigh quality acoustics andis equipped with sculpture,painting, music and drama

studios, a research library and studio area.

Lord Attenborough led the fund-raising campaign forthe Centre, with support from Friends of the

Centre. An award of £730,000 was made by theNational Lottery through the Arts Council ofEngland and there were several other majordonors.

RARECOLLECTION: TheLibrary opened the

reorganised rarebooks collection,

coinciding with the21st anniversary of

the main Librarybuilding. The newly

designed areaincludes a storage

room for thethousands of

volumes of rare andvaluable editions,plus an office and

reading room.

SPECIAL MEMORIES: Above,Diana, Princess of Wales with MrsMargaret Gray, a student at theRichard Attenborough Centre forDisability and the Arts.Below: The Princess with LordAttenborough at the opening of theRichard Attenborough Centre.Following her tragic death, a musicaltribute in memory of the Princesswas staged at the Centre.

PARTNERSHIPSWorking together withcommunity and business

CHARITY FOCUS: Leicester UniversityStudents’ Union Charities Appeal raisedmore than £48,000 for local andnational charities through a variety ofevents, including a Rag Week.

INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES: TheDepartment of Adult Education’s abilityto reach wider sections of thecommunity was greatly aided bycontinuation of funding from theHigher Education Funding Council forEngland. A Certificate in Legal Advice,organised jointly with HighfieldsCommunity Centre and funded by theSingle Regeneration Budget, was amongthe initiatives during the year.

NOTABLE CHOICE: The variedprogramme of Music offered by theUniversity included a staged production

of Handel’s Acis & Galatea at thePhoenix Arts; a concert given by theEberle Quartet as the first musical eventat the Richard Attenborough Centre,and a spectacular charity event – thefirst complete modern performance ofWilliam Boyce’s Ode to Charity (1771)with the Proteus Chamber Orchestra,University Singers and Soloists in theChurch of St. James the Greater. Townand gown came together in the annualDigby Hall carol service.

CENTRE OF ATTRACTION: The RichardAttenborough Centre widened itsprogramme and contacts with nationalarts organisations and created new linkswith local disability communities. Avaried dance, music and artsprogramme is in place and major eventsincluded performances by EmmaJohnson, the Siobhan Davies DanceCompany and the Nettle & MarkhamPiano Duo.

ON THE BALL: The Sir Norman ChesterCentre for Football Research againcarried out the annual fan survey for theFootball Association Premier League.New research initiatives include workon sport and disability and on women’sfootball.

CARING: In the School of Social Workstaff were involved in projects toidentify when children are at risk fromfamilies where there is domesticviolence and parental problems ofmental illness, drugs and alcohol abuse;they also played an active part inhelping the Department of Healthshape national policy on child-relatedissues.

MAGIC MOMENTS: The School ofEducation continued a study of pupils’transfer from primary to secondary

schools and investigated the use ofdiscretionary time in primary schools.The study suggested that opportunitiesfor spontaneous encounters betweenteachers and pupils, described as ‘magicmoments’, had been reduced as a resultof the National Curriculum. In theSchool’s Centre for Citizenship Studiesin Education, staff were involved in anational campaign that aimed topromote citizenship education forpupils of all ages.

THAT’S LIFE: Departments in theSchool of Biological Sciences supporteda national schools’ Science andTechnology programme as a result of anagreement with the LeicestershireEducation Business Partnership.Children as young as 11 were helped inprojects in Life Sciences as a result ofthe University support and that ofBioscience company, Zeneca.

THREE ORCHIDS: The green stained woodtripod and plain wood orchids sculpture atAbbey Park, Leicester. The History of ArtDepartment played an important part ingaining a £470,000 grant from Lottery fundsawarded to the Public Monuments andSculpture Association to survey the wealthof Britain’s outdoor monuments andsculptures.

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Leicester University’s role in the region extends far beyond that ofbeing a centre of educational excellence, a major employer andcommercial force. The success of the National Space Science Centrebid, in association with the City Council and other organisations, isan example of how partnerships with Leicester University havehelped contribute to prosperity within the region.

SOCIAL CONCERN: A study by the ScarmanCentre revealed disturbing evidence that the

needs of black people in thecounty are not being met.It pointed to the suspicionwith which members of

the AfricanCaribbeancommunity heldlocal andnationalgovernment,highlightedconcerns overeducationmatters andsuggestedthat acomplacentattitudeexiststowardsissues ofracialequalitywithingovern-

mentagencies.

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BUSINESS INTERFACE:The University launchedits business magazine,Business Interface,highlighting how theUniversity andbusinesses arebenefiting from a rangeof collaborations andsuggesting ways inwhich industry canfruitfully work withuniversities.

SOUND RESEARCH:The influence of musicon shoppingbehaviour was tested by psychologistsfrom the University. They set up a winedisplay at a superstore in Leicester anddiscovered that playing French orGerman music influenced the choice ofwine bought by the customer accordingto the type of music played.

GENDER AND WORK: The SociologyDepartment embarked upon the secondstage of a five-nation comparative studyof gender relations, employment andoccupational segregation. The genderand globalisation research groupcompleted work on nations andnationalisms in Latin America and onmigration and labour in Europe,including a European Commission studyof domestic labourers in EC countries.

SPONSORSHIP: Merchant bankersSinger and Friedlander sponsored afootball research fellowship in theCentre for Research into Sport andSociety. Other companies also supportedprojects at the University - for example,in the School of Education, Barclaycardand the Charter Unit of the CabinetOffice provided funding for theproduction of a schools’ pack on the useof public services. The Department ofCell Physiology and Pharmacology’slinks with Astra Charnwood werestrengthened by the award of a visitingProfessorship to Dr. Paul Leff of AstraCharnwood Research Centre.

SKILLS STUDY: The Centre for LabourMarket Studies, together with LeedsUniversity, is analysing changes in theskills of the British labour force over thepast decade as well as examining aspectsof training in companies. Centre staff arealso studying the relationship betweennational systems of education andtraining and economic growth in the

Asian ‘Tiger’economies. In theManagement Centre, astudy into thefunctioning of theEuropean labourmarkets was carriedout in collaborationwith BirminghamUniversity, examiningissues of ‘work andsociety’.

SMART AWARD: ALincolnshire company,Marshall Barry (Lincoln)Ltd. was successful in

winning a SMART award for innovationfor the development of technologylicensed to them from the University.The project’s aims are to design andassess the feasibility of a new type ofenergy efficient, variable speed,universal DC electronic motorgenerator/drive.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: LeicesterBioSciences Ltd., a unique joint venturebetween the University and Life SciencesAssociates Ltd.,has beenformed to findways to bestexploit theintellectualpropertygenerated fromresearch in lifeand medicalsciences.

ENGINEERINGSUCCESS: TheDepartment ofEngineeringcontinued tostrengthenlinks withindustry: ‘withindustry’degrees wherestudents worka year inindustry duringtheir coursegained inpopularity;progress was made in the study of‘electrical trees’ which can eat their waythrough high voltage insulators causingcatastrophic electricity supply failuresand a collaborative project with PerkinsTechnology and Lucas Advanced Vehicle

Systems studied novel schemes for themonitoring and control of dieselengines.

GROUND-BREAKING: BoreholeResearch in the Geology Departmentcontinued to be highly successfulholding major contracts with industry.The research group holds a majorcontract with the international OceanDrilling Program, based at CollegeStation, Texas. In addition, thedepartment has collaborative projectswith aggregate and industrial mineralscompanies.

INNER SPACE: A facility developed forspace science is being applied indentistry. Derivatives of Charge CoupledDevices developed and manufactured byEEV Limited in conjunction with theUniversity Department of Physics andAstronomy, are being used by dentistsfor X-rays as a replacement for film.CCDs, highly sensitive silicon chips,mean that patients need only receive 20per cent of the X-ray dose associatedwith traditional techniques.

JOBS: The Student Employment Centre,which started in 1995-96, became wellestablished in the Students’ Union and isused by numerous city businesses.

FACE TO FACE WITH NATURE: Thousands of visitors and schoolchildrenenjoyed educational trips and fairs at the Harold Martin Botanic Gardenwhich celebrated the 50th anniversary of its transfer to the magnificentOadby estate.

LEICESTER: THE ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITY

8

Nostalgia, celebration andoptimism for an historic yearLeicester University celebrated 75 years since its foundation in 1921and 40 years since the granting of the University’s Royal Charter in1957. The University’s strong community links were marked by aprogramme including a Jubilee Open Day that attracted 10,000 people.

A YEAR OF JUBILEE JOY

A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTSConferences, drama and sportingcelebrations were also features of theJubilee Year, which was permanentlymarked by the publication of a newhistory of the University.

Written by Brian Burch OBE, Librarianof the University from 1982-1995, it isfully illustrated in colour andchronicles the many achievements andpersonalities of the University from itsformative years to the present era.

It was a particularly active year forLeicester University Theatre, whichpresented a production of JohnOsborne’s Look Back in Anger and JoeOrton’s What the Butler Saw. Thisproduction launched the University’ssuccessful £60,000 appeal to secure theOrton Papers - a collection of

unpublishedmanuscripts,letters andotherdocuments ofthe Leicester-borndramatist,

which will now be preserved and madeavailable for scholars in the UniversityLibrary.

Media interest in the variety of eventsat the University continued unabatedand made a marked impact withbroadcasts of Gardeners’ QuestionTime and Any Questions? from theUniversity during the year.

Internationalism and multiculturalismon campus were celebrated by theInternational Students’ Associationwhich marked its 10th anniversaryduring the year.

Jubilee Year also marked the start ofthe University’s biggest ever fund-raising campaign. A letter-andtelephone-based programme washeaded by celebrity graduate MichaelNicholson. Thousands of graduatesand the parents of current studentswere contacted in order to supportappeals to enhance the Library andimprove sporting facilities across theUniversity. By the end of the JubileeYear, a sum totalling £1million hadbeen pledged.

JUBILEE FOCUS: Above, Curatorof the Harold Martin BotanicGarden, Dr Richard Gornall,standing, with broadcasters fromGardeners’ Question Time whovisited Leicester University as partof the Jubilee Year programme.

DRAMATIC: Below, Leicester University Theatre stagedOrton’s What the Butler Saw to launcha successful £60,000 appeal tosecure the Orton Papers.Right: Joe Orton.

DERPACE:naut

manalledl

ren withpaceonience.

JUBILEE OPEN DAYJubilee Year offered many occasions when members of the public,students, graduates and parents could attend events - but a focus formany of the activities of the University was provided through Open Dayon March 15 when more than 10,000 people attended.

Jubilee Open Day was filled with hands-ondemonstrations, interactive learning, lectures,quizzes, competitions and fun events thatoffered learning and leisure. It was a day filledwith an amazing variety of events - totallingmore than 100 - and almost every aspect ofthe University was open to scrutiny from anenquiring public.

Leicester University highlighted itscommunity credentials and demonstrated thevast variety of education and research that iscarried out for the advancement of learningand the betterment of society. TheUniversity’s commercial facilities, likebookshops, travel shop, catering andconference venues were also on show alongwith facilities freely available to the public -the splendid Botanic Garden, the lecture andmusic programme and the fascinating varietyof the University’s architectural heritage.

9

CELEBRITY LECTURES

A star-studded line-up of celebritiesenhanced the University’s normalprogramme of public lecturesthroughout the year, and provided amajor attraction for the local communityand the media.

The galaxy of speakers included Britain’sfirst woman in space, Helen Sharman,and astronomers Dr Patrick Moore andDr Heather Couper - all of whom addedlustre to the year in which the Universityand City were awarded Millenniumfunding towards a National SpaceScience Centre.

The former Director-General of theNational Trust, Sir Angus Stirling,launched the lectureprogramme with theConvocation Lecture, LetNature Never Be Forgot, onthe relationship betweenlandscapes and architecture;architect Jeremy Dixon,delivering the Peach MemorialLecture, also commented on aspects ofthe built environment.

Sir David Attenborough delivered theAnnual Botanic Garden Lecture - held,exceptionally, in the De Montfort Hall;explorer David Hempleman-Adamsshared some of his Polar exploration

experienceswhile novelistand LeicestergraduateProfessorMalcolmBradburydiscussedLiterature andPlace at theOpen Day. Actress Janet Suzman,television newsmen John Simpson andMichael Nicholson, DNA pioneer andLeicester Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys wereother notable speakers during the year.

They were joined by Deputy Editor ofThe Spectator, Anne McElvoy, and

Justice of the InternationalCourt, Dame Rosalyn Higginswhile inaugural lectures givenduring the year covered

subjects as varied as Genetics,Medicine and Therapeutics,

Geography, Mathematics andComputer Science and

Economics.

Professor Robert Hinde, of St John’sCollege, Cambridge, delivered theSluckin Memorial Lecture on the subjectof Violence and War, while the JubileeHistory of Art series of lectures sawoutstanding speakers in the field of artaddress audiences at the University. They

included one of themost distinguished critics of modern art,David Sylvester; the Keeper of theScottish National Gallery of Modern Art,Richard Calvocoressi; the art critic of TheTimes, Richard Cork; Dr MargaretGarlake of the Courtauld Institute of Artand Nicholas Watkins of the University.

As part of the Jubilee celebrations, theLibrary also hosted three lectures,including the prestigious Follett Lectureby Peter Graham.

MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

Jubilee Year afforded an opportunity forthe University to highlight theexcellence of its year-round contribution tothe local musicalscene. The brillianceof South Korean-bornpianist Young-ChoonPark, a further seriesby the magnificentLindsays, and a visitfrom the distinguishedChilingirian StringQuartet were among the attractions in apacked programme of music wherevariety was the keynote.

The year saw performances by theUniversity Wind Band, Orchestral andChoral Societies; the Proteus ChamberOrchestra; Elaine Delmar, Keith Smithand the Manhatten Club Trio; theKingfisher Chorale; the University’sAfrikan-Caribbean Choir; Yamanu JazzSextet; Shirley Smart; William Howard;Emma Johnson, Susan Alexander-Maxand many others.

Malcolm Bradbury Michael Nicholson Sir Angus Stirling

Dr Patrick Moore Janet Suzman

A DATE WITH DESTINYMillennium bid for NationalSpace Science Centre is a success

The Millennium Commission announcedin June that the National Space ScienceCentre would be its landmark project forthe East Midlands region.

The £46 million project, of whichLeicester University and the City Councilare principal partners, will provide aunique facility and will advance the workof the University in space research.

Chris Smith MP, Chairman of theMillennium Commission,said: “The National SpaceScience Centre and NewTechnopolis (in Norwich)embody the concepts ofeducation and science andtechnology which will becentral to all our lives in thenew Millennium.

“The National SpaceScience Centre will be aworld class centre ofresearch of which the wholecountry can be proud.”

Millennium Commissionerand astronomer HeatherCouper said: “The NationalSpace Science Centre reinforces Britain’sposition at the forefront of space scienceresearch. I am also very excited that itwill open up this fascinating subject toover a quarter of a million visitors everyyear.”

John Eggleston, steering committeechairman and senior partner, KPMG,said: “It’s a great honour for Leicester tobe behind the National Space ScienceCentre for Britain - truly a project ofinternational significance.”

Leader of Leicester City Council Mr PeterSoulsby said: “The project shows

Leicester’s national status. Leicester isopen for business and determined toattract developments which regeneratethe city.”

The Vice-Chancellor Dr KennethEdwards added: “The National SpaceScience Centre will underline LeicesterUniversity’s place as the leading spaceresearch centre in Europe. The SpaceScience Centre will be an opportunity toshowcase that expertise.”

Leicester Promotions Chief ExecutivePeter Cottingham commented: “This bidhas generated an unprecedented level ofco-operation between the public andprivate sector. We now have excellentlinks to the local communities who willbenefit from this major project. TheNSSC will form one of the largest touristattractions within the region providingsignificant economic benefits for manyyears.”

A consortium spearheaded by the University and Leicester City Councilwas successful in securing £23m funding from the MillenniumCommission for a unique National Space Science Centre to be built inLeicester. The success was the culmination of determined efforts by adedicated team and provided a testament to the excellence of spaceresearch at Leicester University over three decades.

HIGH-FLYING: Left, former NASA Astronaut and Leicesterresearcher Dr Jeff Hoffman in space with the NSSC logo.Below: The model of the National Space Science Centre to be builtin Leicester.

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Support for the Centre has been voicedfrom many quarters. Astronomer RoyalSir Martin Rees and astronomerand broadcaster Dr PatrickMoore are among those whohave supported the Centre.

Dr Moore said: “Leicester isat the very forefront of spaceresearch and education, andthis is exactly the sort of projectthe Millennium Commission oughtto support.”

Sir Martin Rees said: “Leicester alreadyhas unrivalled credentials amonguniversities as a centre for space science,and this proposal will not only raise thatprofile further, but meet a real nationalneed.”

Britain’s first woman in space HelenSharman said: “People in Britain want tofind out more about space, and howspace will influence them. I wouldsupport anything that would give peoplemore understanding ofscience.”

Science writer NigelCalder said: “When thecrowds flock toLeicester and the NSSC,politicians and themedia may at lastwake up. There is farmore public interest inspace exploration andresearch than they

imagine.Space flight is ourequivalent of the oceanvoyages of Columbus’stime, and it’s just asexciting and useful.”

Former Astronaut Dr JeffHoffman said at the time ofthe announcement: “I amabsolutely delighted thatthe MillenniumCommission has decided tosupport the NSSC inLeicester. As a formerLeicester resident withstrong ties to the UK, I amhappy for what this projectwill offer to all the peoplein Great Britain, andespecially to students.

“As an astronaut and formerspace scientist, I’m looking

forward to this project spreading to thepublic at large the tremendous

excitement of space exploration.It is a fitting project to

celebrate the Millennium.”

Astronomer Paul Murdinsaid: “Space science

continues to attract greatinterest, particularly from the

young, and is a proven route bywhich students are drawn into

science.

“Europe now has a first-rate programmein space-science. British scientists andengineers continue to play a leading rolein this effort and Leicester is aparticularly appropriate location for theNSSC given the University’s world classreputation for spaceresearch.”

The Building

• Design by Nicholas Grimshaw andPartners, chosen after competition

• 35 metre tower with express lifts willprovide excellent display facilities forrockets, satellites etc. and a dramaticaddition to the landscape

• The main exhibition halls are partlysunk below the ground; a particularfeature will be the roof where waterwill be retained to provide a reflectivepool

• The total floor space of the mainbuilding will be approximately 11,000sq.m., of which some will be retainedfor future expansion

• The NSSC will also incorporate theResearch Centre building located atLeicester University.

BENEFITS FOREDUCATION, ECONOMYAND ENVIRONMENTThe project will provide thenation with an exciting andunique education and leisurefacility based on space science.

The project includes theChallenger Learning Centrewhich will offer educational andtraining experiences based onsimulated space flights andmission control activities. Thiswill be the first facility of its kindoutside the US and Canada andas such constitutes a very specialattraction. The Challenger Trust,which awarded the licence, isbacked by NASA.

The NSSC will be uniquely linkedto developments in thereal world of spacescience through theinvolvement of theUniversity of Leicester’sspace researchprogramme and links withother space activitiesaround the world. Thescheme comprises threeother key elements:

The Exhibition Centre will beused to explain the achievementsand potential of space scienceand space exploration.

The Millennium Dome will be anadvanced planetarium offeringeducational programmes for allages.

The Research Centre will beoperated by the University ofLeicester which has a world classreputation for space research.

The successful bid to theMillennium Commission wasmade by a number of peoplewho, at the University, includedformer Pro-Vice-ChancellorProfessor Alan Ponter; Directorof the Space Research CentreProfessor Alan Wells and NSSCProject Manager Mr NigelSiesage.

The space centre will be able tohelp school students with theirnational curriculum work and isa particularly exciting prospectfor several nearby schools.

CENTRE WILL BE OUT OF THIS WORLD

TOP CLASS: Astronomer RoyalSir Martin Rees praised the NSSC.Below: An artist’s impression of

the Challenger Centre.

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Leicester University’s campus is a cosmopolitan mix of students frommore than 80 countries and the University is among Britain’s biggestproviders of postgraduate distance learning programmes. Researchadvances and collaborative projects across a diverse range of fieldshelped the University share the benefits of knowledge and theexcitement of new discoveries with partners around the world.

REACHING OUTEducational excellence for aglobal market

GLOBAL NETWORK: The Centre forResearch into Sport and Societyconsolidated its position as a majorinternational centre for teaching andresearch in the sociology of sport. TheCentre has distance learning students in30 countries and attracted its firstgraduates from Israel and Zimbabwe.

FIRST: The Management Centre, with itsmanaging agents RDI, established a jointmanagement training programme withGlobis Management in Japan. Globis isone of five dynamic Japanese companiesoffering ‘cyberspace learning’ - Leicester isthe first British university to enter intothis kind of arrangement in Japan.

COMMUNICATION: The Centre for MassCommunication Research’s residential MAincluded their first student from Eritrea,who had helped produce the country’s

Constitution. The first students fromBotswana also arrived - one of whom hadbeen responsible for designing a numberof Botswana’s stamps, based ontraditional imagery. Staff continued theirinvolvement in international projectsincluding Women, Media and the MiddleEast, Info-Kids TV, a pilot programme forcontinuous vocational training involvingeight counties and a comparative study ofmedia coverage of parliamentaryinstitutions.

OLYMPIAD: The Department of Physicsand Astronomy was successful inattracting the International PhysicsOlympiad to Leicester in July 2000. Thiswill bring to the University students from68 competing countries. The competitionconsists of theoretical and experimentalexaminations and many social andcultural events.

REMOVINGBARRIERS: Dr.Chris Hall andstudents fromthe School ofModernLanguagesstudyingGerman metEuropeancolleagues for atwo-weekintensiveseminar oninterculturalcommunication.This new andexpandinginterdisciplinaryfield hasdeveloped outof a recognitionthat thattraditional

language courses cannot ensure a fullunderstanding between people ofdifferent cultural backgrounds.

INITIATIVE: The Law Departmentdeveloped an exchange programme forundergraduates with the NationalUniversity of Singapore. The InternationalCentre for Management, Law andIndustrial Relations celebrated its 10thanniversary during the year.

CO-OPERATION: A new internationalagreement was signed between theSchool of Education and the NationalInstitute of Education, NanyangTechnological University, Singapore.Research links will be developed inclassroom organisation and schooleffectiveness studies; mentoring andprincipalship training and curriculuminnovation.

CONSERVATION: A Leicester ecologyproject received praise in the maidenspeech of the Earl of Enniskillen in theHouse of Lords. Dr. David Harper, of theDepartment of Zoology, with supportfrom Earthwatch, has been running along-term study of the ecological reasonsbehind the deteriorating state of LakeNaivasha, Kenya.

FAMINE ALERT: Accidental introductionfrom Central America of a beetle thatattacks maize has caused local famine inTanzania and devastation to food storesacross parts of Africa. The Department forInternational Development has supportedresearch in the Zoology Department onsex-attractant pheromones which aims tomanipulate the behaviour of the beetles.This work will help increaseunderstanding of the role of thepheromones and thereby help to developnew methods of manipulating andeventually controlling the pest.

MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE: Salt mines on earth may provide valuableinsights into life on Mars, according to Leicester research in East Africa.

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EXCHANGING KNOWLEDGE: The Pre-Clinical Sciences Departmentstrengthened its far eastern links - Dr.Feng Quiang from the State KeyLaboratory of Reproductive Biology inBeijing joined the Department for aprolonged period of research while Dr. Y.Satoh of Nippon Dental University, Nigata,Tokyo, co-operated in astudy of thecontrol ofmastication in anew laboratoryfunded by theWellcome Trust.

STIMULATINGDEBATE: TheCentre forEuropeanPolitics andInstitutions intheDepartment ofPoliticsorganised two major internationalconferences, supported by the EC: oneon relations between the EU and the USAand one on EU policies in the areas ofjustice and home affairs. The Centre forthe Study of Diplomacy established moreformal links with several overseasinstitutions.

PROTECTION: The Division of ChemicalPathology in the Department of Pathologywas involved in the launch of a majorinternational project associated with itsresearch interest into mechanisms ofautoimmunity. Scientists aim todetermine if there is any protective effect

against disease processessuch as cancer throughincreasing antioxidantvitamins in the normal diet.

SEEKING VIEWS: TheDepartment of GeneralPractice and Primary HealthCare was involved in acomparative study of

patients’ opinions in eight Europeancountries with different systems ofprimary health care. The research hasalready identified those aspects of generalpractice important to patients in everycountry.

HEALTH REFORM: The GreenwoodInstitute of Child Health in theDepartment of Psychiatry received

backing to promote mental health reformin Russia. HealthProm, in association withthe Medical School, won an OverseasDevelopment Administration’s KnowHow Fund contract to design and delivera programme of technical assistance inRussia.

AWARD-WINNING: The GynaecologyResearch Group led by Mr. Farook Al-Azzawi, senior lecturer in the Obstetricsand Gynaecology Department, runs thelargest Menopause Research Clinic inEurope. The group presented severalpapers at a conference in Australia andthe outstanding work of the unit wasrecognised with the award of a Team ofthe Year prize by Hospital Doctor.

OUT OF THIS WORLD: Staff in theDepartment of Microbiology andImmunology were concerned not onlywith planet Earth, but with extraterrestriallife too. Professor Bill Grant has anexhibition at the Science Museum on saltmines on Earth - which provides valuableinsight into life on Mars. Professor PeterWilliams visited Madras to study E. Coliinduced diarrhoea as part of his ongoingresearch into the condition which claimsmany lives in south India. ProfessorSteven Myint’s research into pomegranateextract as an antiviral agent led tocollaborations with organisations in Indiaand Hungary.

DEGREES OF ACHIEVEMENT• Dr. Saka Abadi, the Management Centre’s first distance learning student

in Indonesia led the way last year for more than 170 other students whojoined Leicester University programmes in Indonesia.

• A group of students from Hong Kong were awarded Master’s degreesfrom the Scarman Centre. The two-year part-time course was run by theUniversity and taught at Hong Kong University.

• The first cohort of officers from The Police Staff College, Bramshill,completed a programme at the Scarman Centre. The InternationalCommanders’ Programme is taught at the College and is seen as theinternational leader in the provision of management and operational

command skills training for senior police officers.

• A group of teachers from Taejong in Korea were the third group tocomplete the English language and teaching methodology courseoffered by the University’s English Language Teaching Unit withinthe School of Modern Languages.

• Lieutenant John Peters, the ‘human shield’ during the Gulf War,gained his MBA from the Management Centre. Lt. Peters was shotdown, held and tortured by the Iraqis for seven weeks during thewar.

• The University also presented scholarships to a number ofinternational students. With the help of the British HighCommission in Delhi, the University awarded the full cost of feesand maintenance to three students from India.

DRIVING FORCE: Staff and studentsfrom the School of Archaeological Studieswere involved in digs at Germa insouthern Libya, capital of theGraramantes tribe 2,000 years ago, aswell as field surveys in Moldova, southernJordan, central Italy and Spain.

TOGETHER: Internationalstudents celebrate Cultural Night.

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Breakthroughs in science and technology, advances in arts and thehumanities are helping to increase our knowledge and understandingof the world - and beyond.

SHAPING THE FUTURESharing the excitement of newdiscoveries

ANCIENT FOSSIL: A 440-million-year-oldfossil was discovered by a team led by aLeicester geologist. The discoveryidentified an important new source ofevidence of the evolutionary history ofsoft-bodied animals.

BADGERS’ DEFENCE: A DNAbreakthrough in the Department ofZoology has been used in criminalproceedings against alleged badgerbaiters and diggers. The research canmatch microscopic samples of badgerblood and hair found on clothing or dogswith individual animal corpses. Thedevelopment came after years of researchduring which the Zoology team workedclosely with the University Department ofGenetics.

REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES: Theexcavation of a medieval vellum factory -probably the source of the vellum for theLindisfarne Gospels - on Holy Island wasmade by the School of Archaeological

Studies. Closer to home,the School’s contractarchaeology serviceULAS, Universityof LeicesterArchaeologicalServices, foundthe earliestprehistoric siteever to bediscovered inLeicestershire, nearLaunde. They alsodiscovered a Bronze Age ritualsite, at Birstall, with evidence for humansacrifice and an Anglo-Saxon settlementat Eye Kettleby - where a pot full ofcremated bones, pictured, wasuncovered.

COOL FIND: Scientists from theDepartment of Physics and Astronomydiscovered the coolest brown dwarf to beidentified. It was located in a star clustercommonly known as the Seven Sisters -and is one of only four brown dwarfs everrecorded. Stellar observers from theUniversity also took part in a project onthe Space Shuttle Columbia, the 80thshuttle voyage, to investigate white dwarfstars.

BEAM LINE: Dr Chris Binns of the Physicsand Astronomy Department worked on acollaborative project to build a newsource of ultra violet light to enhance thefacilities of Daresbury Laboratory,Cheshire. The advanced VacuumUltraviolet beamline will be built on theSynchotron Radiation Source atDaresbury and used for research in allthe natural sciences.

MARS MISSION: The Universitycontinued to further the boundaries ofspace research with a new collaborativeinitiative to discover whether or not life

exists - or has ever existed -on Mars. The Mars

Express mission wasinitiated by the OpenUniversity’s ProfessorColin Pillingerwhose team haslinked with thePhysics and

AstronomyDepartment to set up a

European consortiumwith the aim of developing a

Lander module to placeinstruments on the Martian surface.

EPIC PROJECT: The X-ray Astronomygroup in the Department of Physics andAstronomy is heavily involved in theEuropean Space Agency’s nextcornerstone mission, XMM. This is thelargest X-ray telescope ever launched andwill provide information on the creationand redistribution of elements in theuniverse.

SUPERNOVA: A scientific highlight of theX-ray Astronomy programme in theDepartment of Physics and Astronomywas the discovery of evidence thatfollowing the destruction of a star in asupernova explosion, the outburst canlinger for tens or even hundreds ofthousands of years.

FIRST IMPACT: The Department ofPhysics and Astronomy was voted first forresearch impact by the Institute ofPhysics, reflecting the continuingexcellence of its programmes inAstronomy, Astrophysics, Space Plasmas,Earth Observation Science and SolidState Physics. The University was alsoplaced top in the field of animal andplant science by the Institute of ScientificInformation - the world’s leading analystof science publications. The Institute

FLY-BY-WIRE: After many years of researchin the Department of Engineering into thedesign of fly-by-wire flight control systems forhelicopters, successful tests were carried outin flight on a Bell 205 helicopter.

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listed plant and animal science atLeicester as top of the list for citationsper paper.

GENETIC ENGINEERING: Pioneeringresearch in the Department of Botany onthe responses of plants to light signals ledto the use of genetic engineeringtechniques to improve crop plantperformance in the field.

GAME THEORY: Research by Universitypsychologists using game theorysuggested that attempts to eliminatecrime by imprisoning increasing numbersof offenders was futile - because otherstook their place. The study in theDepartment of Psychology used amathematical game to study theevolution of antisocial behaviour.

PRIVATE DETECTIVES: The ScarmanCentre completed a two-yearinvestigation which delved into the trueworld of the private detective - beyondthat of the television sleuth or the stuff ofthrillers and mysteries. They uncovered areality in which private detectives did play

a useful role in a wide variety of fields -some of which might potentiallyencroach on the preserve of the police.The Centre was also involved in anumber of other research projectsincluding the control of firearms in theEU; retail crime; drugs in prison; the useof ID cards; the notion of an ‘underclass’,and policing in Europe.

‘SEX TOURISTS’: Popular stereotypes of‘sex tourists’ and child prostitutes wereshattered by a study in the Departmentof Sociology based on interviews with the‘sex tourists’, prostitutes, pimps and

brothel keepers. They found that childsexual exploitation was inextricably linkedwith racism, sexism and poverty.

JILLS OF ALL TRADES: Tight controls oneducation spending, increased class sizesand other demands on schools have ledto the growth of classroom assistants inprimary schools, a study by the School ofEducation found. So prominent has the

role ofclassroomsupport staffbecome thattheDepartmentof EducationandEmploymentinstigatedpilot coursesacross thecountry forSpecialistTeacherassistants.

SMALLCLASSES:Small classesdo lead tobetter

teaching - but teachers fail to take fulladvantage of the opportunities they offer,a study by the School of Educationrevealed. The study found that therewere many more advantages for teachersand pupils in small classes althoughteachers needed to be trained to makethe most of small classes.

MINISTERIAL SUPPORT: Former Scienceand Technology Minister Ian Taylorbacked a national report prepared by staffin the School of Education assessingsuccessful strategies for attracting girlsinto science, engineering and technology.

The report stated that the alienation ofgirls from the world of science andtechnology is neither inevitable norirreversible.

GENE HUNT: Scientists from theDepartment of Medicine andTherapeutics are involved in a nationalcampaign to recruit 1,500 sets of brothersand sisters - in an attempt to uncover theorigins of high blood pressure. The five-year project involves researchers at sixBritish universities in equal partnership.The five-year study will focus on theinherited aspects of high blood pressure.

ALL IN THE MIND? A new research groupin behavioural neuroscience was set up inthe Department of Psychology.Collaborative research on brain andbehaviour, and its disturbance in clinicaldisorders, is under way with theDepartment of Cell Physiology andPharmacology and the Centre for theMechanisms of Human Toxicity.

HOME TRUTHS: A new study of attitudesand behaviour towards financial planningfor care in old age was carried out in theNuffield Community Care Studies Unit,part of the Department of Epidemiologyand Public Health. One suggestion fromthe research was that people should beencouraged to think of homes not ascastles to be passed on but as majorcapital holdings, representing a wiseinvestment to provide for care in old age.

PERFECT CUPPA! Research carried out inthe Department of Medicine andTherapeutics Division of ClinicalPharmacology suggested that cups of teamay reduce the risk of strokes and heartproblems. Although the benefits are mild- there is an effect on cholesterol andblood pressure, the study revealed.

RATINGS CONFIRM UNIVERSITY’S HIGH STANDINGThe University’s standing as a leading research institution was confirmedby the results of the Research Assessment Exercise carried out by theHigher Education Funding Council.

In the results of the 1996 Exercise, the University’s tally of subject areasawarded the top ratings of 5-star or 5 went up to six. This compares withone top rating in 1989 and three in 1992.

The following subject areas received a 5 or 5-star rating: Pharmacology,Biochemistry, Physics, Archaeology, Genetics and Economic and SocialHistory assessed together with English Local History.

The University had a total of 34 subject areas assessed and was one ofonly 15 universities in the whole country to enter 90 per cent or more ofits academic staff in the Exercise. The results reveal that some 94 percent of staff entered at Leicester are in areas rated 3a or above.

LIVING FOSSIL: A worm, thought to be new to science, was discovered by ateam in the Department of Zoology. The type of South African velvet wormwas discovered by student Beverley Sherbon while researching for her Ph.D.

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Leicester University Medical School, and other University departmentsconcerned with cognate disciplines, provide enormous health benefitsboth within the immediate region and beyond.

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFEMedical work of Universityprovides practical benefits

PATIENT CARE: Researchers from theUniversity Department of GeneralPractice and Primary Health Care areinvolved in a unique trial projectcomparing a Hospital at Home schemewith ward admissions. The aim of thestudy is to compare the process,outcome and effectiveness of care forpatients.

QUALITY: The first randomised trial ofout-of-hours care provided by deputisingservices and practice doctors wasconducted by the Department of GeneralPractice and Primary Health Care inconjunction with the University ofManchester. The study found thatpatients place more importance on beingable to see a doctor out-of-hours than ongetting one from their own practice.

DEAR DIARY: The Department ofGeneral Practice and Primary Health Careconducted the first project of its kind inthe country by asking patients to fill indiaries describing their health care. Theproject, run by the Eli Lilly NationalClinical Audit Centre in the Department,is set to benefit the whole country byproviding feedback on patients’satisfaction.

PERSONAL RECORD: A newdevelopment involving a team from theUniversity Department of Psychiatry ishelping patients in Leicestershire. Stafffrom the Greenwood Institute of ChildHealth, part of the Department ofPsychiatry’s Division of Child andAdolescent Psychiatry, and Fosse HealthNHS Trust worked together on specialpages for the Personal Child HealthRecord which is carried by parents withinthe Trust’s area. It will enable details ofthe child to be written down andupdated by everyone seeing the child.

HELPING HANDS: Doctors from theDepartment of Pre-Clinical Sciences arestudying hands that have been affectedby nerve damage. They will examine thepossible benefits of special exerciseswhich, if successful, could restore agilityeven if the damage occurred some yearsbefore.

VISIONARY WORK: An extensive studybeing conducted in Melton Mowbray bythe Department of Ophthalmology islikely to benefit the whole country. Thefive-year Melton Eye Study, involvingmore than 1,200 local people agedbetween 55-75, reached the end of itsfirst phase.

CARE: Research undertaken by theDepartment of Epidemiology and PublicHealth, funded by MRC and TrentRegional Office, is examining thedifferent patterns of care for patientswith diabetes. Around one-third ofdiabetes patients visit their GPs at specialclinics or at regular check-ups. Hospitalclinics see less than half the patients withdiabetes. The study is trying todetermine whether there is arelationship between the pattern ofroutine care for diabetes and a patient’slikelihood of being admitted to hospital.

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE: A team from theBiochemistry Department, headed byProfessor Robert Liddington, has investigateda weapon of biological warfare to assess itspotential benefits. The innovative researchinto anthrax suggests that it could be used inthe treatment of genetic diseases such asmuscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.

ULTIMATE PAINKILLER: A compoundwhich holds out hope for sufferers fromAlzheimer’s Disease and works as apowerful painkiller without the side effects ofconventional drugs, is being investigated inthe Chemistry Department. Toxic substancessecreted by a brightly coloured tree frog fromSouth America inspired the development ofthe compound which has been made in thelaboratory eliminating the need to workwith the frogs themselves.

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INCONTINENCE STUDY: In theDepartment of Epidemiology and PublicHealth activity within the MRCIncontinence Programme of studiesaccelerated notably. In the prevalencestudy, 75% of Leicestershire GPs agreedto participate, and 14,500 people ontheir lists have been mailed, of whom70% responded. 1,000 home interviewsof people with urinary incontinencehave been done (80% response) by ninetrained part-time interviewers.

TEACHING INITIATIVE: A new multi-agency teaching initiative was launchedat Prince Philip House Health Centre forall third-year medical students. Studentsspend two morning sessions at theinnovative centre which gives them anopportunity to appreciate the range ofprofessionals involved in primary healthcare in both the voluntary and statutorysectors.

SAFE SURGERY: The Department ofSurgery was involved in research whichprovided direct benefits for patients.Staff examined ways in which vascularoperations could be made as safe aspossible and became a model for othersurgeons examining the Department’sendovascular programme in aorticaneurysms.

NEW PROJECTS: The Department ofPsychiatry began several new projectsincluding an evaluation of the earlytreatment of psychosis; the efficacy ofinitial intervention in bulimia nervosacases; and a study of aspects ofAlzheimer’s Disease.

MIND AND BODY: The Faculty ofMedicine’s Medical Physics Divisionworked on a new way of visualising theinternal connections of the brain. Thislooks at the diffusion of water moleculesas they move inside the tissue fibres ofthe brain. The Department also studiedtechniques for evaluating the severityand extent of heart disease and theassessment of new treatments for stroke.

DRUG DESIGN: Scientists in the Centrefor Mechanisms of Human Toxicityexamined a family of enzymes which arethe body’s first line of defence againstdrugs and other foreign chemicals. Theydeveloped new methods forunderstanding the way in which the

enzyme acts on a wide range ofchemicals to which the body is exposed.The aim is to predict the action of theseenzymes on new drugs in order tospeed up the drug design process.

CHILDREN: The Department of ChildHealth created a group of clinicalresearch teams working towards a singlecommon goal - the establishment of thecauses, treatment and ultimatelyprevention of virus-induced wheezingdisorders in young children.

COT DEATHS: The Child HealthDepartment was involved in a new studyof how babies control their breathing.The study will examine the theory thatbabies may transiently become lesssensitive to changes in oxygen levels.

IT’S A PAIN: The Department ofAnaesthesia, in collaboration withManchester University, wascommissioned by the Department ofHealth to examine clinical standards andservices in pain management. A newMSc course in pain management was setup and appointments made to thedepartment to complement work inanaesthesia and pain management.

PROPOSALS FOR JOINTMEDICAL SCHOOLThe Universities of Leicester andWarwick prepared a bid for ajoint Medical School.

The possible creation of a jointundergraduate Medical School isin anticipation of the strong

likelihood that theMedical WorkforceStanding AdvisoryCommittee willrecommend thatthe Governmentincreasessignificantly thenumber of medicalstudents beingeducated in theUnited Kingdom.

Leicester MedicalSchool has anintake currently of

175 students per year. The newproposal would allow an intakevery much greater than this, andwould involve in a significantfashion the Coventry andWarwickshire hospitals.

HEALTH LEADERS: Attending a briefing on thejoint Medical School plans are (from left)Professor Ed Hillhouse, of Warwick University,Gary Reay, of Walsgrave Hospitals NHS Trust,Michael Shattock, Registrar of Warwick University,Professor Frank Harris, Dean of LeicesterUniversity Medical School, Dr Stewart Petersen,Head of the Division of Medical Education,Leicester University, and David Loughton, ChiefExecutive of Walsgrave NHS Trust.

PRACTICAL SKILLS: As part of the re-organisation of undergraduate medical education, theDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health Care was given lead responsibility for aninnovative integrated course in Clinical Methods in which all students spend eight weeks fulltime in a mix of general practice and hospital settings in their third or fourth year. TheDepartment was principally responsible for devising the course content and the process ofassessment.

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Teaching and learning was enhanced by the use of the latesttechnologies ensuring that the University remained in the vanguardof efforts to equip students with the latest developments in the worldof learning.

ADVANCEMENTDevelopments in teaching, newtechnology and learning

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: TheLearning Technology Group wasestablished within the Computer Centreto develop teaching and learningresources using the World Wide Web,following on the success of the STILE(Students’ and Teachers’ IntegratedLearning Environment) and CWIS(Campus Wide Information System)projects. The University’s Teaching andLearning Support Network Centre is alsopart of this group and is active insupporting the wider academiccommunity to integrate technology intoteaching and learning by disseminatingexperience at Leicester.

INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES: TheDepartment of Mathematics andComputer Science continued its traditionof high academic standards with new andinnovative teaching techniques, such asthe use of student presentations, projectwork and supplemental instruction - thelast of which attracted favourable nationalmedia attention.

THAT’S IT: A research project in theDepartment of Museum Studiesexamined the provision of museum ITtraining for the 21st century and will formthe basis of new developments inteaching in this area.

INTERACTIVE TOURS: The School ofArchaeological Studies’ commitment toinnovative computer-based teachingincluded the development of interactivetours around Roman buildings andInternet materials being made available toclassics students.

LEARNING ON THE WEB: In theDepartment of Pathology’s Division ofHistopathology, The Biology of Cancer’sspecial studies module was organised forthe third time and attracted a full quota

of students. Details about this course,and the Mechanisms of Disease modulewere provided on the Campus WideInformation System for the benefit ofUniversity medical students. TheDepartmental Web pages were alsoupdated and the Internet was used toprovide a web site for the Ion channelresearch group at Leicester.

INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE: TheDepartment of Economics launched anew initiative in learning technology. Inpartnership with Shue Yan College, HongKong, work began on a pilot distance-learning course, based entirely on theWorld Wide Web.

VALIDATION: In recommending a muchhigher profile for the role of learningtechnology as a means of enhancingstudent learning, the NationalCommission of Inquiry into HigherEducation effectively validated severalyears’ work by the CTI Centre forGeography, Geology and Meteorology, inthe Department of Geography. Nowapproaching its ninth year, the Centrepromotes the appropriate use of

technology in teaching through a varietyof publications, both digital andconventional, professional developmentworkshops and other activities.

COLLABORATION: GeographyCal, aTeaching and Learning TechnologyProgramme project led by the CTI Centrein the Geography Department, involvedthe active collaboration of 100 academicsthroughout the UK in the design andspecification of a suite of 17 computer-assisted learning modules which provide40 hours of interactive learning.

ELECTRONIC CATALOGUE: The EnglishLocal History Department was involved

with electronically cataloguing acollection of photographic platesby Principal of the UniversityCollege Mr F Attenborough aswell as the Department’sextensive collection of maps andprints.

CARING ENVIRONMENT: Anaward of £164,570 was made byHEFCE under its Special Initiativeto encourage High QualityProvision for Students withLearning Difficulties andDisabilities. The three-yearproject aims to develop a wholeinstitutional approach toproviding support for studentswith mental health difficulties.

The work is being undertaken by theEducational Development and SupportCentre in collaboration with the Divisionof Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in theDepartment of Psychiatry and theFreemen’s Common Health Centre.

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES:Support from the University’s Teachingand Learning Initiative has assisted theDepartment of Law in developing the

INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY: The Universitymakes use of the latest technology to keep staff andstudents at the cutting edge of developments..

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postgraduate programmes in Welfare Lawby recruiting outside professionals toundertake the course. Other Master’scourses were also being developed.

NEW CENTRES: Two new centres wereinaugurated by special lectures in theDepartment of History: a new Centre forthe History of Religions, Inter-FaithDialogue and Pluralism and the Centrefor Early-Modern History.

NEW PLATFORM: A Centre for AmericanStudies is being established in theFaculty of Arts. This venture willcrystallise a number of existing initiativesand provide a new platform for thedevelopment of American Studies atLeicester.

TEACHING INITIATIVE: The School ofEducation and Homerton College,Cambridge, launched a new scienceteaching initiative - the SCIcentre. Basedat the University, this is a national Centrefor initial teacher training in primaryschool science.

SCIENCE SKILLS: In the Pre-ClinicalSciences Department, curriculumdevelopment work continues with staffcontributing specially devised third-yearscience skills courses to the new student-centred medical curriculum. Thesecourses were taken for the first time in1997 as the initial wave of studentsmoved through their professionaltraining. A newly-approved PostgraduateDiploma Course in BiomedicalTechnology, run with the Department ofMicrobiology and Immunology, is fullyoperational, with the first cohort ofstudents successfully having completedtheir training in 1997.

MASTER’S PROGRAMME: The UrbanHistory Centre in the Departmentof Economic and Social Historywas awarded funds by theEuropean Community toestablish, jointly with theUniversity of Stockholm, Leidenand University College, Dublin, anew European Master’sprogramme in EuropeanUrbanisation.

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE: TheEconomic and Social HistoryDepartment was represented onthe Royal Commission of Ancientand Historical Monuments(Scotland) panel which involveslisting and documenting 20th-centurybuildings.

HONORARY DEGREES FOR A SPECIAL YEARHonorary degrees were first awarded at Leicester in 1958 and, sincethen, more than 300 leading international, national and local figureshave received honorary degrees. To celebrate the double Jubilee Year ofthe University, the list of honorary degrees included five former studentsand members of staff who, in achieving high public distinction, hadbrought great credit to the University.

Mr. Jack Birkenshaw,(MA). Cricket Managerof LeicestershireCounty Cricket Club.

Dr. Heather Couper,(D.Sc.). Astronomerand broadcaster, whogained a degree inPhysics/Astronomy.

Ms Sue Cook,(D.Litt). Televisionand radiopresenter, who readPsychology atLeicester.

Professor Raymond Baker,(D.Sc.). ChiefExecutive of theBiotechnology andBiological SciencesResearch Council,who read Chemistryat Leicester.

Miss Carol Galley,(LL.D.). Vice-Chairman ofMercury AssetManagementGroup, whograduated fromLeicester with adegree in German.

Her ExcellencyDame RosalynHiggins, (LL.D.).Judge at theInternationalCourt of Justice.

Dr. Jeff Hoffman,(D.Sc.). FormerNASA Astronaut andresearcher in theDepartment ofPhysics andAstronomy.

Sir Dai Rees,(D.Sc.). FormerSecretary to theMedical ResearchCouncil.

The RightHonourable Sir StephenBrown, (LL.D.).President of theFamily Division ofthe High Court ofJustice.

Mr. PatrickColdstream, CBE,(LL.D.). FormerDirector of theCouncil for Industryand HigherEducation.

Sir RichardGeorge, (LL.D.).Chairman andManaging Directorof Weetabix Ltd.and Chairman ofWhitworthsHoldings Ltd.

Mrs. Anita Tasker,OBE, (LLM).Magistrate.

CommanderMichael SaundersWatson, CBE,(D.Litt). The ownerof RockinghamCastle.

Continued overleaf

Honorary Degrees Awarded at Leicester

Honorary Degrees Awarded at Nene

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COURSE DEVELOPMENTS: Largenumbers of applicants were attracted tothe postgraduate courses in Clinical andForensic Psychology offered by theDepartment of Psychology. The MSccourse in Forensic and Legal Psychologyby distance learning exceeded allexpectations in the interest it generated.The first intake of students in CriminalLaw and Justice; Risk, Crisis and DisasterManagement occurred over the year.

NEW SECTION: In the Department ofPsychiatry, a section of Social andEpidemiological Psychiatry has beenestablished. Based at the Brandon MentalHealth Unit at Leicester GeneralHospital, it is involved in a study of themental and physical health of mothersafter birth and a study of the preventionof post-natal depression by briefantenatal intervention.

SPEARHEADING TRAINING: TheUniversity, in partnership with theNorthamptonshire Inspection andAdvisory Service, was awarded a contractfrom the Teacher Training Agency toassess aspiring headteachers in the EastMidlands for the award of NationalProfessional Qualification for Headship.The contract will lead to theestablishment of a regional assessmentcentre located at the University Centre,Northampton.

TEACHING PARTNERSHIPS: Theteaching of ophthalmology to medicalstudents was completely reorganised -third-year students are now allocated toconsultant teaching partnerships. Inaddition, they are offered anintroductory course on clinical skills inophthalmology and this has been widelytaken up.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: A first inBritain for any university department wasachieved by The Centre for LabourMarket Studies which gainedaccreditation for its distance learningcourses in the USA. The AccreditingCommission of the Distance Educationand Training Council awarded CLMSaccreditation for five years from June1997. The Centre also committed itself toachieving Investors in People status.

TOUCHING THE STARS: Visuallyimpaired children are being given achance quite literally to reach for thestars, thanks to a project in theDepartment of Physics and Astronomy. Ateaching pack written in braille and

including models of the planets whichcan be used as part of the schools’National Curriculum programme, wasdeveloped with funding support fromthe Particle Physics and AstronomyResearch Council.

MEDIEVAL WORLD: A new centre waslaunched with its base in the EnglishDepartment. The Medieval ResearchCentre was established to co-ordinateresearch in medieval subjects across theFaculty of Arts.

TEACHING PRAISE:Aspects of ModernLanguages’ teachingand Engineering atthe University werepraised by theHigher EducationFunding Council forEngland. French,German and Italianwere assessed andall received gradingsof either 4 (the topgrade) or 3 in eachof the six aspects ofeducation assessed.During the year, Senate and Councilagreed that the individual departmentsof French, German and Italian should beformally disestablished and the fullconstitutional powers associated with adepartment conferred upon the Schoolof Modern Languages. The LanguageCentre and English Language TeachingUnit combined to form the newLanguage Services Unit. The EngineeringDepartment received ratings of 4 forstudent support and guidance, 4 forlearning resources and 3 in other areas.

CARING ROLE: The Director of theSchool of Social Work, Professor JaneAldgate, was appointed Advisor to theParliamentary Select Committee onHealth in its work relating to childrenlooked after by local authorities.

NEW ACCOLADE: The pioneer of DNAgenetic fingerprinting, Professor Sir AlecJeffreys, was selected as the winner ofthe Albert Einstein World Award of

Science - regarded by the internationalscientific community as on a par with aNobel Prize. The award, by members ofthe World Cultural Council, takes intospecial consideration those investigationswhich have brought benefit and well-being to mankind.

HONOURS: Three former students andmembers of staff were honoured in theNew Year’s Honours List. Michael Jack,MP for Fylde, was made a PrivyCouncillor; Professor John EdwinEnderby, erstwhile Professor in thePhysics and Astronomy Department,received the CBE for his services tophysics; and Mrs. Kathleen Curnock, aformer member of the School of Social

Work, was awardedan MBE for hervoluntary serviceswork.

DEGREES: A total of528 studentsreceived theirpostgraduate degreesin the first degreecongregations of theUniversity’s JubileeYear held onDecember 17.Students reading forMaster’s and Ph.Ddegrees werepresented with theirdegrees by theChancellor, SirMichael Atiyah. Thefirst cohorts of

students from the following coursesreceived their degrees: MA in EnglishLiterature and Literary Research; MSc inCriminal Justice Studies; MSc in PublicOrder and Information Management;MSc in Study of Security Management;MSc in Finance; MSc in Marketing; MScin Forensic Psychology. The Universityawarded degrees to the first graduatesfrom the Doctor of Clinical Psychologyand the Doctor of Education taughtdoctorate programmes.

SUMMER SUCCESS: At the summerdegree congregations, a total of 1,960students received first degrees, includingmore than 120 graduating with first classhonours and nearly 1,000 with uppersecond class honours. A total of 936postgraduate students, including 398 ondistance learning courses, also gainedtheir degrees. Graduates of theUniversity’s Associated College, NeneCollege, Northampton, numbered morethan 2,000.

FLOURISHING: TheEngineeringDepartment is housedin a striking ListedBuilding.

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STATISTICS 1996/97

52%Female

48%Male

Total RegisteredStudents

undergraduate6,887 (6,870)

postgraduate5,963 (5,254)

Distribution of Full-time Students

Home/EU 7,510

Overseas 811

Mature Students(full-time undergraduates over 21on admission)

976

Distribution ofStudents by Gender

583

585

741

845

Full-time Academic Staff

Full-time Academic-Related Staff

Full-time Non-Teaching Staff

Part-time Non-Teaching Staff

Staff Numbers

21.1% (22%)

31.9% (31.2%)

21.7% (21.2%)

8.7 (8.8%)

11.8% (11.9%)

4.8% (4.9%)

Arts 1,754

Science 2,655

cial Sciences 1,803

Law 726

Medicine 980

Education 403

Total Full-time 8,321 (8,516)

Lighter shadingrepresents proportion

of postgraduates

Full-time Student Numbers

Other Operating Expenses39.1% (42.5%)

InterestPayable

1.5%(1.4%)

Staff Costs58.1% (54.8%)

Depreciation1.3% (1.3%)

Endowment Incomeand Interest Receivable

2.4% (2.2%)

Research Grants and Contracts21.9% (22.8%)

OtherperatingIncome5% (20.8%)

Grants from the HEFCE31.6% (32.8%)

Academic Fees andSupport Grants22.6% (21.4%)

Income Expenditure

Total Income: £112m Total Expenditure: £108m