Issue three Spring 1999

The challenge ofMount KilimanjaroThe challenge ofMount KilimanjaroWhere arethey now ?Where arethey now ?

Advantages forAston AlumniAdvantages forAston Alumni

This edition focuses on the recent success ofsome subject areas in the School of Life &Health Sciences. Pharmacy has scored full

marks and both Biology and Vision Scienceshave been rated excellent in recent SubjectReviews. Other Schools will be reviewed shortly and we hope to be able to bring younews of these in future editions.

Our regular ‘Where are they now?’ section isslightly larger than usual – so many of you aretrying to get back in touch with lost friends! If you know any Aston graduates whose namesare listed in this section, or even if you work orlive next door to an Aston graduate, do tellthem about ‘Apex’.

Now it’s even easier to contact us! We have a brand new web site with e-maillinks, online update forms and news of reunions and events. Why not visithttp://www.aston.ac.uk/ and click the alumni button to see for yourself?

For those of you who are missing life in the Guild, we have negotiated anAssociate Membership scheme. This is your ticket to finding out aboutevents at the Guild and details are on page 22. But that isn’t all. Turn topage 22 to find out about a range of alumni advantages offered exclusivelythrough this office.

With profiles, reunions, a report of this year’s Reunion Weekend, and lotsmore, I hope you enjoy this issue of Apex. Keep in touch with us and youwill keep in touch with Aston and its alumni.

Happy reading!

Sarah Pymm

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AAggeennddaa

Weelcomee to

Sarah Pymm Alumni Relations Officer

Welcome to thethird edition ofApex full of news,celebrations andspecial alumnioffers for you.

For more details of these events,please contact the Alumni RelationsOffice or the named contact below.

May7-8 “The State of the Art: Theoretical Approaches to the EU

in the Post-Amsterdam Era”. A two day workshop with the School of Languages & European Studies. Full details from Hannah Dennis in the School or by e-mail on h.dennis@aston.ac.uk.

8 Systems Analysis Reunion Class of 1974.

11 “Studies of the Devil’s Works.” Inaugural Lecture by Professor John Sullivan, School of Engineering & Applied Science, Warwick Lecture Theatre, 5.30pm. Full details from Rakhee Vithlani, Public Relations Office.

14 Annual General Meeting of Aston Graduates’ Association, Byng Kenrick Suite, 7.00pm. Open to allcurrent Aston Graduates’ Association members.

18 “A Hitch Hiker’s Guide to Optical Fibre Networks.” Third in the series of Network Lectures by Aston graduate Professor Stephen Ferguson, Warwick Lecture Theatre, 5.30pm.

June8 Inaugural Lecture by Professor Barrie Jones, School

of Engineering & Applied Science, Warwick Lecture Theatre, 5.30pm. Details from Rakhee Vithlani, Public Relations Office.

22 Aston Graduates’ Association invite all members to this joint meeting with the University of Birmingham in the Senior Common Room. The speaker will be Mr A Morgan.

November 24 Fourth in the series of Network Lectures by Aston

graduate Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading and author of “In the Mind of the Machine”. Warwick Lecture Theatre, 5.30pm.

P4-5 High scoring in the School of Life

& Health Sciences

Pharmacy first

Biology ‘excels’

Visions of excellence

P6-7 Scoring points in the quality stakes

P8-9 Over the hills and far away

P10 A natural born scientist

Opening windows to clustering

P11-16 Where are they now?

P17-19 Aston Graduates’ Association

P20-21 Events update

P22-23 Alumni advantage

More and more people want to keep in touchwith Aston University for furthering research andteaching projects, advising potential students ofunder- and postgraduate courses, helping withcareer choices or simply maintaining links withthe University they chose over all the others as aplace to study.

The alumni web site has been revised and updatedand is now full of everything you want to know.We also have an online update form which youcan use to tell us about any changes in yourdetails. Please send this back to us as we use thisinformation to keep you informed of events suchas the May Ball and reunions as well as puttingyou back in touch with other Aston alumni.

In touch with alumni, students, teachers,research, careers, industryÉ

How to contact the Alumni Relations OfficeTel +44 (0)121 359 3611 ext 4315

Fax +44 (0)121 359 4664e-mail: s.e.pymm@aston.ac.uk

visit web site http://www.aston.ac.uk/

Editor Sarah PymmReporter Pauline Moogan Special thanks go to all alumniwho contributed to this third edition of Apex. Apex ispublished twice a year foralumni of Aston University.Letters, photos and news arealways very welcome but wereserve the right to edit anycontribution. Please addressall correspondence to theAlumni Relations Officer. Theopinions expressed in Apexare those of the contributorsand do not necessarily reflectthose of the Alumni RelationsOffice or Aston University.Designed and produced byBoxer Creative Ltd.

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CConnteenntss Oveer the hills

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AAsstonnnews

Pharmacy has been awarded a perfect score of 24 points out of a possible 24 for thequality of its teaching provision following a

recent external Subject Review. Full marks likethis are very rare. Aston’s Pharmacy school is theonly one in the country so far to have receivedfull marks.

At the beginning of February, a team of QAAassessors spent three and a half days with thestaff and students of Pharmacy observing lecturesand tutorials and meeting support staff from theLibrary, Counselling Service and StaffDevelopment. The external Subject Review is notonly concerned with curriculum design andteaching but also considers the extent and qualityof student support and guidance. “This score isthe result of a real team effort,” explainedProfessor David Billington, Head of the School ofLife & Health Sciences. “It was down to the hardwork and dedication of academic, technical andsupport staff.”

Ò This places our Biologyprogrammes amongst thebest in the country interms of teaching qualityand student provision.ÓDr Jim Rimmer, Director of BiologyUndergraduate Studies

Dr Jim Rimmer, Director of BiologyUndergraduate Studies, was delighted toannounce Biology’s excellent score of 23 out

of a maximum of 24 in a recent Subject Reviewcarried out on behalf of the Higher EducationFunding Council for England.

The assessors met a number of Aston studentsduring the time they were on campus to reviewthe student experience, careers advice and libraryresources. Aston students were highly praised andthe assessors claimed they were among the brightestand most articulate students they had met inover 30 visits to universities across the country.Pharmacy first

AAsstonnnews

Biology ÔexcelsÕ

Ò We are thrilled with thisscore. It illustrates thatAstonÕs pharmacy provision isworld class.ÓDr Keith Wilson, Pharmacy Programmes Director

(left to right) Dr Keith Wilson, Professor David Billington and Dr JimRimmer announce full marks for Pharmacy in a recent Subject Review

Three areas in the School of Life & Health Sciences have recently been under the scrutiny ofassessors from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Pharmacy, Vision Sciences and Biology have all been awarded excellent grades in the recent round of Subject Reviews. Subject Reviews aretremendously important for Aston’s profile in the public eye – the official report written by the QAAis available to potential students and results are frequently published in national league tables.

High scoring in the Schoolof Life & Health Sciences

Vision Sciences was awarded 23 points out ofa maximum of 24 for the quality of itsteaching provision in a recent Subject

Review. This denotes an ‘excellent’ standard ofteaching provision.

One of only eight Vision Sciences departments inthe country and the only centre in the Midlandsfor the training of optometrists, Aston was thefirst to be reviewed in this latest round ofassessments. The assessors also looked at the typeof student support systems, the careers serviceand the student welfare provision which was inplace. Derek Barnes, Vision Sciences ProgrammesDirector commented, “We have always thoughtthat we have marvellous facilities and excellentstudents here and this score confirms this. Aston’sVision Sciences programmes are extremelypopular and attract a large number of applicantsevery year. But we have maintained small groupteaching with students which the assessors feltsignificantly added to their learning experience.”

Visions of excellence

Training optometrists of tomorrow

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Aston prides itself on being a University withhigh academic standards. Ensuring that theUniversity continues to offer high quality

degree programmes is essential for its future.There are two external methods by which thequality of degree programmes in HigherEducation institutions are evaluated: QualityAudit and Subject Review. The results of both ofthese are considered to be important nationalbenchmarks. This report looks at themethodology behind the systems which haverated Aston so highly in the latest round ofSubject Reviews.

Subject Review, formerly known as QualityAssessment, is an evaluation of all taughtprogrammes for all subjects provided by HigherEducation institutions in England and NorthernIreland. The aims of this review are threefold: to ensure that the subjects funded by HEFCE areof an approved quality, to encourageimprovement in provision and to enhance publicinformation about the quality of provision inHigher Education.

HEFCE began its Quality Assessment proceduresin 1993. At this time, there were only threepossible ratings: excellent, satisfactory orunsatisfactory. Mostly only subjects claiming tobe ‘excellent’ were visited, otherwise ratings were

awarded on the basis of aself-assessment document.Between 1993 and 1994, allfive subjects that wereassessed at Aston were rated‘satisfactory’ – a similarpicture nationally.

In 1995, the methodologychanged (it was slightlymodified again in 1998) sothat all subjects were visited.Subject Reviews are nowundertaken by the QualityAssurance Agency (QAA) onbehalf of HEFCE. Teams oftrained academics, subjectspecialists and

Aston has performed well under the currentQuality Assessment methodology, inparticular in aspects relating to student

support and to learning resources. The QualityAssessment Reports and Aston’s Audit Report arefull of rich information about the quality ofprovision at Aston. Here are some examples:

Articulate and skilled graduates with highcompletion rates and a good employment record.

Well organised and monitored industrialplacements highly praised by students.

Strong mechanisms for preparing students for theyear abroad and for re-integration.

Excellent and comprehensive student supportand IT provision.

Good quality teaching supported by impressiveresources.

AAsstonnnews

Scoring points inthe quality stakes

AAsstonnnews

Ò It is important that theUniversity as a whole andindividual Schools havetransparent and reliable qualityassurance systems whichstand up to external scrutiny.ÓProfessor Brian Tighe, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Professor Roger Kettle (centre) and John White (right) demonstrate workingmodels to Civil Engineering undergraduates

representatives from industry and the professionslook at six aspects of educational provision,rating them from 1-4 (low to high). Beforeundergoing the formal review, subject areascomplete a self-assessment document whichoutlines their aims, objectives and studentachievements. This document then forms thebasis of the official assessment by QAA.

Six aspects of educational provision used byQAA as a basis for Subject Review:

1. Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation

2. Teaching, Learning and Assessment

3. Student Progression and Achievement

4. Student Support and Guidance

5. Learning Resources

6. Quality Management and Enhancement.

To allow comparison between the two differentgrading systems, the former ‘satisfactory’ rating isconsidered to be equivalent to 18 points on thecurrent grading system. Scores of 22 and aboveare considered to be ‘excellent’.

A programme of Subject Reviews has been agreedup to the year 2001. Over the next two and a halfyears Psychology, Mathematics and Business andManagement will be the focus of QAA scrutiny.

A QAA Audit Team will be assigned to carry out aContinuation Audit of the University inNovember 1999. The Quality Audit team will belooking to ascertain to what extent Astoncontinues to assure the quality of its provision forstudents and the standards of its awards. Thereare four key areas of interest: institutional qualitystrategy, academic standards of programmes andawards, learning infrastructure, internal andexternal communications.

Period Subject Rating

October 95 French 22

October 95 Chemical Engineering 19

December 95 German 22

January 97 Electronic Engineering 21

January 98 Civil Engineering 20

February 99 Pharmacy 24

March 99 Biology 23

March 99 Optometry 23

Since 1995, eight subject areas have been assessed at Aston.

Ò Quality should bereflected at each layer ofour structure, rather inthe manner of a series ofRussian ÔBabushkaÕ dollsthat fit one inside theother.ÓProfessor Mike Wright, Vice-Chancellor

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Standing in the snow on the roof of Africa,5895m above sea level, Carolyn Holt lookedout over the plains of Tanzania and Kenya, a

view which made the six day climb worthwhile.Reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro isnot just about the triumph of a long climb. It’sabout commitment, stamina and sharing yourpain, hopes and dreams with a group of peopleyou didn’t know before the start of the trip.

5pm, Sunday 7 March 1999, Carolyn and herpartner Russell arrived at Heathrow airport. Theywere booked on the next flight out to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Six months prior to this, Carolyn had respondedto an advert in ‘The Big Issue’. Scope, a charitywhich helps children and adults with cerebralpalsy, was organising a series of fundraisingexpeditions through Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. Carolyn persuaded Russell to gowith her and they eagerly went along to theinformation day.

Not put off by the videos of previous expeditionsnor the prospect of spending a week with a groupof total strangers, Carolyn and Russell embarkedon a gruelling training programme speciallydesigned to build up their stamina and improvetheir general fitness levels. “Fitness was your ownresponsibility,” explained Carolyn. “Although wehad to undergo a medical before being

accepted for the trip, it was up to us to make surewe were fit enough for the climb.” But the onlyway they would tell if their training had paid offwas how they reacted to six days of walking athigh altitude.

In the departure lounge at Heathrow, they wereready to meet the other 55 people in their group.Sentiments were running high. Feelings ofanticipation, excitement and apprehension filledeveryone’s minds.

The expedition attracted a cross section of peoplefrom all corners of the UK, from The Isle ofWight to Northern Ireland and ages ranged from 25 to 60. The common characteristic thatbound the group together was the focus on whatlay ahead.

The overnight flight to Tanzania was long but anopportunity to get to know fellow ‘trekkers’. Thedomestic flight next morning to Arusha,Kilimanjaro was over all too soon. It was asobering thought to think that the climb upKilimanjaro would take the group higher thanthe cruising altitude of this plane.

Upon arrival, a short bus ride took the group toMarangu in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Theyspent the night in the Kibo hotel before settingoff on the trek on Tuesday morning. “Whilst weappreciated the beauty of the countryside and thefriendliness of the people,” said Carolyn,

“everyone in the groupknew they were therefor a reason.”

The local childrencheered them on theirway and the groupbegan its ascentthrough theKilimanjaro NationalPark with a posse of

porters carrying cooking equipment and guideswho would later be a source of encouragementwhen the going got tough. The first stage of thetrek took the group through rain forest and giantheather to Mandara Huts at 2700m.

Onwards and upwards through heath forest andout across open moorland onto the slopes ofMawenzi. The walk to Horombo Huts was 14kmin difficult conditions. At 3720m the air wasbecoming thin and it was hard to breathe.Progress was slow. Walking up the smallest ofinclines sapped strength. Then the rains came.

The expedition had been organised to fallbetween the wet and dry seasons. But this yearthe rains came early and stayed with the groupfor most of the hike. The guides were worriedthat they would run into difficulties further upwhere there would surely be a covering of snow.

By day five of the climb the group had finallyreached ‘The Saddle’ an area of land which liesbetween the two principle peaks – Mawenzi(5149m) and Kibo (5895m).

Kibo was the challenge of day six. The group setoff at midnight partly because of the longdistance they had to cover but also to avoid themain heat of the day. At this point walking wasincredibly difficult because the air was so thin.The track had deteriorated. Carolyn had to useher hands to pull herself up as well as watchwhere she was putting her feet; “It wasn’t rockclimbing, but it certainly wasn’t a pleasant

PPrroofilesOver the hills and far away

Carolyn Holt (1984 BSc HumanCommunication and French)

Ò As we climbed the air becamethinner and breathing moredifficult. Sometimes we couldonly manage to take a few stepsforward before having to stopand rest.Ó

ramble either.” Many of the group were sufferingfrom altitude sickness. Some dropped out,physically unable to carry on. Others unselfishlygave up the prospect of reaching the summit tolook after friends who were unable to continue.

Only 22 people made it past Gilman’s Point tothe summit, Uhuru Peak, and the spectacularviews across the savannah plains towards MountKenya 360km away.

The feeling of exhilaration was overwhelming forCarolyn as she reached the summit. She had notlet the charity down. She had not let hersponsors down. She had not let herself down. Shehad accomplished her personal challenge. Butthis wasn’t the end.

Coming down the mountain was equallystrenuous with steep descents through scree.Carolyn battled with tired legs and achingmuscles to reach Horombo Huts where she couldsleep after walking non-stop for seventeen hours.The members of the group who had been unableto complete the trek cheered those who returnedtriumphant from the peak. “There was nobitterness amongst us,” pointed out Carolyn. “Wehad been through so much. We had looked aftereach other every day and comforted each otherwhen things were rough. The saddest moment ofall was when we had to say goodbye at theairport. We are the best of friends and very closefor having gone through this together.”

Ò The storms came. We lookeddown on the lightning below us.Ó

The walk to Horombo Huts

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ProfilesA natural born scientist

In over 25 years of dedicated cancer research,Aston graduate Robert Newbold has earnedhimself an international reputation. Heading

up his own successful research group, he hasmade several major discoveries in the fields ofbreast cancer and melanoma (skin cancer).

Robert Newbold was born in London and spenthis childhood years in the village of Harwell. Hisfather, an engineer, taught him at an early agethe basics of mathematics, physics, chemistry andmechanics. But Robert’s real passion was thestudy of natural sciences.

When he left school he joined the Atomic EnergyResearch Establishment as Assistant ScientificOfficer. His work focused on the effects of radiationon living cells and a broader interest in cell biology

developed. Motivated by a desire to pursueacademic study, Robert came to Aston in 1970 asa mature student and met his wife, Ann Hood.

Upon graduation, Robert joined the Institute ofCancer Research. This was the start of his success.Many publications followed, including an articlein the prestigious journal ‘Nature’ whilst he wasstill a postgraduate student. “I have neverregretted choosing to study Biological Sciencesand I will always carry warm memories of mytime at Aston,” he says. “It provided me with anexcellent grounding upon which I was able todevelop my future career.” Robert Newbold iscurrently undertaking research into isolatingbreast cancer genes at Brunel University where heis Professor of Cancer Genetics.

Whereaaree theeyy now?A regular feature to bring you up to date on the activities of your contemporaries. Here you will discover who’s doing what and where they havegone. If you would like to share your news with readers, please drop a line to theAlumni Relations Office at the usual address. Why not include a photograph?

Arthur Middleton (1950 BSc MechanicalEngineering) worked for Lucas Aerospace in boththe UK and Canada until his retirement. Arthur isenjoying an active retirement. He enjoys golf andbadminton and is a member of the StandingCommittee of Convocation.

Ray Evans (1953 BSc Ad Eundem) served as anavigator in the RAF during World War II. Hisindustrial career was chiefly in the iron-foundingindustry. Ray retired some years ago and remainsan active member of the Standing Committee ofConvocation and Aston Graduates’ Association

Robert Haines (1955 ACT) spent his working lifeat Dunlop where he was responsible for researchand development in the Slazenger sports divisionuntil he retired in 1992. Robert continues to doconsultancy work for Dunlop and is involvedwith the International Tennis Federation.

Donald Powell (1955 ACT) worked in the UK aftergraduation until he left for Jamaica in 1966. Hethen settled in New York. Donald is semi-retiredand Vice-President of International Sales forVictor Insulators. He is married with three sons.

Brian Hark (1965 BSc Electrical Engineering) hasbeen working as an independent EngineeringConsultant since 1974.

Philip Pardoe (1965 BSc MechanicalEngineering) is Head of Physics at Cockshut HillSchool, Sheldon, Birmingham.

Albert Attwood (1966 BSc MechanicalEngineering and Industrial Administration)began his own manufacturing company ‘AttwoodPlastics’ in 1974. Albert sold his company a fewyears ago and now works part-time as a consultant.

Paul Whitney (1969 BSc Chemistry and 1973 PhDPhysical Chemistry) has spent most of his careerin private equity. He is now Chairman of ParallelVentures, a private equity company.

1950ss 1960ss

Faiz Parkar (1990 BScComputing Science and 1991

MSc Software Engineeringwith Applications)

Robert Haines

1970ssClive Booth (1974 BSc Electrical Engineering)founder and Managing Director of RevelationSoftware (UK) is now based in Bedford. He wouldlove to get in touch with contemporariesparticularly Steve Moss and Paul Wyer.

Paul Hood (1976 BSc Geology and Physics) isVice-President of Exploration for CampionResources Ltd based in Alberta, Canada.

As Product Marketing Manager forthe UK division of Compaq, theworld’s second largest computer

company, Faiz Parkar remembers atime when his programming was doneon paper.

“When I was at school,” hereminisces, “the merits of the SinclairZX81 versus the Commodore 64 withits (then) huge 64K kilobytes ofmemory were hotly debated in theplayground. In those days computerswere expensive so I used to write myprogrammes on paper and ask a friendto try them out for me on his

computer.” Bitten by the computer bug at suchan early age, Faiz never recovered and aspired toa top career in computer science.

“Aston was a logical choice for my degree,” he explains. Attracted by what he calls Aston’s‘pedigree in science and technology’, Faiz spent many hours firmly engrossed in thedelights of Z specification language and entityrelationship modelling.

When he left Aston, he joined SD-Scicon, a smallcomputer software and consultancy company. AsJunior Programmer he was involved in defence-related projects. SD-Scicon was then taken overby multinational IT services supplier, ElectronicData Systems.

After five and a half years with EDS, Faiz took upa Windows NT technical consultancy positionwith Tandem Computers. He was attracted byworking for a small company, but shortly after hejoined, Tandem was taken over by Compaq andhe found himself once more working for amultinational concern.

Faiz is now Product Marketing Manager forCompaq’s clustering products. “Clustering is away of building computer systems to improvereliability and performance with multiplecomputers so that if one fails, the others pick upthe workload,” he explains. His job involvesliaising with the press, Compaq resellers,customers and analysts to promote the name andcause of clusterings.

Professor Robert Newbold(1973 BSc Biological Sciences)

Opening windows to clustering

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Where aaree theeyy now?Since graduation, Trevor Leake (1976 BScMechanical Engineering) has worked inoperations and engineering for companiesincluding British Steel, Procter and Gamble andCarlsberg. Trevor is now Technical ServicesManager for Kraft Jacobs Suchard and is marriedwith two children.

Ian Mason (1976 BSc Combined Honours and1983 PhD Health and Safety) is a freelancemedical journalist and media consultant.

David Miles (1976 BSc Biological Sciences) hasrecently been appointed by pharmaceutical company‘Wyeth’ to launch a new biotechnology plant.

Shirley Hamilton (1977 BSc Geology and Metalsand Materials Science) is Director of Tech-NiPlant Ltd, a surface treatment company locatedon Aston Science Park.

Soon after graduation, Nigel Moore (1977 BScMechanical Engineering) began a career in thearmy and joined the Corps of Royal Electrical andMechanical Engineers. Nigel has served all over theworld and is now Information Systems ProgrammeManager in HQ Quartermaster General.

Chris Laidlaw Bell (1978 BSc Combined Honours)is living in sunny Florida. He is a self employedaviation pilot.

Syed Shamim (1978 MSc Mechanics of Solids)now lives in the USA. He is Director of Facilitiesfor the residential treatment hospital ‘The GoodShepherd Centre’.

Stephen Howe (1979 BSc Chemistry) is BusinessManager for Echelon Consulting.

Lindsay Jackson (1979 BSc Human Psychology)is Head of the Strategy Unit for the EuropeanTraining Foundation in Italy. Lindsay would liketo get in touch with her friends from Aston and can be contacted through the AlumniRelations Office.

Penelope Parsons (n�e Jones: 1979 BSc Biologyof Man and his Environment) is Senior Staff Nurseat the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Yasmin Rogers (n�e Bradley: 1979 BSc Frenchand German) passed her Public ServiceInterpreting Diploma in German/Law last yearand teaches German at Peterborough RegionalCollege. Yasmin has 2 children and is a semi-professional singer with a folk band.

Guy Wills (1980 BSc Production Technology andManagement) and his family are enjoying theAmerican way of life. Guy works as TechnicalMarketing Manager for SDRC in Cincinnati.

Mark Faulknall (1981 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies) is a Partner with‘Sherwoods’, a chartered accountancy firm inTamworth, Staffordshire.

Ralph Houston (1981 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies) is Managing Director oftraining and consultancy firm ‘Fielden-Cegos Ltd’based in Manchester.

Richard Hoare (1982 BSc Ophthalmic Optics) is apartner with a local independent group ofoptometrists in the Essex area. Richard alsorepresents Essex as a General Councillor.

Helen Johnson (1982 MSc Public SectorManagement) is a Principal Lecturer in EducationManagement at the Roehampton Institute,London.

Karyn Bosslet (n�e Evington: 1983 BSc Frenchand German) lives in Germany. She is a LifeSciences Translation Manager for pharmaceuticalcompany ‘Bayer AG’.

Jimmy Dan Abubakar (1984 MSc Public SectorManagement) lives in Nigeria with his wife andfour children. He is currently working for theJoint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

Lester Young (1984 BSc Chemical Engineering) isGeneral Manager of Culligan UK Internationaland is also studying for a Diploma inManagement at the University of Reading. Lesteris married to Fiona Young (n�e Spilsbury: 1986BSc Managerial and Administrative Studies)who is a Clinical Audit Advisor at the RoyalBerkshire and Battle Hospitals Trust. They have alittle girl who is nearly two years old.

Mark Evans (1985 BSc Transport Operations andPlanning) is Public Transport Officer for Brightonand Hove Council and Chairman of the Sussexsection of the Chartered Institute of Transport.

‘Abba’ and ‘Steps’ fan Brian Mills (1985 BSc Frenchand Linguistics) lives in Cambridgeshire. He isProduct Manager with Smith and Nephew Ltd.

Anne Field (n�e McRory: 1986 BSc Managerialand Administrative Studies) is Chief Accountantfor Housing Mobility firm, H.O.M.E.S. Ltd. Anneis married to fellow Aston graduate Malcolm Field(1984 BSc Geological Sciences). Malcolm iscurrently Finance Director for Genesys DaromeTeleconferencing.

Nigel Hewitt (1986 BSc Mathematics) is HighwayEngineering Research Scientist for a transport researchlaboratory in Berkshire. Nigel married Alison in1996 and they have a baby daughter, Josie.

Sally Williams (n�e Johnson: 1986 BSc Frenchand German) is married with two children. Shenow lives in the Welsh Borders and helps to runher husband’s tree surgery business as well asteaching part time in a secondary school.

1980ss1970ss

The following people are nolonger in touch with theAlumni Relations Office. If youknow of their whereabouts,please contact us.

Nicholas Airey(1995 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies)

Jacqueline Barnes(1982 BSc French andGerman)

Paula Breeze(1997 BSc HumanPsychology)

John Burgoyne(1996 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies)

David Evans(1984 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies)

Lynden Gibbs(1983 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies)

Sonya Hauxwell(1990 BSc BusinessAdministration and French)

Bruce Heppenstall(1992 BEng ElectromechanicalEngineering and 1997 MBA)

Helen Hill(1986 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies)

Neil Horn(1996 BSc Optometry)

Rachel Irving(1997 BSc Psychology andManagement)

Noordin Ladha(1983 MSc PharmaceuticalSciences)

Helen McGregor(1997 BSc InternationalBusiness and French)

Heather McLeod(1997 MBA)

Rebecca Medcalf(1996 BSc HumanPsychology)

Anastasia Mironova(1997 MSc Business Studies)

Helen Rutter(1997 MBA)

Paul Showman(1974 BSc OphthalmicOptics)

Michael Woodall(1997 MBA)

Ian Mason with sonsHugo (left) and Nicholas

Lindsay Jackson and her husband, Steve

Karyn Bosslet (centre) with fellow Aston graduatesAngela Green (left) and Annette Kratz

Contact the Alumni Relations Office.

If we have a current address for the personyou are looking for, we will send eitheryour details or a letter to them inviting

them to make contact. As we rely on ouralumni telling us when they move, wecannot guarantee the person is still at the lastknown address we hold. However, we wouldlike to hope that you all keep in touch withthe Alumni Relations Office and tell us ofany changes to your address. This ‘in-touch’service does not give out individual namesand addresses to enquirers and all mail istreated in the strictest confidence.

Looking fforsomeone ffrom

Aston?

Rebecca Brookes (1987 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies) is Marketing ServicesManager for the European division of Americanmanufacturer Zebra Technologies.

Raymond Jacobs (1987 MBA) lives in New Jersey,USA and is Vice-President of GIM CapitalManagement, a global asset management firm.Raymond is married with two sons.

Karen Girdler (n�e McMullen: 1988 BScManagerial and Administrative Studies) ismother to young Billy and Daniel and a selfemployed editor.

Andrew Hicks (1988 BEng MechanicalEngineering) is Principal Divisional Engineer forUnipart Industries.

Gill Mullins (1988 BSc Society and Governmentand Business Administration) is GroupProduction Editor for Cabal Communications – anew magazine publishing company.

Karen Ward (1989 BSc International Businessand German) is Organisation Consultant forAshridge Consulting. Her work brings her intocontact with a number of international companies.

Jimmy Dan Abubakar

P15P14

Bill Maloney (1990 BSc Transport Managementand 1995 MBA) is Business Systems Managerwithin the Continental European division ofTibbett & Britten Plc.

Matthew Overton (1990 BSc Managerial andAdministrative Studies) is Web Producer for ReedBusiness Information and is currently runningthree web sites.

MBA student Julian Lai-Hung (1991 BSc BusinessAdministration and French) can be found at theWharton School, University of Pennsylvania.Julian would like to hear from his Aston friendsand can be contacted through the AlumniRelations Office.

Andrew Hall (1992 BSc International Businessand French) is Client Services Manager fornational news agency ‘The Press Association’.

Rosemary Ward (1992 BSc French and German)spent six and a half years teaching and recentlypassed her RSA Diploma in TEFL. Rosemary isnow a Technical Support Agent for an Americanprinter company in Dublin.

Andy Chilcott (1993 BSc BusinessAdministration and French) is Manager of EMIIncentive, a division of EMI Records.

Suzanne McGoldrick (1993 BSc Pharmacy) hasrecently been appointed as a Clinical Pharmacistfor Perry Barr Primary Care. Her responsibilitiesinclude setting up new clinics and reviewingmedication.

Paul Porter-Smith (1994 MBA) has just beenpromoted to Director of Manufacturing for theWhitbread Beer company.

Tessa Avery (1995 BSc Psychology and BusinessAdministration and 1997 MBA) has been workingfor CGU for 2 years and now works as HumanResources and Training Manager within the UnitTrust and PEP business.

Katsumi Ito (1995 MSc Teaching English forSpecific Purposes) teaches English at the NagoyaCollege of Foreign Languages in Japan. He alsoco-ordinates the Aston MSc at Nagoya.

A number of graduates have contactedthe Alumni Relations Office trying toget back in touch with former friends,flatmates and research partners. Many have been successfully reunited, but othersare proving a little more difficult to track down! Doyou know the whereabouts of any of the following?

Graeme Anderson(1970 BSc Production Engineering)

Mike Archer(1986 BSc Managerial and Administrative Studies)

Michael Ashcroft(1966 ACT)

Henri Barki(1979 MSc Mechanical Design Analysis)

Steve Betteridge(1973 BSc Biology and Physiology withPharmacology)

Helen Coulthard(1978 BSc German and Russian)

William Bryce Donaldson(1970 BSc Production Engineering)

Martin Jacobs(1970 BSc Production Engineering)

Kamal Jain(1970 BSc Production Engineering)

Simon Kerrich(1986 BSc Managerial and Administrative Studies)

Bahram Khalighi(1981 MSc Mechanical Engineering)

Peter Linfield(1991 PhD Ophthalmic Optics)

Tom Mahon (1973 BSc Biology and Physiology withPharmacology)

Clive Mohabir(1984 BSc Civil Engineering)

Tonya Phillips(1990 BSc Human Psychology)

Peter Roach(1992 BEng Electromechanical Engineering)

John Shirtliff(1970 BSc Production Engineering)

Jonathan Tempest(1980 BSc Managerial and Administrative Science)

Ameeta Thaker(1981 BSc Mechanical Engineering)

Tony Walton(1992 BEng Chemical Process Engineering)

Ruth Wood(1980 BSc German/Russian)

Geoff Clarke would like to get in touch withgraduates of 1980 and 1981 Transport andBusiness Administration. Please contact theAlumni Relations Office.

1990ss

Andrew Hall

Katsumi Ito

Bill Maloney (back row, third from left) and friends

Where aaree theeyy now?

Meshari Al-Mahmoud (1996 BEng ChemicalEngineering) is currently in Italy working forKuwait Petroleum International. Meshari is ProductDeveloper in the Department of Lubricants.

Elizabeth Salter (1996 BEng ChemicalEngineering) works at Aston University asContract Research Assistant in the School ofEngineering & Applied Science.

Samantha Strong (n�e Wright: 1996 BScManagerial and Administrative Studies) isOperations Administrator for chemicalmanufacturer Autosmart Ltd.

Dexter Lee (1997 BSc French and German)travelled the world after graduation. He is nowstudying for a Masters degree in European Studiesat the University of North London.

Business Analyst Katrina Murray (1997 BScFrench and German) works on pan Europeanmarketing systems for Ford Europe. Katrina is basedin Essex, but spends a lot of her time abroad.

Christopher Stanley (1997BSc Management andComputer Science) is aconsultant for Oracle.

Taeko Takahashi (1997 MScTeaching English) is a part-time lecturer at the Nagoyacollege in Aichi, Japan.

Rugby fanatic Lucy ÔJuicyÕSowah (1998 BSc Appliedand Human Biology) istraining to be a teacher atHertford College, OxfordUniversity. Her fellow teamplayers will be eager to learnshe still plays rugby.

Sarah Ward (1998 BSc Human Psychology) livesin Birmingham and works as an AssistantPsychologist for the Northern BirminghamCommunity NHS Trust.

Christopher Stanley

Calling all 1974 graduates of Behavioural Science andAdministrative Science – please call the Alumni Relations Office for details of your Silver Jubilee Reunion over the weekend of 3-4 September 1999.

Following on from the reunion held at Alton Towers to celebrate 20glorious years since Aston, the class of 1974 plan to have a grandreunion back on campus this year which will include a dinner and adisco, an optional pub crawl and various sporting diversions to keepyou active throughout the afternoon!

The main aim is to have an enjoyable, relaxing weekend reminiscingabout the good times at Aston. The event is being organised byBryan Carnes and Mick Walls who will be joined by Neil Pell, CathGalley, Val Richards,Dave Fleming, DaveKirkup and Albert andAngela Fuller. Bryanand Mick would loveto hear from friends,especially those theyhave lost touch withover the years,whether or not theycan make the reunionitself. Get in touch via the AlumniRelations Office. Some of us as we were in ‘74

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Weddings

Paul Mead (1993 BSc ComputerScience) and Alison Holder (1993 BScMathematics and Computer Science)met at Aston. They now run their ownComputer Support Business inNorthamptonshire as well as lookingafter their young family. Paul andAlison would love to hear from their

friends from Aston days. They can be contactedthrough the Alumni Relations Office.

Oliver and Nicola Latter (n�e Jordan) married inMay 1998. They are both 1995 ModernLanguages graduates. Nicola is currently a SAPConfiguration Consultant for CSC ComputerSciences and Oliver works as IT Consultant forAmerican software company, Hyperion Solutions.

Robert and Melanie Lott (n�e Hogg) bothgraduated in 1996 and married a few monthslater. Melanie (BSc Managerial and AdministrativeStudies) is Personnel Officer for British Steel andRobert (BEng Mechanical Engineering) is Process

Improvement Engineer forthe Society of MotorManufacturers and TradersIndustry Forum.

Deacon and Nikki Harle

Robert and Melanie Lott

Paul Mead and Alison Holder

Deacon Harle and Nikki (n�e Osborne)graduated in Ophthalmic Optics in 1994 andmarried in 1996. Deacon is a practisingOptometrist and is in the final stages of anMSc in Clinical Optometry. Nikki is a full time mother!

Derek and Ceri Porter (n�e Davies) met atAston in 1990 and married in June 1996. Theylive in Cheshire with cats Flo and Alex. Derek(1991 BSc Human Psychology) works inWarrington as a Senior Human FactorsConsultant and Ceri (1994 BSc Mathematicsand Computer Science) is a Senior AnalystProgrammer in Manchester. After theirhoneymoon, Derek and Ceri developed a tastefor globe-trotting. They are off to India laterthis year.

Where aaree theeyy now?

Derek and Ceri Porter

Oliver and Nicola Latter

Angela Willoughby (1998 BSc CombinedHonours) was awarded the AGA prize for heroutstanding contribution to student life at

Aston. Angela was President of the Guild in1995/96 and Guild Chairperson 1997/98. Duringthis time she pioneered the Guild’s Strategic Plansetting out the way forward for Aston. She alsoplayed an active role in the Drama Society in herfirst and second years.

After graduation Angela travelled to destinationsas far afield as Thailand. She is now safely back inthe UK working for Mars in Melton Mowbray.Angela has joined the company’s ManagementTraining Programme and for the past nine monthshas been involved in Brand Management.

AAsstonn GraduatesÕAAssssociaationn

Dear AAGAAMembersH

appy 50th anniversary to all members! 1999marks the passing of fifty golden years sinceMr Wilson, Principal of the College of

Technology, had the idea of establishing a Guildof past students. Jenny Martin traces our historyin the article overleaf.

Bringing things bang up to date, with details onmembership. All graduates of Aston Universityare eligible to join AGA. We are an independentvoluntary organisation promoting social activitiesfor graduates, providing access to the Library andSports Centre on campus and donating prizes tostudents and the University. Membership of AGAis a way you can give something back to the

AAGAA Award

Sir Adrian Cadbury, Chancellor, presents the 1999 AGA Prize to Angela Willoughby

University that gave you so much. If you wouldlike more details, call me on 0121 686 2921. Currentmembers, please note that our account numberhas changed. If you are subscribing by standingorder, can you please inform your bank of thenew account number 0774235. If you prefer tocomplete a new application form, please call meon the above number for details. Life membersare still life members, however if you wish tosend a donation to AGA we would be grateful.

Thank you to everyone who attended our emergencymeeting on 23rd April. We discussed proposals toalter the constitution of AGA to enable theformation of regional groups and to determineour way forward. The Committee will informmembers of developments as soon as possible.

I look forward to your continued support.

Philip Taylor (1996 MBA)Vice-Chairman of AGA

Philip Taylor

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AAsstonn GraduatesÕ AAssssociaationnGolden memories

1999 marks the 50th anniversary ofAston Graduates’ Association and itsforerunners. It seems a suitable timefor reflection on the role AGA hasplayed in the past and possible waysit may move forward with theAlumni Relations Office.

AGA owes its origin to Mr Wilson, thePrincipal of the College of Technology whohad the idea of forming a Guild of past

students. In the first yearbook he states the primefunction of the Guild would lie in rekindling andrestoring interests and friendships formed instudent days.

The first meeting of the Guild was held in 1949when the speaker was Sir Raymond Priestley, MC,MA, DSc, Vice-Chancellor of the University ofBirmingham. The programme of events for theseearly years included an overview of problems indistribution and service in the Americanelectricity industry by Mr Pierson, Chief Engineer,Midland Electricity Board, lantern slides on howto measure earthquake intensity and a lecture byProfessor Oliphant on the production and use ofAtomic Projectiles. The yearbook also records alecture by Glubb Pasha, Commander of the ArabLegion 1939-1956, the greatest living authorityon the Middle East at that time.

Moving forward to the yearbooks of 1959 and1960, it is noted that membership of AGA wasrapidly increasing and those seeking fame andfortune in London were earnestly recommendedto join the London section of the Guild. Therewas pride in the growth of the Association, but itwas noted that whilst Birmingham was one of thefirst colleges to award an Associateship otherColleges were following suit and there wasconcern about the quality of these awards.

All change by 1969 when The Guild of Associateshad become the Guild of Convocation with 890members. This change in name reflected thenewly granted University status. Thesubscription rate was also reduced from oneguinea to one pound and the Guild ran inparallel with the Standing Committee ofConvocation, which was set up to provide achannel for graduates to air their views onUniversity issues. The yearbook noted that theConvocation Appeal Fund had reached £8,479and members of the Guild of Convocationcontinued to enjoy a programme of lectures and

visits, with those to pubs and restaurants beingparticularly popular.

In 1979-1980 both the Chancellor, Lord Nelson,and the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Pope, retired andwere succeeded by Sir Adrian Cadbury and Dr(later Sir) Frederick Crawford. The Associationalso changed its name to Aston Graduates’Association and membership rose to 1,500. Therewere rumours however that the subscription,long held at £1, would need to be raised.

By 1989 we had firmly established that the roleof Aston Graduates’ Association was to enablegraduates to maintain links with the Universityand join together in social events. Membershipstayed constant at 1,500. Mr Hearne wrote to theAGA newsletter to claim the honour of being ouroldest member having received the award ofACT(Birm) in 1937, one of only three suchawards in the first year.

More recently the AGA committee have spentsome time discussing our changing role in thefuture, but these notes suggest we should continueto do what we have been doing successfully for thelast 50 years. We should meet socially, provide aforum for informed debate, gain understandingof new developments in our own fields of interestthrough visits to university departments, awardprizes, as appropriate and if we feel like it donategifts to Aston on auspicious occasions.

In time honoured fashion AGA continues toprovide opportunities for members and friendsto eat drink and be merry. 1999 has so far been

no exception!

In November we enjoyed a Greek evening withtraditional food, dancing and liquid refreshmentfor members to enjoy. Stories of Greek holidaydestinations were exchanged and now we allknow the whereabouts of “that little taverna”.Don’t be surprised if next time you go you find itfull of AGA members.

The annual visit to the College of Food enabledAGA members to give support and help in thetraining of the City’s future hotel staff. It alsomeans another opportunity to meet friends andenjoy a meal together.

A beer and skittles evening was held in April atthe Hill Tavern in Clent. AGA members arerenowned for their expertise at skittles and aneedle-match ensued.

The traditional joint meeting with BirminghamUniversity graduates will this year take place inthe Senior Common Room at Aston on 22nd Junewhen Mr A Morgan will talk about gemstones.

We look forward to meeting members old andnew at any of our events.

Social diary

Ted Ellard, Lecturer in Languages &European Studies a valued member ofthe Modern Languages Association.

Samuel Hunter, one of the foundermembers of the Guild of Associates,the forerunner of AGA. He took anactive part in running the Guild andserved for many years as ourrepresentative on the governing bodyof the College of Advanced Technology.

Stanley Rowland Hill, Head of theMarketing & Strategic ManagementDivision in the Business School untilhis early retirement in 1991.

Kenneth Page, 1983 honorarygraduate, was one of the mostprominent musicians and conductorsin the Midlands and founded the‘Orchestra da Camera’ in Birmingham.

Alan Rock, March 1999. Alan was acommitted member of AGA and SocialSecretary. His enthusiasm will begreatly missed.

Walter Owen Storer, Senior Lecturer inthe Department of Mathematics untilhis retirement in 1979.

Ò The main purpose ofthe Guild would be toanimate a spirit ofgiving something tothe College, throughmaintaining a deepsense of allegianceto it, by some materialservice and bydisplaying a livelyconcern in its presentlife and in its destiny.ÓMr Wilson, Principal of theCollege of Advanced Technology

AGA committee members celebrate their 40th anniversarywith Sir Frederick Crawford (front centre) and guests

It is with regret that we announce the deaths of the following alumni and staff:

Technology

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Eveenntssupdate

The inaugural event of the AndersenConsulting/Aston University Alumni Group washeld on Friday 9th October at the AndersenConsulting Offices in London. There are currently60 Aston alumni working at Andersen Consultingrepresenting all grades from graduate joiners upto Partner and our numbers are increasing everyyear. The evening kicked off with a talk on the

challenges facingAston from Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorMike Wright.Secretary-Registrar,David Packham, spokeabout changes takingplace at Aston and anintroduction to thecurrent AndersenConsulting initiativesat Aston was given byAssociate Partner,Mark Pearson. Toround off the eveningtwo alumni puttogether a quiz todredge up ourcherished andembarrassingmemories of student life.

This event was thefirst of what we hopewill create a closerrelationship betweenAndersen Consulting

and Aston. Plans for the next event are underwayalready. For details contact Zoë Kibbey atAndersen Consulting (0171 438 5000) or SarahPymm at Aston University.

Dining out in HKStaff from Aston’s International Office weredelighted to have the opportunity in February tomeet a group of alumni currently living andworking in Hong Kong. Dr Lee of Hong KongPolytechnic University kindly arranged for thegroup to meet up with Andréa Williams, StewartComfort and Professor Nigel Reeves who wereattending a recruitment fair in South-East Asia.“We hope this is the first of many more occasionsto meet our alumni overseas,” said ProfessorReeves. The Alumni Relations Office at Aston ishoping to be able to organise a much largerreunion later in the year and would like to hearfrom all alumni in Hong Kong.

Rugby D&DAston’s 1999 Rugby D&D was a roaring success.The event started at midday with a matchbetween the ‘Old Boys’ and the current Astonrugby team over at Shustoke. After a roaringvictory for the current team, everyone headed offto watch the England/France Five Nations match.The day culminated with a dinner at theChamberlain Hotel, Digbeth where the speakerwas ‘one-cap wonder’ Mark Linnett who nowplays for Worcester.

Ò As there are a largenumber of Aston alumniat Andersen Consulting,we decided it would bea good idea to gettogether to reminisceand catch up with oldfriends. We are aimingto create further linkswith the University andwe want to have a lot offun doing this.Ó

Stewart Comfort, Nigel Reeves and Andréa Williams (front row)meet Dr T C Lee, C W Chuen, C K Chuen, C K Chan, Dr L C Chun

and L C Chan in Hong Kong

AGM and reunion weekendOver 130 alumni and friends returned to Aston campus on theweekend of 20-21 March for the first ever ‘Reunion Weekend’. Andwhat a success it was! For those of you who came and had a greattime here’s a small reminder. For those who couldn’t make it thisyear, here’s what you missed.

AGM of ConvocationSir Adrian Cadbury chaired this year’s AGMwhich was held in the Warwick LectureTheatre. He was joined by Sir Michael Bett,Pro-Chancellor, Sir Timothy Harford,Treasurer, Professor Mike Wright, Vice-Chancellor and David Packham, Secretary-Registrar. Strategic and financial reports onthe past twelve months at Aston werereceived. The AGM is open to all Astongraduates.

Visit to Aston Science ParkAn alternative visit for those not attendingthe AGM of Convocation. Karen Aston ofAston Science Park gave a fascinating insightinto the objectives and rationale behind theventure which offers new businesses supportand a central resources centre which theycan call on as they grow and develop.

Visit to LakesideThe new Lakeside residences are on scheduleto open to students for the new academicyear 1999. They will provide over 600 topquality rooms complete with cable TV andcomputer networking facilities. Alumni hada guided tour around the site and saw at firsthand the progress made so far.

Research afternoonSchools opened their doors and welcomedback their alumni with demonstrations ofcurrent research projects. Visits were made tothe Biochemical Engineering andComputational Fluid Dynamics Researchgroups, Photonics and Surface Scienceresearch groups, the School of Languages &European Studies and the MEG andPhotosensitive Epilepsy research in theSchool of Life & Health Sciences

Reunion DinnerThe day culminated with a splendid dinnerin the salubrious surroundings of the DerbySuite. Time to unwind and relax in thecompany of friends old and new.

Diary date: Don’t miss the millennium AGM and Reunion on 20-21 May. Full details will be sent to you later. Hope to see you all then!

Priestley Wharf, the latest development on AstonScience Park. Phase 4 Holt Court (left) was completed in 1989. Phase 6 Ashted Lock wascompleted in 1992.

Robert Turnbull (1975 BSc Biological Sciences) and son (left) with Geoff Clarke (1981 BSc Businessand Transport) and Pauline Moogan, AlumniRelations Assistant

Derek Hickman and Mark Eccleston (right)Biochemical Engineering andComputational Fluid Dynamics research

Ray Shillingford (1979 BSc Electrical Engineering)and David Oliver (1976 BSc MechanicalEngineering) Photonics research area

John (1974 BSc Physics and Material Science)and Ann Nobbs with Fiona Fylan (left) in thephotosensitive epilepsy unit

Elizabeth Somers (née Kendall) and Joy Jones (1984BSc Health and Safety), Bernadette Doyle (1985 BScManagement), Wendy Jarema (1976 BSc BiologicalSciences), Veronica Thompson (née Wigham: 1976BSc Pharmacy)

David Packham (centre) with Arthur (1950ACT) and Barbara Middleton

Anil Laroiya, Christopher Tomes, David ModyMatthew Childerhouse (1997 BSc BusinessAdministration and Public Policy Management)

The RSC have 1,000Associate Membershippackages available FREEto Aston alumni joiningbefore 30/7/99.Membership runs for oneyear and entitles you toadvance information andpriority bookings for RSCseasons in London andStratford, MembersPreview Performances inthe RST, priority booking

for the Barbican’s International Theatre Season,seasonal offers on the RSC’s accommodation,ticket and meal packages and the RSC magazine.Please call 01789 205301 reference Aston alumni.

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AAlumnniadvantageThe advantage of being an Aston graduate never stops! The AlumniRelations Office has negotiated this exclusive package of benefits andfacilities for graduates to enjoy both on and off the campus. Contact us firstto confirm your unique Convocation reference.

Let us entertain you againAssociate Membership of the Students’ Guild.

Become an Associate Member of the Guild andrelive the excellent social life you enjoyed as astudent at Aston. Associate Membership entitlesyou to return to the Guild to enjoy a hugecalendar of events including Freakers, Revive,Club Soda, as well as having access to barsEinstein’s, Monks and The Loft. Room hire is alsoavailable for your own special celebrations. Youwill also have access to clubs and societies,Students’ Shop, Copy Shop, Guild Council,General Meetings and the volunteer scheme withSAC and Ents. Becoming an Associate Member iseasy. Simply contact Ian Ballinger, MarketingManager on 0121 359 6531 ext 4060, e-maili.p.ballinger@aston.ac.uk or write c/o AstonStudents’ Guild, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B47ES. Associate Membership is available on anindividual or company basis.

Birmingham’s cultural jewel, the City ofBirmingham Symphony Orchestra, has joinedtogether with Aston University to offeralumni an exclusive 10% discount on ticketsfor the orchestra’s summer season of concertsin Symphony Hall. Why not join the CBSOfor an evening with Gershwin on 12 June, orperhaps you would prefer a trip into spacewith Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra (themefrom ‘2001 Space Odyssey’) and Holst’s PlanetSuite on 26 June? Or even a trip back in timeon 10 September to view the classic silent filmBen Hur with the orchestra providing livemusical accompaniment? Tickets from only£6.00 (limited availability - book early). For abrochure containing full details of all theCBSO’s summer concerts please call 0121 6166512 reference Aston alumni.

AAlumnniadvantage

ManagementDevelopment Centre83 superbly appointed en-suite rooms rangingfrom standard accommodation to luxuryexecutive suites await Aston alumni just fiveminutes walk from the heart of the city ofBirmingham. Aston alumni can enjoy preferentialrates from £45.83 including VAT for B&B, validuntil February 2000. Aston Business School,located in landscaped grounds on the edge of theUniversity campus is one of the country’s mostprestigious and technologically advancedconference centres. For further details onconference facilities, contact Lynne Snow orMaureen Wood on 0121 359 3011.

Endsleigh offers you a unique combination oflow price and high quality service plus a widerange of extra benefits. Aston alumni can get upto 20% discount on motor insurance. Possessionsinsurance starts at as little as £33 per year for£2,000 cover. Other policies available, please callthe quote hotline on 0121 236 9960 for detailsquoting reference Apex 3.

Ilkeston,Derbyshire (M1 junction 26)

Great adventurers head straight for The AmericanAdventure with loops, freefalls, flumes andrunaway trains. Rocky Mountains Rapids ride ona raging torrent of water and dazzling shows ofgreat skill and courage – enough excitement tokeep even the most restless of explorers tied up‘til teatime. The American Adventure has teamedup with Apex to provide value for money Kids GoFree offers. Call the Alumni Relations Office for avoucher to hand in at the main entrance to gainfree entry for one child accompanied by a fullpaying adult.

The above information is correct at the timeof going to press. Aston University acceptsno liability for any losses incurred by alumniresulting from these offers or any relianceplaced upon them.

To order your Aston University gifts, please complete the order form below and send it to: The Alumni RelationsOffice, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, England. All prices include VAT @17.5%. Postage andpacking extra. Please add: £2.00 UK and Europe; £3.00 Outside Europe. While stocks last.

Description Price Quantity Total Each (£) (£)

Genoso roller ball pen in blue marble effect 12.00

Genoso fountain pen in blue marble effect 14.00

Parker roller ball pen 6.00

Document wallet 19.00

Desk clock and business card holder 19.00

Leather wallet and credit card holder 12.00

Calculator 7.00

Golf umbrella 12.00

Mug (navy) 3.00

The Origin and Development of Aston University 1895-1996. Written by Professor George Parker (hardback) 19.00

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