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WINTER 2013 :: ISSUE 21

New Battles

Army intelligence analyst starts

Brunel MA

Behind the Scenes

Find out more about the SITS Data Management team

Through the looking glassBrunel researchers find new ways to stop flu, heal wounds and make manufacturing more sustainable using a unique new microscope

CONTENTS AND CREDITS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

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3-5 Latest news from

around the campus

6-7 Latest news feature:

Good Deed Day 2013

8-13 Student and graduate

news round up

10-11 Interview: Corporal Luke Townsend

14-15 Student and graduate news feature: Brunel’s top-ranked Disability and Dyslexia Service

16-17 Staff news round-up

18-19 Research news round-up

20-21 Research feature: Four new

Technology Fellowships

free researchers to explore

22-23 Feature: Behind the scenes

with SITS Data Management

24 The Gallery

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EXPRESS TEAM

Editor Rachel Turvey

Assistant Editor Joe Norman

Reporters Maddi Black, Xenia Rimmer, Brunel University Press Office

Design Andrew Hill

Photography Sally Trussler, Neil Graveney

Print Brunel University Press

CONTACT US

Communications Team

[email protected]

01895 265588

Express is available to read and download on our website:

brunel.ac.uk/news/express.

Extra printed copies are available from the Communications Team

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Front cover image: Ian Kill and Martin Figgitt (Biosciences) and Alan Reynolds (ETC). Pseudo-coloured scanning electron micrograph of trypsin-purified skin. The treatment renders the skin completely acellular and provides a non-immunogenic, physiologically-relevant 3-D collagen matrix suitable for in vivo tissue engineering or in vitro tissue reconstructions.

Brunel Business School named THE Business School of the Year Brunel Business School won the Times Higher Education Business School of the Year Award in November.

The judges commented: “The School has been able to

demonstrate genuinely impressive progress towards achieving a set of transformational strategic targets. It has taken significant steps towards its ambition of being a genuinely international quality business school.”

Head of School Professor Zahir Irani said: “I am delighted with our collective success in becoming the THE Business School of the Year. This award is a significant recognition that our focus on striving to provide quality teaching, research and student experience has, and is, having an impact.”

Professor Amir M Sharif, Assistant Head of School, added: “We are honoured to receive this accolade. It validates all the hard work from our dedicated staff and students, and is a wonderful belated ‘house warming’ present. Well done everyone.”

BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY NOW OPEN 24/7 In response to feedback from students during 2012/13, and following a successful trial during the 2013 summer examination period, the Library moved to full 24/7 term–time opening in October.

Starting from 6 October the Library is open right up until Christmas Eve, re-opening on 2 January and staying open until the end of exams in May, with just a two-day closure for Easter Sunday and Monday.

Customer Relations Manager Rob Wannerton said: “When we were looking at our opening patterns this felt like the next logical step. When so many of our students are combining studying or research with paid work, family responsibilities and

all the other things that make lives busy, we want to make sure the Library and its resources are available for people whenever the need is there, which is why this is such a significant and, we hope, positive change.”

The Library team have launched a Library Life board on Pinterest which captures student photos from around the clock. Get a taste of 24 hour Library life at www.pinterest.com/brunellibrary/library-life

The 40th anniversary of the official opening of the original Library building will also be celebrated in December – details were unconfirmed at the time of going to press, but watch out for more information in due course.

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LATEST NEWS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

Transformational Change Programme update

The Interim Report on the Transformational Change Programme (TxP) was considered by Senate at the end of October and a wide range of activity is now taking place.

Two key pieces of work include the consideration of mechanisms for the interaction between Colleges and Institutes, and a blueprint for governance within both structures. These two work streams will summarise the roles and responsibilities of the Colleges, Departments, Divisions and Institutes and of their key officers, describe the relationship between the Colleges and Institutes, and outline how academic staff might work across them.

Work is also underway to develop three options for the delivery of administrative support. This involves staff from across the University and will examine options ranging from a heavily devolved model to a highly centralised approach. A review of IS and IT provision is also taking place.

Business Process Reviews are being undertaken in five key areas, to inform the TxP and to ensure that they are efficient and effective:

• Registration and induction of students

• Student finance and funding

• Undergraduate and postgraduate taught administration

• Postgraduate research administration

• Administration and support of research

Analysis of options for the co-location of academic units in line with the proposed College and Institute structures continues, along with consideration of a number of potential capital projects to support the aims and objectives of the TxP.

Look out for further communication and consultation activity, including a series of road shows and an increased focus on communicating with students.

London Science Week explores ‘21st Century Brunel’In October Brunel hosted a series of talks on the theme of ‘21st Century Brunel’ as part of this year’s London Science Festival, which aims to engage the public in all things scientific.

Dr Mark Jabbal discussed aerodynamics in the context of building a glider for the BBC’s James May’s Toy Stories (see Express Issue 18); Dr Richard Bonser introduced the field of biomimetics by describing a project to build a soft-bodied robot inspired by an octopus; Dr Jo Cole talked about Brunel’s contribution to the discovery of the Higgs Boson; and Dr Andrew Russell argued that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases can be traced back to 19th Century industrialists such as IKB.

Baroness Lawrence attends Black History Month celebrationsBaroness Doreen Lawrence attended a reception at Brunel in October in honour of the Caribbean Women’s Standing Conference (CWSC), of which she is Patron.

The reception, part of the University’s Black History Month celebrations, was held at the School of Health Sciences and Social Care to thank the CWSC for its long-standing support of Brunel, including funding annual prizes to outstanding students in the field of social care.

Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered 20 years ago in a racist attack, received an OBE in 2003 for her campaigning work.


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Journalism student Maddi Black investigates Brunel Chaplaincy’s new wellbeing initiative – the Rabbit Café!Stressed students can now take time out of their studies to relax – in the company of rabbits.

The Rabbit Café, hosted by Brunel University’s Chaplaincy, provides both students and staff with the opportunity to stroke and feed rabbits whilst enjoying a free cup of tea or coffee. Devised by Brunel’s Anglican Chaplain and Interfaith Advisor the Reverend Sally Hitchiner, the Café is thought to be the only one of its kind in the UK, with inspiration taken from the popular ‘cat cafés’ in Japan.

The Rabbit Café aims to provide an ‘oasis of calm’ in the often stressful environment of University life. Studies have shown enormous benefit to human wellbeing in spending time with animals, and animal-based therapy schemes are now used worldwide.

The project is also part of the Chaplaincy’s overarching goal of promoting an ethos of tolerance and acceptance to all those who visit. Reverend Sally explained:

“Rabbits don’t judge you on what you wear or what grade you got in your last assignment. They just want a cuddle! We want to promote an atmosphere where everyone is valuable and accepted.”

Computer Science student Jessica Griebel, who brings her own rabbit, Penny, to the Café, added: “I have personally found animals to be incredibly therapeutic – my own rabbit has helped me a great deal. Animals are really good for the soul.”

Toby Berriman, 30, a Psychology student who travels to campus on his day off just to visit the Café, said: “The fact that the Café has

been so popular demonstrates how much of a need there was for it. This is a less obvious, but still very helpful, form of therapy – and the free tea and coffee is a bonus!”

The Rabbit Café takes place every Friday at the Meeting House between 10am and 4pm and there are plans to introduce more small animals as the year continues.

Intensive Netball Training Centre launched at BrunelThe Brunel Intensive Netball Training Centre (INTC), one of three new centres in the UK, was launched at the University in the Autumn Term, bringing local school pupils and professional netball players together on campus.

The three INTCs, hosted by Brunel, the University of Bath and Manchester City Council, are designed to provide the highest quality daily training environment for the country’s best netball athletes. Funded by the Sport England High Performance Whole Sport Plan, as well as by the INTC hosts and through local partnerships, the role of the INTC network is to produce outstanding athletes through programmes of regular coached training and supervised strength and conditioning.

The overall aim is to support England Netball’s goal of becoming World Netball Champions by 2019.

For the launch event, pupils from local schools were invited to the University to receive training from both Head of Netball Tallisa Haines and members of the England Netball Team, in a demonstration of the strength of the coaching programmes instigated at the INTC.

Paul Dimmock, Director of Sport, commented: “Having England Netball locate one of the three National INTCs at Brunel is a huge benefit for our netball programme.

“Open Days have already seen an increase in girls from around the country choosing to study at Brunel because they can combine their academic ambitions and their sporting aspirations following the establishment of the INTC.”


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FEATURE :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

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On Tuesday 12 November, around 200 volunteers took to Uxbridge High Street and the surrounding area to participate in a variety of community activities for Good Deed Day 2013.

Organised in partnership with Uxbridge College, the Mayor of Hillingdon, Uxbridge Forward and the Pavilions shopping centre, Good Deed Day was the biggest Brunel Volunteers event of the year.

Throughout the day, volunteers were on hand to perform a wide variety of Good Deeds, many organised well in advance especially for the event. Customers in local branches of Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Wilkinson were helped packing their shopping bags, while stalls around the High Street provided free manicures from trainee beauticians at Uxbridge College, as well as face painting, henna tattoos, and free tea and coffee.

Other volunteers worked the length of the High Street, sweeping it clear of enough litter to fill eight large bags, returning abandoned shopping trolleys, handing out flyers to help raise funds for Age UK, and cleaning both the windows of local shops and the mobility scooters used by shoppers.

Other Good Deeds were more spontaneous, with friendly volunteers chatting to shoppers around them, and keeping older members of the community company at the Good Deed Day HQ, a shop in The Pavilions. They also raised money for the Mayor’s Charity Fund.

Despite the gloomy autumn weather, the High Street was brightened up by a range of performances throughout the afternoon, including an Indian Drummer, the Circus Society, singers and musicians, and Brunel’s American Football team, the Brunel Burners, who showed off their skills in full sporting attire. Towards the close of the day, a large crowd

of people from the local community, including shoppers, local residents, the volunteers, local workers, and the Mayor and Mayoress, gathered outside the Pavilions to watch pupils from Uxbridge and Hayes Colleges performing an impressive variety of dance routines to an eclectic playlist of hits, ranging from Elvis to Jay Z and Daft Punk.

The Mayor of Hillingdon, Councillor Alan Kauffman, attended part of the event, and gave a speech praising its success: “Today, all those involved with Good Deed Day are giving a service to the community that is much appreciated. These activities would not have been as successful without the support of the partnership between the University, the Pavilions and Uxbridge College.

“Communities have broken down,” Councillor Kauffman stated, “and events such as this help us to build them back up.” He added that the dancing was “unbelievable”!

Priya Pallan, Brunel Volunteers Manager, concluded: “Staff and students at Brunel do thousands of hours of volunteering a year, which is often behind closed doors. Good Deed Day highlights the positive impact that Brunel has on the local community.”

Brunel Volunteers offers a number of volunteering roles suitable for students and staff members. Long-term commitment is not necessary, as there are many flexible short-term or one-off opportunities available.

To find out more about volunteering at Brunel, visit http://brunelvolunteers.com or follow @BVolunteers on Twitter.

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n Bag packing in Tesco Metro and Marks and Spencer

n Free nail painting by trainee beauticians

n Supporting the Disablement Association Hillingdon’s ‘DASH bingo’ and keep fit events

n Trolley sweep of the town centre

n Cleaning scooters for Shop Mobility

n Washing windows for Thames Hospice

n Fundraising £453 for the Mayor’s charity

n Face painting

n Free tea and coffee

n Henna tattoos

n Indian drummers

n Brunel Circus Society

n Singers and musicians

n Brunel’s American football team: the Brunel Burners

n Dancers from Uxbridge College

IN MEMORIAM

Kamran Pattoo

The University is mourning the sad death of one of its students this Term.

Kamran Pattoo, who was 32 and a first year Biosciences student, was described by his tutor as “a highly intelligent student with a great deal of potential.”

Kamran was a Manchester City fan, as well as an accomplished poet. While many Brunel students have paid tribute to Kamran online, he will be remembered by his friends as a “quiet and thoughtful man, who was passionate about music and poetry”.

The University’s Anglican Chaplain and Interfaith Advisor the Reverend Sally Hitchiner said: “It’s a real shock to everyone, but we’re coming together as a community.”

On 14 November, staff and students took part in a Service of Remembrance on campus to pay tribute to Kamran.

Bernard Roberts

Bernard Roberts, the eminent pianist and Brunel Honorary Graduate, died recently at the age of 80.

Bernard performed many times at Brunel and was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of the University) in 1989 in recognition of his services to the musical life of the University. He returned regularly to the campus, and his last visit was in October 2000 when he gave a masterclass and an evening recital. His most recent appearance in support of the University was in the celebratory

‘Brunel at The Wigmore’ concert on Friday 21 January 2005.

The University’s Roberts Room was named in his honour.

Multimedia graduate launches myBrunel iPhone app Robert Hunt, who graduated in 2013 with a BA in Multimedia Technology and Design, has launched myBrunel, a free iPhone app for current students.

The app, which Rob developed for his final year project, opens into an interactive campus map that highlights your current location. From here it provides live travel updates directly from Transport for London, campus opening times, PC availability data, news stories, rent reminders, your contacts, and access to the intranets. By November, the most popular feature was the tool showing availability of washing machines on campus, viewed over 3,500 times!

Having chosen the Multimedia Technology and Design course – now restyled as the BSc in Digital Design – for its combination of design and computing skills, Rob explained how the “really varied” nature of the course helped him to develop the app:

“In our second year we tried everything from 3D modelling to film-making, and it was during this time that I found out I was interested in interaction design.

“Being able to look at the design of an app and think about whether it’s easy to use, but also understanding how the

code works behind the scenes, means you can create some pretty interesting things.

“I noticed that lots of other universities had made apps, but many had features aimed at people other than current students, who would use it most regularly. I tried to include everything that’s useful for a current Brunel student and nothing else.”

Rob is keen to receive feedback from users of the app to decide how it can be improved: a contact facility is built into the app itself, and feedback is also welcomed at [email protected]

Developing myBrunel helped Rob secure a recent work placement year at a London games company, working on user interfaces.

The app has been licensed to the University and Rob is continuing to produce updates such as a redrawn set of icons for users with certain models of iPad and iPhone, ‘squashing’ of minor software bugs, and a more prominent display of the University week number. He is also considering future projects such as a version for Android phones.

For more information about Rob’s projects, visit his personal website at www.helloiamrob.co.uk

STUDENT AND GRADUATE NEWS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

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PhD student ALPA PATEL (pictured) has

won the Institution of Environmental

Sciences’ John Rose Award for her

research in the Institute for the

Environment, which seeks to identify

the impact on fish of ibuprofen

from human waste passing into

the sea and rivers. She is working

with the Institution to use the

£1,000 prize to publicise her study

and to promote correct usage and

responsible disposal of medicines.

Third year Creative Writing student

REBECCA WEST won this year’s

Hillingdon Arts Week poetry

competition with her poem Little

Deaths, written during a Creative

Writing class at Brunel’s Arts

Centre. The judges appreciated

Rebecca’s poetic voice and concise

use of language, and enjoyed the

ambiguity and dark undertone to

her poem. The prize was a free

workshop at the writer development

agency Spread the Word.

Tennis Coordinator JAMES IRELAND

set a Guinness World Record during

RAG Week for the most consecutive

opponents played in touchtennis

singles. Taking only three ten-minute

breaks over nine hours, James met 28

players from Brunel Tennis Club and the

Association of touchtennis Professionals.

touchtennis is played on a reduced size

court, with foam balls and small rackets,

emphasising skill rather than power.

Music Award alumni have been making

waves in the worlds of professional

opera and musical theatre. ROSS

RAMGOBIN (pictured) reached the

latter stages of two major international

singing competitions, and will sing

the title role in Britten’s opera Owen

Wingrave for the 2014 Aldeburgh

Festival production. Four alumni

are currently appearing in London’s

West End – DAVID O’MAHONY in The

Bodyguard, YEUKAYI (KAYI) USHE in

The Book of Mormon, and KEISHA

AMPONSA BANSON in From Here

to Eternity. In 2014 WILL EDELSTEN

will direct La Boheme at The Royal

Opera House, Covent Garden.

The outdoor athletics track has

reopened following resurfacing of

the nine-year-old facility. The new

surface will benefit the Athletics Club

and will strengthen partnerships

with British Athletics and Usain Bolt’s

Racers Track Club – both groups use

Brunel’s facilities throughout the

year. BSc and MSc graduate and GB

Olympic sprinter LAURA TURNER

(pictured centre) joined staff and

students to celebrate the reopening.

Creative writing graduate wins prestigious Brazilian children’s literature prize

Isabela Noronha, a graduate of Brunel’s MA programme in Creative Writing: the Novel, has won the Barco a Vapor, one of Brazil’s top children’s literature prizes.

Isabela won the award for a story written as part of her course during a ‘Writing for Children’ seminar, which led to the publication of a children’s book in 2014. Her work was chosen from a total of 1,300 entries by a jury composed of prominent Brazilian academics, writers and editors.

“My story is aimed at six to seven year old children,” Isabela explained. “It’s about Tom, a boy who has to learn to say

goodbye.” In Portuguese, the book is called O Garoto que Engolia Palavras, which means The Boy Who Swallowed Words.

Barco a Vapor is awarded by Fundação SM, a Spanish foundation which operates in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Peru.

Earlier this year, Isabela also won the Curtis Brown Prize for her MA dissertation: the Prize is awarded annually by the leading literary agency to a Creative Writing: the Novel student who achieved an A or A* dissertation grade.

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Cavalryman Corporal Luke Townsend continues his military training in a slightly different environment this Autumn, swapping the battlefield for the library as he starts an MA in Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel.

When Luke Townsend approached his Squadron Leader asking for one day a week off so that he could study for a degree, he didn’t quite get the answer he was expecting. “That’s ludicrous,” the OC said. “It’s too expensive to travel up and down the country. Take the year off!”

Now, six months after returning from his second tour of Afghanistan, the Australian-born army intelligence specialist is taking on a challenge quite different from those he has faced in his military career. With the support of a £1,000 army grant, Luke started an MA in Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel in September 2013.

The British Army’s support for Luke’s studies is a development of his career to date, particularly his most recent tour in Afghanistan where his intelligence work led to the break-up of a bomb-making network.

His regiment, the Queen’s Royal Lancers, specialises in reconnaissance; its commanders want to build in a stronger and more credible analysis capability to complement their current role. An academic qualification will add a theoretical basis to Luke’s practical skills, giving him extra credibility and expertise.

Luke’s move from regular work in the Australian Army into intelligence came before a deployment to East Timor, when he excelled in a Timorese language course. “I’m not a natural linguist,” says Luke, “but any lack of natural ability I made up for in enthusiasm.” His success prompted an approach by the Army’s Intelligence Corps, and he went on to spend five years working with them in South East Asia.

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INTERVIEW :: STUDENT AND GRADUATE NEWS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

Interview: Corporal Luke Townsend

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“One of the most important things in intelligence work is the dissemination of information you’ve collected, and part of that is your ability to deliver a good brief,” Luke explains. “One of the aptitude tests is to read one page about a particular subject and then convince a room full of people that you know what you’re talking about. Your success depends on your credibility – if you can be empathetic and talk to all kinds of people then you can work in intelligence.”

After moving from Australia in 2009, there could only be one British Army regiment for Luke. His ancestor rode with the 17th Lancers in the Charge of the Light Brigade, the iconic Pyrrhic victory in the Crimean War, immortalised by Tennyson in his famous poem. Luke was determined to join their modern day iteration, the Queen’s Royal Lancers. As soon as he joined, the regiment was deployed to Afghanistan.

“Every day we were there in 2010 we could see progress,” Luke recalls. “Every day there was something new in the shops, or a school was able to remain open. To us it was a really big deal being there but for the Afghans the big deal is simply trying to grow their crops and get to market.

“I went to Afghanistan with a group of guys who’d never been anywhere before,” he says. “We’re trained on how to help the younger guys, but they had a real baptism of fire – there were contacts with the enemy from the first day. There were guys there who were really good at languages and when we got home I tried to encourage them to get into intelligence work.”

Luke’s next tour in 2012-2013 focused on intelligence work for the 4th Mechanised Brigade’s elite Brigade Reconnaissance Force.

“One one mission, we were working to stop an important road from being continually planted with improvised

explosive devices, IEDs,” Luke explains. “We would go in close to the enemy’s lines to take their attention away from the road. My role was to build up a picture of what was happening – I needed to communicate where we were going, restrictions we would face, and what was important in the area.”

Luke has worked to encourage colleagues in whom he recognises the skills that could make them successful intelligence analysts. With no previous higher education qualifications, Luke is keen to take advantage of

the services offered by Brunel’s Academic Skills Service (ASK) and of the language courses at the International Pathways and Language Centre (IPLC), where he is studying Mandarin. A Brunel degree represents a major investment for his later career, and he is optimistic about the opportunities available to both younger and older colleagues.

“Some of the younger guys aren’t interested in academic learning, and if you’d given me this opportunity when I was 18 I might not have taken it. Now it’s a passion, but that takes time to develop. The money is there and if you’re driven to achieve something the support is there too.”

Luke will be working with Dr Kristian Gustafson, Deputy Director of the Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies and himself a former soldier in the Canadian Army. The two men served in Afghanistan at the same time and were in regular contact – we wish them luck in their continuing collaboration as academics.

“Your success depends on your credibility – if you can be empathetic and talk to all kinds of people then you can work in intelligence”

Successful test flight for Brunel’s first student-built microlight aircraft

The first microlight aircraft built by

Brunel University students took to

the skies from a small airfield in north

London in October to make a series

of test manoeuvres, as part of a test

programme to obtain a permit to fly.

The aircraft, which was built by students

within the Aerospace and Aviation

discipline at Brunel as part of their

undergraduate degree programmes,

performed flawlessly over the initial test flights conducted.

Dr Alvin Gatto, course director for Aerospace and Aviation Engineering, said: “It is a credit to all the students and staff involved in the project that the aircraft performed very well during the tests conducted.

“Overall the project was of great value to our degree programmes

Mo Farah and Paul Dickenson speak to Brunel’s new Sports Scholars Double Olympic Champion Mo Farah spoke live by telephone to Brunel’s elite sporting students during this year’s annual Sports Scholarship Welcome Reception, hosted by the BBC’s Paul Dickenson (pictured).

Brunel’s Sports Scholarship Programme is run in partnership with the Mo Farah Foundation, which announced the launch of the Mo Farah Academy in conjunction with Brunel and St Mary’s University in July 2013. The Academy is the first Mo Farah Foundation initiative in the UK, and was designed to progress home grown sporting talent, and provide promising young athletes with the advice, guidance and practical support to fulfil their potential.

BBC athletics commentator Paul Dickenson, a Brunel Honorary Graduate and alumnus of Borough

Road College, one of Brunel’s predecessor institutions, hosted the evening and conducted the interview with Mo. The five-time Olympic and World Champion gave an insight into his recent success as well as answering questions from students and passing on advice to those hoping to break through onto the international stage.

Dickenson also interviewed current Brunel Sport Scholar Jonathan Schofield, who won a bronze medal at London 2012 in the kayaking K2 200m competition and is now studying for an MSc in Sport Science (Human Performance). Other guest speakers included Alan Watkinson, former teacher and mentor to Mo Farah, who spoke about recognising Mo’s potential in athletics from a young age.

There were high numbers of strong applications for the 2013/14 Scholarship programme and as a result 47 students were awarded Sport Scholarships over a huge range of sports.

Paul Dimmock, Director of Sport, commented: “Massive congratulations to the Sports Scholarship students and thank you to the programme sponsors and the Mo Farah Foundation for making this year’s Welcome

Reception and Scholarship Programme the biggest and best we’ve had. Our thanks as well go to our guest speakers Paul Dickenson, Alan Watkinson and Mo Farah who have shown that it’s not what you start with that drives success but what you put in to achieve it.”

The Mo Farah Academy Scholars are:

Jessica Andrews (BSc Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences) Athletics, middle/long distance running

Richard Clarke (BSc Product Design) Rowing

Samuel Randle (Graduate Diploma in Law) Rugby Union/7’s

Clieo-Rosellie Stephenson (BSc Psychology) Athletics, sprints

Other Sports Scholars for 2013/14 include:

Jonathan Schofield (MSc Sport Sciences) Flatwater sprint K2 200m kayak, London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist

Soji Aiyenuro (BSc Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences) Fencing, Junior Commonwealth Champion and Junior British Champion

Kristian McPhee (Graduate Diploma in Law) Olympic Weightlifting, British U23 Champion


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“The project provided substantial real-

world experience in small aircraft

construction, design, and flight analysis”

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Update: My Brunel HEARIn the Spring 2013 issue of Express (issue 18, page 5) we introduced the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), a formal degree transcript that lists students’ curricular and extra-curricular achievements.

At Brunel the report is known as My Brunel HEAR, and it’s now up and running – we find out more about the scheme’s development so far and round up some of the ways in which you can find out more and get involved.

Improving your employability is now part of the fabric of university life, and so developing tools to record the full scope of students’ achievements – both academic and extra-curricular – is increasingly important. My Brunel HEAR aims to help Brunel students make the most of the skills and experience they have gained through all of their diverse activities.

Brunel students who started their studies in September 2012 or September 2013 on a full-time undergraduate programme will receive a copy of My Brunel HEAR when they graduate. At the end of each academic year students will also receive an enhanced transcript of studies, which will show what they have achieved on their course as well as their wider activities.

You can find information on all aspects of the HEAR at www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/hear/students

How will the HEAR help me get a job?

You can now watch a 90 second video clip explaining how the HEAR can help graduates get started in their careers – it explains some of the advantages over other job applicants that can be gained by undertaking extracurricular activities and recording them on the HEAR. Watch the video now at www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/hear

What activities can be included? Currently Brunel has approved over 150 extracurricular activities that can be included in the HEAR, supported by the Union of Brunel Students, Brunel Volunteers, and the Placement and Careers Centre. These activities include: being a student ambassador, RAG officer, club captain, sports officer or class support assistant; joining the business life programme; or working with witness support. More are being added as we progress into this academic year – for the full list of approved activities visit www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/hear/activities

How can Brunel staff help? Whilst each School has its own HEAR champion, all staff can advise and guide students on My Brunel HEAR. The University has put

together an information page to help staff at www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/hear/staff

The HEAR in the news News articles relating to the HEAR can be found via links on the My Brunel HEAR homepage. The latest article is always listed at the top with the next two most recent articles beneath. This resource is intended for both students and staff and gives an external view of how the HEAR is perceived by employers and the media.

Get involved now! You can access online information about My Brunel HEAR and associated extracurricular activities by visiting the My Brunel HEAR web pages at www.brunel.ac.uk/courses/hear

and provided substantial real-world

experience to our students within the

scope of small aircraft construction,

design, and flight analysis.”

The microlight flown was the Skyranger,

a classic touring microlight aircraft. It

was constructed by students from a

set of kit parts supplied by Flylight

Airsports.


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Brunel ‘best in London’ for disabled and dyslexic studentsBrunel is the best University in London for disabled students, according to a report produced by the Trailblazers campaign in October 2013, entitled University Challenge. With a score of 91% overall in this national survey of facilities for disabled students in higher education, Brunel maintained its position alongside the top-ranking universities in the country, as established in the previous Trailblazers report produced in 2009.

The 2009 University Challenge report highlighted challenges relating to disabled people accessing higher education, and 2013’s edition investigated how access has improved or changed and considered how disabled students tackle new and existing challenges.

The Trailblazers Campaign, a national network of more than 400 young disabled people who work together to tackle social issues affecting young disabled people at a local and national level, conducted interviews with university representatives, gathered information from surveys completed by recent graduates, and surveyed university websites.

The results highlighted the continuing success of Brunel’s Disability and Dyslexia Service

(DDS), leading to a wave of publicity for the department and for the University as a whole in the local and national media. Comments on the BBC’s breakfast and lunchtime news praising the Brunel DDS inspired one alumnus who studied Biology in the 1970s to get back in touch. He said he felt “proud of how Brunel has grown and developed” since he was a student, and praised “the excellent support Brunel gives to disabled students at a time when so many universities appear not to be doing so well in this area”.

These comments reflect some of the findings of the Trailblazers’ Report, which revealed that a significant proportion of UK universities were failing to provide basic facilities for disabled students. Only half of the universities questioned

confirmed that all teaching rooms, study rooms and libraries are fully accessible to students with mobility difficulties. Only half have fully accessible inter-campus transport, and three quarters had not considered disabled students when planning Freshers’ Week information.

Alongside the BBC coverage, Brunel’s DDS was praised in an article in the Guardian newspaper entitled ‘Will my disability affect my graduate job?’. Considering how disabled applicants are viewed by graduate recruiters, the report singled out the effectiveness of Brunel’s three-way careers interview process, where students registered as disabled are provided with a combination of expertise from staff in the DDS and the Placement and Careers Centre, to discuss their interests and individual needs.

The Guardian article notes that, “It seems to be effective: employment outcomes for Brunel’s first degree leavers who registered a disability or learning difficulty last year are less than one percent lower than for their non-disabled peers.”

For information on the Trailblazers campaign, visit their website: www.mdctrailblazers.org/about

To read the full Trailblazers reports for 2009 and 2013, download the PDFs from www.mdctrailblazers.org/did-you-know

View the Brunel University Disability and Dyslexia Service webpage for more information about the services they offer: www.brunel.ac.uk/disability

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Maria Elizabeth Cummins, Occupational Therapy BSc

“I received a grant for specialist equipment to help me to study, which included a computer and a comfortable, adjustable chair. There was also the Assisted Technology Centre on campus with similar equipment that I was able to use regularly.

I never felt self-conscious if I needed to stand up, as nobody would stare! I didn’t feel alone when facing any kind of issue – there was always someone to talk to who could offer advice about the best course of action to take. I had my own support worker who

I was able to talk to if there were changes with my health, and he arranged extra support if necessary.

I cannot praise the DDS enough for all their support during my time at Brunel. They make an amazing team who are all very welcoming, friendly and kind. They genuinely care about each and every student, and understand that we are all individuals with unique needs. I would not have been able to complete my course without them. The work they do truly changes students’ lives – it makes what they thought was impossible, possible!”

Mimi Ho, Sport Sciences BSc and MSc

“Originally from Hong Kong, I came to Brunel University in 2005 to complete my undergraduate and Master’s degree in sport sciences. Upon completion, I went on to pursue my PhD at another institution in the UK.

My main reasons for choosing to study at Brunel University were its good reputation in Sport Sciences and the high quality of support and dedication to students with disabilities that it offers.

When I first arrived at Brunel, the disability advisor was very friendly and well aware of my special needs. The support worker coordinator arranged note-takers to render timely and appropriate support for me whenever I needed it.

I believe without the support provided by the Disability and Dyslexia Services, I could not have overcome all the obstacles and obtained my results. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Brunel University.”

Tahir Tariq, Sociology BSc

“I applied for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) once I arrived at Brunel. The Disability and Dyslexia Service went through the process with me and helped me apply.

I got lots of useful things out of my DSA – a new laptop with voice-recognition software, a printer, course books and an iPad. I also have a support worker who takes notes in my lectures and provides other support such as helping me get books in the Library.

I’ve been very fortunate at Brunel and I’d really recommend it as the support is fantastic!”

BRUNEL ACADEMICS TAKE CENTRAL ROLE IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AT CHELTENHAM FESTIVALS Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dany Nobus was appointed Psychologist-in-Residence at The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival this year, and was one of a number of Brunel academics to play a significant role in the 2013 Science and Literature Festivals.

Held in October, the Literature Festival’s Psychology Series was organised around the theme of memory. Professor Nobus curated eight events including chairing a discussion on ‘Dementia, Memory and Age’ featuring world-leading dementia experts. He also appeared alongside comedian and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax in front of a 1,500-strong crowd to discuss ‘Mindfulness’ as a technique for refocusing the mind away from negative thoughts.

The Festival also featured a unique live performance by Brunel Professors Will Self and Peter Wiegold of Kafka’s Wound, an interactive digital essay written by Self and featuring collaborations with Brunel staff and students. Professor Self gave a reading from the essay accompanied by live projections and klezmer influenced sounds played by Wiegold’s ensemble ‘notes inégales’ (

www.notesinegales.co.uk).

Professor Nobus commented: “As a research intensive institution that feels strongly about promoting public engagement, Brunel is proud to partner with the Cheltenham Literature Festival, one of the nation’s most highly respected platforms for

the public discussion of cutting-edge ideas. The Literature Festival celebrates the same values that have made our University so successful over the years: creative innovation, limitless exploration, concrete invention and inspirational discovery.”

At the Cheltenham Science Festival, held in June, Brunel academics Dr Ian Kill and Dr Jo Bridger discussed the basic biology underlying the ageing process and the premature ageing disease Progeria, in a session entitled ‘Ageing Fast and Slow’.

Director of Corporate Relations Andrew Ward highlighted the University’s role in public engagement at both Festivals:

“These invitations to Brunel colleagues indicate their profile and reputation and are a tribute to the University’s expertise in knowledge exchange. We look forward to developing our relationship with the Cheltenham Festivals further in the years to come.”

Find out more at www.cheltenhamfestivals.com or view video clips at www.youtube.com/user/cheltenhamfestivals

An interactive version of Kafka’s Wound can be found online at The Space –

http://thespace.lrb.co.uk.

Professor Terry Young named as top NHS innovator

Professor of Healthcare Systems Terry Young has been named in The Health Service Journal’s inaugural list of Top Innovators in the NHS.

The Journal’s team of expert judges said of Professor Young: “He is absolutely brilliant, a great innovator and incredibly tenacious. He’s seeking to address an important problem.”

A member of Brunel’s School of Information Systems, Computing

and Mathematics, Professor Young has been working on the application of simulation and modelling to the design of care systems. Following a 10 year project in the technology of care, he is now turning his attention to the services and systems of care, principally through the Cumberland Initiative which “aims to transform the quality and cost of NHS care delivery through simulation, modelling and systems thinking”.

STAFF NEWS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

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Starters and LeaversExpress welcomes some new faces and says goodbye to some of our colleagues who left Brunel in August, September and October 2013.

Welcome to…Dr Rui Baptista Chair, International Entrepreneurship | Dr Piotr Cieplak Senior Lecturer, Media | Ian de Vere Senior Lecturer, Design | Dr Terence Dovey Senior Lecturer, Psychology | Professor Christopher Frampton Professor, Wolfson Centre | Dr Michael Heller Senior Lecturer, Marketing | Dr Anita Howarth Senior Lecturer, Journalism | Professor Lane Hughston Professor, Mathematics | Dr Mujib Rahman Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering | Dr Hossein Sharifi Senior Lecturer, Supply Chain Management | Dr Andre Szameitat Chair, Psychology | Dr Savvas Triantafyllou Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering

Farewell to…Dr Ammar Aggoun Reader, Information and Communication | Dr Yuen Au Senior Lecturer, Advanced Manufacturing and Enterprise Engineering | Dr Julie Barnett Reader, Healthcare Research | Chris Chang Director of Academic Services | Dr Fiona Cotterill SRI Manager, Wolfson Centre | Professor Keith Dickson Deputy Head of Business School | Paal Elgvad Head of SITS and Learning Technology | Sharon Jager Director of Human Resources | Dr Panagiotis Konstantinou Senior Lecturer, Economics and Finance | Dr Alisa Lebow Senior Lecturer, Media | Dr Mohamed-Reza Mokhtarzadeh-Dehghan Reader, Mechanical Engineering | Professor Chris Rojek Professor, Sociology and Culture | Dr Anja Shortland Reader, Economics and Finance | Dr Wenhui Song Senior Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering | Dr Emmanuel Tsekleves Senior Lecturer, Electronic and Computer Engineering | Professor Haifeng Wang Chair, Power Systems

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STAFF NEWS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

Feminist campaigner and journalist Julie Bindel joins Brunel

Journalism students have welcomed the feminist activist and journalist Julie Bindel as journalist-in-residence for the 2013/14 academic year.

Julie joins the Journalism team as part of a secondment scheme run by the University for people from non-academic organisations.

Describing herself as a political lesbian feminist, Julie is a campaigner on behalf of female victims of violence including domestic violence, working with Justice

for Women, which she co-founded. Her interests are mainly in lesbian rights, opposition to the sex industry, sex trafficking and feminist law reforms.

Brunel’s Head of Journalism Sarah Niblock welcomed the appointment:

“Julie is a phenomenal journalist who never ceases to bring tough social affairs stories to the forefront of the news agenda. Our students find her passion for her subject matter infectious.”

OBITUARY: MEG GRIFFITHS

It was with great sadness that the University announced the death of Meg Griffiths, who passed away unexpectedly in October.

Meg joined the IT Support team of the School of Engineering and Design in August 2009 after a spell as Desktop Support Officer at Royal Holloway, University of London. Meg arrived at a time of significant expansion in IT support within the School and was a key member of a small group providing user support to SED staff, research students and staff in Research Centres, such as the Brunel Innovation Centre. Meg’s prior user support experience led to the implementation of numerous new processes and practices within the School’s IT support team.

Meg was not only held in high regard for her technical abilities and her strong work ethic but also for her friendliness and sense of humour. Meg played a significant role in our academic community both within the School and in the wider University and she will be sadly missed by all those staff and students who had the privilege to work with her.

With thanks to John Morse and Paul Worthington

Brunel awarded $100,000 to develop an artificial snail that could save 200 million lives A team led by Dr Edwin Routledge at Brunel’s Institute for the Environment has been awarded $100,000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help find a solution for Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease which has the second largest human health impact after malaria.

In order to become infectious to humans, the parasite must infect snails living in rivers and transform within them before returning to the water where it infects people by burrowing through their skin. The team will use bioassay directed fractionation techniques to isolate and identify specific chemicals released by the snail that attract the parasite towards it. These chemicals will ultimately be introduced into a biodegradable artificial snail, chemically indistinguishable to the parasites, which will draw them away from the live snail host.

Once inside the artificial snail the parasite will be unable to replicate, reducing the population of infected snails and thereby reducing transmission to humans.

To date, approaches to tackling the disease have included improved sanitation and snail control, through the use of molluscicides which could have negative impacts on the river ecology and on local fishing.

Dr Routledge said: “I have always been motivated by research that will make a difference. I see this as a great opportunity to use ecotoxicology approaches in a different way to help solve an important global human health issue.”

The foundation received over 2,700 applications in this call, out of which 84 were funded across 14 countries.

Brunel physicists celebrate Nobel Prize award for Higgs Boson scientistsThe Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize for Physics to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for their work on the theory behind the discovery of the Higgs Boson.

Physicists at Brunel are delighted to have been associated since 1995 in the construction and use of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) particle detector, which, with its friendly rival ATLAS, helped to discover the long-sought Boson earlier this year.

Brunel has been involved primarily with the design, construction and operation of the endcap electromagnetic calorimeter, which measures the energies of electrons and photons, and also of the central tracking detector, which uses over 200 square metres of silicon to measure the momentum of charged particles in a 3.8 tesla magnetic field.

Professor Peter Hobson leads Brunel’s CMS group, and the team’s work is supported by funds from the UK STFC.

Brunel launches first university comedy research centre

The first international university research centre devoted to the academic study of comedy was officially launched at Brunel in October.

The inauguration of the interdisciplinary Centre for Comedy Studies Research (CCSR) attracted a diverse audience of Brunel colleagues and students, academics, comedians, and comedy promoters, directors, critics, bloggers and fans.

The workings of the comedy industry were discussed by a panel of eminent professionals, including: Steve Best, comedian and co-founder of Abnormally Funny People; comedians and Brunel graduates Jo Brand and Lee Mack; Geoff Rowe BEM, founder and Director of Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival; and Deborah Williams, writer, theatre-maker and digital composer.

The evening also featured the launch of Film and TV Studies lecturer Dr Leon Hunt’s book Cult British TV Comedy: From Reeves and Mortimer to Psychoville, followed by a performance written and directed by Theatre lecturer Dr Broderick Chow entitled Out of Office (An Electronic Academic Comedy) and starring Dr Mary Richards and students Samuel Gibbons and Normae Nundlall.

Hosted by the Department of Sociology and Communications, the CCSR examines the production, content, reception and socio-political implications of comedy in all its formats. In November, the Centre launched the Comedy Matters Research Seminar Series – find out more at www.brunel.ac.uk/ccsr.

RESEARCH NEWS :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

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Tool to measure the effect of smoking interventions will be rolled out across the EU following €2 million grant A decision-support tool comparing the cost of anti-smoking interventions with savings to the local economy and the wider health sector will be rolled out in countries across Europe following a €2 million funding grant.

Tobacco smoking still kills about 700,000 people each year in Europe alone and the annual economic cost of smoking across the Continent is an estimated €98-130 billion, but in the current financial climate, local authorities face new challenges to balance public health measures – which cost money in the short term – with economic returns which may only be realised over many years.

First launched in 2011, the Brunel-developed tool measures the return on investment of tobacco intervention packages at a local rather than national level, allowing local governments to weigh costs against savings. Users draw on particular local circumstances, statistics and datasets to create the most accurate model possible.

The tool is already in use around the UK, but as the European leader on tobacco control we face different challenges than other countries, where smoking prevalence may be much higher. The €2,047,908, three-year grant from the EU’s Framework Programme 7 will help the Brunel team understand how the tool can be co-created in a number of European countries.

“The value of the project has been hugely increased by austerity measures across the EU and it has been developed in that context,” explains Dr Pokhrel. “Similar tools have been commissioned recently by NICE regarding alcohol and physical activity – this is a new outlook on healthcare intervention funding.”

Dr Pokhrel has assembled a large team for the project’s extension into Europe, including a number of former Brunel students now working across the world.

Marta Trapero-Bertran from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, completed her PhD at Brunel in 2011, and will co-ordinate the development of the new tool in Spain, evaluating local data and adapting the model to allow for cultural and contextual differences.

Now a researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich, Matthias Vogl spent two months working with Dr Pokhrel in 2009 as part of his studies in business administration. He is an expert in cost accounting within the health sector and will work in the German team, creating a country specific model that will feed into the wider European framework.

Professor Doug Coyle, now based at the University of Ottawa, travelled to Brunel regularly while completing his PhD on the impact on uncertainty on economic evaluations in the healthcare sector. He will lead on the project’s economic modelling aspects.

IN BRIEF

Professor of Innovation and Social Enterprise Shyama Ramani (pictured above) gave a TEDx talk in Maastricht on her experience tackling sanitation problems in India. She explained how, following the 2004 tsunami, she established a new business model to ensure access to toilets, by employing villagers to maintain them: “Unless the juggernaut carrying toilets to rural areas is supported by small, local organisations which are able to ensure that they are desired and will be maintained afterwards, we are not going to get the best results.”

In a project commissioned by Barclaycard, Dr Dorothy Yen and Dr Maged Ali from Brunel Business School have identified four ‘modern shopping tribes’ defined by analysis of customers’ shopping behaviour. Find out if you are a Bargain Hunter Gatherer, High Street Pounder, Screen Saver or Profit Prophet at www.barclaycard.co.uk/freedomrewards/whats-your-shopping-style

Brunel has joined forces with eight other institutions to train the next generation of environmental scientists as part of the new London Doctoral Training Partnership. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council as part of a £100 million programme, the group has been allocated 24 studentships per year for the next five years. Students will receive training in advanced research as well as in professional and business skills.

A team including researchers from Brunel and RAND Europe has analysed the impact of the first Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs), launched five years ago to improve the transfer of cutting-edge medical research to real healthcare settings. They found that building credibility and adopting a flexible, iterative approach to presenting new ideas was key to the CLAHRCs’ success.


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Four new Technology Fellowships free researchers to explore

Time to explore unexpected results is a rare luxury for researchers, but four new Technology Fellows at Brunel’s Experimental Techniques Centre now have a golden opportunity to follow their projects wherever they lead, using the Centre’s state-of-the-art investigative equipment.

Tim Minton from the School of Engineering and Design, Brian McKay from the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), and Beatrice Nal-Rogier and Helen Foster, both from the School of Health Sciences and Social Care, have all been awarded Technology Fellowships for 2013-14.

The idea for the Fellowships arose as the ETC took delivery in the Spring of its new £2 million Field Emission Gun Transmission Electron Microscope, the only one in the UK and one of only two in the world. Professor Ian Boyd, who heads the ETC, was keen to see this remarkable piece of equipment put to maximum use, so he and his colleagues decided to offer three new Fellows priority and unrestricted access to all the ETC facilities.

Candidates needed to be academics in the early stages of their career, looking for an opportunity to do some original work, prepared to collaborate with ETC staff on papers and with a commitment to submit at least one major collaborative research proposal within their 12 month tenure.

“The applications that were submitted were so good,” said Professor Boyd, “that we decided to offer four Fellowships rather than three. A key aim for us was to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, so we were very pleased to receive applications from biosciences researchers as well as those from our more familiar engineering colleagues.”

The four new Fellows are looking at some very different problems. Beatrice Nal-Rogier is examining the replication cycle of viruses, particularly the point at which

Strands of the influenza A virus burst from an infected human cell, in a picture taken by Beatrice Nal-Rogier. She is investigating what happens at the cell wall during this process, looking for new ways to control infection.

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the viral material that has been developing inside an infected cell rises to the surface of the cell to form a new particle.

“The mechanism that creates this new particle is not well understood,” she said. “We think that there may be a connection between this process and the shape that the virus subsequently takes on. This is of particular importance for influenza A viruses, because most of these that we find in infected humans are elongated, while viruses in the laboratory are generally spherical.

“By examining the formation of particles on the cell surface, we hope to find a more effective way of preventing transmission of viral infections.”

Her colleague, Helen Foster, is using the new microscope to contribute to several different projects, working with Dr Emmanouil Karteris, Professor Nigel Saunders and Dr Ian Kill. These range from a detailed examination of the behaviour of hormone receptors, through an investigation of the effects of antibiotics on bacteria, to a look at the structure of diamond-carbon coated de-cellurised pig collagen.

This remarkable material, called Permacol, is used in surgery to help repair hernias and other wounds because it can be penetrated by human cells to form new flesh without generating an immune response. When rolled into tubes, it may also be useful in repairing veins and arteries, and Helen is checking the strength of the adhesion between the coating and the collagen to see how reliable

this material might be in these more demanding environments.

Brian McKay’s two projects are linked to controlling the microstructure of alloys, a key factor in BCAST’s aim of improving techniques for recycling metal. In one project he is heating metallic glass under the microscope to see how the process of crystallisation leads to new microstructures. In the other, he is investigating the particles of iron that accumulate in recycled aluminium alloys. If these particles can be persuaded to form tiny spheres, rather than the more normal plate or needle shapes, the resulting alloy is much tougher and less prone to cracking. Brian is looking deep inside microscopic iron spheres that have formed naturally, to see what lies at their centre and find out how they were made.

Tim Minton is working on a revolutionary new metal cutting tool, which is cooled not by being drenched in litres of environmentally-unfriendly coolant, but by using its own, closed circuit internal cooling system. Before this tool can be used on a large scale, manufacturers need to be sure that the machined surface it leaves behind is at least as good, if not better, than that achievable by conventionally cooled equipment.

“Equipment costs are a major headache for researchers,” said Tim. “In the past I have spent £1,000 getting just four numbers, taking 30 hours of machine time to do it. This Fellowship has opened multiple doors – it frees us from clock-watching and lets us explore our mistakes. This is where real discoveries are made.”

“A key aim was to encourage

cross-disciplinary collaboration, so we

were pleased to receive applications from

biosciences researchers as well as engineering

colleagues”

“This Fellowship has opened multiple

doors – it frees us from clock-watching and lets us explore

our mistakes”

Influenza A viruses show their typical string-like structure. Finding a way to stop them taking on this shape may help scientists to prevent illness.

A slice through one of the spherical iron particles being investigated by Brian McKay, which measures approximately three millionths of a metre across.

Looking inside an iron particle; the scale shown here represents 500 billionths of a metre.


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SITS IN FIGURES

2,626,624 Pieces of data produced by

the team, including the Student HESA return

165 User queries received in a typical week

2,500 eVision log-ins in a typical day

“I hope that the mission says it all,” explains Sarah McGowan, Head of SITS Data Management.

“We have a strong, capable team that I’m very proud of.”

Based on the second floor of the Wilfred Brown Building, Sarah’s team has three distinct departments: Development, Operations, and Reporting. While the responsibilities of each department vary, all are centred on their use of the student records system, known as SITS.

“We all have a passion for data and for the use of our self-service tools, such as eVision,” explains Sarah, referring to the web-based version of SITS, with which students and staff will inevitably become familiar during their time at Brunel.

The Development team is primarily responsible for expanding the potential of eVision, making it more user-friendly as well as answering queries from users and implementing changes based upon their feedback.

The processing of data is performed by the Operations team, often in response to course set-up with colleagues in Timetabling and Awarding (TAG). They also assist with new Senate regulations and implement various aspects of the SITS system.

The Reporting team ensures that accurate information is passed on to appropriate parties both internally and externally, in the required formats.

Behind the Scenes at…

SITS Data ManagementThe SITS Data Management team is guided by their mission statement: “to enable the capture, processing, communication and extraction of accurate student data”. Express takes a look behind the scenes to find out what this mean day-to-day.

As a whole, SITS Data Management is responsible for ensuring that the University completes statutory external returns to agencies such as the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The department also provides internal data to Brunel administrative departments and Schools through the Business Objects/Infoview reporting suite, which enables the data held in SITS to be queried and reported on.

Whilst SITS Data Management is not generally a student-facing department, the team are keen to emphasise how frequently they are involved at key events in the academic calendar, as well as providing important behind the scenes help.

“Our office enjoys helping out at University events like Clearing, Graduation, exam invigilation and Registration,” says Sarah. “I love getting involved with these on-campus events,” adds Pam Dhami, SITS Operations Officer. “It was great to meet and greet people at Registration in September.”

s s s

Enrolment at the start of next academic year

Application for placement (if applicable)

Publication of module results – year 2


Application for ‘Access to Learning Fund’ (ALF)

Parking permit application

Update next of kin Update personal detailsDisclosure and Barring Service (DBS) payment

Scholarship application

Publication of final transcript and awardGraduation attendance confirmation (including paying for tickets)


Enrolment at the start of next academic year

Module selection

Registration (including access to their network ID, and uploading an ID photo)

Fee Status Questionnaire

My Applications becomes available (once a student has been made an offer)Student’s eVision Journey

Sarah McGowan – Head of SITS Data Management

“My role is about oversight of the team. They all have different expertise, but I do feel you need someone to join it up. I’m a very operational manager, and as I’ve worked here for nearly twenty years I’ve done most of the tasks I set my team!

A lot of the role is about striving for efficiency in process and continuous review. The journey for about 80% of students is simple, while about 20% do struggle – we have to consider the onwards impact of our decisions, especially for those exceptions.

I play a key role in the planning and management of certain projects like implementing the new Senate Regulations and the Key Information Sets (KIS). Today I have been at various meetings – I’m probably in meetings 80% of the week!

I love people, making change and striving to improve processes. Outside of work I have two young children who take over my life!”

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Chris Miller – SITS Development Officer

“I’m one of three developers in the team who cover SITS client and eVision. The database side is mainly related to queries, and the eVision side is about developing the database and putting data onto the web.

Users ask varied questions, about individual student records or specific to an eVision facility we’ve created in the past. I enjoy answering queries on completely random things that you wouldn’t assume are in SITS – it keeps you on your toes!

Every quarter Sarah allocates us a project or two. Presently, we’re working on a research management facility that supervisors and research students can use to arrange things like meetings and extensions. The most challenging aspect of the job is the massive demand on our time – our development schedule goes up to 2016!

In my spare time I’m an amateur journalist and keep a football blog.”

Pam Dhami – SITS Operations Officer

“I set the fees for new and returning students, ensuring that, for returners, fees are set in line with the permitted percentage increase. I’m also responsible for dealing with Student Loan Company files, confirming students’ attendance and ensuring that they get their maintenance loans on time and that their tuition fee gets paid to the University. For students in financial hardship who are due an emergency loan from the Access to Learning Fund, I create the file that ensures that payment is made.

Every day is different. Today, I’ve been confirming attendance to the Student Loans Company so that students receive their loans on time, doing scholarship work, and updating records. It’s satisfying providing a service to students, especially those in hardship. The most challenging part of the job is ensuring that we meet all our priorities at busy times.

At home I’ve spent a lot of time recently painting and decorating, as I’ve just bought a new house!”

Alan Longbottom – SITS Reporting Officer

“It’s my job to get data in the database out to the appropriate people in the correct manner. For example, Admissions might need monthly stats of applicants and their status – accepted or rejected – to pass to Senior Management and the Schools.

We do data quality and checking, for example when departments like Admissions or the Student Centre flag up reports they’ve received that don’t make sense. A student might not have 120 credits – maybe they’re missing a module, or resitting and they shouldn’t be. I make sure the record’s set up correctly, so it doesn’t cause problems further down the line.

The most satisfying part of the role is solving problems for people or coming up with successful time-saving strategies. The most challenging part is dealing with unavoidably rushed deadlines.

Outside of work, I like going to see live music.”

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See your photos here!

Want to see your images published in Express? Submit your best pictures of anything Brunel and you could see them in the Express gallery. Email your high resolution photos (ideally 1MB+) to [email protected] or submit them on Brunel’s Flickr or Facebook pages.

IN PICTURES :: EXPRESS MAGAZINE

THE GALLERY

Fireworks 2013 attracts record crowds

Brunel’s fireworks display for 2013 was a huge success, with around 4,500 people enjoying a spectacular display and bonfire.

The fireworks were accompanied by a ‘tropical’ themed soundtrack, with music ranging from the Lion King to Hawaii Five-0! The capacity crowd at the sports pitches on Kingston Lane also enjoyed fairground games, fire dancers, music from Radio Brunel and food stalls.

View the official photos on Flickr at http://bit.ly/brunelfireworks13

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