King's College London newsletter
LPLACEDTO S CCEED? Follo ing aftrst meeting with the new Principal in December last year. Comment again viSlled Professor Beynon to tal a lil/le more about his views as he anticipates his move 10 King's. 'ince \H poke in December you have got to kno\ more about King' - what are )our impre ion? O\er the past few month I have made quit a f w vi I and met many of the s 'nior acad mic and administrative laff. I hope to mect more before I join but. rcah"lIcally, Il wil1 not be until I am With you full time that I will be able to meet lots more people. However, I am already gClling a feel for the College and how it goes about it busines and I mu t say I am impres 'cd with the quality of the p ople I ha e met Illead of Schools, for example, are a very r cent innovation but I have a firm impre ion thalthey are fulfilling their role in a very effective way. Each eem LO have an excellent feci for the activitie of hi. School and to be consciou of the prc 'surc - political, financial and academiC - to which the College, like all unl\' r itie , i being subjected. I also get the impre sion that tho e I have met work hard and arc commilled to their jobs, so all in all I am eryencouraged, A major ta k confronting u i the preparation of our Academ ic Plan how do you think thi ha gone? ['vc been able to do lillle more than keep abreast of the di cu ions but I'm imprcsscd with the way the plan has developed. It was clear that some difficult d ci ion had to be taken but those involved eem to have faced up to the realitie and not baulked at grasping a
Flying thejlag! Members of staffJrom the Chinese Cultural University Taipei's Department of Dance, after performing a spectacular display of dance at King's. The group were visiting England on the occasion of the inauguration of the British Taiwan Cultural Institute which was recently established by Taiwan authorities.
number of nettles. From the outside it eem to have been collegiality at its best - colleagues asking critical que Lion of ea h other but with a view to deciding '" hat i be t for the College as a whole, nOt ju t their own sectoral interests. Have th right deci ion been taken? Becau e of my lack of detailed knowledge of King's it's difficult for me to comment with any certainty but, as I said, I'm impre ed by the approach that's been taken - open and critical discus ion - with weaknes es as well as strengths being expo ed. In thi day and age we cannot afford to uppOrL every activity - we must b selective; but lavishly supponing only the strongest may not be in an institution' be tlong-term intere ts. King' ,I feel, has come to a good compromise between upporting its strong departments and wanting to help improve some weaker ar as for the sake of the overaU balance of the College's ponfolio. Are we ready, then, to face the 'changing times' of ..vhich we spoke last time? As I've already aid, I'm very encouraged by the way King's is facing the future. But I should point out that in Lallcing to pcople both inside and outside the College I have formed a clear picture of an institution which had, until recently at least, lost ground overall with respect to ome of the other London colleges and ome of the younger universities. As a re ult of the merger and the transfer of departments, King's has of course changed con iderably over the last few year and maybe this has generated the determination that now evidently exists that King' i once more going to become a leading in titution in the country; but whatever the cause it is a healthy change which in my view has come just in time. You sound as if you believe things are in a critical condition? I think that for King's they are, but in saying that I do not wish to imply that I believe King's i on the verge of academic or financial collapse: no, it is much more a ca e of what son of institution King's is going to be in a few years time. When we last spoke I referred in general terms to the changing scene in higher education. Let me now be more specific.
2
The Government i determined that public spending is not to rise linearly with gross domestic product. Since the increasing number of elderly will inevitably make greater demand on the health and social service, higher education cannot realistically expect a greater share of public spending than it already ha . However, the Government i determined to see an increase in the number of students going into higher education: they plan that the 330,000 FfEs in univer ity last year wiU rise to over 400,000 by the year 2000. It follows that the resource we receive per tudent (from public funds, at least) must fall. Whatever we may think of this as a policy, what we mu t consider are the consequences for King's. The most important con equence tems from the UGC/UFC's decision to bow to Government pressure and to separate the funding of teaching and research, with allocations for the latter being increasingly selective. Following the first ever research selectivity exercise in 1986 you may recall that the UGC allocated 14% of the grant for JR, that is the judgemenLal element of research. When the research selectivity exercise was repeated last year the UFC expressed its intention of increasing the weighting as ociated with this judgemental aspect of research and my guess is that when this exercise is repeated in 1993/94 we are likely to see a further increase in the selective distribution of research funds. The bidding process has already made clear that teaching on both sides of the binary divide is to be funded at similar levels. Universities will receive, on average, more money per student becau e they do much more research, e pecially basic research, than polytechnic. But a funding for research becomes increasingly selectively distributed those universities doing little basic research will find themselves funded at levels comparable to polytechnics. A few year ago the suggestion was made that all universities would be graded according to the quality and quantity of their research as opposed to their teaching. The idea of classifying an entire university as R (largely research), T (mainly teaching), and X (a mixture) has been formally dropped but, as I have indicated, the notion of selectively funding research ha not disappeared by any means: thu although R, T and X as
labels for whole universitie have disappeared from our vocabulary, the funding ystem i moving inexorably towards increasingly selective re earch funding. I'm afraid thi has become a long an wer to your question but I hope you can now see what I am leading to. In a nutshell the on of in titution King's will be i going to be decided by i progress in re earch in the next few years. In the 1989 research rankings King's came out at almost exactly the mid-point in the league table (coincidenLally on a level pegging with Surrey) and was clearly a middle-ofthe-road X institution. As research funding becomes more selective these in titutions will inevitably find themselves in an unstable position: they will go up or down. I have no doubt whatsoever in which direction I want to see King's go and, from talking to people in the last few months, I know King's taff share the same goal. But let's make no mistake - time is not on our side. As I mentioned earlier the UFC intend to repeat its re carch selectivity exercise again in 1993/94. Bearing in mind the time lag between increase in research activity and the improvement in tangible indicators such as publications, awarding of grants, etc, we have linle time to ensure that we are significantly further up the ladder by then. It's absolutely vital, in my view, that we move up in the research ratings. Those Departments already scoring 5s must not be complacent and ensure that they stay there; those who are below, especially those much below, must do everything they can to increase their research standing. The only justification, in my view, for a central London-based institution with its inevitably aboveaverage costs is that the institution must itself be substantially above-average; excellence in research is a sine qua non for King's. So you think research is much more important than teaching? Well in the light of what I've been saying that's a fair question, but one to which you may be surprised to hear the an wer no. Clearly I believe high quality research is vital if any institution is to continue to resemble what most of us regard of as 'universities', but universities are not research institutes. Unlike research institutes universities have two functions, one is to do research
and the other i to tea h - 'educate' would be a ller word. Thu a fu t la ollege i one here there is research and ery good
What do 'ou mean b ver good teaching?
I That'
a difficult que lion to an wer e "pcclally ",hen so much i changing in th edu allon I ba kground of tho e "'anting a univer ity education - and ",hen tudenLS them elve want a greater say in what and, indeed, how they are taught. I think it can be t be answered indirectly by de cribing what the result of good teaching (education) is. A prerequi ite for a ucce sful cour e is that it attract good 'tudcnLS. In future this is going to mean greater nexibility of approach on our part by offering nOl only a choice of final year option (which most cour e do already) but a1 '0 offering different structure and pattern of leaming. We need more of a partner 'hip with tudent to get the be t out of each individual.
Secondly, ucce ful course will retain "tudenLS. Irre pcctive of the detail of loan arrangemenLS etc, it eems clear that in the future tudenLS will have a larger personal inve tment in their future and tudent retention may become as important as student recruitment. Retention will be achieved only if we maintain studenLS' interest and, ideally, their enthusiasm. In this connection I am reminded of a talk I heard many years ago by the then Chairman of the UGC (who happened to be an engineer), saying that one of the thing that engineering academic did to studenLS in their fir t term ",a to turn them off. I think he wa right: we have a tendency - and I'm sure it' not confined to engineering - to pre surise our "tudenLS and 0 constrain them in the way they are to do things that we actually discourage them from thinking for thcmsel e and taking initiative. The whole etho of education now is how to make the whole proces more intere ting and to give LUdenLS more flexibility and choice: thi mu t be a good thing. This bring. me to a third point: succe sful courses hould, I believe, prepare rudenLS for the world of work and, one hopes, ati. fying careers. I'm not advocating a narrow vocationali m or the substitution of training for education - I firmly bel ieve
that univer ity cour hould gi e tudenLS a thorough grounding in the fundamental of their ubject and be imellecw.ally demanding. But, in addillon, e must pa more attention to the so-called 'per nal and tran ferable kill ' whi h are so aluable in ubsequem employment. Another aspect of our undergraduate course which we mu t addre i the tendency to ard over peciali ation temming from our con cious, or subeonious, belief that the majority of graduate , especially in the iences, are going to enter the world of re arch. This has never been a very justifiable approach and with the increa ing participation rate and other changes to which I have already referred it is going to be even more inappropriate in the future. King's is in the fortunate po ition of attracting well qualified studenLS and the percentage of good degrees awarded is above a erage. These are trong indications that the course being offered are attractive and the quality of teaching is high, but we cannot afford to be complacent - we mu t anticipate changing need and keep one step ahead of the competition. Perhaps I might add that all the changes to which I have referred could well mean, indeed will almost certainly mean, that our future output of graduate i going to be different from the past. But 'different' doesn't mean worse; indeed on the basis that one definition of quality is 'fitness for purpose' our output may be even beller. Can we evaluate teaching in the same way as research, can we give our elves 1-5 on teaching ability? In attempting to judge the quality of re carch there are obviou performance indicator that give at lea t a measure of quality. In teaching it' much more difficult to think of - let alone agree what criteria one might use. But this does not mean that the quality of our teaching is of no concern; nor doe it mean that we should not strive to be beller at it. As I keep saying, the educational scene is changing and it follow, therefore, that what may have been a successful way of teaching in the past may not be the best in the future. I have already mentioned
some of the chara teri ti '" hi h I would associate with good ourse ,but perhap I could mention one other - as mem where I think it i time we re-examined our pr edure and, in parti ular, mov a a from our over-dependen e (in many ubjec ,at least) on con entional 3-hour closed-book, examination. ithout doubt, uch examination asse certain abitilie but I am increasingly coneerned that they do not me ure many of the auribute which we ourselve would claim we are trying to imbue in our tudenLS. I fully understand the ad antage of conventional examination but I think their shortcoming are now making the case for more imaginative and realistic asses ment procedure irresi tible. If ou could magically change one thing o ernight what would it be? I would like universities to become, and be scen to be, increa ingly relevant to society at large. The present Government eem convinced that universitie are a luxury which the nation can no longer afford; that we have had it too ea y for too long and we are (still) inefficient place overstaffed by people whose only intere t is in their narrow intro pective peciali m. ow of cour e I - indeed all of us as academic - think the Government i wrong. But the only way I believe that we can bring about a change of altitude (and, incidentally, I don't think a change of Government will make much difference) is if we can relate more closely to society generally. This mu t apply to the type of education which we offer to the increasing number of undergraduates which we are being expected to take, to our increa ing involvement in po tgraduate and, more generally, po texperience education, to the education and training we give to our research tudenLS, and to our research programme them elve which, as I indicated at the beginning of this conversation, are crucial to our future as a univer ity institution. Only by the e means will universities again acquire the statu they de erve and will academic be looked up to as valued members of ociety. Politic i the art of the po ible, and universities will continue to be threatened by Government only if they are thought to be unimportant. othing would please me more than to find further financial pressure on us countered by those whom we are here to
continued on page 16
3
STAFF NEWS '路1 EW FELLOWS OF KING'S COLLEGE LO DO King' College London is pleased to announce the following as Fellows of the College. PRE E TATIO FELLOWS Dr Anita Brookner, ovelist and Art Historian. Or Roberto Carneiro, Portuguese Mini ter of Education. Professor Sir Randolph Quirk, Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of London and President of the British Academy. ELECTED FELLOWS Mr David Ball, Director of Finance and Staff, King's College London. Professor Paul Black, Professor of Science Education, King's College London. Professor Brian Boycott, Honorary SeniorRe earch Fellow, Guy's Hospital Medical School. Professor Francis Jacobs, Advocate General, Court of Justice of the European Communities. Mr Carroll Macnamara, Treasurer of the College Council, King's College London. Professor Norman MaIcolm, Philosopher and Visiting Professor in the Department of Philosophy, King's College London. Professor Richard Sorabji, Professor of Ancient Philosophy, King's College London.
COU CIL ELECTIONS Professor S WE Earles has been elected a professorial member of the Council in succession to Professor J M Bately for a three year term of office. In the nonprofessorial category there will be a )Xlstal ballot to elect a successor to the retiring member, Dr C F Thurston. 4
Professor Curtis Price of the Department of Music has received a $125,000 grant from the United States ational Endowment for the Humanities. It has been awarded jointly to Profes or Price and to Professors R D Hume and J Millious, to enable them to complete books on the history of opera in England in the eighteenth century.
The Department of War Studies has recently been awarded two new research grants: Professor Lawrence Freedman, from the Ford Foundation, for a joint projcct on 'The Political Context of Conventional Arms Control in Europe: an Historical Analysis' (with Professor Catherine Kelleher of the Center for International Security Studies at the University of Maryland). This research grant was awarded after some stiff competition from 128 other proposals which were also submitted Dr Ephraim Karsh, from the ESRC, for 'Nuclear, Chemical and Missile Proliferation in the Middle East.
KEY OTE ADDRESS Professor lan Kennedy, Head of the School of Law, gave the Keynote Address on Medical Law at the 9th Commonwealth Law Conference held between 16 to 21 April in Auckland, New Zealand.
I OBITUARY MAJOR PATRICK ROBERT REID MC MBE (1910-1990): Colditz hero and Kingsman dies Patrick Robert Reid's name will forever be synonymous with Colditz where as 'Escape Officer (British)' between October 1940 and April 1942 he helped arrange the escape attempts of over 70
officers from Oflag IVC. He also chronicled in The Co/dilZ Story and The Laller Days many of the feats of very con iderable daring performed by British and Allied officers in the camp. In 1973 the story was televised by the BBC, and Colditz was again made a household name for a generation which had no recollection of the war. Today Schloss Colditz is being developed as a tourist attraction with a museum named after Reid. It contains a collection of remarkable memorabilia which only survived because a local museum curator hid it in a roof after disobeying orders to destroy it. Less well remembered is the fact that Pat Reid was a Kingsman. Born in Ranchi, India,in 1910, he was educated at Ireland's Eton, Clongowe Wood School, Co Kildare, and Wimbledon College. In 1928 he was admitted to the Faculty of Engineering having taken the Founder's Company Scholar hip. An early discovery, that a fellow first year's brand new bowler was more useful as a container of beer than an article of headgear, naturally led to his membership of the 'Beers', or the long line of Engineering students responsible for maintaining the College's more rumbustious traditions and the caretakership of Reggie. A particularly active participant in the 1929 rag, which began with University College students being soundly defeated at Mitcham with a bombardment of rotten fruit and vegetables from Covent Garden, Reid and two colleagues ended the night tarring and feathering the statue of the discus throwers on the steps of University College. Had they stopped there they might just have got away with it but the decorating of the portico with red and blue enamel paint and signing of King's in several places was judged out of order, especially since it included the War Memorial. In the furore which followed the three accepted full responsibility, a)Xllogised, explained that they had not reali ed, because of the dark, that they were daubing the War memorial, and, after a disciplinary hearing, were sent down for two terms. Returning to College, Reid was never to be far from mischief. He founded the 13 Club for students who, as W 0 Skeat, the Engineering Society's historian, politely put it, had' for some reason or another been unlucky at College'. (The Club was still meeting over 25 years later). In 1930
dunn • the then traditional ceremonial ral 109 and lowering of Reggie in alute to the Lord 1ayor' proce ion, elephanLS In Lip parade tned to boil. Of 1 ially it .\' e plained that the elephan ",ere alrald 01 the hon, their natural enemy, but in the annal of the Engmecnng SOClCty th 'rc arc 'elled referen e to a certain Iri hman ho attempted to aur t thelT auention. Th c\cnt made the h dlinc and 10 a politi ai anoon Lo pi ked up on th in ident to sho L10yd Gcorge and oth r I . ding polillcian holding aloft Regglc 10 the hara ter of Britain frightening clephanLS labelled India and Indian tate. !
I
In hi . final year Reid's popularity led to hI.' clc lion a President of the Engineering 0 iety and as uch he wa congmtuImed on the orderlinc of thc conduct of the Society' affair during his year, Including the delivery of a Prc identiai paper on 'High Speed Oil Fuel Injection'. It was with tongue in cheek, however, that th editor of King's College Engineer rcponed Reid' referencc in hi Presidentlal'p ch to turning 0 er a new leaf. adcmlcally he made good and was awarded a econd Clas Honour degree.
In hi' first job he worked on co ting and production for Mes r R W Web ter and later 'erved his pupilage with Sir Alex G I bb and Partncrs. In 1936 he was elected an A ociate Member of Lhe InsLiLuLion of Civil Engineers. As a supplemenLary Reserve Officer, Royal Army Service Corp ,he was mobilised at the oULbreak of the Second World War and on 20 SepLember 1939 wenL to France wiLh Lhe 2nd BriLi h Expeditionary Force, appropriately enough given his rag record, a' RASC Divi ional AmmuniLion Officer. He Lhen aw extensive service in France and Belgium before being capLured outh of Cas el at the end of May 1940. Rapidly Lran poned with 200 other BriLi h Officer inLo Germany he made his fir t e ape by Lunnel with five other from Laufen VIlC POW camp, near Salzburg. ReeapLured in Lhe AusLrian Tyrol afLer five days, he pent six weeks in solitary confinement, four of them on bread and water. He wa then among the firsL BriLi h Officers LO be Lran ferred to ColdilZ. IL was here Lhal his enthusiasm for all Lypes of roguery really blossomed and there can be liLLle doubllhal his early elecLion a Escape Officer was an inspired choice.
Hi particular fa iliLy w to be .... ith I . After the ar, Hauptman Egger , Lhe Securily om er for ColdilZ, wrote in hi boo Co/ditz - The German Story, there med to be liule that .... e could do a Ul the false ey ",hi h .... ere being made to fil every loc we (thc Germans) u d, even Zel four-way loc .' Dougla Bader wnting in the Sunda Express in )9 5 on luded thal Reid would have becn a formidable housebreaker if the inclinalion had ever taken him lhal ay. The e ape auempl which eventually freed him and three colleague used these kill , as the four CUl through the German occupied part of the casLle and Reid picked a lock in ear hOl of German guards. They al 0 openly cro ed a floodlil courtyard and moal before making good Lheir e cape. All four reached SwilZerland safely bUl before Reid had a chance to recover and make good hi journey home, SwilZerland wa surrounded. He was therefore offered the po 1of A i lanl Military Altache in the BriLi h Legation in Berne and Larted work in arch 1943. PromOLed within the con ular service, after the War he went as Fir 1 Secretary to lhe BriLi h Emb y aL Ankara, 1946-49, moving in 1949 lO Pari' as Chief AdminiSLraLOr to the Organisalion for European Economic Co-operaLion which administered the Marshal I Plan. In laler life he farmed and also look succes ive directorhips in Richard Costain and W S Alkins and Parlners, Consulting Engineers. In April thi year, already very frail, he aLtended the 45th annual reunion of the ColdilZ veleran which was auended by the group's paLron, The Queen Mother. Interviewed for The Times he explained lhal escape wa like a disease, 'If you've e caped once or lwice, you can'l really give il up' bUl he al 0 explained that whal he remembered mo 1 aboul ColdilZ were the mistakes. With a per onaltrack record which cumulaLively included more than a third of a year in solitary confinemenl he had more lime than mo 1to know lhe difference beLween bravado and bravery. Throughoul hi life he was a good friend LO King's and an interesled member of the Engineering Sociely. When he spoke to the SocielY aboul ColdilZ his successors, in full spiril, convened the stage of the large leclure inlO a model of the prison. If his innate sense of modesly wa perhaps urpri ed
by the fu iL was definitel)' a pie e of theaLre mu h in hi lyl!
RIC
0
r John uir, Vice-Principal (Exlernal RelaLion ) ho led a reception al the Annual Conference of the aLional As ociation for Foreign Sludent Affair in Portland, Oregon on 16 May, LO celebrate the opening of King' College London' orth American Office in orthamplon, Ma sachu elLS. The cost of thi Office i
Patricia O/msted parLly financed by a UFC Fund-Rai ing IniLiaLive Grant. IL has a lwofold objective - lO support alumni fund-raising initiatives in the Uniled SLaleS and lO provide information on the oppOrtunilie for orth American sludenLS, parLicularly al poslgraduate level, to sludy al King' Patricia C Dim led is to be the rlTSL DirecLOr. Mrs OlmsLed, who gradualed from Radcliffe College, has been A sociate Dean for Intercollegiate Sludy and Dean of the Sophomore Class al Smith College, since 1981. Her as ocialion wiLh Smith College date back lO 1951. AL the reception, John Muir said 'we view lhe opening of this Office as the logical nexl slep in the service we provide lo our many friends in the United States, whether they be alumni or sLudy abroad advisers. We are particularly pleased, and fOrtunaLe, lO have ecured the services of PaL Dim led who, is one of the mOSl respecled sludy abroad advisers in lhe country. ' Patricia Dim led replied 'I have developed a greal respect for King's College
5
:.:
;.;."
.. :.:::':"
over the years on the basis of the experience of Smith College students who have Ludied there. I look forward to the new challenge facing me as the College's repre entative in orth America.'
EW HEAD OF CO TI VI G ED CATIO Mrs Valerie Davies All tho e concerned with Continuing Education activities in the College can breathe a sigh of relief - professional help is once more available. Mrs Valerie Davies has now commenced her duties as the new Head of our C E Unit Val was previously the Principal Lecturer respon ible for professional courses in the Busines SLudies Department of SE London College, and subsequently Manager of that College's Industrial Training Centre, where she had great success in organising their Youth Training Scheme. She had earlier lectured in staListics, economics and operational research at that college, and clearly has an excellent background and experience for her new duties at King's. At the beginning of those duties, Val was certainly dropped in at the deep end, for she arrived as the College was having to finalise its bid for C E funding from the UFC - while,at the same time, the UFC was changing its mind about what it would fund and how it would like the bids LO be presented. However, Va! has quickly found her way around to the relevant places and people in both the College and the DES, and our resulting bids have been carefully targetted on what the College can do and what the DES and UFC are looking for. There is no doubt that the College is in an excellent geographical position to mount courses on Continuing Education, designed to attract those people in professional, industrial or commercial life who need to update their skills, or those people who want courses of general culLural interest in the liberal arts. Val Davies will soon be making the rounds of the Departments, offering her skills and advice on markeL research and on costing and pricing. Of course, she will also welcome enquiries from interested Departments or individuals. BOLh the College and
'6}
member of staff should find C E activity valuable, both as a source of fund and as a means of ensuring thaL the College is better known, with all the potential advantage that flow from thaL. The Continuing Education Unit i at present on the King's Road, Chelsea campus (where VaI's exten ion is 3066), but the Unit will be moving to the Kensington campus some time this summer.
Professor BarTy Cox Assistant Principal
The Good Old American Way When the subject of training is brought up with College staff the idea surfaces that training is all very well but it takes up too much precious time. There are many people who are too busy La attend training courses. The US based training company, Careertrack has come up with a simple solution to this dilemma. It is based on the wholesome American principle that 'time is money; and wasted time is wasted money'. This principle requires you to look hard at your unproductive time and put it to good use by inserting a training schedule to fill in the gap. For example I use my travelling and driving time to listen to audio cassettes which have been purchased from Carecrtrack. I thoroughly recommend this method of learning as well as the content of the Careertrack cassettes. However, I should warn you about the 'zipadeedoodah' style of presentation which you may find irritaLing. The Training Unit has purchased the following Litles which are available for hire LO all King's Staff: How LO deal with difficulL people How Lo delegaLe work (and ensure Lhat it's done right) The one minute manager How to set and achieve goals Self esteem and peak performance
All these titles have already been OUL on loan. Anyone wanting copies of these title will be PUL on a waiting li t. Extra copies will be purchased if there is a greaL demand. The hire is free for the fir t week and five pounds per week thereafLer. This will en ure a reasonable circulation of the tape . KIT Cour e ews All information about Federal and Regional courses appears in PLUTO and back issues of Comment and also by Lelephoning the Training UniL on extensions 2760 or 2803. Finance and Insurance Seminars, 14 June Strand campus The morning seminar is a joint session involving the members of the Finance Department and the Superintendents' Group who will share information and ideas on College financial procedures and administration. Staff dealing wiLh departmental accounts will also take part in the seminar. The afternoon seminar will deal wiLh matLers relating to College insurance claims. There is concern that the number of claims is very high and atLention will be focussed on how this affecLs the finances of each academic department. The guest speakers will explain how insurance premiums are calculaLed and outline measures which can increase security awareness and minimise losses. Constructive Criticism, 27 June Kensington campus There has been a heavy demand for this one day course. It will be repeated if there is sufficient demand. Handling Discipline at Work, 29 June Kensington campus The one day course has been specially designed for supervisors of manual and ancillary grades. Nic Beech and I will lead the course and will concentrate on practical measures for dealing wiLh absence, lateness, alcohol abuse, threaLening behaviour, sexual harassment and so on. Applications should be sent now. Microsoft Word (IBM), Basic Course, 3 July Strand campus This one day course for beginners will particularly suit clerical staff. S ugge -
tion on LOpi which ou ould parti u13[ly li e u to deal ith ill wel ome \ hl:n applying for the course, \Iicro oft \'r'ord B 1) P cial Topi 6 Jul 'trand ampu Thl pular course, repeated for the founh ume, will include mail merge, fonn d umcnts, tyle heets, TABS and olumn. IOdo application and 'bonu • tOpiC. Application from people who feclth31they ould like to repeat the our 'e will be accepted. Pr -retirement eminar, 9 Jul trand campu Robcn Pollcr and I intend to set up prerClirement cour es which reflect the need of our tafr. The afternoon eminar will be led by Alin Coleman, a highly recommended con ulLant in the field of prerctir ment education, If you are over 5 , you arc invited to take part. 'our e for ecurity taff, 10 July 'trand campu The Security Cour e held on 10 ay was vcry wcll received by participants, It pro cd to be not only a learning exerci e but al 0 an excellent forum for ideas on ecurity and management policie . Ted Legge and I, who led the course. are delighted to repeat it. We fully expect to lead a similar lively session where an exchange of views is central to the course tyle. If you have security duties and wi h to join please apply now. How to Conduct Effective Meeting, 10 July trand campus Thi work hop is a joint venture organi ed by myself and Roben PoLler. The cour e will how tarf how to improve their technique at chairing meeting and will enable participants to deal with people and i ue, ensuring that the purpo e of the meeting is addres ed within an accepted time limit. This cour e will provide an excellent opponunity for tho e who lead, or may be required to lead, meetings. The Role of the Secretary (Proposed 9 ovember) This course, which is specifically de'igned for sccretaries who are new to the univer ity environment, has been developed by Judith Taylor, the Federal
Training Co-ordiator. Thi cour will onl take pia e if there i ufficient demand. If you thm you would li e LO auend please drop a note LO Janine OrlOn num r w ill need to Irnown well in advance LO guarantee Judith' lea r hip. KIT and Trainin eed Circular ha e been ent out in iting all deparunents to let me know about the t.raining needs of non teaching tarf for the 1990-91 academic year. I hope thi ill lead to aide pread discu ion among all section of taff and that everyone will ha e an opponunity to uggest what should go inLO the t.raining programme for the coming year. This year has seen a con iderable upturn in intere t and participation in training among all sections of King' taff. The identification of training needs i e sential to the continuation of thi proces, Please let me know if you want a copy of the t.raining need urvey.
tion that the u LOmers ho, in some r h moment, olumeered LO be the gu ts on whom tho t.rainee would pm ti e, am ed for lun h at the Strand River 'Ide R tauranL nt the morning under the Having guidan e and ex ellent in tru tion of 1r John Rice from esunin ter College, our t.rainee ere ell prepared C r the I am as ured that not one potaLO e aped the di h, nor one fruit alad lipped from the plate. Our gue ts departed well impre ed with the service and well f d. The trainees thoroughly enjoyed the day too. They were filled with enthusia ID and now look forward LO the next opportunity LO u e their new found skills. Many thanks to all those who helped to make the day both in tructive and enjoyable.
Ken Bromfield on cademic taff Training Officer ote from Janice Morton ( the Training Officer)
i tant to
1) AppleMac (Micro oft Word) Thank you LO everyone who responded to the recent urvey on the training needs of AppleMac (MS word) u ers. The suggestions have been very helpful and the wheels are now in motion to organi e courses which will suit your requirements. Further information will be available hortly. 2) Wordperfect IL is intended to organise training courses for Word Perfcct users. Fir t1y, however, it is necessary to know where you are! Would anyone who use Word Perfect and is intere ted in learning various topics of the WP package plea e contact me, preferably in writing, 0 that a survey of general t.raining requirements can be made? I look forward to hearing from you.
Hand and Footnote from Marjory McCallum ilver-Service Training Day 10 May It was with much trepidation that ten member of the King's College Catering Team attended the course which was LO give them valuable silver- ervice waiting skills. IL was with even greater Lrepida-
AV
EW
lide from Computers The Unit has now installed a high definition camera system capable of taking graphic files from Apple Mac and IBM computers. The service i at present experimental with full service expected in the Autumn. Slide can now be produced using our computers with a variety of graphics packages. For most text only fide this will be cheaper than preparing artwork and phot opying it. The Unit would be intere ted to hear from computer users who would like to do their own artwork locally and send the A VSU their di cs for printing LO slide. It may be possible la turn round mo t work in 24 hours, but there will be limitation on quantity as the slides will be wrillen to camera unsupervised overnight. Please contact Rod Wilkinson ext S2386 for details. ..:
7
Copyright and Off Air Recordings The po ition on videotaping televi ion and recording radio programme i changing. Any recording made between 1 Augu t 1989 and 30 May 1990 may be u ed freely for educaLional purpo . After 30 May 1990 it i not legal to record terrestial broadcasts without a licence. Satellite broadca ha e not yet been con idered. King' h not been asked to pay a yet, but in all probability will be asked to do 0, when the detail are announced. If and when we are licensed it will be legal to record all UK broadca ts for educational u e. Thi i a vast improvement on the old y tern when it wa only permitted to record 'hard' educational programme and kcep them for a limited time.
Thi i a large tep toward the n~ation of a global cl room environmenL' The e broad a t are major advan e. in the con ept of di tance learning and satellite education in Europe. In the pa t di tance learning, at be t, has been based upon pre-recorded ideo material. Thi new technology allow geographi ally di tant tudents and teacher to link up for live intera tive broadcast, providing tudents with a familiar teaching ilUaLion, permitting a thorough di cus ion of t pic and immediaLe an wers to que tion . The succe story doe not top here, the Language and Communication Centre is now looking forward with confidence to its weekly broadcasts in October and building upon its achievements. It is hoped to develop the European dimension of the programme by including perspective and participants from variou management field in We tern, Central and Ea tern Europe.
The long distance learners who connected with Nice. pictured with class leaders Zsuzsanna Ardo and John Simpson, along with Nick Bugg. Manager ofAVSU.
Thi link up with ice is al 0 a major achievement for the Audio- Visual Unit who, due to their technology and expertise, were able to ensure that the tran mi ion were successful. Their facilitie will be further improved for the broadcasts later in the year.
KI G'S SCORES A FIRST FOR OISTA CE LEAR I G On 31 May in a small studio in the third basement of the Strand Building, King's made teaching and audio-visual history by becoming the first College in the country to take part in a live interactive teaching broadcast linking up with Europe. Thi marked the completion of a suecessful pilot series of interactive teaching broadcasts. A clas from the Language and Communieation Centre has linked up on three occasions over the pa t month with a group of students from the Institut Europ6en des Haute Etudes Intemationales in ice. The tran mi sion allowed the student in France to receive full sound and vision from London, while King's took questions from ice via a telephone line. The link to ice was made via the Olympus Communications Satellite, launched last year, signalling the start of a major European experimental programme in the application of telecommunications to training. King' wa able to make the e broadcasts as it ha its own uplink to the Satellite with the fibre optic network LIVE-NET.
TELECOMMUNICATIO S ew College entries for the public telephone directories, both standard and FAX versions, are currently in preparation. All site numbers as well a hall of residence and student union numbers are to be included a a matter of cour e. It is possible that schools, ome self financing units and other units with discreet telephone or FAX numbers would wish to be included within the College entrie .
After the final broadcast John Simp on commented:
If you require any details to be published within either of the College entrie plea e provide me with a precise title, anticipated address on I January 1991 and the telephone or FAX number including the access code 071 or 081. Please indicaLe the directory in which you wish your entry to be included ie Standard or FAX.
'The experience of teaching in this way has been very exhilarating and enjoyable, whil t at the ame time draining and intensive with the demands of going live for an hour.
nob Redmond General ervices Manager
The cia s, led at King's by Zsuzsanna Ardo and John Simpson, on Engli h for Management, involved lively discussion between the groups of students in both countries and their joint teachers in London.
8
· ::.;'
.:',
LECTURES MEETINGS AND SEMINARS
I COLLOQ
MICROSOFT WORD (pARTS 1 & 2) 2.00 pm· 5.00 pm Kensington campus. Further details from Advisory, Room A209, ext 4261
lA !EXTER ALSEMI ARS
DEPARTMENT OF PALAEOGRAPHY Monday 18 June CLOSE E COUNTERS OF THE MANUSCRIPT KlND Albinia de la Mare, Profes or of Palaeography 5.30 pm, The ew Theatre, Strand
I PUBLIC LECTURE DEPARTMENTOFGEOGRAPHY Friday 22 June THE RESPO SE OF HOME OWNERS TO E VIRONMENTAL RISK: EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE IN CALIFORNIA Professor Risa Palm, University of Colorado at Boulder and Visiting Professor, DepartmemofGeography, KCL 4.15 pm, Room 2B13, Strand campus
I SEMI
ARS
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Wednesday 27 June EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF FLOW AND TURBULENCE IN A DIESEL E GINE INLET PORT BY LASER ANEMOMETRY AND VIDEO FLOW VISUALIZATION Mr S Nadarajah, Research Student 3.30 pm, Room 2B08, Strand campus
I STITUTE OF ADVA CED MUSI· CALSTUDlES Wednesday 13 June BEETHOVE'S 'MOZART' QUARTET OP 18 0 5: THE ANXIETY OF INFLUE CE Jeremy Yudkin, Boston University 5.00 pm, Room GOl, Strand campus DEPARTME T OF COMPUTING Wednesday 13 June A GENERAL PURPOSE GAMES PLAYING ALGORITHM APPLIED TO GO MichaeJ Reiss 1.15 pm, Room G02, Strand campus
Monday 18 June SIMPLICITY AND POWER: A NEW THEORY OF COMPUTING (with software demonstrarion) Dr J G Wolff, Bangor 2.00 pm, Room G02, Strand campus Wednesday 20 June THE 'TURING 90' CONFERENCE: WHAT'S 'INTELLIGENCE,' WHAT'S AL AND THE SO-CALLED TURING TEST? Michael Bell
THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY & TREATMENT OF DELlNQUE CY Tuesday 26 June RACE ISSUES I SENTE Cl G AND THE LAW Speakers: avnit Dholakia JP, Commission for Racial Equality, Jocelyn Gibbs, Barri ter; His Honour Judge MOla Singh
Tuesday 10 July THE MEDIA AND SE TE CING Speakers: ick Ross, Broadcaster and Presenter; Sir David apley, Past Pre ident, Law Society, Senior Partner, Kingslcy apley; His Honour Judge Geoffrey Jones 2.00 - 5.00pm, Council Room, Strand campus Wednesday 27 - Thursday 28 June Inter-disciplinary conference GAMBLING WITH JUSTICE? THE WHITE PAPER AND BEYOND Further details and booking forms are available from Martin Farrell, Director, ISTD, Chelsea campus, Manresa Road. Tel 071 351 2488 ext 2500
Wednesday 27 June PERFORMANCE OF COMPARISON SORTING ALGORITHMS Andrew Wells 1.15 pm, Room G02, Strand campus
I SHORT COURSES DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING Thursday 14 June BIOSE SORS Danny McSlay, KCL
Thursday 21 June MICROWAYE ACTIVE FILTERS R Moazzam, KCL Thursday 28 June DEEP LEVEL TRANSIENT SPECTROSCOPY Margherila Di Marco 1.15 pm, Room HA, Strand campus
COMPUTING CENTRE Wednesday 13 June ADVANCED DOS, MICROSOFT EXCEL
Wednesdays 20 & 27 June INGRES (pARTS 1 & 2), ALDUS PAGEMAKER (pARTS 1 & 2) All courses 2,00 pm • 5.00 pm Strand campus. Further details from Advi· sory, Room 23AB ext S2505 Wednesdays 13 & 20 June
The Principal. Professor Stewart Sutherland, giving a public lecture entitled 'Goodness and Plurality' in the Chapel at King's on Tuesday 8 May. The lecture was organised by the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies.
9
CE ITE ARY OF TE CHER
ED C TIO
AT K
G
In 1 90 a mall group of univer itie in Britain set up d partmems for the profe ional training of h I teacher . King' College wa one of that mall group. Thi miliati e was the first time that Briti h universitie had become directly invol cd in tea her education. A eries of e ems ha e been planned to elebrate thi centenary. The rust of these will be a formal dinner to be held in the Great Hall of the College on 19 ovember. We are expecting a distingui hed guestli t for this dinner. The Centre for Educational Studie , which was formed on the amalgamation of the former Department of Education at King's with the Centre for Science and Mathematics Education at Chelsea College, is an acknowledged leader in its field, as shown by the reward of a reearch grading of 5 in the recent exercise. As part of the centenary activities it is intended to publish a Festschrift, with contributions by former and present members of staff, which will cover all a pects of the Centre's work. In addition the Centre has launched the publication of a series of Occasional Papers. The first of these, on Girls and Technology, is available at a cost of ÂŁ2.50 from aseem Khan (on extension 3183). The second paper, dealing with some current innovations in mathematics education, will be available in the Autumn.
Budding Engineers? Fourth year girls from St Michael's Grammar School. North Finchley visited the School of Engineeering at King's on 16 May. The girls were given a taste of what engineering has to offer and were accompanied by one of the School's old students Miss L Goes. The girls in this picture are being given a few tips on Computer-aided Design by Dr Lakmal Seneviratne. hundred, the King's pair were adjudged the winners. They add this victory to their triumph in the Observer ational Mooting Competition in 1989 and their reaching the final of the Telders International Law Moot also in 1989.
I VIEW FROM THE DESK I I am considered, quite incorrectly, by many member of the staff at Kensington campus to be a font of alllocaJ knowledge and over the years have been asked for the sites of shops selling everything from wallpaper to charcoal and from puppie to bicycles. I have directed people to embassies, guided them in and out of Kensington to the four corners of the earth and informed them of the name of the leader of the Council and of the political parties amongst the Kensington wards. I must admit that recently I failed to answer, 'Who is that damned idiot who parks his car across the pavement in Campden Hill Road?'
LA W MOOT TRIUMPH Two of the Law School's recent graduates, Ivan Hare and David Cavender, represented the OK in the mooting competition held at the 9th Commonwealth Law Conference in Auckland, ew Zealand. They competed against seven other teams from various regions of the Commonwealth. The final was before a bench con isting of Mr Justice Michael Kirby, President of the Court of Appeal ew South Wales, Mrs Justice Manohar of India and Professor Ian Kennedy from King's. After three hours of tense legal argument before an audience of over two
10
Apart from that I u ually answer all questions with complete, but unju tified, confidence and apparent, absolute assurance. I have never yet had a complaint about my information, that is until recently. There is a lecturer of my acquaintance who sometimes jokingly complains that I usually write about some rather uninteresting person and that he would be a more suitable subject. I hall call him Dr X and hope that he will remain unidentifiable or he will probably sue for libel. I will only say that he loves good food and that because of this he approached me recently to ask me about my knowledge of local restaurants. 'My publisher is taking me out to lunch next week,' he explained, 'and I thought that a Chine e restaurant might be a good idea.' I suggested two in Queensway. One very authentic, which on Sundays is full of
Chine e (a very good sign), but lacking in decor and ervice. The other, brimming with decor, hot and cold running waiters cv rywhere and the food served with great pana he, but perhap omewhat LOuri ty. A I ould not remember the name of either re taurant, I gave him detailed in truction of their whereabouts, he he itated, being unwilling to lose him elf and hi publi her in the wilds of Queensway which he had never visited before.
over the huge menu, he would stand behind them drumming hi fingers on his menu. If this had no effect he would say cunly, '1 come ba k.' But he never did, and the stranger would then ha e the greatest difficulty in snaring one of the fleet-footed waiter in order to pass a me sage to the Maitre that he was ready LO order. Thi proces could take up to half an hour. All I said to Dr X wa , 'make sure that the Head Waiter gives you a good table.'
He returned the next day.
He laughed with misplaced confidence.
'Thai,' he said without preamble.
A few days later I saw him again,"How was your lunch?' I asked.
'Probably not necessary in either at lunch time,' I said assuming that he had said 'tic' and wa till talking Chine e.
"The food, he said darkly, 'was very good.' He ecmed about to say more, but changed his mind and walked away.
'A Thai restaurant,' he said impatiently.
'Ken ington High St., left hand side heading West, about 200 yards from the junction with Kensington Church St.' He went off to telephone and returned very quickly.
The next day his greeting was, perhaps, a little cooler than usual. He stopped by my de k. 'If you have ever thought of writing a book,' he said, 'I have a good tiue for you, 'How to lose a Contract over Lunch'.'
Professor Barry lfe, Head of the School of Humanities and of the Department of Spanish and Spanish American Studies. giving his successful and entertaining lnauguralleclure on Writing and Conquest', on Tuesday 1 May.
WISH YOU WERE HERE!
'Completely booked up.' 'For ever?' I asked.
Don Mindel Atkins Reception, Kensington.
Going on holiday is one of the highlights of the year but there is nothing more certain to ruin a vacation than ill heaILh.
THE PORTER
If you are going abroad make sure you have the correct vaccination and, just as important, a dental check up and an antihistamine for hayfever.
'It seems like it.' 'I know a very good Italian restaurant - a
bit po h, but very good food and very close to the College.' He looked unenthusiastic, so I reeled off a few of the restaurant's specialities in my exaggerated Italian accent accompanied by some very expre ive hand movements. He seemed impressed and decided LO b k a table. What I had not told him was that the Maitre D' was completely impo ible. Everything about the restaurant wa superb. The food, the service, the ambience, but not the Head Waiter. He was a short Iim, impeccably dressed and barbered man with quick, precise movements. He always carried a huge menu which he would flourish as a matador might flourish his cape. He had his regulars and his favourites. Newcomers would usually be given a small, dark table near one of the lcitchen doors or near the tair, and if they hesitated too long
Every day you see him there Taking post, moving things here and there Up endless stairs, when there is no lift A pricele oul, hat a gift In and out in sunshine, or when its snowing He is the man who keeps College life flowing At the end of a tiring week Ready for another Week by week,year by year It makes you wonder Who is this wonder-man? Is there another? Yes if you look around He is your College porter.
H Hanvey orfolk Porter
FOR I SECT BITES take an antihistamine and local anaesthetic spray, such as "WASPEZE". If you are stung in the mouth get medical advi e. To avoid bites use an insect repellent such as Autam spray. TRAYELLER'S DIARRHOEA caused by unfamiliar diet and poor food hygiene can cause quite severe illness. Use only bottled water or take sterilising tablets with you. Do not eat raw vegetables, raw sheUfish, cream and icecream, uncooked fish and meat should all be avoided. As a precaution against contracting diarrhoea you can take Imodium or DioraIyte powder which prevents dehydration. SUNBUR can be avoided by protecting the slcin from ultra violet A and Brays. ":>:.:. '.::.
11
· a full unblock cream of factor 15 for a fev. day and gradually reduce to about fa LOr 6. If you have unburn u e calomine lotion and tay out of the un.
NEWS ROUND UP PL . 'T RE E R H DE L
When you go on your journey eat a light, non-fau) meal about an hour before you Lra ·el. A VOId nch foods and do not dnnk al ohol.
GI no t ha taken root in the rapidl) developmg world 0 plant and mi rob. biotechnology,
Your fIr t aid it hould include antiseptic ream, gauze dre ing, COllon wool, t 0 crepe bandages, Elastopla t, a box of a orted dres ing plasters. a sling, terile dre ing pad, mall bottle of di infectant and a packet of alcohol wabs for clean ing. Aloes ential are scis ors, a thermometer, a mild analgesic for adulLS and a bOllle of paedialric paraceLamal mixture for children in case of fever.
SUR
TCE
To get medical care in most European Community Countrie ,a form 'Elll' i needed which can be obtained from any po t office. It will be valid for hort vi iLS abroad. The co t of medical lreatment may not be fully covered by any existing reciprocal healLh care agreement, 0 it I a good idea to have private medical in urance as well. If you have any queries, do not hesitate to get in contact with the Medical Cenlre.
Sister Traute Gladstone Medical Centre
THE MA Y BALL REPORT On the 5 May 1990, for the fifth year in succe ion, the College May Ball was held at The Savoy Hotel. Over 380 members of the College attended the evening which began with a reception in the Abraham Lincoln Room with musical accompaniment by Simon Ferris. A commented by a member of staff, 'It is hard to imagine all these beautifully attired people as the same studenLS we see around the College.' This year three gentlemen obviously proud of their heritage attended in kilLS (a record?). Dinner was called at 8.15 pm, and after a welcoming speech by the Principal, The Rev Keith Ward said grace. Living up to expectations, The Savoy served a deli-
12
The May Ball Committee who made the even' a 'memorable occasion.'. ciou meal including a light Larter of moked salmon, an inlriguing pasLry capped oup, tangy lemon chicken and a scnrrnptious selection of chocolate ice. During coffee and the pcctacular 'Praline en Surprise', the Chairman of the Ball Commiuee proposed the Loyal Toast. Then the dancing began to the sound of the Johnny Howard Monte Carlo Band (a recently formed section of the original Johnny Howard Band) keeping guesLS appropriately entertained with a modem selection of music. We would like to thank the following for their upport: CoutLS and Co, Barclays Bank, The Surveyor' Collaborative, King's College London and all at The Savoy for making the Ball such a memorable occasion for all who attended e pecially the couple who got engaged! Thanks al 0 LO Sandra Gee, The Principal's PA, who once again spent a lot of time and effort organising this event. Unfortunately thi was her last year, 0 her help will be greatly missed next time. The Ball Committee worked hard to make this night a success, 0 thanks must go LO them as well, ext year's Ball will take place on the 4 May 1991.
Alison Robertson May Ball Committee
In one of the first agreemenLS of ILS kmd, King' and the In titute of Horticultural Research at Littlehampton, have 'Igned a formal agreement ith the In titutc of i robiology, 0 co and 10 co State Uni er ity. Briti h and So Ict Scienti LS will hare information and conduct joint re earch projec and eminar on the onlrol of plant di 'ea. e • provi ion of plant nUlrienLS and improvement of oil lrUcture through biotechnology. The development of plant biotechnology hold out the promise of grcatly increased food production without u ing pe ticide and fertilizer. The implication for a va t and hungry counLry like the Soviet Union are obvious. A good deal of fundamental research work has already been carried out at King's which the Institute of Horticultural Re earch have applied to practical horticulture. The King' S branch of the cooperation will be managed by Dr M J Bazin,
SERC GRA TS FOR EWI TRUME T DEVELOPME T The Scicnce and Engineering Research Council has announced, through its Science Board. granLS LOtalling £3 million for cientific research programme involving the development of novcl and innovative in lrUmentation, These grant are the fir t made under the Science Board's Instrumentation Development Fund. SERC invites further grant application from academic taff in higher education in titutions, to fund the development of novel and innovative inSlrumenLS which will play a future role in research of interestLO the Science Board. The next closing date for the submi Ion
of grant applications is IS September 1990.
AUT headquarters, United House, 1 Pembridge Road, London Wl1 3JY. Telephone 071 2214370.
Further information can be obtained from: Dr J C Horn, Science Division, SERC, Polaris House, orm Star Avenue, Swindon, S 2 IET. Tel (0793) 411 305
ATTE TIO PLAYERS!
F LBRIGHT AWARDS A number of travel and maintenance awards are available from the Fulbright Commission for 1991/92 from July 1990. They are available to British postgraduate tudents who wish to spend a year of advanced study/research in the USA. For details and application forms send a self-addres ed stamped 9"x 13" envelope with a written request to: The British Program Administrator, The Fulbright Commission, 6 Porter Street, London WIM 2HR. Tel 0714867697. (Application forms will be available from July).
WIND
Following the success of the concert last term the King's College Wind Ensemble is looking for more oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn players. If you would like to be involved, please contact the Music Department secretary on 071 8732029. She will pass message to the (student) organiser.
A HEARTY THA K YOU Everyone connected with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society's staging of 'HMS Pinafore' would like to thank all members of the College who came to see the production, which was staged in the New Theatre between 9-11 May. Tickets for the final performance were completely sold out!
A NUAL RECEPTION FOR BRITISH STUDENTS A reception is to be held at Canada House, Trafalgar Square, on Thursday 28 June for all British students who are intending to study at a Canadian university. It will be co-hosted by the Canadian Universities Society of Great Britain, the Academic Relations Department of the Canaclian High Commission, and the Agents-General for the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. British students will be given valuable information concerning Canada and the opportunity to meet Canadian Government officials as well as Canadian students enrolled at British universities.
The Gilbert and Sullivan Society gaining their seafaring legs at the dress rehearsalfor their production of 'HMS Pinafore'.
ZOE GAFFEN AND THE 1990 LONDON MARATHON
University contract research staff are increasing in number as universities continue in their success in gaining outside funding.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the generous people who sponsored me to run the 1990 ADT London Marathon. This was the first marathon I have attempted (after persuasion from my husband, who also entered it) and I was not certain I would complete it However I managed to finish in a time of about 4 1/4 hours (after subtracting the twelve minutes it took me to get though the Greenwich start gate). Unfortunately, my husband, Dr John Gaffen sustained an achilles tendon injury 6 weeks before the event. He battled against time, with the aid of the Department of Physiotherapy at King's College Hospital and daily long-distance swimming sessions, to be fit by 22 April 1990, but was forced to pull out of the run JUSt a few days before hand. John wishes to thank everyone who sponsored him, even though he was unable to run, and to thank those who transferred their sponsorship to myself.
A booklet for those drawing up contract or grant proposals, which sets out good employment practice guidelines, can be obtained from the research department at
So far, we have collected about ÂŁ450 from family, friends and colleagues, once again proving the generosity of the King's College community and one third of this will be going to Mark Bailey, an ex-member of staff from the Department of Pharmacy who is now severly clisabled by Multiple Sclerosis. A third will go to the Sports Aid Founda-
GOOD EMPLOYME T PRACTICE
lion a body which help BriLi h athlete to train for and LravellO major imernaLional portlng events) ith the remainder LO be plit belween the AR CA Lion For Re arch into, 1ulLiple Sclero is fund and the Can er Re earch Fund at the Department of Surgery, King' College School of 1edicine and DenLi Lry.
is
I
,1any people ha e already ponsored my marathon run, and it ha n ugge ted that people at Kmg' ou ide my own circle of colleagues and friend would wi h to contribUle lO 'ard these cause . If you ish LO m e a donation I WIll be delighted to hear from you. PI e nd any heque LO 1r Lawrie Tu er (LaboraLOry Superintendent, Department of Pharm ology, Chel ea campu, arLre Road S 3 6LX.) made payable lO Zoe Gaffen - r intend to close the lemporary building ielya count t up for thi purpose on 11 July 1990, and any inLCre t accrued will be pa sed on to the a e named charitie.
Ir Zoe Gaffen Technician, Department of Pharmacology
LETTERS TH
Zoif GaJfen. still smiling after finishing her first ever marathon
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
KYO
Denni
axwell, one of the Strand campu porters, would like to say, through
Comment. a big thank you for all the good wi hes and card he received from member of the College during his recent illne s. Dennis is now fully recovered and back at work.
It was with many regrets that I retired from King's. r have valued and will remember lhe enjoyment of your friendship and support over the years. Thank you all for the cheque with which I will buy a Border Terrier, and al 0 a piece of Royal Copenhagen. II ha been suggested that the name of the dog should be Reggie Wellington! heila Whitlock Former Departmental ecretary of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
PPRECIATIO GLI H WI E
0
A 5 day holiday cour eat Rogate ludy Centre, We t us ex During the 1980 Engli h vineyards produced an average of over 1 million bottle of wine each year. Engli h wines are mainly white, fragrant, lighl and medium-dry to dry, with a Oowery bouqueL Although comparison are ofLen made with the Moselle wine and those from Alsace, distinct and unique characterisLic are emerging so that connoi seur can pick out an Engli h wine from blind Lasting. EC regulaLion peclfy thal every bOlLle of Engli h wine must be labelled 'Engli. h Table Wine' rather than 'Quality Wine' even though the quality may be as high a in many place where it can be given the accolade.
Sheila with Sylvia Turtkovic at her leaving party. 14
Engli h wine i the fermented juice of fre hly picked grape grown in England and Wale. The harve led grape are brought to the winery quickly because delay allows the fruit to oxidise and develop 'off Oavours'. Bunche of grapes are usually de-stemmed, broken up, sterili cd and pressed. After 2 hour the juice has been eXLracted and the almost dry residue is returned to the vineyard as
manure. The juice is clarified and may be treated to correct acidity and sugar content before wine yeast is added and fermentation begins. The freshness and aroma of English wines are captured by maintaining the temperature of the fermenting juice no higher than 15 degrees C. After about 3 weeks the sugar i converted to alcohol and the new wine is racked off its sediment and left to mature. When the wine has developed in the tank it i bottled and laid down until the new vintage is ready for release, usually in the early summer following the harvest. There are over 300 vineyards in the United Kingdom covering some 540 hectares. The most northerly is Leventhorpe near Leeds and the largest is at Wellow, near Romsey. The best location for the vines is on a south facing slope with maximum sunlight and warmth. Good drainage is vital and the elevation should not be above 350 feet. Late frosts are a hazard and windbreaks are often planted as protection. Few locations meet these classic requirements and many 'ideal' sites are already occupied by other enterprises. Despite all of this, good wines are being produced. English summer weather is only just suitable for vines and wet summers are a particular problem. Vines flower in July and a wet period in mid-summer will prevent a satisfactory flower set. The eastern part of Britain offers the best conditions and the largest concentration of vineyards is in Kent and Sussex. The ideal soil is well aerated, moistureretaining loam of good depth to allow free root spread. It needs to be well drained with an adequate supply of the main nutrients and of humus to encourage micro-organisms beneficial to soil and vine. Acidity should be between pH 6 and 7. The most important feature of good wine is the grapes themselves. To thrive in England a vine needs to be hardy and resistant to di eases such as mildew, encouraged by damp. Varieties which are ready for harvest by the end of October are ideal,preferably linked with high yield. The most popular cultivar in England is Muller Thurgau although about twenty others are often grown. Muller Thurgau was derived from cro sing the much favoured Riesling with Silvander by a Dr Muller about a century ago.
Rogate Study Centre in the charming village of Rogate, We t Sussex i organising a hort holiday break at the end of August this year during which English wines will be the tudy topic. Participants will be introduced to the history, making, marketing and range of English wine. The holiday incorporates excursions to vineyards in south east England, a visit to the Engli h Wine Festival at Alfriston and extensive wine tasting and appreciation. The tutor is Commander G L Bond who has been Chief Executive of The English Vineyards Association LLd since his retirement from the Services. The Association was formed in 1967, has over 250 members who are owners of vineyards in excess of half an acre and many more Associates with smaller vines or an interest in English vine growing and wine making. He i in an unique position to give an authoritative and comprehen ive view of the current status of English wines and vineyard . The cost of this 5 day break, inclusive of all wines, visits, meals, luxury coach transport, tuition and accommodation is £250.00. We offer a 5% discount to King's College staff and their families. A maximum of 16 participants will attend the holiday, ensuring a high degree of comfort and personal attention. Early booking is advised and can be done by telephoning or writing to the Holiday Coordinator: Mrs Anne Finlay, The Red House, Rogate, Nr Petersfield GU31 5HN. Telephone (0730) 80621
ARE YOU READY FOR THE beach and the cricket field? If not.: S-P-R-I- -G into summer with Staff Keep Fit. Wednesdays B2 1.00 pm. 45 minute cia £1.00. Wear comfortable clothing and trainers.
UCL CHARITY AUCTIO UCL have organised a charity auction at Christie's to raise money for Phase II of their plans for redevelopment at the Institute of Archaeology. The auction will be part of Christie's 'Fine Antiquities' sale which will include among other things a gold and lapis necklace from the Royal Tombs at Ur, a Roman gold coin, Egyptian duck weights and the bullwhip used by 'Indiana Jones' (donated by Harrison Ford!). The auction will take place at Christie's, 8 King Street, St James, London SWl on Wednesday 11 July 1990. The sale will start at 10.30 am with the charity section at 2.00 pm. Viewing will take place from 8-10 July. Further details and catalogues are available from The Development Office, Institute of Archaeology. Tel (071) 380 7481.
SMALL ADS BRITISH ASSOCIATIO FOR THE AD A EME T OF SCIE CE A UALMEETI G 20·24 August Science 90, which is being held this year at University College of Swansea, has as its theme 'The Environment'. There will be a full week's programme of: Lectures by distinguished scientists; Debates; Demonstrations; Exhibitions and a Young people's programme. For further information contact: Dr Connie Marlin, Meetings Manager, British Association for the Advancement of Science, Fortress House, 23 Saville Row, London WIX lAB. TeI071494 3326.
TO LET Quiet, secluded, 2 bedroom cottage, Sydenham, SE London (c1820), 20 minute train to Charing Cross and Victoria. To let fully furnished. Gas central heating, garden and parking. Suitable for visiting academic couple. £400 per calendar month plus electricity, gas and phone bills. Contact Lindsay Elliott, Residences Manager, Kensington site on 071 333 4255 (office) or 071 3334226 (evenings). 15
I
Flat to let in Bloom bury: bedroom/ tudy/ sitting room/ kitchen! bathroom. Furni hed, all-electric and centrally heated. Suitable for ingle person or ouple. A ailable mid July to mid September 1990. 2 minute walk from Goodge Street tube. £600 per month. Tel 071 36 3293 afternoons or evening .
2 Bedroomed flat in South East London (SEI2); almost new (1 year old), fully fumi hed and equipped. Allocated parking. Convenient (11 mins) for Grove Park and Lee BR stations to London Bridge (13 mins), Cannon Street (16 min ) and Charing Cross (20 mins). Bus to Bromley and Lewisham. Suitable for single or couple (no children); 2nd bedroom filled as study/guest room. Rent £480 per month plus bills. Contact ext. S2490 (daytime) or 081 857 6158 (eve-
continued from page 3 serve - the employers of our graduates, our collaborators in research, and our own tudents who feel indebted to us for the education - at hatever level - they have received from u . After all, mo t senior managers, ci il servants and MPs are themselves graduate whom we helped educate in some of their mo t formative year . They, clearly, should be our ad ocate . The key words today are efficiency, economy and effectivene . I feel King' has made ub tantial trides in the last few year and is well placed to make further progres . But we are in an increasingly competitive ilUation in which the chance of succes are going to be enhanced by adapting more rapidly than the oPPO iLion. So I come back to the title you gave to our fir t chat, 'we live in changing times' - that really doe urn up the situation in which we find ourselves. I am confident that King's is well placed to succeed.
ning ).
Fin floor flat, Wandsworth. Leasehold, 1 bedroom, large reception, kitchen, bathroom, own garden. Poll Tax £148.00. Quick sale 'no chain' £62,000. Some furnishings available 'negotiable'. Contact 081 8746486 (evenings).
WANTED To purchase. Well maintained, 2 bedroomed flat, preferably with garden or terrace. 0 chain, any area of London considered. Write to the Information Office with details.
EXCHA GE Exchange wanted for three bcdroomed detached house in Torquay, close to bcaches and walks with beautiful scenery, with non smoking, professional people living in Central London. 0 children or pets preferred. Contact Stuart and Marilyn McClure on (0803) 298463 for further details or write to them at the following address: Blair, I1sham Marine Drive, Torquay, Devon, TQI2P .
Thefun continues on in to the small hours! More scenes from this year's May Ball information about the College and beginning of term events for new and current taf[. It will be published at the end of September. We would like to wish all members of the College a good summer and a pleasant long vacation.
Comment is the College's regular staff newsleller, issued by the Information Office «ext2179».
This is the last Comment of the session. The next edition will be the 'Starling of Session' 'issue which provides general