Improved Wireless Sensor Aid

Middlesex

WORLD

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MARCH 2009

Our science students are getting younger! Junior scientists and engineers turned up at Middlesex a few years early on Saturday 7 March. A group of 10 and 11 year olds from Barnet primary schools were taking part in the University’s Young Scientist and Engineer competition which was held to celebrate National Science and Engineering week. The event was organised by Marta Torpornicka and her outreach team from BIRO.



Mehmet Karamanoglu lines up with the young Scientists and Engineers and some robots in the Cafe Storm workshop

Around 25 youngsters spent the day at the Hendon campus, taking part in the competition which pitted schools against each other to find the most talented young Scientist or Engineer. Academics Mehmet Karamanoglu and Serengul Smith along with a large group of very enthusiastic volunteer students helped the children through workshops and judged them on their performance 

Each month Middlesex World brings all staff news and progress on the University’s new direction and current activities. For daily news coverage, events listings and classified ads click on the intranet at www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/mdxworld/index.html Editor: Sarah Birdsall [email protected] ext 5802

Work-Life Balance – there’s more to it than you thought Professor Suzan Lewis was inspired to research work-life balance and its impact on employees after she found a letter sent to her late father from his employer. It was the late 1930s and Suzan’s dad had decided he wanted to get his young family out of London in case of war. So he wrote to ask his employer for a transfer to another branch. The reply, which was the letter that Suzan came across, agreed to the transfer but noted that ‘you put your wife and child before the firm’. As a new Professor of Organisational Psychology at Middlesex, Suzan delivered her inaugural lecture on 16 March at the Hendon campus, to an audience of her colleagues and family. Entitled ‘Will work-life balance survive the 

Anna Kyprianou, Suzan Lewis and Waqar Ahmad

PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 10 How long will older Leading sci-fi author EIS students use their workers fare better? heads up a literary feast skills to help others

PAGE 12 Grow your own drugs







...science students

New Scholarships to mark 10 year anniversary of the India Regional Office

at games design, sports science including flexibility testing, robotics and building their own computer. They worked in groups through these different workshops, which were run in both in College Building and Hatchcroft. As well as the workshops, the Outreach team, along with Middlesex students and Teaching Resources, organised demonstrations such rocket launching, the missiles for which occasionally put the Quad’s glazed roof in danger! The winners – 10 year-old Ibraheem Chugtai and 11 yearold Henry Lee – both attend All Saints School in Cricklewood. They won robot making kits and a £100 voucher for their school to spend in the Middlesex Teaching Resources shop. The children were delighted to win and ran up to receive their prizes and a round of applause. Marta Torpornicka commented: “Our Young Scientist and Engineer competition this year was an outstanding success. We run the competition every year to encourage children to get interested in these subjects and consider them when they are deciding on further study”. National Science and Engineering Week is a ten-day celebration of science, engineering and technology which this year ran from 6 to 15 March. It is coordinated by the British Science Association and the Government’s Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

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Joe Victor, Regional Director for South Asia

The Delhi Office was set up in 1999 to create a ‘one-stop shop’ for prospective students wanting to study at Middlesex. There are now seven offices in South Asia in total. Counselling offices were first established in Chennai (previously known as Madras) and Mumbai, with Ahmedabad and Hyderabad being the most recent additions. In both Kolkata and Colombo, an agent’s office is used as a Representative Office. All the offices provide information and advice on studying in the UK, application procedures and qualifications – the Delhi,

Middlesex was one of the first UK universities to set up offices overseas. Across the globe Middlesex now has 15 Regional Offices, and this year the Delhi Office, one of the longestestablished, will celebrate its 10 year anniversary. We spoke to Joe Victor, Regional Director for South Asia, to find out more about Middlesex’s work in India and South Asia.

Chennai and Mumbai offices can also make admission offers. During 2009-2010, Middlesex hopes to expand the number of offices in India to ten, including the representative offices. Joe Victor believes Middlesex’s reputation in South East Asia is excellent. He thinks this is largely due to the range of services the offices provide. He said: “We are famous! It is because of our network of offices as well as a wellestablished network of agents. Our staff respond very efficiently to applications. Once we have received an application, it takes just three

hours to process, so the longest a student might wait to get a reply from us is three days, and that's just if they apply by post and we have to post our reply back”. The Regional Office in Delhi runs a very active marketing programme, which has helped to build Middlesex’s profile as a major recruiter of students from India and South East Asia. Joe explained: “We attend almost every education fair in the country, those run by the British Council and those in local areas, which means lots of travelling. We fan out to other cities to cover every significant higher 

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...work-life balance

recession’, Suzan started with a brief review of research undertaken on work-life balance, making the point that in the 1970s this focussed very much on working mothers and the possible effects of their work on their children. Mention of a 1979 research study into whether women’s employment will cause stress for their husbands generated much amusement among the audience. Moving on in time, and to address the skills shortage, many companies introduced family friendly policies in the 1980s, but these fell away to a large extent in the early 1990s as recession hit the UK. Suzan would not be drawn on whether she believes this will happen again in the current recession. She did, however, outline two possible scenarios that could now play out. Firstly, those people who have held on to their jobs in the recession work longer hours and work much harder, while their colleagues who have been laid off have a different imbalance in terms of too much personal life. The second scenario is a wide spread reassessment of what makes the ‘ideal’ worker. This would mean a critical reappraisal of work-life balance approaches and assumptions. Suzan went on to dispel those assumptions, or myths. There are four of these. Firstly that work-life balance is just about regulation and human resource management policies. Suzan

says that many organisations, and indeed human resource managers believe it’s just about putting these policies in place. She disagrees and says what is important is how these policies are applied in the workplace. The second myth is that worklife balance is just about women. Suzan dismissed this idea, pointing out that this is a ‘male’ model of work and assumes that men do not have caring responsibilities. According to Suzan it is vital that we change these expectations. Thirdly that getting your work-life balance right is about making the right choices for you. Nonsense, says Suzan, choices are always socially embedded, and she gave the example of a Parisian perfume company she studied that gave workers the opportunity to work a four day week at a reduced salary but still expected the five day workload to be delivered. Lastly Suzan put paid to the myth that work-life balance is about time. She talked about visible and invisible time, for example people who start work early but leave work early are often not as valued as those that start later but can be seen to be working late into the evening. Suzan concluded her lecture by telling the audience that in the current economic crisis, both in the UK and around the world, the time is now right for employers and employees to ask and seek answers to important questions about how we can reorganise work, why we work and what we are trying to achieve.

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Mayor of London Boris Johnson answered questions on London’s economy from over 200 London Chamber of Commerce members, at a unique forum supported by Middlesex’s Institute of Work Based Learning and O2 in February. The event, held at the London Chamber of Commerce’s city headquarters, attracted Chamber members from organisations across the corporate, SME and charity sectors and was also featured on the BBC’s daily news bulletin News at Ten. Questions and debate focused on issues that members felt were important in sustaining London’s economy, including environmental

topics, measures to help London businesses through the recession, the role of the Olympics and Olympics-related contracts open to SMEs, and ways of attracting more tourists, and therefore more spending, to London. Jonathan Garnett, Director of the Institute for Work Based Learning, commented: “This event has been a good opportunity to hear the Mayor's opinions in these difficult economic times. Middlesex

University wants to support businesses and individuals in developing skills that can help organisations recover from the economic downturn”. David Williams, Head of Business Development for the Institute for Work Based Learning, commented that the forum had enabled the University to raise awareness amongst London’s business community of what Work Based Learning is and how it can contribute to business successes. The event also gave the IWBL team the opportunity to build links with new businesses and make them aware of the range of study options that Middlesex and its MODNet network partners is able to facilitiate.




...India office

education fair too. We also run training programmes for agents”. Joe explained how the offices work with agents. “Agents source potential students for us from across the country and the region. We train the agencies’ counsellors and visit their offices to recruit students. Our turnaround time in dealing with applications has encouraged agents to work with us”. Joe added that during the 10 year anniversary, the Regional Office planned to bring a group of key agents on a ‘familiarisation’ visit to Middlesex. “We are very agent-friendly!” he said. To mark its 10 year anniversary, this year the India office will offer 10 Scholarships, each worth £3,000, in subjects across all Middlesex’s Schools. ViceChancellor Michael Driscoll and Deputy Vice-Chancellor International Terry Butland will announce the Scholarships when they visit India next month. The Regional Office also hopes to identify ten Middlesex alumni to be ‘ambassadors’ across the country. A 10 year ‘Anniversary Booklet’ is planned for the autumn.

Left to right: Mike Cobb (IWBL), David Williams, Boris Johnson (Mayor of London), Professor Jonathan Garnett and Alex Mortimer (IWBL)

For further information about Work Based Learning contact [email protected] or ext. 6172 www.mdx.ac.uk/wbl

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Joe feels the best bit of his role is interacting with his team of 20 staff and working with the agents. He said: “I've had 30 years of involvement with British higher education

in India, including over 20 years with the British Council. I’ve also worked as an independent consultant helping British universities to set up academic partnerships and through this role, a chance meeting with Terry Butland led to me hear about the role of Regional Director, which I was subsequently offered in 2006. When I took over the role, the number of Indian students studying at Middlesex's London campuses was around 300. I’ve already seen a growth in student numbers joining Middlesex from India to more than 1,000 this year (200809)”. Joe also hopes to build more links with employers in India, with a view to broadening recruitment options for students returning to India once they have finished their studies. With recent increases in attendance at education fairs throughout India’s many regions, it looks as though Joe’s team and their agent colleagues will be kept very busy over the next few months. Middlesex has a long history of recruiting Indian students, particularly at postgraduate and Doctorate level. Between them, the Regional Office, Counselling and Representative Offices offer coverage from India to Bangladesh, Nepal to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Through their work, the trend at Middlesex for welcoming students from across the whole South East Asia looks set to continue.

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IWBL puts Mayor of London under the spotlight at London Chamber of Commerce forum

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Complementary therapies for staff

25 minute sessions of either Reflexology or Indian Head Massage treatments will be available to staff at £10 per session (payable to the therapist on the day). The sessions will take place all day on Friday 3 April in Room FRG16 (Rehab Training Room by the Fitness Pod). Reflexology and Indian Head Massage can help to restore the body’s natural balance and so, in a relaxed state, it can cope with the everyday stresses and strains of life much more effectively.

Reflexology – it’s all in the feet

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Reflexology works by gentle pressure on reflex points on the soles of the feet which correspond to every single organ and system of the body. Indian Head Massage works on the muscles of the upper back, shoulders, arms, neck head and face. This is done without oils. Both therapies at their most basic level increase circulation, release tension and boost the immune system. Those interested should call the Sports Department Reception on ext. 6343 in advance, to book their treatment. A further date has also been planned for Friday 1 May. Staff are asked to seek permission from their line manager/supervisor prior to making an appointment.

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The Sports Department is pleased to announce that it has organised some Complementary Therapy days at Hendon for staff members.

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Helping even more students Rise Up Middlesex is committed to making its programmes accessible for and attractive to students from all social and economic backgrounds. The University understands that a barrier for many students wanting to enter higher education is the question of money, which is why Middlesex spends more than £1.5 million every year helping students to pursue higher education with scholarships and bursaries. In keeping with its socially inclusive approach, Middlesex is pleased to be launching the ‘Rise Up’ Scholarship in 2009. This new £1,000 scholarship is specifically aimed at helping students who have had a disadvantaged educational background but who show great potential, and will be awarded to 20 Undergraduate students starting their first year in 2009. This year the University is also launching three Work Based Learning Scholarships for students applying to study for an Undergraduate, Masters or Doctorate degree through Work Based Learning. Valued at £2,000 each, the scholarships are aimed at UK applicants working in the voluntary and community sector in either a paid or unpaid capacity who demonstrate real potential to excel in their chosen degree programme. In addition to these new scholarships, the University

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already offers a range of scholarships that recognise particular areas of excellence.

national level together with participation in coaching and other support activities.

As part of the University’s commitment to the London 2012 Olympic Games, every year Middlesex offers its highly sought after Future Gold scholarships to new students who demonstrate real potential to compete for Team GB in the 2012 Olympics. Each Future Gold scholarship is worth £30,000 over three years, effectively giving the students a free higher education and ensuring that they are able to put paid work aside so that they can concentrate on their goals: gaining a degree and getting to the Olympics in 2012.

Middlesex recognises academic achievement by annually awarding £1,000 Academic Excellence Scholarships to 20 new Undergraduate students while the Academic Alumni scholarship offers a 20% fee reduction to high achieving progressing students nominated by their tutors.

Chancellor’s Scholarships are awarded to students whose achievements – be they academic, cultural or sporting – truly make them stand out from the crowd. Up to 50 Chancellor’s Scholarships, valued at £2,000 each, are awarded to new and continuing students each year. Chancellor’s Scholarships for Academic Achievement recognise outstanding academic results, Chancellor’s Scholarships for Cultural Achievement are awarded for nationally recognised achievements to an established cultural field and national or international contributions to voluntary or charitable activity, and Chancellor’s Scholarships for Sporting Achievement recognise sporting achievement at

Like the Rise Up Scholarships, the Conygar Opportunity Scholarship is aimed at students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds. This scholarship is available to first-year UK/EU undergraduate Business School students who are the first in their family to go to University and who show real potential to excel on their degree programme. Two scholarships worth £3,000 each are awarded each year, generously funded by the Conygar Investment Company, which was cofounded by a Middlesex alumnus. Middlesex also offers a number of sponsored scholarships for current students, International Merit Awards for foreign students and an Alumni Bursary for students who have completed a first degree at the University.

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Increased research funding following RAE At the beginning of March the higher education funding body, HEFCE, informed universities around the country of how much allocation for research they would receive. This news followed the results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in December 2008. For Middlesex, it was excellent news as we will receive £3.4 million in the 2009/10 academic year. Decisions on funding for subsequent years have yet to be made by HEFCE. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Driscoll commented: “The increase in our funding linked to research quality exceeded expectations. It will enhance our opportunities to further strengthen our research. Congratulations to all involved in the huge project to submit information to the RAE”.

Pauline McCalla and her Hendonbased colleagues raised over £400 for Comic Relief earlier this month, selling cakes with a red nose theme. Hot favourite was the outsider, though – the green ‘Mohito Muffin’!

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Laura Cornell This month we ask Laura Cornell, Sports Duty Officer at the Fitness Pod, about her life at work and at play.

We know your job title, but what does that find you doing, day to day? Every day is different in the Fitness Pod. As Sports Duty Officer, I am a line manager for the fitness instructors in the gym but am mainly based in the sports office where I deal with memberships and general enquiries. I spend some time in the gym as well, ensuring that equipment is clean and safe and that everything is running smoothly. I also produce a newsletter for the gym to keep members informed of notices and to offer tips and advice to gym users.

What campus are you based on? I am based at the Hendon campus in the Forum. The Fitness Pod is on the lower level beneath the food court. It’s great because while you sweat to work off those extra pounds from your big breakfast you can smell the tempting aroma of chocolate croissants.

How long have you been at Middlesex? I was a student at Enfield between 2003-2007 and studied Sport Rehabilitation. I have been working in the Fitness Pod since January 2009 but previously worked in Colinhurst since August 2008.

What was you job before? I was previously the business support officer for PRO-ACTIVE North London in the Colinhurst building, Hendon. Although I quite enjoyed this job I felt a little confined. I also have my own sports injury clinic which I fit in around my full time work which has been in operation since I graduated in 2007.

What attracted you to Middlesex? The new facilities (including the superb big breakfast they do in the canteen) Also, the flexibility they provide and the opportunities offered by way of continued professional development. I am currently looking into doing post-

graduate study next year while still working in the Fitness Pod.

What is the best part of your job? I get to meet and talk to different people. The team I work with are great and I’m slowly starting to attend the gym more frequently. I also enjoy the shifts. I either work early (which is 6.45am to 2.45pm) or late (which is 2.15 to 10.15pm). It’s convenient for me because it enables me to continue my sports injury clinic around my job. It’s also really flexible as there are three sports duty officers. If one of us needs a morning/afternoon off it’s usually pretty easy to swap with someone.

And what is the worst part of your job? Fighting the temptation to get a big breakfast every day! Also the membership system that takes me 10 minutes to load and then likes to crash on me as soon as I need it.

In an alternate world, what job would you do? I’d be working in the USA as an athletic trainer for a professional sports team. I have always loved America and did a placement in Philadelphia while at University. It is my dream to one day move over there and have a career in the sports rehabilitation and performance enhancement field.

How do you spend your non-working hours? Working! When not at Middlesex, I’m working in my clinic or for Watford Girls Centre of Excellence as assistant physio. Occasionally I eat and sleep. I love cooking and make a mean spaghetti Bolognese but rock cakes are my speciality. Yum yum!

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? Michael Jackson, then I’d ask him for (in return for my exquisite cooking) VIP tickets to the 02 in July.

If you would like to be featured in Middlesex People or know any staff member who may like to share their life at the University with us please email [email protected]

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NEWS AND EVENTS

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL Older workers in the UK fare better, but for how long? In February, Professor Michael Muller-Camen, Dr Matt Flynn and Heike Schroeder presented the preliminary findings of an 18-month Economic and Social Research Council-funded research project entitled Age diversity at the workplace: A comparative study on the influence of national institutions on employers´ age management practices. The study explored

differences and similarities in how organisations in Britain and Germany deal with the challenge of an ageing workforce. The project sought to answer four main research questions: • How are employers, the state and other stakeholders responding to the ‘age challenge’? • How are age management policies implemented in organisations, what role does line management play in implementing these policies and do actual practices reflect the policies? • How do older workers perceive the effectiveness of these policies and practices?

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• To what extent are approaches to age management in Germany and Britain driven by international influence factors or by national institutional characteristics? They conducted a series of expert interviews in Britain and Germany, and this was followed by in-depth case studies of eight comparable organisations in the chemical sector, the steel industry, the public sector (secondary schools) and retail in Britain and Germany.

such as the social security system and state-financed early retirement options. For Both existing literature and the and enrichment. The overall aim instance, in Germany, where the state pension still accounts for expert interviews suggest that a of age-positive HRM is to adapt 85% of the income of a youth-centric Human Resource working conditions so that the pensioner and the social Management (HRM) model is performance potential of each security system provides prevalent in both Britain and employee can be fully utilised incentives for early retirement, Germany. This can be seen in throughout their life course. in 2007 59.4% of men and widespread discrimination A number of factors across 43.4% of women aged 55 to 64 against older employees with Europe are exerting pressures on were in employment; whilst in regard to recruitment, training the UK, where the state pension and development, in the fact that governments, employers and trade unions to move from a accounts for less than 40% of experience tends to be youth-centric HRM approach the income of a pensioner and considered less important than toward an age-positive HRM where the variety of pension knowledge acquired in approach. These factors include schemes impacts on retirement education, and that many routes, in 2007 66.1% of men European countries have a strong the rapid ageing of the population, legislation that holds and 49% of women aged 55 to culture of early retirement. age as a dimension in anti64 were in employment. The alternative to youth-centric discrimination regulation and Another important finding was HRM recommended by the increasing problems with social research is called age-positive security systems no longer being that the levels of influence of social partners such as trade HRM. This holistic approach able to sustain early retirement. unions in negotiating age involves lifelong learning, active The project found that the management policies in health and safety management, solutions to the ‘age challenge’ Germany and Britain differ flexible working hours, age opted for in the management of enormously, with influence in diverse work teams and older workers are strongly Britain significantly lower than in systematic changes in position Germany. A further key finding through job rotation, enlargement affected by national influences

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concerned the role of line managers in effectively implementing age management policies in their organisations and teams – although age management may be on an organisation’s strategic agenda, it may still not be properly implemented by line management. These findings indicate that until now older workers in the UK have fared better than their German counterparts, with a higher real retirement age, direct forms of discrimination such as age restrictions eliminated and some scope to work beyond 65. However, this has been because UK businesses have had labour needs that employers have been able to fill by using older workers as contingent workers. The question is, will the recession see UK employers using that flexibility to get rid of older workers faster than their German counterparts?

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NEWS AND EVENTS

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

in April and May On Thursday 23 April, Professor Fergus Lyon, Professor of Enterprise and Organisations and Director of the Social Enterprise Research Capacity Building Cluster, will present his inaugural lecture, Trading with a social purpose: Social enterprises and their relationships with the state and markets at 5pm in

C114 in the College Building at Hendon. Fergus’ lecture will examine how social enterprises draw on models of private business, public business and civil society and grow by building relationships with organisations in these sectors, as well as exploring some of the key issues currently facing social enterprises. Another inaugural lecture date to diarise is Tuesday 19 May, when Professor Joshua Castellino, Professor of Law, will present his inaugural lecture, The End of the Liberal State and the First Terrorist: The Challenge for Human Rights Law in a Time of Uncertainty.

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Inaugural Lectures

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Law Department to train human rights lawyers in central Asia Lecturers from the Department of Law have just begun a one-year pilot project, developing the knowledge and skills of human rights advocates in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The project is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and aims to enhance human rights practitioners’ skills, working towards ‘best practice’ in dealing with human rights issues. Middlesex lecturers will deliver training on-site and will coach and mentor attendees, together with colleagues from the Human Rights and Social Justice Institute at London Metropolitan University. The project stemmed from work which Professor Joshua Castellino, Head of Middlesex’s Law Department, did in Kyrgyzstan in 2008, where he coached a group of human rights defenders in how human rights laws operate, and in how to deal with human rights issues at international level. The 2009 pilot project will involve groups from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. As well as creating information and resource networks in their own countries, attendees will be able to develop regional networks to share information, issues and strategies with colleagues in neighbouring countries. This could lead to a

stronger voice for civil society in the region. Over the next year, experts from Middlesex, who have experience in countries such as Russia and Chechnya, will deliver the project. Two weeklong sessions in Almaty WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS THROUGH STRONGER COOPERATION BETWEEN THESE COUNTRIES THAT MANY HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEMS IN THE REGION COULD BE RESOLVED. IT IS PARTICULARLY HEARTENING TO SEE THAT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AGREES WITH THIS ANALYSIS.

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(Kazakhstan) and Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) will take place, where the project team will coach attendees on human rights law. Modules will be based on course content from Middlesex’s newly-revalidated LLM. Attendees will be offered the chance to enrol on the LLM programmes at either Middlesex or London Metropolitan University for six months, researching towards a dissertation. Attendees are likely to be human rights lawyers, defenders and influencers, selected with the assistance of British Embassies in the region. Middlesex staff will coach attendees in strategies for addressing a range of human rights issues. Middlesex’s role will focus on moderating and facilitating, helping to build attendees’ knowledge and confidence. In the future, the project may be reproduced in other areas where human rights and social justice issues sometimes conflict with legislative practice. Professor Joshua Castellino said: “We’re delighted that the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office has agreed to fund our project proposal. We believe that it is through stronger cooperation between these countries that many human rights problems in the region could be resolved. It is particularly heartening to see that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office agrees with this analysis. Through the commitment of the attendees and the experience of our team in coaching and mentoring, we hope to make a significant contribution towards the emergence of effective networks of human rights defenders across central Asia”.

Professor Joshua Castellino, Head of Middlesex’s Law Department

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NEWS AND EVENTS

[SCHOOL OF] ARTS AND EDUCATION Introducing school-based learning for Barnet’s teachers Ever mindful of its role in the local community, Middlesex is working with local authorities, schools and other educational agencies to offer professional development programmes to teachers. Early in 2009, the MIDWHEB partnership saw 27 teachers at Hendon School and Mill Hill County High School beginning their studies toward their MA in Education. What sets these teachers apart from other MA Education students is that they will be conducting their studies at their schools.

departments towards an MA in Education that will be delivered in the school and supported by staff from Middlesex’s School of Arts and Education. As part of their studies, the teachers will have the opportunity to develop a research project around their needs, interests and aspirations and this will be amalgamated into the school’s Development Plan.

Mill Hill County High School on Worcester Crescent in Barnet is also home to a number of teachers working toward their MA in Education. Ten teachers at the school started the first At Hendon School on Golders module of their degree, Rise, Assistant Headteacher, ‘Developing Professional Rebecca Poole will be leading 17 Practice’ in January 2009, and teachers across will each select the focus for a range of their MA

Kevin Morris (left) with teachers from Mill Hill County High School

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work based on their role at the school and on the school’s needs. According to Paul Gray, Deputy Head of Mill Hill County High School: “We have made a very good start to the course as the sessions are lively and intellectually engaging. The research topics are varied and will have a direct impact on the culture of the school, which is high achieving and popular with parents”. Kevin Morris, Deputy Director of Professional Development in Education at Middlesex says: “I am really excited to be working with Rebecca and the teachers at Hendon School, and with Paul and the teachers at Mill Hill County High School. We want to retain the MA’s academic quality and also make the degree as useful and contextualised as possible, something that I believe we are achieving at both schools. This is a really exciting extension to our school based MA work and we look forward to building on our outstanding reputation and growing this across Barnet and other local schools”.

Leading sci-fi author heads up a literary feast Later this month, Trent Park campus will host the 14th Annual Middlesex Literary Festival, where novelists Iain Banks and Tim Lott, and poet Kathryn Simmonds are just some of the key literary figures who will appear. The two-day Festival also includes readings, panel sessions, talks and workshops, and promises to be an event to remember, whatever your literary interests.

Renowned author Iain Banks, whose impressive track record in both science fiction and contemporary literature is the envy of many, is the Festival’s headline speaker. He will speak on Wednesday 1 April. The Festival also celebrates some of the UK’s foremost modern novelists and poets and their chosen literary genres. Panel sessions include Sophie Parkin and Amanda Brookfield (women’s contemporary

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literature), and poets Kathryn Simmonds (shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Poetry Award), Abe Gibson and Brian Whittingham, whilst Tim Lott and Linda Blair will discuss non-fiction writing. Anne-Marie Fyfe, Chair of the Poetry Society, will read from her work and children’s author Karen McCombie will also speak. Two workshops, offering inspiration and guidance to anyone interested in developing their writing style, are scheduled

Author Iain Banks is the headline speaker at the Literary Festival

on 1 April. Professional translators will lead a workshop examining the process of translating poetry into English, and featuring readings by poets Dr Maggie Butt (Head of Media at Middlesex), Katherine Gallagher and Rik Wilkinson. TV and radio drama writer Katharine Way will run a workshop on TV drama and scriptwriting, outlining the process of working on shows such as Doctors, Casualty 

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NEWS AND EVENTS

[SCHOOL OF] ARTS AND EDUCATION


Middlesex University invention shines! Peter Johns of Middlesex’s School of Arts and Education began research into silver alloys in the 1990s. Little did he know then that his work would lead to the creation of Argentium Silver, a new quality silver, which is now in use world-wide. Argentium has been used to solve some unusual problems – for musicians, allergy sufferers and many others! So how did it all start? Peter Johns was researching ways to solve a 5,000 year old problem called fire scale, which occurs when silver is heated during manufacturing. He found that by adding a small quantity of the element germanium to sterling silver, he could create a new higher purity silver alloy, which would

eliminate fire scale and give high tarnish resistance. Argentium also has unique hardening properties, making it stronger and more durable for the customer. Argentium was originally launched through Middlesex University Ventures, the University’s business development unit. Interest in Argentium grew rapidly, especially amongst US-based craft and jewellery professionals and eventually the company was sold to a team of UK investors. A new company, Argentium International, was formed to promote the metal and research other uses for it. Middlesex University retains a financial interest in the new company. Peter Johns is now Argentium International’s Director of

For more information on argentium, go to www.argentiumsilver.com

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high street retailer Ernest Jones recently launched ‘Eternal Silver’, a designer collection made from Argentium, which is available in many of their stores.

Research and Development, working mainly from our Cat Hill campus. He is currently exploring new applications for Argentium in various manufacturing sectors, including its use for rapid manufacturing in conjunction with Wolverhampton University. An unexpected advantage has been demonstrated by Christine Bouchemal, receptionist at Cat Hill campus, who had never been able to wear sterling silver, as it causes a skin allergy. She tried a piece of Argentium jewellery, found it to have no ill effects, and she’s been wearing it ever since! Christine said: “Silver jewellery has always been off limits for me, but I can wear the Argentium products with no problems at all!” Allergy sufferers won’t have to go to the US to get their hands on Argentium Silver jewellery as

In the early days, Peter had to work hard to get the concept of Argentium taken seriously – convincing people that Argentium is of an equal or higher quality than traditional sterling silver proved to be quite a challenge. Some people even said they missed polishing their silverware! Peter said of the venture’s success: “Argentium is very big in the US, we’re now working with one of the biggest bullion manufacturers in the world…we’ve become one of

To view other articles on argentium, go to http://tinyurl.com/5tzfcc or http://tinyurl.com/cppu6k

MARCH 2009

the really big players”. He added: “Argentium has terrific possibilities…it’s a front runner”. The Argentium project formed a major part of the University's 2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise submission, demonstrating significant invention, research development and knowledge transfer at the highest international levels. And with representation throughout Europe, the US, the Far East and Australia, Argentium has made a great journey from the Middlesex workshops to the world stage!

...Sci-fi author

and EastEnders, many of which she has written for. The Literary Festival is organised by students following the BA degree in Creative and Media Writing at Middlesex and will also feature readings of students’ own work. Lecturer James Martin Charlton, who leads the BA programme, said: “We're thrilled that we've been able to attract such big names in the literary world…It shows the University is acquiring an excellent reputation when it comes to staging high-calibre events…It's wonderful for students on our creative writing programmes to learn at first hand from successful authors about the real life of being a writer”.

Attendance at panel sessions and readings is free – workshops cost £5 per person and must be booked in advance by email: [email protected] Go to www.freewebs.com/mdxlitfest/ programme.htm to view the full Festival programme.

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NEWS AND EVENTS

[SCHOOL OF] ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION SCIENCES

EIS students use their skills to help others This month Middlesex World reports on how EIS students are using their skills and expertise to give something back to the community in which they live and learn.

A wireless device to help people with motor impairments Following a first degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering, and valuable technical experience gained at HCL Infosystems, one of India's leading ICT companies, Ganesh Kumar Muthia enrolled on a postgraduate course in Computer and Network Security at Middlesex. Ganesh wanted to use his knowledge of networking and mobile communication to help people facing physical challenges caused by wasting diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a type of motor neurone disease. In his research project he designed a device which would help people with these conditions to control machinery around them. His project, Improved Wireless Sensor Aid: Environmental Control Device for Patients with Motor Impairments involved designing a compact and easily accessible device that would allow people with motor impairments to control electronic devices. Ganesh's control device is a multi-use switch. It was designed so that it could be used by people at all stages of motor diseases. The user taps the device with their finger and this sends an electronic signal to the equipment or machine the user wants to activate. Ganesh used Zigbee technology when designing and programming the device, to ensure it could be used wirelessly. Acceleration sensors were also a major component of the design, to ensure that users could control the level at which equipment or machinery worked. Dr Gill Whitney and module leader Dr Aboubaker Lasebai worked with Ganesh on his research project.

MIDDLESEX WORLD

MARCH 2009

Ganesh Kumar Muthia

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NEWS AND EVENTS

[SCHOOL OF] ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION SCIENCES Fun and games in the Hatchcroft labs Students studying Fundamentals of Multimedia and Scripting at Middlesex are designing computer games specially tailored for individual autistic children who attend schools in the University’s local community in north London. The module, which is carried out by first year students studying BSc Multimedia Computing, BSc Information Technology and BSc Interactive System Design, aims to provide students with a solid foundation in scripting in a multimedia environment. Programme Leader of the BSc Honours Information Technology and Networking, Elizabeth Stokes, who is the Module Leader of Fundamentals for Multimedia and Scripting says: “Each student receives a case study of a real autistic child in a local school. The case study is based on profiles completed by teachers, parents and other professionals about children on the autistic spectrum and tells the student about their allocated child’s age, likes, dislikes, educational needs and

MIDDLESEX WORLD

learning difficulties. The student then designs a personalised educational game tailored so that the child will have their needs met while having fun. At the end of the project, once the games are

fruit and different objects. If the player chooses to match shapes, for example, a shape appears on the screen and then a group of different shapes in various colours and sizes dance onto the screen

“EACH STUDENT RECEIVES A CASE STUDY OF A REAL AUTISTIC CHILD IN A LOCAL SCHOOL.. ONCE THE GAMES ARE COMPLETED, WE PASS THEM ON TO THE SCHOOL SO THAT THE CHILDREN CAN PLAY THEM AND THE SCHOOL THEN EVALUATES THEM AND GIVES US FEEDBACK”. completed, we pass them on to the school so that the children can play them and the school then evaluates them and gives us feedback”. 23-year-old Hassan Mwathethe from Kenya is working on a game that involves matching objects, mathematics and puzzles for an 11-year-old autistic boy who has difficulties with fine and gross motor coordination. His game starts with a welcome from Thomas the Tank Engine because, according to Hassan, the little boy is a big fan of Thomas. The matching part of the game, which is at the most advanced stage of development, requires the player to match shapes,

before standing still so that the player can choose the one that matches. If he gets it right, the computer congratulates him. As part of their project, the students group themselves into mock businesses, which are responsible for ‘selling’ their games, and soon they’ll be showcasing their work at Middlesex. 21-year-old Dipesh Damani from Kingsbury says that his group have decided to call their mock business Educational Amusement because their games are designed to help children with educational difficulties to learn and have fun at the same time. He goes on to explain his game for a 9-

year-old autistic boy, which he describes as two games in one. One part of the game uses Disney characters in puzzle activities of differing difficulty levels, while the other is a maths game which not only has different difficulty levels, but also always gives the player different number combinations in sums so that they cannot learn the answers or become bored. More and more, computer users expect dynamic, interactive and media rich experiences, and Elizabeth says that this module is allowing students to develop the skills to produce these: “The students are all, justifiably, quite proud of their games. They’re designing their games using storyboards and then putting them together to include images, sound and anything else that they think will make the end user’s experience more enjoyable”. Look out Atari and EA, because Middlesex’s students are finding out that developing games is even more fun than playing them!

MARCH 2009

Hassan Mwathethe, first year BSc Business Information Technology student

Dipesh Damani, first year BSc Business Information Technology student

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NEWS AND EVENTS

[SCHOOL OF] HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Dyslexia is a complex condition – it is thought to affect between 5 to15% of English speakers, with around 4% of this group likely to be severely dyslexic. The statistics are similar amongst speakers of other European and alphabet-based languages too. Dr Nicola Brunswick, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Middlesex’s School of Health and Social Sciences, has just published A Beginner’s Guide to Dyslexia, a new book that helps to explain key characteristics of dyslexia and explodes many myths and misconceptions about the condition. Does dyslexia really exist? Definitely, says Nicola. She also explores other issues in her book, including the

MIDDLESEX WORLD

causes and symptoms of dyslexia, and the importance of sound and vision to reading, drawing on new thinking and cutting-edge research in psychology and education. Dyslexia is often perceived as ‘an excuse’ for poor schoolwork, or is interpreted as an indication of low intelligence. Yet Winston Churchill, Andy Warhol, Walt Disney, Tom Cruise, Agatha Christie, Pablo Picasso and many other famous figures have enjoyed great success in their chosen professions despite being dyslexic. Some of them are even considered to be ‘a genius’, disproving the myth that dyslexic people are not intelligent. In fact, dyslexic people have average, or above average, intelligence.

Nicola said: “In writing the book, I aimed to offer clear information, explanations, realistic advice and suggestions on dealing with dyslexia. I hope this book will be of real benefit to people with dyslexia, and their families and friends, as well as to classroom teachers and special educational needs coordinators”.

People with dyslexia, and those trying to help them, will probably gain hope from

A Beginner’s Guide to Dyslexia was published by Oneworld on Sunday 1 March.

For events listings click on the intranet at...

MARCH 2009

www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/mdxworld/index.html

Exploding the myths surrounding dyslexia

another common misconception. Many people think that with enough practice, dyslexic people will eventually learn to read ‘properly’. This is a myth – dyslexia is a lifelong condition, but it has been proved that compensatory strategies can help dyslexics to read and deal with other problems caused by dyslexia. Nicola’s book also looks at the assessment and management of dyslexia in children and adults, and offers practical guidance on tackling some of the problems dyslexia can cause, including details of resources such as support associations, websites, and assistive technology.

Archway Clinic of Herbal Medicine contributes to Grow Your Own Drugs For people all over Britain who’ve always thought that herbs are for cooking, flowers are purely ornamental and fruit is just to be eaten, the new BBC2 series Grow Your Own Drugs is changing perceptions.

Technician of Middlesex University’s Medicinal Herb Garden, contributed many of the photographs”. She continues: “The book offers all manner of delights including ice lollies made from the herb Echinacea, a plaster of hot chillies, a lavender bath bomb and a cup of special hot chocolate to reduce anxiety”.

The six-part series, which launched on Monday 2 March, demonstrates how to transform familiar plants into simple Recipes from the book are featured natural remedies and pampering beauty throughout the series, so look out for the treatments. Archway Clinic of Herbal Medicine’s recipes on BBC2 on Mondays at 8.30pm. A number of members of staff at theArchway Clinic of Herbal Medicine have contributed recipes and photographs to the book Grow Your Own Drugs that accompanies the series. According to Kathryn Lwin Brooks, Director of the Clinic: “All of the staff who contributed recipes for the book Grow Your Own Drugs are medical herbalists. Richard Adams and Hananja Brice Ytsma are practitioners at the Clinic and members of NIMH (National Institute of Medical Herbalists); Nathalie Chidley works here as a dispenser. Liz Williamson, who tested the recipes along with Nathalie Chidley, is one of the examiners on the BSc in Herbal Medicine. Peter Jarrett, Head

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NEWS AND EVENTS

[SCHOOL OF] HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Hendon’s Whodunnit A horrific scene greeted a group of A-level science students from Finchley Catholic High School this month when they arrived at the Hendon campus to see the new facilities at the Hatchcroft Building. Dr Stephen Butler, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science, opened the door to a small storeroom, revealing a bloodied corpse sprawled on the floor. Blood from a 6-inch gash to the victim’s ribs was still dripping through his clothes and onto the floor, suggesting that this shocking murder had taken place very recently. Steve challenged the students to solve the crime using facilities and equipment at Hatchcroft. The killer could be any one of the five celebrity suspects who had been spotted around campus earlier that day, Steve told the group. The students stepped warily over the victim and examined the scene more closely,

MIDDLESEX WORLD

taking care not to touch the body or the blood, to avoid disturbing or contaminating the scene. Steve shone an ultraviolet light onto shelving next to the corpse, revealing two sets of fingerprints. From this, the students concluded that some kind of violent struggle had taken place between victim and murderer, the victim had probably clawed at his attacker, so there was a chance there might be skin fragments on his hands and under his fingernails. The students took swab samples from under the victim’s nails, to analyse and compare with DNA samples from the suspects. The samples from the victim were put into a ‘buffer’ solution, in a test tube, to keep them in a sterile environment, free from contamination by air or chemicals. A sample of hair was also taken from the victim. “The whole human genome is here,” Dr Butler explained, “hair samples are unique, even in identical twins”.

science is expensive!” The sample mixtures were incubated for 45 minutes and the students then analysed the results.

Dr Suzanne Docherty, Senior Lecturer and Teaching Fellow, then briefed the group on procedures for professional lab work and the students were issued with lab coats, protective rubber or nitrile gloves, and goggles for use when working with liquids. The budding forensic scientists then started on their detective work. An enzyme solution was added to the suspects’ DNA samples which broke these samples down into fragments. The fragments were then separated out by electrophoresis – a process where an electric current is run through the solution. After this, the patterns made by each set of fragments could be matched up with the murderer’s DNA samples taken from the crime scene.

Angela Cunningham, science teacher at Finchley Catholic High School, said: “It’s a great chance for our students to learn more about the practical side of science…it’s giving them a taste of what their next step in science might be, and they’ll gain the confidence to consider studying science at university”.

Suzanne Docherty said: “It’s a great way to make science more accessible and to show the students the DNA technology we use here at Middlesex in a real life situation…at this event, the students used the same equipment and skills which biomedical scientists use at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It’s also been a real opportunity to show them that science can be really exciting, it’s not difficult or

hard-going, which can be a common misconception”. Much to the relief of his colleagues in HSSC, volunteer victim Drupad Trivedi has made a remarkable recovery. Drupad has now returned to his PhD work in mass spectrometry, but the perpetrator of the crime, actor Hugh Grant, remains at large. Staff and students are warned not to approach this dangerous individual, who may still be armed…

The students worked in pairs, using a large pipette to add the enzyme to each DNA sample. “These pipettes are worth £200 each”, Steve Butler explained, “this is life science… and The killer strikes

MARCH 2009

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NEWS AND EVENTS

SERVICES

CCSS pull out the stops for work experience student Roger Fox and the CCSS team had extra help in February when work experience student Matthew Kayne joined them to do some ‘file fighting’. Matthew is currently following a Foundation degree, including AS Applied ICT Studies, at Southgate College, and was struggling to find a suitable work experience placement. Matthew suffers from significant physical disabilities and has been receiving support from the Aimhigher London North Partnership's ‘This-Ability Programme’. Southgate College approached Christine Hough, Middlesex’s Aimhigher Disability Development Officer, to see if Middlesex could offer Matthew some relevant work experience. Christine spoke to Roger Fox, Operations Group Manager for CCSS, who was able to devise a varied programme for Matthew, giving him the chance to put his IT knowledge into practice. Matthew worked on a project to identify and reduce the number

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of ‘inactive’ files and folders on the network system, which will contribute to more effective use of the University’s network space. Roger commented: “Matthew picked up very quickly on what was required and demonstrated a clear understanding of the issues…we only ever needed to explain technical issues to him once, which was a great help when tasks were being assigned”.

Matthew said of his placement: “I had a lot of enjoyment and I gained a lot of new skills. I learnt how to create and set up new users on the university network using a programme called 'Touchpaper'... The best thing about the work placement

was working in a real office environment…The people I was working with were really nice and helpful, supportive and accommodating to my needs, especially Roger, Sam and Marva”. Christine Haugh said: “Matthew and Southgate College have been raving about Middlesex…Matthew learned a lot from his time with CCSS…he is incredibly motivated to continue his

The CCSS team arranged the office space so that Matthew was sitting alongside Helpdesk staff. Matthew used a specialist keyboard, which was connected to the Helpdesk machine he was using, enabling him to work effectively and communicate with service users by email. Before Matthew’s work experience started, EFMS (Estate and Facilities Management Service) assessed the workspace and provided a specialist EVAC chair, designed to assist people with disabilities if the building had to be evacuated.

studies”. She added: “Roger and the CCSS team went far beyond just making reasonable adjustments to the office environment, they put a load of work into Matthew being able to enjoy a really good work experience with the team. He had a tremendously positive experience at Middlesex, which is totally due to the efforts of Roger and the team”.

Issam Siman, Roger Fox, Roselyn Marshall and Marva Gabbidon from CCSS

MARCH 2009

Matthew plans to follow a degree at Middlesex’s Hendon campus in September. He said: “Working up at Hendon gave me an insight into the campus I hope to study at next year. At the moment I'm completing my Foundation Degree in IT Networks at Southgate College and in September I plan to follow this through to a full honours degree in Computing and Networks at the Hendon campus”.

Work experience student Matthew Kayne was based with the CCSS Team in February

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SERVICES

The Sports Department recently obtained a defibrillator, which is located in the Forum building. On 12 and 17 March, interested staff attended a training session to learn how to use the defibrillator. In the right, trained hands, a defibrillator can save lives. The device is used in conjunction with CPR, on patients who have no pulse, sending an electric shock to the heart and enabling the heart to re-establish a normal rhythm. And for those staff members who’re not all that clued up on First Aid, a defibrillator is that gadget that George Clooney uses in ER to give people shocks when they’re in cardiac arrest.

Dean Pyle, Space Manager (left) and Danny Digweed, Sports Duty Officer (right)

MIDDLESEX WORLD

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Clear!

Fun Run and Health Walk 2009 – make sure it’s in your diary!

Wednesday 6 May is the date, Trent Park is the venue and 5.30pm is your start time! The annual Fun Run and Health Walk is always a highlight in Middlesex’s sporting calendar. Why not take part with friends and colleagues and make a social event out of it too. Each finisher receives a fantastic goody bag, which includes a limited edition Tshirt. After the presentations, participants are invited to join the sports team in the Trent Park campus bar for a post event drink. The bar will be open until 11pm. The 5km (3 mile) run is over the traditional course on fields and footpaths in Trent Park. The Health Walk follows a 3km route and will be led by a trained walk leader. It’s called a ‘Fun Run’, and fun is the order

MARCH 2009

of the day for both runners and walkers – prizes are awarded for the most imaginative fancy dress entrant. Last year celebrity actress and former EastEnders star Michelle Collins started the race which was held in aid of local charity TreeHouse. This year funds raised will go to the Mayor of Barnet’s charity appeal. These charities are: The Princess Royal Trust Barnet Carers’ Centre and Chai Cancer Care. The Princess Royal Trust Barnet Carers Centre offers advice, information, and support for all informal carers who live or work in the London Borough of Barnet. The Chai Cancer Support Centre offers care services and support to the Jewish

community in Hendon. All members of the Jewish community can make use of the Centre’s services, regardless of their age, type of cancer, stage of the disease or financial means. Services can be offered at home for those who are unable to come to the Centre. All participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship for these charities, or to make a donation along with their entry fee. For further information and entry forms (including a beginner’s sample training programme) please contact the Sports Office on ext. 4727 or email [email protected]

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