Express September 2009

August 2009 | Issue 3

The Graduation SpecialRoundup and pictures from this year’s ceremonies

Brunel HonourS olympic STarSHonorary Degrees for Dame Kelly Holmes and Kelly Sotherton

DeSiGnS on THe FuTureHow Made in Brunel students are tackling the challenges of tomorrow

133247 Express Magazine A4 Iss3 Final.indd 1 31/7/09 12:21:43

P18

P4-7 News Roundup

P8-13 Graduation 2009 Special

All the news on this year’s

Graduation Week, including

photo gallery, coverage of the

Kelly Holmes event and the new

Honorary Graduates.

P14-17 Feature: Designs on the Future

A look at how Made in Brunel

students hope to make all our

futures brighter through socially

responsible design.

P18 Challenging the Big Questions

Coverage of this year’s

International Association of

Philosophy and Literature (IAPL)

Conference.

P19 The Very Idea We round up some the ideas you

submitted to the ‘Ideas’ website

and look at how the University is

addressing them.

P20 The Gallery A selection of images capturing

activities in and around Brunel.

creditsExpress is available to read on our website at: www.brunel.ac.uk/news/express

We’d love to hear from you with ideas for news items, stories or features, as well as any feedback. Please email your ideas or comments to [email protected]

Brunel Publications Editor: Jo Dooher Tel: ext 65154 Email: [email protected]

Contributors: Ian Robinson Emma Filtness

Photography: Sally Trussler Neil Graveney

Print: Brunel University Press

Brunel express | issue 3 | page 2

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P9

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Welcome to the Graduation Special

The Graduation Ceremonies are

always a big cause for celebration at

Brunel. With around 4,000 students

graduating each year, the ceremonies

give family, friends and University

staff the opportunity to mark and take

pride in our students’ considerable

achievements.

This year’s ceremonies were once again

a huge success – the campus never

looked better and the atmosphere was

fantastic. A big thank you to everyone

who made the events so memorable,

and the best of luck to the graduating

class of 2009.

Full write-up and gallery – Page 10-12

Who were this year’s honorary graduates? Page 13

BRuNel uNIVeRSITy: Now oFFICIally FaIRTRaDeThe hard work carried out by staff and students to promote

fair trade issues across campus paid off this June when the

University was officially awarded Fairtrade accreditation

status by the Fairtrade Foundation. The Foundation is a non-

profit organisation that seeks to transform trading structures

and practices in favour of the poor and disadvantaged, while

contributing to sustainable development for marginalised

producers, workers and their communities.

The University has a long history of championing Fairtrade

causes: both the Meeting House and Catering have promoted

and sold their range products for some time. But since summer

2008, the University has made a concerted effort to encourage

staff and students to choose Fairtrade by establishing a staff/

student steering group, selling a wider range of Fairtrade

products and taking part in national events, such as Fairtrade

Fortnight. Yet more events are planned for the year ahead:

watch this space for further details.

You can find Brunel’s Fairtrade products in More Foodhall,

Café Rococo, The Hub, Pronto, Bar Zest, Costcutter, and on the

Meeting House weekly stall. But it is ultimately up to you, the

Brunel community, to engage with the ethos of Fairtrade and

to buy the products available, if we are to make the University

Fairtrade movement an even bigger success.


Adam Sumar, a Business and Management

(Accounting) student, saw off stiff competition

from across the UK to win the 2009 National

Student Employee of the Year Award. This is the

first time a Brunel student has won the accolade,

which recognises and promotes the outstanding

achievements of students who combine part-time

work with their study.

Adam won the award for sucessfully combining his

role as a Student Ambassador for the Marketing

and Widening Participation departments with

volunteering for the St John Ambulance, all while

studying for his degree. The awards have three

stages: local, regional and national. In order to win

the national award, Adam also had to triumph in

the local (Brunel University) and regional (London

and the South East) stages of the competition.

Adam said: “When I was told that I had won the

regional award, I thought ‘what an amazing

achievement’, but then the news came that I was

the national winner! This is a great honour, and it

could not have come at a better time, as a few days

later I received my degree results and am pleased to

say I leave with a 2.1 degree.”

adam is Student employee of the year

BRuNel RISeS uP The

NaTIoNal leaGue TaBleS



The Development and Alumni Office have

secured over £70,000 in donations from this

year’s alumni telephone campaign. This is

an incredible result for the University and is

almost double the total raised in any one of

the previous year’s campaigns. What’s more,

this year’s funds are being ‘matched’ by the

Government in their new university funding

initiative, which brings our fundraising total to

£105,000.

The campaign, led by Alumni Fundraising Officer

Laurelle Vingoe, employs a team of students

who contact more than 2,000 alumni to update

them on events and activities at the University,

find out what the alumni have been up to since

graduation and ask if they are willing to make a

donation to benefit current

and future generations

of Brunel students. Any

money donated by our

alumni goes into the

Brunel Annual Fund,

which supports student

scholarships and awards,

the Library, and

other student

projects.

alumni campaign raises £105K for Brunel annual Fund

Improvements in Brunel’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and National Student Survey (NSS) results have helped propel the University further up the national league table rankings. Our best result was in the Times Good University Guide, where we climbed five places to 47th overall, overtaking City University, one of our London rivals. In The Independent and The Guardian guides, we were ranked 41st and 53rd, respectively.

The University also performed well in many of the subject area rankings. Design maintained its reputation as one of the best courses of its kind, reaching either 4th or 5th in the three guides. Sport Sciences, General Engineering and Information Management also appear in the top 10. But English is this year’s big success, rising from a fairly unremarkable spot in the 40s to 19th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide. This is an immense achievement, and is a testament to the expertise and quality of their teaching programme.

Our position in the graduate starting salaries rankings has also jumped. According to The Times, we have the 13th highest starting salaries in the UK, averaging £21,934 a year.



News in Brief


Brunel Racing placed 6th at

Formula Student UK

The Brunel Racing Team exceeded

all expectations to finish 6th in

the Formula Student Silverstone

2009 competition in July. The result

makes Brunel the second placed

UK university in the largest Formula

Student competition ever – with 87

teams competing. The final result

is Brunel’s best normalised Class 1

finish in the 10 years the University

has competed in Formula Student,

having previously finished 4th of 40

teams in 2002.

In the sub-categories, Brunel

performed particularly well in the

Economy (2nd) and Endurance (4th)

classes, and had top 20 finishes

in Acceleration and Presentation.

Having achieved such great success

at Silverstone, the team are now

undertaking a development and

testing programme in preparation

for the Hockenheim competition in

August.

One million BURA downloads

and counting…

The Brunel University Research

Archive (BURA) recorded its millionth

download in June. This is hugely

impressive, considering the

short time that BURA

has existed. In just

three years, the

Archive has become

one of the top 30

academic institutional

repositories in the UK,

and is ranked 132nd in the

world. On average, BURA records

4,000 individual downloads per day.

Launched in December 2006, BURA

preserves and freely disseminates

the work of Brunel’s research

community, including articles, data

sets, conference papers and PhD

theses. Such a database makes our

research available to a worldwide

audience, leading to better

dissemination and more citations in

traditional publications.

Brunel Barbarians win national

‘Spirit of SRL’ award

The Brunel

Barbarians Rugby

League Club

Committee has won

the Andrew Cudbertson

‘Spirit of SRL’ award. The Barbarians

are one of the Student Union’s

newest sports clubs and every

member has put in many hours of

hard work not only to set up the

club, but to develop the sport in the

local area.

Richard Walker, Membership

Services Manager for the Union

of Brunel Students said: “We are

justly proud of this national award

and find it particularly fitting that it

celebrates the continuous hard work

and commitment of the committee,

complementing the award

earned at this year’s UBS

Sports Federation awards,

where Rugby league

picked up the ‘Developing

Club of the Year 2009’

award.

Graduate is best Public Affairs

newcomer

Lucy Grove, an MSc Public Affairs

and Lobbying graduate, has been

awarded the ‘Newcomer of the Year’

award by the highly respected Public

Affairs Awards 2009. Lucy won the

prize for her work with PR experts

Grayling, the same company with

whom she started her career as an

intern during her Master’s studies.

The Awards are the most respected

in the industry. Lucy is already

progressing well in her career and

has now joined Macmillan Cancer

Support’s public affairs team.

International recognition for

research student

Christina Gipson, a doctoral student

from the Centre for Youth Sport

and Athlete Welfare, has won

the prestigious Nell C Jackson

Memorial Award, which is made

to African American women who

have made significant and valuable

contributions to every aspect of

sport. The Award is given out by

the American Alliance for Health,

Physical Education, Recreation and

Dance.

Gipson has forged a career in

coaching young women in soccer,

with the goal of developing them as

both athletes and citizens. Her work

has included spells working for non-

profit organisations in order to seek

equitable opportunities for girls and

women in international sport. She

received a cash prize and plaque in

South Africa this July.


Professor Cecil Helman was a

founder staff member, in 1989, of

the University’s very successful

Medical Anthropology MSc.

For 20 years, until his death

from motor neurone disease in

June 2009, he was a lynchpin

of the degree, teaching and

inspiring hundreds of students.

He was appointed Professor

Associate in recognition of his

academic achievements and his

commitment and contribution to

medical anthropology at Brunel.

Cecil was an extraordinary man.

He trained in medicine in South

Africa, where he was born into a

family of rabbis and doctors, but

moved to Britain in the 1960s to

escape apartheid. Settled in London,

he became a GP – and remained

active as a doctor for much of his

life – but he was also intrigued

by how anthropology could be

applied to health and medicine.

After completing a Diploma in

Anthropology at UCL, he began

publishing articles on key cultural

aspects of health, and was much in

demand for his ability to bridge the

worlds of medicine and anthropology.

The publication of his book Culture,

Health and Illness in 1984 cemented

his reputation. The international

bestseller, reprinted many times,

became a seminal text in its field. His

rapidly growing status resulted in

invitations to lecture at prestigious

universities in Europe and the US,

and Master’s and Doctoral students

came from all over the world to

study at Brunel because of Cecil’s

reputation. He achieved formal

academic recognition for his work,

receiving a Career Achievement

award from the American

Anthropological Association (2004)

and the Lucy Mair medal from the

Royal Anthropological Institute

(2005) for ‘consistent excellence in

applied anthropology’.

There were many other sides to

Cecil’s life. He published several

books on culture and medicine, most

notably The Body of Frankenstein’s

Monster about myths and medicine,

and Suburban Shaman about his

experiences and observations of the

cultural aspects of general practice,

for which he received the Medical

Journalists Association Book Award

in 2007.

He was also involved in establishing

the new sub-discipline of Medical

Humanities, which combined his

medical, anthropological and literary

interests. His artistic and literary

skills, and his wide-ranging cultural

insights, were often a surprise to

students who came to know him

well. However, his teaching role was

his main strength, inspiring students

of all abilities to think about and

work with cultural ideas. For them,

he shone a radical new light on the

everyday world of health care and

medical practice.

Brunel was very fortunate to have

someone like Cecil, whose unique

range of skills and experiences

inspired so many postgraduate

students for so many years.

obituary: Cecil helman, Medical anthropologist By Ian Robinson


Brunel awarded ‘secure

campus environment’ status

Brunel has become only the fourth

university in the UK to receive the

‘Secured Environments’ certificate.

The accreditation, awarded by the

Association of Chief Police Officers,

is given to organisations that meet

key principles of security, crime

prevention and risk management.

A new Head for the Law School

Professor Javaid Rehman is the

new Head of the Brunel Law

School. Professor Rehman is an

expert on Islamic Law, international

human rights law and international

terrorism, as well as the leader of

the Collaborative Research Network

for Security, Human Rights and

the Media. He takes over from

Professor Abimbola

Olowofoyeku, who

held the post since

2004 in its previous

incarnation of the

School of Social

Sciences

and Law.




One of Britain’s greatest ever athletes, Dame Kelly Holmes, joined former Brunel student and Olympic heptathlete Kelly Sotherton to hand out advice to the next generation of sporting stars in a special Olympic-themed ceremony on campus.

On Monday 20 July, just before the launch of Graduation

proper, Brunel hosted a special sporting event: Reaching

for London 2012: How athletes prepare for the ultimate

sporting challenge. The event provided a chance for

the University to recognise the achievements of two of

athletics’ biggest names, Dame Kelly Holmes and Kelly

Sotherton, who both received honorary degrees from

Brunel. But the event was also a chance to look ahead to

the next Olympic Games, now just three years away, and

the part Brunel hopes to play in what will be one of the

biggest sporting events in Britain’s modern history.

During the evening, the two Kellys chatted with BBC

sports commentator Paul Dickenson (another Brunel

graduate) about just what it takes to become an

Olympic medal-winning athlete. They also passed on

a few tips to the next generation of sports stars vying

for a medal in 2012.

Dame Kelly’s advice was born out of her own experiences

of winning the 800m and 1500m golds in Athens 2004,

after 11 years of struggling with injuries: “Never live with

regrets. I always say, ‘get knocked down seven times,

stand up eight’, because on that eighth time, you never

know what will happen.” Kelly Sotherton, who cited

Brunel as having been important for her development

as an athlete, said her key to success was to keep

persevering – and to laugh in the face of adversity.

She is still on course for another Heptathlon Olympic

medal in 2012, and is hoping to better her bronze

performance at the 2004 Olympics.

Paying particular attention to these words of wisdom were

seven of the 16 former Brunel students who competed

in the Beijing Games, many of whom are now hoping

for 2012 glory. The guests, who were there to collect

‘Outstanding Achievement in Sport’ Awards from the

University, included five-times Paralympian basketball

player Ann Wild, British 100m record holder Montell

Douglas, and Paralympic and Olympic rowers, Vicki

Hansford and Beth Rodford.

The event was also an opportunity for Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Professor Ian Campbell (pictured above left) to highlight

Brunel’s four 2012 Olympic programmes in: Sports

Facilities and Services; Academic; External Relations and

Communications; and Community Engagement. The

programmes aim to raise the University’s profile in the run-

up to the 2012 Olympics, and exploit every opportunity

available. We are already on course to host a major

national team for training purposes prior to the Olympics,

and will also lead a major pre-games sports conference,

The International Convention for Science, Education,

Medicine in Sport.

“Never live with regrets”

Pictured oPPositeBack row, l-r: Beth Rodford, Neil Young, Vicki Hansford, Laura Turner, Montell Douglas, Professor Ian Campbell, Paul Dickenson. Front row: Julie Hollman, Kelly Sotherton, Dame Kelly Holmes.




Four days, eight ceremonies, 12,000 guests, and one big celebration!

Graduation

2009


Graduation Week is an opportunity

for everyone – staff, students,

and their friends and families –

to recognise and celebrate the

considerable achievements of the

graduating class of 2009. And it was

certainly an impressive celebration:

anyone who took a moment to

step out of their office onto campus

during the week could only have

had their spirits lifted by the sight

of the crowds of uncommonly

smart graduates.

There were some of the

now-familiar sights: parents

capturing shots of their children

throwing mortarboards into the

air, or hugging the feet of the

Brunel statue; vertiginous stiletto

heels worn by some of the braver

female graduates; unpredictable

weather that veered from glorious

to miserable within minutes.

But despite the occasional

downpour, the week was a big

success, and all of those involved in

making Graduation run so smoothly

deserve credit for ensuring the event

was memorable for the thousands

of guests. One such guest was

Shaminy, a BSc Psychology graduate:

“The day has been fantastic overall;

really good. My family were really

proud, especially my seven-year-old

daughter, who kept saying to me

‘You’re a superstar, Mummy’.”

Tina Bray, the self-professed “proud

mother” of Music and English

graduate Beattie Bray, was also very

impressed with the event’s set-up:

“The day has been lovely and very

emotional. I particularly liked the

speech by the Pro-Chancellor

[Sir Robert Balchin] – he has a

wonderful speaking voice. I could

listen to him all day!”





alastair CurtisAwarded Doctor of Engineering

Brunel graduate Alastair Curtis is one of the UK’s most successful designers. Shortly after graduating with a degree in Industrial Design in 1990, he joined Nokia as a design engineer and was promoted to a senior position within just three

years. His career continued to go from strength to strength – he moved to LA to help establish the Nokia Design Center and was promoted to Design Director.

After eight years in the US, he returned to Britain as Nokia’s Chief Designer, the role he continues to hold today. He is responsible for several design classics, including the original Nokia 3210 – a hugely popular phone that sold an incredible 160 million units.

Jenni Murray oBeAwarded Doctor of Letters

Jenni Murray is known to millions of radio listeners as the voice of Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. She began her broadcasting career in local radio in Bristol and joined Newsnight in 1983, before moving to Radio 4 as a presenter

for the Today programme. She eventually inherited the Woman’s Hour chair from Sue MacGregor in 1987.

Jenni was awarded an OBE for radio broadcasting in 1999 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Media Society. Jenni is also the author of several books, including a history of Woman’s Hour, and writes for various newspapers and magazines, including The Daily Mail.

The Rt hon lord Douglas hurd Ch CBeAwarded Doctor of Laws

Lord Hurd is a retired politician, best known for his roles in the Thatcher and Major governments of the ‘80s and ‘90s. In particular, he served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1984-1985, Home Secretary from 1985-1989 and Foreign Secretary 1989-1995. He was created a Life Peer in 1997.

Since his retirement from politics in 1995, Lord Hurd has been Chairman of the Prison Reform Trust Charity, co-President of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a Member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords and a Member of the Appointments Commission.

Brunel awarded nine honorary doctorates this year for outstanding scholarly achievement or outstanding service to the local, national or international community.

The honorary Graduates

who else?Margaret Burgess Nurse and Brunel

graduate

Jeffrey Ellwood Businessman and ex-Chair of Brunel Council

Peter Galloway OBE Reverend and Scholar

Sir Craig Reedie CBE Ex-chair of British Olympic Association

Malcolm Wicks Member of Parliament

James Younger CBE Chair of the Electoral Commission



Designs on the Future

The 2009 Made in Brunel exhibition showcased the kind of impressive

product concepts we have come to expect from Brunel’s design and

engineering final year students. yet more than ever, the focus this year

was firmly on one theme: social and environmental responsibility.



Made in Brunel has become

something of a Brunel institution.

Although only in its fourth year,

it has successfully established a

well-respected brand, attracts

the attention of illustrious

industry and media names, and

has helped launch the careers of

many talented graduates. Such

success has come from building

on the strengths of previous

exhibitions, but without

sacrificing the creative character

that makes each Made in Brunel

team unique.

This year the team have, either

though choice or coincidence,

assembled a showcase of designs

that explore what Brunel professor

and Made in Brunel mentor Joseph

Giacomin summed up as “inclusive,

socially responsible design.” This

shouldn’t be much of a surprise: we

are already inundated with warnings

of climate change catastrophe, the

need to develop more sources of

renewable energy, and how we, as

consumers, should be more ethically

aware when choosing our food,

clothing, gadgets, or the countless

other products with which we

surround ourselves.

It makes sense then that so many

of the 2009 class have chosen to

tackle these issues. Not only can

the designer contribute – no matter

how small – to the good of society,

they can also fulfil a growing need

for environmentally aware, good

quality design. Examples of such

thinking could be found everywhere

at the Made in Brunel Exhibition: a

device that switches off electronics

left on standby; an ‘electric’

toothbrush that you can wind up;

a water-saving irrigation device for

houseplants; and even a machine

that turns discarded glass bottles

into useful, if somewhat utilitarian

looking, drinking glasses.

The theme was even taken up by

Made in Brunel’s supporters, The

HSBC Educational Trust, which

shortlisted for the annual prize only

those students who had explored

sustainability and environmental

technology. Simon Martin, Group

Head of Sustainability at HSBC, said:

“This is clearly an area where we all

expect to see significant changes

over the next few years; especially

in the way society operates. Design

and technological developments will

have a key role to play in bringing

about the changes that we need

to ensure we’re managing on a

sustainable level.”

The prize winning projects certainly

illustrated these notions well.

Industrial Design student Alex

Weldon (pictured far left) received

the HSBC special commendation for

Eco Drive, a car pedal attachment

that vibrates when you accelerate

too fast, helping you to save money

on your fuel bills and reduce your

car’s emissions, while limiting

any interference in your driving

experience. “The test results were

uniformly positive, and were almost

too good to be true,” said Alex.

“People drove more economically

and the mental workload remained

low.”



However, despite Eco Drive offering

obvious benefits to drivers, the

project hit a snag. “People don’t

want to pay for it.” Alex said. “The

testers were very happy to use it if

it was free, but they didn’t see the

benefit in spending money upfront,

even if they would easily make it

back in fuel savings. A gentleman

from Bentley was very interested to

hear whether I planned to develop

it commercially, but without, for

example, government endorsement,

I don’t think it would be a viable

product.”

Herein lies the biggest challenge

facing the new generation of

designers: they could create a

product that reduced energy use,

saved its user money and looked

fantastic, but it would have a limited

value if it failed to change the user’s

long-term behaviour.

This is why a product concept such

as Tio, the brainchild of Industrial

Design student Tim Holley, was

chosen as this year’s winner of the

HSBC Sustainability prize. Aimed

at raising children’s awareness of

environmental issues, Tio is a light

switch with a personality: the longer

it is left on, the more irritable it

becomes, gradually changing from

mild green to a decidedly cross-

looking red (pictured above). To

make it ‘happy’ again, you have to

switch the light off. “Tio increases

children’s awareness of the energy

their lights consume and the effect

this has on the environment,”

explains Tim. “The system sends

information to a computer, allowing

energy use to be tracked over time

A Light Switch to Help Children Save Energy

The T io system increases chi ldren’s awareness of the energy their l ights consume and the effect this has on the environment. The system consists of two main components; a wall-mounted light switch and a computer programme.

The wall-mounted light switch, which can be installed in the place of a standard light switch, controls the lighting in the child’s room. Tio is soft and tactile, thus encourages user interaction. The character of ‘Tio’ displayed on the light switch encourages children to turn their lights off: Tio is happy when the lights have only been on for a short period of time. The longer they are left on, the angrier he becomes. This acts as an emotional reminder to turn the lights off.

The Tio system gives children instant and cumulative feedback on their energy saving performance. The recommended ‘lights-on time’ is influenced by the child’s age, their daily activities and the time of day.

Page 2 of 3

Switched on for less than an hour.

Switched on for over four hours.

Switched on for over eight hours.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )TUE WEDMON THURS FRI SAT SUN

Instant Feedback

Cumulative Feedback

Parent Input& Monitoring

Wall Switch informs the Computer Programme

Computer Programme configures the Wall Switch

Wall Switch controls the Room Lighting

If the lights are left on for a long time, for example while the child is at school, Tio gets angry.

The Tio system.





and helping children to make a

contribution to reducing energy use

in their own homes.”

Professor Giacomin agrees that

targeting children’s habits and

behaviour is a far more powerful

way to effect change. “Tim’s design

is about helping people in a fun,

engaging way. If you change a

person’s behaviour, you can see

huge energy savings, and the Tio

has the potential of saving more

energy than 100 gadgets put

together. Tim realised that if you

could get children interested, their

lifestyle is ‘sorted’ by the time they

are adults. If you hit a person when

they’re 50 or 60, how much are

you really going to change their

behaviour?”

But perhaps such changes are

already apparent in younger age

groups. The Made in Brunel

designers and engineers now

graduating from Brunel will join

businesses, industries and design

agencies with the concepts of

socially responsible design firmly

instilled in them. It will be this

generation – and those that follow

them – who hold the potential to

influence, for the better, the lives

and behaviour of millions of people

through the creation of desirable,

effective and behaviour-changing

design.

A Light Switch to Help Children Save Energy

The T io system increases chi ldren’s awareness of the energy their l ights consume and the effect this has on the environment. The system consists of two main components; a wall-mounted light switch and a computer programme.

The wall-mounted light switch, which can be installed in the place of a standard light switch, controls the lighting in the child’s room. Tio is soft and tactile, thus encourages user interaction. The character of ‘Tio’ displayed on the light switch encourages children to turn their lights off: Tio is happy when the lights have only been on for a short period of time. The longer they are left on, the angrier he becomes. This acts as an emotional reminder to turn the lights off.

The Tio system gives children instant and cumulative feedback on their energy saving performance. The recommended ‘lights-on time’ is influenced by the child’s age, their daily activities and the time of day.

Page 2 of 3

Switched on for less than an hour.

Switched on for over four hours.

Switched on for over eight hours.


Instant Feedback

Cumulative Feedback

Parent Input& Monitoring

Wall Switch informs the Computer Programme

Computer Programme configures the Wall Switch

Wall Switch controls the Room Lighting

If the lights are left on for a long time, for example while the child is at school, Tio gets angry.

The Tio system.





Brunel was proud to host the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Association of Philosophy and Literature, a major event in the literary calendar that brings together scholars from the philosophical, historical, critical, and theoretical disciplines.

One of the largest conferences of its kind in the world, it attracts over 350 delegates from 30 different countries. It is certainly the largest event of its kind ever to be organised by the School of Arts and Social Sciences jointly, and it is also the first such venture between the two schools.

The week-long conference was co-ordinated by Professor William Watkin, in conjunction with the IAPL’s Executive Director Hugh Silverman. Focusing on interdisciplinary topics, the IAPL has represented and participated in many of the vital developments in philosophy and literature since the mid-1970s, and provides a unique opportunity for the exchange of new ideas. This year’s overarching theme was Double Edges: Rhetorics Rhizomes Regions.

The conference began with a spectacular art installation, directed by Professor Johannes Birringer and featuring Brunel arts students. One participating student was Caroline Wilkins, an interdisciplinary drama and music researcher, who performed live music at the event. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with someone as influential as Birringer at such an acclaimed occasion – he creates laboratories and takes risks.”

Another highlight of the conference was the showing of London Orbital, a fascinating film that follows one man’s voyage of discovery as he travels the perimeter of the M25, revealing the hidden geography and history of the satellite towns through which the ring road passes. The showing was followed by a discussion with its acclaimed author Iain Sinclair, the director Christopher Petit, and Fay Weldon, Brunel Professor of Creative Writing.

The fact that Brunel was chosen to host this year’s IAPL conference is a testament to the quality of the research carried out within the two Schools. Following the recent Research Assessment Exercise, the size and reputation of the event is also in keeping with the Schools’ ambitions, and in particular for the English subject area, where Professor William Watkin is based.

He commented: “With English now ranked 19th in the UK*, we should be regularly hosting research events of this calibre and we believe that the success of the conference has improved our visibility around the globe. There is no doubt that the School of Arts at Brunel is unique within the UK; post-IAPL we are also coming to appreciate it may be close to unique within the world.”

literature Philosophy Conference:

Challenging the Big Questions


By Emma Filtness

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Incentives for saving energyEstates are installing a remote energy consumption data collection system to identify the energy use of individual buildings and set target reductions. Incentives to meet or beat these targets will then be devised. The Computer Centre is also trialling a project to reduce IT power.

Reducing unnecessary lightingEfficient lighting control is now one of the University’s priorities. Internal lights in some communal areas, such as the Central Lecture Building, have sensors that turn off lights when no movement is detected. Under Brunel’s Green Policy, the University will distribute advice on energy efficiency and other green issues, and we are developing an interactive website for reporting successes and providing feedback.

Recycling office equipmentA new website will be launched soon to help staff advertise or claim unwanted office furniture. The site will also be available for local charities. More information will be made available on IntraBrunel nearer the launch date.

Cheaper drinking waterFixed mains water supply coolers, instead of expensive bottled water coolers, are now being used. These offer considerable environmental and cost benefits, and are around 75% cheaper to run (after installation). Contact [email protected] for more information.

Reducing landfillThe University is considering buying a composter this year to reduce the level of food waste transferred to landfill from catering. The compost can be used on the campus gardens.

Car hireThe University currently provides hired cars through Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who will deliver and collect cars from campus. On a journey of, say, 90 miles, it is more cost-effective to use a hired car than a private one.

Brunel also launches a ‘Car Club’ this autumn – a self-service, pay-by-the-hour car hire scheme. The cars will be parked on campus and, once you’ve created an account, you can book your car just minutes before you need it, for as little as £3.95 per hour.

Please contact [email protected] (Procurement) for more information.

last autumn, the university asked staff for new ideas to help Brunel save money, run more efficiently and be a better place to work and study. But what happened to all those ideas?

here are some of the suggestions and what’s being done to address them.

The Very Idea


The University has reopened the ‘Ideas’ website for yet more of your suggestions.

If you have a bright idea that could benefit the University, visit

http://intranet.brunel.ac.uk/ideas and make your contribution.

Closing date: 30 October 2009.


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1. The 37 STAR Award winners receive their certificates. Awards were given to staff in recognition of the exceptional level of commitment they demonstrated beyond the scope of their normal roles.

2. The sun shines on the campus concourse during the last few weeks of term.

3. A brick head sculpture, part of the ‘Reveal’ exhibition in the Beldam Gallery. The exhibition runs until 21 August 2009.

4. England trounce the USA in the final of the Women’s Rugby Under 20s Nations Cup, held at Brunel University on 18 July. The scoreline was an impressive 110-0!

5. Practice-based PhD student Louie performing her drama piece, Moth, which explores the themes of liminality, death and mourning.

The Gallery

See more Brunel photos on Flickr: www.flickr.com/Bruneluniversity

Or why not submit your own Brunel photos to the Brunel Flickr Community Group? www.flickr.com/groups/Bruneluniversity

a selection of photos capturing activities in and around Brunel

For copies of campus photos, contact Sally Trussler, University Photographer.

Email: [email protected]

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Express September 2009