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The electronic newsletter of the Department of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London

May

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eDoG the newsletter of the Department of Geography,Queen Mary, University of London

The panel commended the department for

• sustaining a democratic, scholarlyenvironment and collegiate culture.

• the reflective, engaged and ambitiousattitude to teaching and learningperceptible across the department.

• the strong and inclusive leadership andshared vision that inform decision-makingin the department.

• engaging students in the scholarlyenvironment in Geography so as to translatethe aspiration of research-led teaching intoa tangible reality

• the detailed articulation of assessmentcriteria and clear timelines for feedback to students on their academic progress

• the rigour and care shown in developingreflective and responsive student support

• building partnerships with students tofoster a community for the sharedproduction of knowledge

• the commitment to the role of fieldworkwithin Geography

• a culture of continuous improvement andconstructive engagement with the processof internal review

• vision in securing resources to providesector-leading laboratory facilities

• the excellent quality of the evidenceprovided for the review panel through theself-evaluation document and supportingmaterials.

The nature of these Commendations sumsup in so many ways the nature and essenceof the Department of Geography at QMUL.

eDoG

issue three www.geog.qmul.ac.uk

Top marks for learning and teaching in the Department of GeographyPaul Trevor Coatsman My East End

Every five years or so, universitydepartments are subject to an InternalReview of their practices andperformance in the learning andteaching of undergraduates andpostgraduates.

Geography was reviewed last in 2003and the result was a very strong set ofCommendations. The latest review tookplace on 5 March 2010. The external

reviewers were Professor Nick Clifford(University of Nottingham) and ProfessorDavid Sadler (University of Liverpool).

Once again, the Department came out tops. The following list of elevenCommendations from the review panel reveals the range over which the Department performs at the highest level.

• consider mechanisms for ensuring highlevels of participation in module evaluationand effective communication of theoutcomes to students; and

• continue the programme of reflection andreview of key aspects of curriculumdevelopment and quality enhancement.

These are all important and constructivesuggestions but in raising the issues they do,they too reveal the strength of teaching andlearning in the Department.

But, of course, not everything is, or could be, perfect and the panel also made anumber of Recommendations for continuingimprovement in learning and teaching.

The Panel made seven recommendations,amongst which were that the Department was asked to

• consider the impact of recent success instudent recruitment and the appropriateforms of engagement in outreach activitiesto sustain the desired balance and diversityof student intake, and to explore potentialfor growth;

• review its futurestrategy forengagement withpossibilities of anddevelopments in e-learning;

Top marks for learning and teaching in the Department of Geography (cont)

www.geog.qmul.ac.uk eDoG the newsletter of the Department ofGeography, Queen Mary, University of London 02

This issue of eDOG focuses on some of the remarkable personalachievements of the Departmentalprogramme of teaching and learning.

So how did he get to do all of this?In his mid to late teens, James decided to make a career of his interest incontemporary music. He had already spentseveral years DJing in his home town ofCambridge and quickly realised that whomyou know rather than what you know is keyto getting into and getting on in the musicbusiness. But typical of much of thecreative economy, this is a career that hasto be made rather than merely followed.

So, before embarking on a career in themusic business, James decided to pursue adegree in Geography. Given the nicheeconomic cluster that is the music businessand the absolute predominance of Londonas the place – “the epicentre” as Jamesputs it – which enables the personalcontacts and face-to-face relationshipsthrough which the business works, he

applied only to universities in London.Geography was the natural choice of degreefor him as it combines well with Economics,and QMUL was a clear choice as the BA inHuman Geography enables thiscombination of subjects.

As an undergraduate, James took fulladvantage of the opportunities to work inthe music business in London – includingperiods at Radio 1 and Kiss FM as well as atListen Up who offered him a permanent jobon graduation.

And it goes on. Early this year, Jamesapplied for the prestigious Mastersprogramme in Music Business at New YorkUniversity Steinhardt School of Culture,Education and Human Development Seehttp://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/business/programs/graduate This is, as James says,“just such an amazing course”. He wasoffered a place immediately because of theexperience that he would bring as agraduate with a wide range of workexperience in the business. Now it’s aquestion of finding the cash (a lot!) andbalancing the disadvantages of being out ofa fast-moving business for the two years ofthe degree against the advantages of havinga rare and greatly admired graduate degreein the business in which he has prospered.

One point made in Why do …? is that, interms of careers, a degree in Geographyopens many doors but closes very few. Ofcourse, it is not possible to claim that thedegree determines careers but it is true thatthe whole of undergraduate experience –which certainly includes the complexlearning that takes place in a Geographydegree – reveals multiple possibilities andprovides the confidence to follow those thatreally appeal.

However, it could not have predicted theremarkable range of careers pursued byQueen Mary’s Geography graduates. Totake but three …

Music James Theaker whograduated from QMULGeography in 2009 isHead of Specialist Radio at Listen Up(www.listen-up.biz).

He describes his job as a “Radio Plugger”working for clients – recording companiesand performers – to bring their music to theattention of radio producers. Every Saturdayevening (20.00 – 22.00) he also presentshis own show – NME Modified (seewww.nme.com/radio/shows/18) – on NMERadio.

As the NME web site puts it:

Music, Markets and Movies

www.geog.qmul.ac.ukeDoG the newsletter of the Department ofGeography, Queen Mary, University of London03

Decades ago, the Department of Geography publishedWhy do a Geography degree? as a guide to potentialstudents. Although now out of date in many respects, it is still, amazingly enough, in demand. Perhaps theunderlying message remains valid?

From DJing across the country atsweaty student nights, to playingmassive gigs alongside the likesof Pendulum and Crystal Castles,James Theaker's been at theforefront of every party.

Music

So what happens to graduates of the Department of Geography?

And yet, he must have been able to do theother things very well too. Monshurgraduated in 2003 with a 2.1 BA degree inGeography. QMUL was, he says, a placewhere he gained “a great deal of inspiration”.He then went on to complete a PGCE at theInstitute of Education before committinghimself full-time to his long-held passion –making films.

And the computer room must have beena great place in which to write scripts.

Immediately after graduating anda course at Tower Hamlets

Summer University, Monshurworked as director and screenwriter

on an 8 minute short Once upon aGuy and a Girl. This was shown at the

National Film Theatre in Londonmaking him the youngest BritishBangladeshi filmmaker to have a filmshown at the NFT. At about the sametime, he also directed and screen wroteMartilino, a short film about a small-timegangster which went on to win the GuyRitchie Film Competition and wassubsequently remade with funding fromChannel 4.

Since then, Monshur has written anddirected a feature-length romantic comedy,Movies, which was released in 2006. The filmchronicles the life of a successful filmmakerwhose commitment to his work leads to thebreakdown of a long-term relationship.

But his work is diverse and has involvedpromotional videos and dramatic

reconstructions with clientsas diverse as

This is Monshur Alam who was anundergraduate in Geography at QMULbetween 2000 and 2003. But he is not talkingabout writing up a tutorial essay or completingsome course work. What he is talking about iswriting film scripts.


Music, Markets and Movies (cont)

Monsoon, Labour MP Stephen Timms andthe British Heart Foundation. After his workas screenwriter for a promo video directed atraising finance for a feature film (A Boxer),Monshur was nominated for BusinessWeek’s Young European Entrepreneur of theYear 2007. Seehttp://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/06/0601_europe_entp/source/15.htm

And on top of all this, in May 2005 hefounded and now continues to direct FilmSkool and its more advanced version FilmSkool Deluxe. This is a guerrilla filmmakingworkshop bringing industry professionals towork with gifted and talented students fromstate and independent schools in London.Hopefully the computer room at the FilmSkool is as inspirational as that in theDepartment of Geography!

“Yeah, funny isn't it? After 4.30pm things became very quiet in the computer room, ideal to get down and do some work”

Movies

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/06/0601_europe_entp/source/15.htm

He returned to the UK a year or so later“missing the markets I had frequented inFrance and wondering why on earth we putup with such bland packaged food”. Notsurprisingly, he took an even greater interestin the quality and politics of food – andespecially from whence it comes.

His degree in Geography landed him a job asa trainee information manager in theLibrary/Herbarium at Royal HorticulturalSociety’s Kew Gardens. He picked uprudimentary office skills and learnt that emailcould be put to better use than student jokes.

More to the point, he found that “lunchbreaks in the Palm House were better thanany staff room, if not a little steamy, and Ilearnt a lot about growing food.”

His interest in good fresh local foodcontinued to be reinforced and around thistime he discovered that the first farmers’market had opened in London and took apart-time job as farmers’ market manager,eventually moving full time to LondonFarmers Markets (LFM) where he is now one of the directors. See www.lfm.org.uk

Graduating from QMUL “back in the dayswhen emails were only just beginning to beused”, Mark Handley recalls “using them oncampus only for fun, sending rubbish jokes,nothing academic at all from what I canremember.” Like many Geography graduateshe headed into the world of work with nospecific career path mapped out but with agood understanding of what others in theworld of work did. After what he describes assome “wilderness years” involving musicfestivals, snowboarding and traveling, “Isomehow ended up working as groundsmanfor a private chateau in the FrenchPyrenees.”



Markets

Mark Handley

“I always had a passion for cooking and growing food(inspired by my mum long before Jamie Oliver andHugh FWS hit the screens) and so, in order to indulgemy passion further and not to starve, my Frenchlanguage skills had to improve quickly. I grew theestate’s food and cooked for the odd dinner party.”

wholesalers and supermarkets. “This”, Markinsists, “is a vital feature of farmers’ markets.It is hard work to produce food profitably inthe UK with high overheads. Most of thefarmers I know work exceptionally hardfeeding livestock all day, butchering their own meat and then getting up at 4am todrive to London.”

‘Mark remembers “as a kid, shopping withmy mum and meeting friends in the butchersor bakers and learning about food. Thosedays are long gone but not everyone is happywith the clinical aisles of the supermarkets orthe isolation of online shopping and

communities. The popularity of farmers’markets is about food but it’s also about theirsociability, reconnecting Londoners with thepeople who grow their food and with theirneighbours whom they get to meet in thequeue at the cheese stall. When does anyonethese days bump into a neighbour in a 24-hour supermarket? This sociability fosters a local distinctiveness which, in a world ofglobalisation and clone towns, really makes a difference to how we live. Many of ourcustomers tell us that the markets makeurban living bearable and take trips out to the farms for a breath of fresh air.” Seewww.commonground.org.uk

As well as his work with LFM, Mark is also a trustee for a charity, Malawi Home BasedCare, which supports and runs palliative care programmes in Malawi. “One of its greatachievements” he says, “has been to keeporphans in their families / local communitieskeeping them out of institutions or the handsof wealthy pop stars!” Seewww.malawihbc.org

LFM is hoping to establish a Farmers’ Marketon the QMUL campus later this year “to feedall those hungry students who might require a few cooking lessons. Maybe we can getJamie Oliver down to help out!”

LFM is a limited company which is importantfor sustainability in the local food sector andis run along social enterprise principles. It isself-financed by stall fees which are based onsales and so does not rely on any subsidies orgrants. “We now operate 17 weekly farmersmarkets in London with about 200 foodproducers.”

In order to get a stall, participants in farmers’markets must grow or make their own foodand this requirement is enforced throughfarm inspections etc. Farmers get the fullretail price for their work and cut out



Markets (cont)

The markets are“making a realdifference to farmers’lives – we have savedmany from bankruptcy –but they really benefitLondoners with greatfood and have realsocial benefits”.

(More) jobs for geographers! …..


However, while a high-calibre degree puts ourgraduates in an excellent position to achievetheir career aspirations, we recognise that thismay not be enough. Having an excellentdegree is a necessary, but not a sufficientcondition for a successful engagement with thelabour market. This is particularly true in thecurrent economic circumstances. It is for thisreason that the Department is now putting anextra effort into career-related activities for ourstudents.

One of the key career events during theacademic year 2009/2010 was the first ‘Jobs for Geographers’ alumni forum organisedby the Department in close collaboration withthe QM Careers Service – and, in particular, Abi Sharma – and Michael Jones, Geog Soc

President (2009/2010) and other Geog Socmembers.. Nine alumni, former graduates ofQM Geography, generously offered their timeon the evening of 2nd February 2010 to sharetheir experience and to offer their career adviceto our current students.

Over 60 students attended the event whichtook the form of a ‘speed-meet’, wherestudents had a chance talk to each of thealumni in small groups. Both the alumni and the students enjoyed the event. Itdemonstrated the very strength and flexibilitythat a geography degree offers in terms ofemployment prospects and that is also borneout by the careers of the Department’sgraduates highlighted above.

QM Geography alumni now work in all types of high-profile jobs, in both public and privatespheres, from civil service to student unions,from teaching to surveying, from marketing to energy, from infrastructure to accountancy.Meanwhile, some of our former graduates aresuccessfully expanding their qualificationsthrough postgraduate degrees (Masterscourses and PhD programmes) offered by the Department and elsewhere.

In the current economic climate, graduates are facing one of the toughest job markets on record. Finding the right job in thesecircumstances can be a major challenge.

Indeed, it could be argued that a geographydegree offers a greater flexibility than any other when it comes to finding employment.Doing geography in a top-class GeographyDepartment like that at QMUL adds a furthercompetitive edge to our graduates. The threestories of QMUL Geography graduates abovecertainly bear out such claims.

However, it is good tonote that geographystudents have a certainadvantage – studyingGeography equips themwith useful knowledgeand transferable skillsthat can be applied in a range of jobs andprofessions.

It was great to be able to work on campusagain, because, on campus, I was already ‘atwork’. What better location is there? And thejob allowed me to work around my studies. Ientered the job as a junior researcher toresearch International Students and part-time work. In this role I used many of theresearch skills that I had learnt anddeveloped throughout my degree course(BSc (Econ) Geography and BusinessManagement. These included conductingquestionnaires, focus groups and telephoneinterviews.

I was left to my owndevices and so had to usemy initiative and makedecisions on the workflowof the project.

After the first phase of the project wascomplete, I became project manager andmanaged a team of four other students. Now Ihad to organise a call centre, set deadlinesand meet targets to complete the final phaseof the project. This role illustrated theimportance of transferable skills such as communication, organisational andmanagement skills. To complete the project I had to analyse and present my work in areport for QM Careers Service and otherdepartments to use.

I thoroughly enjoyed working at QM CareersService and gained invaluable experienceworking in a project management role on a

complex research project. Ithas given me the

inspiration to pursuemore experience in

research and theconfidence that Iam able to carryout a researchprojectsuccessfully.

The overwhelming success of the event isreflected in the following quotes from thosewho took part:

Clearly, this was a successful venture. Thefirst-hand experience from our alumni wasinvaluable and we look forward to doing thesame again soon.

Dr Martin Sokol, Department of Geography,Careers Officer 2009/2010http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/careers/index.html

….. and one way of gettingthose jobs: do one!During my first year, writes Roshni Shah, Iworked as a receptionist in QMotion – theQueen Mary (QMUL) Students‘ Union’s gym.It was a fun job, but I wanted to gain morediverse experience so in my second year Itook the opportunity to apply for a researchrole at the QM Careers Service, andthankfully got the job!

(More) jobs for geographers ….! (cont)


From the feedback I've had even withthe few people I've talked to since theevent they all found it a hugely positiveexperience and very beneficial for theirfuture plans. It really was a top nightand I hope it starts a tradition of manysimilar events for the benefit of thestudents here.Michael Jones, Geography Society President2009–2010

It was a pleasure to help – I reallyenjoyed it.Erica Pani, PhD researcher, former graduateof QM Geography

The event was the perfect illustration ofthe variety of jobs for which Geographystudents are suited, both in areasdirectly related to Geography – such as Surveying – and unrelated – likeAccountancy. It was fun, informativeand had something for everyone!Abi Sharma, QM Careers

Working at the CareersService was great. Mycolleagues werefriendly andapproachableand they allowedme to work onthe project inthe way that Iwanted.

Roshni Shah is a third year undergraduatestudent in the Department of Geography

/geography/undergraduate/careers/index.html

range of tasks to earn points. The tasksincluded a 14 mile hike across the peaks, acanoeing challenge and problem solvingexercises. Despite the occasional bout ofexhaustion and cries of “I can’t!”, TeamGeographicool pulled through, leaving theLakes with an even stronger bond (stillintact today!)

Elements of our project have proved to beextremely useful in our everyday lives. Ofparticular benefit were the presentations,which served as educational tools for theschool children but also very much for us.Presentations are every student’s nemesis,so having to present on occasion to over400 expectant faces was nerve-wracking tosay the least! But the sense of achievementand having overcome such a fear servedonly to increase confidence both inourselves and in our fellow team-mates.

The advantages to us of having made thesepresentations stretch well beyond our ownpride. Good presentation skills are alwaysdesirable – not least to potential employers– so to be able to say, without a hint of a lie,

Teams are required to identify asustainability issue within their localcommunity and initiate a project to solve it.If the prospect of seeing visibleimprovements in their community were notsufficient motivation to succeed, eachmember of the winning team is alsoguaranteed a place on a polar expedition toAntarctica.

This expedition, led by the explorer RobertSwan OBE, is run by the organisation 2041.2041 is the year that the EnvironmentalProtocol of the Antarctic Treaty is to bereviewed. The aim of the charity, which wasfounded by Robert Swan, is to protect thistreaty and thus preserve the last greatwilderness on Earth.

After entering the competition andsuccessfully reaching the final round,Queen Mary, University of London’srepresentatives, Team Geographicool(Ginny Benardout, Sophie Webb, AmyEnnis and Tom Langley), initiated arecycling scheme within Tower Hamlets.Local schools were enrolled in acompetition which ran for two weeks. Theschool that managed to recycle the mostplastic bottles within this period wonnumerous Geographicool prizes, mostnotably an adopted polar bear that thestudents are able to track online.

“This project enabled us to overcome the challenges posed to us both as a teamand as individuals and has enabled us toidentify our strengths and address ourweaknesses. As well as the competitionitself, all teams reaching the final wereinvited to a team-building weekend in theLake District where each had to complete a

(More) jobs for geographers ….! (cont)

and another way of getting a job: take the initiative


Team Geographicool in the npower Future Leaders Challengethat we have presented to a hall packed ofpeople is really going to give the membersof Team Geographicool a boost.”

All the members of Team Geographicoolare third year undergraduates in theDepartment of Geography

Editor’s noteAlthough Team Geographicool was notchosen as one of the winners of the npowerFuture Leaders Challenge, the project hadsuch an impact upon two members of theteam, Ginny Benardout and Amy Ennis,that they have now set their own challenge:to fundraise enough money to travel thelast degree to the South Pole in December2011. For the expedition, which will beused to help raise awareness ofenvironmental issues among schoolchildren, Ginny and Amy need to raise£76,000.

All donations to this fund will be verygratefully received! Please contact Ginny or Amy [email protected]

The npower FutureLeaders Challenge is anationwide search forthe UK’s 4 greenestuniversity students.

Current research in Geography at QMUL


Linking ecology and geomorphology to rehabilitate UK riversGemma HarveyLinking ecology and geomorphology to rehabilitate UK riversGemma Harvey

Such failures have occurred partly as aresult of a tendency for practitioners tofocus on engineering desirable channeland floodplain features, rather thanrestoring natural processes. Achieving animproved understanding of interactionsbetween physical, chemical andecological processes through fieldmonitoring and assessment is, therefore,vital to advancing the scientific basis of

Dr Gemma Harvey is Lecturer in PhysicalGeography at Queen Mary. She joined theDepartment in September 2009 from theUniversity of Nottingham where shecompleted her PhD and undertook post-doctoral research. Her research interestsfocus on the science underpinning riverrehabilitation and management, and theassessment and management of futureflood risks in UK and in China. Two of her current projects seek to explore theinteractions between biotic and abioticcomponents of the instream environmentin order to inform successful riverconservation and management in the UK.

Recent decades have seen a growingawareness of the deleterious impacts ofhuman activities on river catchments,leading to the emergence anddevelopment of river rehabilitation as a multidisciplinary science and awidespread management practice. Thishas been reinforced by the introduction of international legislation such as the EUWater Framework Directive which requiresmember states to achieve ‘good ecologicalstatus’ for inland and coastal water bodiesby 2015.

river rehabilitation and, hence, improvingthe success of rehabilitation projects inpractice. Two current projects areexploring the interactions betweengeomorphological processes and riparianvegetation (large wood), and aquaticfauna (invasive signal crayfish) in order to inform the scientific basis of rivermanagement and rehabilitation in the UK.

River rehabilitation is, however, still arelatively ‘young’science, and successrates for rehabilitationprojects remain low,often reflecting a failureto deliver measurableecologicalimprovements and create resilient,self-sustaining systems.

River Bure: rehabilitated sectionRiver Bure: section selected for future rehabilitation

Current research in Geography at QMUL (cont)


Linking ecology and geomorphology to rehabilitate UK rivers (cont)A second project, involving collaborationwith colleagues from the University ofNottingham and WildCRU, University ofOxford, explores the impact of invasivesignal crayfish on fine sediment dynamicsin rivers through field investigation on theRiver Windrush (Oxfordshire, UK). NorthAmerican signal crayfish (Pasifastacusleniusculus) were introduced to Britain inthe 1970s and have rapidly colonisedmany UK catchments. Their devastatingimpact on populations of the smaller andless aggressive native white-clawedcrayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) iswell documented, but their effects on thephysical environment are comparativelyunder-researched. Preliminary findingsfrom the River Windrush indicate thatnocturnal signal crayfish activitymay be associated with increasedfrequency of fine sedimentsuspension ‘events’.

Large pieces of wood, including entirefallen trees, are a natural feature of many river systems and make a crucialcontribution to the biodiversity of riversystems by modifying flow andmorphology, creating habitats, and, potentially, improving chemicalwater quality. The award of funding from the Hydrogeomorphological andBiogeochemical Processes researchtheme within the Department ofGeography at Queen Mary(www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/afprg) is currentlysupporting the collection of field data at arehabilitation site on the upper River Bure(Norfolk, UK) where the National Trust hasimplemented a programme of large woodreintroductions with the aim of restoringnatural hydrogeomorphological,biogeochemical and ecological processes.The research project involvesinterdisciplinary collaboration withcolleagues from UCL and the NaturalHistory Museum and from within theGeography Department at Queen Mary (Dr Kate Heppell and Prof AngelaGurnell).

Ongoing researchseeks to explorehow suchimpacts mayinfluencemorphology,water quality andsediment transferboth locally anddownstream.

Crayfish burrows, River Windrush Signal crayfish removed from River Windrusha



Kavita Datta, Yara Evans, Joanna Herbert,Jon May and Cathy McIlwaine – were joinedon the stage by representatives frommigrants’ and community organisations.

The book exposes London’s dependency onmigrants to service our schools, hospitals,hotels, offices, stations and universities.Drawing on interviews with 800 foreign bornworkers working in care, cleaning, foodprocessing, hospitality and construction, itportrays the ways in which subcontractinghas driven down labour standards, resultingin a ‘new migrant division of labour’. Fewerthan 7% of the workers interviewed earned

Trade unionists, students, communityorganisers, activists and academicsgathered together on Monday 22nd Marchto celebrate the launch of Global Cities atWork, the latest publication emanating fromresearch completed over recent years fromsix members of the Department ofGeography. The book’s authors – Jane Wills,

the London Living Wage (currently £7.60an hour). These workers’ lives of strugglewere shown to be part of a much biggerstory about London. Changes in labourstandards have impacted on rates ofworking poverty, unemployment and thechallenges of community cohesion thataffect us all.

The Octagon, in the Queens Building atQueen Mary, offered an apposite space forthe occasion. A remnant of Victorian EastEnd philanthropy, the building sits at theheart of the first living wage universitycampus in London. The campaign for theliving wage was, in part, a result of theresearch undertaken for the book, whichhelped to expose the poor workingconditions of cleaners on campus. Itspublication is also timely. In the context of arecession and the growing visibility of thefar right, the book offers an importantperspective on the contribution thatmigrants make to London and the extent towhich we rely on them to clean ourbuildings, drive our buses, care for ourelderly and keep the city at work.

Kate Hardy is completing a PhD in theDepartment of Geography (see eDoG1) and Jane Wills is Professor of HumanGeography at QMUL

The guest speakerscommended the book fordrawing attention to therealities of the ‘ghostworkers’ in the city: thepeople that labour in theshadows, performingessential work that noone ever sees.

Global cities at workKate Hardy and Jane Wills

The authors of Global Cities at Work at the book launch, from the left Jon May, Kavita Datta, Joanna Herbert, Yara Evans, Cathy McIlwaine and Jane Wills

Dr Murray Gray's 2004 book, Geodiversity:valuing and conserving abiotic nature (JohnWiley ISBN 0-470-84896-0) is beingtranslated into Korean and published by thePurengil Book Co. The English version ofthe book has had an international impactand has led to Dr Gray being invited tolecture at conferences around the world,including USA, Canada, Norway, Poland,Romania, Serbia, the Netherlands, Portugaland Malaysia. He is currently working on asecond edition due for publication in thenext few years.



Big in South Korea Dr Murray Gray

This diversity is of value in many ways.Three may be mentioned here.

• Geodiversity has been exploited byhumans ever since they lived in cavesand turned stones into tools andweapons. Nowadays most of thematerials in our towns and cities havebeen derived from the physical Earth –stone, steel, cement, concrete, asphalt,glass, brick, tiles, plaster and gravel allcome from the Earth and it is the diversityof these materials that has allowed

range of environments previouslyexisting. This is the surviving geologicalheritage of the Earth. For example,research on this heritage shows thatBritain has experienced everything fromtropical swamps to arid deserts toglaciations, and it is important that thegeological evidence for discovering thishistory is conserved.

This takes us onto the issue ofgeoconservation which is especiallyimportant given the continuous threats to,

and losses of,the physicalelementsdescribedabove,particularly inthe developingworld. Some ofthe Earth'smineralresources, likeoil, are startingto run out – theequivalent ofbiological

extinction – and other human actions areeroding the geological heritage of theplanet. Vulnerable sites include fossillocalities stripped bare by commercialcollectors without any thought to properscientific recording. Other sites such ascaves are very sensitive to damage byvisitors, while unsustainable farmingpractices can damage soils. There istherefore a need for conservation of thegeodiversity of the planet, so that theresources, physical habitats and evidencefor reconstructing Earth history areavailable to future generations.

Murray Gray is Reader Emeritus in Geography at QMULhttp://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/staff/graym.html

A limestone pavement in the Yorkshire DalesNational Park

A limestone pavement in the YorkshireDales National Park. These areimportant for both geodiversity andbiodiversity, but many were dug up inthe 1960s & 70s to provide weatheredlimestone for sale in garden centres.

"Biodiversity" has become a well-knownconcept applying to the variety of livingnature. But nature also comprises non-living elements that also have a hugevariety. So "Geodiversity" is the nameapplying to the diversity of rocks,minerals, fossils, landforms, soils,physical processes and other abioticelements of Planet Earth.

technological advances to be made.Modern society simply could notfunction without the diversity ofmineral resources. For example, amobile phone comprises over 10different geological materials.

• The changing geodiversity of physicalenvironments over geological time hasbeen largely responsible for theevolution of the planet's biodiversitythrough the adaptation of species totheir environments. Today we can seethe importance of the diversity ofaltitude, aspect, topography,hydrology, soil type, water salinity,etc. in influencing the distribution ofplant and animal species.

• We are able to reconstruct thegeological history of Planet Earth inconsiderable detail by examining,analysing and interpreting the greatdiversity of rocks, sediments, fossilsand landforms left behind in the wide

The 100 best remainingUK examples are nowprotected by LimestonePavement Orders

/geography/staff/graym.html

Unique new Masters degree in CommunityOrganising


A new MA programme in CommunityOrganising – based in the Department of Geography at QMUL and unavailableanywhere else in the UK – is designed to givestudents the opportunity to develop the sameset of skills.

Students taking the new MA will beguaranteed an opportunity to work on aplacement as an organiser with LondonCitizens, the broad-based alliance that haspioneered a range of community-basedinitiatives including the London Living Wage,now benefiting thousands of low paidLondoners, CitySafe Havens designed tofoster community safety, and the demand foran earned regularisation to turn Strangersinto Citizens, as well as laying the ground fora Community Land Trust as part of a People’sOlympics in 2012. From its launch in eastLondon in 1996, London Citizens has gonefrom strength-to-strength with 150 faith,labour, educational and community groupsnow in membership, working together for thecommon good.

Developed through a long-standingrelationship between the Department ofGeography at Queen Mary, University ofLondon and Citizens UK – the organisation

behind the successful alliances thatcomprise London Citizens together withCitizens for Sanctuary and fledglingorganisations in Milton Keynes and Oxford –the new MA programme is designed toprovide graduates with the opportunity tostudy and gain the practical experienceneeded to develop a successful career incommunity organising or in a related fieldsuch as teaching, local development, localgovernment, religious organisations, thevoluntary sector, social movements andpolitical campaigning. The growinginternational network of communityorganisations in Australia, the USA andGermany, as well as the UK, also provides asignificant number of career opportunities.

Students graduating with an MA inCommunity Organising from the University of London will benefit from academic studywhile also completing five months hands-onexperience as a community organiser withLondon Citizens. All successful candidateswill graduate with a higher degree from aworld-class University as well as a referencefrom Citizens UK.

The programme will involve students takingthree compulsory modules and completing a 15,000 word dissertation. The curriculumwill include studying questions of thecommon good, citizenship, democracy,political participation, contemporary politicaleconomy and the Abrahamic faith traditions.Students will be assessed via courseworkthat includes making a video, doing apresentation, producing a campaign report,reflecting on practice, academic essaywriting and the dissertation.

We warmly invite students from all over theworld and hope that this MA will stimulatenew organising initiatives in new locations.

More information is available via theDepartmental website, see:http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate/humangeography/index.html

Any enquiries should be directed toProfessor Jane Wills, [email protected]

The national and international significance ofthe programme is revealed in a recent piecein The Guardian: seehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/mar/24/communities-policy

From Community Organiser to President …A new Masters in Community Organising to be launched in September 2010

Effie Fotaki Fishing My East End

Barack Obama’sexperience as acommunity organizer in Chicago during histwenties providedhim with the training,skills andexperience thatproved pivotal to hissuccessfulpresidentialcampaign in 2009.

/geography/admissions/postgraduate/humangeography/index.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/mar/24/communities-policy

The London Olympics


What legacy will be left for East London post 2012? Jane Wills and David Pinder

The issue of affordable housing was then takenup by three undergraduate students from theGeography Department who talked about theirresearch to explore the housing needs ofpeople in Tower Hamlets and the effort tosecure a Community Land Trust (CLT) on theSt Clements Hospital site. A CLT takes the landout of the price of property and has been a wayto develop privately owned but affordablehousing in many cities across the USA.London Citizens are trying to secure the StClements site as a pilot for a large scheme onthe Olympic Park, and our second yearstudents spent a semester gathering data tohelp this campaign. Zaineb Farooq, JoeFollows and Sital Thanki described theresearch they had conducted with CentralFoundation Girls School in Bow and St Mary’sChurch, Cable Street, and the shocking levelsof overcrowding they found.

Toby Smith Lea Valley My East End

Other speakers included Lord AndrewMawson, OBE, founder and president of therenowned Bromley by Bow Centre in eastLondon; Samantha Sifah of the Olympic ParkLegacy Company; and Nick Edwards, co-founder of Fundamental, which facilitates andencourages youth engagement in the builtenvironment.

Dr Bob Colenutt, head of research at theInstitute for Urban Affairs at the University ofNorthampton, concluded by questioning therosy picture presented by some other speakersand highlighting the challenges of securingany ethical guarantees. Drawing on his earlierexperiences as a campaigner and communityplanner in the London Docklands during the1980s, he emphasised the importance ofaddressing land values and ownership throughinitiatives such as community land trusts if theinterests of people are to be secured abovethose of profit-driven developers. Sharpquestions about potential future developmentswere also posed by members of the audience,with a lively discussion rounding off theevening.

Jane Wills is Professor of Geography and DavidPinder Reader in Geography at QMUL

In December 2009, a number of staff from theGeography Department were involved in anevent to discuss the Olympic legacy and itspotential to transform east London from one of the most deprived areas of the UK into anurban regeneration success story. Organisedby the City Centre within the Department ofGeography in association with the LondonDevelopment Agency and the Olympic ParkLegacy Company, this event was part of a seriesof Legacy Lectures taking place across HigherEducation establishments in London in thebuild up to 2012.

Under the theme of The people’s legacy,speakers were asked to draw on the lessons ofprevious regeneration initiatives, such as theLondon Docklands, and explore the potentialfor 2012 to set a new standard in social,economic and political legacy.

It is now widely accepted that London’s bid was successful, in part, because of the legacythat was promised. Indeed, an agreement was made with London Citizens(http://www.londoncitizens.org.uk/) for anethical Olympics including a number ofpeople’s guarantees such as training andaffordable housing for local people, as well as living wage jobs.

One of the speakers at the event was GregoryNicholls, a former student at St Angela’s and St Bonaventure’s sixth-form in Newham – and lead member of London Citizens, thecommunity pressure group behind the livingwage campaign. He told the audience abouthis involvement in the fight to secure an ethicalOlympics.

Once the games havefinished, communitieswill need to redoubletheir efforts to monitorwhat happens to theOlympic Park, its landand buildings, andwhether it bringsbenefits to the people ofeast London. We will notbe in a position to judgethe legacy of the eventfor a couple of decades– or more!

My East End


The centrepiece is a high-profile, openphotography competition to judged by apanel of experts including: renownedMagnum photographer, Martin Parr; KateEdwards, Picture Editor at GuardianWeekend Magazine; Steven Berkoff, actor,writer and director; and the East Endauthor Gilda O’Neill.

Related events will include workshops,exhibitions, history study days, schoolsessions, a talks programme and freeplaces on photography courses.

My East End runs through to summer2010, with the competition closing on 30 April and an Awards ceremony on 1July 2010 at which winning andcommended images will be announcedand then showcased at dedicatedexhibitions taking place at the GeffryeMuseum and Four Corners, as well as on the My East End website.

My East End also includes:

• Talks programme: BishopsgateInstitute’s popular historical talksprogramme will feature a series of talksexploring photography in East London.

• Short courses: A series of free one-daycourses looking at photography and oralhistory, and their role in local historyrun by Birkbeck College.

• Community and school group workshops:A series of workshops using archivephotographs to inspire people to taketheir own contemporary photos.

• Exhibitions: The competition winnersand project work will be showcased atexhibitions at Four Corners and theGeffrye Museum in Summer 2010.

My East End is an exciting newphotography initiativewhich invites Londonersto document andcelebrate the richheritage of London’sEast End: its people,cultures, domestic andbuilt environments, andopen spaces.

Tessa WattPress Officer, My East End, Four Corners0208 981 6111 /[email protected] OR

Alis TempletonMarketing and Communications Manager, Bishopsgate Institute020 7392 9205 /[email protected]

Rose, Golden Heart My East End

eDoG is edited by Roger Lee([email protected]) and Ed Oliver([email protected]). Please contactEd or Roger with any comments,suggestions and, best of all, copy withlots of picture.

For more information contact:

Documents

QM A4 Master NewKB