Physics PG-­‐SSLC Minutes 24th September 2012 Physics PG-­‐SSLC Minutes of the meeting held on 24th September 2012, MAS 2.05 1. Welcome and Apologies Present: James Mudd (acting chair), Rosie Grayburn (secretary), Catarina Casteliero, Neil Wilson, Danny Steeghs, Lindsay Green (Library representative), Susan Tatlock, Kevin McAughey, Gavin Bell, Nixon Yu, Stephen Day Apologies: Nessa Saniee, Valery Nakariakov, Geetha Balakrishnan, Helen Ireland, Robin Ball, Rachel Edwards, Anna Chowcat 2. Minutes of the Last Meeting a) Agreement of Minutes •
The minutes of the last meeting were agreed to be correct and accurate. b) Matters Arising •
Summer BBQ o
Disappointing event – awful weather, the usual venue was unavailable and the food wasn’t great. •
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Access to MAS building from outside doors o
Issue still not resolved; o
The PG-­‐SSLC needs representation from the MAS building. PGCert Transferable Skills o
No PGCert meeting was organised over the summer. DS and NY to organise an event after the start of the new academic year to introduce the course to all Physics PGs. 3. New Academic Year •
Students must reenrol for the Academic Year 2012/13 for all courses, including PhDs, MSc and PGCert. •
Approx. 38 new PG students are starting in October, but there are some students starting in January and at other points during the year. Please make sure all new students feel welcome into your research groups. •
Induction day for all new PGs is Monday 1st October, followed by drinks at 5pm to which everyone in the department is invited. Physics PG-­‐SSLC Minutes 24th September 2012 • NW to create a public list of all postgraduates and their respective projects/research groups on the Admissions pages of the Physics website for prospective students to view. 4. Value of a Student Experience Survey for Postgrads •
These surveys are taken very seriously and are very useful to find out which areas of University life need improvement. •
The committee agreed that the current University-­‐wide student satisfaction survey does not currently address the specific needs of Science PGs e.g. office space, laboratory facilities, teaching duties etc. 5. Milburn House facilities •
PGs based at Milburn House are requesting a water dispenser for their office of 25 people. A member of Milburn House staff will contact Roger Buckle and Bob Bridgland. 6. Social Events •
A trip to the Ballet at Warwick Arts Centre has been organised for 16th October. •
A trip to Laser Quest will be organised for the end of October. •
The first PG seminar of the academic year is on Thursday 4th October. Details to follow, but pizza and drinks will be provided. 7. Any other business •
PG representation from Physics is sought for the Juno/Athena SWAN committee for equality in the workplace. •
Elections for all positions on the PG-­‐SSLC committee will occur at the next SSLC meeting. The SSLC will be introduced to the new PGs on induction day to generate interest and recruit new members. •
A new library catalogue search engine called Encore is now available on the Library website. •
The planned extension of the common room has been cancelled due to lack of office space for new staff. The committee proposes that the current common room space should be rethought so it can be used more effectively. 8. Next Meeting 19th October 2012, room tba