October 2010 | Issue 9
et
g
ud
et
og
b
ys t l
a
a
w
e
n
i o nd free at Brun
n
a
e
U
ap
f lif
che ut o
The ost o
m
w
the
ne
eam
n
et
he Unio and th
t
’
et
ya
Me ents ent Pri
ial
d
id
t
s
u
e
n
r
e
P
St
ot unchedr you
cing
p
u
d
la
r
o
fe
Intr
ou newly can of
y
e
k
he
oc what t ogramm
l
Un d out ent pr
n
ff: fi velopm
a
t
S
e
ff D
Sta
l
e
n
A
nd
ehi re
b
y
ctu
tor
his rchite
e
a
th
nd ctive
a
s
n
i
st
rie
sto s’s di
e
u
h
p
tt
k a e cam
o
o
l
th
Bu
n
i
d
il
ru
B
g
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 2
Credits
Express 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
brunelnews@brunel.ac.uk
P3-7
News roundup
P8-9
Meet the new
UBS team!
P10-13
P8
Building Brunel
Editor
Jo Dooher
Tel: ext 65154
Email: jo.dooher@brunel.ac.uk
A look at the stories and
the history behind Brunel’s
distinctive architecture.
Assistant Editor
Emma Filtness
P14-15
Photography
Sally Trussler
Neil Graveney
Unlocking staff
potential
Print
Brunel University Press
Staff: find out what the newly
launched Staff Development
programme can offer you.
P16-17
Brunel on
a budget
The cheapest ways to get the
most out of life at Brunel.
P10
P18-19
News
P16
Back Cover
Inferno
Fireworks
Night
P18
75
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 3
PCC launch graduate job
vacancies iPhone app
The Placement and Careers Centre (PCC) has launched
the University’s first mobile phone app, aimed at
students looking for a graduate career.
The ‘Brunel PCC’ app is for any Brunel student or graduate
looking for graduate training schemes and current vacancies.
Feedback on the PCC’s Facebook page has already been really
positive: “OMG this app is amazing, thanks for being so up to
date and making our lives easier. Cheers.” “Great job, I really
like the idea of apps for mobiles made by uni.
I hope Brunel will introduce more apps like that.”
The app is currently only available to iPhone users, but
the Android and Blackberry versions will be available
by the end of October.
“It’s great to be able to make life easier for our students
and graduates”, said Jane Standley, Director of Careers and
Student Employability. “We’ve advertised more vacancies
than ever this year and would encourage students to take
the media hype about the recession with a very large pinch
of salt. You do have to work at making good applications,
but the PCC offers plenty of support including email advice
and telephone appointments. Make the most of it.”
Research project to
unearth how good design
can cut our energy use
An innovative Brunel research project is set to
develop creative new ways to encourage each of
us to reduce our energy use outside the home.
The EMPOWER project, a collaboration between
Brunel Design, the University of Warwick and
the sustainable innovation organisation More
Associates, aims to get to the root of how and
why we use energy in workplaces, schools
and hospitals through a series of interactive
design workshops. The findings from these
workshops will help the project team to develop
products that make it easier for both individuals
and businesses to change their behaviour
and collectively reduce their energy use.
Benefits for businesses include financial
savings and a reduction in CO2 emissions,
as well as a more user-friendly work
environment for building users. The resulting
products will also be integrated into
More Associate’s existing CarbonCulture
tool, an initiative that helps government
departments to save energy and carbon.
The two-year, £580K project is funded by the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC), the Technology Strategy Board
and More Associates, with Brunel’s Professor
David Harrison and PhD student Dan Lockton
leading the Brunel arm of the research.
Dan explained the potential impact of the
project outcomes: “The product will give
people a new kind of interface showing how
their actions affect energy use, helping people
to understand how to act more sustainably
in the workplace.” He added, “The product
will be commercially available and especially
suited to organisations with lots of staff and
large energy bills – especially universities.”
The
Students’
Union
have also
launched
a mobile
UBS app!
See P9 for
details.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 4
Two medals for Perri in
European Championships
Brunel Sport Sciences student Perri
Shakes-Drayton took a huge step towards
Olympic glory this summer when she
bagged two medals at the European
Athletics Championships in Barcelona.
The 21-year-old sports scholar smashed her
personal best in the final of the 400 metres
Graduate
Archie Panjabi
wins US
Emmy
hurdles to claim a bronze medal. Her time of
54.18s ranked her 6th in the world in 2010
and makes her a real London 2012 medal
prospect. But the hurdles medal was not
her only success in the Catalan capital. Perri
also anchored the GB 4x400 metres relay
team to a bronze medal with a blistering leg
of 49.7s, the second fastest in the race.
Brunel graduate and actress Archie
Panjabi has won an Emmy for her role
as private investigator Kalinda Sharma
in the hit US drama, The Good Wife.
Speaking just before the start of term Perri
reflected on the summer and her future
prospects. “Going into Barcelona I wanted
to make the final so I was amazed with the
medal, but I’m not getting carried away,” she
said. “I’m going to continue what I’ve been
doing and put in the hard work over the
winter. I aim to make the final of the World
Championships [in Daegu, South Korea] next
year, but I’m not planning for London 2012
just yet – let’s get 2011 out of the way first!”
Archie, who graduated in 1996 with
a degree in Management Studies,
picked up the award for Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
this September and was elated to win.
“When I started in the business in
England, just getting a job was a
dream,” she said. “To receive an Emmy
now is just beyond my wildest dreams.
This is just amazing for my career –
thank you so much!”
This is not Archie’s first critically
acclaimed role. She first made a name
for herself in the British hit films East is
East and Bend it Like Beckham, before
picking up Hollywood roles in the
Oscar-winning The Constant Gardener
and starring alongside Angelina Jolie in
A Mighty Heart.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 5
Brunel trio win 100m
relay Commonwealth gold
Three Brunel graduates won gold medals
at the Delhi Commonwealth Games
in Delhi when they all competed as
teammates in the 4x100m relay final.
Graduates Montell Douglas, Laura Turner
and Abi Oyepitan, along with fellow
sprinter Katherine Endacott, put in assured
performances in the women’s 100m relay
to finish with a time of 44.19s, over one
second ahead of silver medallists Ghana.
“This has been an amazing championships
and that lap of honour was great,” said
Oypeitan, who had also won a Commonwealth
silver medal in the 200m. “I really wanted to
come out and win this one so I’m so happy
for all of the girls. I was so nervous because
I haven’t done relay for about six years.
“These Games have been incredible and
going home with two medals is amazing.”
But the trio were not the only Brunel graduates
to win medals in the relays. Sport Sciences
graduate Nick Leavey anchored the second
leg of the 4x400m to claim a bronze medal,
finishing behind Australia and Kenya.
Pictured, from left to right:
Abi Oyepitan, Katherine Endacott,
Montell Douglas, Laura Turner
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 6
News in brief
New Brunel website
goes live!
Placement and Careers Centre.
safeguarding your personal
belongings from pickpockets.
A larger article on further
developments with the new site,
Andrea designed an easy to use
as well as training opportunities,
lock for bags and backpacks that
will appear in the next issue
requires two hands to open it,
of Express (December 2010).
thus deterring most opportunist
thieves. Andrea, who won £1,000
If you have any questions,
for her design, said: “Winning
please contact the Web
the competition was definitely
Project Manager, Gareth Jones.
an honour but most of all it was
gareth.jones@brunel.ac.uk
encouraging to me in the early
stages of my design career”.
Design is best in UK
according to the
Sunday Times
Change of Anglican
Chaplain
months of planning,
Brunel University is ranked
consultation and build work.
At the end of July Brunel
number one for Design in the
said a fond farewell to our
UK in the recent 2011 Sunday
Anglican Chaplain, the Revd
Times University Guide. One of
Charles Sargent, who had
the largest and most successful
worked here for the past six
• External homepage
design departments in the
years. Charles made a lasting
• Improved undergraduate and
UK, this top ranking comes
impression, with his gentle
postgraduate course pages,
after achieving an impressive
and calm influence and his
plus a new course finder
score of 85 per cent for overall
passion for cookery. He enjoyed
student satisfaction in the 2010
offering hospitality to others
National Student Survey.
and especially encouraging
The new Brunel University
website is now live, following
The first phase of the launch
included the following sections:
• A revamped News
and Events section
• Campus Life section
Design also made the top 10
• About Brunel section
of every other University Guide
• School pages for the School
ranking this year, reaching
of Information Systems,
third place in The Guardian,
Computing and Mathematics
fifth place in The Independent
and sixth in The Times.
students and staff to learn to
cook. He has asked that his
very best wishes be passed on
to those to whom he did not
get a chance to say goodbye.
Charles is now living in Cornwall,
You are encouraged to provide
and is busy enjoying life. We
feedback on the changes
wish Charles well for the
via the online form on the
new site (link available on
the external homepage).
More content will go live on
the new website before the
end of the year, including
the Research, Business and
Brunel International sections,
as well as new pages for the
Student wins first BPMA
Design Innovation Award
First year Product Design
student Andrea Pisa has
won the British Promotional
Merchandise Association (BPMA)
Design Innovation Award for
her innovative solution for
future in all that he does.
Our new Anglican Chaplain,
Revd Patrick Morrow, will join
us in February 2011. At present
he divides his time between
his London parish and working
at King’s College London.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 7
Now you can get
married at Brunel!
they need the funding, what
scenario, other campus
they believe they will get from
outlets will work hard to
the placement and how they
cover the services currently
The University is now licensed
will be able to share their
provided in the MACE store.
to hold Civil Marriage and
learning with fellow students.
Further information about the
Civil Partnership ceremonies
in the hospitality suites of
For more information on the
situation will be available in
the Hamilton Centre. Meera
bursaries, contact Michelle Kavan,
the middle of November. Please
Dattani in Catering
Deputy Director (Placements):
check IntraBrunel for details.
and Hospitality
michelle.kavan@brunel.ac.uk
will handle
any wedding
enquiries.
meera.dattani@
brunel.ac.uk
Farewell to Mr
Sharma and the
MACE campus
shop team
Brunel Conference
Services awarded MIA
Silver accreditation
Brunel Conference Services were
awarded Silver Accreditation
PCC awards
first batch of
placement bursaries –
plus more available!
Mr Sharma, the manager
by the Meetings Industry
of the MACE campus store,
Association (MIA) for their
will be closing his shop for
commitment to delivering a
the final time at the end of
high standard of service. “I am
October 2010. Mr Sharma and
so proud of the Conference
The Placement and Careers
his team have run the store
Team as without their dedication
Centre (PCC) can now offer
for the last 21 years and have
and contribution we couldn’t
bursaries to students looking
provided an essential service for
achieve this”, said William
for unpaid work placements.
thousands of the University’s
Lindsay, Conference Operations
While many sandwich placement
staff and students. We wish
Manager. “Awards like this
students do receive a salary,
him all the best in the future.
really motivate the team and
positions in professions like law,
encourage us to strive further”
finance, IT and new media are
The future for the shop
often unpaid, making it difficult
Once the shop is vacated the
for students to take advantage
University will investigate the
of the invaluable skills and
drainage that runs below the
experience that placements offer.
shop, which partially collapsed
To combat this, the PCC have so
far helped 67 students whose
financial circumstances would
otherwise have restricted them
from taking their placement.
A further 20 bursaries of £1,000
will be available to students for
the coming 2010/11 academic
year. Students who wish to apply
for a bursary should submit a
400-word bid outlining why
last summer. It is likely that
essential repair work will need
to be carried out and, if this
is the case, there could be
a three to four month
period beginning
in November
when Brunel will
not be able to
use the current
main campus
shop. In this
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 8
Meet Priya
A hello
from Priya
Hi, I’m Priya your Union President; it’s
great to welcome students new and
returning to Brunel 2010. For those who
don’t know me, I am a law graduate
and have been here for five years – two
of those as an elected student officer.
As your President my role is to represent your
views, wishes and aspirations to the University.
I spend much of my time engaging with
students and working with the University to
try and improve your student experience.
I am part of a team of four Student Officers who
are annually elected in a cross-campus ballot. Our
primary role and aspiration is to ensure the Union is
the voice of students in all aspects of University life,
encompassing academic, social and welfare matters,
and to ensure that every student is free to develop
within, and enjoy every aspect of, student life.
If at any point during your time here you
feel as though we are not working towards
our aspiration, please contact us. After all,
we are run by student for students!
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 9
AND the UBS team
The mini manifesto
The Union has some big plans for the year ahead.
Here are just a few of them.
Your wellbeing
We’ll be organising multiple wellbeing campaigns including
drug and alcohol awareness, sexual health and guidance,
Fairtrade and healthy eating, as well as fitness and stress.
Tutoring
We will be working with the University to try and enhance the
personal tutoring system and improve assessment feedback.
Nurturing sport
A joint Union and University Sports Strategy will outline
Brunel’s key sporting objectives for the next five years.
Communicating with you
From L-R: Sam, Avina, Priya and Joel
Meet the team
We will be beginning a major research exercise to
look at our communications and accessibility and your
feedback will be essential. Watch this space….
What you can look forward to
Highlight events for 2010/11 include:
Autumn Elections
The full-time officers
Get involved in the Union by becoming an
elected representative. For more info check
out www.brunelstudents.com/elections
UBS President........................... Priya Pallan
Vice-President Academic
Representation......................... Sam Middlewood
Fairtrade Fortnight
The fortnight raises awareness throughout
the University about the benefits of
developing a Brunel Fairtrade culture.
Vice-President
Community Welfare................. Avina Patel
One World Week
Vice-President Student
Activities................................... Joel Brasher Jones
One of the biggest events in our calendar,
we work with the University to celebrate
Brunel’s rich diversity of cultures.
FACE Festival
The part-time chairs
The Festival of Awareness and Creative Expression
(FACE) is a week-long music festival in the
centre of campus supported by the School of
Arts and delivered by you to celebrate the end
of the academic year. It’s not to be missed!
Sports Federation Chair........... Lisa Eastlake
Societies Guild Chair................ Shola Aminu
RAG Chair.................................. Stephan Archer
Media Chair.............................. Tom Scott
Get the UBS mobile phone app
Campaigns Chair...................... Martin Zaranyika
Our phone app will help you keep up-to-date with
what’s happening in your Union.
Equality and
Diversity Chair.......................... Nicholas Olfare
Features:
Environmental Chair................ Will Armstrong
• All the latest news for the Union, University
and nationally, and what’s on in the local area
• Interactive campus map with GPS location
Want to know more
about our team? Visit
www.brunelstudents.com/
yourunion
• Directory of student reps,
sports clubs and societies
• Special Election coverage, including info on the
candidates and how to vote, where and when
• Latest photo galleries and LeNurb
• Advice factsheets and live ARC
appointments booking
Get yours now for the Android, Blackberry and
the iPhone. www.brunelstudents.com/app
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 10
Building Brunel:
the changing face of the University
Brunel opened up its campus this September for the exhibition Building
Brunel, part of the larger Open Cities London festival. Express takes
a look at the stories and history behind our buildings and the
architecture that makes our campus so distinctive.
Brunel has had a string of
famous names officially
open its buildings, including
TV presenter Melvyn
Bragg, Princess Anne, actor
Steven Berkoff and, most
memorably, the Queen.
The campus was
designed to promote
interaction between
students of all
disciplines by grouping
teaching and social
facilities in communal
buildings – a surprisingly
unusual approach
for a university.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 11
The campus origins
Although its roots go back to 1928, what we now call Brunel University was established in
1966. The plot of land earmarked for the new Uxbridge campus was a weed-ridden patch of
scrubland that, before the building work began, the architect described as a ‘bloody awful site’.
The core of the campus – the lecture centre, refectory, Howell building, etc – was mostly
in place by the mid-1970s. It wasn’t until the early part of the 21st century that Brunel
really revved up its building programme, beginning its ‘Masterplan’ – a 10-year, £250
million regeneration project that gave the campus, amongst other developments, the
Indoor Athletics Centre, the Mary Seacole building and heaps of new accommodation.
Before and...
The Concourse
The campus
has come a
long way
since its 1960s
beginnings.
Don’t believe
us? Then
take a look
at these
‘before and
after’ shots.
...after
Aerial View
The Quad
The green
open squares
between the
buildings
were designed
so staff and
students could
“appreciate
more fully
the visual
achievements
of our
architects.”
Open Spaces
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 12
What is Brutalism?
Brutalism is a modernist architectural movement that
characterised new buildings from the ‘50s to the ‘70s. The
rather unflattering name for the style was not, however,
derived from the brutal look of the architecture but
from the term Béton Brut, meaning ‘raw concrete’.
Concrete gave architects a new freedom to ‘sculpt’
their buildings into previously impossible shapes.
Unfortunately, the public generally did not share
the architects’ enthusiasm, branding much of
their work bleak or downright unpleasant.
The original campus was
created by the architect
Sir Richard Sheppard,
who also designed
parts of Leicester,
Loughborough and
Cambridge universities.
Yet a certain level of respect and admiration for
the style is growing. The renovation of London’s
National Film Theatre and Southbank Centre has
transformed what were considered eyesores
into statements of modernity. So, while
brutalist buildings – including the ones on
our own campus – may never be considered
pretty, it might yet be possible for us to
at least appreciate their honest ugliness.
The Lecture Centre is
reportedly built back to
front. Those looming external
stairwells that face the Quad
were designed to cast striking
shadows and patterns as the
sun passed through the sky –
an effect that’s somewhat lost
as that would only work on
the other end of the building.
Lecture Centre
Probably the most divisive building on campus, time has
done little to soften its impact on the senses. The Centre,
a textbook example of the ‘Brutalist’ architecture
movement, was made internationally famous when
Stanley Kubrick chose it as the setting for scenes in
his dystopian masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 13
Brunel’s definitive buildings
The Bannerman Centre / Library
The Indoor Athletics Centre (IAC)
The Library building is a 50/50 split of old and new: the
1970s original build just wasn’t big enough to house
what the rocketing student population needed, and so
it was doubled in 2004. But the extension didn’t just
have educational benefits – it’s hard to imagine how
staff and students survived before Café Rococo opened.
The IAC marked a significant point in the University’s
development as a sporting institution. Having worldclass training facilities at the heart of the campus
helped Brunel to be firmly recognised as a centre of
excellence for sport – especially athletics – and placed
Brunel on a par with Loughborough and Bath.
Howell Centre
Engineering Towers
The Howell initially had an open-air quad in the
centre and didn’t even have a ground floor – it
was actually on stilts. The centre and ground
floor were filled in during the ‘90s when the
University needed to expand its teaching space.
‘The Towers’ aimed to unite all the University’s engineering
disciplines through a series of interconnected workshops,
labs and teaching rooms. The layout was considered a
success, but their appearance was not universally loved
– one disgruntled member of the public was so startled
by the building plans that he wrote to complain to a
national magazine: “The plan amazed and shocked
me. [It] might come in handy for a new open prison or
it might interest a tycoon in the battery-hen line.”
The future: what happens next?
While the next decade of campus development won’t
be quite as dramatic as the last, there will still be
some significant changes. The new Eastern Gateway
building – with its 400-seater auditorium, art gallery
and café – is under construction and is due in 2012.
Design work is also underway for the new ‘Meeting
House’ which will be a multi-faith/community centre.
If approved it could be in place by 2012/13.
The remaining focus for the next few years will be
to update, renovate and repair our older buildings
– especially the Central Lecture Block (CLB) and
the Hamilton building. Initial plans are also being
developed for the Howell Centre and the Engineering
Towers. Along with the CLB and the older parts of
the Library, the Towers have been locally listed by the
Local Authority because of their architectural interest.
This may constrain our options either to renovate and
extend the existing structures, or to demolish them
and build new facilities from scratch. If either option
gets the go-ahead and the necessary funding, work
won’t start until towards the end of this decade.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 14
Unlocking
your
potential
After a year of trials, planning and consulting, the
Staff Development team launched their all-new course
programme this September. Find out what Staff
list
Ac
tiv
e
en
ing
g
tin
De
leg
a
Ch
an
g
na
ge e
me
nt
ma
n
Pro
jec
din t
ati
o
-or
co
New courses
Mo
t
yo ivati
n
ur
tea g
m
Development can now do for your career development.
Browse workshops, book online or add your name to a workshop waiting list Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 15
We asked.
Well-being
You responded.
Career Support and
• redesigning the staff
development website;
Development
We listened.
With the help of staff across
• Revamping the main staff
Leadership Development
training room (JC126) to
Equality and Diversity
ensure you have a comfortable
learning experience.
Health and Safety
campus we have been working
We will be assessing carefully
Technology
hard over the last year
how well the new programme
Communication Skills
transforming Staff Development
into a service that can meet
Data Management
both your personal and your
Personal Effectiveness
meets your needs over the coming
year. Plus, we will be rolling
out the new Performance and
professional development needs.
Development Review scheme
The new programme has tripled
What else?
the University’s training and
As well as designing the new
learning workshops – so you can
on several other projects, including:
• developing and implementing
training is right for you, training
Programme;
• reviewing and redesigning how
we manage the performance
opportunities are now grouped
General Management
People Management
Of course, we wouldn’t be able to
and technical staff;
report so much activity if it hadn’t
been for the overwhelming support
and encouragement of staff from
appraisal form for lecturers
across campus – so thanks for
cli
nic
helping us make this happen.
CV
Pre
sen
tat
ion
ski
lls
Illu
Ad
ob
str e
ato
r
and senior lecturers;
Cu
aw ltura
l
are
ne
ss
tw
or
ski king
lls
professional, administrative
• updating the academic
Team Brunel
Ne
Thank you for
helping us make
this happen
and the development of
into the following themes:
Line Management
and the Brunel community.
Leadership Development
own time and at your own pace.
And, to help you identify what
transition into their role, their
immediate working environment
ASPIRE: Brunel University’s
develop the skills you need in your
returning staff, ensuring a smooth
erv
i
ski ew
lls
have access to a suite of online
support the induction of new and
programme, we’ve been working
Int
from early next year, you will also
teams, and working on how we
ma Stres
s
na
ge
me
nt
development opportunities and,
for the Resource and Operations
https://moss.brunel.ac.uk/SiteDirectory/staffdev/
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 16
Managing your student budget can be tough, but limited finances
don’t mean you have to fill your spare time just with watching
daytime TV. Stretch your loan further this year with these cheap and
free offers and really make the most out of your student years.
10 ways to enjoy
Brunel on a budget
1.
Liberate your inner artist Brunel’s
well-established Arts Centre runs all kinds
of art classes – from singing and stage
3.
Top tips for London on the cheap
There are plenty of websites out there
dedicated to helping you make the most
combat to jewellery making
of London on a budget. Check out www.
and pottery throwing. Each
youngandpoor.co.uk and sign up for
one is free for students,
their weekly newsletter covering the
save for a small annual
best cheap and free things to see, do
membership fee (£18)
and eat in the Capital. www.timeout.
and occasionally some
com is also an invaluable source of
materials costs. Visit www.
information, whatever you’re interested in.
brunel.ac.uk/artscentre
2.
Swim in an Olympic pool for under £1
With student concessions available, you can
4.
Get local privileges If you’re living on
campus or in the local Borough, don’t miss
out on the free Hillingdon First Privilege
take a dip at the local Hillingdon leisure
card, which
complex
gets you
for as little
10% off
as 70p
your bills at
off-peak.
local haunts
There’s
Auberge,
even a
Nonna
Grade II
Rosa, Gino’s
listed lido
and Giardino, as well as discounts
(outdoor
at fitness centres, opticians and
pool) for the warmer months, a gym
hairdressers. Sign up online:
and great range of fitness classes.
http://hillingdonfirst.hillingdon.gov.uk/
More info: www.bit.ly/UxbSwim.
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 17
5.
Catch a free concert on campus A
small and unassuming recital room at the
top of the Lecture Centre just happens
8.
Union Market day Eat healthily and
save ££s on your weekly shop at the
popular Unifruit market, every Tuesday
to host some of the biggest names in
during term-time in the Students’ Union.
jazz and classical music, who come to
This year Unifruit will also be joined by
take part in Brunel’s lunchtime concert
stalls for secondhand books, clothes,
series. Best of all, concerts are free and
jewellery, sweets and accessories.
anyone can come along. Check out the
calendar at www.brunel.ac.uk/artscentre
6.
Countryside on our doorstep A little-
9.
Relax in the Bicentenary Gardens
Escape the noise and distractions
of everyday uni life and head to
known local attraction for Brunel students
the Bicentenary wildlife reserve on
– yet definitely one of the prettiest – is the
the southern edge of campus (near
picturesque Grand Union Canal and Little
Faraday Halls). A great spot for a
Britain Lakes, about 10-15 minutes’ walk
picnic without having to travel far.
from the edge of campus.
Take a leisurely stroll along
the waterways and stop at
one or two of the excellent
10.
pubs or restaurants on
your Oyster
An Oyster Card
is an essential
the way. Check out the
piece of plastic
pedestrian route: www.
if you ever use
bit.ly/Uni2Lakes
7.
London is
London transport
and don’t
Don’t leave
want to pay through the nose for it. For
home without
example, an Oyster card would save you
your NUS card
nearly £2.90 on the standard cost of paper
NUS Extra is
tickets for a journey from Uxbridge to
one of the best
London (one bus fare and one tube fare).
student perks
around. For £11
a year you can
get discounts at places like the Odeon,
Amazon, McDonalds, Topshop and Pizza
Hut. If you haven’t got yours already,
pick one up from the Students’ Union.
Cards cost £3 deposit and can be bought
and topped up at stations, online or
even in the campus shop. Plus, get a
£5 Oyster student card if you need to
buy travelcards for 7 days or longer – it
will save you an extra 30% on all your
Oyster journeys. www.tfl.gov.uk
Brunel Express | Issue 9 | Page 18
Hire a car on campus
from £3.95 an hour
Brunel nominated for THE
‘Entrepreneurial University
of the Year’ Award
Brunel has been shortlisted for the
prestigious Times Higher Education (THE)
‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year’
Award 2010. The nomination is a testament
to how successfully the University has
integrated enterprise and entrepreneurship
into its teaching, research and business
activities over the last few years.
Brunel has had major success with its in‑house
companies, such as RCCS (Residential, Catering
and Conference Services), which now has
an annual turnover of £20 million, and its
strategic business partnerships, including deals
with Jaguar-Land-Rover (£9 million) and TWI
(£2 million). Staff can also take advantage of
generous cash awards for staff enterprise.
However, student development is at the
heart of Brunel’s entrepreneurial culture.
This year an entrepreneur-in-residence and
a network of graduate entrepreneurs were
appointed to mentor our students. Students
can also take advantage of the annual Brunel
‘Dragon’s Den’ competition, the regular,
high-profile networking events, or the
expertise of the University’s commercialisation
experts to help develop their ideas. They
can even join the Brunel Entrepreneurs
student society, the largest and one of
the most dynamic societies on campus.
The THE awards ceremony will take
place in London on 25 November.
Do you need a car for a trip to the shops, to pick
up a friend, or to get across town? Students and
staff can once again take advantage of the Hertz
Connect Car Club – based right here on campus
– and its fleet of pay-as-you-go vehicles. Now in
its second year, the Club is incredibly simple to
use and allows you to hire a car at any time of
the day or night for as little as £3.95 an hour.
Becoming a member is straightforward
– all you need to do is:
1. Sign up to the Car Club* (FREE for a limited time)
2. Book a car on the phone, web or your
iPhone app for a minimum of one hour
– minutes, days or weeks in advance
3. Pick up your car! (and return it
when you’re done, of course)
At Brunel you can choose from a Fiat 500
(£3.95ph), Ford Focus Econetic (£5.95), Alfa Romeo
MiTo (£6.95), or Mini Cooper D (£6.95)**. Once
you’ve signed up and received your Connect
Card you can start hiring the cars as little or as
much as you want. All the cars can be found
parked next to the campus Medical Centre.
Hire rates are fully inclusive and include
insurance, tax, the London congestion
charge and your first 30 miles of fuel.
* Members must be at least 19 years old.
** Drivers under 21 are charged an
additional hourly surcharge of £2
Join now for free!
For a limited time membership is FREE (normally £50
a year). Just quote the promotion code 1085 online
or over the phone when signing up. It takes just a
few minutes to enrol. What do you have to lose?
Visit www.connectbyhertz.com or call 08708 45 45 45
Brunel express | issue 9 | Page 19
Cern Summer
School visits Brunel
CErN, the European Organisation for Nuclear research,
visited the University for its annual CErN School of
Computing, this August. This is the first time CErN
has chosen a UK university as a base for its worldrenowned summer school for nearly 20 years.
“We are very proud to have been chosen to collaborate
in the organisation of this summer school”, said Dr
Liliana Teodorescu, a particle physicist in the School
of Engineering and Design and chair of the summer
school’s local organising committee. “Co-organising
the school was a great opportunity to enhance
Brunel’s international profile by strengthening our
relationship with CERN and through the messages
carried forward by the 51 international participants”.
Special guest speaker at the opening of the school was
CERN’s Director of Research and Scientific Computing,
Dr Sergio Bertolucci (pictured below). Since Dr Bertolucci
took the helm at CERN in 2008, he has presided over
the successful start-up of the world’s biggest particle
accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), in Geneva.
Using the LHC, researchers hope to recreate the
conditions of the Universe moments after the Big Bang.
“The LHC is probably the biggest and most complex
scientific enterprise ever undertaken by humanity,” Dr
Bertolucci explained. “It could open up a new era of
discoveries. Supersymmetry, if it exists, is probably the
first thing we’ll discover – maybe even this year. We
might also discover extra dimensions and open up
black or even white holes. If we achieve this it would
fundamentally change our perception of the world.”
Brunel has had extensive involvement with the LHC
for over a decade. A team of School of Engineering
and Design researchers collaborated on the design,
prototyping and construction of the Compact Muon
Solenoid (CMS), one of the LHC’s particle physics
detectors that, amongst other things, is searching
for the elusive Higgs Boson particle. With the CMS
now yielding exciting results, the Brunel team of
researchers will continue to play an important role in
analysing and understanding
the new discoveries.
want to know more
about the lhC? visit
CErN’s useful guide
www.bit.ly/
CErN_lhC
Brunel launches £9M
liMe research Centre
The University officially opened the
£9 million liquid Metals Engineering
(liME) innovative Manufacturing
Centre on 25 September. This is Brunel’s
second EPSrC-sponsored innovative
Manufacturing Centre (the other is
MATCh, led by Professor Terry young)
and will be led by Engineering and
Design Professor Zhongyun fan.
The Centre will bolster the UK’s flagging
metals industry by developing advanced
technologies for reuse, remanufacture
and recycling of secondary metals.
Professor Fan explained: “We aim to
develop manufacturing technologies
that cut carbon emissions by millions of
tonnes, reduce energy use by trillions of
kilowatt-hours and save millions of tonnes
of natural resources over the coming years
– without jeopardising efficient production
of high quality metallic materials.”
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Geoff
Rodgers added: “The launch of LiME
positions Brunel as an internationally
leading contributor to research
in manufacturing, a sector vitally
important to the UK economy.”
n
sto
g
n
i
,k
e
lan
s
y
r
e
et
he
c
pit
m
Ce
21211010
1010
135601