Around 25 youngsters spent theday at the Hendon campus,taking part in the competitionwhich pitted schools againsteach other to find the mosttalented young Scientist orEngineer. Academics MehmetKaramanoglu and SerengulSmith along with a large groupof very enthusiastic volunteerstudents helped the childrenthrough workshops and judgedthem on their performance

www.intra.mdx.ac.uk MARCH 2009

MiddlesexWORLD

Editor: Sarah Birdsall s.birdsall@mdx.ac.uk ext 5802

PAGE 6How long will olderworkers fare better?

PAGE 8Leading sci-fi authorheads up a literary feast

PAGE 10EIS students use theirskills to help others

PAGE 12Grow your owndrugs

Each month Middlesex World brings all staffnews and progress on the University’s newdirection and current activities. For daily newscoverage, events listings and classified adsclick on the intranet atwww.intra.mdx.ac.uk/mdxworld/index.html

Junior scientists and engineers turned up at Middlesex a fewyears early on Saturday 7 March. A group of 10 and 11 yearolds from Barnet primary schools were taking part in theUniversity’s Young Scientist and Engineer competition whichwas held to celebrate National Science and Engineeringweek. The event was organised by Marta Torpornicka and heroutreach team from BIRO.

Our science studentsare getting younger!

�

Work-Life Balance – there’s moreto it than you thoughtProfessor Suzan Lewis was inspiredto research work-life balance andits impact on employees after shefound a letter sent to her late fatherfrom his employer. It was the late1930s and Suzan’s dad haddecided he wanted to get hisyoung family out of London incase of war. So he wrote to askhis employer for a transfer toanother branch. The reply,which was the letter thatSuzan came across, agreed tothe transfer but noted that ‘youput your wife and child beforethe firm’.

As a new Professor ofOrganisational Psychology atMiddlesex, Suzan delivered herinaugural lecture on 16 March at theHendon campus, to an audience ofher colleagues and family. Entitled‘Will work-life balance survive the �

�

Anna Kyprianou, SuzanLewis and Waqar Ahmad

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

� ...work-life balance

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 2

� ...science students

recession’, Suzan startedwith a brief review of researchundertaken on work-lifebalance, making the point thatin the 1970s this focussed verymuch on working mothers andthe possible effects of theirwork on their children. Mentionof a 1979 research study intowhether women’s employmentwill cause stress for theirhusbands generated muchamusement among theaudience. Moving on in time,and to address the skillsshortage, many companiesintroduced family friendlypolicies in the 1980s, but thesefell away to a large extent in theearly 1990s as recession hit theUK. Suzan would not be drawnon whether she believes thiswill happen again in the currentrecession.

She did, however, outline twopossible scenarios that couldnow play out. Firstly, thosepeople who have held on totheir jobs in the recession worklonger hours and work muchharder, while their colleagueswho have been laid off have adifferent imbalance in terms oftoo much personal life. Thesecond scenario is a widespread reassessment of whatmakes the ‘ideal’ worker. Thiswould mean a criticalreappraisal of work-life balanceapproaches and assumptions.

Suzan went on to dispel thoseassumptions, or myths. Thereare four of these. Firstly thatwork-life balance is just aboutregulation and human resourcemanagement policies. Suzan

says that many organisations,and indeed human resourcemanagers believe it’s just aboutputting these policies in place.She disagrees and says what isimportant is how these policiesare applied in the workplace.The second myth is that work-life balance is just aboutwomen. Suzan dismissed thisidea, pointing out that this is a‘male’ model of work andassumes that men do not havecaring responsibilities.According to Suzan it is vitalthat we change theseexpectations. Thirdly thatgetting your work-life balanceright is about making the rightchoices for you. Nonsense,says Suzan, choices are alwayssocially embedded, and shegave the example of a Parisianperfume company she studiedthat gave workers theopportunity to work a four dayweek at a reduced salary butstill expected the five dayworkload to be delivered. LastlySuzan put paid to the myth thatwork-life balance is about time.She talked about visible andinvisible time, for examplepeople who start work early butleave work early are often notas valued as those that startlater but can be seen to beworking late into the evening.

Suzan concluded her lecture bytelling the audience that in thecurrent economic crisis, both inthe UK and around the world,the time is now right foremployers and employees toask and seek answers toimportant questions about howwe can reorganise work, whywe work and what we are tryingto achieve.

at games design, sports scienceincluding flexibility testing,robotics and building their owncomputer. They worked ingroups through these differentworkshops, which were run inboth in College Building andHatchcroft.

As well as the workshops, theOutreach team, along withMiddlesex students andTeaching Resources, organiseddemonstrations such rocketlaunching, the missiles for whichoccasionally put the Quad’sglazed roof in danger!

The winners – 10 year-oldIbraheem Chugtai and 11 year-old Henry Lee – both attend AllSaints School in Cricklewood.They won robot making kits anda £100 voucher for their schoolto spend in the MiddlesexTeaching Resources shop. Thechildren were delighted to winand ran up to receive theirprizes and a round of applause.

Marta Torpornicka commented:“Our Young Scientist andEngineer competition this yearwas an outstanding success. Werun the competition every yearto encourage children to getinterested in these subjects andconsider them when they aredeciding on further study”.

National Science andEngineering Week is a ten-daycelebration of science,engineering and technologywhich this year ran from 6 to 15March. It is coordinated by theBritish Science Association andthe Government’s Departmentfor Innovation, Universities andSkills.

New Scholarshipsto mark 10 yearanniversary of theIndia Regional Office

The Delhi Office was set up in1999 to create a ‘one-stopshop’ for prospective studentswanting to study at Middlesex.There are now seven officesin South Asia in total.Counselling offices were firstestablished in Chennai(previously known as Madras)and Mumbai, withAhmedabad and Hyderabadbeing the most recentadditions. In both Kolkata andColombo, an agent’s office isused as a RepresentativeOffice. All the offices provideinformation and advice onstudying in the UK,application procedures andqualifications – the Delhi,

Chennai and Mumbai officescan also make admissionoffers. During 2009-2010,Middlesex hopes to expand thenumber of offices in India toten, including therepresentative offices.

Joe Victor believes Middlesex’sreputation in South East Asia isexcellent. He thinks this islargely due to the range ofservices the offices provide. Hesaid: “We are famous! It isbecause of our network ofoffices as well as a well-established network of agents.Our staff respond veryefficiently to applications. Oncewe have received anapplication, it takes just three

hours to process, so thelongest a student might wait toget a reply from us is threedays, and that's just if theyapply by post and we have topost our reply back”.

The Regional Office in Delhiruns a very active marketingprogramme, which has helpedto build Middlesex’s profile asa major recruiter of studentsfrom India and South EastAsia. Joe explained: “Weattend almost every educationfair in the country, those runby the British Council andthose in local areas, whichmeans lots of travelling. Wefan out to other cities to coverevery significant higher

Joe Victor, Regional Director for South Asia

�

Middlesex was one of the first UKuniversities to set up offices overseas.Across the globe Middlesex now has15 Regional Offices, and this year theDelhi Office, one of the longest-established, will celebrate its10 year anniversary. We spoke toJoe Victor, Regional Director forSouth Asia, to find out moreabout Middlesex’s work in Indiaand South Asia.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 3

� ...India officeeducation fair too. We alsorun training programmes foragents”.

Joe explained how the officeswork with agents. “Agentssource potential students forus from across the countryand the region. We train theagencies’ counsellors and visittheir offices to recruitstudents. Our turnaroundtime in dealing withapplications has encouragedagents to work with us”. Joeadded that during the 10 yearanniversary, the RegionalOffice planned to bring agroup of key agents on a‘familiarisation’ visit toMiddlesex. “We are veryagent-friendly!” he said.

To mark its 10 yearanniversary, this year theIndia office will offer 10Scholarships, each worth£3,000, in subjects across allMiddlesex’s Schools. Vice-Chancellor Michael Driscolland Deputy Vice-ChancellorInternational Terry Butlandwill announce theScholarships when they visitIndia next month. TheRegional Office also hopes toidentify ten Middlesex alumnito be ‘ambassadors’ acrossthe country. A 10 year‘Anniversary Booklet’ isplanned for the autumn.

Joe feels the best bit of hisrole is interacting with histeam of 20 staff and workingwith the agents. He said: “I'vehad 30 years of involvementwith British higher education

in India, including over 20years with the British Council.I’ve also worked as anindependent consultanthelping British universities toset up academic partnershipsand through this role, a chancemeeting with Terry Butland ledto me hear about the role ofRegional Director, which I wassubsequently offered in 2006.When I took over the role, thenumber of Indian studentsstudying at Middlesex'sLondon campuses was around300. I’ve already seen a growthin student numbers joiningMiddlesex from India to morethan 1,000 this year (2008-09)”. Joe also hopes to buildmore links with employers inIndia, with a view tobroadening recruitmentoptions for students returningto India once they havefinished their studies.

With recent increases inattendance at education fairsthroughout India’s manyregions, it looks as thoughJoe’s team and their agentcolleagues will be kept verybusy over the next few months.Middlesex has a long history ofrecruiting Indian students,particularly at postgraduateand Doctorate level. Betweenthem, the Regional Office,Counselling andRepresentative Offices offercoverage from India toBangladesh, Nepal to SriLanka and the Maldives.Through their work, the trendat Middlesex for welcomingstudents from across the wholeSouth East Asia looks set tocontinue.

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

For further information about Work Based Learning contact business@mdx.ac.uk or ext. 6172 www.mdx.ac.uk/wbl

IWBL puts Mayor of Londonunder the spotlight at LondonChamber of Commerce forumMayor of London Boris Johnson answeredquestions on London’s economy from over200 London Chamber of Commercemembers, at a unique forum supported byMiddlesex’s Institute of Work Based Learningand O2 in February. The event, held at theLondon Chamber of Commerce’s cityheadquarters, attracted Chamber membersfrom organisations across the corporate,SME and charity sectors and was alsofeatured on the BBC’s daily news bulletinNews at Ten.

Questions and debate focused on issues thatmembers felt were important in sustainingLondon’s economy, including environmental

topics, measures to helpLondon businesses through therecession, the role of theOlympics and Olympics-relatedcontracts open to SMEs, andways of attracting more tourists,and therefore more spending,to London.

Jonathan Garnett, Director ofthe Institute for Work BasedLearning, commented: “Thisevent has been a goodopportunity to hear the Mayor'sopinions in these difficulteconomic times. Middlesex

University wants to supportbusinesses and individuals indeveloping skills that can helporganisations recover from theeconomic downturn”.

David Williams, Head ofBusiness Development for theInstitute for Work BasedLearning, commented that theforum had enabled theUniversity to raise awarenessamongst London’s businesscommunity of what Work BasedLearning is and how it cancontribute to businesssuccesses. The event also gavethe IWBL team the opportunityto build links with newbusinesses and make themaware of the range of studyoptions that Middlesex and itsMODNet network partners isable to facilitiate.

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MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 4

national level together withparticipation in coaching andother support activities.

Middlesex recognisesacademic achievement byannually awarding £1,000Academic ExcellenceScholarships to 20 newUndergraduate students whilethe Academic Alumnischolarship offers a 20% feereduction to highachieving progressingstudents nominated by theirtutors.

Like the Rise UpScholarships, the ConygarOpportunity Scholarship isaimed at students fromdisadvantaged educationalbackgrounds. Thisscholarship is available tofirst-year UK/EUundergraduate BusinessSchool students who are thefirst in their family to go toUniversity and who show realpotential to excel on theirdegree programme. Twoscholarships worth £3,000each are awarded each year,generously funded by theConygar InvestmentCompany, which was co-founded by a Middlesexalumnus.

Middlesex also offers anumber of sponsoredscholarships for currentstudents, International MeritAwards for foreign studentsand an Alumni Bursary forstudents who have completeda first degree at the University.

already offers a range ofscholarships that recogniseparticular areas of excellence.

As part of the University’scommitment to the London2012 Olympic Games, everyyear Middlesex offers its highlysought after Future Goldscholarships to new studentswho demonstrate real potentialto compete for Team GB in the2012 Olympics. Each FutureGold scholarship is worth£30,000 over three years,effectively giving the students afree higher education andensuring that they are able toput paid work aside so that theycan concentrate on their goals:gaining a degree and getting tothe Olympics in 2012.

Chancellor’s Scholarships areawarded to students whoseachievements – be theyacademic, cultural or sporting –truly make them stand out fromthe crowd. Up to 50Chancellor’s Scholarships,valued at £2,000 each, areawarded to new and continuingstudents each year. Chancellor’sScholarships for AcademicAchievement recogniseoutstanding academic results,Chancellor’s Scholarships forCultural Achievement areawarded for nationallyrecognised achievements to anestablished cultural field andnational or internationalcontributions to voluntary orcharitable activity, andChancellor’s Scholarships forSporting Achievement recognisesporting achievement at

Middlesex is committed tomaking its programmesaccessible for and attractiveto students from all socialand economic backgrounds.The University understandsthat a barrier for manystudents wanting to enterhigher education is thequestion of money, which iswhy Middlesex spends morethan £1.5 million every yearhelping students to pursuehigher education withscholarships and bursaries.

In keeping with its sociallyinclusive approach, Middlesexis pleased to be launching the‘Rise Up’ Scholarship in 2009.This new £1,000 scholarship isspecifically aimed at helpingstudents who have had adisadvantaged educationalbackground but who show greatpotential, and will be awarded to20 Undergraduate studentsstarting their first year in 2009.

This year the University is alsolaunching three Work BasedLearning Scholarships forstudents applying to study foran Undergraduate, Masters orDoctorate degree through WorkBased Learning. Valued at£2,000 each, the scholarshipsare aimed at UK applicantsworking in the voluntary andcommunity sector in either apaid or unpaid capacity whodemonstrate real potential toexcel in their chosen degreeprogramme.

In addition to these newscholarships, the University

The Sports Department is pleasedto announce that it has organisedsome Complementary Therapydays at Hendon for staffmembers.

25 minute sessions of eitherReflexology or Indian Head Massagetreatments will be available to staff at£10 per session (payable to thetherapist on the day). The sessionswill take place all day on Friday 3April in Room FRG16 (Rehab TrainingRoom by the Fitness Pod).

Reflexology and Indian HeadMassage can help to restore thebody’s natural balance and so, in arelaxed state, it can cope with theeveryday stresses and strains of lifemuch more effectively.

Reflexology works by gentle pressure onreflex points on the soles of the feetwhich correspond to every single organand system of the body. Indian HeadMassage works on the muscles of theupper back, shoulders, arms, neckhead and face. This is done without oils.

Both therapies at their most basic levelincrease circulation, release tension andboost the immune system.

Those interested should call the SportsDepartment Reception on ext. 6343 inadvance, to book their treatment.

A further date has also been planned forFriday 1 May.

Staff are asked to seek permission fromtheir line manager/supervisor prior tomaking an appointment.

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Helping even more students Rise Up

Reflexology – it’s all in the feet

Complementarytherapies

for staff

If you would like to be featured in Middlesex People or know any staff member who maylike to share their life at the University with us please email staffcomms@mdx.ac.uk

middlesexpeople

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 5

We know your job title, butwhat does that find youdoing, day to day?Every day is different in theFitness Pod. As Sports DutyOfficer, I am a line manager forthe fitness instructors in thegym but am mainly based inthe sports office where I dealwith memberships andgeneral enquiries. I spendsome time in the gym as well,ensuring that equipment isclean and safe and thateverything is runningsmoothly. I also produce anewsletter for the gym tokeep members informed ofnotices and to offer tips andadvice to gym users.

What campus are youbased on?I am based at the Hendoncampus in the Forum. TheFitness Pod is on the lowerlevel beneath the food court.It’s great because while yousweat to work off those extrapounds from your bigbreakfast you can smell thetempting aroma of chocolatecroissants.

How long have you beenat Middlesex?I was a student at Enfieldbetween 2003-2007 andstudied Sport Rehabilitation. Ihave been working in theFitness Pod since January 2009but previously worked inColinhurst since August 2008.

What was you job before?I was previously the businesssupport officer for PRO-ACTIVENorth London in the Colinhurstbuilding, Hendon. Although Iquite enjoyed this job I felt alittle confined. I also have myown sports injury clinic which Ifit in around my full time workwhich has been in operationsince I graduated in 2007.

What attracted youto Middlesex?The new facilities (includingthe superb big breakfast theydo in the canteen) Also, theflexibility they provide and theopportunities offered by wayof continued professionaldevelopment. I am currentlylooking into doing post-

graduate study next year whilestill working in the Fitness Pod.

What is the best partof your job?I get to meet and talk todifferent people. The team Iwork with are great and I’mslowly starting to attend thegym more frequently. I alsoenjoy the shifts. I either workearly (which is 6.45am to2.45pm) or late (which is 2.15to 10.15pm). It’s convenientfor me because it enables meto continue my sports injuryclinic around my job. It’s alsoreally flexible as there arethree sports duty officers. Ifone of us needs amorning/afternoon off it’susually pretty easy to swapwith someone.

And what is the worst partof your job?Fighting the temptation to geta big breakfast every day! Alsothe membership system thattakes me 10 minutes to loadand then likes to crash on meas soon as I need it.

In an alternate world, whatjob would you do?I’d be working in the USA asan athletic trainer for aprofessional sports team. Ihave always loved Americaand did a placement inPhiladelphia while atUniversity. It is my dream toone day move over there andhave a career in the sportsrehabilitation andperformance enhancementfield.

How do you spend yournon-working hours?Working! When not atMiddlesex, I’m working in myclinic or for Watford GirlsCentre of Excellence asassistant physio. Occasionally Ieat and sleep. I love cookingand make a mean spaghettiBolognese but rock cakes aremy speciality. Yum yum!

Who would you invite to yourdream dinner party?Michael Jackson, then I’d askhim for (in return for myexquisite cooking) VIP ticketsto the 02 in July.

PaulineMcCalla andher Hendon-basedcolleaguesraised over£400 forComic Reliefearlier thismonth, sellingcakes with ared nosetheme. Hotfavourite wasthe outsider,though – thegreen ‘MohitoMuffin’!

Increased researchfunding following RAEAt the beginning of March the higher education fundingbody, HEFCE, informed universities around the country ofhow much allocation for research they would receive. Thisnews followed the results of the Research AssessmentExercise (RAE) in December 2008. For Middlesex, it wasexcellent news as we will receive £3.4 million in the2009/10 academic year. Decisions on funding forsubsequent years have yet to be made by HEFCE.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Driscoll commented: “Theincrease in our funding linked to research quality exceededexpectations. It will enhance our opportunities to furtherstrengthen our research. Congratulations to all involved in thehuge project to submit information to the RAE”.

Laura CornellThis month we ask Laura Cornell, SportsDuty Officer at the Fitness Pod, about herlife at work and at play.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 6

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOLNEWS AND EVENTS

and enrichment. The overall aimof age-positive HRM is to adaptworking conditions so that theperformance potential of eachemployee can be fully utilisedthroughout their life course.

A number of factors acrossEurope are exerting pressures ongovernments, employers andtrade unions to move from ayouth-centric HRM approachtoward an age-positive HRMapproach. These factors includethe rapid ageing of thepopulation, legislation that holdsage as a dimension in anti-discrimination regulation andincreasing problems with socialsecurity systems no longer beingable to sustain early retirement.

The project found that thesolutions to the ‘age challenge’opted for in the management ofolder workers are stronglyaffected by national influences

Both existing literature and theexpert interviews suggest that ayouth-centric Human ResourceManagement (HRM) model isprevalent in both Britain andGermany. This can be seen inwidespread discriminationagainst older employees withregard to recruitment, trainingand development, in the fact thatexperience tends to beconsidered less important thanknowledge acquired ineducation, and that manyEuropean countries have a strongculture of early retirement.

The alternative to youth-centricHRM recommended by theresearch is called age-positiveHRM. This holistic approachinvolves lifelong learning, activehealth and safety management,flexible working hours, agediverse work teams andsystematic changes in positionthrough job rotation, enlargement

• To what extent areapproaches to agemanagement in Germanyand Britain driven byinternational influencefactors or by nationalinstitutional characteristics?

They conducted a series ofexpert interviews in Britain andGermany, and this was followedby in-depth case studies ofeight comparable organisationsin the chemical sector, the steelindustry, the public sector(secondary schools) and retailin Britain and Germany.

The project sought to answerfour main research questions:

• How are employers, the stateand other stakeholdersresponding to the ‘agechallenge’?

• How are age managementpolicies implemented inorganisations, what role doesline management play inimplementing these policiesand do actual practicesreflect the policies?

• How do older workersperceive the effectiveness ofthese policies and practices?

such as the social securitysystem and state-financed earlyretirement options. Forinstance, in Germany, where thestate pension still accounts for85% of the income of apensioner and the socialsecurity system providesincentives for early retirement,in 2007 59.4% of men and43.4% of women aged 55 to 64were in employment; whilst inthe UK, where the state pensionaccounts for less than 40% ofthe income of a pensioner andwhere the variety of pensionschemes impacts on retirementroutes, in 2007 66.1% of menand 49% of women aged 55 to64 were in employment.

Another important finding wasthat the levels of influence ofsocial partners such as tradeunions in negotiating agemanagement policies inGermany and Britain differenormously, with influence inBritain significantly lower than inGermany. A further key finding

concerned the role of linemanagers in effectivelyimplementing age managementpolicies in their organisationsand teams – although agemanagement may be on anorganisation’s strategic agenda,it may still not be properlyimplemented by linemanagement.

These findings indicate that untilnow older workers in the UKhave fared better than theirGerman counterparts, with ahigher real retirement age,direct forms of discriminationsuch as age restrictionseliminated and some scope towork beyond 65. However, thishas been because UKbusinesses have had labourneeds that employers have beenable to fill by using olderworkers as contingent workers.The question is, will therecession see UK employersusing that flexibility to get rid ofolder workers faster than theirGerman counterparts?

Older workers in the UK fare better, but for how long?In February, Professor Michael Muller-Camen, Dr Matt Flynnand Heike Schroeder presented the preliminary findings ofan 18-month Economic and Social Research Council-fundedresearch project entitled Age diversity at the workplace: Acomparative study on the influence of national institutions onemployers´ age management practices. The study exploreddifferences and similarities in how organisations in Britainand Germany deal with the challenge of an ageing workforce.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 7

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOLNEWS AND EVENTS

The project stemmed fromwork which Professor JoshuaCastellino, Head of Middlesex’sLaw Department, did inKyrgyzstan in 2008, where hecoached a group of humanrights defenders in how humanrights laws operate, and in howto deal with human rightsissues at international level.

The 2009 pilot project willinvolve groups fromUzbekistan, Kazakhstan andKyrgyzstan. As well as creatinginformation and resourcenetworks in their owncountries, attendees will beable to develop regionalnetworks to share information,issues and strategies withcolleagues in neighbouringcountries. This could lead to a

stronger voice for civil society inthe region.

Over the next year, experts fromMiddlesex, who haveexperience in countries such asRussia and Chechnya, willdeliver the project. Two week-long sessions in Almaty

(Kazakhstan) and Bishkek(Kyrgyzstan) will take place,where the project team willcoach attendees on humanrights law. Modules will bebased on course content fromMiddlesex’s newly-revalidatedLLM. Attendees will be offeredthe chance to enrol on the LLMprogrammes at eitherMiddlesex or LondonMetropolitan University for sixmonths, researching towards adissertation. Attendees arelikely to be human rightslawyers, defenders andinfluencers, selected with theassistance of British Embassiesin the region.

Middlesex staff will coachattendees in strategiesfor addressing a range ofhuman rights issues.Middlesex’s role willfocus on moderating andfacilitating, helping tobuild attendees’knowledge andconfidence. In thefuture, the project maybe reproduced in otherareas where humanrights and social justiceissues sometimesconflict with legislativepractice.

Professor JoshuaCastellino said: “We’redelighted that the

Foreign and CommonwealthOffice has agreed to fund ourproject proposal. We believethat it is through strongercooperation between thesecountries that many humanrights problems in the regioncould be resolved. It isparticularly heartening to seethat the Foreign andCommonwealth Office agreeswith this analysis. Through thecommitment of the attendeesand the experience of our teamin coaching and mentoring, wehope to make a significantcontribution towards theemergence of effectivenetworks of human rightsdefenders across central Asia”.

InauguralLectures

in April andMay

On Thursday 23 April, Professor FergusLyon, Professor of Enterprise andOrganisations and Director of the SocialEnterprise Research Capacity BuildingCluster, will present his inaugurallecture, Trading with a social purpose:Social enterprises and their relationshipswith the state and markets at 5pm inC114 in the College Building atHendon. Fergus’ lecture will examinehow social enterprises draw on modelsof private business, public business andcivil society and grow by buildingrelationships with organisations in thesesectors, as well as exploring some of thekey issues currently facing socialenterprises.

Another inaugural lecture date to diariseis Tuesday 19 May, when ProfessorJoshua Castellino, Professor of Law, willpresent his inaugural lecture, The End ofthe Liberal State and the First Terrorist:The Challenge for Human Rights Law in aTime of Uncertainty.

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WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS THROUGH

STRONGER COOPERATION

BETWEEN THESE COUNTRIES

THAT MANY HUMAN RIGHTS

PROBLEMS IN THE REGION COULD

BE RESOLVED. IT IS PARTICULARLY

HEARTENING TO SEE THAT THE

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH

OFFICE AGREES WITH THIS

ANALYSIS.

Law Department to trainhuman rights lawyers incentral Asia

Professor Joshua Castellino, Head ofMiddlesex’s Law Department

Lecturers from the Department of Law have just begun aone-year pilot project, developing the knowledge and skills ofhuman rights advocates in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan andKyrgyzstan. The project is funded by the Foreign andCommonwealth Office, and aims to enhance human rightspractitioners’ skills, working towards ‘best practice’ indealing with human rights issues. Middlesex lecturers willdeliver training on-site and will coach and mentor attendees,together with colleagues from the Human Rights and SocialJustice Institute at London Metropolitan University.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 8

[SCHOOL OF] ARTS AND EDUCATIONNEWS AND EVENTS

�

literature), and poets KathrynSimmonds (shortlisted for the2008 Costa Poetry Award), AbeGibson and Brian Whittingham,whilst Tim Lott and Linda Blairwill discuss non-fiction writing.Anne-Marie Fyfe, Chair of thePoetry Society, will read from herwork and children’s author KarenMcCombie will also speak.

Two workshops, offeringinspiration and guidance toanyone interested in developingtheir writing style, are scheduled

Renowned author Iain Banks,whose impressive track recordin both science fiction andcontemporary literature is theenvy of many, is the Festival’sheadline speaker. He will speakon Wednesday 1 April.

The Festival also celebratessome of the UK’s foremostmodern novelists and poets andtheir chosen literary genres.Panel sessions include SophieParkin and Amanda Brookfield(women’s contemporary

Leadingsci-fi authorheads up aliterary feastLater this month, Trent Park campuswill host the 14th Annual MiddlesexLiterary Festival, where novelists IainBanks and Tim Lott, and poet KathrynSimmonds are just some of the keyliterary figures who will appear. Thetwo-day Festival also includesreadings, panel sessions, talks andworkshops, and promises to be anevent to remember, whatever yourliterary interests.

Author Iain Banks is the headlinespeaker at the Literary Festival

departments towards an MA inEducation that will be deliveredin the school and supported bystaff from Middlesex’s School ofArts and Education. As part oftheir studies, the teachers willhave the opportunity to developa research project around theirneeds, interests and aspirationsand this will be amalgamatedinto the school’s DevelopmentPlan.

Mill Hill County High School onWorcester Crescent in Barnet isalso home to a number ofteachers working toward theirMA in Education. Ten teachersat the school started the firstmodule of their degree,‘Developing ProfessionalPractice’ in January 2009, andwill each select the focus for

their MAon 1 April. Professionaltranslators will lead a workshopexamining the process oftranslating poetry into English,and featuring readings by poetsDr Maggie Butt (Head of Mediaat Middlesex), KatherineGallagher and Rik Wilkinson. TVand radio drama writerKatharine Way will run aworkshop on TV drama andscriptwriting, outlining theprocess of working on showssuch as Doctors, Casualty

Introducing school-basedlearning for Barnet’s teachers

work based on their role at theschool and on the school’sneeds.

According to Paul Gray, DeputyHead of Mill Hill County HighSchool: “We have made a verygood start to the course as thesessions are lively andintellectually engaging. Theresearch topics are varied andwill have a direct impact on theculture of the school, which ishigh achieving and popular withparents”.

Kevin Morris, Deputy Director ofProfessional Development inEducation at Middlesex says: “Iam really excited to be workingwith Rebecca and the teachersat Hendon School, and with Pauland the teachers at Mill HillCounty High School. We want toretain the MA’s academic qualityand also make the degree asuseful and contextualised as

possible, something that Ibelieve we are achievingat both schools. This is areally exciting extension to

our school based MAwork and we lookforward tobuilding on ouroutstandingreputation andgrowing thisacross Barnetand other local

schools”.

Ever mindful of its role in thelocal community, Middlesex isworking with local authorities,schools and other educationalagencies to offer professionaldevelopment programmes toteachers.

Early in 2009, the MIDWHEBpartnership saw 27 teachers atHendon School and Mill HillCounty High School beginningtheir studies toward their MA inEducation. What sets theseteachers apart from other MAEducation students is that theywill be conducting their studiesat their schools.

At Hendon School on GoldersRise, Assistant Headteacher,Rebecca Poole will be leading 17teachers acrossa range of

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

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 9

[SCHOOL OF] ARTS AND EDUCATIONNEWS AND EVENTS

high street retailer Ernest Jonesrecently launched ‘EternalSilver’, a designer collectionmade from Argentium, which isavailable in many of their stores.

In the early days, Peter had towork hard to get the concept ofArgentium taken seriously –convincing people thatArgentium is of an equal orhigher quality than traditionalsterling silver proved to be quitea challenge. Some people evensaid they missed polishing theirsilverware! Peter said of theventure’s success: “Argentiumis very big in the US, we’re nowworking with one of the biggestbullion manufacturers in theworld…we’ve become one of

Research and Development,working mainly from our Cat Hillcampus. He is currentlyexploring new applications forArgentium in variousmanufacturing sectors,including its use for rapidmanufacturing in conjunctionwith Wolverhampton University.

An unexpected advantage hasbeen demonstrated by ChristineBouchemal, receptionist at CatHill campus, who had neverbeen able to wear sterling silver,as it causes a skin allergy. Shetried a piece of Argentiumjewellery, found it to have no illeffects, and she’s been wearingit ever since! Christine said:“Silver jewellery has alwaysbeen off limits for me, but I canwear the Argentium productswith no problems at all!” Allergysufferers won’t have to go to theUS to get their hands onArgentium Silver jewellery as

Peter Johns of Middlesex’sSchool of Arts andEducation began researchinto silver alloys in the1990s. Little did he knowthen that his work wouldlead to the creation ofArgentium Silver, a newquality silver, which is nowin use world-wide.Argentium has been usedto solve some unusualproblems – for musicians,allergy sufferers and manyothers!

So how did it all start? PeterJohns was researching waysto solve a 5,000 year oldproblem called fire scale,which occurs when silver isheated during manufacturing.He found that by adding asmall quantity of the elementgermanium to sterling silver,he could create a new higherpurity silver alloy, which would

Middlesex Universityinvention shines!

For more information on argentium, go towww.argentiumsilver.com

eliminate fire scale and givehigh tarnish resistance.Argentium also has uniquehardening properties, making itstronger and more durable forthe customer.

Argentium was originallylaunched through MiddlesexUniversity Ventures, theUniversity’s businessdevelopment unit. Interest inArgentium grew rapidly,especially amongst US-basedcraft and jewellery professionalsand eventually the companywas sold to a team of UKinvestors. A new company,Argentium International, wasformed to promote the metaland research other uses for it.Middlesex University retains afinancial interest in the newcompany.

Peter Johns is now ArgentiumInternational’s Director of

and EastEnders, many ofwhich she has written for.

The Literary Festival isorganised by studentsfollowing the BA degree inCreative and Media Writing atMiddlesex and will also featurereadings of students’ ownwork. Lecturer James MartinCharlton, who leads the BAprogramme, said: “We'rethrilled that we've been able toattract such big names in theliterary world…It shows theUniversity is acquiring anexcellent reputation when itcomes to staging high-calibreevents…It's wonderful forstudents on our creativewriting programmes to learn atfirst hand from successfulauthors about the real life ofbeing a writer”.

Attendance at panel sessionsand readings is free –workshops cost £5 per personand must be booked inadvance by email:

mdxlitfest@googlemail.com

Go towww.freewebs.com/mdxlitfest/programme.htm to view thefull Festival programme.

� ...Sci-fi authorthe really big players”. Headded: “Argentium hasterrific possibilities…it’s afront runner”.

The Argentium project formeda major part of theUniversity's 2008 UKResearch AssessmentExercise submission,demonstrating significantinvention, researchdevelopment and knowledgetransfer at the highestinternational levels. And withrepresentation throughoutEurope, the US, the Far Eastand Australia, Argentium hasmade a great journey fromthe Middlesex workshops tothe world stage!

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

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 10

[SCHOOL OF] ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION SCIENCESNEWS AND EVENTS

Following a first degree in Electronics andCommunications Engineering, and valuabletechnical experience gained at HCLInfosystems, one of India's leading ICTcompanies, Ganesh Kumar Muthia enrolled ona postgraduate course in Computer andNetwork Security at Middlesex.

Ganesh wanted to use his knowledge of networkingand mobile communication to help people facingphysical challenges caused by wasting diseasessuch as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a typeof motor neurone disease. In his research projecthe designed a device which would help people withthese conditions to control machinery around them.

His project, Improved Wireless Sensor Aid:Environmental Control Device for Patients withMotor Impairments involved designing a compactand easily accessible device that would allowpeople with motor impairments to controlelectronic devices. Ganesh's control device is amulti-use switch. It was designed so that it couldbe used by people at all stages of motor diseases.The user taps the device with their finger and thissends an electronic signal to the equipment ormachine the user wants to activate. Ganesh usedZigbee technology when designing andprogramming the device, to ensure it could beused wirelessly. Acceleration sensors were also amajor component of the design, to ensure thatusers could control the level at which equipment ormachinery worked.

Dr Gill Whitney and module leader Dr AboubakerLasebai worked with Ganesh on his researchproject.

EISstudentsuse theirskills to

helpothers

A wireless device to help people withmotor impairments

Ganesh Kumar Muthia

This month Middlesex Worldreports on how EIS students

are using their skills andexpertise to give somethingback to the community inwhich they live and learn.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 11

[SCHOOL OF] ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION SCIENCESNEWS AND EVENTS

fruit and different objects. If theplayer chooses to matchshapes, for example, a shapeappears on the screen andthen a group of differentshapes in various colours andsizes dance onto the screen

before standing still so that theplayer can choose the one thatmatches. If he gets it right, thecomputer congratulates him.

As part of their project, thestudents group themselves intomock businesses, which areresponsible for ‘selling’ theirgames, and soon they’ll beshowcasing their work atMiddlesex.

21-year-old Dipesh Damanifrom Kingsbury says that hisgroup have decided to call theirmock business EducationalAmusement because theirgames are designed to helpchildren with educationaldifficulties to learn and havefun at the same time. He goeson to explain his game for a 9-

learning difficulties. Thestudent then designs apersonalised educational gametailored so that the child willhave their needs met whilehaving fun. At the end of theproject, once the games are

completed, we pass them on tothe school so that the childrencan play them and the schoolthen evaluates them and givesus feedback”.

23-year-old Hassan Mwathethefrom Kenya is working on agame that involves matchingobjects, mathematics andpuzzles for an 11-year-oldautistic boy who has difficultieswith fine and gross motorcoordination. His game startswith a welcome from Thomasthe Tank Engine because,according to Hassan, the littleboy is a big fan of Thomas. Thematching part of the game,which is at the most advancedstage of development, requiresthe player to match shapes,

year-old autistic boy, which hedescribes as two games in one.One part of the game usesDisney characters in puzzleactivities of differing difficultylevels, while the other is amaths game which not only hasdifferent difficulty levels, butalso always gives the playerdifferent number combinationsin sums so that they cannotlearn the answers or becomebored.

More and more, computerusers expect dynamic,interactive and media richexperiences, and Elizabethsays that this module isallowing students to developthe skills to produce these:“The students are all,justifiably, quite proud of theirgames. They’re designing theirgames using storyboards andthen putting them together toinclude images, sound andanything else that they thinkwill make the end user’sexperience more enjoyable”.

Look out Atari and EA, becauseMiddlesex’s students arefinding out that developinggames is even more fun thanplaying them!

Fun and games in the Hatchcroft labs

Hassan Mwathethe, first year BSc BusinessInformation Technology student

Dipesh Damani, first year BSc BusinessInformation Technology student

Students studyingFundamentals of Multimediaand Scripting at Middlesexare designing computergames specially tailored forindividual autistic childrenwho attend schools in theUniversity’s local communityin north London.

The module, which is carriedout by first year studentsstudying BSc MultimediaComputing, BSc InformationTechnology and BSc InteractiveSystem Design, aims to providestudents with a solid foundationin scripting in a multimediaenvironment.

Programme Leader of the BScHonours InformationTechnology and Networking,Elizabeth Stokes, who is theModule Leader ofFundamentals for Multimediaand Scripting says: “Eachstudent receives a case studyof a real autistic child in a localschool. The case study isbased on profiles completed byteachers, parents and otherprofessionals about children onthe autistic spectrum and tellsthe student about theirallocated child’s age, likes,dislikes, educational needs and

“EACH STUDENT RECEIVES A CASE STUDY OF A REAL AUTISTIC CHILD IN A

LOCAL SCHOOL.. ONCE THE GAMES ARE COMPLETED, WE PASS THEM ON

TO THE SCHOOL SO THAT THE CHILDREN CAN PLAY THEM AND THE

SCHOOL THEN EVALUATES THEM AND GIVES US FEEDBACK”.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 12

[SCHOOL OF] HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCESNEWS AND EVENTS

For people all over Britain who’vealways thought that herbs are forcooking, flowers are purelyornamental and fruit is just to beeaten, the new BBC2 series GrowYour Own Drugs is changingperceptions.

The six-part series, which launched onMonday 2 March, demonstrates how totransform familiar plants into simplenatural remedies and pampering beautytreatments.

A number of members of staff attheArchway Clinic of Herbal Medicinehave contributed recipes andphotographs to the book Grow YourOwn Drugs that accompanies theseries.

According to Kathryn Lwin Brooks,Director of the Clinic: “All of the staffwho contributed recipes for the bookGrow Your Own Drugs are medicalherbalists. Richard Adams and HananjaBrice Ytsma are practitioners at theClinic and members of NIMH (NationalInstitute of Medical Herbalists); NathalieChidley works here as a dispenser. LizWilliamson, who tested the recipesalong with Nathalie Chidley, is one ofthe examiners on the BSc in HerbalMedicine. Peter Jarrett, Head

another commonmisconception. Many peoplethink that with enoughpractice, dyslexic people willeventually learn to read‘properly’. This is a myth –dyslexia is a lifelong condition,but it has been proved thatcompensatory strategies canhelp dyslexics to read anddeal with other problemscaused by dyslexia. Nicola’sbook also looks at theassessment and managementof dyslexia in children andadults, and offers practicalguidance on tackling some ofthe problems dyslexia cancause, including details ofresources such as supportassociations, websites, andassistive technology.

Nicola said: “In writing thebook, I aimed to offer clearinformation, explanations,realistic advice andsuggestions on dealing withdyslexia. I hope this book willbe of real benefit to peoplewith dyslexia, and theirfamilies and friends, as well asto classroom teachers andspecial educational needscoordinators”.

A Beginner’s Guide toDyslexia was published byOneworld on Sunday 1 March.

causes and symptoms ofdyslexia, and the importance ofsound and vision to reading,drawing on new thinking andcutting-edge research inpsychology and education.

Dyslexia is often perceived as‘an excuse’ for poorschoolwork, or is interpreted asan indication of lowintelligence. Yet WinstonChurchill, Andy Warhol, WaltDisney, Tom Cruise, AgathaChristie, Pablo Picasso andmany other famous figureshave enjoyed great success intheir chosen professionsdespite being dyslexic. Some ofthem are even considered to be‘a genius’, disproving the myththat dyslexic people are notintelligent. In fact, dyslexicpeople have average, or aboveaverage, intelligence.

People with dyslexia, and thosetrying to help them, willprobably gain hope from

Technician of Middlesex University’sMedicinal Herb Garden, contributedmany of the photographs”.

She continues: “The book offers allmanner of delights including ice lolliesmade from the herb Echinacea, a plasterof hot chillies, a lavender bath bomb anda cup of special hot chocolate to reduceanxiety”.

Recipes from the book are featuredthroughout the series, so look out for theArchway Clinic of Herbal Medicine’srecipes on BBC2 on Mondays at 8.30pm.

Dyslexia is a complexcondition – it is thought toaffect between 5 to15% ofEnglish speakers, witharound 4% of this grouplikely to be severelydyslexic. The statistics aresimilar amongst speakersof other European andalphabet-based languagestoo. Dr Nicola Brunswick,Senior Lecturer inPsychology at Middlesex’sSchool of Health andSocial Sciences, has justpublished A Beginner’sGuide to Dyslexia, a newbook that helps to explainkey characteristics ofdyslexia and explodesmany myths andmisconceptions about thecondition.

Does dyslexia really exist?Definitely, says Nicola. Shealso explores other issues inher book, including the

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Archway Clinic of HerbalMedicine contributes toGrow Your Own Drugs

Exploding themyths surroundingdyslexia

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 13

[SCHOOL OF] HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCESNEWS AND EVENTS

science is expensive!” Thesample mixtures wereincubated for 45 minutes andthe students then analysed theresults.

Angela Cunningham, scienceteacher at Finchley CatholicHigh School, said: “It’s a greatchance for our students to learnmore about the practical side ofscience…it’s giving them a tasteof what their next step inscience might be, and they’llgain the confidence to considerstudying science at university”.

Dr Suzanne Docherty, SeniorLecturer and Teaching Fellow,then briefed the group onprocedures for professional labwork and the students wereissued with lab coats,protective rubber or nitrilegloves, and goggles for usewhen working with liquids. Thebudding forensic scientiststhen started on their detectivework. An enzyme solution wasadded to the suspects’ DNAsamples which broke thesesamples down into fragments.The fragments were thenseparated out byelectrophoresis – a processwhere an electric current is runthrough the solution. After this,the patterns made by each setof fragments could be matchedup with the murderer’s DNAsamples taken from the crimescene.

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

taking care not to touch thebody or the blood, to avoiddisturbing or contaminating thescene. Steve shone an ultra-violet light onto shelving next tothe corpse, revealing two setsof fingerprints. From this, thestudents concluded that somekind of violent struggle hadtaken place between victimand murderer, the victim hadprobably clawed at hisattacker, so there was achance there might be skinfragments on his hands andunder his fingernails. Thestudents took swab samplesfrom under the victim’s nails,to analyse and compare withDNA samples from thesuspects. The samples fromthe victim were put into a‘buffer’ solution, in a test tube,to keep them in a sterileenvironment, free fromcontamination by air orchemicals. A sample of hairwas also taken from the victim.“The whole human genome ishere,” Dr Butler explained,“hair samples are unique, evenin identical twins”.

Suzanne Docherty said: “It’s agreat way to make sciencemore accessible and to showthe students the DNAtechnology we use here atMiddlesex in a real lifesituation…at this event, thestudents used the sameequipment and skills whichbiomedical scientists use atundergraduate andpostgraduate levels. It’s alsobeen a real opportunity to showthem that science can be reallyexciting, it’s not difficult or

hard-going, which can be acommon misconception”.

Much to the relief of hiscolleagues in HSSC, volunteervictim Drupad Trivedi hasmade a remarkable recovery.Drupad has now returned tohis PhD work in massspectrometry, but theperpetrator of the crime, actorHugh Grant, remains at large.Staff and students are warnednot to approach thisdangerous individual, whomay still be armed…

A horrific scene greeted agroup of A-level sciencestudents from FinchleyCatholic High School thismonth when they arrived atthe Hendon campus to seethe new facilities at theHatchcroft Building.

Dr Stephen Butler, SeniorLecturer in BiomedicalScience, opened the door toa small storeroom, revealing abloodied corpse sprawled onthe floor. Blood from a 6-inchgash to the victim’s ribs wasstill dripping through hisclothes and onto the floor,suggesting that this shockingmurder had taken place veryrecently. Steve challenged thestudents to solve the crimeusing facilities andequipment at Hatchcroft. Thekiller could be any one of thefive celebrity suspects whohad been spotted aroundcampus earlier that day,Steve told the group.

The students stepped warilyover the victim and examinedthe scene more closely, The killer strikes

Hendon’s Whodunnit

was working in a real officeenvironment…The people Iwas working with were reallynice and helpful, supportiveand accommodating to myneeds, especially Roger, Samand Marva”.

Christine Haugh said:“Matthew and SouthgateCollege have been ravingabout Middlesex…Matthewlearned a lot from his timewith CCSS…he is incrediblymotivated to continue his

Matthew said of his placement:“I had a lot of enjoyment and Igained a lot of new skills. Ilearnt how to create and set upnew users on the universitynetwork using a programmecalled 'Touchpaper'... The bestthing about the work placement

of ‘inactive’ files and folders onthe network system, which willcontribute to more effective useof the University’s networkspace. Roger commented:“Matthew picked up veryquickly on what was requiredand demonstrated a clearunderstanding of theissues…we only ever needed toexplain technical issues to himonce, which was a great helpwhen tasks were beingassigned”.

The CCSS team arranged theoffice space so that Matthewwas sitting alongside Helpdeskstaff. Matthew used a specialistkeyboard, which wasconnected to the Helpdeskmachine he was using,enabling him to work effectivelyand communicate with serviceusers by email. BeforeMatthew’s work experiencestarted, EFMS (Estate andFacilities Management Service)assessed the workspace andprovided a specialist EVACchair, designed to assist peoplewith disabilities if the buildinghad to be evacuated.

studies”. She added:“Roger and the CCSS teamwent far beyond justmaking reasonableadjustments to the officeenvironment, they put aload of work into Matthewbeing able to enjoy a reallygood work experience withthe team. He had atremendously positiveexperience at Middlesex,which is totally due to theefforts of Roger and theteam”.

Matthew plans to follow adegree at Middlesex’s Hendoncampus in September. Hesaid: “Working up at Hendongave me an insight into thecampus I hope to study at nextyear. At the moment I'mcompleting my FoundationDegree in IT Networks atSouthgate College and inSeptember I plan to follow thisthrough to a full honoursdegree in Computing andNetworks at the Hendoncampus”.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 14

Roger Fox and the CCSSteam had extra help inFebruary when workexperience student MatthewKayne joined them to dosome ‘file fighting’.

Matthew is currently following aFoundation degree, includingAS Applied ICT Studies, atSouthgate College, and wasstruggling to find a suitablework experience placement.Matthew suffers fromsignificant physical disabilitiesand has been receiving supportfrom the Aimhigher LondonNorth Partnership's ‘This-AbilityProgramme’. Southgate Collegeapproached Christine Hough,Middlesex’s AimhigherDisability Development Officer,to see if Middlesex could offerMatthew some relevant workexperience.

Christine spoke to Roger Fox,Operations Group Manager forCCSS, who was able to devise avaried programme for Matthew,giving him the chance to puthis IT knowledge into practice.Matthew worked on a project toidentify and reduce the number

SERVICESNEWS AND EVENTS

Work experience student Matthew Kaynewas based with the CCSS Team in February

Issam Siman, Roger Fox, Roselyn Marshalland Marva Gabbidon from CCSS

CCSS pull out the stops forwork experience student

of the day for both runners andwalkers – prizes are awardedfor the most imaginative fancydress entrant. Last yearcelebrity actress and formerEastEnders star MichelleCollins started the race whichwas held in aid of local charityTreeHouse.

This year funds raised will go tothe Mayor of Barnet’s charityappeal. These charities are:The Princess Royal TrustBarnet Carers’ Centre and ChaiCancer Care.

The Princess Royal TrustBarnet Carers Centre offersadvice, information, andsupport for all informal carerswho live or work in the LondonBorough of Barnet.

The Chai Cancer SupportCentre offers care services andsupport to the Jewish

Wednesday 6 May is the date,Trent Park is the venue and5.30pm is your start time!

The annual Fun Run andHealth Walk is always ahighlight in Middlesex’s sportingcalendar. Why not take partwith friends and colleagues andmake a social event out of ittoo. Each finisher receives afantastic goody bag, whichincludes a limited edition T-shirt. After the presentations,participants are invited to jointhe sports team in the TrentPark campus bar for a postevent drink. The bar will beopen until 11pm.

The 5km (3 mile) run is overthe traditional course on fieldsand footpaths in Trent Park.The Health Walk follows a 3kmroute and will be led by atrained walk leader. It’s called a‘Fun Run’, and fun is the order

community in Hendon. Allmembers of the Jewishcommunity can make use ofthe Centre’s services,regardless of their age, type ofcancer, stage of the disease orfinancial means. Services canbe offered at home for thosewho are unable to come to theCentre.

All participants are encouragedto raise sponsorship for thesecharities, or to make a donationalong with their entry fee.

MIDDLESEX WORLD MARCH 2009 PAGE 15

SERVICESNEWS AND EVENTS

Clear!The Sports Department recently obtained a defibrillator, which is located inthe Forum building. On 12 and 17 March, interested staff attended atraining session to learn how to use the defibrillator.

In the right, trained hands, a defibrillator can save lives. The device is used inconjunction with CPR, on patients who have no pulse, sending an electric shockto the heart and enabling the heart to re-establish a normal rhythm.

And for those staff members who’re not all that clued up on First Aid, adefibrillator is that gadget that George Clooney uses in ER to give people shockswhen they’re in cardiac arrest.

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

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

For further informationand entry forms(including a beginner’ssample trainingprogramme) pleasecontact the SportsOffice on ext. 4727 oremaild.cook@mdx.ac.uk