King's College London newsletter

Concert celebrates launchof new Music Centre

The establishment of the new Centre for Advanced Performance Studies of King's and theRoyal Academy of Music was celebrated on 29 ovember with a concert in the Great Hallgiven by the Royal Academy Sinfonia.

The College's Academic Board hasapproved a corporate plan which is toform the basis of strategic proposals to beput to the College Council on TuesdayDecember 17 and, if approved there to besubmitted to the Universities FundingCouncil. The plan as approved by theBoard on 4 December presents an outlineframework for the College's futureacademic and financial viability.Comment will carry full details of the planas soon as it has been finalised.

Advent Carolsrecording praised

The recording of King's College Singers'Carols in Advent has received high praisefrom reviewers in Gramophone and ClassicCD. Gordon Reynolds in Classic CDdescribes the recording as being 'as nearperfect as any student body could beexpected to reach' and praises the choirunder Ernie Warrell for its 'reverentfervour'. He suggests that 'as a memorialof confident, caring, dignified liturgicalprocedure, it should be made a compulsoryitem in the pilgrim scrip of everyordinand'. The reviewer in Gramophonedraw attention to the readings as well as to

the singing, and concludes: 'There is abeneficent sense here of things being inplace: rest for the body and refreshment forthe souL'

Copies of the recording, on CD (£8.50) andcassette (£4.50) are available from theAlumnus Office, Room MBIO CornwallHouse, exts 3052/3.

The Centre was formally launched at a reception before the concert where Principals DrJohn Beynon of King's and Sir David Lumsden of the Royal Academy signed and exchangedthe agreement document in ummit-meeting style. The Great Ilall was full to hear theSinfonia, conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, play Rossini's Overture: The Barber ofSeville, ielsen's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra and Beethoven's Symphony 07.

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DES visits CESA party from the Department of Educationand ience, including Michael Fallon MP,(Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State atthe 0 ES, with special responsibility forteacher training), visited the Centre forEducational Studies at Cornwall House on25 ovember 1991. During his visit to

King's he was introduced to the PGCEstudent committee, and observed twoPGCE classes in progress: the ModernLanguages group in a CALL workshop, andthe English group in their session entitled'Pre-Twentieth Century Literature'.

Michael Falion MP in discussion withstudents from the Modern LanguagesPGCE group, during a recent visit to King's

PLANNING RESEARCH: THEOPTIONS AHEAD

In the last is ue of Comment I discussedresearch planning in the context of thebalance between research and teaching. Inthis article I address the issue of the creationand maintenance of an internationallycompetitive reseach base within the Sciencesat King's. As the academic planning processmove ahead everyone is well aware of theneed to improve our UFC ratings. Implicitin the concept of Graduate and Under­graduate Schools is the assumption thatUFC ratings will only be sought for theformer; non-research-based areas of theCollege would not require research-basedfinance. It is also crucial for the balance offinance between all the Schools of theCollege that the two Science-based Schoolspull in a lot of eternal grant support andmaintain high UFC ratings.Given thisbackground, how do we best achieve theseaims in research? A good starting point isask how our pay masters make theirjudgements in the UFC ratings exercise.Prof Graeme Davies reminds us of thees entia I criteria in his recent letter asChairman of the UFC:

Rating point 3. Research quality thatequates to attainable levels of nationalexcellence in a majority of the sub-areas ofactivity, or to international level in some.

Rating point 4. Research quality thatequates to attainable levels of nationalexcellence in virtually all sub-areas ofactivity, possibly showing some evidence of

international excellence, or to internationallevel in some and at least national level in amajority.

Rating point 5. Research quality thatequates to attainable levels ofinternational excellence in some sub-areasof activity and to attainable levels ofnational excellence in virtually all others.

One way which will help to achieve theseaims is to reorganise, where appropriate,groups of active scientists into researchcen tres which have clearly defined aims anda secure and competitive funding base. Suchcentres will foster cross-fertilisation of ideasand exchange of the technologies necessaryto compete in many areas of research withthe often more aggressively inclined andbetter funded laboratories of the USA,Japan and Germany.

This is not to say that individuallaborato­ries are not to be encouraged: on thecontrary, excellence in research must besupported wherever it lies, and working ingroups does not suit every topic or everyperson. It is also.the case that researchcentres must be generated from the bottomup: false associations will create moretrouble than they are worth. The plea,therefore, is that the College moves rapidlyto a structure that has maximum flexibilityin research management; that we invest incapital costs if necessary and that we do notallow traditional thought and historicalarrangements to stand in the way of newdevelopments. Let me give you an exampleof this approach.

The Developmental Biology ResearchCentre

Recently, two Life Science Divisions(Biomolecular and Biomedical) co-operatedto establish a single site interdisciplinaryresearch centre with a research focus in thearea of developmental biology. The centrebuilds on existing strengths, pullingtogether 10 members of staff formallylocated on three separate sites. Relying onCollege capital costs for refurbishment ofold and battered laboratory space at DruryLane, the centre will be complete by thenew year, less than 18 months since it wasfirst conceived. There has been no change ofteaching responsiblilty or affiliation, yet theday to day interactions necessary to

generate an exciting and focussed researchenvironment have been guaranteed by singlesite operation. Much of the work of thecomponent laboratories involves modernmolecular biological and genetic techniques,the success of which relies on day to dayharing of expertise and equipment. The

succes of the venture can, to some extent,be measured by grant income, and theDBRC has won over £1 million incompetetive grants since February 1991. Atthe time of writing the centre is supportedby over £3 million worth of grants whichfunds some 45 soft money positions.

Our future success in research will dependlargely on effective management of this kindwhich which will need some hard thinkingand some hard decisions.

igel Holder

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RESEARCH NEWSI

Success in L & D Blond Awards

Central Research Fund

The Central Research Fund has beeninstituted for the purpo e of making grantsto members of the Universit (other thanpre ent undergraduate students and thosere i tered for a taught aster's degree)en aged on specific projects of research, toas ist with the provision of special materials,apparatu and travel cOSts. Applications arecon idered each term and the next closingdate for applications is 22 March 1992.Forms of application and further particularsmay be obtained from the Central ResearchFund Section, Senate House, Room 21 a,Malet Street, London WC1 E 7HU.Tel; 071-636 8000 ext 3147.

Anglo-Danish AcademicResearch CollaborationProgramme

The British Council and the Danish RectorsCollege have agreed to co-operate in aprogramme to help universities,polytechnics and public sector researchinstitutes in Britain and Denmark to set upjoint research projects.

The programme welcomes applicationsfrom all research areas and offers two kindsof grant, with limited funds of up to £490for preparatory visits and up to £2000 forresearch visits. The closing date forapplications is 31 January 199::. Pleasecontact Briarl Salter, Academic Registrar,for more information.

King's CollegeBusiness EthicsResearch Centre

After organi ing the highly successfulFourth Annual Conference of the EuropeanBusiness Ethics etwork in London inSeptember on Business Ethics In a newEurope, the Centre is currently engaged inproducing several publications. Theseinclude a collection of the papers deliveredat the conference and a volume of lunch­time lectures which Professor JackMaboney (Director of the Business EthicsCentre, and Mercers' School MemorialProfessor of Commerce at Gresham Collegein the City) has delivered on ethics inbusiness over the past four years.

However, the major activity of the Centrein recent months has been preparations tolaunch a new quarterly periodical, BusinessEthics: A European Re'lJiew, with the firstissue appearing in January. Aimed as apractical resource to enhance the level ofdeci ion-making at all levels of business inEurope, the Re'View's opening numberincludes an interview with CBI's Director­General, John Banham, on top executivesalaries in UK privatised companies, anarticle by IBM's chief executive on businessethics in IBM and an article on the socialand ethical problems facing business in thenew Poland.

Please contact Jack Mahoney or AnneBurrows for more information, ext 2578.

Research funding:correction

In the O'Uember edllion of Comment thePrincipal wrote to allay anxieties aboutrumours of the establishment ofa possible'super League' system whIch wouldcategorize uni'Versities according to theirO'Uerall research Slrengths. He poinled outthat Higher Education Minister, AlanHowarth, had recently emphasised that theGo'Vernment had no intention ofcreatingsuch a League, and that the UFC's approachwas to assess the quality of research inindi'Vidual uni'Versity departments, notwhole unwersitles.

Unfortunately there was a typographicalerror in the last paragraph of the Principal'sitem, which confused the sense. Theparagraph should ha'Ve read:

'There is therefore going to be no criticalnumber of departments at which King's asan institution is going to be classified as Ror X; what is vital - because it will so muchaffect our income, and hence our room formanoeuvre - is that we have as manydepartments as possible rated 4 andpreferably 5.'

Mobile Radio Course

Seventeen people, fourteen of them fromindustry, attended the recent two-daycourse on Personal and Mobile RadioCommunication Systems run by theDepartment of Electronic and ElectricalEngineering's Communications ResearchGroup with support from the ContinuingEducation Unit.

The L & D Blond Trust awards grants for proposals of scientific work of outstanding meritand benefit to the UK. This year the research field was biosensors in medicine.

Two of the three successful applications this year were from King's, and have received atotal of £8,800. The winning proposals were; 'Biosensors for detection and assayingvirulence of Legionella and Listeria species' Dr M A Halablab (Biosphere Sciences Division)and Dr H P Bennetto (Chemistry Department); and 'Kinetometry techniques for exercisein humans' Dr I C H Smith (Biomedical Sciences Division).

Presentations were given by Dr HamidAghvami, Head of the Research Group,Dr Peter Ramsdale of Unitel, Dr SultanMohamed of BT, as well as Mr John Doble,a leading consultant in the field. Furthercourses on topical areas in communicationare planned.

Why Overseas Scholarships?It costs an overseas science student £12,000per annum to study at King's: £7,000 forthe tuition fee and £5,000 for living costs.An arts-based student saves £1,500 on fees.

Most of us could not even begin tocontemplate expenditure of this magnitudefor our children's education. Yet in1990-91, 1,082 high-fee students wereenrolled at King's, contributing £6.5 millionin fee income. Just as importantly, theycontribute towards making King's aninstitution with an international outlook,and they enhance the experiences of ourhome students who benefit from contactwith them.

Overseas recruitment has not become anyeasier as British universities, polytechnicsand foreign institutions come to realize thebenefits which high fee students bring. InHong Kong we are competing with NewZealand for fourth position ( we used to beNumber Two) behind the United States,Canada and Australia as the favouritedestination for study abroad. Recruitmentwill become even more difficult as HongKong doubles its own provision for tertiaryeducation over the next three years. Thestory elsewhere in the Far East is notdissimilar.

King's has not done badly in this field.Since the International Students Office wasset up in 1986 our high fee numbers havegrown by 36%, compared to 6% for UCL,2% for QMW and 4% for LSE. OnlyImperial came near with 32%. And thiswas achieved with scrupulous concern forthe reputation of the College as a centre ofhigh standards with a tradition of care. Animportant part of our strategy was toinvolve our own students, both past andpresent, in our recruitment exercisesabroad. Successful alumni make goodadvertisements and are willing participantsin proclaiming the merits of a King'seducation. Present undergraduates inKuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kongarrange orientation pre-departure teaparties for freshers and their anxiousparents, as well as attending recruitmentmissions to talk to prospective applicants.

King's is almost unique in being able toaward a significant number of overseasscholarships, and this facility has beeninvaluable in promoting the image ofquality which we have striven to do. It isdisarming to a cynical and sceptical schoolprincipal to be able to say that we havecome to award a scholarship to his brilliantstudent, rather than to recruit her for her

CHRISTMAS COMPETITION

high fee dowry. There are 39 students herenow under our scholarship scheme, almostall of whom would not be in the UKwithout this sort of help.

And it costs us next to nothing! Thesescholarships are donated by alumni or aresupported by alumni inspired schemes.After all, many of our former students aretrustees of foundations, or in seniormanagement. In 1983-84, when theOverseas Scholarship Fund started, weraised £18,278. For this year, 1991-92, wehave already received £177,128. Moneyreceived in these intervening nine years nowtotals £852,023.

Bearing in mind that there is a gearingfactor involved, and that each pound ofscholarship awarded brings in two or threepounds of tuition fees, it is not difficult toguess the value to the College of such ascheme. Other universities are beginning tofeel that they too should adopt our strategy.

Dr Abraham S.-T. LueAssistant Principal

in aid of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association organised by King's College Social Club

There are nine photographs taken on various King's sites, all are in public areas. Use yourskill and judgment to guess the location of each picture. Fill out the form and send it with adonation of at least one pound to Glyn Baker, Guide Dogs' competition, F3 East Wing,Strand Campus (please make cheques out to King's College Social Club and mark the backGUIDE DOGS). 1

The winner will have the entry with the most correct answers. We don't expect anyone to getthem all right, so have a go! There are only two rules:1. The judges' decision is final (and always right!)2. In the event of a tie, a run off competition will be organised.

If you would like to see the pictures in glorious technicolor why not pop in to the Strand orKensington social clubs where they will be displayed and extra forms may be obtained.

The Macallan was highly recommended by the late Professor R J S McDowall in his bookThe Whiskies ofScotland. For non-drinkers, or those poor souls who don't appreciatewhisky, an alternative liquid prize may be arranged.

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Closing Date for receipt of entries 15.1.92

Guide Dog Competition Entry form

BuildingCampus

DeptL---------Tel-----------1IName!----------

Send to Glyn Baker, Guide Dogs Competition, Strand Campusand enclose a donation of at least £1.00

Picture12 ------+------------t-------------II

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STAFF NEWSi

University of London andBT MSc course underway

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIONOrganisational Changes

e 'eral mana erial changes in the centraladmini tration of the College have takenplace. They re ult from a detailed review bythe Principa~ the Dean of the School of

1edicine and Dentistry and the seniorofficers involved. The new arrangementsare a follow :

Deputy S cretary (Medicine and Dentistry)and ecretary of the School of Medicineand Dentistry - Mr HT MusselwhiteMr Musselwhite will concentrate on i suesfacing the School of Medicine andDenti try, including the formal discussionsabout the coming together of the UnitedMedical and Dental Schools of Guy's and StThomas's Hospitals and the College; thedevelopment of the Denmark Hill site forboth the I lospital and the Medical chool;and the po sibility of the College being theeducational provider for the Regional[ [ealth Authority.

A a result of the above, it will be necessary

for 1r Musselwhite to be based at DenmarkI lill and to relinquish his responsibilities ashead of the Legal and Planning Division ofthe Central Administration. He will remain

a member of the central, senior managementteam and continue to play a full part inpolicy determination for the College as awhole.

Deputy Secretary (planning andResources) - Mr DO Ball

Mr Ball will assume responsibility for the

Planning unction in addition to hi currentresponsibilitie for directin the Financeand Staff functions.

Arrangements are in hand for Mr Ball tomove his office from the orfolk Buildingto Room I B, immediately adjacent to theSecretariat on B Corridor of the amBuilding. Mr Mary Jamieson will movewith him

Research Support Officer - Mr S P Harrowr Harrow will relinqui h his

responsibilities as Planning Officer toconcentrate for the next ix month or so onthe management of the Research SupportOffice and on organising the College's inputto the Re earch Selectivity Exercise nowunder way. Ms Brid cDaid will providesecretarial and clerical support.

As you know, Stephen has been unwellfor some months and it was especially

pleasing to welcome his return to Collegein ovember.

College Solicitor - Mr UptonArrangements arc in hand for Mr Upron to

move his office from 552 King's Road to

Room 2B on the B Corridor of the MainBuilding at the Strand where Mrs Ali onRodney will provide secretarial upport.His duties will remain unchanged.

W CSladeCollege Secretary

Dr Tom Rowbotham, BT Director 0

. °e 'or Technolo y welcomed tu er,ts

and alltm'olved to the openin lecture 0

the new. 1 in Telecommunications beinheld at BT Laboratorie in 1artle ham.

This joint venture between BT and theUniver ity 0 London is the fir t industrially-ba cd tailored modular cour e in thiscountry, and the first of its kind in telecom­munications. (See Comment is ue 51,February 91)

Dr Rowbotham de cribed the cour e as 'anideal transition between a first degree inscience and engineering and an in-depthstudy of more specific topics....which are ofprime importance to the understanding ofBT' networks'; and later he said 'I amdelighted that the University of London isour partner in this venture because of theworld-wide reputation for research it enjoysand the high standard of Degree it awards.'

Forty eight students have enrolled for thisthree year cour e, and it is encouraging tolearn that BT Martlesham is already

receIvingenquiries about next year's enrolment.

Alan KentDepartmen t of Electronic and Electrical

Engineering

Congratulations toProfessor Baum

Professor Harold Baum was nominated as amember of the Accademia azionale delleScienze of the Repubblica di San Marino on19 Ocrober 1991.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Lecture

28 January 1992, 13.00-14.00The British Institute of Human RightsThe Protection ofSocial Rights in Europe:The Experience ofthe 1961 European SocialCharter, Professor DJ Harris, Professor ofPublic International Law, ottinghamUniverity, ew Theatre, Strand

Research Seminar

Department of GeographyTuesday 17 December 1991, 17.00Coca, development and the environment inBoliviaDr Colin Sage, Environment Section, Wye

CollegeRoom 102, orfolk Building

Concert

Tue day 17 December 1991,13.05King's College Recorder ConsortMusic by Holborne Aichinger, Hindemith.,

Staeps, and StilesRoom GOI, admission free

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British Heart FoundationAward I SMALL ADS

Dr TAB Sanders has been awarded5: 199,136 from the British Heart Foundationto tudy the effects of varying dietary fatcomposition on heart disease; specifically,procoagulant platelet function andfibrinolytic activity and the inter-relationshipwith plasma lipoproteins.

The result of this study should showwhether modification of dietary fatcomposition influences risk of thrombosis.This has massive implications for theprevention of coronary heart disease andstrokes. It should also help ourunderstanding of the relationship betweenlipoproteins and the haemostatic system.

King's Books

The following are among books publishedrecently by staff at King'S.

Patrick Chabal (Department of Portuguese),Power in Africa: An Essay in PoliticalIlllerpretation, Macmillan Academic andProfessional, £40.

Raimond Gaita (School of Law), Good andEvil: A n Absolute Conception, (SwanseaStudies in Philosophy), Macmillan Academicand Professiona~ £40, £9.99 pbk.

Andrew Grubb (ed), (School of Law),Challenges in Medical Care, Wiley, £25.

David Hayton (School of Law), EuropeanSucceSSIOn, Chancery, 22 Eastcastle Street,London WI 7PA, £150.

David Hayton (School of Law), Haytonand Marshall: Cases and Commentary onthe Law of Trusts, 9th edition Stevens, £30pbk.

John Porter (Department of English),Air Space, Tern Press, Market Drayton,Shropshire TF9 IJ ,£27.

Jane M 0 Sharp (Department of Wartudies), History, Analysis, and Evaluation

of the CFE egotiation, OUP, £22.50.

Geoffrey Till (ed), (Department of Wartud ies), , Coastal Forces (Sea Power 11),

Bra sey's: Pergamon Press, £22, £10.95 pbk.

Christmas cheerdonations

Hopefully by now you will have noticedthe Christmas tree on the staircase in theMain Entrance Hall at the Strand. Staff andstudents are invited to leave gifts (non­perishable food stuffs and small items ofclothing, such as socks) under it for StMartins in the Fields social care unit, whowill be working with the homeless overChristmas.

Alternatively, there is a collection box inthe Porters' Lodge if you prefer to make amonetary donation.

PlantsSoft-hearted Gardener seeks homes forlarge numbers of seedlings: oaks, foxgloves,Michaelmas daisies, foxgloves,forgetmenots, honesty, Chinese lanterns,foxgloves ...

Available free, charitable donations ifdesired to Oxfam or KCL. Smallish

numbers of plants to be collected fromStrand site, large ones preferably claimedfrom garden in Hertfordshire. Please ringSecretary, Music Department, Strand on ext2029

Donation to Guide DogsAssociationKing's College Social Club 33 Surrey Streetis pleased to announce that duringDecember the club will donate IOp to theGuide Dogs for th~ Blind Association forevery pint of guest real ales sold.

Manilla Envelopes(Size 4 1/2 X 6 3/8)

Available in the Library Office at £6 for abox of 1000, or 60p per 100. Please contactLinda Oxley, Library Office, Strand, ext3512.

US Flat to let

Berkeley, California: studio with kitchenand private bathroom. One mile Universityof California, and Bay Bridge to SanFrancisco. Short rents S250 per week, orexchange for a place in London (or Oxford,Cambridge or Paris). Write to Alta's B&B,Box 5540, Berkeley, CA 94705, USA.

Flat to let

Pleasant two-bedroomed flat in Streathamto let from mid-February 1992. icelyfurnished, central heating, washing machine.Close to public transport and the shops,restaurants and cinemas of Streatham HighStreet. Only £450 per calendar month.Minimum let one year. Please contactDeanne, External Liaison Office, CornwallHouse, ext 3049.

Typist Needed

To type the biographical memoirs of thelate Sir Ben Lockpeiser, KCB, FRS. Thememoirs have been commissioned by theCouncil of The Royal Society and will bewritten by Mr Tony Edwards, a Fellow ofthe College and a past-president of KCLA.

If interested please call Mr Edwards nextterm, before 31 January 1992 on 071-2215987.

CorrectionComputing centre

Discounts

There are two amendments to make to theprices of computer software, featured in thelast issue of Comment.

Minitab Statistical package, PC & Mac, £55including manual; Fortran programmingpackage, PC, £40 including manual. Pleasecontact Jean Davey on ext 4260 for more

information.

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Last minute Christmas cards

If you have not worked through your Chri tmas card list ye don't for et that the Collegehas three design of Christma card on sale thi year. Canaletto's VieW from Somerset HouseGardens (as shown below) and Quinten 1assy' The Madcnna Slandmg 1.Imh Chrld andarlgels, are priced at £3 for 5; the Colle e cre t cards at £3 for 1

IThey are available from the following outlets:

trandKen ingtonCornwall HouseChelsea (, anresa Road)

Hurry before term ends!

ain Entrance, Porters' De kPhilomena D'Souza, L6, ain BuildingPorters' Desk and Alumnus Office (Room 181John Wornham, Security and Domestic Services

KING'S VISUALIDENTITY - UPDATE

The Pres and Publication 0 fice icurrently underta .ng a survey 0 allexternal publicity material produ cd wIthinrin •. We would be grateful if depart­

ment could send us any samples of suchmateria~ for example, cour e leaflet,new letter, poster or other publicitymaterial that they have produced. We needto take account of the diver ity ofapplication of King's 'house style' as partof our review of the visual identity.

Please note that we aim to introduce thenew vi ual identity for King's on 1Septem­ber 1992, so it is worth bearing this in mindwhen re-ordering stocks of publication orstationery. If you need any further adviceon this issue please contact the Press andPublications Office on ext 3202.

Did you see?

BBC2's reccnt classic drama serial Clarissa,adapted from Samuel Richardson's novel,was writtcn by Dr David okes, Reader inEnglish Litcrature at King's and JanetBarron, an English Department graduate.Thc novel, one of the longest in English,originally published in 1748-9, charts theseduction of a virtuous middle-classheroine, Clarissa, by an aristocratic rake,Lovelace. The BBC version starred SaskiaWickham in the title role, with Sean Bean asLovelace. The series received excellentrevIews.

Comment is the College's regular staffnewsletter, issued by the Press and Publica­tions Office (telephone S3202) three times a

term, with special editions if required.Contributions are welcomed from anymember of staff of the College. These maytake the form of, for example, news ofevents or people, views on College matters,photos, items for sale. Please note, theEditor reserves the right to amend items as

necessary. If possible, please send yourpiece on an Applc Macintosh 3.5" MicroFloppydisk, using Microsoft Word pro­gramme or by E-mail under the aliasComment. Contributions for the nextedition of Comment should be received bymid-day on 17 January.

Christmas Carol ServiceThe Collcgc's Christmas service will be onTuesday 17 December at 17.30 in theChapel. Traditional carols by candelight,with mulled wine and mince pies to follow.There arc no tickets for this scrvice, but docome and help make this a college 'family'

occasIOn.

The Revd Philip Chester

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