unilifeThe free magazine for The University of Manchester

June 2015Issue 8 Volume 12

Real life stories behind ourscholarships

Message from the President

Reputation, which generally means how we are perceived by others, is extremely important to all organisations. For universities, reputation can influence the recruitment of excellent staff and students, various funding streams,collaborations and very much more.

NewsUniversity experts inform closestGeneral Election in a generation

News20 years of Peer Support5 6

eputation is quite hard to define precisely andeven more difficult to measure. It depends onexcellence in our core activities, without this,no amount of marketing and branding will

yield a high global standing.

Yet excellence also needs to be recognised andhence communicated effectively to our many diverseaudiences and stakeholders. These include currentand future students, alumni and their families, ourown staff, and potential members of staff we wishto recruit to our University.

We can add to this list our many research funders inthe UK and beyond, current and potential donors tothe University, the UK government, and our localleaders, companies and communities.

Each of these groups has different interests andexpectations of our University. It is important to takeinto account their views, while adhering to our core

missions of world-class research, outstandingteaching and student experience and socialresponsibility. Our most recent Staff Survey resultsshow there is an overwhelming acknowledgementof, and agreement with, these three goals with morethan 90% of respondents agreeing with them.

We have much to celebrate and communicate thatwill enhance our global reputation and it isreassuring that, as I travel around various parts ofthe world, the reputation of The University ofManchester is strong and growing.

We have a great heritage, a well-known location in the City of Manchester and there is increasingrecognition of our specific and perhaps uniquecommitment to social responsibility. We are knownas one of the most attractive universities for students and it is recognised how much employersvalue our graduates.

Describing our enormous range of excellent researchis a challenge and depends to some extent on theaudience. Various studies and surveys show that it isa small number of simple but powerful messageswhich are most effective in building reputation.

For this reason, we have decided to focus on fiveareas of research as examples of our wider strengths– known as our ‘research beacons’.

These are: advanced materials (including graphene);addressing global inequalities; industrialbiotechnology; energy; and cancer. In each of theseareas we have exceptional strengths, some uniquefeatures and great achievements.

These ‘beacons’ can be used to promote our otherresearch activities. For example, our Professor ofApplied Drama, James Thompson, has cited thediscovery of graphene as an excellent way ofgaining international attention and recognition forour research in drama!

We have put significant effort into communicatingour strengths and achievements through the media,

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Looking at the redevelopment work at Coupland III

Speaking at the Social Responsibility Awards

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Contact usNews and story ideas

This is the final edition of UniLife but we still want to hearfrom you. Send your news, stories and information touninews@manchester.ac.ukand we will publish it on StaffNetand any other channels it is suitable for.

Many thanks!

Contents2 Message from the President

4 News

9 Research

12 Features

19 What’s On

20 Making a Difference

Front cover: Postgraduate ScholarFutsumbirhan Weldeab

Photo by Peter Carr

ResearchSecrets of early embryo nutrition revealed

FeatureA Learning Revolution9 14

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In Coupland III with site manager Kevin Davies, Professor Carolyn Evans of the University of Melbourne and our Capital Projects Manager Mark Valentine

promotional materials, our website and social media.Several recent accolades suggest that this is paying off.

• Our new website is now the most popular in UKhigher education (according to an independentweb analysis), is ranked 1st for accessibility andwas recently named as one of the most responsivewebsites launched in 2014 by Econsultancy (an expert web agency).

• A big increase in Facebook likes (81%) and Twitter followers (six-fold increase) over the past year means that we are now one of the top ten universities in the UK for social media engagement.

• There were more than 24,000 stories about the University in the mainstream print andbroadcast media last year and we are 9th out ofworld’s top 100 universities for coverage inEnglish language media.

• 94% of staff say they are proud to work at The University of Manchester according to ourStaff Survey.

Building on these recent achievements, we are aboutto put into action a new three-year communicationsand marketing plan, which will deliver a more co-ordinated and strategic approach to our activitiesin this area.

Assessing our global reputation is difficult. Wesurvey the views of our staff through our biennialStaff Survey, the results of which will be shared verysoon. This is shortly followed by a qualitative pieceof research involving key external stakeholders,which is also due to report soon.

The only independent and widely recognised means of assessing our reputation is through themajor international league tables, though each one has limitations.

Since the inception of the University in 2004, wehave used the Shanghai Jiao Tong, AcademicRanking of World Universities (ARWU) league tableas a proxy measure of our global reputation.However, ARWU measures only researchachievements and its key indicators focus heavily on

science. We are currently exploring what othermeasures and league tables we can use to assess our‘global standing’ in the key performance indicatorsthat we will include in the refresh of our Manchester2020 Strategic Plan.

Our staff, students and alumni often act as‘advocates’ and ‘ambassadors’ who communicatethe strengths of the University, locally, nationally and internationally and are therefore important inenhancing our reputation. We have manypromotional materials and presentations which can help in these communications.

We have not chosen snappy straplines which arecommonly used in promotions, though the oftenused descriptor of the City of Manchester ‘OriginalModern’ also fits well with the University’s past andfuture. But in the end our reputation must dependon the quality of our achievements and thedistinctiveness of The University of Manchester.

News

Tatchell talksdemocracyHuman rights campaigner Peter Tatchell cameto the University to talk all things democracylast month, offering an alternative take onthe General Election campaign.

The activist, campaigning for almost 50 yearsin support of social justice issues includingLGBT rights, sparked a passionate debatewith students and staff on austerity, coalitiongovernment and other topics.

The event was organised by Democracy andElections, the University’s hub of electionsresearch and expertise, and sponsored byPolitics, the Cathie Marsh Institute for SocialResearch and Chevening – the UKgovernment’s global scholarship programme.

Double celebrationat Jodrell BankThe headquarters of the world’s biggesttelescope will be at Jodrell Bank, it has beenannounced.

The Cheshire facility currently houses theheadquarters of the multinational SquareKilometre Array (SKA) project for its pre-construction phase. These premises willnow be expanded to support the growingproject. Construction of the telescope,located in South Africa and Australia, will begin in 2018 and the SKA is planned to be operational for at least 50 years.

The University’s Jodrell Bank site will host the SKA headquarters backed by the UKgovernment through the Science andTechnology Facilities Council, The Universityof Manchester and Cheshire East Council.

The Jodrell Bank Observatory has alsoreceived Heritage Lottery Fund support for a£12,147,200 bid for the ‘First Light’ project.The project aims to conserve and restore theheritage of the Jodrell Bank site and create aspectacular new space in which visitors canengage with and learn about the journey toexplore our place in the Universe.

ore than 800 visitors joined the Faculty of Life Sciences for its annual CommunityOpen Day, to find out more about what wedo and experience everything from slime

mould to robots.

The day included a tour of the Fly Facility, tounderstand how the humble fruit fly is opening upour understanding of a range of conditions andbehaviours, such as aggression and motivation.

There were hands-on activities with creepy crawlies,baby fish, microbes and animal-eating plants, and a chance to get close to an array of insects and amphibians.

And of course the ever-popular painting withmaggots, an unusual and hands-on activity combiningart and science – the live maggots are dipped in non-toxic paint and allowed to crawl around thepaper to create unique and colourful paintings.

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Amazing response to Staff Survey 2015boosts charity coffers

Meeting robots, slime mouldand maggots!

n amazing 70% of University colleaguescompleted Staff Survey 2015 – and boostedthe coffers of three local charities by a totalof £7,177.

The survey gave staff the chance to have their say onworking at the University. Capita, which carried itout, will now analyse the results and put together arange of reports at a University-wide, Faculty andlocal organisational unit levels.

The survey saw £1 donated to one of three localcharities, chosen by the colleague filling in the form.

St Ann’s Hospice – which cares for and helps around3,000 patients affected by cancer and non-cancerlife-limiting illnesses and their families and carersevery year – received £2,734.

Mustard Tree – which helps homeless and marginalisedpeople across Greater Manchester – received £2,359.

The Christie Charity – which provides enhancedservices over and above what the NHS funds atManchester’s renowned cancer hospital – received£2,084.

Claire Briscoe, of St Ann’s Hospice, said: “That’samazing, thanks so much. How brilliant! We reallyappreciate all your support. A big thank you toeveryone who chose St Ann’s.”

Soraya Sheikh Rose, of Mustard Tree, said: “Wow!That’s wonderful news! It’s great to know that somany people chose Mustard Tree and thank you forselecting us in the first place.”

Professor Martin Humphries, Vice-President andDean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, who leads theStaff Survey Steering Group, said: “This is a brilliantresponse, so thank you to everyone who took those15 minutes to complete the survey.”

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A youngster investigates how venus fly traps work

Peter Tatchell

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YOUR VOICE OUR MANCHESTER

STAFF SURVEY 20159 MARCH - 20 APRIL

3 Complete the Staff Surveyand get your voice heard

What couldyou do in 15

minutes?

University experts inform closestGeneral Election in a generation

uring the most uncertain election for a generation, the media turned to theUniversity’s political scientists for theiranalysis of this tightly fought campaign.

Jane Green, Andrew Russell, Rob Ford, MariaSobolewska, Colin Talbot and Ed Fieldhouse havebeen appearing in our national newspaper andbroadcast outlets ever since the campaign kicked offthree months ago.

Highlights include Professor Green’s leading role inthe ITV election night coverage, a series of national

newspaper front pages on British Election Studyfindings and coverage on Newsnight, the TodayProgramme and the Westminster Hour

Professor Russell worked extensively with BBC RadioFive Live, BBC Breakfast, Sky and other outlets, wasgiven accreditation to be in the ‘Spin Room’ for theleaders debate on 2 April and played a leading role onthe BBC Radio Manchester’s election night coverage.

Professor Talbot’s blog posts had over 10,000 hitsand his analysis has been in huge demand fromjournalists.

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Infographic by Jane Naylor

Social responsibility goes greenhe University has challenging environmentalsustainability targets to reduce the impact ofour research and teaching on theenvironment, so it makes sense for this issue

to be embedded in our third goal, social responsibility.

Our current commitments include carbon reduction,conserving natural resources and providing staff andstudents with opportunities to engage in thesustainability agenda.

As the University grows we need to keepchallenging the way we build and use our estate,how we travel and how we consume goods andenergy in our work.

Following a workshop to look at these issues,Associate Vice President for Social ResponsibilityProfessor James Thompson said: “It’s been excellentto see the new ideas and plans for environmentalsustainability – and important that it is a key part ofour overall commitment to social responsibility andmaking a difference as researchers, teachers and asan institution.”

Academic Lead for Sustainability Professor Ian Cottonadded: “All of us who work and study at theUniversity can make a contribution to environmentalsustainability. It is rewarding to see so many colleagueswanting to contribute to this important agenda.”

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Gentle power of politics

Goodbye UniLifeThis issue of UniLife will be the last edition.

The magazine was founded to bring stafftogether when the Victoria University ofManchester and UMIST merged 11 years ago.

Today staff access news and information viaStaffNet at staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/ andstaff who do not have access to PCs will stillreceive their monthly Staff Update newsletter.Colleagues can also access news andinformation at a local level throughcommunications teams in Faculties and some Directorates.

The Division of Communications andMarketing is working on a new project todisseminate news to a wide range of theUniversity’s key stakeholders, including staff, later in the year.

So do keep sending your news and stories via uninews@manchester.ac.uk.

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University colleagues and Museum visitorswere presented with a piece of originalcontemporary art to celebrate the power ofpolitics on General Election day.

Artist Romuald Hazoumè – whose installation‘Dance of the Butterflies’ sees swarms ofmulti-coloured butterflies take overManchester Museum’s Living Worlds Gallery –asked the Museum to give away thebutterflies from six pieces.

The butterflies (pictured) are made from off-cuts of vibrant African wax-print fabrics fromthe artist’s home country of Benin andrepresent a very African take on politics,exploitation and the ‘butterfly effect’ – howtiny changes within chaotic systems can leadto unexpectedly serious effects.

• For more information, visit:twitter.com/mcrmuseum and search for#DanceoftheButterflies

his year’s Peer Support Celebration Eveningmarked 20 years in which older studentshave helped first years to settle in and learnhow to cope on campus.

In 2015, 900 students provided support to loweryear students through Peer Assisted Study Sessions(PASS) and 850 oversaw 35 Peer Mentoringschemes. Since 2004, 48 graduate interns haveworked on Peer Support programmes, with manygoing on to develop their career in Higher Education.

Now, in its twentieth year, Peer Support is to beexpanded across the institution. From September2015, every first year student joining the Universitywill have access to some form of peer support.

Awards were presented to 19 mentors, leaders andstaff and student co-ordinators. The award for PeerMentoring Scheme of the Year went to the BAEconteam, while Speech and Language Therapy carriedoff the PASS Scheme of the Year Award.

News

Be a Sport(Volunteer)!Do you spend your weekends or eveningsmaking teas for the cricket club or refereeingjunior football matches? If so, have youconsidered joining the Sports VolunteerScheme?

Vanessa Cowan (pictured, centre) was one ofthese people. In 2010, she started leadingcampus walks, when SPORT promoted an in-house course to train staff to become WalkLeaders for the Walking for Health campaign.

Since then, she has led weekly lunchtimewalks for staff, students and the generalpublic as part of the Lunchtime StrollersGroup with Betty-Ann Bristow-Castle (thescheme co-ordinator).

Funded by the Sport Volunteer Scheme,Vanessa is now undertaking training toestablish an additional walking group toventure out at weekends.

Vanessa says: “I would highly recommend theScheme. The SPORT staff have been sohelpful. If you enjoy a sport and would like toshare it with others or you’re involved with aclub or organisation on any level, then thescheme is made for you.”

• For more information visit:sport.manchester.ac.uk/volunteer

CampusMasterplan UpdateCampus Masterplan Update is no longercirculated with UniLife but will be publishedonline three times each year. Full details willbe available via Staffnet and eUpdate thismonth. Printed copies will be distributed tothose staff who do not have PC access.

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Peer Support prizewinners celebrate

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BBC documentary exposing a scandal at theheart of Ancient Egypt’s animal mummyindustry has led to massive internationalinterest in the work of University and

Manchester Museum researchers.

Horizon, broadcast on BBC 2 last month, told howour scanning project had revealed that about a thirdof the bundles of cloth were empty inside.

The Ancient Egyptians mummified up to 70 millionanimals, which were buried in undergroundcatacombs at more than thirty sites across Egypt.

At the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital a team of radiographers and Egyptologists from theCentre for Biomedical Egyptology used the latest

medical imaging technology – normally used on the young patients – to scan hundreds of animalmummies, removed from Egypt during the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is the biggest survey of its kind in history.

Dr Lidija McKnight, Research Associate at theUniversity’s Ancient Egyptian Bio Bank Project, said:“The University of Manchester, with its long historyin Egyptian mummy research, is leading the field;helping to shed light on the material remains of thisancient practice and, hopefully, to reveal more abouthow and why these animal mummies were produced.”

The project will culminate with an exhibition openingat the Museum on Thursday, 8 October 2015.

AUnwrapping an Ancient Egyptian scandal

CT scan of the contents of a crocodile mummy from Manchester Museum

20 years of Peer Support

he University’s first Social Justice Festival,JustFest saw hundreds of students learn howhope can beat despair – and how they canmake this happen.

Undergraduate students from across the Universitytook part in a programme of workshops whichexplored a range of social justice themes and wereled by academics and external presenters, includingthe BBC and the Runnymede Trust.

There was also a performance stage and an exhibitiontent where students could take part in activities withorganisations including The People’s History Museum,Fallowfield Foodshare and In Place of War.

Law student Paul Skowron said: “Dr Sara Ryan spokepowerfully about her experiences following the deathof her son Conor, also known as Laughing Boy, in NHScare. It's easy to feel despair when facing injustices but her campaign shows that even when things areat their worst, despair doesn't have to win.”

JustFest, organised by the Faculty of Humanitiesworking with the Student Development andCommunity Engagement Division, is part of theUniversity’s Ethical Grand Challenges programme to develop socially responsible graduates.

• For more information contact:jane.ratchford@manchester.ac.uk

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Students at JustFest

Nurturing home-grown talenthen Kory Stout was taken on as theUniversity’s Social Media Intern, he wassurprised at how truly exciting and creativework could be.

And Kory, who graduated with a Biology withSciences and Society BSc last year, surprised us – hewas part of a team of interns who helped create theFaculty of Life Sciences’ amazing Minute Lecturevideo series.

Such original and inventive ideas, the energy tomake them happen and having their ‘finger on thepulse’ of student experience like no one else isexactly why we run the Manchester GraduateInternship Programme (MGIP), delivered by theCareers Service.

The programme has successfully placed over 700graduates in a variety of organisations and localbusinesses, 250 at the University, since it started in2008. It has proved a tremendous experience all round.

Janet Ellis, Student Support Officer, School ofNursing, Midwifery and Social Work, says: “MGIP offers first class assistance throughout therecruitment process. We have found that the calibreof candidates has been consistently high – the only‘downside’ is that it makes the decision who torecruit very difficult!”

For more information on how to recruit an intern,visit: careers.manchester.ac.uk/staff/employingstudents/mgip

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University interns (l-r) Kory Stout, Sara Catalano, Adam Lavery, Joe Beeso-Cope and Rowan Mataram

Code crackers tacklegraphene and thecarbon conundrumThe 2015 Alan Turing CryptographyCompetition was the most successful to datewith more than 4,000 schoolchildren fromacross the UK competing in teams in anonline competition featuring a series of sixcryptographic puzzles.

More than one thousand teams cracked atleast one of the six codes, with ‘BWBoffins’from Bridgewater High School in Warringtoncoming first.

Some of them then attended the 2015 Alan Turing Cryptography Day at the Schoolof Mathematics.

Attended by more than 250 youngsters fromall over the UK, it featured the prize ceremonyand activities including ‘Maths busking’ and alive cryptography competition, won by Cryptexfrom Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.

With the online competition entitled ‘The Taleof the Carbon Conundrum’ and grapheneplaying a key role, graphene researcher Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan also gave a lectureon the amazing properties of graphene andits potential applications for the future.

ChancellorelectionsThe postal and online ballot of the electoratefor the office of University Chancellor openedon Tuesday, 26 May.

The three candidates are Lemn Sissay MBE,The Rt Hon. the Lord Mandelson and Sir Mark Elder CBE.

The voting instructions are being issued byemail and by post (to those that haverequested a postal vote) directly by theElectoral Reform Services (ERS). Voting in theelection will close at noon on Thursday, 18June and the results will be announced by theUniversity on Monday, 22 June.

For information visit:manchester.ac.uk/discover/governance/chancellor-election

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A youngster hard at work

Helping hope beat despair

News

Reaching out tofamilies in SyriaThe University is hosting an exhibition tosupport children and families affected by the war in Syria.

Based on research the University’s Parentingand Families Research Group has conductedwith families on the Syrian-Turkish border and in the UK, the event will show throughfilm, children’s drawings, photographs andquotations from interviews with parents what it is like for children growing up in theSyrian conflict and the hardships of being aparent in this context.

Children accompanied by an adult arewelcome to the event.

‘Syria: Reaching Out to Children and Parentsof War’, organised by the School ofPsychological Sciences group in partnershipwith humanitarian non-governmentalorganisation Watan, will be held at z-arts,335 Stretford Road, in Hulme (Thursday, 4 June until Saturday, 6 June).

Celebrating therichness of ourHebrew collectionsRenowned Professor of Jewish Book HistoryProfessor Emile G. L. Schrijver celebrated therichness of our Hebrew collections when hedelivered The John Rylands Research InstituteAnnual Lecture.

Professor Schrijver illustrated his lecture witha staggering array of fine examples from theJohn Rylands Library, ranging from thefamous illuminated Rylands Haggadah to a Judaeo-Tartar version of Genesis.

He discussed how Hebrew scribal traditionsinfluenced Hebrew printing, and how Hebrewmanuscript production continued throughoutthe early modern period under the influenceof printing practices.

he University’s Postgraduate ScholarshipScheme helps students to overcome a varietyof barriers to master's study. Here two real lifestories perfectly illustrate why we do this.

Having moved to the UK from Eritrea in Africa,Futsumbirhan Weldeab was thankful to be givenrefugee status. Futsumbirhan now has indefinite stayto leave and refuses to overplay his difficult start inthe UK. He simply wants to make the best of his life.

Futsumbirhan, studying for an MSc Actuarial Science,says: “A Masters degree is an opportunity to studythe field you are interested in deeply. It gives aninternal satisfaction. I feel I have achieved somethingmore in life than before. And that is what life is about.”

Juggling her studies with single parenthood and ajob, with an unplanned gall bladder operationthrown in, was tough for Louise Finnegan – but herpassion and the support of her School and theUniversity got her through.

Louise, mum to eight-year-old Amara and seven-year-old Maya, wants to be a good exampleto her girls.

Studying for an MRes in Criminology, she says: “I found this to be very difficult at times but theSchool of Law were very supportive and I managedto complete my assessments with good grades. Thescholarship has enabled me to further my academiccareer and I am so grateful for this opportunity.”

n support of our social responsibility agenda, theUniversity once again took part in Give and GainDay, the national day of employee volunteeringorganised by Business in the Community (BITC).

Ten teams from across campus did their bit for thelocal community – and fostered team spirit in theprocess.

Our projects included work at Debdale,Wythenshawe, Fog Lane, Heaton and ChorltonParks; Garden Needs; Hough End; Tameside AnimalShelter; Lifeshare and the Geodome Project - RealFood at Wythenshawe.

Susannah Crossland, from the Division ofCommunications and Marketing team, said: “It’sreally good to find out about the great work thecharity Lifeshare does and, as I am fairly new, get to know my colleagues with some manual labour!”

Give and Gain Day Project Manager and Faculty ofEngineering and Physical Sciences Head of HumanResources, Sue Field said: "It is fabulous to see somany teams taking the opportunity to make adifference in the community; these projects are areally great way to engage in team development –and provide a lot of fun too."

Give and Gain Day sees thousands of volunteersacross 25 countries as diverse as Spain, Iran, Nigeriaand Guatemala. By making volunteering accessibleand inspirational, BITC aims to supportorganisations to see volunteering as something thatcan contribute to individual professionaldevelopment and team building.

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Louise Finnegan

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That’s the (team) spirit!

(l-r) Kate Cassidy, Steve McCabe and Andy Simmonspaint the staircase at Lifeshare

IProfessor Emile G. L. Schrijver

Real life stories behind our postgrad scholarship scheme

Research

Secrets of early embryo nutrition revealed

he mechanism by which embryos receivenutrition during the first 11 weeks ofpregnancy has been revealed by University scientists.

Professors Carolyn Jones and John Aplin from theInstitute of Human Development showed howglucose and other nutrients are delivered in the earlystages of pregnancy before the foetus is large anddeveloped enough to receive a direct blood supplyfrom the mother.

This stage is crucial for the implantation of theembryo onto the wall of the placenta and asuccessful pregnancy, and as previous studies haveshown, nutritional problems at this stage can affectthe child’s health for the rest of its life.

Professor Aplin said: “The discovery of thismechanism represents a leap forward in what weunderstand about how nutrients get from mother to child in the womb.”

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Nutrients identified in the womb

Lobster colour change mystery solvedor the first time scientists have come up with a precise explanation for why lobsters changecolour from blue/black to red when cooked.

When alive and living in the sea, lobsters arenaturally a dark-blue/black colour. But put them in apan of boiling water and they soon turn the familiarorange-red that is the colour that most people thinkfor lobsters, i.e. on their dinner plates.

The key is a chemical called astaxanthin, which has

the orange-red colour of a cooked lobster, and howit interacts with a complex of proteins calledcrustacyanin, which lobsters produce.

Professor John Helliwell, of the School of Chemistry,said: “Over the last thirteen years there have beencompeting groups studying this colorationmechanism, but hopefully now the issue is solved. Itis a scientific curiosity, but it may also haveimportant applications in the real world.”

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The chemistry of cooking lobster

Why don’t youngpeople vote?Young people in the UK do not appear toexercise their right to vote as much as theirEuropean counterparts, according to datafrom a European Union funded project.

Coinciding with last month’s election, theMYPLACE (Memory, Youth, Political Legacyand Civic Engagement) Project released newinsights into young people’s voting behaviour.

The report was written by Professor HilaryPilkington, from our School of SocialSciences, and Mark Ellison, from ManchesterMetropolitan University, and focuses onvoting in elections and democraticperformance and profiles data for the UK.

Trapping elusiveneutrino particlesThe University of Manchester part of a projectcould detect neutrinos – electrically neutral,weakly interacting, tiny particles that movefast – and help explain more about theorigins of the Universe.

Scientists want to fire a beam of particlesthrough 1,300km (800 miles) of rock to studyhow neutrinos change as they travel throughthe Earth at close to the speed of light.

Professor Stefan Soldner-Rembold, from theSchool of Physics, said: “The ultimate goal isto find differences between the behaviour of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos (neutrinoanti-matter).”

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Research

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Cancer scans to checkneed for radiotherapy

UK National Cancer Research Institute trialled from the University’s Institute of CancerSciences and the Christie NHS FoundationTrust has suggested that in patients with

early stage Hodgkin lymphoma, the late effects ofradiotherapy could be reduced by using a scan todetermine those who actually need it.

The current standard treatment is for all Hodgkinlymphoma patients to receive chemotherapy,followed by radiotherapy. However, this

radiotherapy comes with undesirable late effects,such as cardiovascular disease and other cancers –despite the fact that they have already been cured ofHodgkin lymphoma.

In a paper published in the New England Journal ofMedicine, the scientists, led by Professor John Radford,showed that a positron-emission tomography (PET) scan immediately after treatment withchemotherapy can identify patients who have a verygood outcome without additional radiotherapy.

AGenetic clue toarthritisoutcomesScientists at the University have identified a newway in which genotyping – determining differencesin genetic make-up – can be used to predict diseaseoutcomes among sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr Sebastien Viatte, of the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Genetics and Genomics at theUniversity, said: “This major advance in geneticsmight allow identification of rheumatoid arthritispatients at risk of joint damage and early death.”

Giving Romacommunity avoiceManchester’s Roma – who have so far suffered a lack of spokesmanship – are now being given a voice.

Professor Yaron Matras is the Project Coordinatorfor an EC-funded project done in partnership withManchester City Council, aimed at helping thecity’s Roma population to gain access to services,education and employment.

The project, which also aims to combat thepublic’s negative perceptions of them, will set upa community group to provide advice, supportand help.

Inaccurate reportingjeopardising clinical trials

etter method reporting in animalexperiments could save hundreds ofthousands of pounds and stop clinical trialsbeing commissioned that have no hope of a

successful result, according to Manchesterresearchers.

A team led by Dr Sheena Cruickshank, from theFaculty of Life Sciences, and Professor Andy Brass,from the School of Computer Science, analysed 58 papers on research into inflammatory boweldisease published between 2000 and 2014. They found a wide variety in how methods werereported and that vital information aboutexperiments were missing, meaning they couldn’t be accurately reproduced in animal orhuman models.

Dr Cruickshank says: “I was shocked at the lack ofinformation provided in papers and it’s no surprisethat this lack of data makes it difficult to validateresults.”

To address the issue the team have developed a critical checklist of what information should be included.

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Scans of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma

At work in the lab Rex

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Gaining mentalhealth insightsWith Caribbean people in the UK nine timesmore likely than white British counterparts to bediagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental healthresearcher has visited Jamaica and Barbados tofind out what lessons can be learned.

On her research visit, funded by a WinstonChurchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, Dr DawnEdge from the School of Psychological Sciencesspent time in hospitals and with community care teams.

Dr Edge noticed the treatment turnaround timein Jamaica can be as short as a few weeks,compared to months in the UK, which she iskeen to explore in future.

Investigatingimmune systemattacks Dr Mark Travis and his team at the ManchesterCollaborative Centre for Inflammation Researchhave made an important discovery about thewhite blood cells that play a major role inimmunity, known as T cells.

They have identified new and crucial moleculeswhich allow T cells to function and cure activeinflammation during disease.

By understanding the mechanisms behind howthe cells work, it’s hoped immunotherapieswhich use them could be improved topotentially treat conditions ranging from type 1diabetes to multiple sclerosis, rheumatoidarthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr Dawn Edge

Poplar tree cells

English school system ‘in a mess’

ew proposals for the reform of the English education system are outlined in anew report written by Mel Ainscow CBEand Alan Dyson, Professors of Education

and co-directors of the Centre for Equity inEducation, and their colleagues Sue Goldrick and Dr Kirstin Kerr.

The new report says that successive governmentshave failed to deliver an education system thatoffers better opportunities for all children andyoung people.

The academics outlined a new way of thinkingaround how the system could improve.

They also said that student achievement is toostrongly linked to social background and gaps inachievement between those who do well andthose who do badly are large and growing.

The report recommends that education policy hasto be part of much wider efforts to improve thelives of individuals and families and that schoolshave to be part of a much wider network of services.

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rofessor Simon Turner and his team havediscovered a way to make trees grow biggerand faster, a finding which could increasesupplies of renewable resources and help

trees cope better with the effects of climate change.

In the study, published in Current Biology, the teamsuccessfully manipulated two genes in poplar treesin order to make them grow larger and morequickly than usual.

Professor Turner explains: “The rate at which treesgrow is determined by the rate of cell division in the

stem. We have identified two genes that are able todrive cell division in the stem and so override thenormal growth pattern.

“Although this needs be tested in the field, thisdiscovery paves the way for generating trees thatgrow more quickly. This will contribute to meetingthe needs for increased plant biomass as arenewable source of biofuels, chemicals andmaterials while minimising further carbon dioxiderelease into the atmosphere.”

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How to make trees grow bigger and quicker

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he awards – held in the Whitworth Hall –recognised the outstanding achievements ofstaff, students and alumni and celebratedhow they are all making a difference.

Winners received their awards from President andVice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell in 11 different categories; such as OutstandingContribution to Community Collaboration,Outstanding Contribution to EnvironmentalSustainability and Outstanding Benefit to Societythrough Research. All winners highlighted thesignificant difference they are making to the social,economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing ofour communities and wider society.

There was a huge amount of interest in the awardswhen they launched in December, with more than100 entries submitted, making the judges’ job verydifficult.

In addition to the 14 winners, more than 25 projectsreceived the accolade of Highly Commended.

Special awards were also given to Professor AneezEsmail from the Institute of Population Health, for his outstanding contribution to equality anddiversity, and Andrew Gray from The ManchesterMuseum, for his outstanding contribution to publicengagement and environmental sustainability.

Professor James Thompson, Associate Vice Presidentfor Social Responsibility, said: “The Awards eventwas a wonderful opportunity to recognise some ofthe inspiring activities in which staff, students andalumni of the University are involved. It was theperfect platform to share some of the best socialresponsibility stories, raise the profile of dozens ofUniversity and community initiatives and in doingso contribute further to their impact.”

Hamied Haroon, from the Centre for ImagingSciences, who won the Outstanding Contribution toEquality and Diversity category, along with MelanieSharpe from IT Services, said: “It was an absolutehonour for Melanie and I to be selected and a realsurprise! It was wonderful to hear about all theamazing initiatives that colleagues from right acrossthe University are involved in.”

• A new video about the University’s work on socialresponsibility has been launched. To watch andfind out more about the awards, visit:manchester.ac.uk/socialresponsibility

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Celebrating how we areMaking a Difference

Winners and highly commended from the School of Psychological Sciences

Professor Nancy Rothwell, Hamied Haroon and Melanie Sharpe

Social responsibility describes theway we are making a difference tothe social and economic wellbeing of our communities through ourteaching, research and public eventsand activities. Here UniLife looks athow we celebrated this with theMaking a Difference Awards forSocial Responsibility.

The UMBUG team

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(l-r) Emma Ridings, Julia Pugh and Karl Hennermannwith Professor Nancy Rothwell

All the recipients at the awardsevent with Professor Nancy Rothwell

The University’s Volunteer of the Year Awards and Social ResponsibilityMedal have been celebrating the goodwork of our staff, students and alumnifor eight years. Founded and run bystaff in the Student Development andCommunity Engagement Division,it has given us many moving tales to

be proud of – and inspired by. HereUniLife looks at this year’s winners.

taff winner Karl Hennermann is something ofa humanitarian Indiana Jones – one day he’steaching students about geographicalinformation systems and carrying out spatial

data research, the next he is on the scene of adisaster, mapping out the data that has been sweptaway by nature or war to help aid agencies meetthe victims’ needs.

Karl volunteers for MapAction, a non-governmentorganisation that delivers vital information inmapped form from data gathered at disaster scenes,crucial for delivering aid to the right place, quickly.He has helped people displaced by war in SouthSudan and others hit by natural disasters in thePhilippines and Paraguay, since joining in 2010.

MapAction’s operations director Jonny Douch says:“His willingness to deploy at short notice is secondto none…with little hesitation for his own discomfort.”

And when Karl returns to campus, he gives ourgeographical information systems Masters students inthe School of Environment, Education and Developmenta valuable real life lesson – his lectures show them what their work in the classroom can achieve.

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor DameNancy Rothwell also presented Volunteer of the Yearawards along with the University Medal for Social

Responsibility to student winner Emma Ridings and alumni winner Julia Pugh.

Fourth year medic Emma is team leader for theManchester branch of StreetDoctors, a charity that teaches essential lifesaving skills to high riskyoung people.

Emma puts in a full working week – and more – at her hospital placement, yet gives 40 hours toStreetDoctors, as well as playing rugby and playingin a band!

Julia (BNurs. (Hons) Nursing, 2008) started theManchester branch of Stop the Traffik in September2009 and has worked tirelessly, alongside her job asa nurse, to keep the group fighting the crime ofhuman trafficking.

Described as “kind, friendly, open-minded,approachable and warm”, she is also modest abouther high-level work with Greater Manchester Police,Manchester Airport and safeguarding groups.

From creating and running awareness campaigns, to training organisations, going on police raids andharm reduction visits, befriending and supportingvictims, Julia proves that community action can fight a global problem.

• For the full shortlist visit: manchester.ac.uk/volunteeroftheyear

SEmma at work with StreetDoctors

Meet our humanitarian heroes

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A LearningRevolution

A revolution in learning, a catalyst for change, a way ofpromoting what we do – Massive Open Online Courses(MOOCs) are a new developmentfor our digital age. Through them a lecturer can reach morestudents in a single session thanthey would in a lifetime of face-to-face teaching, many in themost underdeveloped countriesin the world. Here UniLife seesfirst-hand what they can achieve.

OOCs are symbolic of our times. We wantfaster, easier, bite-sized ways of experiencingthe things that interest us. MOOCs deliver

that in the form of short online courses, typically two or three hours a week for six to ten weeks, to anyone, anywhere in the world with access to the internet, completely free of charge.

The courses use a mix of content such as videolectures, interactive quizzes, apps and active forums.From criminal law to hip hop culture, the choice isyours and there are hundreds of courses andproviders to choose from.

The first University of Manchester MOOCs ran in2014, with 45,000 participants from over 190countries taking part.

We are likely to offer more MOOCs over the nextfew years, with courses being developed instrategically important subjects, such as our research beacons of industrial biotechnology;cancer; energy; advanced materials and addressingglobal inequalities.

Professor Richard Reece, Associate Vice-President forTeaching, Learning and Students and MOOC projectsponsor, explains: “MOOCs offer a very publicgateway to showcase the superb online teachingand learning experiences available at our University.

“I think that the notion of being able to reach morestudents in a single session than you could in alifetime of face-to-face teaching is mind-blowing.

M “And many of our MOOC students originate fromsome of the most underdeveloped countries of theworld. It’s difficult to imagine that many studentsfrom these areas could ever come to Manchester,but the power of MOOCs is that they can bringManchester to students – wherever they may be.”

And the quality of our MOOCs has also beenrecognised with our ‘Introduction to PhysicalChemistry’ course recently winning the GuardianUniversity Award for Online and Distance Learning.

The University’s MOOCs Project Manager Ian Huttsays: ”Our MOOCs have achieved a very highsatisfaction rate, with 93% of participants rating theircourse ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’. A lot of effort goes intobuilding these courses but once made, they can berun again and again, and we are finding they are auseful resource with wider applications elsewhere.” Valaya Gaudet

Patrick O’Malley

Rex

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The Learning Experience

Valaya Gaudet, aged 55, lives in Tucson, Arizonaand is a graduate gemologist (the study of naturaland artificial gems and gemstones). She is a studenton the ‘Our Earth: Its Climate, History, andProcesses’ MOOC.

“This is not the first MOOC I’ve tried, but it’s the first I’ve completed. What surprised me mostwas how much I enjoyed it, because in truth, sitting by myself in front of a computer doesn’treally inspire me to learn, no matter how interested I am in the subject.

“But I stuck with Dr Schultz’s class because he andhis team were able to replicate the feeling one getsin a ‘real’ class. They accomplished this by taking agenuine interest in the discussions. I felt valued as a student. There was a dialogue as well as apersonal contact. The format of the class involving a discussion between, say, Dr Schultz and a guestprofessor, made the whole thing more human, too.

“Thanks to the enthusiasm of my professors andclassmates, I learned that I truly love Earth Sciencesand want to pursue my studies.”

Jamie Brown, 33, is right on campus – as MediaRelations Officer for the University’s Faculty ofMedical and Human Sciences – but has justcompleted his MOOC in ‘Global Health andHumanitarianism’, run by the Humanitarianand Conflict Response Institute.

“Most content is delivered by video and this is reallygood for me. You can receive a lot of information ina short space of time, so I can fit it around lookingafter my two-year-old and my day job.

“You have access to some highly respectedacademics and the discussion forums are veryinteresting because there are people from all overthe world taking part.

“I thought the forums were going to be quiteintimidating at first, as people on there are working for international aid agencies or are professional healthcare workers. In fact those people have supplementedthe learning and posted some interesting links andthoughts that have helped bring me up to speed.

“I think you have to choose something that interestsyou, but whether it’s for work or pleasure, it’s agood way to improve your knowledge of a subject.”

The Teaching Experience

Cathy Wilcock, a PhD candidate and graduateteaching assistant within the School of Environment,Education and Development, is a Teaching Assistanton the ‘Global Health and Humanitarianism’ MOOC.

“The most I had ever had in a tutorial class beforewas around 16 so you can imagine how daunted Iwas knowing that there were more than 4,000people signed up to the MOOC.

“I expected the experience to be very faceless andimpersonal but was surprised at how much you get

to know the very active participants on the forums.While I don’t think there is any substitute for face-to-face teaching, the MOOC forums are stillvery lively arenas for open debate.”

Patrick O’Malley is the Lead Academic on the‘Introduction to Physical Chemistry’ MOOC. A Reader in the School of Chemistry, he is also an Assistant Associate Dean in the Faculty ofEngineering and Physical Science and Faculty lead on eLearning, a role which includes overseeing the MOOCs produced by the Faculty.

“Compared to campus teaching, the lack of face-to-face contact is a big difference and thediversity of students on the MOOC is much greater.Students from over 158 countries enrolled, rangingin age from 11 to 81. You get the impression fromthe discussion forums that the students are reallyinterested in learning for its own sake, as opposedto passing an exam.

“Academic knowledge is no longer confined withinuniversity campuses. Internet sources are providinghigh-quality, free academic knowledge, outside thetraditional university campus.

“I think MOOCs’ lasting influence will probably be their role as a catalyst in changing the waycampus-based education is carried out. Informationwill need to be delivered flexibly and convenientlyonline and student-teacher contact time will need to become much more interactive.”

Jamie Brown Cathy Wilcock

You have access to some highly respectedacademics and the discussion forums arevery interesting because there are peoplefrom all over the world taking part.

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here are pronounced inequalities across theworld. While progress has been made insome countries and on some aspects ofinequality, it’s still the case that food,

health care, infrastructure and resources are plentifulin some areas, yet scarce in others. Far too manyhouseholds struggle with low income and poor jobprospects.

Across the world, men and women’s opportunities,experiences, their potential and their quality of lifeare shaped by unequal treatment, prejudice anddiscrimination due to their personal characteristicsor family background.

At its most stark, this means that around 800 millionpeople in the world will go hungry today,1 and29,000 children will die from preventable healthcare problems.2

Tackling all aspects of inequalityFor almost two centuries, The University ofManchester has been leading the way in tacklingglobal inequalities. We’re focusing on all aspects of inequality, from poverty to social justice, fromliving conditions to equality in the workplace. We seek to understand our world and directlychange it for the better.

Bringing together some of the best academic mindsin applied medicine, business, law, social sciences

and the arts, we’re meeting these challenges headon, creating and sharing knowledge to alleviate andend poverty and inequalities across the globe.

With years of research in global development,health care, education, disaster management,humanitarian aid, employment and equality anddiversity, we help to deliver real-world benefit.

Global impactOur impact is far-reaching. In the field of poverty,for example, there are many cases of how ourexpertise is bringing benefits to individuals andsocieties across the globe.

We’ve worked with policymakers and multilateralsto guide the Bangladeshi government towards newapproaches to tackling poverty. In Tanzania we’reexploring the uncharted area of youth communitiesand urban contexts to help reverse the growingpoverty of young people in the nation’s cities.

Our Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute,meanwhile, is bringing together the disciplines ofmedicine and the humanities to facilitateimprovements in global crisis response, whileproviding an internationally leading centre oftraining for humanitarian practitioners.

The Institute has worked with the UK InternationalEmergency Trauma and Medical Registers and

UK-Med to deploy medical teams to three of themost significant global humanitarian crisis responsesof recent times: in the Philippines, in response to theTyphoon Haiyan; in Gaza, following the 2014 Israeli-Gaza conflict; and in Sierra Leone, in responseto the Ebola virus epidemic.

Changing how people work and thinkOur global and local partners are changing the waythey work and how they govern. Our researchdirectly influences policies which make positivechanges for people living in inequality.

International governmental organisations, nationalgovernments, multinational corporations, globalcharities and non-governmental organisationspartner with us to do things differently. For example,we have an international reputation for ourcontributions to labour debates. Our work on globalvalue chains and inequalities has had particularimpact, for example with Cadbury on cocoaproduction in Ghana.

The research of our Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicityis enabling policymakers and the public to track thecontemporary patterns of ethnic inequalities – andto see how these relate to the changing ways inwhich ethnic identities are perceived, acted uponand experienced.

TAddressing global inequalities

Image licensed by CDC Global Health

The University has identified five ‘research beacons’ where we have a unique concentration of high-quality research activity and are at the forefront of the search for solutions to some ofthe world’s biggest challenges. These are: industrial biotechnology, advanced materials,cancer, energy, and addressing global inequalities. In this, the final of five features, UniLifelooks at how our experts are advancing our understanding of the world, addressing globalinequalities to improve lives.

Global challenges,Manchester solutions

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A fairer, healthier, better worldOur researchers develop evidence to influencepolicies that help improve the health and well-beingof the most disadvantaged in society. Our strengthsin the field of global health range from theprofessionalisation of volunteers to engagementwith donors and policymakers.

We’re experts in unravelling the social inequalitiesthat stand in the way of better health care for all –our research led to a better understanding of urbanhealth issues in cities across Europe, and we’reinvestigating the relationship between ageing, well-being and work, and the barriers to peopleexercising in later life.

Our research is helping to bring about a fairer andmore just world.

At a glanceAddressing global inequalities work at Manchester

• We have 335 academic staff and PhD studentsworking to address global inequalities.

• Our insight into humanitarian efforts andtechnologies has been recognised by the BritishAcademy. It has influenced Médecins SansFrontières, Save the Children, HandicapInternational and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

• Our employment expertise has informed the European Commission, the EuropeanParliament and the United Nations’ International Labour Office.

Footnotes1. International Federation for the Red Cross andRed Crescent Societies2. Unicef

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What’s On

The WhitworthManchester International Festival(MIF) at the Whitworth

The extraordinary Richter/Pärt projectbrings together two of the world’smost influential and enduring culturalfigures. In early autumn 2013, HansUlrich Obrist and Alex Pootsintroduced artist Gerhard Richter andcomposer Arvo Pärt for the first time.As a result of that meeting in Dresden,both men made work inspired by anddedicated to the other.

That work will be premiéred at MIF15in a significant new show. A suite offour new works by Richter, Ashes(2015) and his Doppelgrau (2014),will be presented with Pärt’s DreiHirtenkinder aus Fátima in the newly

renovated landscape gallery of theWhitworth.

Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima will beperformed live throughout the dayand into the evening from Thursday, 9to Saturday, 11 July by celebratedEstonian choir Vox Clamantis andthereafter during the day fromSunday, 12 to Sunday, 19 July by avariety of local choirs.

Commissioned and produced byManchester International Festival andthe Whitworth. Curated by HansUlrich Obrist and Alex Poots.

Free, no ticket required.

• For details of this and other events,visit: manchester.ac.uk/whitworth

Manchester MuseumBig Saturday Ancient Greeks, Myths and Monsters

This June prepare to be transportedback to the time of the AncientGreeks at the next instalment ofManchester Museum’s Big Saturdayprogramme.

Big Saturdays are where the Museumbursts into life with objects, experts,storytelling and performances. Thismonth’s Big Saturday is AncientGreeks, Myths and Monsters and is onSaturday, 27 June from 11am-4pm.

You can discover more about theAncient Greeks and their daily lives.You’ll be able to make your own claycreations inspired by Ancient Greek,Myths and Monsters, or design yourown Ancient Greek comic strip.

Ancient Greek Costume Optional (but encouraged!)

Big Saturdays are free and there’s noneed to book.

On the same day the Museum ishosting an Early Birds early morningopening from 9-10am.

At the Museum’s early opening forearly birds you can enjoy self-ledtours, object handling and craftactivities. The Nature’s Library and Live Animals (Vivarium) galleries willbe open at 9am - you can explore the rest of the Museum from 10am.

Early opening is free and is especiallyfor families.

• For details of this and other events,visit: museum.manchester.ac.uk

Jodrell Bank Discovery CentreGirls Night Out – Science andEngineering in the SKA

Join us for our latest ‘Girls Night Out’to learn about the most excitingscience and engineering project of thefuture – the Square Kilometre Array(SKA), which will create the biggestradio telescope on Planet Earth. Wewere delighted to learn, just at theend of April, that the InternationalHeadquarters of the SKA will behosted by Jodrell Bank.

During the evening of Saturday, 20 June(7pm to 10.15pm), you will attend atalk by SKA engineer Dr RosheneMcCool and be inspired by thescience and engineering of the future.

Plus you can test your own skills in aseries of activities which includecreating your own (glowing!) modelSKA antenna, help us assemble ourvery own array in the gardens andtrying your hand at some real electricalengineering – soldering a flashing LEDbadge to wear and take home

Pre-booking is required. Tickets are £8and include a cookie and refreshments.

This event has been generouslysupported and subsidised by theSquare Kilometre Array Organisation.

• For details of this and other events, visit: jodrellbank.netor call 01477 571766

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The John Rylands LibraryDarkness and Light: Exploring Gothic

Housed in the neo-Gothic grandeur ofThe John Rylands Library, Darkness andLight reveals how Gothic architectureand anatomy inspired and influenced a literary genre, and how the lastinglegacy of Gothic can be found in art,films and subculture today.

From the fantastical to the macabre,this intriguing exhibition unearthsGothic treasures from the Library’sSpecial Collections to investigatesubjects as varied as the role of womenin the Gothic movement, advances inmedical science and classic literature.

Amongst the fascinating items ondisplay is Horace Walpole’s TheCastle of Otranto (1764), the firstGothic novel. With a Gothicmedieval castle, doomed love and

restless spectres of the past, it sets thescene for the genre and sits alongsidea whole host of Gothic bestsellersincluding The Monk, Udolpho andJekyll and Hyde.

The exhibition, from 16 July to 20December, also showcases artwork by students from the University ofSalford and a gallery of photographicportraits of ‘Goths’, celebratingdiversity and inviting visitors to explorewhat Gothic means to them.

Alongside the exhibition, experience aghostly Gothic tour of the Library or come along to screenings of classic Gothicfilms, including F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu,in the striking Historic Reading Room.

• To see this and other exhibitions visitmanchester.ac.uk/library/rylands

What’s On

For events and exhibitions at other venu es, visit:

Martin Harris Centre – martinharriscentre.manchester.ac.ukInternational Society – internationalsociety.org.ukGig Guide – manchesteracademy.net

Feature

The University’s strategic plan,Manchester 2020, lists one of ourgoals as contributing to the socialand economic success of thelocal, national and internationalcommunity. Through ourengagement campaign, theUniversity collects stories of howour staff, students and alumni aremaking a difference to society,and here UniLife shares some ofthose stories with you…

When the University holds its weekday open daylater this month, 10,000 visitors will stream ontocampus – prospective students and their families.

Most of these, around 60%, come by car and willneed a car park space. Open Days are a vitalopportunity to showcase our wonderful University.Huge increases on demand for car parking can havea negative effect on the perception of the Universitybefore even stepping foot on campus.

So the University has launched ‘Give Your Car a RestDay’, asking around 4,000 staff, where feasible, totry a more environmentally-friendly commute.

A team effort supported by EnvironmentalSustainability, Student Recruitment and Car ParkServices, it will see staff car drivers given a host ofincentives to leave their car at home. These includea free Personalised Travel Plan pack and free tastertickets for a week’s travel on Northern Rail or anybus or a Metrolink day ticket.

The visitors will also be encouraged to use alternativetravel modes to the car and those staff that alreadytravel sustainably – around 60% of us – have alsobeen rewarded with an interactive prize draw.

The University’s Sustainable Travel Planner AndrewHough and Head of UK/EU Student RecruitmentBernard Strutt head up the initiative and both say

they are excited to see it come to fruition after 18 months of discussions, building on theSustainable Travel Plan which has been in place for 15 years, alongside exciting transportimprovements across Greater Manchester.

“I really feel we are witnessing a culture shift in howstaff approach sustainability and travel,” saysAndrew. “It takes time but many staff are realisingthe positive opportunities available. I hear so manyfantastic examples that it gives me the motivation to keep moving forward.”

“The enthusiasm of some of the travel operatorshas far exceeded our expectations,” adds Bernard.“I think there is real potential to develop the schemefurther next year, hopefully with the support of ourCorridor Manchester partners.”

Andrew says: “We want to get staff talking andthinking about their travel habits. Hopefully somestaff will be able to make a change they didn’t thinkpossible before.

“Overall the aim is for staff to realise that everyonecan contribute in one way or another and beingflexible and making occasional changes does makea significant difference.”

• To read more of these inspiring stories visit:makeadifferencemcr.tumblr.com

Making room for change

Bernard Strutt (top) and Andrew Hough

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