In
the news
"In
terms of population, where is the centre of Britain?"
asks the Daily Mail. Geography professor
Daniel Dorling has calculated this before for the Office
for National Statistics: "Using information available
from 1901-1995, it became apparent that the population
centre has moved steadily southward and slightly to the
east over the past century." It now lies in Appleby Parva,
Leicestershire.
As
speculation over student evaluation forms continues, Leeds
social psychologist Dr Zazie Todd thinks they can reveal
more about gender bias than teaching quality. "Feedback
forms are part and parcel of a growing amount of paperwork
academics are expected to deal with," she writes in the
Times Higher Education Supplement. The
results do demonstrate bias, as 'students give highest
ratings to academics who are the same gender as themselves'.
The
new non-woven fabric created by manufacturers and researchers
at Leeds, (lead story Reporter 476), featured
in the Yorkshire Evening Post. The material
is made through hydo-entanglement and is 'ideal for use
in sportswear', explains Dr Steve Russell.
Stress
levels amongst students may be increasing, according to
a survey by the Association of University and College
Counsellors. "Being a student is quite different now from
20 years ago," explained the head of the University counselling
service Nigel Humphrys. In the Sunday Times
he described the impact of a shift to modular courses
and more sets of exams for students. Measures to tackle
student stress are being taken at Leeds. Dr John Davy
in computing surveyed his students and modified courses
to reduce their stress levels.
When
listing 50 reasons for Leeds' greatness the Leeds
Guide included the University's concrete campus.
"These surreally-hanging semi-organic concrete growths
serve both to imbue freshers with a timely sense of academic
inferiority, and as a fertile source of architectural
apocrypha."
The
universities of Leeds and Bradford will form one of the
government's eight new national cancer centres, as featured
in Reporter 476. The Yorkshire Post
highlighted the boost to medical research in the region
and the value of the National Translational Cancer Research
Network (NTRAC) in giving patients 'better access to new
and experimental treatments as well as speeding up the
process for getting scientific breakthroughs from laboratory
to bedside.' The Yorkshire Post featured
the success of Professor Phil Quirke's work on rectal
cancer, evidence of Leeds' strong track record in cancer
research.
Former
Pro-Vice-Chancellor and new chief executive of the British
Library, Lynne Brindley, was profiled in the Financial
Times' 'the business'. With experience in the
private and public sector, she said: "I got a little fed
up being told everything was run a lot better in the private
sector. I wanted to see for myself." Her management skills
are praised by keeper of the Brotherton Library, Jan Wilkinson:
"She sees the big picture. Most in the profession are
stuck in the detail."
