Our people
Professor Denise Bower (School of Civil Engineering) has been awarded a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Her success is the 17th award given to an academic at Leeds, more than any other university in England. Professor Bower has been Programme Leader for the MSc in engineering project management for almost 10 years. Her enthusiasm for her subject is invariably commented upon by her students and colleagues and this drives her to search for continuous improvement of the student learning experience. She received an award of £10,000 to be used for professional development.
Read more and see the full list of winners at www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/ourwork/ntfs/NTFS_2010_Winners
Professor Anne Neville (Institute of Engineering Thermofluids, Surfaces and Interfaces) has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Royal Academy of Engineering is one of the most prestigious engineering academies in the world. Professor Neville joins some of the country’s most eminent engineers who make up the Academy’s fellowship, including Lord Alex Broers and Professor Dame Julia Higgins.
Professor Neville said: “This is a great honour for me and one that has only been possible because of the work of my research team – past and present – over the last 15 years. Leading and interacting with dedicated and extremely talented research students, post-doctoral researchers, and support staff makes my research career so rewarding and enjoyable.”
George Holmes (School of Earth and Environment) has been awarded a two-year fellowship by the Leverhulme Foundation to work on a project entitled Private Conservation and Environmental Governance. The project will look at the increased role of philanthropists in the conservation of biodiversity by studying the networks of philanthropists and non-government organisations who are creating and funding privately owned reserves in Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. It will also consider how these conservation efforts affect and interact with local people.
A paper by Rachael Spraggs selected as one of the best published by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) technical journals in 2009, has gone on to win the Telford Premium Award, which will be presented by the ICE in London in October.
www.ice.org.uk/myice/myice_scholarships_papers.asp#awardsforpapers
The School of Law’s Legal Advice Clinic has been given a Higher Education Student Volunteering Project Award. Opened in 2009, the Clinic is staffed by 18 student volunteers and provides a free legal advice service to the local community. It has already provided 23 clients with advice letters and referred 74 people to other advice services. Students have reported improved administration, research and communication skills, and the supervising solicitors have commended the students for their professional, intelligent approach to their clients. The judges commented: “This project provided real experience for volunteers and provided a valuable service to the local community. There are clear links to career development and the benefits to both volunteers and service users are obvious.”
Professor Rob Raiswell (School of Earth and Environment) has been made a Geochemical Fellow by the Geochemical Society. The honorary title is bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry.
Professor Theo Raynor (School of Healthcare) has been appointed to a new Pharmaceutical Science Expert Advisory Panel, established by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The panel will serve as the key advisory resource on scientific strategy, leadership, advocacy, assessment and review for the Society.
Professor Jayne Lawrence, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Society, said that 19 individuals of the highest calibre were selected from an outstanding group of nominees. She commented: “The Panel will help build a broad community speaking with a strong, united voice on a wide range of critical issues in a consistent way.”
Staff from Skills@Library, representing the LearnHigher CETL, received two effective practice awards from the Sloan-C, Moodle and Merlot Consortium at the ‘Emerging Technologies Conference’ in California. The awards recognise achievements in advancing the field of online and blended learning and were presented to Julia Braham LearnHigher Learning Area Co-ordinator for a web-based resource designed to support students working together in teams, and Carol Elston, e-learning adviser for Skills@Library and LearnHigher for a suite of online tutorials to support tutors delivering academic skills workshops.
The conference was attended by over 750 academics and instructional designers from higher and further educational institutions world-wide. For further information visit:
Former Leeds PhD student and award-winning young entrepreneur Dr Olga Kubassova has been selected to be one of the inaugural New York City (NYC) Venture Fellows. She will take part in a weeklong programme of events in December 2010, which will include opportunities to meet distinguished New Yorkers from the private and public sectors, and peers from around the world.
Dr Kubassova’s business, Image Analysis, produces software products and systems for users of MRI equipment. Her dedication to its success led University Pro-Chancellor Linda Pollard and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Williams to nominate her for the NYC Venture Fellows programme. “It is a great honour to be a part of such a prestigious programme and to have the opportunity to learn from the best business people in the US private and public sector,” said Dr Kubassova.
