Round Up

The Awards celebrate the achievements of staff and students participating in the University's Green Impact and Green Challenge programmes.

The Green Impact Workshop takes place on Thursday 21 September from 12.00pm – 2.00pm in Room OG/074, Lanyon Building. Register here. For more information, please contact carbonmanagement@qub.ac.uk. The University Green Impact programme is an environmental awards scheme that encourages teams of Queen's staff to undertake environmental improvements within the University.

The Queen's Green Challenge invites students to come up with an exciting and innovative ideas for projects. Financial funding of up to £500 is provided to the best proposals.

A prize of £3,000 will be awarded to the winners of each of the four categories: Research Impact; Research Innovation; Early Career Researchers; and Postdoctoral Researcher. Applications are welcome from all subjects and faculties and are particularly welcome from females, who have traditionally been under-represented.

For further guidance and submission forms, please visit this webpage, or contact Dr Stephen McCabe in the Research Policy Office at rpo@qub.ac.uk.

Staff are cordially invited to the first of the Global Challenges Debates Series to hear from world-leading experts discussing one of the greatest challenges of our time. Hear from Professor Chris Elliott (Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, and founder of the Institute for Global Food Security) and Michelle Grant (Executive Director of the World Food System Centre at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich)). A debate will also be chaired by Professor Nigel Scollan (Director of the Institute for Global Food Security). 

Event followed by a drinks reception until 7.30pm in the Council Chamber. 

Jonathan Powell is Director of Inter/Mediate, the charity he founded in 2011 to work on conflict resolution around the world, and an Honorary Professor in the Mitchell Institute. He was Chief of Staff to Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007 and the chief British government negotiator on Northern Ireland during that period. Jonathan is author of Great Hatred, Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland; The New Machiavelli: How to Wield Power in the Modern World; and Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflicts.

Richard English FBA is Distinguished Professorial Fellow at the Mitchell Institute and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation and Engagement at Queen's. He is author of Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA; Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland; and Does Terrorism Work?.

The tree, based at Belfast City Hospital and Queen's, is descended from the 'Plane tree of Kos' – a famous oriental plane tree under which Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, first taught on the island of Kos in 500 BC – and has made it to the final of the Woodland Trust's Northern Ireland 'Tree of the Year' competition.

The tree was planted from seeds gifted in the 1960s by Greek physician Dr Dimitrios Oreopoulos, who was undertaking an MD in kidney research at Queen's University and working at the renal unit at Belfast City Hospital. After completing his studies, Dr Oreopoulos moved with his family to Canada, where he later became Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He made many contributions to the treatment of renal disease, as well as the promotion of medical ethics and humanitarian principles. Dr Oreopoulos also went on to develop ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis, a type of dialysis which is now used throughout the world.

One of several trees planted at the time by the seeds gifted by Dr Oreopoulos, the Erskine House tree is the only tree that has survived. In order to preserve and also celebrate the tree, a new circular bench and plaque in memory of Dr Oreopoulos, have been installed so the area can now be enjoyed by staff, students and patients. 

Voters must be over 18 and live in the UK to be eligible to vote.

The Project launch follows an extensive period of consultation and development involving colleagues and students from across the University.

As part of the Project, Initial Review, Differentiation and Annual Progress Review processes are all now digitised. In addition, and of particular value to academic colleagues, both the School and individual supervisors will now be equipped with a Dashboard providing holistic views of all of their research students' progress.

A series of Faculty-based information and familiarisation sessions have been scheduled for academic and administrative staff in October 2017:

• Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
  Monday 02 October, 12.30pm – 2.00pm, Lecture Theatre OG/024, Peter Froggatt Centre
• Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
  Tuesday 03 October, 12.30pm – 2.00pm, Physics Building/Emeleus Lecture Theatre
• Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
  Thursday 05 October, 1.00pm – 2.30pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Medical Biology Centre

• Operations and Systems Officer (Maternity Cover)
  HR Services
  Ref: 17/105903
  
  Closing date: Friday 22 September 2017
  Anticipated interview date: Friday 6 October 2017
  This post is available until 30 November 2018.
• Acting Head of Strategic Marketing and Communications
  Marketing and Communications
  Ref: 17/105917
  
  Closing date: Monday 25 September 2017
  Anticipated interview date: Friday 6 October 2017
• Temporary Student Records Supervisor
  Academic and Student Affairs Directorate
  Ref: 17/105859
  
  Closing date: Friday 29 September 2017
  Anticipated Interview Date: Wednesday 18 October 2017
  This post is available until 31 August 2019.

Please note that other vacancies are often advertised externally and are on the Jobs page. 

Lunch is three courses with coffee and mints and is £24.00 per person. All payments must be made at least 72 hours in advance of the event.

Applications for projects that significantly impact and improve the student experience for a significant number of students in a manner that can be sustained in future years will receive priority. Applicants are asked to please allow enough time in planning to obtain quotes from suppliers who are providing necessary services as they will be required as part of the application.

The Queen’s Annual Fund was established in May 1999 to support and enhance all aspects of the Queen's student experience. Please see here for further information on the application process. If you have any queries, please email Meaghan Lyons, Regular Giving Manager.

Mr Iida, Minister for Public Diplomacy and Media at the Embassy of Japan in the UK, will discuss Brexit and its impact on business in the light of Japan's role as the second-largest non-EU investor in Britain. He will also make reference to the two countries' commitment to working together to tackle a range of weighty global issues.

• How democratic are the institutions of devolved government in Northern Ireland?
  Guest contributor Alan Whysall explores how democratically and effectively the NI institutions of government have performed
• Softening a hard border: lessons from North America for post-Brexit Ireland
  There are ample lessons from the Canada-US border for post-Brexit Ireland, write Laurie Tannous (University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada) and Dr Katy Hayward (Queen's University Belfast).
• Remarkable flexibility on Northern Ireland from the EU – the UK government should take note
  The unique situation of Northern Ireland within the UK needs to be stressed when it comes to Brexit says Dr Katy Hayward.

Community choirs from all over Northern Ireland, including Queen's Staff Wellbeing Choir, will perform and share songs. Audience participation will be encouraged. Proceeds will go towards Aware NI. Suggested donation is £5 per person; please pay or make a donation to Aware NI via our Sing for Joy JustGiving Page.

Volunteer SU – has a network of over 400 charities and community groups and can match interested students to their perfect opportunity based on their interests and skills.

Homework Clubs – students interested in helping local children and young people who are struggling at school to improve their study skills, build their confidence and raise their future aspirations can get involved in Homework Clubs, which gives them an opportunity to gain experience in supporting young people, will develop their skills and enable them to be part of something special.

Hungry for Change? – giving students the opportunity to kick off their year at Queen's by getting involved with volunteering opportunities and the major activist campaigns in Belfast and beyond. 

Inspiring Leaders – an SU initiative, facilitated by the leadership experts at The William J Clinton Leadership Institute, enabling students to strengthen their leadership skills and translate leadership and volunteering experiences into employability skills.

Students can follow Students' Union Volunteering on Facebook and Twitter.

Contributors
Alessandra Cianchetta, AWP (Paris and London)
Duzan Doepel, DoepelStrijkers (Rotterdam)
Mason White, Lateral Office (Toronto) 

The event addresses cross-disciplinary infrastructural issues and each speaker is at the forefront of a growing movement of deploying design as a synthetic element within the rethinking and planning of larger systems and networks: infrastructure; agriculture; energy; urbanism; landscape; and waste.

Representatives from national, regional and local government, environmental designers, engineers to architects and planners are expected to attend.

The round-table discussion will be hosted by Professor Thomas Jefferies, Head of the Manchester School of Architecture.

Professor Dalakoglou's lecture forms the centrepiece of the annual AAI international conference, which this year takes place at Queen's on 21–23 September 2017. Event co-organised by the Anthropological Association of Ireland (AAI) and Queen's School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics (HAPP).

• Tuesday 19 September: Stop Smoking Support Service Drop-in Information Desk 
• Tuesday 26 September: Stop Smoking Support Service Lunch-time Information Session

Smoking causes one third of all cancer deaths in Northern Ireland and is our greatest cause of preventable ill health. It not only increases the risk of cancer for the smoker but also for everyone else around them. Cancer Focus NI's award-winning Stop Smoking service is funded by the Public Health Agency and offered in GP practices, health and wellbeing centres, community, workplace and youth settings including schools. 

Victoria & Abdul: The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria's remarkable rule; starring Academy Award winner Judi Dench.

Wind River: Scriptwriter Taylor Sheridan (Sicario; Hell or High Water) makes his directorial debut with this Wyoming-set mystery starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner.

Insyriated: Tense, gripping domestic drama set in war-torn Syria.

God's Own Country: A tender, frank love story, set against the bleak but stunning backdrop of the Yorkshire moors.

Supported screenings:

Dementia Friendly: Funny Girl – QFT continues its dementia-friendly screenings in September (World Alzheimer's Month).

Screening from 22 September:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Spielberg's genre-defining classic returns to mark its 40th anniversary. Incorporates a short screening about the making of the film (including a new interview with Spielberg).

Maze: Based on the true story of the 1983 mass breakout of 38 prisoners from HMP Maze, this film is a gripping prison-break drama that follows the relationship between two men on opposite sides of the prison bars.

• There's This Thing, This Feeling (Adham Faramawy)
  Runs until 01 October
  
  Adham Faramawy (b1981, Dubai) is a London-based artist of Egyptian descent. Throughout his practice, he explores changes in perception brought about by the digital age. Across a landscape of high-definition flatscreens and sculptural wall- and floor-based works, Faramawy shoots staged live performers, often using his smartphone. Faramawy is shortlisted for the Jarman Award 2017.

• Art in the AM
  Friday 22 September, 9.30am – 10.30am, The Beringer, Fountain Street, Belfast
  
  Michael Hanna and Jacqueline Holt discuss the upcoming AMINI 17 – Artists' Moving Image Festival, which features work by artists shortlisted for the Film London Jarman Award 2017. All welcome. Free coffee and conversation. Email art@qub.ac.uk for more information.

• Art Sounds
  Collaborating with artists from the exhibition programme, the Naughton Gallery brings a range of music playlists to cater for all musical tastes. Find us on Spotify.

For a live experience, join the Gallery at exhibition openings, where DJs-in-residence GIRL play sets inspired by the mood or theme of the exhibition.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Semester 1

• Wednesday 18 October: Introduction to Research Data Management, 2.00pm, Seminar Room, 63 University Road
• Wednesday 6 December: Developing Research Data Management Plans, 2.00pm, Seminar Room, 63 University Road

Semester 2

• Wednesday 7 February 2018: Introduction to Research Data Management, 2.00pm, Seminar Room, 63 University Road
• Wednesday 7 March 2018: Developing Research Data Management Plans, 2.00pm, Seminar Room, 63 University Road

• Organisational Development Programme
  View and book upcoming courses here.
• Developing for Success Workshops (October–December 2017)
  Workshops are available to managers/leaders and professional specialists in both academic (Grade AC2 and above) and professional support staff groups (Academic related grade 7 and above). View and book upcoming workshops here.

To book a place on any of the above courses or workshops, log onto iTrent Self Service.

• Excellence Programme
  The Queen's Excellence leadership and management development programme is now inviting applications from eligible staff for Cohort 9 – 2017/18.
  
  Eligibility to apply
  Applications are welcomed from staff at Academic Grade AC3 and above and Professional Services Grade 8 and above. The primary target group is Directors of Education/Research, Senior Staff of Academic Support Directorates (Grade 9/10). Staff must demonstrate on the application form evidence of significant leadership responsibility and potential. Please visit the Organisational Development website for programme dates and an information pack including application form.
  
  For more information contact Paula Teggart, Organisational Development, on 028 9097 5959.

• Tuesday 19 September: Professional Development Series: Introduction to Lecturing, 1.00pm – 2.00pm
• Wednesday 27 September: Using TurnitinUK Originality Checking Software, 2.00pm – 4.30pm
• Wednesday 11 October: An Introduction to Queen's Online for Learning and Teaching, 10.00am – 1.00pm
• Wednesday 11 October: QuestionMark (for Computer Assisted Assesment), 2.00pm – 4.00pm
• Tuesday 17 October: Professional Development Series: Peerwise, 1.00pm – 2.00pm
• Wednesday 18 October: Writing Good Multiple Choice Questions (workshop), 2.00pm – 4.00pm. (Complements the QuestionMark session above.)
• Wednesday 18 October: Laboratory Demonstrating, 2.00pm – 4.30pm
• Tuesday 24 October: Professional Development Series: Assessing Larger Classes, 1.00pm – 2.00pm

Further details of courses and events are available on the CED website. To book, log onto Queen's Online, select 'Training Courses' from the list on the left of the page and follow the link for 'iTrent Self Service'.

• Wednesday 4 October: Web Authoring: Introduction to CMS (Content Management System), 10.00am – 1.00pm
• Thursday 12 October: Facebook for Beginners, 9.30am – 11.30am
• Monday 16 October: Getting Familiar with Photoshop – Part 1, 9.30am – 12.30pm
• Thursday 19 October: Working with SharePoint (for Site Contributors), 10.00am – 12.30pm
• Friday 20 October: Working with SharePoint (for Site Administrators), 10.00am – 12.30pm
• Tuesday 24 October: Twitter for Beginners, 2.15pm – 4.15pm
• Thursday 26 October: Outlook: Making Best Use of Outlook and Exchange, 9.30am – 1.00pm
• Monday 30 October: Getting Familiar with Photoshop – Part 2, 9.30am – 12.30pm
• Friday 3 November: Word Processing: Labels and Mail Merge Using Word, 9.30am – 12.30pm

ECDL: The next test date is Tuesday 3 October, 10.00am – 11.30am. To register your interest in taking ECDL or ECDL Advanced, email ecdl@qub.ac.uk. 
Click here for more information on ECDL.

Tip of the Day: Want to learn how to create eye-catching images? Limited places are available on our Getting Familiar with Photoshop course running on 16 October (Part 1) and 30 October (Part 2).