MPS Weekly Update
16 April 2015
WELL DONE to Professor Claudia Eberlein, Head of
the department of Physics & Astronomy, who last week
was the first of two recipients (the other being Diane
Simpson-Little – Engineering & Design) of the newlyestablished student-led Teaching Awards.
The presentation took place at the University’s Annual Teaching and
Learning Conference.
Claudia provided an introduction to the practical use of Smart
Podiums (interactive screens that can be connected to any
computer) and digital pens for teaching in science, highlighting the
ease of use of teaching technology.
The closing date for this year’s awards is 17 April.
See www.sussex.ac.uk/adqe/enhancement/
devawardsrecognition/studentledawards
Quantum Leap
The latest annual issue of Falmer, produced by the
Alumni office, highlights the recent and continuing
success of the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
(AMO) research group.
Prof Winfried Hensinger (r) and Dr Seb Weidt (l)
The full article can be accessed at
www.sussex.ac.uk/alumni/newsandevents/falmer
Winni will be speaking at this year’s Cheltenham
Science Festival on Friday 5 June at the Helix
Theatre – ‘Can we build a quantum computer?’
Thursday 16 April
7.30pm-9.30pm
St Bartholomew’s Church,
Brighton
University of Sussex
Symphony Orchestra play
Shostakovich
Tickets £4.50/£2.50
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/
newsandevents/
eventscalendar?id=30037
www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/science/whatson/2015/can-we-build-a-quantum-computer/
Entries are invited for the first Sussex
Impact and Research awards.
The awards are being held as part of the Sussex Impact Day
(16 June). The awards are open to all UoS faculty and research
staff. Each winning entry will receive a trophy and £1000 paid into
a research support account .
The deadline for applying is 18 May 2015. Further details are
available at www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/research/rqi/impact/
susseximpactday/impactandresearchawards
Finalists’ Results’
Day party
Friday 12 June
Departmental seminars coming up this week 9-15 April
MASS
www.maths.sussex.ac.uk/
seminar
Thursday 16 April 4pm Pev 3 5C11
Dr Harsha Hutridurga (Cambridge)
On the kinetic Fokker-Planck equation
Thursday 23 April 2pm Pev 3 5C11
Prof Andreas Prohl (Universität Tübingen)
Numerical Analysis of backward SPDEs and
related problems
ADPE
www.sussex.ac.uk/apde/
research/seminars
NEXT SEMINAR MONDAY 11 MAY –
SEE ABOVE LINK FOR DETAILS
Astronomy
www.sussex.ac.uk/astronomy/
newsandevents/calendar
Friday 17 April 3.15pm Arts C C133
Bethan James (Cambridge)
Exploring and uncovering metal-poor galaxies
through the cosmic ages
EPP
https://epp.phys.sussex.ac.uk/epp/
Seminars_2014_15
Thursday 16 April 1pm Pev 3 4C10
Kai Zuber (TU Dresden)
Status and perspectives of double beta decay
searches with GERDA
TPP
www.sussex.ac.uk/tpp/research/
seminars
JOINT TPP/ASTRONOMY SEMINAR
Monday 27 April 4pm Pev 3 4C10
Chiara Caprini (IPhT, Paris)
TBA
Thursday 16 April 12noon-2pm
JMS 1B1
Introduction to Study Direct for teaching
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/
eventscalendar?id=28712
Thursday 16 April 12.30pm-2pm
M129 Mayfield House
University of Brighton, Falmer
Meet the Association of University
Administrators (AUA) - drop in and find out
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/
eventscalendar?id=29536
Thursday 16 April 2pm-4.30pm
Fulton 203
Exploring careers outside academia
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/
eventscalendar?id=29516
Monday 20 April 11am-12.30pm
Essex House 133
Dr Anne Hole
Technology for doctoral research – one-to-one
support
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/
eventscalendar?id=29945
Wednesday 22 April
11,30am-1pm
Library café
Gradcracker drop-in session
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/
Thursday 23 April 1.30pm-4.30pm
Location tbc on booking
Appraising academics – the Sussex scheme
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/
eventscalendar?id=29664
Impact is increasingly important for our funding, with the REF assessment being weighted
20% on impact submissions. Hence 18 staff from the school recently contributed to an
afternoon session learning about impact, case studies submitted by other universities and
discussed how we can improve our own impact outputs. If you want to learn more about
how UK university research is being turned into substantial societal and economic impacts, you can look
at the case studies at these links: Maths results.ref.ac.uk/Results/ByUoa/10/Impact and Physics
results.ref.ac.uk/Results/ByUoa/9/Impact. It gives a truer picture than what you might have seen in
press releases and makes for fascinating reading.
If you have any ideas for creating and developing economic impact, or need support for that, please
contact Colin Hayhurst at [email protected].
Sussex Research and the International Office have just launched the second round of the
IRPN (International Research Partnerships and Networks Fund), which is open to all
Research Centres. The scheme is intended to enable Centres to enhance the quality of
their research and markedly raise their global profile through international partnerships.
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/newsandevents/index?id=29939
A reminder of this week’s MPS annual social
activities:
Thursday 16 April
Maths Ball at the
Brighton Hilton Metropole
Friday 17 April
Physics& Astronomy Ball at the
Holiday Inn Brighton
Thursday 23 April
5.30pm-6.30pm
Talks at the Keep
Brighton and George
Augustus Sala: a talk by
Dr Peter Blake
LOCAL EVENTS
Friday 17 April 8pm
Clock Tower, Brighton
BAD (Brighton After Dark)
walking tour
During the walk you will learn about the
Chocolate Box poisoner, the Trunk Murders,
Reverend Wagner and the home for ‘fallen
women’, Blue Nun – the ghost of the Lanes.
Not suitable for under 16s or those of a nervous
disposition
www.meetup.com/guided-walks-inBrightonandSussex/#upcoming
www.sussex.ac.uk/staff/
newsandevents/eventscalendar?
id=28234
Sunday 19 April Madeira Drive
Austins to Brighton 2015
Open to all Austins manufactured up to 1955
austinsevenownersclub.com/austins-tobrighton/
Vote for Britain’s favourite bird
www.votenationalbird.com/
Unfortunately, this little
beauty (which happens to
be my favourite car, typed
the non-driver) won’t be
able to compete as
manufacture of them only
started in 1956.
Here are a few of the colourful
contenders.
Voting closes at midnight on Thursday 7 May.
Austin A35
This is the final MPS weekly update of this
academic year.
Normal service will be resumed in September at
the start of the next academic year.