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UEA recently welcomed one of the world’s most respected scientists, who came to campus to open our New Science Building.
In front of a packed house of students, guests and the media, and joined by Prof Ben Garrod and Vice-Chancellor David Richardson, Dr Jane Goodall declared the University’s latest hi-tech science block open in mid-October.
Nearly sixty years after she began her landmark study of wild chimpanzees at Gombe in Tanzania, Dr Goodall spoke about the importance of getting together to heal the harm caused to nature – and initiated an impromptu chimp call in the process.
The New Science Building is a £30 million state-of-the-art teaching and learning building, which will be at the forefront of UEA’s scientific study, with teaching laboratories and seminar rooms used by students and staff across the science faculty.
And, having consulted the University’s forum for disabled staff members and students throughout the project, the building has another claim to fame: it is one of the most accessible buildings on any university campus in the UK.
A final get together in southern Australia brings the annual celebrations to a close for another year.
Over 450 people signed up for this year’s 37 Global Gathering events, which took place across the world to celebrate the UEA’s anniversary. The events stretched from Kathmandu to Melbourne, some with over 50 people, some with only two, and involved games and city tours, UEA-branded cakes and pints of craft ale brewed by fellow grads.
Our new Global Alumni Officer, Will Stileman, has recently been in touch with Global Gathering hosts to find out how they felt about the events, and how we can make next year's even bigger and better. If you attended a Global Gathering event and would like to share your feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – simply send Will an email.
Missed out on Global Gathering this year? Ensure you’ve updated your details so we can keep you in the loop about events taking place near you next year.
We’re celebrating 50 years of pioneering creative writing at UEA next year by appointing a new International Chair of Creative Writing (ICCW) and running a Global Voices programme that will offer 50 international scholarships for the MA in Creative Writing.
The programme will give the world’s most promising new voices a life-changing opportunity to study at UEA, while five separate Chairs of Creative Writing, one each year, will be responsible for highlighting those voices through a programme of masterclasses and events and by creating networks in their region.
“We want to empower many more international voices,” said Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Sarah Barrow, “especially at a time when borders and boundaries are suddenly looking a little more rigid, and the world a little less accessible.”
David Ellis, Director of Development, added: "We are incredibly proud of the writers we have helped nurture here at UEA, and we’re very excited about the emerging global voices we will uncover as part of the programme.”
This £2.25 million project relies on the support of donors. Visit the UEA website to find out how you can offer your support.
Researchers at UEA are leading a new project exploring how pre-teens understand the risks of the internet. The work will also evaluate the toolkits developed for parents and teachers to help children become more resilient online, while benefiting from the opportunities the internet offers. The research team is looking to recruit schools for the project – please email Dr Simon P Hammond if you’d like to take part.
The convergences of racism, decolonisation and migration are seen through the life of one Greek Cypriot immigrant to 1950s Northeast England, in a new book by UEA researcher Dr Alexandria Innes. Colonial Citizenship and Everyday Transnationalism: An immigrant’s story, examines the life of her Greek Cypriot grandfather, Nicholaos Charalambou Kanaris, and explores how colonial identity and the politics of race have shaped life in Britain from the past half-century through to the present day, a time of turmoil for British immigration.
Weak governance and the implications for climate adaptation
Of the many obstacles to effectively tackling climate change, weak governance is a major concern, according to new study involving UEA. Taking into account political stability, regulatory quality, rule of law and corruption, the study found that even with the most optimistic scenarios it will take until 2050 to overcome these issues, which could be central to the international community’s ability to make much-needed environmental changes.
Time and Tide, written by graduate James McDermott and directed by fellow UEA grad Rob Ellis, runs from 5 to 28 February next year.
A LGBT comic drama about a Norfolk community struggling with change, Time and Tide will be on at the award-winning Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London.
James, who graduated from the MA in Scriptwriting in 2016 is an award-winning writer and performance poet based in East Anglia. His plays include Street Life, Rubber Ring and Fast Food, which starred Jude Law.
Rob Ellis has an MA in Theatre Directing from UEA, graduating in 2015, and is a director of Relish Theatre.
A brand new event comes to campus in November to celebrate the achievements of the University’s most exciting entrepreneurial students and grads.
UEA Student Enterprise helps students and graduates develop, launch and grow a business through a programme of workshops, with support from entrepreneur mentors and up to £50,000 of funding. The service is available to graduates for up to five years post-graduation.
The Next Generation Ventures event on Wednesday 20 November (5.30-7.30pm at The Enterprise Centre) will celebrate those entrepreneurs, and give others the chance to hear directly from some of our game-changing students and graduates about how they are making a difference to people and the planet with their businesses.
There’ll be food, drinks and a student enterprise market demonstrating some of our finest success stories. And it's free to attend.
Arthur Smith’s latest book features a collection of stories, poems and articles gathered over a long and celebrated career.
The comedy circuit veteran's years at UEA are perhaps best-remembered for the role he played in the Great Coypu Hoax of ‘74. And his new book further details exploits from a life lived, from being arrested for 'breach of the peace and possession of a megaphone', to hitchhiking with a nun and getting into a fight with Billy Connolly.
A successful stand-up comic, poet and writer, Arthur was also one of the celebrated stars of the BBC series, Grumpy Old Men. Next month he’s performing at Courthouse Arts Centre in Otley, West Yorkshire, and Up the Creek in London.
Parents and carers of prospective students – equip yourself with all you need to know about university and UEA.
The UEA parents’ newsletter offers advice and support to parents and carers on important deadlines, the clearing process, scholarship opportunities, courses and other top tips about UEA life for young people.
Signing up is easy. Simply fill out the steps in this form and you’ll get the newsletter sent straight to your inbox each and every month.
Recruiting now for January 2020.
UEA’s MA in Educational Practice and Research is specially designed for school teachers, further and higher education lecturers and other practitioners who wish to continue their professional development through Master’s level study.
Flexible and personalised study patterns have been designed to complement professional work commitments, with many of the taught modules being delivered during evening sessions or on Saturdays. The course starts in January and is offered on a part-time basis.
Email Postgraduate Admissions for more info, or give them a call on 01603 591515.
In a recent viral video message, sports presenter Jake Humphrey spoke about getting out of the ‘comfy chair’ to succeed. And he’s helping a new student do just that through a generous new scholarship.
Jake received an honorary doctorate from UEA in 2012 and, earlier this year, he and his wife Harriet decided to set up a fund to help those who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford university.
Jake never went to university. But, he said, though he wasn’t the “best when it came to education, I was lucky enough to have the support and the backing of some amazing industry leaders.”
Owen Turner, a Film and TV Studies student from Kent now has that same, valuable backing, through a £15,000 grant from the Jake Humphrey Scholarship. “I would like to thank Jake and Harriet for taking a chance on me,” said Owen. “I will make the most of this opportunity.”
Scholarships have the power to transform a student’s entire university experience, and this academic year generous UEA supporters have given over £630,000 and brought 75 new scholars to UEA.
Applications for UEA’s range of Postgraduate Research Studentships and PhD courses for 2020 are now open.
If you’re interested in further study, or taking your research one step further, then UEA could be the place to do it. Not only is the University ranked tenth in the UK for the quality of our research outputs, but alumni are also eligible for a 10 per cent tuition-fee reduction scholarship.
Tick off one of your new year’s resolutions early and learn something new with the School of International Development and FutureLearn.
This new – and free – online short course explores the challenges and opportunities of global development, from climate change to gender politics, and looks at the Kibera in Nairobi, Africa’s biggest slum, as a central case study.
Providing a great foundation for any aspiring development practitioners, or prospective applicants of Global Studies, Geography, Politics, or Economics courses at UEA, sign-ups open approximately six weeks before its January start date.
Wednesday 12 February 2020; doors 6.30pm £10, £6 studentLecture Theatre 1, UEA
Literary legend Isabel Allende will be appearing at UEA on her first visit to the UK in 12 years. Allende has sold over 74 million copies of her books worldwide, making her one the world's most widely-read authors. She is the author of over 23 best-sellers and the recipient of the 2018 National Book Award’s Lifetime Achievement and the winner of the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Set in the late 1930s, as civil war grips Spain, her highly anticipated new novel, A Long Petal of the Sea is a work of historical fiction about hope, exile and belonging. You can read an excerpt of the book on her website.
Our annual series of London Lectures returns in the new year with four fantastic talks at the Regent Street Cinema.We’ll dive deep into the Mariana Trench for our first lecture on Thursday 13 February, as we discover the mysterious microbes that degrade oil spills with the help of their algal allies. This will be followed on Thursday 12 March by a talk from Prof Eylem Atakav, who will reflect on the impact of her award-winning documentary Growing Up Married.
We’ll continue with a lecture each month, with one on Thursday 23 April examining the catalogue of failed attempts by governments around the world to regulate the internet. To round out the series on Thursday 14 May, Prof Colin Cooper will examine the ways in which new approaches in artificial intelligence are leading to improvements in the clinical management of prostate cancer.
UEA London Lectures give you an opportunity to hear about current UEA research and to meet and reminisce with fellow alumni, all at the Regent Street Cinema in the heart of London.
From Tuesday 12 November, 6.30pmFree, no need to bookTonight, Prof Su Holmes from the School of Art, Media and American Studies, will draw upon empirical research to examine how and why feminism might not be ‘welcome’ in the clinical treatment of and popular discourse around ‘eating disorders’.
On Tuesday 19 November, Prof Tarcisio Gazzini from the School of Law will focus on the international treaties that are designed to offer legal protection to foreign investors – which have been widely criticised due to their unbalanced content and perceived lack of legitimacy.
And In our last inaugural lecture of the autumn season on Tuesday 3 December, Prof Nick Steel from Norwich Medical School will advocate for good conversations between patients and health professionals, despite the apparent diagnostic superiority of emerging artificial intelligence.
You can watch all of these lectures live or catch up the following week on our YouTube channel. Or, if you live nearby, attend in person.
Monday 25 November, 7pmNational Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall, NorwichFree, booking essential
Are we being watched? From Facebook to China, to the FBI and MI5, the ways in which we're watched – and the question of who is watching us – seem to be omnipresent in the news cycle.
In the final Dragon Hall Debate of the autumn term, Chief Executive of Index on Censorship Jodie Ginsberg will explore the censoring effects of surveillance on the press, Dr Joe Purshouse from the School of Law will challenge the legality of facial recognition technology and Dr Kaeten Mistry from the School of Art, Media and American Studies will explore what happens after the proverbial whistle is blown.
The Dragon Hall Debates – presented by UEA and the National Centre for Writing – tackle the biggest questions in science, culture and politics. Come along and hear from the panel, then join the conversation and have your say. All are welcome, and no prior knowledge is needed.
Various performances by the UEA Choir, Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir are happening in the coming months.
The first is ‘Myth and Faith’, which features the UEA Choir and Symphony Orchestra performing three Symphonic Poems from Bedřich Smetana’s evocative Má Vlast, and Haydn’s Harmoniemesse (Friday 22 November at 7.30pm, St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich).
Then, on Sunday 8 December, the UEA Chamber Choir will perform a selection of seasonal gems, including Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit, and two pieces by Michel-Richard de Lalande (6.30pm at St George’s Church Tombland in Norwich).
And on Wednesday 11 December, the UEA Choir will be performing Christmas carols at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich.
Hilary Franklin (BIO 1966)
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