Month: May 2014

A limited number of tickets are now available for ‘31’ – the University of Lincoln 2014 Degree Fashion Show on Friday 23rd May.

• Show time: 8pm (Bar from 7pm)
• After show celebratory party until midnight
• Venue: The County Assembly Rooms, 76 Bailgate Lincoln, LN1 3AR
• Car parking is available LN1 Area: Bailgate, Westgate & St. Paul’s Lane

Please contact or Victoria Bellandini vbellandini@lincoln.ac.uk or Dagmara Childs dchilds@lincoln.ac.uk for tickets.

Alternatively there is FREE ENTRY (No tickets required) to the ‘Live Dress Rehearsal’ at 2pm on Friday 23^rd May.

Do please come and celebrate our students special ‘fashion moment!’

Many thanks to all the final year students who took part in this year’s National Student Survey (NSS).

We had a tremendous turnout of 73%, which equates to 2,276 students from across the University.

As part of marketing campaign to encourage final year students to take part, a prize draw was held to win one of three brand new iPad Airs. Ipsos Mori, the NSS provider, randomly selected the following students to win an iPad each:

• Michelle Cheung – BA (Hons) Film & Television
• Adam Dorricott – BA (Hons) Interactive Design
• Robert Payne – BSc (Hons) Psychology And Criminology

Congratulations to all the winners. A small prize ceremony took place with Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Scott Davidson and the Director of Marketing Elly Sample (pictured above with Robert and Michelle).

The results of the NSS will be release by Ipsos Mori in August.

To see the latest images from the Joseph Banks Building works, please visit http://learninglandscapes.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/projects/joseph-banks-laboratories/#progress

This is an intensive three-week programme based in both Delhi and Mumbai.  Two groups of students will be selected at the programmes will run from 17 August to 5 September and from 24 August to 12 September.  Students participate in Cultural & Historical talks and visits, work placements in corporations and NGOs, school and college visits.  It is open to all Undergraduate students at any UK institution.  As part of the UKIERI agreement and to make the most of this educational experience, students are expected to adhere to a code of conduct, complete a reflective work on return to the UK and participate in dissemination activities.

Students are expected to fund their international flights and any spending money, all other costs are covered by the programme.

For more information and to complete the application, students should go to the following webpage: http://studyindia.co.uk/

If you have any questions about the scheme, please contact J.Pilcher@hw.ac.uk.

All shows are free and open to the public.

It could have gone drastically wrong, but it didn’t …  On Friday 9th May the Lincoln Schools of Media and Journalism joined forces with the University’s community radio station, Siren FM to present a “Question Time” style debate, in partnership with The Lincolnite, streamed live on YouTube, on air and with live blogging throughout.

Five European Parliament candidates from the Labour, Conservative, UKIP, Green and Liberal Democrat parties, including sitting MEPs Bill Newton Dunn and Roger Helmer, faced a packed audience in the University’s TV studio suite.  Taking the chair for this ambitious multiplatform live broadcast was Siren FM’s Managing Editor and former BBC TV news anchor, Andrew David, whilst directing the programme and its professional standard crew of Media students was the LSM’s Neil Kendall.  Listeners and viewers took part via social media driven by a team of student bloggers.

The unprecedented collaborative project was initiated after a visit by a group of students and tutors from the School of Journalism to the EP in Brussels last November.  I was struck by the apparent apathy to the forthcoming elections in the UK media and approached colleagues across both Schools to see if Lincoln could provide an opportunity for information and debate.

I knew we had the facilities and we had the expertise jointly between the LSM, the LSJ and through Siren FM. When we were then joined by the on-line newspaper, The Lincolnite, we knew we had the potential to reach and hopefully energise the local electorate, especially first time voters.  But I was amazed at how colleagues, students and the Siren volunteers worked together to pull off something we had never tried before – and to such a high standard of production values.

“Members of the audience told us at the end of the programme how much they’d enjoyed it and asked if we could put on more such debates.  One 18 year old said how much more he’d learned in that one hour than in the rest of the run up to the elections so far.” said Andrew David,”That, and the sheer professionalism of the students and volunteers working together with the staff, gave us all such a buzz.  The event was a greater success than we had hoped and it gives us a platform on which to build as we look forward to the UK’s General Election this time next year.”

The programme is available to watch at www.sirenonline.co.uk

Item supplied by Deborah Wilson, Acting Head of the LSJ.

The English Language and the Spoken Word

With a long and successful career in television, radio and theatre which has made him a household name, Nicholas Parsons is best known today for his long-standing position as host of the comedy radio game show Just A Minute. Nicholas is also famous as the long-term host of Sale of the Century, a show whose audience peaked at over 21 million viewers (a record for an ITV game show)*.

The English language is one of the richest and most colourful in the world, having been derived from many sources, and it has been exported to become the first language in many other countries where it is spoken with standard pronunciation and only subtle variations over a large area. This occurs in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and is the first language in India and other countries in that sub-continent. This is in contrast to the British Isles, where in a very small geographical area the pronunciation of our language varies tremendously. The way they speak in Glasgow is hugely different to Cardiff or Liverpool or Birmingham. In this country you can travel 100 miles and find people using our language in quite a different way. These dialect variations are most attractive and it would be sad if they disappeared and we all spoke a kind of Englese. With the advent of easy travel, and the influence of the mass medium of television it is beginning to happen.

Booking is now available for this event: please contact events@lincoln.ac.uk or call 01522 837100 to book your place.

Schoolchildren will be able to produce real blacksmith artefacts using the latest 3D-printer technology thanks to a grant of £31,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Led by Computer Scientists from the University of Lincoln, UK, and Chain Bridge Forge in Spalding, the Heritage Craft Simulation project will provide a 21st Century take on blacksmithing by developing a ‘virtual craft simulator’.

The project aims to revive the process of crafting techniques and craftsmanship for a new generation.

Developing bespoke software and integrating human motion capture tracking sensors, users will be able to create their own artefact which can then be ‘printed’ as a keepsake.

Dr John Murray, from the University’s School of Computer Science, said: “The technology will teach the schoolchildren how to perform blacksmith tasks, giving them tips and allowing them to ‘work’ the material. The system would then 3D print their artefact as a memento of their crafting work. It is hoped that this would preserve the heritage for future generations. The long-term aim is to apply this technology to simulate all heritage crafts, such as pottery or materials.”

Heritage crafts played an important role for the local community, but many, including blacksmithing, have been in decline since the early 20th century. It is hoped this project will pass on the knowledge and skills that were held by blacksmiths to help conserve the craft.

Dr Murray will be working with volunteers from Chain Bridge Forge in Spalding; an early 19th century blacksmith’s workshop that has served as a museum and heritage centre since 2011.

The simulator will first be placed in the Forge but will then be showcased at major UK museums and heritage centres before being available for loan to schools.

Some of the funding will also be used to train 30 University of Lincoln students as blacksmiths to guide schoolchildren through the process.

Geoff Taylor, from Chain Bridge Forge, said: “We aim to allow people to try blacksmithing for themselves without the need to use dangerous and heavy equipment, or indeed without many years training as an apprentice. This project will allow schools to bring back exposure of these crafts to pupils in a new, modern and safe way.”

Visit Lincoln are delighted to bring you the best things happening in the city this week:

• Lincoln Jazz Week continues throughout the week with international jazz acts performing across the city, often for free
• The Lincoln Farmers’ Market hits the High Street on Wednesday bringing the best of the region’s food and drink produce
• Internationally renowned choir The Sixteen will perform at Lincoln Cathedral as part of their Choral Pilgrimage
• The Farmers’ Market arrives in Lincoln for the second time this week on Saturday in Castle Square
• The Lincoln Craft Market will be in Cornhill on Saturday with the chance to meet local craftspeople
• May 17^th is Lindum Colonia Day and all weekend you’ll be able to enjoy Roman activities throughout the city including late night opening at The Collection.

For more information, please visit www.visitlincoln.com.