Welcome to the OctoberNovember 2008 edition of AlumNews

							Welcome to the October/November 2008 edition of AlumNews
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A design for life: interview with Karen Stone Hussars, Sabres and Champagne! Graduate becomes Malaysia's youngest-ever VC Prize for budding children's authors announced Abstracts needed for Planning conference Online thesis library launched Arches magazine: thanks for your input! What’s On: Events in your area Newcastle University Postgraduate Open Day Join us for a scholarly holiday in 2009 Newcastle University: Past, Present & Future

A design for life: interview with Karen Stone
From the curvacious beauty of Grey Street, to the scattering of boutiques across the city, good design is abundant in Newcastle. In the past, however, it has often been overlooked, and rarely celebrated. Now, thanks to Design Event, the North East's annual design festival, this is set to change. AlumNews chats to the festival's Founder and Director, Karen Stone (BSc Mathematics and French 1994)

What is Design Event all about?
Design Event is an annual design festival, now in its fourth year, held across the North East, featuring graphics, illustration, architecture, fashion and product design.

Having done Maths and French for your degree, how did you get involved in design?
I d always been interested in design and, after working in marketing and business development for six years, I decided to open my own design store, Space Boutique, on Pink Lane. It was from meeting local designers looking for a platform to showcase their work that the idea for the festival came about.

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What's special about the North East, in terms of design?
There s a real wealth of talent here, with individuals and collectives producing some amazing work, without the pretention sometimes associated with the sector.

Do you think we're still overshadowed by London, or is this changing?
I think with new technologies, more and more designers are working outside of London, especially on the graphics and new media side. I think it s still necessary for product designers, who are looking for manufacturers, to show their work in London but for individual and commercial commissions, I think the market and network in the North East is quite strong.

What inspired you to come up with the Design Event concept?
Being passionate about design and the North East, and realising the amazing talent here that just wasn t being shouted about.

Has it had a positive effect on the local community?
Absolutely we ve had approx 12,000 visitors to this year's festival, and feedback has been really positive in terms of the quality of exhibitions and events, and the talks programme that we have.

What are your own personal highlights from Design Event 08?
I think certainly our talks programme including Timorous Beasties; Matt Pyke from Universal Everything; Michael Young and Rob Slinger from Kapok Architects in Berlin; the graphics exhibitions at Kings House, which is such a great venue and combines work by regional designers, graduates, and national and international designers; and Lighten Up in the north tower of the Tyne Bridge an installation of 63 lights in an amazing space.

An article on Times Online [http://snipurl.com/7qdnm] talks about your collection of unconventional art, furniture and other stuff. What are your three favourite items, and why are you passionate about them?
My taste is quite mixed with junk shop finds sitting alongside pieces by regional designers. I have a chair by Dan Civico, which I love it s one from a series of 31 he made over 31 days, and has both a modern and retro feel at the same time. I also have some benches at my kitchen table that my dad made for me out of some scaffolding planks rescued from a building site, and a marimekko print on my wall which was from my shop. Oh and my Nissan Figaro mint green car a 1991 japanese import based on a 1950s design.

Design Event 08 wraps up on Sunday 26 October. For more information, and details of next year's programme, visit: www.design-event.co.uk

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Hussars, Sabres and Champagne!
by Dr. Michael Lim (BDS 1981, MB BS 1983), the Travelling Gourmet.
MOONCAKES from Marriott were in season on 28 August 2008, when I was the first gourmet in the world to perform the Sabre a Champagne at the world s largest and highest observation wheel (150m in diameter), and also the first to match mooncakes and champagne on The Singapore Flyer. The stage was the VIP Lounge of the Singapore Flyer on Level 3, where top Media and VIPs including HE Khun Nopadol, the Thai Ambassador ,were present. Singapore s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong was unable to attend but sent me an email wishing me all the best for the event. I carried out the 'Sabre' on the al fresco terrace to avoid any possible damage to the expensive fittings and large screen plasma TV. Those of a more nervous disposition watched the show from inside as they had a good view through the floor to ceiling glass wall. With a swift and decisive stroke from my little friend , fondly named Mackie Messer after the hero in that classic Kurt Weil Opera, Die drei Groschen Oper, the bottle was decapitated! With a loud BANG the cork and glass annulus shot out from the Möet & Chandon NV Brut champagne like a 9mm bullet from James Bond s Walther P99 autoloading pistol to the delight of the guests. Champagne is under a pressure of up to sixmospheres, which is three times the pressure in your car tyres, so the cork can really injure someone in the line of fire. Luckily, all was well and no injury to animate or inanimate objects occurred. The NV Brut comprises three grape varieties, namely Chardonnay for the freshness and acidity and citrus flavours, Pinot Noir for the body and structure, with Pinot Meunier adding finesse and elegance. It is always fascinating to realise that Champagne, a white sparkling wine is actually made with TWO red grapes. However, the juice of the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes is almost colourless, just like that of the white grape Chardonnay. Only sparkling wine made by the methode champenoise', with double fermentation inside the bottle, in the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne. Since 1779, Möet & Chandon has been the champagne of the rich, famous and powerful and present at numerous celebrations and festivities around the world. Madame Pompadour, the first brand ambassador for champagne said: 'Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it.' Napoleon, who conquered most of Europe once upon a time, said: 'I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate... and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself.' It was Napoleon s Hussars who started the tradition of Sabrage in the early 1800s, circa 1801 to 1804. The Hussars were the elite shock troops used for daring raids and reconnaissance missions, like their equivalent today, the Special Air Service regiment. They used to visit Veuve Clicquot (Widow Clicquot) of the famous champagne maison. She liked their company,

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they liked her and before they rode off, she would present them with a bottle of her best champagne. For those who have ridden horses before, you will know that it is not easy to open a bottle of champagne when you have to control the horse by the reins. Therefore, the impetuous Hussars, who were expert cavalry swordsmen, would draw their 85cm sabers with their right hand, hold the reins and bottle of champagne in their left hand, and then swiftly slice off the bottle top with one stroke. One can drink safely from a sabraged bottle because the high pressure ensures no broken glass is in the wine. It was a practical and macho way to open champagne on the gallop, and also impressed the beautiful Veuve Clicquot at the same time! The Singapore Flyer at the far right of the picture. Photo by lensfodder (Flickr)

Then it was all aboard the Flyer to quaff more champagne matched with the Marriott s magnificent mooncakes. The champers went really well with the Ice Kachang mooncake, bursting with attap chees (oval chewy fruit of the mangrove tree), Japanese sweet potato and tender red beans. The other type of mooncake I matched the champagne with was traditional baked mooncake, with a filling of sweet smooth-as-silk textured Lotus seed paste, with a single duck egg yolk. My good friend from England, ravishing Faith Thoms, Regional Marketing Communications Manager for Hilton International, smiling, remarked mischieviously to me: 'So, care for more bubbly, Rambo?' As we flew to 165 metres above Marina Bay, the warm glowing rays of the setting sun glinted on the bubbly wine, the glimmering golden flecks in the champagne seemed to implore me, 'Taste me, I m really good ' So I did. A votre santé! (A French toast which means to your health ]

The Travelling Gourmet suggests some food to match with your bubbly:

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SAS Sushi and Sashimi Satay Malay/Indonesian skewers of meat charcoal grilled and served with a spicy peanut sauce Scottish Smoked Salmon, Lobster with Garlic Butter Hainanese Chicken Rice Ice Kachang Singapore s National Dessert of shaved ice with rose flavoured syrup, Gula Melaka or palm sugar plus tender red beans

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Dr Mike Lim, the Travelling Gourmet, is a food critic and writer on all things travel, food and wine. He has travelled across the world, sampling cuisine from establishments such as Le Cinq in Paris and Circa 55 in Hollywood, to the greasy cafes of the M1. He writes for magazines including Gourmet Living, Flavours, and Golf, and broadcasts on Radio Singapore International. Read our interview with Mike in the April 08 issue of AlumNews at http://snipurl.com/7qdv5

Graduate becomes Malaysia's youngest-ever VC
A Newcastle graduate has become the youngest person ever to head a public university in Malaysia. Professor Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang (MSc Environmental Engineering 1991; PhD 1996), 43, was appointed ViceChancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, in September. Previously, Professor Zaini was Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Innovation and Research at UTM, which entered the Times Higher World University Rankings last year at #415. 'I thank the Government for being bold enough to appoint a relatively young person to the post of VC', Professor Zaini told Malaysia's The Star newspaper. 'I will aim to improve the standard of higher education and implement the National Higher Education Strategic Plan.' A well established professional environmental engineer, Professor Zaini is renowned for his research on water quality. In addition to his new role as Vice-Chancellor at UTM, he is also a commissioner to Malaysia's new National Commission on Water Services, and deputy president of the Malaysian Water Association. Professor Tom Curtis, of the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, remembers Zaini as a dedicated student and close friend of his tutor, the late Professor Ken Anderson. 'Zaini is a very capable and organised man,' said Professor Curtis. 'He had a devout attitude to his studies, and always reached out to fellow students and staff. He will make an excellent Vice-Chancellor.'

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Prize for budding children's authors announced
Literary agency Mulcahy Conway Associates has established a new prize of £1,000 to be awarded to the best piece of unpublished fiction written for children or young adults. The Mulcahy Conway Award for Children's and Young Adult Fiction is being offered in conjunction with The Northern Writers' Centre, the partnership between New Writing North, the writing development agency for the North East of England, and the School of English at Newcastle University. Professor Linda Anderson, Associate Dean of Creative Practice at Newcastle University and co-Director of The Northern Writers' Centre, said: 'We are delighted to put in place this sponsorship from such a dynamic agency as Mulcahy Conway Associates. They, like us, are committed to finding and supporting talented new writers.' The directors of Mulcahy Conway Associates said: 'The market for children's books is very healthy both in the UK and internationally. We are always searching for authors with the potential to have successful long-term careers writing children's books. In recent years we have been very impressed by the work being done at The Northern Writers' Centre and are pleased to have this opportunity of formalising our relationship with them.' To be eligible for the award, writers must be either living and working in the North East of England, or past or present students of creative writing at The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University. Picture books or illustrated books are not eligible. The closing date for entries is 31 January 2009. Entry forms and full conditions of entry are available from the Northern Writers' Centre website: www.northernwriterscentre.com For more information on Mulcahy Conway Associates, visit the agency's website at: www.mca-agency.com

Abstracts needed for Planning conference
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape are seeking abstracts for the annual UK and Ireland Planning and Research Conference, set to be held on campus from 1 3 April 2009. Entitled Unequal Places: Planning and Territorial Cohesion, the conference is themed on spatial inequality and the role of planners in addressing this issue.

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For more information on the conference, and instructions on how you can submit an abstract or apply to attend, visit: http://www.apl.ncl.ac.uk/aboutus/unequalplaces.html The deadline for submissions is Monday 15 December.

Online thesis library launched
Decades of doctoral theses are now available at the click of a mouse, thanks to a new electronic archive through the Robinson Library. Lucy Keating (BA French 1992) reports. PhD and other doctoral graduates may well remember the feeling of relief when they finally handed in the bound copies of their thesis. Unfortunately, the majority of theses then sit gathering dust in closed access library stacks, rarely consulted, despite the wealth of original research within their pages. All this has changed, however, with the launch of EThOS, the Electronic Theses Online System. EThOS is a national database housed at the British Library, providing access to the full text of doctoral theses from universities throughout the UK. It will enable researchers to search for and download the full text of UK theses instantly and free of charge. Where theses have not yet been digitised, this will be carried out on demand. Newcastle University has also launched an e-theses service containing the full text of heavily requested doctoral theses from the 1970s to the present, with new and old e-theses being added regularly as the service expands. Evidence shows that making theses available electronically dramatically increases their readership and impact. So, if you completed your PhD at Newcastle University and have an electronic version which you would like to deposit in our database, we will be delighted to receive it. It will then also be added to the national EThOS database. All works are covered by database licences. Please contact us on lib-e-theses@ncl.ac.uk if you wish to deposit your e-thesis, and do also let us know if for any reason you don't want the print version of your thesis to be digitised should a researcher request it. More information:

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EtThos: http://www.ethos.ac.uk NU e-theses service: https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/dspace/

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Arches magazine: thanks for your input!
A big thank you to everyone who filled out the Arches survey in the August edition of AlumNews. Your feedback gave us some really valuable insights, and we're formulating plans for the new look Arches magazine, which will be published next Spring. Congratulations to Neil Carter (BA Geography 1994), who has been picked out of the hat to win £25 in Marks and Spencers vouchers. Keep an eye out for the next issue of Arches magazine, which will be landing on your doorsteps next month.

What's On: Events in your area
To register and book your place for any of these events (unless otherwise stated), please contact Maria Szpitun on 0044 (0)191 222 3638 or by email at m.szpitun@ncl.ac.uk Please also take a look at our events calendar, which will give you details of all upcoming events scheduled during the next few months.

Wynne-Jones Memorial Lecture 2008

Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, 24 October 2008 @ 5:30pm
The esteemed Professor Ronald Breslow of Columbia University, USA, will be giving the second annual Wynne-Jones Chemistry Lecture. Tickets are no longer available for this event.

Hannah Maybank at the Hatton Gallery

Hatton Gallery, on campus, 27 October 15 November 2008
Hannah Maybank is a painter whose work is concerned with the processes of time and space, with an emphasis upon the cycles of growth and decay. This exhibition is now closed.

National Pathology Week lecture

David Shaw Lecture Theatre, Medical School, 3 November 2008 @ 6pm
Professor Philip Quirke of Leeds University will be giving a lecture on campus, entitled Pathology the patient's champion in bowel cancer. Tickets are no longer available for this event.

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Marine Alumni Branch launch in Newcastle

Student Common Room, School of MS&T, Armstrong Building, 13 November 2008 @ 7pm
NUMAB, the branch of the Alumni Association for Marine Science and Technology graduates, is set to launch on campus on 13 November. For more information, visit the branch page.

Lectures and workshops

On and around campus, October November 2008
From business and culture to science and engineering, the University is hosting a bumper series of lectures, workshops and seminars this autumn. Visit http://www.ncl.ac.uk/events/noticeboard for more details

Tyneside Book Club

Tyneside Cinema, 10 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle every month
Tyneside Cinema s new series of film and literature events continues in November with its look at big screen adaptations of popular novels and stories. At each Tyneside Book Club a guest speaker will introduce a film and afterwards lead a discussion with the audience about its journey from page to screen. Visit: http://www.tynecine.org

Newcastle University Postgraduate Open Day
If you are looking for a fresh challenge that can open up new opportunities or further your career development, postgraduate study could provide you with the stimulus you need. The range of taught programmes and research degrees now available covers a broad subject spectrum, and most offer full-time and part-time options. Now is the perfect time to start finding out more and planning what you would like to do. At our Postgraduate Open Day on Wednesday 26 November you can discuss different study options with academics, staff and careers advisers; meet current postgraduate students; attend talks about funding, careers and how to apply; and pick up information about different funding sources including our 10 per cent Alumni Tuition Fee Discount. The open day is a drop-in event and you can come anytime between 12.30pm and 4.00pm. For more information and to reserve your place, see: www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

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Join us for a scholarly holiday in 2009
The University is launching its first alumni holiday in June 2009, with an Istanbul, Troy & an Aegean Cruise. The holiday tour guide is the University s own treasured academic, Jeremy Paterson. Jerry has been at Newcastle since 1972 and is a Senior Lecturer in Ancient History. Alumni accompanying Jerry on this trip will find it hard to resist his infectious enthusiasm and unparalleled knowledge of the Greek and Roman world. The holiday is open to all alumni irrespective of discipline. You ll start the trip by enjoying a visit to one of the greatest cities of the world, Constantinople. Then, after visiting Assos, Pergamum and Smyrna, Homer s birthplace, you ll board a private yacht and cruise Aegean Turkey, visiting some of the finest Classical sites. For more information about the exact itinerary please contact IMA Travel directly. Tel: +44 (0)20 8940 4114 Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 2456 E-mail: infor@imatravel.com Web: www.imatravel.com IMA Travel, 13 The Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2AL *All tours protected under ATOL 2903 Please note that the running of this tour is the sole responsibility of the travel operator IMA. Newcastle University has no control over, or responsibility for, the operation of the tour.

Newcastle University: Past, Present & Future
The first-ever illustrated colour portrait of Newcastle University, telling the fascinating story of its evolution, is now available from DARO at the reduced price of £22.50* (RRP £45)**. Entitled Newcastle University: Past, Present and Future, the book's 192 pages are packed with memories, anecdotes and first-hand accounts of the development of the University, contributed by staff and students, past and present. The book also includes a detailed timeline featuring highlights from the University's history, from the earliest

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private courses run by local medical practitioners in 1832, to the recently-established worldclass research facilities in the Devonshire and Paul O'Gorman Buildings. Emeritus Professor of History, Norman McCord, acted as Advisory Editor. He said: 'We have received a marvellous selection of first-hand accounts and previously unseen images and documents stretching from before the war all the way to the twenty-first century.

'With this book, the University has made a major step towards creating a true archive', he added.

Newcastle University: Past, Present and Future is available from the Development and
Alumni Relations Office, priced at £22.50 (*excluding P&P). For further information, or to make a purchase, please contact Louise Swan by e-mail at louise.swan@ncl.ac.uk or by telephone on 0044 (0)191 222 3559. **While stocks last

If you have any news or stories that you would like to feature in the next edition of AlumNews, please send them to d.j.howarth@ncl.ac.uk

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