University of Newcastle upon Tyne

ahead2006 University of Newcastle upon Tyne PROFILE AND ANNUAL REVIEW

MOVING The designation of Newcastle as a ‘Science City’ is the highlight of a memorable year, says the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christopher Edwards. The year 2005 has been a memorable one, as judged by

The University formed a partnership with Newcastle City

the many achievements of University staff and students.

Council and One NorthEast, the regional development

A key step forward was the excellent outcome of our

agency, to take forward the Science City initiative, working

Institutional Audit by the Quality Assurance Agency, which

together with business, industry and other stakeholders

has taken the place of the much more expensive and

including Northumbria and Durham Universities.

time-consuming individual subject reviews. The fact that we passed with flying colours is a tribute both to the quality of our teaching and learning processes and all those who took part in the review. Page 8 of this report contains more detail of our teaching and learning achievements. In a year in which London was successful in its bid for the 2012 Olympics, it was appropriate that we made a £5.5 million ($9.7 million) investment in a new state-of-the-art Sports Centre, which will officially be opened by the Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and Olympic rowing champion Ed Coode. History will also relate that 2005 was the first year that our men’s First Eight beat Durham in the annual Northumbrian Water Boat Race on the river Tyne. Above all, however, 2005 will be remembered as the year of Science City. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, announced that Newcastle, together with York, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Nottingham, would be Science Cities, with the objective

In August 2005, the partnership submitted a detailed proposal to the Treasury, setting out the key areas of science upon which Newcastle will focus: stem cell biology and regenerative medicine; ageing and health; molecular engineering (consisting of chemical engineering, chemistry, physics, engineering and nanotechnology); and energy and the environment. One of the most exciting parts of our proposal is the decision by the three main partners jointly to purchase 14 acres of the city centre site formerly occupied by Scottish and Newcastle Breweries as the hub of the project. This gives us an unparalleled opportunity to bring science business and industry together on one site and to produce a unique environment in which we can prosecute translational research. We believe that this will have a transformational effect on the region. Further details of Science City and the complementary Northern Way initiative can be found on page 9 of this report.

of establishing Britain as the optimal place in the world for science-led business and to integrate science and technology policy and expenditure with physical regeneration.

Professor Christopher Edwards

www.ncl.ac.uk

FORWARD

The Sage Gateshead music centre has become a major attraction on Tyneside.

INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2005 Funding council grants

£105.6m ($186.9m)

Research grants and contracts

£55.5m ($98.2m)

Academic fees and support grants

£46.4m ($82.1m)

Other operating income Endowment income and interest receivable

£64.4m ($114.0m) £4.2m ($7.4m)

Total £276.1m ($488.7m)

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE AHEAD2006 01- 02

BREAKING NEWS Obesity, MRSA, the general election, climate change... some of the biggest news events of the past year have involved University staff working behind the scenes.

Dr Amelia Lake, whose research compared the diets of adults and children.

www.ncl.ac.uk

Obesity is classed as a global epidemic by the World

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s much-publicized

Health Organisation and is the subject of public health

campaign for reforms to the Common Agricultural

campaigns in many countries, including the UK,

Policy (CAP) in 2005, received support from the

which alone has 24 million overweight people.

publication of the first comprehensive study of CAP’s

In 2005, Dr Ashley Adamson, of the University’s Human Nutrition Research Centre, received a five-year award from the Department of Health to lead a programme of work to increase our understanding of the causes of obesity - not just food intake and physical activity but environmental, personal and social factors.

effects on Europe’s regions. Newcastle and Aberdeen Universities conducted the two-year project and concluded that the distribution of over 90 billion Euros in farming subsidies by existing methods would lead to even greater inequalities between rich and poor regions of Europe. The evidence and conclusions were published in a book, CAP and the Regions: The

The Department made a further award to Dr Amelia

Territorial Impact of the Common Agricultural Policy,

Lake, also of the Human Nutrition Research Centre,

by Professor Mark Shucksmith of the School of

to conduct a three-year study into the concept that

Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle

obesity is related to environment.

University and co-researchers at Aberdeen. The findings

In an earlier study, Dr Lake and colleagues explored

have been distributed widely in Europe.

changes in diet from adolescence to adulthood.

A series of natural disasters kept climate change

The team examined the food consumption of 200

high on the media’s agenda in 2005, and Newcastle

schoolchildren aged 11-12 and revisited the same

University’s research on this subject also made the news.

people 20 years later. The results revealed that, contrary to popular opinion, most people’s diets get healthier from childhood to adulthood.

The impact of climate change on coastal erosion and flooding is being explored by Jim Hall, Professor of Earth System Engineering, whose recent work includes

Another major health issue of 2005 was the MRSA

simulation of flooding and coastal erosion on the East

‘superbug’, which had infected more than 3,000 hospital

Coast of England.

patients in the UK within 12 months. News of a possible new treatment came from an unusual source. A team of microbiologists, led by Professor Mike Goodfellow of Newcastle University, announced that they had isolated a previously undiscovered type of bacteria from sediment from the Sea of Japan, which produces an antibiotic that is effective against MRSA.

Biologist Dr Mark Whittingham and colleagues discovered that the Golden Plover, a typical upland bird of Northern Britain, was breeding significantly earlier than 20 years ago, probably due to warmer weather in the spring. Professors Paul Younger and David Manning, of the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability,

Pushing back the boundaries of knowledge is what universities should be about - and Newcastle is right at the cutting edge.

identified a source of warm water from ‘hot rocks’ in a remote area of County Durham. There are now hopes of developing the UK’s first renewable energy ‘model village’ at the site.

Sunday Times University Guide 2005

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE AHEAD2006 03-04

RESEARCH From cultivating stem cells to preserving ancient languages, the University’s research touches the lives of people the world over. Newcastle University reaffirmed its position at the

Shoppers throughout Europe are enjoying a greater

forefront of European stem cell research in 2005, when

variety of organic potatoes at more affordable prices,

scientists in the Institute of Human Genetics announced

thanks to research into blight, a fungal disease which

that they had grown a cluster of human cells, known as a

can destroy untreated crops.

blastocyst, by inserting DNA into an unfertilized human egg and inducing it to multiply.

Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University co-ordinated a major European study to

The Newcastle group was only the second in the world,

identify varieties of potatoes that are resistant to

after a Korean team, to carry out this procedure. It is an

blight and can be grown without using chemical fertilizers

important step towards producing the stem cells that

and pesticides. Ten varieties were identified and began

could one day provide treatments for a range of

appearing on supermarket shelves throughout the

conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease

continent as the researchers, led by Professor Carlo

and spinal injuries.

Leifert, announced their results in 2005.

This type of research is tightly regulated in the UK.

As life expectancy continues to rise, research on

In September 2005, another group of Newcastle

healthy ageing has become ever more urgent.

researchers was granted a licence allowing them to

In 2005, Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing

transfer DNA between human eggs in a procedure that

and Health was awarded two research council

could lead to new treatments for mitochondrial disease,

grants totalling £9 million ($16 million). One grant will

a serious hereditary disorder that is passed from mother

establish a research centre that will probe the complex

to child.

molecular and cellular underpinnings of the ageing

Other developments include a campaign to save one of the world’s most complex groups of languages, which has been given new hope by the publication of the firstever dictionary in up to 5,000 years of the languages’ existence. The Nuuchahnulth Native American languages are spoken by only 2–300 people, most of whom are

process and their links with nutrition. It is one of three centres being funded nationally to ‘revolutionize the way bioscientists think and work’. The second grant is for the Newcastle 85+ Study, a ground-breaking project to identify biological, clinical and psychosocial factors responsible for healthy ageing.

aged over 70, living along the Vancouver Island mountain

Both programmes build on the highly successful

range on Canada’s west coast.

integration of research spearheaded by the principle of

The 537-page dictionary compiled by John Stonham, a Canadian-born linguist based at Newcastle University, will be used to help teach Native Americans the language of their ancestors.

collaboration with the National Health Service and the private sector.

www.ncl.ac.uk/research

AND DEVELOPMENT

A cluster of human cells produced by Newcastle stem cell scientists.

NEW GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

The University won a total of £60 million ($106.2 million) new grants and contracts from the following sources in the year ending 31 July 2005. Research councils

£21.4m ($37.9m)

UK charities UK government

£14.5m ($25.7m) £6.5m ($11.5m)

European Commission UK industry Other

£11m ($19.5m) £2.7m ($4.8m) £3.8m ($6.7m)

Total £60.0m ($106.2m)

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE AHEAD2006 05- 06

Students at work in the University’s award-winning Robinson Library.

www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Students have given the University a vote of confidence... but there is no room for complacency in 2006 and beyond. The UK’s biggest ever survey of students’ views

($25 million) has been allocated for bursaries over

was carried out in 2005, when 170,000 final-year

the next five years, benefiting about 5,300 students

undergraduates were asked about their experiences

who otherwise might not have been able to afford to

in higher education. The findings demonstrated that

go to university. In addition, a Newcastle Excellence

the overwhelming majority of students at Newcastle

Scholarship Scheme has been introduced to recognize

University were happy with the quality of their

outstanding achievement on entry.

degree courses.

An imaginative outreach programme has also

Most students felt that staff made their subject

been launched to widen participation still further.

interesting and were good at explaining things.

Six undergraduates per year are being recruited on

Courses were said to be intellectually stimulating,

paid placements as ‘student ambassadors’ and will

library facilities were good and information

visit about 450 schools and colleges each year to tell

technology resources were accessible.

pupils about the benefits of higher education and

The findings mirrored those of an Institutional

the ‘Newcastle experience’ they enjoy.

Audit conducted a few months earlier by the Quality

The University has a great deal to offer across all

Assurance Agency (QAA), which praised the University

subjects, and constantly reviews teaching programmes

for its ‘focus on the development of guidance and

to keep them up to date. Amid national concern about

support for students’ and its ability ‘to capture and

the closure of science courses, the University is bucking

respond to students’ concerns’. The final report

the trend by launching a new Natural Sciences degree

expressed broad confidence in the quality of the

programme in 2006. The programme is designed to

University’s teaching and management, which is

appeal to students interested in studying a combination

the strongest endorsement the QAA can give.

of applied and emerging branches of science, such as

However, the University is not being complacent

nanotechnology and molecular engineering.

and scrutinizes all such feedback to identify any areas

Students of music and healthcare will enjoy even

where improvements can be made. This is especially

better facilities and materials after the University

important in 2006 because the introduction of variable

led successful bids for £9 million ($16 million) of

tuition fees is likely to raise the expectations of students.

government funding to establish two Centres for

The additional fees income is being invested wisely

Excellence in Teaching and Learning in these subjects.

at Newcastle. Some will be spent on new facilities,

The University Library service also had cause for

over and above the £3.3 million ($5.8 million)

celebration in 2005 when it became the only one in the

already committed to improvements in teaching

UK to be awarded a Charter Mark, the UK’s top award

accommodation for 2005–06. A further £14 million

for excellent customer services, four times in a row.


CITIES BUILT ON The University is helping to boost Britain’s knowledge economy through the Science City and Northern Way initiatives. Newcastle is one of only three cities participating in

Science Central will be the hub of Science City but

both the Science City and Northern Way initiatives,

will maintain close links with the existing centres in

which were launched by the government to stimulate

Newcastle and with others throughout North East

the growth of Britain’s knowledge-based economy.

England, creating a regional network.

The UK’s commitment to developing new and emerging technologies in its regions has created a key role for Newcastle University, which is the biggest research and teaching institution in North East England. When the six designated Science Cities met with ministers for the first time in September 2005, a Newcastle partnership consisting of the University, the City Council and One NorthEast (the regional development agency) set out visionary plans to put science at the centre of commerce and the community. A prime site in Newcastle city centre has since been acquired for £33 million ($58 million) and the partnership is aiming to raise at least 10 times that amount to redevelop it as ‘Science Central’, a new type of urban science park. Science Central is in the commercial heart of Newcastle and will allow University research staff to work alongside businesses and public sector organizations in the development and application of new technologies.

New ground is also being broken in the Northern Way initiative, which was launched in parallel with the Science Cities, to stimulate regional development and narrow the economic gap between Northern and Southern England. Northern England’s eight research-intensive universities, including Newcastle, have formed an alliance, known as the N8, whose power rivals that of Oxford, Cambridge and research-intensive, London-based universities in South East England. The N8’s aim is to collaborate in areas of research excellence that are predominantly held in the North of England, and which have the greatest potential to benefit the economy. The fields of science and technology among the candidates for development via the Science City and Northern Way initiatives are ageing and health, energy, molecular engineering, regenerative medicine, sustainable water use, nanotechnology and bioscience.

The University’s Business School will help to develop new methods of technology transfer, while educationalists will develop links with schools and colleges, to inspire young people to become the next generation of scientists and skilled workers. The University has a strong track record for innovation in technology transfer, having played a key role in the development of existing centres such as the Centre for Life, the UK’s first biotechnology village, and the Campus for Ageing and Health, where scientists, clinicians and medical companies are working together to develop new treatments for the diseases of old age.

The impressive science base being built at Newcastle is closely geared to the technologies of the twenty-first century and promises to have a major impact on our lives. Nobel Prizewinner Sir Harry Kroto, January 2005

www.ncl.ac.uk/sciencecity

SCIENCE

The University has a strong track record for technology transfer.


WINDS OF CHANGE

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina.

www.ncl.ac.uk/environment

Sustainable solutions are required for the world’s environmental problems... and Newcastle University is looking for them, says PROFESSOR THOMAS WAGNER.

Hurricanes, floods, energy shortages, drought: the

My research at Newcastle is focused on how the carbon

problems facing many people today could become

cycle drives ecosystems, environmental change and

the global crises of tomorrow unless we find solutions

energy resources. The overall goal is to contribute to

or are ready to adapt to change.

an improved management system for the Earth’s

Geoscientists recognize that climate, the environment and energy are inseparable elements of the Earth System and that we need to better understand their interaction and feedback mechanisms. However, this goal can only be achieved by crossing core disciplines in terrestrial and marine science and adding modelling techniques to enable us to make informed predictions about the future. We also need expertise in coastal engineering and technology if we are to protect communities close to the ocean, which are most at risk. Newcastle University has recognized the need for an integrated approach to research in this area and is one of only a few places to establish a large, crossdisciplinary team to increase our understanding of these problems and seek sustainable solutions.

surface, based on ecosystems. This would require the development of a balance between the concepts of use and sustainability. Recently, my colleagues and I found evidence in sediments laid down on the ocean floor 85 million years ago that deep waters repeatedly became depleted of oxygen as the Earth warmed up. This would have had a massive impact on the marine ecosystem and global carbon burial leading to rapid environmental change, both on land and in the ocean. By comparing our results with data from a global climate model, we hypothesized that the series of events had been triggered by an increase in solar energy striking the upper atmosphere due to the Earth’s orbital configuration. Our findings, recently published in the scientific journal Nature, demonstrate the importance

The Institute for Research on Environment and

of studying ‘climate indicators’ of extreme ancient

Sustainability (IRES), pictured far left, has brought

Earth Systems.

together geoscientists, hydrologists, marine scientists, microbiologists, civil engineers and social scientists to work on integrated research themes including fossil fuels, pollution control, global warming, alternative energy sources and water systems.

With its long history of world-class research in the geosciences, especially relating to fossil fuels and geochemistry, Newcastle is now well positioned to make research links between the natural processes that drove climate change millions of years ago and

I came to Newcastle in 2005 from the University

the causes of modern climate change, whether

of Bremen in Germany to develop an Earth Systems

they are natural, man-made or both.

Science group in IRES. I am particularly interested in the natural processes and mechanisms that cause climate change, which we can study from the legacy of past greenhouse conditions and modern processes on Earth.

Thomas Wagner became Professor of Earth Systems Science in the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences and IRES in March 2005.


CAMPAIGNING FOR

JUSTICE

The University’s campaign for a better deal for the world’s poorest countries has enjoyed magnificent support. Newcastle University has a proud tradition of supporting

Staff at the University also organized or took part in

campaigns for the underprivileged, going back to its

numerous events in Newcastle for Make Poverty History.

unique record among UK universities in honouring

These included a week-long vigil for trade justice, and a

Martin Luther King.

public lecture to launch the regional campaign at which

The University’s students and staff are particularly active in the Make Poverty History campaign, which supports

the guest of honour was the High Commissioner of Tanzania.

the world’s poorest nations by pressing the wealthiest

The University was also well represented among the

to take action on the key issues of debt cancellation,

1,500 people who travelled by coach from North East

trade justice and international aid.

England to take part in peaceful demonstrations in

The campaign was launched in 2005, a year in which the UK had an especially strong influence on global economic policy, since it hosted and chaired the G8 Summit and assumed presidency of the European Union. Of the many events organized by Newcastle students to raise awareness and funds for the campaign, one of the most poignant was the ‘hunger banquet’, attended by 200 people who had bought tickets for dinner. The guests, however, were divided into three groups representing the world’s population; five of them were provided with a luxury meal with wine, 20 were given white rice and vegetables with fruit juice and the remaining 175 sat on the floor with a bowl of brown rice and plain water. Other events organized by students included a fundraising club night with African drummers; a market with fair trade goods from around the world; and a platform for African speakers, some of them students, to draw attention to the effects of poverty and human rights abuses.

Edinburgh shortly before the G8 Summit in July 2005. Many others made their own way to the Scottish capital. Later in the year, staff and students travelled to London to take part in a lobby of Parliament. Campaign organizers say that encouraging progress was made during 2005 but there is still a long way to go. Most of the debts of 18 countries will be written-off and other countries should also benefit with time. Many governments have committed themselves to reaching the United Nations target for aid of 0.7 per cent of gross national income, and the G8 promised nearuniversal treatment for HIV/AIDS victims by 2010. However campaigners feel there has been a lack of solid progress on reform of the trade rules. The University is a seasoned campaigner for debt relief, becoming the first university to formally support the Jubilee Debt Campaign in 1998. Lobbying has come from the very top, with the Vice-Chancellor writing to the Queen and to government ministers in both a personal capacity and as Chairman of Senate.

www.ncl.ac.uk

The University is campaigning on trade justice, debt cancellation and international aid.


UNITING AGAINST Law lecturer RHIANNON TALBOT explains how she broadened her horizons by organizing a major conference on counter-terrorism. Security had been tight in the days leading up to the

When I took my first academic post as lecturer in law

European Union Counter-terrorism Conference at

at Newcastle University in 2001, I had not imagined

Newcastle University, but now that the delegates were

that I would be given the responsibility of organizing

arriving the months of preparation seemed all the

a conference of this magnitude so early in my career.

more worthwhile.

From my personal experience, I feel that Newcastle has

Among the speakers were Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the

offered me two big advantages. Firstly, Newcastle Law

former Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary

School is a relatively small but cohesive academic

and now Chief Inspector of Constabulary, and Angela

unit that takes a genuine interest in the activities and

Hegarty, the human rights campaigner and spokeswoman

development of its staff. Secondly, the University actively

for the families of the Bloody Sunday victims. Delegates

encourages interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration.

included senior civil servants, academics and legal

This type of environment is very important to me

practitioners from all over Europe and as far away

because my interests in counter-terrorism law, women

as Kenya.

in terrorism, human rights, the security forces and the

The intention behind the conference was to explore the balance between security and civil liberty and for nations to share experiences and examine the different types of terrorism and appropriate responses.

activities of the army necessarily cut across a range of subject areas including law, politics, and sociology.

www.ncl.ac.uk/nuls

The intention behind the conference was to explore the balance between security and civil liberty, and for nations to share experiences and examine the different types of terrorism and appropriate responses. Dr Rhiannon Talbot, Counter-terrorism conference director

TERRORISM The conference was a case in point. It was a joint

The conference, in September 2005, was regarded as a

venture between Newcastle Law School, the School of

success and produced many interesting ideas for further

Geography, Politics and Sociology, and the Jean Monnet

development. I am now in the process of establishing the

European Centre of Excellence, which was established at

Academic Counter-terrorism Research Network based

the University in 2001 to draw together expertise on the

at the Law School.

European Union and to serve as a think tank for European Union affairs.

From a personal point of view, the conference not only broadened my research horizons but also contributed

I was surprised and rather flattered to be appointed the

to my teaching. I feel it is important to use personal

conference director and was provided with excellent

experience gained through this type of activity to

support and advice throughout the project. I was soon

engage students and enrich the learning process.

meeting senior Home Office officials, mainly in London, who were so keen to promote international collaboration that they advertised the conference among their

Dr Rhiannon Talbot is a lecturer at Newcastle Law School.

counterparts in other European countries.


REACHING OUT TO THE Students arriving at Newcastle International Airport.

TOTAL STUDENT NUMBERS 2004-05 Undergraduates Postgraduates

13,267 4,014

STUDENTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN 2004-05 UK/EU Other countries

14,906 2,375

www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

WORLD The University is strengthening links with its global community of alumni, says JACK JEFFERY, Chair of Convocation. British higher education has been under pressure to

Chief Executive of Rolls Royce. The Council’s main role

change for some time and Newcastle University has

is to help attract philanthropic support from individuals,

responded by developing a clearer vision of where it

trusts and corporate bodies, and it has been involved

wants to be, together with a wide range of ways of

in raising over £8 million ($14 million) for buildings

getting there.

and equipment, scholarships and prizes, research

A key element of this process has been recognition by the University that its body of over 100,000 graduates

studentships and many other projects such as the proposed Great North Museum.

represents a considerable asset, and great progress is

The 18 members of the Development Council have

being made in building on our existing links with them.

been instrumental in establishing a growing network

Many of our alumni have reached positions of influence

of alumni and have made use of their professional

in organizations all over the world and a formal link

and business contacts.

between them and the University is provided by Convocation and the Alumni Association, which could be described as its operational arm.

Major achievements include a substantial gift by HSBC Bank for the University’s new Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability (IRES). Well-known

The Chairs of both Convocation, a statutory body of

people like the opera singer Sir Thomas Allen and the

the University, and the Alumni Association work closely

athlete Jonathan Edwards have also lent their support,

with the Development and Alumni Relations Office

and many ideas are being explored.

(DARO). One of the results of this co-operation has been the creation of a database of 60,000 contactable alumni that has made possible the annual Alumni Fund appeal, currently producing around £200,000 ($354,000) per year. The bursaries and scholarships that have resulted are

The University is fortunate in having a large number of former Newcastle students with warm and strong feelings towards the University. Increasingly, the University is finding ways of working with alumni to the benefit of our current and future students, the North East region and the country as a whole.

helping the University achieve its aim of widening access by supporting over 350 students to date, and the appeal has also made possible a hardship fund to help students in need. Two years ago, the University set up a Development Council, bringing together alumni and friends of the University with experience of business, under the

Many of our alumni have reached positions of influence in organizations all over the world. Jack Jeffery Chair of Convocation

chairmanship of Sir Terence Harrison, the former


CULTURE A Cultural Quarter is being developed on the campus, adding to Newcastle’s dazzling attractions. The Tall Ships Festival in Newcastle, one of the city’s

The Hatton Gallery is maintaining its links to major

highlights of 2005, is an example of the many cultural

cultural events with exhibitions such as Fathom. Shown

events taking place both in the city and on campus.

to coincide with the 2005 Tall Ships Festival on the river

A magnificent fleet of over 100 tall ships dropped

Tyne, Fathom explored our relationship with water. It was

anchor against one of the finest waterfronts in

the Hatton’s most ambitious project so far with, for the

Europe (pictured right).

first time ever, the entire gallery being devoted to sound

Another flagship development is the £26 million ($46 million) Great North Museum project, which will bring together the natural history collections currently

and video installations by internationally acclaimed artists including Bill Viola, Martyn Ware, Vince Clarke, and Janet Biggs.

housed in the Hancock Museum with the archaeological

The University played its part in protecting world

and ethnographic collections in the University’s Museum

heritage when it hosted the tenth international meeting

of Antiquities, Shefton Museum of Greek Art and

of the United Nations Education, Science and Culture

Archaeology, and Hatton Gallery. A grant of almost

Organisation, to discuss safeguarding the world’s 788

£9 million ($16 million) from the Heritage Lottery

designated World Heritage Sites for future generations.

Fund has enabled work to begin from April 2006.

About 300 heritage specialists from around the world

A short distance away, the refurbishment of the Playhouse and Gulbenkian theatres is due for completion in 2006. The theatre complex is home

attended the meeting, organized by Dr Peter Stone, Director of the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at the University.

to Northern Stage, the largest production theatre

Another feather in the University’s cap was the 2005

company in North East England, whose productions

British Shakespeare Association conference, a biennial

will go on tour after opening in Newcastle.

event to celebrate Shakespeare and his ongoing

Adjacent to the theatres is Culture Lab, a new type of interdisciplinary research centre, which is due to open

worldwide legacy. Some 500 delegates from all over the world attended the four-day event at the University.

in 2006. Here, collaboration between artists, scientists,

One of the more unusual heritage discoveries of 2005

engineers and social scientists is inspiring new types

was that the Roman Britons may have worn socks with

of technology uses.

their sandals! The evidence, which made newspaper

The Great North Museum, Northern Stage and Culture Lab are three elements of the emerging Cultural Quarter on the University campus, which promises to attract even more visitors in years to come.

headlines in many countries, came from a Roman razor handle, shaped like a human leg and foot and apparently clad in a sandal and sock, which was found in a river and brought to the Museum of Antiquities for verification.

www.ncl.ac.uk/about/facilities

AND HERITAGE The Tall Ships Festival 2005 on the Quayside.


Students feel a real sense of involvement in the operation of all aspects of the institution. Quality Assurance Agency Audit Report, 2005

THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS FRIENDS The University can trace its history to a School of

The University is sometimes referred to as a

Medicine and Surgery, which was founded in Newcastle in

‘red-brick civic’ university, since it belongs to a group

1834 and later became the College of Medicine. In 1871,

of universities that were built in Britain’s provincial cities

Armstrong College was founded on the northern edge of

in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

the city centre to teach the physical sciences. These two colleges merged in 1937 to form King’s College.

The present academic structure of the University dates from a major reorganization in 2002 when

For many years these colleges formed the Newcastle

seven faculties were merged into three and 75

division of the federal University of Durham. This was

departments became 27 schools. The three

dissolved by Act of Parliament in 1963 to create two

academic faculties are:

separate universities, Newcastle and Durham, which maintain a special relationship to this day. The Armstrong Building, with its magnificent red-brick facade set around a landscaped quadrangle, is at the heart of the modern campus of Newcastle University, which has expanded steadily and now occupies a 45-acre site.

• Humanities and Social Sciences • Medical Sciences • Science, Agriculture and Engineering Each faculty contains between eight and 10 academic schools. Each also has a graduate school. All of the academic schools are research active. Interdisciplinary research is conducted in 10 large research institutes established by the University and by numerous research groups, varying in size and drawing staff from two or more schools.

www.ncl.ac.uk/about

Dorothy Heathcote

Steven Pinker

Above left to right: Alan Plater; Dame Tanni Grey Thompson; Lord Patten.

Richard Adams

At the 2005 Congregation ceremony, the Chancellor of

leading authorities on language and the mind. His work

the University, Lord Patten, conferred honorary degrees

has been popularized through his multiple award-

upon the following:

winning books including The Language Instinct and How

Dorothy Heathcote, the world-renowned drama educationalist. She is credited with almost single-

the Mind Works. Professor Pinker received an Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc).

handedly changing the way teachers think about and

Richard Adams, the founder of Traidcraft and the

practise drama and theatre work in secondary schools.

ethical supermarket chain, Out of this World. He has

Mrs Heathcote, who taught at Newcastle University

devoted his working life to ensuring that producers

for 36 years, received an Honorary Doctor of

from the world’s poorest regions receive a fair price

Letters (DLitt).

for their goods. Mr Adams, who holds an MBA from

Alan Plater, the award-winning, Jarrow-born dramatist. He can claim over 200 assorted credits in

the University, received an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL).

radio, television, theatre and films, plus six novels and

Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, the 11-times

occasional forays into journalism, broadcasting and

gold medal winning Paralympian. One of the most

teaching. Mr Plater, who originally trained as an architect

successful British athletes ever, she has broken over

at King’s College (now Newcastle University), received

20 world records, and won the London Marathon six

an Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt).

times. Dame Tanni, who was awarded her DBE in the

Professor Steven Pinker, the Canadian experimental psychologist who is one of the world’s

2005 New Year’s Honours list, received an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL).


University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0) 191 222 6000

www.ncl.ac.uk The conversion rate throughout this publication is: £1 = $1.77 (Figures in graphics may not add up exactly, due to rounding) We would like to thank the following for the use of their illustrative material: Copyright 2004 EUMETSAT; Colin Cuthbert; John Donoghue; Matt Fulford; Jim McAdam; North News and Pictures; Keith Pattison; Graeme Peacock; Print Services, Robinson Library, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Image on page 6 reprinted from an article in Reproductive Biomedicine Online by Stojkovic et al (2005), with permission from Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. © University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2005. Designed by The Roundhouse Design Consultants, Newcastle upon Tyne. Printed by Statex Colour Print, Newcastle upon Tyne.