1. The E-newsletter of the International Relations Office Issue 2 | October 2013
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Spotlight on our staff 2
UGPN 2
Bioscience Research 4-5
Pyongyang/Extreme Travel 6
Surrey Satellites at work 7-8
Student stories 9-11, 13
FAHS International news 12
EURAXESS 13
Dear Colleagues
Welcome to the second edition of Global Surrey, the newsletter that showcases international
activities at the University of Surrey. In the current issue we feature international research
partnerships; the experiences of student and staff undertaking mobility; and the award of an
honorary degree to Professor Adnei Melges de Andrade, former Vice Rector for International
Relations at the University of São Paulo. In addition, two of the more intriguing items include
the production of a video to celebrate the links between Santander and the University sector
and which has won the prize of Jenson Button’s racing helmet; and the experience of living
and working in Pyongyang, North Korea which offers an interesting insight into a country
which very few people get to explore.
We hope that Global Surrey encapsulates many of the wonderful things that are happening at
the University and gives you a flavour of the multiple international links that are contributing
to our global reputation.
Best wishes
Vincent C Emery
PVC (International Relations)
What is the term that describes the breaking-off of a mass of ice from a glacier
or iceberg that produces a separate detached piece? (Answer on page 13)
Introduction from the
ProVice-Chancellor
(International Relations)
2. 2 www.surrey.ac.uk
Associate Deans (International) – the faculty linchpins of Surrey’s
international strategy
Malcolm von Schantz wearing the laurel
crown of a Swedish Doctor of Philosophy.
See Fun Facts on page 5
Spotlight on our staff
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
Global Surrey discussed with
Annette Kratz, Head of Europe and
International Mobility, her role in the
International Relations Office and at
Surrey.
What does your
job involve?
I am responsible
for all European
programmes at
Surrey that are in
the teaching and
learning area and
do not involve
direct research
collaboration, e.g.
Jean Monnet,
Erasmus and the Lifelong Learning
Programme in general. This will all be
amalgamated under Erasmus+ from
2014 to 2020, which will present us with
the challenges of working not only with
European partners but also with companies
and international universities. The other
part of my job is encouraging as many
Surrey students as possible to take up the
opportunity of studying or working abroad
as part of their degree. It is great to see the
number of work placements all over the
world that students are undertaking and
the range of universities they are attending
in Europe. I strongly believe that all students
should have the chance to undertake a
period of mobility during their degree,
as they invariably come back a changed
person. This also applies to staff – both
teaching and administrative - and that has
been my other main focus – to get all staff
to think about undertaking an Erasmus staff
exchange.
How did you come to be at Surrey?
I joined the University of Surrey a year
ago from Keele University in Staffordshire,
but I grew up in Surrey, having lived in
West Molesey and Kingston and attended
school in Chertsey, after moving here from
Germany. I have spent most of my life in
the West Midlands, having studied at Aston
University, spent two years in France (Paris
and Lyon) and worked in Germany and
France for short periods. It is a pleasure to
return to Surrey and apart from the house
prices I definitely made the right move.
Any other interesting facts or things
people might not know about you?
I am a very keen squash and tennis player
– that does not mean good, just keen,
but it was great to be asked to play for
the Ladies’ doubles team, and to at least
have contributed a little to Surrey Sports
Park going up in the Aldershot and District
league. It has been a great way of getting
to know people, both staff at Surrey and
people form the local area. I also attempt
to play golf, but my handicap is not getting
any better. I think the difference between
a moving and a still ball still needs a lot of
research!
Annette Kratz
Dr Malcolm von Schantz served as AD(I) for FHMS from 1 September 2009 to 31
August 2013, including five months as Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (International).
Here, he reflects on his four years in this role.
Each of Surrey’s faculties has an Associate
Dean (International) (“the ADI”), who
supports implementation of the International
Strategy at faculty level. Working closely
with their Faculty Deans, Associate Deans
(Teaching and Learning), Associate Deans
(Research), the PVC (International
Relations), the IRO and other university
support services, they help deliver Surrey’s
international activity in a coordinated and
cross-cutting way. The ADIs are:
FAHS: Prof Marie Breen-Smyth
FBEL: Dr Jane Hemsley-Brown
FEPS: Prof Paul Smith
FHMS: Prof Johnjoe McFadden
As the retiring doyen of Associate Deans
(International), it is with considerable
sadness that I take my leave after four
years, although I am very pleased to pass
the baton to Professor Johnjoe McFadden,
who will be taking over the post with
great energy and new ideas, and a greatly
enhanced platform for bringing them
forward. During my tenure as interim
PVC(IR) for five months last year, I was
delighted to see the appointments of
Prof Vince Emery as Pro Vice-Chancellor
(International Relations) and Dr Annette
Kratz as Head of Europe and International
Mobility. Together with the rest of the
IRO team and the ADIs, they will provide
both the continuity and innovation that
will be required over the years ahead.
During the last four years, we have
accomplished a great deal. The UGPN
is now safely established as an entity
to be reckoned with, and is growing in
worldwide recognition. I am hopeful that
the gradual but steady expansion that I
have envisioned for the UGPN over the next
few years is underway. Our international
activities will form a significant part of the
REF submissions that are currently being
prepared. One of the things I am particularly
proud of is Surrey’s wholehearted
engagement with the Science Without
Borders scheme, which brings us both
Undergraduate and PhD students from
Brazil--probably the most dynamic current
market and an emerging leader in many
areas of research.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor (IR) Vince Emery
notes: “Malcolm’s commitment to the
international
strategy at Surrey
and his support for
the UGPN has really
made a difference
and he leaves a
solid foundation
on which the new
FHMS ADI can
build”.
3. Prof Adnei Melges de Andrade accompanied by (L) Malcolm von Schantz and (R) Vince Emery
UGPN Partner receives Surrey Honorary Doctorate
by Malcolm von Schantz
Participants at UGPN Interdisciplinary
Doctoral Seminar, São Paulo, July 2013
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
The second Interdisciplinary Doctoral
Seminar, held at the University of São
Paulo from 21-28 July, this year focused
on Water Management and Security. Led
by Dr Jonathan Chenoweth from Surrey’s
Centre for Environmental Strategy, five
doctoral students and three academic
staff from Surrey attended the seminar,
with similar numbers attending from
the University of São Paulo and North
Carolina State University.
The seminar consisted of student and
staff presentations on their research and
a number of external speakers giving
presentations on a diverse range of
related topics. Additionally, there were
some interesting site visits to places such
as the International Centre on Water
Reuse on the São Paulo city centre
campus of USP, a tour of the Itaqueri
Watershed near the regional city of São
Carlos, the National Institute of Space
Research in São José dos Campos, and
the Centre for Marine Biology near
the coastal town of São Sebastião.
A full range of topics was covered in
the lectures ranging from regulatory
frameworks for water through to the
human health effects of endocrine
disruptor chemicals in drinking water.
The seminar was structured to ensure
that there was a good balance between
academic content and social activities
that were critical for ensuring that long-
term links were established between
the different participants. In the words
of one of the Surrey PhD. students who
attended: “I believe we all enjoyed every
single moment of those eight days in
Brazil, and I must admit that it was one
of the best seminars/conferences I have
ever attended”. The seminar was clearly
an overwhelming success.
UGPN Interdisciplinary Doctoral
Seminar on Water Management and
Security
by Jonathan Chenoweth
www.surrey.ac.uk 3
University Global Partnership Network
Professor Adnei Melges de Andrade, a “founding father” of
the UGPN, was awarded the degree of Doctor of the University
Honoris Causa by the University of Surrey on 17 July 2013. Dr
Malcolm von Schantz, outgoing Associate Dean (International) for FHMS, reflects on
Prof Andrade’s career and his relationship with Surrey.
One of the key planks of the University’s
international strategy was the formation
two years ago of the University Global
Partnership Network (UGPN), together
with North Carolina State University and
the University of São Paulo (USP), South
America’s leading university. The University
of São Paulo is a huge institution with over
20,000 employees, but there is one of them
without whom today’s close relationship
would not have existed. Professor Adnei
Melges de Andrade is a graduate of the
University of São Paulo, and has served it
in several prominent positions over a long
career. But he is not only a Paulista and a
Brazilian, but a true citizen of the global
academic community. As Executive Vice-
President for International Relations, he has
strengthened his institution’s international
outlook with great wisdom and integrity.
He has forged links with many large and
famous institutions worldwide, but one of
the closest ones is enjoyed by the relatively
small but ambitious University of Surrey.
We were delighted to be able to honour
Adnei in the year of his retirement from a
long and extraordinarily distinguished career
with the degree of Doctor of the University
Honoris Causa. The award was presented
to Adnei by the Pro-Chancellor, Baroness
Bottomley on 17 July. In his acceptance
speech, Adnei said:
“It is my belief that internationalisation is
a challenge for universities, representing
separation between those who accept
the challenge and give their students the
opportunity to grow in a globalised world,
and those institutions that just observe the
facts. The latter will be always in debt to
their students and their body of researchers.
An institution closed in their own terrain,
with few or no international partners,
denies to their researchers the oxygenation
of multilateral research and the students
will lack an understanding that the world
has lost frontiers.
“I am very proud to have been, with
colleagues of the University of Surrey, at
the conception of the University Global
Partnership Network, which despite being
still young, has a record of excellent results
in collaborative research and student
exchange.”
4. Generating International Consensus Guidelines for Infectious Diseases
by Vincent Emery, Chair of Translational Virology
Perspectives in Bioscience at Surrey:Two researchers
describe international collaborations that result in high
impact outputs
The appropriate management of infections
following surgical procedures is essential.
In recent years, in my own area of
interest, there has been increasing use of
international panels of experts to spend time
distilling the information in the literature
and to bring their own experience and
expertise to create consensus guidelines
with appropriate confidence levels which
can be deployed internationally. My own
area of interest is Cytomegalovirus, a
member of the herpesvirus family, which for
most people is a benign infection. Like all
the herpesviruses, following initial infection
it can remain dormant in the body. However,
under certain conditions, especially when
patients receive immunosuppression for
organ transplantation, the virus is no longer
controlled by the immune system and,
therefore, reproduces itself to cause more
significant damage to a range of organs
and, in some cases, can lead to death.
The latest international consensus
guidelines for the management of
Cytomegalovirus after solid organ
transplantation have just been published
in the journal Transplantation. The
panel was led by two of my long-term
international collaborators from Harvard
Medical School and the University
of Alberta and involved a substantial
amount of work behind the scenes prior
to the consensus guidelines meeting,
dealing with areas such as diagnostics,
immunology, prevention, treatment,
drug resistance and management in
paediatric settings. The participant list
was impressive with 42 representatives
from 15 different countries (including
USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, Finland, Czech
Republic, Argentina, South Africa,
Australia, Germany and Norway) coming
together at a venue just outside Montreal
for two days of intense discussion,
debate, sometimes disagreement, but
eventually reaching a strong consensus
as to how best to manage this particular
virus infection after solid organ
transplantation.
The value of such guidelines should not
be underestimated, not least in health
care systems where reimbursement
of health care costs from private
insurers is the norm, and where best
practice guidelines are often used to
decide whether a particular course of
management will be reimbursed. In
addition, they can form an important
plank for medico-legal cases where
patients have been inappropriately
managed and have suffered as a
consequence of their infection. However,
the most important use is in providing
practical guidelines to clinicians and
infectious disease doctors who often
have to manage complicated cases
with multiple infections and a range
of other co-morbidities. The important
issue for any guidelines is that they are
perceived by the community as useful
and consulted regularly – I think the
Electron micrograph of the CMV virus
Kidney transplant
Smart Materials for Rapid Protein
Profiling and Disease Diagnosis
by Sub Reddy, Department of Chemistry
The UGPN has offered two rounds
of funding for bilateral or trilateral
research projects between UGPN
partners. Working with the
University of São Paulo (USP) and
North Carolina State University,
Dr Sub Reddy’s Group at Surrey
is developing hydrogel-based
molecularly imprinted polymers
(MIPs) for the memory imprinting
of proteins and for protein
biosensor development.
Continued... on page 5 Continued... on page 5
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
4 www.surrey.ac.uk
Dr Sub Reddy’s Group is developing
hydrogel-based molecularly imprinted
polymers (MIPs) for the memory imprinting
of proteins and for protein biosensor
development. The molecular imprint
remains as a memory effect in the gel after
the target protein is removed, and the
remaining cavity exhibits highly selective
rebinding of the target protein. The MIP
essentially behaves as an antibody-mimic.
Dr Reddy is developing MIPs as low-cost,
easy-to-produce alternatives to antibodies in
biological tests (e.g. for cancer diagnosis).
The trilateral team, funded by the UGPN
Research Collaboration Fund, consists of
Dr Reddy from Surrey, Dr Thiago Paixão
(electronic tongue expert) from USP and
Prof Roger Narayan (microfabrication
expert) from NC State. They are developing
novel pattern recognition and
microelectrode-based platforms integrated
with MIPs for the simultaneous and rapid
determination of multiple proteins indicative
of diseases. A rapid test of this kind, based
on taking a small blood, saliva or skin-prick
sample from the patient, would allow the
healthcare professional to make an on-the-
spot diagnosis, thus allowing a care regime
to be rapidly instituted rather than waiting,
sometimes days, for results via routine
laboratory samples. The work has been
conducted largely by a collaborative team of
PhD students: Hazim El-Sharif (Surrey), Ligia
5. www.surrey.ac.uk 5
Electrochemical MIP-based biosensor for rapid protein fingerprint profiling
2013 international consensus guidelines
for managing Cytomegalovirus after solid
organ transplantation will be viewed in this
way and there is strong evidence that the
previous consensus guidelines, which I was
also involved in formulating, have had a
significant impact on the management of
Cytomegalovirus in transplant centres across
the World.
Professor Vincent Emery is Professor of
Translational Virology in the Faculty of
Health and Medical Sciences, and holds an
Honorary Professorship at University College
London.
Generating International Consensus
Guidelines for Infectious Diseases
Continued
Smart Materials for Rapid Protein Profiling and Disease Diagnosis
Continued
FUN FACT
A total of 78 Nobel Prizewinners
have studied, taught and
researched at MIT since it was
founded in 1861.
FUN FACT
In Sweden, academic dress
is tails for men, black dress
for women. The headgear is
dependent on the Faculty –
Medicine and Engineering have
top hats; Divinity a wreath
of oak leaves; and Doctors of
Philosophy are crowned with
laurels. Apparently it’s all down
to a terrible misunderstanding
going back several centuries.
When academic ceremonies
were established in Scandinavia,
they misunderstood “
baccalaureatus” to mean
crowned with laurels.
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
Bueno (USP) and Ryan Boehm (NC State),
as well as one post-doctoral researcher (Dr
Maiara Salles, USP). The UGPN funding has
facilitated the mobility of the postgraduate
researchers to the collaborating
laboratories, enabling them to learn new
research techniques from each other and to
produce new interdisciplinary results.
The year-old collaboration has allowed
considerable cross-fertilization of
expertise in smart polymers as well as
electrochemical sensor, pattern recognition
and microfabrication techniques and has
culminated in a paper being submitted to
Biosensors and Bioelectronic, as well as
results being presented at International
meetings. Dr Reddy has also submitted a
networking grant to the Royal Society to
continue the collaboration.
There are major implications from the
results of this UGPN-funded trilateral
collaboration to develop low-cost, portable
and rapid sensors in the fields of medicine
(disease diagnostics), food (eg. fruit
ripeness and food deterioration sensors)
and the environment (e.g. water purity,
viral infection of plants and livestock).
Integration of MIPs onto microelectrodes is
key to the miniaturisation of sensor devices
for ease of portability and use, for example
in the GP’s surgery, and the minimisation of
patient sample volume required (e.g. blood,
saliva or urine) for tests. A second paper in
development is focused on this aspect. In
addition, the technology and collaboration
is key to the development of multi-analyte
in field tests for a range of important
analytes including protein disease markers,
viruses, bacteria and toxins.
6. 6 www.surrey.ac.uk
Professor Ian Wells has been a Visiting Professor in the Department of Computing since 2005, having been awarded Surrey’s
first ever PhD in computer science in 1990 and serving as a part-time lecturer from 1999-2011. Somehow he managed to do all
that while serving as a clinical scientist for the NHS for 35 years, retiring in 2011. Small wonder then that he and his wife Helen
had to postpone their Gap Year for a few decades….
Debris from former expeditions on Stonington Island
Some of the PUST architecture is quite
dramatic
Continued...
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
Polar bears, Penguins, Pyongyang and a Professorship...
or how to have an unusual GapYear
As one approaches a certain age the
question “What are you going to do when
you retire?” begins to creep into conversation,
and my wife and I would reply “Take the
Gap Year we missed out on as students
because it had not yet been invented”.
When the time came we felt ours should
include both extreme travelling for ourselves
and taking our professional skills into an
equally challenging location for the benefit
of others.
Our travel goal was ‘pole to
pole’ - inspired by the book
and television series - and in
July last year we flew well
beyond the Arctic Circle
to Svalbard to join a small
expedition ship heading
as far north as sea and ice
conditions would allow.
There were frequent landings
using 8-person boats, and
highlights included getting
close to polar bears and
walrus, watching icebergs
calve off glaciers and crossing 80º N to reach
Moffen Island, which is, quite literally, the
‘end of the earth’. We loved the desolate
but hauntingly beautiful landscape and the
almost total absence of any signs of human
activity.
In February this year we flew south to
Ushuaia and joined a similar expedition
ship for a longer voyage, crossing Drake’s
Passage and then working down the west
coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The goal
this time was to cross the Antarctic Circle
and continue further south if possible -
in fact we reached Marguerite Bay and
eventually turned around just below 68º
S. There were many similarities when
compared with the Arctic, but also some
differences - penguins instead of polar
bears, many more seals and, sadly, huts
and debris almost everywhere we landed.
No sooner were we back from the Antarctic
then we were on our travels again, heading
for Beijing and then on to North Korea. Our
destination was the Pyongyang University of
Science & Technology (PUST) where Ian had
been invited to teach artificial intelligence
and Helen was able to give guest lectures
(on penguins and information management
- but not at the same time!) and help with
English classes.
The PUST campus is on the outskirts of
Pyongyang and is modern (it opened in
2010) and is surprisingly well equipped. All
students and faculty staff live on campus,
and the facilities include a canteen, staff
lounge, campus shop and library as well
as offices, teaching rooms and lecture
theatres. There are several large computer
laboratories for undergraduates, and both
graduates (who have their own laptop
computers) and staff have more-or-less
unrestricted internet access. All teaching is in
English, partly to help with attracting visiting
academic staff and partly to prepare the
students for studying or working abroad.
Life in North Korea certainly has its
challenges, including living on a diet of
white rice and spiced vegetables, but it can
also be hugely rewarding. The students
we taught were very bright, observant,
incredibly hard-working, remarkably well
informed on all manner of unexpected
subjects - and had a great sense of humour.
Although material for lectures has to be
approved in advance there are virtually no
restrictions on what can be discussed at
meal times and in voluntary English classes
in the evening. The North Korean staff we
got to know were delightful and deeply
grateful to those who are prepared to come
to their country to help them despite its
negative image in the Western press.
Contrary to what one reads in the media
we found Pyongyang to be a beautiful city
where one drives along wide open streets
lined with trees and flowers and passes
parks with statues and fountains - but with
no advertising, graffiti, litter or traffic jams.
The local market was always packed with
people and goods (everything from fruit
and vegetables to uniforms and high-heeled
shoes) and there did not appear to be
obvious shortages in any of the shops we
frequented. Although we visited a number
of different parts of the city, and were at
times able to wander on our own, we did
not see any evidence of either deep poverty
or excessive wealth.
There were also opportunities to travel
further afield - we joined a day excursion
to Kaesong and the DMZ and it was most
instructive and moving to see the infamous
border from the North Korean side and hear
their version of events. We were encouraged
to take photographs almost everywhere,
even from a moving coach, but “only
beautiful please”.
7. www.surrey.ac.uk 7
Driving in downtown Pyongyang ...
like Beijing but without the traffic
Continued...
by Jim Lynch
Jim Lynch is Professor at the Centre for Environmental Strategy. Together with
Surrey colleague Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, Director of the Surrey Space Centre
and colleagues at UCL and the University of Leicester, he published an article in
Nature in April 2013 on the use of satellites to monitor deforestation. This is a
summary of that article.
Boating on the Taedong river with parks
and the Juche Tower on the far bank
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
Although there are real and serious concerns
about North Korea in the West these appear
far removed from the ordinary people and
everyday life. It is also a land full of surprises:
boating on the Taedong River, pizza
restaurants with karaoke and bright pink
stalls selling ice cream on street corners to
name just three!
Our two months at PUST passed all too
quickly, and at a small ceremony at the end
of term we were both formally welcomed
into the ‘university family’ and Ian appointed
an adjunct professor - so we are obviously
expected back! We are planning to return
in 2014 and would certainly recommend
this opportunity to others with a specialist
subject to teach and a sense of adventure ...
Surrey contributes to monitoring
deforestation
An image from the UK-DMC2 satellite shows
forest in the Brazilian Amazon in red and
cleared areas in green (detail in inset).
Illegal logging in Indonesia costs billions
Tropical deforestation contributes 12%
of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide
emissions. Illegal logging is costing nations
tens of billions of dollars each year.
Governments are making headway on
agreements to stop this destruction but so
far there is no coherent plan to monitor
tropical forests on the scale or timescales
necessary.
Incentives are being negotiated for states
to implement the United Nations REDD+
framework (Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation),
extended to include conservation,
sustainable management of forests and the
enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
In order to bid for the substantial funding
associated with REDD+, the University joined
a consortium led by DMC International
Imaging, itself a subsidiary of the University
spin-out Surrey Satellite Technology Limited.
REDD+ funding will not only provide an
inventory of forests but also improve the
livelihood of people associated with them.
While satellites provide the only means of
viewing vast areas regularly – the tropics
cover half Earth’s land area – basic decisions
have yet to be made on which Earth
observing systems should be used and how
forest data should be monitored, reported
and verified. In a paper recently published
in Nature magazine, authored by Prof Jim
Lynch (CES and Director of Forestry, DMCii)
and Prof Sir Martin Sweeting (SSC and
Chairman of SSTL), with colleagues from the
University of Leicester and University College
London, the case was put for using satellite
imagery to tackle the problem.
They believe an early warning system is
needed to allow authorities to react quickly
to stop illegal logging. Two strategies are
necessary to achieve this. The first is a
means to monitor global forests on a daily
basis, requiring a new set of tropical orbiting
radar satellites that can see through clouds.
The second is a plan for existing satellites to
assess forest carbon stocks several times a
year, to account for seasonal variations.
Over a billion people, many in the tropics,
depend on forests for their livelihood.
Through lost concession rights, taxes and
carbon credits, Governments are losing
between US$ 30-100 bn each year due to
illegal logging. The release of stolen wood
onto the market is estimated to depress
timber prices by 16%.
Continued...
8. Continued...
8 www.surrey.ac.uk
FUN FACT
Kericho County in Kenya is
home to the best Kenyan
tea; Kenya’s biggest water
catchment area, the Mau Forest;
and some of the world’s best
long-distance runners including
the legendary Kipchoge (“Kip”)
Keino.
FUN FACT
Cairo University has 257,200
students, of whom 96% are
undergraduates, while the
academic staff body at the
University is 28,148.
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
by Martin Sweeting
Surrey SatelliteTechnology Ltd
working with Kazakhstan
In 2010 Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
(SSTL) was contracted by Astrium to supply
a medium resolution imager satellite (Kaz-
MRES), as part of an overall contract which
also includes an Astrium high resolution
imager satellite (Kaz-HRES), to Kazakhstan
Gharysh Sapary (KGS), a Kazakh space
company.
The Kaz-MRES spacecraft is based on
the SSTL-150 platform and will fly a Jena
Optronik medium resolution imager. The
spacecraft is currently in the final stages
of assembly and test in SSTL’s Guildford
cleanrooms, and has a design lifetime of
7 years. The platform has been previously
flown on SSTL missions such as TopSat,
Beijing-1, CFESat, Sapphire and the five-
spacecraft RapidEye constellation.
Under the contract, SSTL has also provided
a comprehensive training programme for 16
Kazakh engineers who spent 18 months
in Guildford receiving hands-on training
in spacecraft engineering and attending
courses on the theoretical aspects at the
Surrey Space Centre at the University of
Surrey.
SSTL is also supplying the ground segment
to KGS – the antenna and the Ground
Control Complex, including the Data
Processing Centre – and will contract for
the launch, scheduled for 2014.
Following on from the success of this
programme, earlier this year SSTL signed a
contract with Ghalam LLP (a joint venture
between KGS and Astrium) to develop a
new 50Kz platform. This contract includes
an option for a cubesat carrying a payload
for ionospheric research to be jointly
developed by SSTL, Ghalam LLP and The
Surrey Space Centre.
Optical and radar satellites working in
different spectral domains are capable of
monitoring all these characteristics. But
international bodies and governments have
been slow to formulate and agree common
guidelines for doing so. Without the right
technologies in place and globally accepted
standards, billions of dollars could be wasted
on projects that do not deliver.
The EU has focussed on a policy of
preventing illegal logging, rather than
specifying how forestry information should
be collected by countries signed up to its
2005 Forest Law, Enforcement, Governance
and Trade programme. This has led to a
proliferation of incomparable methods.
To spot illegal logging, coverage needs to
be even more frequent: at least four times a
week, with data analysed far more quickly
than it is today, when it can take months. If
we are to protect tropical forests we must
go beyond mapping damage long after the
fact to offering early warnings.
Remote sensing satellites operate in two
spectral regimes – optical and radar. Optical
sensors in different colours are sensitive to
vegetation greenness, fractional tree cover,
forest type and vegetation density. They can
cover millions of km2 in a single image while
resolving detail of 20 metres on the ground,
or 1 km over a smaller area.
Radar systems can penetrate cloud.
Microwave backscatter from leaves is picked
up by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
satellites. Although historically expensive
(costing £250-500M each in orbit), within
the next year a new generation of cheap
radar mini-satellites, such as the UK’s
NovaSAR-S range (£45m launched and
insured) will be built by SSTL.
As discussions continue this year, policy-
makers need to back the right satellites and
strategies to monitor and save the world’s
forests, and Surrey clearly has a role to play
in that.
9. GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
Students from SII DUFE experience life
at the University of Surrey
www.surrey.ac.uk 9
An impressive Poster Exhibition held at
the University on 4th September 2013
marked the culmination of the summer
placements completed by Surrey’s 41
Science without Borders students. Some
students had worked in local companies
and organisations, including Surrey County
Council, Thames Water, Unilever, the Yehudi
Menuhin School, an energy consultancy
(Xodus Group), two film companies (the
Community Film Unit and Boko Creative)
and a local veterinary practice (Fitzpatrick
Referrals). Other students
undertook research projects on campus,
including research into bioethanol production,
Vitamin D deficiency, exercise and appetite,
and much more. Santander Universities
sponsored prizes for the best posters, with
the assessment being made by a panel
consisting of members of the Pro Vice-
Chancellor’s International Advisory Board (Dr
John Burgess, Dr David Dent, Professor Paul
Stone) and chaired by the PVC (IR) Professor
Vince Emery. Commenting on the high
quality of the posters, Prof Emery said:
“We were very impressed with the posters
the students had produced and with the
eloquent way in which they spoke about
their placement experiences. After much
deliberation, we decided that the posters
of Guilherme Makki, Fernanda Matta and
Alexandre de Castro deserved to win the
prizes. I would like to thank them and all the
students for their excellent work.”
The topics of the prize-winning posters were:
• Guilherme Makki –How to drive a car
automatously around a track
• Fernanda Matta - Selenium Analysis of
Brazil Nuts
• Alexandre de Castro – Design of a website
to aid selection of final year student projects
The prizes were awarded by Dr Juliana
Bertazzo, who co-ordinates the Science
without Borders programme at the
Brazilian Embassy in the UK and Mr Nick
Butler, regional director of Santander
Universities. During lunch participants and
guests were entertained by SWB Student
Rogerio Scheidemantel, who spent his
summer placement at The Yehudi Menuhin
School. Rogerio played a selection of South
American dances on the piano.
Science without Borders is a Brazilian Government
programme that aims to enable 101,000
Brazilian students to study abroad. If you
have any questions about the programme,
please contact Peter Shelley (p.shelley@surrey.
ac.uk) in the International Relations Office.
DUFE StudyTour
A group of 26 students from Surrey
International Institute - Surrey’s campus at
Dongbei Institute of Finance and Economics
in China - spent a busy, enjoyable and
fact-packed week at Surrey from 22-26 July
2013. Accompanied by two members of
staff, the students were hosted by Surrey’s
International Relations Office and FBEL.
During their study tour the students
experienced a mix of academic, cultural
and fun events including a visit to Polesden
Lacey. The week culminated with a round-
campus quiz where the students broke
out into small groups to answer a series of
questions about the University of Surrey
requiring them to undertake a campus-
wide search for the information. Each
student was then awarded a certificate of
attendance by Professor Vince Emery, Pro
Vice-Chancellor (International Relations)
and Dr Jane Hemsley Brown (Associate
Dean (International) in the Faculty of
Business, Economics and Law). Professor
Emery noted “it is great to see such a
large group of students from SII DUFE
experiencing the Surrey campus and I hope
that it will stimulate them and their friends
and colleagues back in Dalian to make
the University of Surrey programmes their
preferred choice”.
In addition, the Party Secretary at SII-DUFE
De Lei Xioping who accompanied the group
of students gave a presentation concerning
her role in student cultural and welfare
support and illustrating the warmth SII_
DUFE students feel towards Surrey.
Participants in SII DUFE Study Tour
Brazilian Students Shine at Science
without Borders Poster Exhibition
L-R: Alexandre de Castro; Nick Butler; Guilherme Makki; Juliana Bertazzo, Vince Emery;
Fernanda Matta
Visitors and judges review SWB Posters
The 2012/13 SWB Cohort
10. 10 www.surrey.ac.uk
AYear in Paris
by Hannah Storey
Hannah, a French and Translation student,
has just finished her placement year in Paris.
She told Global Surrey about her experiences.
Do thisagain!
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
Hi! I’m Hannah and I started my year abroad
in September 2012 at a photo gallery
and agency called Photo12. It was a small
company with a team of about eight people,
supplying photographs for magazines,
books and newspapers from their database.
They also display collections of work by
photographers and artists in their gallery in
the 4th Arrondissement, Le Marais. My job
as a placement student was to translate the
photo database information from French to
English to make it more accessible to the
growing number of international customers.
There were a wide variety of collections
- from black and white WWI and WWII
images, to sketches of birds, to collections
from the Cannes Film Festival. It was a
wonderful opportunity for me to learn new
vocabulary and to extend my language skills.
After six months I moved to RTE
International, a subsidiary of the national
electricity transmission network, where I
spent another five months. Here my role as
stagiaire was to translate documents such as
PowerPoint presentations, contracts, training
documents and tools catalogues for projects
and training placements in English-speaking
countries. I found this very interesting and
enjoyed learning how the company worked,
especially when I attended weekly team
meetings. In both companies I gained great
insight into the professional world, including
translation, administration and people skills
I can use in my professional career in the
future, as well as vastly improving my French
language skills.
Although this was a year for gaining
professional work experience, it wasn’t all
work and no play! I was able to experience
French culture and made the most of my
weekends off (and the endless amount
of bank holidays!) in Paris to go and visit
places. If you are under 26 years old, most
places In Paris are either free or reduced in
price and I definitely made the most of this,
visiting the Arc de Triomphe seven times
over the year! I was also lucky enough to
experience the Christmas Markets on the
Champs Elysées, a show at the Moulin
Rouge, Roland Garros Women’s Semi Final,
the Bastille Day fireworks off the Eiffel Tower
and the final stage of the Tour de France,
as well as taking on the personal challenges
of running a 10km race round the centre of
Paris, a 15km race around the gardens of
the Château de Versailles, and the Paris Half
Marathon.
This year has truly been life-changing in
that it has given me a chance to experience
a new country, city and culture and to
improve my language and professional skills.
Without a doubt, I would do it again, no
question! I would also highly recommend it
to other students because it gives you the
opportunity to learn things you cannot learn
in a classroom. A placement year gives you
the key experience in the real world that
employers want to know about when you
apply for jobs.
Now, to move on to the big challenge of
final year and the dissertation! Fingers
crossed for me!
Students!Find out how you can enjoy a
semester or year abroad at the
STUDY AND WORK
ABROAD FAIR
Wednesday
13 November 2013
14:00 - 17:00
SPLASH – Library and
Learning Centre
For more information contact:
s.hedley-boxall@surrey.ac.uk
11. Languages for Global Graduates at Surrey
www.surrey.ac.uk 11
Since 2009 the School of English and
Languages has been offering language
classes for all students of the University. This
programme, known as Global Graduate
Award in Languages (GGA), forms part of
the University’s internationalisation strategy
and aims to encourage student mobility. It
provides Surrey students with the linguistic
skills and cultural knowledge required to
compete on the global market and prepares
them for study and work periods abroad.
by Christa Saller, Programme Director
A New Country, a New Me
by Aimee Felone
Aimee writes about her experience as an exchange student in Florida
In 2012-13, GGA offered 28 different
modules in 10 different languages: Arabic,
Chinese Mandarin, English (advanced),
French, German, Italian, Japanese,
Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. We
received over 1,300 applications and were
able to enrol just short of 1,000 students
into a total of 58 classes.
The programme is constantly evolving
and responding to student interests and it
also reflects the international links of the
University. In support of the establishment of
the UGPN, GGA expanded the Portuguese
courses for beginners and post-beginners. In
autumn 2013 Korean will be offered for the
first time. As another innovation for 2013,
GGA is proud to announce the introduction
of British Sign Language to the programme.
Aimee and fellow Surrey student Yiya Mao
at a UCF “ international meet-up”
Aimee’s last day on exchange in America
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
The University of Surrey was always going
to be my first choice of a place to study,
not solely because of its excellent teaching
and location, but also because it was one
of the few universities that gave me the
opportunity to simultaneously explore two
of my greatest passions– Literature and
Travelling. This opportunity manifested itself
not only inside the lecture theatre but also
outside of those walls too. The chance for
a year studying abroad was the connection
between my two passions; the thought of
exploring a new culture whilst still immersed
in education was to me ideal. Whilst at
Surrey I have been able to combine my
ever-growing desire to explore new corners
of the world whilst maintaining a focus on
my degree, as the classes I choose to take
will ultimately mould my career. Studying
at the University of Central Florida (UCF)
wasn’t just perfect because of the beautiful
weather, the local pool and the palm trees
(although that all helped); it was perfect
because of the exposure it gave me to
literature and life itself in a new context.
Moving to a new country, a foreign land
where your norms no longer exist, doesn’t
just involve the physical movement from
continent to continent across numerous
varying time zones, but rather – and
perhaps most importantly - a change in your
perspective and assimilation to a new way of
life. I quickly found myself readjusting to a
new climate, teaching style and even found
that the mediation of social interactions
had to be reconfigured. Americans don’t
necessarily tend to understand the stand-
offish nature inherent to most Londoners. So
whilst I was pushed outside of my comfort
zone, I had to remind myself that this was
not only an environment that I chose to
put myself in, it was an environment that
I should and could learn from in both
academic and non-academic terms. This
was as much a personal journey as it was an
educational one.
As I was privileged enough to have free rein
when selecting my classes, I chose again to
venture out of my comfort zone. Choosing
classes in ‘Anthropology’ alongside others
such as ‘Women Writers of Colour’ and
‘Harlem, Haiti and Havana’ exposed me to
differing schools of thought and differing
ideas on culture. I was bombarded with
different cultures again both inside and
outside of the classroom, and it was this
varied collection of experiences that for me
typified what my time in Florida was.
UCF presented me with the chance to dive
head first into American culture (cue the
football, basketball and baseball games,
UCF traditions and of course American
food!). It gave me opportunities to discuss
my own international experiences in local
high schools, sit in on symposiums with
international speakers, and progress in my
studies - all under the care of insightful
tutors, kind mentors and new-found friends.
If my international year abroad has taught
me one thing, it is that when opportunities
arise, no matter how varied or unlike ones
you’ve ever come across, grab them with
both hands, as you will most likely never be
in that same place again.
12. LACES (Language and Culture Exchange Scheme)
12 www.surrey.ac.uk
FAHS International Mapping Project
by Miriam Wlasny
International News from the Faculty ofArts and
Human Sciences (FAHS)
Many of our academic staff make
connections and cultivate relationships
with universities, NGOs and companies
around the world. Led by AD(I) Marie
Breen-Smyth, the FAHS International
Mapping Project set out to obtain data on
these international connections. Thanks
to the fantastic cooperation of all involved
we have gathered information across the
faculty about international research projects
resulting in the publication of high-quality
social research as well as staff and student
exchange agreements which facilitate the
exchange of ideas, strengthen inter-cultural
dialogue and raise the University of Surrey’s
profile and impact around the world. We
are thrilled to soon be able to display the
extent of our international network and
connections to the academic community
and the wider public using interactive
mapping software.
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
by Julia Ker, School of English and Languages
LACES Language Café
(photo by Zhenbin Zhang, visiting student from Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan)
LACES, the University’s Language and Culture Exchange Scheme, is an online network
allowing students and staff to find a language partner who speaks the language they would
like to learn or improve and in return offer assistance in their own language. We currently
have over 50 language groups and approximately 500 LACES members. Students and staff
can join their respective free of charge.
Last year a donation from the Annual Fund allowed us to organise Language Cafés and as
a result many partnerships, groups and friendships were formed. We have also welcomed
the Pre-sessional (English language course) students with a Summer Language Café this
year, enabling them to practise their English skills and meet new students in preparation for
the new academic year. We are planning to continue the Language Cafés this year and we
welcome you all to join us! You can sign up to LACES and find further information about
the scheme at: www.surrey.ac.uk/englishandlanguages/study/laces
School of English and Languages hosts the first wave of international students
for 2013-14
by Sarah Michelotti, School of English and Languages
In early July 2013 the School of English and Languages greeted over 200 enthusiastic
international students arriving for their pre-sessional English language programme at Surrey.
This is an intensive, rigorous course, which puts pressure on the students and the team of
tutors who help them achieve their study goals. Fortunately, there are also opportunities to
relax. The students had trips to Oxford and Brighton, soaking up the atmosphere of the city
of ‘dreaming spires’ (Harry Potter is also of great interest at Christchurch College!) or the
Royal Pavilion. In the evenings they took part in sports events, film nights and were able to
acquaint themselves with the haunted buildings in Guildford.
These students will now be well prepared to start their degree programmes. They will have
improved their academic writing, know how to get the most out of lectures and seminars,
and will be familiar with the workings of the Library, SurreyLearn, the laundry and even the
best offers at Tesco’s. Come October, they will be able to get down to the serious task of
studying in their departments without the anxiety of those initial weeks spent settling into a
new environment.
FUN FACT
The University of Bologna is
the world’s oldest University,
founded in 1088 - some 143
years before the Royal Charter
was granted to the University
of Cambridge in England.
13. Surrey Student Union President wins
signed Jenson Button racing helmet
GLOBAL SURREY October 2013
University of
Surrey joins
EURAXESS
ANSWER TO PHOTO QUESTION
ON PAGE 1:
The term that describes
separation of a mass of ice,
creating a new iceberg, is:
“calving”.
Through the Santander Universities
Network, Santander supports the
international activities of over 60
UK universities. In July of this year,
Santander announced a competition in
which they asked partner universities
to let them know what the relationship
with Santander Universities means to their institution and to higher education as
a whole. The prize was the racing helmet worn by Jenson Button at the British
Grand Prix. Here, Em Bollon talks about the winning video she submitted to the
competition.
www.surrey.ac.uk 13
Admittedly I’ll find any excuse to write
some lyrics, sing, attempt to rap and star in
a music video, but the opportunity to win
something worth thousands of pounds that
could be sewn into the student experience
here at Surrey, seemed ridiculous to pass
up! Santander Universities organised a
competition whereby partners should
explain what the relationship with them
means to their institution and higher
education as a whole, with the prize being
Jenson Button’s racing helmet. They wanted
creativity, and creativity is our middle
name…
The lyrics tell of the University of Surrey’s
unique partnership with Santander
Universities, the global network, my personal
experience as Students’ Union President,
and the future of our relationship including
an impact on higher education as a whole.
Based around Will Smith’s Miami, the
video is the third in a creative partnership
between myself and film editor Andy Land,
a Tonmesiter graduate from Surrey. It follows
on from a series including my Vice-President
and President campaign videos.
At the Students’ Union we are honoured
to have won the unanimous vote of the
judging panel and have been told that all
the UK Branch Managers, “had a great time
trying to sing along to the video! Everyone
felt that the entry perfectly captured how
the university, Student Union and Santander
Universities work together in partnership”.
We are now in the process of arranging a
date for our award to be presented to the
Students’ Union here on campus.
To see Em’s video, and links to her others,
visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OFlZTRdPLA
EURAXESS provides access to a range
of information and support services for
European and non-European researchers
wishing to pursue research careers in
Europe. It has four strands:
1. Services
We can assist you in planning your move
to a foreign country or your move to the
UK. EURAXESS can help with issues such
as accommodation, visa and work permits,
schools for your children and medical care.
2. Rights
EURAXESS provides information regarding
the European Charter for Researchers and
the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of
Researchers.
3. Jobs
On the EURAXESS website there is
information on job vacancies, fellowships
and funding opportunities throughout
Europe.
4. Links
An interactive web service to keep
researchers linked. There are forums, email
alerts and newsletters as well as networking
events.
Please visit the website for more
information: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/
library/researcher/pgr/euraxess.htm
UNIVERSITIES