King's College London newsletter

HRH THE PRI E OF LE IT P RKI 0'DJ E E OCI TY RE E R H LABOR TORIE

HRHTHE PRI ETO ITKI G'

RO L

H R H The Prince of Wale, who recently became Patron of the Parkin on' DiseaseSo lely, visiled the Sociely' research laboratorie al King's on Thur day 15 FebruarylO .. e for her 'cif omc of the trenuou efforLS being made lO find the clu ive cau e and

Icure of lhi di abling condition. Parkin on' Disease afOiclS more than 100,000'ufrercr' in Britain alone.

The Princes saw her vi il as an opporLunity LO increase her under tanding of the nalureof Parkin 'on' Di e e and what the Parkin on' Di ease Sociely i doing to give hopeand help to tho. e who uffer from thi di tre ing afOicLion. The concern of the Prin­cess ha given encouragemenlto the re earcher as well as the ufferer and their carer .

On Tuesday 20 March, the College willbe welcoming HRH The Prince Royal,Chancellor of the University of London,to the Strand campu . She has gmciou Iyaccepted an invitation to open the exhibi­tion celebrating 150 year of pioneeringwork from King's College Ho pilal.Entitled Leeche to La er , the exhibitiontrace a century and a half of medicalhi LOry.

Profe ..or Pl:ler Jenner, Direclor of the Re earch team at Manresa Road, took the Prin­'cs through the variou laboratorie working on Parkin on' Di ea e and later, togelherv.llh per. onnel from the Parkin on' Di ea e ociely, gave the Prince ome more

IInformal background on the hi lory and origin of both the di ea e ilSelf and the Societyc 'wbllshed lO find a cure.

The Royal visil coincided with the beginning of a year of celebration marking the 21stanniver ary of the founding of the Parkin on' Disease Sociely in 1969.

The Chancellor will be arriving atlheCollege at 6.30 pm and will receive aguided tour of the exhibilion and lalerattend a reception where she will beintroduced to those who have been clo elyinvolved in ilS organisation.

De igned by the Design Council, thisspectacular exhibition will comprise of 7elS, connected by a 'Time Tunnel' ,

which are brought to life by pictures,illustrations and 'talking heads', all ofwhich combine lO depict the major socialand medical change which have takenplace over the last 150 years. At keypoint in King' hi tory, the visitor will beable to step out of the 'Tunnel' and inLO amodule which foeu es on one of the mainmedical breakthroughs of the time.

Examples of what can be seen include a19th century operating theatre completewith live leeches! This is where Li ter (aKing' man) revolutionai ed surgicaltreatment with his work into anti-sepsis.

The exhibition will be open from noon 21March at the Strand until 30 March andeveryone is invited to go along to theGreat Hall and cc King's medical historyon display. If you miss il while it is here,there will be another opportunity to cc ilwhen it is at the Medical School, from 9April to 1 May.

STAFF NEWS

PPOI T E SADPRO OTIO S

King' i pleased to announce the follow­ing promotions and new appointments,effective from 1 January 1990, unlessotherwi e stated.

Appointments to ChairsRichard Griffiths has been newlyappointed to the Chair of French Lan­guage and Literature and as Head of theDepartment of French.

David Papineau has been appointed tothe Chair of Philo ophyof aluralScience and al 0 as Head of the Depart­ment of Hi tory and Philosophy ofScience. He will join King's from theUniversity of Cambridge in September1990.

Promotion to Personal ProfessorshipsMargaret Brown has been promotedfrom Reader to Professor of MathematicsEducation.

Richard Cammack has been promotedfrom Reader to Professor of Plant Bio­chemistry from October 1989.

Alexander MacLeod has been promotedfrom Reader to Professor of Food Chem­i try.

Appointments to ReadershipsDianne ewham has been appointedReader in Physiotherapy joining King'sfrom University College London, inSeptember 1989.

Reinhard trohm has been appointedReader in Historical Musicology. Hejoined King's from Yale University.

Promotion to ReadershipsThe following appointments were effec­tive from 1 October 1989.Joan Bliss has been promoted fromLecturer to Reader in Education in theCentre for Educational Studies.

John Butt has been promoted fromSenior Lecturer to Reader in HispanicStudies in the Department of Spanish andSpani h/American Studie .

Frank Hibbert has been promoted fromLecturer to Reader in Chemi try in theDepartment of Chemistry.

Paul Howe ha been promoted fromLecturer to Reader in Applied Mathemat­ics in the Department of Mathematic .

Alan Michette has been promoted fromLecturer to Reader in Physics in theDepartment of Physics.

Leonee Ormond has been promoted fromSenior Lecturer to Reader in English inthe Department of English Language andEnglish Literature .

Professor A C Davies has joined theDepartment of Electronic and ElectricalEngineering as Professor of InformationEngineering, transferring from CityUniversity on 1 January 1990.

He was at Southampton University,graduating with 1st Class Honours in1961. He obtained his PhD from CityUniversity in 1970 for research in linearprocessing of binary sequences.

Tony Davies has been a professor at CityUniversity since 1982 and was Director ofthe Centre for Information Engineeringuntil taking up a Royal Society IndustrialFellowship at British Aerospace in 1987.He is the author of many papers in circuittheory, microprocessor engineering andmore recently digital signal processing.His current interests include variousaspects of software engineering. Tony isa Fellow of the IEE and is also ViceChairman of the UKRI Section of IEEE.

Student Services are pleased to announcethat Ms usan Mead has joined King's asWelfare and Information Officer replac­ing Lisa Payne, who left at Christmas.

Professor Conrad Russell has recentlybeen appointed to the Chair of BritishHistory. Hejoins King's from UnjversityCollege London, where he was AstorProfessor of British History.

Educated at Merton College, Oxford, (BA1958, MA 1962) Profe or Ru sell beganhis distingui hed teaching career a aLecturer in Hi tory at Bedford College,Univer ity of London (1960 - 1974) andthen as a Reader (1974 - 1979). Hebecame Profes or of Hi tory at Yale'Univer ity in 1979 until 1984, when hereturned to Britain to take up his post atUniver ity College London.

His academic career, most notable for hiwork on parliaments in the early 17thcentury, has recently been combined withactive membersrup of the House of Lord .In 1971 he was made a Fellow of theRoyal Historical Society.

Professor Conrad RusseLl

AWARDS

The University of Pisa has bestowed itshighest award for merit in research, the'Campano d'oro', to Professor GuiseppeGiangrande, from the Department of Clas­sics, for achievements attained by hisClassics Resear:ch Centre.

IOBITUARY

Professor A A Parker

Alexander Augustine ('Alec' for us,'Alex' for our American colleagues)Parker, Cervantes Professor of Spanishand Head of the Department of Spanish atKing's from 1953 to 1963, died onNovember 23, 1989, aged 81.

o one, not even Professor EdwardWilson whom he succeeded, did more to

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our admini trati e fun tion .

10 VIEW

DO BallDirector of Finance and Staff

TECH ICAL TAFF 1990 PAYCLAIM A D APPRAISAL

ewDe cription

BASICLO ,ALLWTAX

AT.! S

CurrentDe cription

It is felt that all the new descriptions willbe as readily understandable as thoseli ted above but we will be preparing aguide to payslip description which whichwill be circulated prior to the implementa­Lion of the new system.

BASIC PAYLO .ALLOW CELNCOMETAX

AT. I SUR CE

It is hoped that the only difference whichwill be apparent to members of staff whenthe new system is implemented i achange in the design of the payslip theywill receive. At pre ent, in PAYSOLVE,payslip description are limited to eightcharacters which means that we will haveto abbreviate ome of the de criptioncurrently used on the MISD payslip .Some example are shown below:

fter a detailed as ment of eralcomputerised payroll sy tern, e decidedto purchase the PAYSOL E y temwhich ha been used ucces fully in awide number of locations, in ludinguniversitie and polytechnic ,during thelast ten years.

EXLen ive te Ling of the y tern hasalready been carried out in the PayrollSection and parallel running with theMISD payroll has been ucce fullyachieved.

Last week Manufacturing, Science andFinance (MSF) ubmitted a 30% salaryclaim for technical staff, LO the CVCP,based on an Independent Pay Study(which began as part of our 1986 payaward!) and the movement in the cost of

A Service ofThanksgiving for ProfessorParker will be held in the Chapel onFriday 16 March 1990.

EW PA YROLL SYSTEM

whi h his family' 10 ed to organt for u .

Profe or J WageDepartment of pani hand pani h

merican tudie

Alec Parker was an exceptional scholarand tea her and also a character of theort one like to think was much more in

evidence in hi day than now. A colour­ful character indeed, not because heflaunted it but beeause the depth, breadth,commitment, intellectual harpne ,passion and charity of the man hone oULfrom it.

'or did he quite al ay let hi head rulehi heart. He had a pas ionate love of allthing beautiful; he pent many affection­ate hour gardening and collectingbuuerflie . Hi mu icaJ taste alsoreflected the man: he was engro sed bythe Beethoven quartets because he foundthem deeply moving as well as intelli­gently ordered, and he cheerfully got up atthe cra k of dawn to join tho rollickingti ket queues at the Royal Opera Housewhenever there wa a promise of goodperformance of Donizeui, Verdi orMOzarL

Following a policy agreed between theUniversity Court Department and themajor colleges of the Univer ity, King'shas been as uming respon ibility foradmini trative computing functionsformerly undertaken by the ManagementInformation Services Division (MISD) atSenate Hou e.

To date, the College has installed and isoperating in-house systems to deal withfinancial accounting and student recordsand from April we intend to assumeresponsibility for producing our ownpayroll. This will complete the migrationfrom MISD and will mean that we will nolonger be dependent on MISD for any of

'ainlly per on he certainly was - but nOLone with his head in the cloud . Heproved to be a prudent and astute managerju Lwhen those qualitie were coming tobe indispensable in a ucce sful head ofdepartment. lie was astonishinglyobservant even of thing that were not tohis taste. 1had occasion LO nOLe, forinstance, how often it was that he (and hissecretary Jean Bi hop) came OUL on top inidentifying advertisements in the quizze

Alec made hi mark nm only as a scholarbUL as a Leacher and as a person. Hitudents adored him: hi commitment,

percepLion and per uasive cogency wereuch that (a a former student ha put it to

me) every cIa offered nOL only a pene­Lrating liLerary analy i but a po itive wayof life; and he always found time to listenamI give ympathetic but realistic adviceLO anyone in need. His staff too held himin as much affecLion as in eSLeem. He wasone of those pcople who broughL out thebe Lin everyone: loyalty and decencycea ed to be old-fa hioned nOLions andeemed perfecLly natural when you served

under Alec Parker. It wa taken forgranted, for example, that no one woulddream of selling off for lunch in therefectory until Alec was ready and wecould all go down Logether.

."i e the Kin Spani h D panment theintcmauonal reputation it has enjoyedin e ~/orld \ 'ar 11. The Spam h govem­m~nt a orded him"" hile in London therare honour or non-native of Com­mand r of the Order of I abella Cat6lica.HI 6O-or- 0 publications ha e beena 'idly read and reverentially deployed by

holar ,tea her and literati in EuropeI and th USA for a generation. So on-

'in 109 and cohe ive ere hi riticalprin .ple that 'the Parker approa h' cameto be a label tu k on to an alleged'London S hool of Hi pani m', a label"" hI h (almo Lneedless to say) the aried

Iband of hi London colleague lookedupon with a mixture of ati faction orexa peration. Hi nse of team piriL in!tfe and culture made him a naLuralfed raJi tin the - e en then - delicateframework of London Uni er iLy. VCL

I helped to show the recognition of thi bymaking him laLer an Honorary Re earchFellow, But London 10SL him in 1963 toEdlOburgh and then to America partlybecau'e he felt - wrongly, many of usLhoughL at the time - a lack of genuine,academic fellow hip.

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living.

In the period since 1986, our claim forcomparable rate of pay with othertechnicians has been rejected by centralgovernment, who will only accept therecruitment, retention and motivation oftaff a criteria for salary increases above

inDation.

Excluding last year's settlement, it is tenyear ince technicians had a pay increaseapproaching the level of inDation. Thegap between university technicians andour counterparts i ever widening. Thefinal offer last year of 6% on basic payplus a similation increases as ociatedwith a new salary tructure hardly beganto clo e thi gap, since salary awardgenerally have been higher than our inthe period since last April. Technicianshave become frustrated and disillusionedby this state of affairs, and motivation isat an all time low. The reduction ofKing's staffing levels since the mergerhas also been a contributory factorcausing low morale (a reduction from500+ technicians ju t prior to the mergerto less than 300 now).

Skilled staff are still leaving in worryingnumbers, and the only cure that theuniversities nationally can find is 1% ofour pay bill to be targeted to a minutenumber of staff, plus an appraisal schemeto increase motivation! This coupled withthe total lack of investment in bothscience and education does little to firethe enthusiasm of a skilled and qualifiedworkforce who are working to the best oftheir abilities, with greatly increasedproductivity, against considerable diffi­cultie .

Since last year, the government have tiedome of its own employees (Inland

Revenue and Scientific & Speciali t Staff,not to mention Members of Parliament!)into long term pay comparability agree­ments with regular up-dates and adjust­ments to accommodate movements inprivate ector pay. MSF feels that thisyear's negotiations should include aformula for u to achieve a permanentcomparability arrangement to preventfurther drift in our salaries.

Another component of this year's claiminvolve the abolition of 1% discretionaryawards that were awarded last year. Thepa t 12 months have shown these to be

both divi ive and inefficient. We areclaiming that the di cretionary pointshould be included in the incrementalcale , the progres ion through whichhould remain automatic in annual tep.

MSF will not accept any system ofappraisal that is linked directly to paylmanagement discretion. This is not justpique, but moreover a realisation of thebest method to reward technicians. Thiis through job-evaluation (our 'Blue­Book). Whil t MSF accept that appraisalcan be a useful aid to improving perform­ance, identifying training needs andassisting career progression, there aredangers in linking this with pay. To quotethe Institute of Personnel Management:

'The most common difficulty arises fromthe impossibility of marrying up a systemwhich is primarily aimed at providinginformation for salary review with asy tem which is intended to improvecurrent performance. The problem is anobvious one: an appraisee will try to denya failing or insist that it is of no conse­quence if thi is likely to have a directeffect on salary. If the main purpose ofthe discussion is to identify weak areasand look for ways that these may beimproved, with there being no relation topay, the assessee is much more likely toparticipate openly and honestly... TheInstitute of Personnel Management, alongwith many reputable con ultants, advisesstrongly against a direct relationshipbetween pay and performance appraisal.'

The Confederation of British Industryalso states 'there is no consistent researchevidence that performance related paysystems actually influence performancestandards... '

To summarise the situation facing techni­cians, the government and employerswould like private sector conditions andwork practises for public sector rates ofpay whilst MSF seek comparability withother workers undertaking similar duties.

Hopefully, this will dispel the myth thatwe are totally opposed to appraisal per se,but remain concerned that any appraisalsystem introduced should truly representthe needs of universities in the 1990s.

Alan Howardecretary, King's College London

Branch, MSF

HEALTH A D SAFETY IDEO

There will be a video presentation of anepisode of 'Dangerous Lives' on theubject of chemical expo ure on Monday

19 March in Room 2C, Strand campus,between 1.15 - 2.00 pm. It will berepeated on Monday 26 March in M20 inthe Atkins Building, Kensington campubetween 1.00 - 2.00 pm.

All are welcome to attend. For anyfurther details contact S2624.

Marion MurphyMSF Health and Safety Officer.

ITRA I G COLUM

KIT Course News

Micro oft Word for Secretarial taff.12 March.This course for advanced topics in IBMMS Word has already been oversub­scribed. We will however be able to meetdemand on repeat courses arranged on 4,24 and 27 April. I will be pleased toreceive applications from anyone wishingto join the training course list.

Apple Mac users will not be left out.will be sending out a list of all Macoperators to Mac user secretaries, thuscreating a 'Mac-information-network', inthe hope that it will enable Applemac WPoperators to exchange information andhelp each other. If there is sufficientdemand for an agreed Macprogramme oftraining, I will arrange a Mac cour e(s).

Supervisory Skills Course28,29, 30 March and 4, 5 & 6 AprilThis 6 day course will be shared withImperial College and is aimed at staffwho wish to achieve greater effectivenessand confidence in their supervisory roles.A commitment to attend all six days isessential from all participants.

Selection Skills3 AprilThis one day event concentrates on thepreparation procedures which comebefore the selection interview. It willenable participants to prepare job descrip-

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lion and person specifications (the typeof per on required for the job), understandand pra u e th legal obligation of EqualOpportunity legi !ation, plan and cono-olan intervie~ and u a tru tured ament y t m for taff el tion from jobappli ants. The course, hich ill takeplace at the Ken ington carnpu , IS likelyto be pular. Plea apply as soon aspo ·Ible.

technical methods of minimising security, fire and flood ris

Care and aintenance of pH and 0 ygen lectrode16MaThi morning wor hop is part of the su essful 'Seminars for Technician' cries and

ill be led by my If and Gary StrickIand. Participants ill be encouraged to bringalong items to be tested.

ederal Cour27 April, 4, 11 1 May; kill for Job Training and In tructioo; a four day cour eon the principles and methods of instru lion.

GTO

....::::::::.• <:'

EW TELEPHO E Y TEM AT KE

Ken Bromlieldon-Academic taff Training Officer

.'::.:'. :~::: .•.. ....

A temporary telephone directory listing per onnel and their new extension numbers willbe distributed throughout the College shortly.

Details about all training events are sent to head of department and/or supervisor.

2 July; Reading Efficiency Cour e; for secretarial, technical and junior administrativetaff.

Bob RedmondGeneral Services Manager

From Manre a Road and other College sites direct line access codes will still be re­quired.

17 & 18 May; A De elopmeot Course for ecretaries; a two day wor hop for seniorsecretarie in administrative departments.

From 2 April 1990 the new telephone system at the Kensington campus will be inservice. When dialling from the Strand and 552 King's Road, there will be no need todial 75 before the exten ion number of the per on you wish to contact, just the 4 digitexten ion number.

Cardinal Basil flulme. (centre) arriving at King's on 13 February to give a talk on'Prayer' to the King's Christian Forum. fie is pictured here being greeted by the Deanand the Chaplin ofKing's.

Preparation for Retirement4 AprilThere are till place left on thi coursefor people who are within two years ofretiring. Any member of staff who feelthat they need some guidance on how toadapt to thi important tage in their lifeshould apply now or telephone ext S2 03.The cour e will be shared with and takeplace at, Imperial College.

tarf Induction Cour e23 AprilThi event i now a regular feature on theKing's Calender and allows participantsto get to know people from varioudepartments a well a learn about theCollege from Senior Officers, includingthe Principal. The aim of the cour e willbe to provide a relaxed atmosphere inorder to welcome our new staff into theCollege Community. Refreshments andlunch will be provided. Details of thiscourse have been sent to all Heads ofDepartment and Service Units. This notehould be treated as an invitation for new

staff to book a place.

ilver ervice Course10 MayThe purpo e of this work hop i toupgrade the food service skills of Collegecatering staff and open wider opportuni­ties and a greater variety of work to them.Peter Hoffman, the College CateringOfficer and Marjory McCallum, DeputyCatering Manager at Chelsea, will leadthe course which will take place at theStrand. The Training Office will acceptapplications.

Cour e for Security Staff10 MayThis course, designed for staff withecurity and reception duties, will take

place at the Strand. It will deal withpublic relations, organisational and

LIBRARY NEWS

o LI lE I FORMATIO RETRIEVAL

Finding references to relevant books and journal articles in bibliographies and indexescan take a great deal of time and effort Some of this valuable time could be saved byrequesting an online literature search, as many bibliographies, abstracting and indexingservice are available online, ie as a database held on computer. Other advantagesinclude pin-pointing relevant references by searching for several index terms lOgether orby excluding specific aspects of a subject, and the fact that on line files are more up-to­date than the printed versions. It is also po sible to get access to many more abstractingand indexing services than King's or indeed any local library subscribes to.

REQ E TI G A SEARCH

The first thing to do is to decide on how best to describe the topic of your search, usingwords and phrases by which the relevant literature might be indexed. When you havedecided on your search term ,ask at the Library Issue Desk for an online earch appli­cation form. List a many search terms as you can. It can often be helpful to bringalong details of an article you already know of, which you feel is central to the topic.Library staff will then discuss with you how to achieve the best results, by choice ofdaLabase, search strategy, etc. If you are a student (undergraduate or postgraduate), youwill be asked to have your tutor/supervisor ign the form - this is again a way of benefit­ing from other researchers' experience. Searches can be performed in your absence butit is helpful if you are there to make sure relevant references are retrieved. Thoserelevant references may be printed off there and then, or more usually when largenumbers are involved, they are ordered and posted to you.

CHARGES

The Library has set aside funds to cover the cost of searches for members of staff andauthorised students, but you will be asked to pay for references displayed or printed inexcess of 30.

Fuller details of the search service offered and application forms are available from allIssue Desks of the Library, or from Information Services, The Library, Strand campusext S2186.

The above information may look familiar to some readers of Comment, and we hope itwill be u efulto many more. The range of dalabases available and the search facilitiesthey offer improves almost daily, recent example being Beilstein, Micro SoftwareDictionary, Arts and Humanities Search and Nursing and Allied Health, to name but afew.

The range of 'end-user' searchable dalabases on offer, ie the CD-ROM dalabasesavailable for do-it-yourself searching is also on the increase. Information on this is alsoavailable from any Issue Desk or from Information Services, as above. As well asScience Citation Index at Kensington, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae at Embankment,Strand and ERIC at Coleridge, Silverplatter's CINAHL (Cumulated Index to Nursingand Allied Health Literature) was on trial at Coleridge Library during February. Re­sponse was enthusiastic and several users managed to construct useful bibliographiesu ing its resources.

SENIOR COMMON ROOM - Booking of the Blackwell Room

booked for such purposes (other thanthose including students) at any timeoutside normal hour of u e. In effectthis means that the room may be bookedat any time of day other than in the lunchhour (ie 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm). The onlyexception to this rule are booking by theKing's College Ladie ' Club (as agreed atthe Annual General Meeting on 22February 1990) since their meetings arefor the purpose of arranging functionsincluding the membership of the CommonRoom.

The Committee would be grateful ifmembers of the College would rememberand adhere to this rule when consideringbooking the Blackwell Room for anypurpose whatsoever.

M M BrownHon Secretary

PFUE 'THE YEAR ININDUSTRY' COMES TOKI G'S

The School of Engineering is providingthe base for the London Region of anational scheme to encourage schoolleavers intending to read engineering andapplied science at university to gainindustrial experience.

The scheme, known as PFUE - The Yearin Industry, arranges for students to beplaced in industry for one year prior toentering university without furthercommitment on either side. The LondonOffice is staffed on a part-time basis byDavid Bamett, Director, formerly withBP, and Douglas Maclean, DeputyDirector, formerly with Cossor Electron­ics, who is also a part-time Senior Re­search Fellow in the Department ofElectronic and Electrical Engineering.

They would be very pleased to hear fromanyone wishing to find out more aboutPFUE (pre-formation of UndergraduateEngineers) which is funded by theTraining Agency, particularly thoseinvolved in recruitment, schools liaisonand industrial placements.

There seem to be ome confusion regarding the rules governing the booking bymembers of the College of the Blackwell Room for meetings etc. This room may be

LECTURES MEETINGS AND SEMINARSCouncil Room, Strand campusAll enquiries to Or Tim Crane, Depart­ment of Philosophy, Strand campu

I I AUGURAL LECTURE

SCHOOL OF LA WWednesday 14 MarchEQUITABLE AND INEQUITABLEREMEDIESJiIJ Martin, Professor of Law5.30 pm, Room 2808, Strand campus

I PUBLIC LECTURE

DEPARTMENT OF PALAEOGRAPHYThursday 15 MarchAUTOGRAPH AND WORKINGCOPIES OF MEDIEVAL LATINCHRONICLESDr Patrick McGurk, Emeritus Reader inMedieval History, Birkbeck College5.30 pm, Room 1822, Strand campus

DEPARTMENT OF PORTUGUESEAND BRAZILIAN STUDIESMonday 19 MarchVOICES FROM AN EMPIRE: ANOVERVIEW OF MOZAMBICANLITERATURE BEFORE INDEPEND­ENCED Eugcnio Lisboa5.30 pm, Room 2C, Strand campus

!SEMINARS

CENTRE FOR EDUCATIONALSTUDIESMonday 19 MarchRESEARCH STUDENTS' FORUMResearch students talking about theirresearch5.30 pm, Room 3.020, King'S Road,Chelsea campus

Wednesday 21 MarchASSESSMENT DISCUSSIO

4.30 pm, Room 5.208, 552 King'S Road,Chelsea campus

CENTRE FOR LATIN AMERICANCULTURAL STUDIESTuesday 8 MayTHE POLITICS AND POETICS OFTRANSGRESSIO ,ITHACA, COR­NELL,I986Peter Stallybrass and Allon White5.30 pm, Room 314, Department ofSpanish, Strand campus

AGE CONCERN INSTITUTE OFGERONTOLOGYMonday 14 MayTHE HEALTH STATUS OF ELDERLYPEOPLE IN BANGKOKProfessor Shah Ebrahim, Professor ofGeriatric Medicine, The London Hospital,Mile End

Tuesday 15 MayRESEARCH ON NURSING CARE OFELDERLY PEOPLEDr Sally Redfem, Director of NursingEducation Research Unit, KCL4.00 pm- 5.00 pm, Room 2-109 ClarkBuilding, 552 King's Road, Chelseacampus

ICOURSES

COMPUTING CENTREThurs 22, Fri 23, Mon 26, Tues 27 & Wed28 MarchPROGRAMMING IN ISO PASCALStrand campus 10.00 am to 1.00 pm &2.00 pm to 5.00 pmFurther details available from Advi­sory, Room 23A8 ext S2505

CENTRE FOR PHILOSOPHICALSTUDIESFriday 18 to Saturday 19 May\Two day conferencePERCEPTION AND PERCEPTIJALCONTENT

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICSMonday 2 to Friday 6 AprilDIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSINGFor further information please contactOr J F 80yce, Department of Physics,King's College, Strand campus

ICOLLOQUIA

INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED MUSI­CALSTUDIESWednesday 21 MarchHEINRICH SCHENKER'S CONCEPTOF SONATA FORMStephen Hinton, Lecturer,TechnicalUniversity of Berlin5.00 pm, Room GOl, Strand campus

ROYAL SOCIETY

THE MEDAWAR LECTUREThursday 5 AprilTHE NEW TRANSNATIONAL STRUC­TURE OF BASIC SCIENCE: PROS­PECTS AND APPREHENSIONSProfessor L Thomas

Wednesday 25 AprilEMBRYO MANIPULATION ANDTRANSGENESIS IN ANIMALSProfessor E J C Polge

Thursday 26 AprilHOW MANY SPECIES ON EARTHTODAY? AND TOMORROWProfessor R M May5.30 pm, 6 Carlton House Terrace,London SW1Y SAG

Wednesday 2 & Thursday 3 MayDiscussion MeetingTRACE ANALYSISOrganised by Professor W J Albery,Professor D T Burns, Professor J N Millerand Professor A TownshendFor further information please contactthe Scientific Meetings Secretary at theabove address or telephone 01 8395561.

Later the course focuses on explaininghow language is interpreted and acquiredby the human mind. Through attention tothe inadequacies of data for naturallearning, and to the errors which resultfrom processing by the learner, parame­ters are e tablished to indicate the struc­ture of the mind.

The course units in Linguistics at King'sbegin by describing the data of language:how utterances are formed and how theyhave meaning.

The central aims of studying Linguisticsat King's are to explain what it is to knowa language; how that knowledge isacquired; and how to put it into use.

If any further information is requiredplease contact me at the followingaddre s, Lingui tics Course, 9a SWB,Strand campus (53545).

The findings of the Research Study havebeen illustrated by a video which howsexample of inexperienced and experi­enced teachers describing how they usecomputer in the classroom. An accom­panying booklet also provides additionalinfonnation. This resource pack whichwill help develop the effective use ofcomputers in the classroom is availablefrom The Information Officer, Educationand Computing Unit, Centre for Educa­tional Studies, King's College London,Strand London WC2R 2LS.

LI GUISTICS AT KI G'S

I tudy of variation in computer use inprimary school, and the effectiven ofinservice training. Schools may owncomputer hardware, but it doe notnecessarily follow that compUler ha ebeen adopted and implemented ucce s­fully by teachers. Cia sroom use varie ,despite a Government initiative in theearly 1980 to introduce at least onemicrocomputer into each British primaryschool, accompanied by a widespreadinservice training. The study was fundedby the Economic and Social ResearchCouncil, the Inner London EducationAuthority and Research Machines Ltd.

Further detail may be obtained fromRama S Thirunamachandran (pRSO,Secretariat) on extension S2708.

Many members of the academic taff haveestablished beneficial links with compa­nies through co-operative researchprogramme sponsored studentships andconsultancies. These company links canalso provide a foundation for moreeffective grant applications to the Re­search Councils and the EC.

RESEARCH EXPLOIT TIO

It is important for the College and theindividual researcher that we shouldregularly assess the opportunitie forraising additional income from thecommercial development and exploitationof research.

Ken Groves, Director of KCL ResearchEnterprises (ext K394) is available toassist members of staff to strengthen theircompany relationships and to advise onthe necessity of protecting intellectualproperty developed through research.Guidance is given on patenting proce­dures, contract conditions and licensingarrangements. Opportunities exist forlaunching spin-off companies where thisis viable but the important task is toachieve that route to exploitation whichmaximises the revenue against a practicalassessment of the strengths and weak­nesses of the proposal. Any discussionscan take place within the confines of aconfidentiality agreement. Do nothesitate to contact KCL Enterprises withany questions you may have.

MICROS A D PRIMARYSCHOOLS

PL I GAD RE E RCHPPORT OFFICE

ow that the development of detailedlocal planning is underway in the Schools,the fir t and major task of the PRSO,already well in hand, is to pursue the vitalenterprise of building a dedicated researchand expertise database, into which will bechanneJled all the existing consolidatedsources of information about researchactivity in the College (such as thatderiving from the College's researchreporting procedures) and any subsequentinformation. Aided by the databasefacility, the Office will eventually be ableto offer a comprehensive intelligenceservice to support and monitor patterns oflocal research endeavour academically ­determined at School level.

The Planning and Research SupportOffice (PRSO) has recently been e tab­lished within the Planning and LegalDi i ion of the Secretariat. Under thedirection of the Deputy College Secretary,Harry Mu elwhite, the Di ision isre pon ible for the development, organi­sation and maintenance of an integratedplanning y tem for the College, incollaboration with the other major areasof the administration - academic, financialand estates. The PRSO is in the overallcharge of the Planning Officer, StephenHarrow; and will work clo ely with KCLResearch Enterprises with the aim ofencouraging maximum external financialupport from non-UFC sources for

College-based research.

- Ensuring the receipt and disseminationof information for all sources of researchfunding and keeping up-to-date records ofthose opportunites;

- in conjunction with Finance and Staffacting as a centre for advice on researchfunding and grant applications;

Such an 'intelligence service' willnaturally embrace a number of comple­mentary and inter-locking responsibilities,eg

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collaborations.RE E RCH. The PRSO is also to be responsible for

compiling the Research Review andResearch Publications, on an annual andbiennial basis respectively.

- encouraging the germination of inter­departmental and inter-disciplinary

Margaret Cox and Valerie Rhodes at theEducation Computing Unit at King's haverecently completed a four year research

Dr William RennettDepartment of French

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NEWS ROUND UP

A BIG THA K YO

Stephen Harrow, Planning Officer (Secretariat), writes to say a heart-felt 'thank you' toall those very kind colleagues who sent him good wishes and 'get well' greetings duringhis recent extended stay in St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster. After a post-operativeperiod for recuperation, Stephen has now returned to work full-time and claims to beenjoying being back at King's! Po sibly the effects of the anaesthetic are taking evenlonger to wear off than usual.

While in St Thomas', Stephen used his camera to good purpose, taking shots of thesuperb Thameside vistas to be seen from the upper floors of the Hospital. The shotreproduced (below) shows Somerset House and the College in a quite unique perspec­tive. Can anyone identify the building in the foreground? Answer on pagelO (see *).

Technical note:The definition has suffered a bit because, Stephen says, he had difficulty, one week aftera fairly serious operation, in holding the camera sufficiently still: 200mm lens atmaximum focal length; 1/125 at f5.8; ASA 64.

this approach had on the deportment ofthe young man and the improved self­image that resulted from it. It seemed tome that the Alexander method wasomehow able not only to developphysical movement, but also to developan ability to take greater control of one's'physicality' .

The purpose of my writing is to ask DrCecily Partridge, if she could possiblyconsider this aspect of physiotherapy andincorporate the Alexander method in herresearch.

In my opinion mental handicap andphysiotherapy is a neglected area, and hasenormous scope. I wish Dr Partridgeevery success with the project.

Fanny GriffinAccommodation Office, Strand campus

STAFF CRICKET CLUB

Call for new membersAlthough the King's staff cricket clubformally merged last season with our oldrivals, Queen Elizabeth College, theperennial problem of rmding eleven goodmen and true to represent the College,persists. Some of the present team,although willing are long past their 'sellby date'. Young blood and even middleaged blood is urgently needed. If youhave ever played and still remember how,please contact one of the following. Youcan be assured of a convivial welcome ateither our superb new ground at NewMaIden or at one of the equally attractiveoppo ition venues. If anyone is interestedplease contact any of the following:

PHYSIO FEEDBACK

Research Grant for PhysiotherapyI was pleased to read of the research project being undertaken by Dr Cecily Partridge,(February issue of Comment no 43), in physiotherapy and mental handicap.

In my limited experience of dealing with mental handicap, I have observed that quiteoften physical movements can be performed quite adequately in isolation. The problemstarts when these isolated movements have to be strung together into a meaningful and /or purposeful function or expression. Regular specific exercises, although very oftenenjoyed when performed, do not always benefit the person as a whole. It was thereforewith ome trepidation that I approached an 'Alexander method' expert to see whateffect her method would have on a mentally handicapped teenager. The sessions wereagain much enjoyed, but after only a few weeks, I was amazed to see the overall effect

Strand siteJohn NicholasChemistryBill ShermanPhysicsChris ChunilallPhysicsNeill SpencerBiochemistry

Kensington sitePhil CunninghamComputer CentreRichard BepatBiosphere

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Infull voice andfancy dress! A scene/rom lolanthe.last years production by theSociety.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

HIP HO !

For tho of you who don't 'arf fan ynipping off on a relaxing cruise next term,here i a prospect whi h will gladden youroul: the goodship Pinafore sets sail from

the College' ew Theatre on Wednesday9 May for a three day trip, and aB mem­ber of the College staff are heartilyInvited to come and sail the ocean blue,for what promi es to be a memorablejourney. With the decks scrubbed and thebras work polished, it'll be anchors awaywhen the King' College Gilbert andSullivan Society take up their po ition onthe quarter-deck of HMS Pinafore.

W GILBERT

W S Gilbert (1836-1911) never actuallyhone during his time at King's. Admit­

ted to the faculty of General Literatureand Science in 1853, the well-appointedCollege archive keep a brief record ofGilbert's academic progress at this time.At English Literature he is rated 'Good',but at Divinity and Mathematics he wasless succe ful: 'rather indifferent','progres m6'derate ,. French seems tohave been an altogether unhappy experi­ence: 'more application required', 'Fre­quently absent. Inallentive'. We can butguess what Britain's favourite libretti twas doing during his frequent absencesfrom College. His only claim to notorietyat King's was that he turned the Physics

Formed in 19 7 by a fe dedicatedmortals ho couldn't wait to get dressedup in illy clothe and pran e around theCollege board inging joyou Iy, theSociety, 'ith mitial funding from theD'Oyly Carte Charitable Tru t, i noe tabli hed as on of the premier perform­ing societie of thi College. The hal­lowed timber of HMS Pmafore ilaunched upon the ocean wave thi yearthanks to the generou upport of PizzaExpress Ltd., the Gilbert and SuUivan bar(Covent Garden) and KCLSU.

With boarding card available from 25April, why not come and sail the waveswith the Gilbert and Sullivan Society thisMay? With passion and uspense,laughter and tears, morality and wit, it's atrip for all the family. And I promise you,me hearties, not even a glimpse of Cap'nBirdseye.

Society into a Shake pearean readingclub. eedless to say it reverted backafter his graduation in 1857.

ociety

L CHTIME RECITAL

The Department of Music is to present alunchtime recital of J S Bach's mu ic onMonday 19 March. The programme startsat 1.05 pm in St Mary-Ie-Strand andincludes the Brandenburg Concerto 0 3BWV 1048, the Sonata for Violin andHarpsichord BWV 1021 and the Cantata'Jauchzet GOll in alien Landen' BWV 51.Everyone is welcome, admission is free.

PO OR 'EEDED FORAR TH R ER

ZJ:>e Gaffen from the Department ofPharma ology 1 to run the London 1ara­than on 22 April 1990 and i looking forsponsor. All donations will go to TheSpons Aid Foundation, Action forResear h into ultiple Sclero i andpecifically for a si tan e for 1ar Bailey

a fonner member of staff. Please contacther through the Department of Pharma­cology.

SMALL ADS

ROO TO LETFemale only. Single room in a 2bedroomed Bloomsbury Oat. Availablefrom end of February to end of June(po sible extension to end of September).£75.00 per week + bills.Contact (01) 388 1427 after 8.00 pm.

RE TED PROPERTYSpacious 4 bcdroomed detached house insecluded location in Wimbledon, ele­gantly fumi hed with TV, video, micro­wave etc £ 1250.00 per month. Availablefrom I April till the end of the year.Tel (01) 946 7333

* For all those who couldn't quite work itout, the mystery building is the CountyHall.

Comment is the College's regular staffnewsletter, is ued by the InformationOffice «ext 2179» three times a term,with special editions if required. Contri­butions are warmly welcomed from anymember of the College. For exampleprofiles of people or areas of interest,new of events, views on College matters,photos, cartoons, items of sale, puzzles orquizzes. Comment is sent to all staff andmade freely available through the StudentUnion. Copy dates and and publicationdates are published at the end of eachissue. The copy dale for the next issue is27 April 1990 for publication in the weekbeginning 7 May 1990.

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