Strathclyde

s p r i n g 2 0 0 9

INTRODUCING OUR NEW PRINCIPAL professor Jim McDonald shares his vision

FIGHTING BACKstrathclyde responds to the recession

HOmECOmING sCOTLANDAre you coming home in 2009?

strathclyde pioneers a new age of renewable energy

The winds changeof

As the Government presses towards its ambitious renewable energy targets,

Nicola More meets the Strathclyde academics at the vanguard of the green revolution

The

l C O V E R F E A T U R E l

lasgow is known internationally as a city of engineering, its reputation dating back to the golden age of Clyde

shipbuilding. At that time, Glasgow was at the centre of an exciting industry that was breaking new ground and building empires. Today, the city is once again pioneering modernity through its engineering prowess. With the UK Government aiming to produce 15% of its power from renewable sources by 2020, research and development is progressing rapidly on wind turbines and other green technologies. And the University of Strathclyde has been the most successful university in obtaining research funding from a new £1.1 billion fund to revolutionise energy production.

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) funding will drive research and development across the UK, with several of its projects focused on maximising the full potential of wind energy. Of the three new wind energy projects announced by ETI in January, Strathclyde is at the heart of two – Project Nova and Project Helm Wind. “These are very exciting projects to be involved in,” says Professor Bill Leithead of the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering. “With our partners, we will be designing very large offshore wind turbines,

which will be built and deployed in sufficient numbers to meet the ambitious offshore targets.”

These offshore targets aim to balance the need to develop wind technology with the need to address public concerns. “Many people object to locating wind farms on land,” says Bill. “The Government is focusing on offshore developments such as these to get around public acceptance issues, but it is then faced with a new set of challenges – all to do with cost. The immediate challenge in designing the technology lies in not only getting the cost of the wind turbines down, but also making the technology more reliable to keep operating costs to a minimum. Accessibility for maintenance in locations like the North Sea is very restricted, so operation and maintenance needs to be dealt with more proactively.”

Projects Nova and Helm Wind each take a different approach to solving these issues. Project Helm Wind is a feasibility study being conducted by Strathclyde alongside industrial partners E.ON Engineering, Rolls-Royce and BP Alternative Energy, which will deliver a concept design to overcome the issues of reliability and maintenance. Project Nova, on the other hand, involves the creation of a completely new type of wind turbine, featuring

a pair of large V-shaped rotors. Where conventional turbines rotate on a horizontal axis, the vertical axis of the Nova turbine is expected to deliver greater reliability and simpler access for maintenance. “It’s a very radical and novel design, one that has never been built on this scale before,” says Bill.

“There are big challenges associated with both projects. The turbines have to meet stringent Government requirements and yet they have to be novel, cost-effective and reliable. That’s where the University’s research and development capability is required, and that’s what makes this so exciting. This is not a paper study – we will be designing, building and deploying prototype machines by 2013.”

Strathclyde’s ETI funding comes just weeks after the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

(EPSRC) awarded the University more than £5 million to establish a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in wind energy. This is no small achievement, given the competitive nature of higher education funding. “Of the 44 DTCs being funded by EPSRC, only three are at Scottish universities, so Strathclyde’s success confirms the quality of our research efforts,” says Bill. “This is a massive opportunity to create a really strong research base, covering all aspects of Wind Energy.”

Emulating European models, Strathclyde’s DTC funds PhD scholarships to run over four years, instead of the traditional three, with a strong training element to broaden students’ appreciation of the context of their work. The EPSRC award will fund 50 studentships, split into five intakes of 10. Bill and his team are currently busy recruiting “the very best students”, as well as creating and publicising the centre itself.

In the longer term, Bill has big ambitions for the DTC. “We have the DTC, the ETI-funded projects and I chair the Supergen Wind Consortium. When all those activities are added together it gives the University critical mass. My objective over the next few years is to consolidate our activities into the UK centre of excellence in wind energy.”

However, the challenge of delivering the nation’s renewable energy does not just lie in wind power. “For the Government to achieve its targets it needs to have a balanced energy portfolio – it can’t put all its eggs in one basket,” says Cameron Johnstone of the Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “Tidal power is in a strong position to contribute to that portfolio.”

Indeed, the enormous potential of marine power is as yet untapped. “We know more about engineering

for outer space than we do about engineering for the wave and tidal environment,” says Cameron. “Yet marine has phenomenal resource associated with it. One study suggests that the raw resource that exists in the seas is five times higher than our level of electricity demand, but the challenge lies in capturing and converting that resource and delivering that energy to the market place. With further research and development, by 2030 I’d imagine around 20% of our electricity will come from wet renewables.”

There are several advantages to tidal energy that many other renewables cannot deliver, such as reliability. “We can never predict when it’s going to be windy, but we can predict about 100 years in advance what the tidal condition will be,” says Cameron. “Plus, tidal is the only renewable energy to provide firm power that doesn’t involve a combustion process. This means it offers the holy grail – a predictable, secure and clean energy supply. Another advantage is that tidal energy is never simultaneous. It circulates around the mainland with a time lag between each site coming into full power production. What that means is that if we take three strategically located sites with a two-hour time lag between them, we can achieve an almost constant power delivery.”

Despite these obvious strengths, traditional approaches to harnessing tidal energy have proved costly and inefficient. “Up until now, the approach has been to take a wind turbine and mount it underwater on the seabed,” says Cameron. “Yet a wind turbine is designed to work in a very different environment, resulting in a number of maintenance problems.”

Cameron and the ESRU research team hope to change all that, having designed and tested a second-generation technology

1

2

3

4

SNAPSHOT

l C O V E R F E A T U R E l

with the potential to revolutionise the tidal energy industry. Currently, marine turbines are elevated from the seabed on solid platforms. This allows them to operate at the optimal depth – away from both the boundary layer, where the water flows across the seabed and creates turbulence, and the surface, where wave interaction can cause structural failures. So, in a 30m water column, the technology should be positioned so the centre of the turbine is around 13m deep for highest energy flow velocity. The challenge facing engineers lies in elevating the turbine from the seabed without compromising its stability. Put simply, engineers must stop the turbines from toppling over. Creating a secure structural support for first generation technologies can account for 40% of project costs.

Instead of using a single rotor supported by a rigid structure Engineers at Strathclyde have developed dual, contra-rotating rotors supported by a lower cost

flexible mooring system – something Cameron likens to a ship dropping its anchor. The technology is kept in position by a combination of the single point mooring and the contra-rotating rotors. By positioning two rotors together, each turning in opposite directions, the engineers can achieve a balancing of forces that lends the technology greater stability. It also increases the relative shaft speed, allowing engineers to eliminate the gearbox and operate the technology by direct drive into the generator. Since gearbox failures are the most common technical problem in turbines, this significantly reduces maintenance requirements.

Another innovation of the second-generation turbine is that its electrical components are sealed in resin but open to the water, so the sea provides a natural coolant. “It’s about keeping the design as simple

as possible and using the natural environment to best advantage,” says Cameron. “Our technology is durable and robust. As a result it costs 40% less than conventional technology.”

The Strathclyde turbine can be located anywhere where there is good tidal resource, and while conventional technology is limited to water no deeper than 30m, the second-generation solution can be deployed in any depth of water. “You simply increase the length of the mooring, like flying a kite,” says Cameron. “Our technology can be deployed and retrieved within minutes instead of hours, saving valuable time in the process.”

Cameron and his team have already tested their creation off the coast of Islay, and are now seeking funding to form a spin-off company. It is hoped that the commercial system could be up and running within two years, delivering a powerful new tool to the renewable energy industry.

CAMERON JOHNSTONE

insight about what the plasma is doing. This work is an extension of the ADAS (Atomic Data and Analysis Structure) project, which was also started at Strathclyde, by Professor Hugh Summers. Strathclyde is the world leader in this area, and the grant enables us to maintain our expertise by funding two new researchers to work in fusion labs around Europe.

Are there any safety or health considerations in fusion plants?

Not really – if the technology goes wrong the plasma cools almost instantly, so problems such as a meltdown or nuclear explosion don’t apply. There are also no dangerous waste products. The only by-product from the fusion process is helium – we put seawater in and get helium balloons for children back out! Although the power station itself has a limited amount of radioactivity, decommissioning only takes 10-15 years and all the radioactive material is safe to recycle within 100 years.

Is it an area that is misunderstood?

There is a sense that nuclear equals bad, but in most cases people – and that includes politicians, environmentalists and many researchers – simply aren’t aware of fusion. I suppose we’ve been too busy researching it to publicise it. I don’t think this area gets the attention it deserves, but I imagine every researcher feels that way! Fusion might be less demonstrated than wind and marine energy, but it has even bigger potential. We need to make it work.

In layman’s terms, how does the fusion process work?

There are two main types of nuclear process. Fission involves splitting a nucleus to release energy, whereas in fusion, energy is created by fusing two nuclei together. If you use elements that are heavier than iron, for example the uranium used in conventional nuclear power stations, you get fission. Fusion involves elements that are lighter than iron. Although both processes have nuclear energy at their core, in all other respects they are completely different.

What are the main advantages of fusion energy?

Not only is fusion carbon-free, but it runs on deuterium and tritium (isotopes of hydrogen), which can be easily extracted from seawater – therefore it is potentially limitless. The fuel will last for millions of years.

Given its huge potential, why has it never been used as an energy source before?

It’s a very difficult process. Because nuclei repel each other, we need to work at a temperature of 100 million degrees to make them fuse. That’s hotter than the sun. This brings further engineering challenges. When you have something that hot you can’t just put it in a box! We use

magnetic fields to confine the energy and plasma, but the plasma cools immediately if it escapes and the whole process stops.

So more research and development is required to move things forward?

Yes. Fusion gets a bad name because scientists have been saying since the 1950s that it will be working within 30 years! None of the challenges are insurmountable – we could have fusion working much sooner, but that would require massive investment. The only way forward is to continue in multi-national collaborations. The creation of an international experimental reactor called ITER in the south of France is helping to push things forward.

What is the €900,000 European Commission grant for?

We supply atomic data and modelling for the fusion programme to our worldwide partners. Atomic physics dictates how fast the plasma will cool through the emission of light, so we provide estimates of allowable impurities to allow the fusion reactions to be sustained. Atomic physics is also key to many fusion diagnostics – it allows you to look at the light coming from the plasma via a spectrometer and gain valuable

It’s carbon-free and provides potentially limitless energy, so why have most of us never heard of fusion energy? In the wake of a €900,000 grant, Strathclyde’s Dr Allan Whiteford presents the case

DR ALLAN WHITEFORD

l C O V E R F E A T U R E l

t’s appropriate that I’m writing this article in Darwin Year, because Darwin was one of the first scientists to understand the key role that the earthworm plays in

a balanced ecosystem. I myself was first convinced in the aftermath of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. As the world began to wake up to the impact of climate change, I set my course to investigating the leading technologies for processing organic waste. I decided to specialise in vermiculture – the use of worms to convert organic resources into a high value product. There were few people interested in the process in the UK, so I attended a conference in California, where I discovered that simply dusting wormcast over orchards increased yield by up to 50%. This was convincing indeed.

Now is the time to review our management of the global carbon economy, as well as the financial one. Composting initiatives are absolutely crucial in delivering a greener Scotland. Many studies suggest a correlation between disease and declining food quality. Trace elements like selenium – essential to cellular function – have declined in our food by as much as 90% compared to 50 years ago. We have widespread chemical farming to thank for that.

The key to soil fertility is the humus layer, which supports the soil microbes that are critical in enabling plants to uptake nutrients. Decades of chemical farming have stripped the humus out of the soil and these trace elements have disappeared. It’s time we took the

Scientist and Strathclyde alumnus Ron Gilchrist presents the numerous benefits of vermiculture

avalanche of organic waste we produce and put it back into the soil where it belongs. The two-stage vermiculture process I’ve evolved is unique in Scotland, and uses hot (thermophilic) composting and basaltic rockdust minerals to produce a highly potent plant tonic. In America, wormcast sells for $30,000 a tonne.

I have harnessed this process in my Waste to Food initiative, which operates on three key levels. At the domestic level, the village of Fairlie in Ayrshire operates doorstep wormeries, with households creating wormcast in locally-produced wooden wormeries. This project developed into a community food production, mini-allotment garden. Community-managed green spaces like these deliver considerable social benefit. Finally, there is the social enterprise, market garden model, which enables communities to be more self-sustaining. With the collapse of financial institutions it makes sense to get back to the local economy where we produce and retail our own products, creating local jobs.

The Waste to Food initiatives therefore work on a number of levels, including health, environmental, economic and social. And there’s one more. The global food shortage is caused in part by deteriorating soil fertility. Because the Waste to Food process doesn’t require expensive equipment or power, with effective knowledge transfer from Scotland it could help deliver sustainable food aid for future generations.

HOW IT WORKS

12

3

4

5

6

WASTE TO FOOD

VISIT WWW.TSSCOTLAND.ORG.UK AND EXPLORE THE FAIRLIE COMMUNITY GARDEN AT WWW.ORGANICGROWERSFAIRLIE.CO.UK

16 strathclyde people

s ‘the place of useful learning’, Strathclyde enjoys an international reputation for the calibre of its graduates, and it was the alma mater of many a famous inventor – from John Logie Baird to James ‘paraffin’ young. yet against this technical and scientific

backdrop, the University has also been quietly establishing itself as a leader in the humanities and social sciences. Law and Education are particularly well-respected for their highly vocational and modern programmes of study. Now, with the birth of a consolidated Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences (HaSS), the opportunity for collaboration, knowledge exchange and impactful research is one the academic community is grabbing with both hands.

here, Strathclyde’s useful learning ethos is every bit as relevant. Yet it’s also nothing new. Each of the component parts of the Faculty have for decades been collaborating with each other, with other faculties, with professional, political and cultural organisations in the wider world

and with academic partners overseas. the emphasis is on impact. At Strathclyde, these are not fluffy, theoretical areas of study – they are genuinely changing the world, and how we view it.

“one of the things that struck me about this Faculty is that it’s very modest about its achievements,” says professor tony mcGrew, who took up post as dean in october. “i think that’s to do with its inheritance as part of a traditionally technological university. i’m keen for the new Faculty to be more vocal about all the fantastic work that is going on here.

“haSS places very strong emphasis on useful learning and public engagement. one of its most distinctive features in comparison with many other universities is the deep tradition of societal engagement it has held ever since the School of Arts & Social Sciences was created in 1964.”

the Faculty of humanities & Social Sciences officially launched on 1 August 2010 through the merger of the Faculties of Education and law, Arts & Social Sciences. in order to maximise the potential for research collaboration

Strathclyde’s new Faculty of humanities & Social Sciences has its head in academia but its feet firmly on the ground. Nicola More discovers how the University’s newest faculty is changing the world, and the way we see it

one step at a time

changing society

17strathclyde people

l c o v e r F E A t U r E l

18 strathclyde people

and interaction across fields, the new Faculty has a unique structure. there are no departments – instead, there are six schools, with activities managed strategically and integrated across the whole Faculty.

“this is a novel structure,” says professor mcGrew. “the Faculty is in its embryonic stages at the moment but we hope that as it evolves we will be able to offer students greater choice and create innovative programmes that link to the major challenges of our age. Also, while we are currently spread across the campus, from 2012 we will all be based together in new quarters next to the main library, providing an ideal environment to foster innovation and collaboration.”

professor mcGrew outlines four main aspirations that he shares with his colleagues: firstly, to consolidate and nurture existing research and teaching strengths; secondly, to develop new areas of collaboration and cross-disciplinary research; thirdly, to develop a more international approach through partnerships in Europe and globally; and fourthly, to build on the Faculty’s proud tradition of public engagement.

Joanna mcpake heads up the Faculty’s knowledge exchange programme, which aims to ensure that academic research makes a difference in commercial, professional, social and policy contexts. Joanna agrees that the new Faculty brings a renewed emphasis on public engagement. “in modern times it’s no longer enough to publish your research in an academic journal – you must show it has an impact in society too. Strathclyde is a leader in this area, ranking in the top 10 UK universities for knowledge exchange.

“the term ‘useful learning’ is often translated in scientific terms, but our Faculty has always taken a broader perspective to engaging with the local community, wider society and even internationally. this is a fantastic opportunity to bring together disparate areas of work from people currently separated by campus or department. Even in the Faculty’s infancy, we are already seeing groups bridging the divide. they could have stayed in their individual compartments but instead there is cross-fertilisation happening – and that’s very stimulating.”

19strathclyde people

l c o v e r F E A t U r E l

new voices on immigrationimmigration is undoubtedly a contentious issue in modern politics, and one that’s particularly relevant for ScotlandHigh levels of immigration have bucked decades of population decline, with Scottish Government figures showing an average population increase of about 19,000 a year since 2004. The vast majority of immigrants come from those Eastern European nations which joined the EU in 2004, and there are around 50,000 poles currently living in Scotland. Media coverage of this trend has often fanned public fears about competition for employment, leading one Strathclyde academic to take action.

in 2008, dr colin clark returned to Scotland following a spell at the University of newcastle, where he was the sole researcher in the field of ethnic and racial studies. “i was aware of the debate surrounding the impact migration was having on Scottish residents,” said dr clark. “i felt there was a lack of quality research and the media often reports on migration in a very cynical and critical way, which invariably influences the public.”

dr clark submitted a proposal to the research Enhancement Fund to create a new Strathclyde centre of migration research. the bid was successful, and the centre is now at the heart of research into migration, influencing policy-makers to ensure the debate is always well-informed.

more than 20 researchers are now working together in this field. in particular, Education has a key role to play in understanding the experiences of migrants and ensuring the correct support is made available from a young age. dr daniela Sime, a senior lecturer in Education, has conducted groundbreaking research into the experiences of migrant children – a group that is too often overlooked.

“there is a lot of debate about the impact that migration has on the economy, but very little on the impact on the children who have to create a new home here,” explains dr Sime. “i wanted to conduct research with children, not just on them. Essentially, i hoped to recognise their voice in the migration debate.”

dr Sime received a grant of £190k from the Economic and Social research council (ESrc) for her project, At home Abroad, which invited Eastern European migrant families to share their experiences of migration. the project took a novel approach, allowing more than 100 children who took part to choose their own methods to record their experiences and views, and ensuring the research was accessible to them through the project website. the research revealed that children have little input in their parents’ decision to come to the UK, but despite initial anxieties soon adapt to their new life. the children spoke of a ‘blended identity’ through which they retained a sense of their own culture while also adopting elements of the Scottish culture. the biggest obstacle lay in access to services, with many migrants not knowing what they were entitled to, and language barriers in the information provided.

dr Sime is now focusing on how her findings can affect practice – for example by encouraging better access to English language classes, enhancing support for emotional issues and ensuring information about services is accessible. dr Sime also hopes to see better training for practitioners, many of whom feel they are unequipped to work with migrant groups.

“Knowledge exchange is a two-way process – our research can inform and support practitioners, but their experiences also feed our research,” says dr Sime. “it’s the only type of work i’d want to do – work that can be applied to the real world. in social issues, inter-disciplinary research can be far more revealing.”

dr Geri Smyth, a reader in the School of Education, agrees. “collaboration brings so many different viewpoints to the data,” she says. “Each discipline – in our case

education, sociology, geography, business, history, psychology and law – is like a coloured lens through which we view a subject, but looking at it through many different lenses gives us a richer and more meaningful perspective. it also increases the opportunity for objectivity.”

overcoming barriersWhile dr Sime has been working with children, dr Smyth’s recent work focuses on migrant adults, particularly refugees, exploring how migrant practitioners experience the education system. “there are structural and institutional barriers to re-entering the culture,” says dr Smyth. “You must be accredited by the General teaching council to teach in Scotland, but many international qualifications are not considered ‘equivalent’ to teaching qualifications here, and there are rigorous English language requirements. this often forces migrant teachers to retrain, leaving them feeling de-skilled and de-valued. in many cases they have been teaching for many years in their own country, then are forced to flee and lose their whole professional identity. they become asylum seekers and have to deal with all the stigma that often brings with it.”

With the Scottish Government having stated that it aims to diversify the teaching profession, dr Smyth recommends the GtcS consider the needs of refugee and other migrant teachers on an individual basis. there are currently more than 350 teachers registered with the riteS (refugees into teaching in Scotland) project, managed by dr Smyth. “Strathclyde has a strong reputation in the education profession, and policy-makers increasingly look to us for advice on migration,” she says. “We have an important role to play in terms of how the profession responds to diversity.”

to celebrate this historic moment for the University, Strathclyde People introduces four areas of research that reach out and directly influence modern society…

“Knowledge exchange is a two-way process – our research can inform and support practitioners, but their experiences also feed our research…” Dr DANieLA SiMe

20 strathclyde people

“We are right at the applied end,” says professor Mutrie. “We have piloted a number of ways to encourage people to become more physically active. our ultimate goal is to see them placed at practitioner level on a wide scale. after all, we can only change the nation’s health if our work is widespread.”

one such pilot is a partnership with sustainable urban transport charity Sustrans. through its connect2 project, Sustrans is completing Glasgow’s ‘bridge to nowhere’ – a crossing over the m8 at charing cross that literally stops mid-way. the completed bridge will provide a walking

and cycling path stretching from central Station to Kelvingrove park and beyond. professor mutrie and her colleagues around the UK have funding from the Engineering and physical Sciences research council to evaluate how the bridge might influence activity levels for local people.

Another physical activity project, ‘Walk in to Work out’, encouraged work places to promote greater physical activity among employees, and these materials are available to every employer in Scotland through the nhS healthy Working lives programme.

An extensive number of collaborative projects also exist within the University

professor arthur Mcivor, historian and Director of the Scottish oral History Centre, is leading a project to develop the oral history collection of Glasgow Museums. Funded by the arts and Humanities Research Council, professor Mcivor and research fellow Dr David Walker are cataloguing and digitising hundreds of interviews of Glaswegians. The team will then conduct further interviews to plug any gaps in the testimonies, with the aim of building a deeper understanding of the economic, social and cultural development of the city in the 20th century.

Although the two-year project is still at an early stage, some themes are beginning to emerge – themes that are very familiar in modern times. “occupational health is a key issue,” says professor mcivor. “the interviews reflect on grim working conditions, injuries at work, and disability. they reveal the sense of powerlessness felt by the workers, who were frequently subjected to health eroding managerial practices. in response to a pattern of poverty and ill health, they adopt coping strategies in their families and communities. there is a notion amongst the men that they must be a ‘hard man’ in the face of poverty and illness.

Building healthier communitiesFor nanette mutrie, professor of Exercise and Sport psychology and leader of the physical Activity for health research group, community engagement is the whole point of the academic research

itself. there are partnerships with cognitive psychology, to understand the role of exercise in the prevention and treatment of dementia; with health psychology, to explore behavioural change brought about by pedometers; with civil engineering to encourage healthy urban environments; and with prosthetics and orthotics to promote activity in amputees.

in the clinical field, professor mutrie and colleagues are working with diabetes patients and breast cancer survivors to understand the role that exercise plays in health and recovery. Says professor mutrie: “collaboration is at the very heart of our work, but moving to the new campus and being part of haSS provides a new opportunity to build on those collaborative links. We’re looking forward to being closer to our research partners and exploring areas of shared interest.”

“of course, this is particularly relevant today, with Glasgow still suffering from poor health and inequality. the personal testimonies inform us more broadly about health cultures, attitudes to risk, power structures and cultural stereotypes.”

As first-hand accounts, oral history records are both enormously insightful and by their nature subjective. professor mcivor believes oral histories to be a particularly valuable primary source, provided historians allow for their subjectivity, and the influence of cultural factors such as the media.

the research of modern history lecturer dr Juliette pattinson strikingly illustrates the point. dr pattinson’s interests lie in subjective identities in wartime. She notes: “interviewees often use cultural references such as films to help them frame their narratives. oral historians have

historians at Strathclyde are using oral history to build a clear picture of our past, and in doing so are shedding light on key issues in contemporary society

Bringing history to life

Law beyond the courts

Founded in 2003 by professor Donald Nicolson, Strathclyde Law Clinic provides free legal assistance to people who cannot afford professional legal fees but do not qualify for legal aid. Each year, more than 200 student volunteers take on an average of 180 cases, providing clients with advice as well as representation up to and including in the Small Claims Court and employment tribunals.

over the years, they have notched up many notable successes, for instance saving houses from demolition, stopping eviction and winning compensation for clients in numerous employment cases. the students have also helped set up charities and contributed to law reform reports. more recently, the clinic has branched out into public legal education, starting with providing useful information to international students and more recently

to prisoners nearing release. Unlike most other law clinics, the Strathclyde law clinic is largely run by students, under the guidance of professor nicolson and a team of part-time case supervisors.

“A secondary aim of the clinic is to inspire a new generation of lawyers committed to using the privilege of a legal education, not just for themselves, but for those most in need of legal services, either by embarking on a career serving the most vulnerable members of society or at least giving up some of their time to provide free legal services to those who would otherwise go unassisted,” says professor nicolson, who recently won the Evening Times community champion public Service Award for his work in serving the community and promoting pro bono legal services.

this aim is being slowly fulfilled. one student said: “i hadn’t really considered the

21strathclyde people

law at Strathclyde is fully grounded in the community it serves. Strathclyde was the first university in Scotland to offer pro bono legal services to the local community and remains by far the biggest and most successful law clinic in Scotland

found that men who fought in the Anzacs for example described scenes from the film Gallipoli as if they were their own memories, and men and women from the home Guard made frequent references to the series Dad’s Army. cultural representations such as these become so dominant that it’s hard for the people who actually experienced wars to negotiate a space for their own recollections – instead, they use cultural references as a frame on which to hang their narrative.” dr pattinson found that the clandestine operatives she interviewed who served in France during the Second World War often denied feeling anxiety, undoubtedly because of post-war films, and yet strikingly there were leakages of fear in their accounts.

larger ideal of social justice… Now I find it impossible not to.”

developing the theme of social conscience even further, in 2008 the law School introduced an ‘opportunities Fund’ to provide bursaries for students to complete an internship with an international charity. reprieve, a human rights charity providing legal representation to prisoners facing the death penalty in the US and caribbean, is a partner in the project. the students’ involvement in this area of activity proves their understanding of law in a wider social and ethical context. “the law School has a strong focus on being innovative, modern, dynamic and relevant to the world in which we live,” says cyrus tata, a senior lecturer. “We want students to have a true understanding of the fundamental principles and how these operate in the real world.”

this subjectivity is in itself interesting, helping historians to understand not just how an event unfolded, but how people cope in the aftermath. Findings such as these could prove relevant to social sciences, affecting for example how we care for the most vulnerable in society. “For many veterans, even just the experience of providing an oral history has a positive impact,” says dr pattinson. “it provides social contact and makes them feel their memories and views are valued.”

“in interviews narrators are giving us their truths, and that is hugely valuable to any area that is concerned with society and humanity,” says professor mcivor. “many sociologists are now using oral history techniques to inform their approach

to subjects. my colleague, historian dr Angela Bartie, is working with sociologists and colleagues in English on projects on the 1960s, and using life histories as a way of understanding gangs and youth culture in Glasgow. Similarly, historian dr Andrew perchard is currently using oral history approaches to better understand the impact of de-industrialisation in Scotland.”

“many historians don’t think about looking forward, but life stories contribute greatly to our understanding of present day issues such as, in my research, work, health and inequality. history informs our understanding of the present – it is hard to affect meaningful change in society without a sense of knowing how we got here.”

l c o v e r F E A t U r E l

professor donald nicolson

strathclyde people32

It all started here

John Logie Baird’s prolific demonstration of the first working

television in 1926 changed the face of news and entertainment

and heralded a new era of communication

no13. TeLevISIonof all the inventions devised in the 20th century, few can be said to have had as great an impact as television. Revolutionising the transmission of news and current affairs, the dawn of television also signalled a new culture of popular entertainment, and laid the path for later technological developments such as CCTv and video recording. it is an invention that has helped to define our contemporary world arguably like no other, with up to two billion households across the globe owning a set.

its origins, however, lie on the west coast of Scotland, in helensburgh, where the young John logie Baird grew up. Afflicted with ill health, which plagued him throughout his adult life, Baird nevertheless had an active childhood, and showed a particular flair for invention. his home soon became his engineering playground, from which he would conduct his own experiments – including an ingenious method of rigging up a telephone exchange to connect his bedroom to those of his friends across the street.

this fascination with technology eventually led him to his studies of electrical engineering at the Glasgow and West of Scotland technical college – now the University of Strathclyde – where Baird’s innate talent and curiosity thrived. “Baird’s time at the ‘tech’, as it was known then, gave him a strong grasp of engineering that was to prove very useful,” says iain Baird, the grandson of John logie Baird and curator of television at Bradford media museum. “he spoke very fondly of his days at the tech. in particular, he recalls a confrontation he had with lord reith, who went

on to become director General of the BBc. John had poor eyesight and was jostling to get to the front of the classroom, which reith rebuked him for. they maintained a professional rivalry throughout their lives, although i believe they were on fairly good terms personally.”

Baird went on to work for clyde Valley power company, but his continual poor health meant he was frequently absent. one day, he found a note on his supervisor’s desk which read: “do not promote Baird. he’s always ill.” it was a turning point for the young engineer, who resolved to avoid the 9 to 5 and embarked on a series of entrepreneurial adventures.

“First, he founded Baird Undersock Business, creating shoes with inflatable soles – perhaps the predecessor of nike Air!” says iain. “he then decided to escape the cold in Britain and moved to trinidad to set up a jam-making factory. this was unsuccessful – he couldn’t stop bugs getting into the jam and the weather did not help his health. he contracted malaria and moved back to london. more experiments followed, in soap-making and then in diamonds. during one experiment he used so much electricity he caused a black-out to half the city!”

Finally, aged 34, Baird moved to hastings. While walking along the shoreline, he set to thinking about the early experiments in television. on that walk he had his ‘Eureka’ moment. Baird spent the months that followed developing his own television system. By late 1925 he had successfully transmitted a shaky image of a ventriloquist dummy across his lab. he took his findings to the daily mail, whose editor reportedly

the photographs used in this article were obtained from the University of Strathclyde Archives, with the original photographer unknown. if you recognise any of these

photographs as your work, please contact archives@strath.ac.uk

strathclyde people

FOR gOd’S SAkE, gO dOWn TO RECEpTIOn And gET RId OF A lUnATIC WhO’S dOWn ThERE. hE SAYS hE’S gOT A mAChInE FOR SEEIng bY WIRElESS!

FOR gOd’S SAkE, gO dOWn TO RECEpTIOn And gET RId OF A lUnATIC WhO’S dOWn ThERE. hE SAYS hE’S gOT A mAChInE FOR SEEIng bY WIRElESS!

BELoW: John logie Baird was a serial entrepreneur and inventor, but television remains his greatest legacy.

said: “For God’s sake, go down to reception and get rid of a lunatic who’s down there. he says he’s got a machine for seeing by wireless! Watch him – he may have a razor on him.” Baird persevered, and on 26 January 1926 gave the first public demonstration of a working television.

initially, Baird’s new device was met with scepticism. “people had cinema and radio, so they didn’t see the need for television,” iain explains. “the BBc was particularly critical – they didn’t want the competition with the radio and disliked the imperfection of the images. in fact, lord reith maintained a dislike for television throughout his life. many people considered television to simply be

radio with pictures, and it was not really appreciated until the 1950s.”

of course, today Baird is recognised as one of the pioneers of modern media. those who had the privilege of knowing him remembered him as an inspiring character. “he was known as personality Joe,” laughs iain. “he was very charming and always encouraging people to come up with something new and exciting. he used to come up to people in the lab and say ‘anything to show me?’. he was essentially an ideas person.”

Baird died in 1946, his place in history assured through his lifetime’s journey of discovery and experiment – from helensburgh to the world, via the University of Strathclyde.

33

John Logie Baird 1888-1946

1888 john logie baird born in helensburgh1906 studies electrical engineering at glasgow

and west of scotland technical college (now the university of strathclyde)

1914 Awarded a diploma in electrical engineering; unfit for war service due to ill health, baird begins a series of entrepreneurial adventures

1922 Moves to hastings and begins work on the television

1924-5 transmits image of Maltese cross, followed by image of ventriloquist dummy and first human face

1926-8 demonstrates first viable television system in 1926, followed by transmissions between london, glasgow and new york. founds baird television development company

1931 Marries concert pianist Margaret Albu1932 bbc takes over programme transmission

using baird’s mechanical system1937 electronic television system introduced1946 dies at bexhill, sussex

t may be one of the oldest professions in the world, but the face of law is changing. It’s a common misperception that law is a static, formidable and ancient institution rigidly presiding over our everyday lives. In fact, the legal profession can and must be flexible if it is to keep apace with the rapid

evolution of modern society. This fact underpins the vision of the Strathclyde Law School. It also sits happily alongside the University’s wider focus on being a ‘place of useful learning’.

Established little more than 40 years ago and viewed then as the new kid on the block, the Law School rapidly earned a reputation for excellence in both teaching and research. Earlier this year, the Good University Guide and the Times Good University Guide each rated the Strathclyde Law School in the top 10 of UK law schools. As well as offering traditional core subjects, the School has developed its portfolio to include construction law, criminology, human rights law and information technology and telecommunications law.

“The Law School has long had a reputation for being ahead of the game,” says Cyrus Tata, co-Director of the Centre for Sentencing Research and Senior Lecturer at the Law School. “It has a

strong focus on being innovative, modern, dynamic and relevant to the world in which we live. That brings huge benefits for our students. Law should never be taught in a dry, formulaic way. Instead, we observe how law works in everyday life, why it sometimes fails to meet its aims and how people experience it. We want students to have a true understanding of the fundamental principles and how these operate in the real world, instead of an ability to blandly recite from a textbook. With that in mind, we have adopted methods of active learning, encouraging students to engage in teamwork, presentations and research. That’s one of the things that make us distinctive.”

Professor Paul Maharg has also adopted an active – or rather, interactive – approach to teaching. “When I was studying, students weren’t encouraged much to work collaboratively, and they still don’t do that enough,” says Paul. “But the internet and social software like Flickr, Facebook and YouTube are having a big impact on the way we communicate, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t leverage this comms revolution for legal education.”

In a bid to harness that potential, the Law School has formed its own Learning Technologies Development Unit, of which

Virtual clients, ethical battles and agenda-setting research – it’s all in a day’s work for the Strathclyde Law School. Nicola More explores the department

Paul is the Director. In addition to other innovative education software, the Unit has designed groundbreaking new simulation software, called SIMulated Professional Learning Environment (SIMPLE), and used it in the Diploma in Legal Practice course. The idea is not unlike that of cult online community Second Life.

SIMPLE sees students work in small teams as a virtual firm with a transaction to complete. This involves factfinding by writing letters to ‘witnesses’ (often played by trainees and newly-qualified practitioners) and compiling a case file. The virtual world comes complete with photos and documents, communication happens in real time and there is even a directory and map of the virtual town Ardcalloch, the scene of all the action. The open source environment is now free to all higher and further education in

the UK, and can be used by other professions. At Strathclyde, it has been used by Architecture, Social Work and Management Science.

“The beauty of SIMPLE is that it encourages collaborative and participatory learning,” says Paul. “If the students don’t work together they won’t discover things like contradictory evidence. To enable free interaction between students and between students and staff, we have established discussion forums, activity logs and processes of self- and peer-assessment.”

This approach also allows for greater flexibility in individual studies, and introduces an element of personalisation to the course. Likewise, lectures on the Diploma course are available as webcasts and podcasts, accompanied by supporting documents, web links, lecture slides, statutes, case laws and interactive flow charts. “It’s

a half-way house between online learning and traditional lectures,” says Paul. “Generally speaking, I think traditional lectures are one of the least effective learning models.”

However, Paul is by no means dismissing the importance of personal interaction. “It’s so important that students come face-to-face with real law practitioners,” he says. “Students continue to attend tutorials and we have also developed voluntary surgeries with practitioners, which give lawyers a chance to talk with students instead of at them. In a sense, they are acting as life coaches.

“Online presence will profoundly affect how universities interact with students. Student-initiated learning is developing as a new educational model and initiatives like SIMPLE are crucial in giving students a taste of how law functions in practice.”

» PROFESSOR PAUL MAHARG

“ONLINE PRESENCE

WILL PROFOUNDLY

AFFECT HOW

UNIVERSITIES INTERACT

WITH STUDENTS”

PROFESSOR PETER ROBSON HAS WITNESSED STRATHCLYDE’S EVOLUTION FOR ALMOST FOUR DECADES. HERE, HE SHARES HIS VIEWS ON THE LAW SCHOOL YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

VIEWPOINT

LAW AT STRATHCLYDE: CHANGING TO STAY THE SAME

l C O V E R F E A T U R E l

In fact, Strathclyde goes one step further. As well as offering a virtual learning experience, it is the only university in Scotland to run a Law Clinic in which students provide advice on real legal cases. Strathclyde Law Clinic was launched in 2003 with the aim of providing free legal assistance to people in Glasgow who are unable to afford professional legal services but do not qualify for legal aid. Over the past year alone, the Clinic has advised on 114 cases and it has as many as 160 student volunteers.

“The Clinic serves the local community by providing legal assistance to those who would otherwise have slipped through the net,” says Professor Donald Nicolson, creator and Director of the Clinic. “Its secondary aim is to inspire students to see law as a means of helping people, not of buying a BMW! Students can only

join the Clinic if they recognise that aim, and I make them aware that this is not just for Christmas; most of our student advisors join in their first year and stay with us throughout their time at university. The result is that we have a group of very able, confident and conscientious students. They’re truly inspiring.”

The enterprise is run solely by students, with the guidance of Donald and a Management Committee made up of members of the University, legal profession and Glasgow community. “The Clinic enables students to pick up key skills that some lawyers may never develop or use,” says Donald. “They see how the law operates in practice, gain experience in argument, dealing with people, drafting proceedings, letter writing, interviewing and more. Yet students quickly realise this is not just a boost for their CV. We are making a genuine impact on people’s lives.”

STRATHCLYDE LAW CLINIC

HELEN BAIN, STUDENT DIRECTOR OF THE STRATHCLYDE LAW CLINIC, EXPLAINS WHY SHE DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Andrew Upton, Lindsay Bruce, Katy McSkimming, Helen Bain and Donald Nicolson of the Law Clinic

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY

Therein lies another key goal of the Law School. As the Law Clinic shows, the School is committed to widening student opportunities and providing humanitarian assistance. The recently-created ‘Opportunities Fund’ has resulted in partnership with international legal charities and provides a bursary to students and recent graduates who win an overseas internship with one of these charities. One such initiative is with the human rights charity Reprieve, which provides legal representation to impoverished people facing the death penalty in the US and Caribbean.

With the options of virtual learning environments, real case experience and international philanthropy opportunities, it’s little wonder Strathclyde’s law graduates are considered among the finest in the UK. Yet the academic staff of the department practise what they preach; the same outward-looking and relevant focus pervades the research portfolio of the Law School.

In his capacity as co-Director of the Centre for Sentencing Research, Cyrus Tata is contributing to one of the most topical issues in modern

society and politics. As Scotland and the UK struggle to cope with a large prison population and antiquated prison facilities, the issue of how we punish criminals is hard to ignore. “The future of sentencing is under the microscope,” says Cyrus. “The Justice Secretary wants to use prison less at the non-violent end of the scale and issues such as sentencing, early release and parole will be hot political topics.”

The issue of early parole is a contentious one, and Cyrus has been an outspoken critic of the Custodial Sentences and Weapons Act. Passed under the previous Labour administration but not yet implemented, its supporters claim the Act abolishes automatic early release from jail. “The big political question is whether the new government will implement the Act,” says Cyrus. “The Act claims to make the system more transparent, but it will do the complete opposite. It won’t take long before the media and the public realise this, and confidence in our criminal justice system will be further eroded. If implemented, it will be one of the worst pieces of legislation in criminal justice in a generation.

“What is needed is systematic thought about the way we punish people: not just by fiddling around with release arrangements but by thinking coherently about sentencing and release together. Which sorts of cases should be imprisonable and which shouldn’t? It seems at least possible that the promised new Sentencing Council could undertake a more rational examination of these issues. But it is crucial that these decisions are taken not on the basis of anecdote and whim but on hard evidence.”

As well as examining current legislation, the Centre for Sentencing Research has pioneered groundbreaking research into sentencing processes. This has included: harnessing IT to assist judges’ pursuit of consistency; researching what drives people’s decisions on how to plead and their experiences; and the use of pre-sentence reports.

With that background, Cyrus believes that the Centre can make a valuable contribution to the public

» PROFESSOR JENNY

HAMILTON

“AT THE HEART OF

THIS IS A RECOGNITION

THAT STUDENTS DON’T

LEARN IN ISOLATION

FROM THE REAL

WORLD”

PIONEERING NEW MASTERS

PROGRAMMES TAKE A GLOBAL APPROACH

THE DARLING BOYS

l C O V E R F E A T U R E l

“Moreover, it gives ICANN the opportunity to censor gTLD applications and controversial ideas. This could come at the expense of innovation, competition and ultimately free speech.”

It is this commitment to engaging with all the functions of law and ensuring it meets the needs of the people it serves that continues the enduring reputation of the Strathclyde Law School. Perhaps its most famous alumnus is the Rt Hon Elish Angiolini QC, the Lord Advocate for Scotland (see p4-5 for interview). “I’m so impressed by today’s graduates,” Elish says. “In my day, it was unusual to have law graduates with IT skills and two languages! Yet today’s graduates combine skills in forensic science, medicine and psychology with soft skills such as teamwork and communication.

“What has not changed since my time at Strathclyde is the emphasis on challenging the norms. Lecturers would say to us: ‘If you think the law is unfair, get out there and challenge it.’ The graduates of today share that spirit.”

& Telecommunications Law at the Strathclyde Law School. “Worse still, it opens up the opportunity for people to use these websites for phishing, fraud and other malicious activities, meaning there is a risk of people losing their trust in the internet.”

Konstantinos believes the only group to benefit from the change in legislation is big businesses, which will gain a form of intellectual property protection that enables them to have their brands and trademarks registered.

“If this plan is not carefully implemented, it could have detrimental effects to long-standing norms and rules of law,” continues Konstantinos. “First of all, it could change completely the face of trademark law, which is based upon the premise that generic or geographical terms, with some exceptional circumstances, cannot be trademarked. Allowing the registration of any name as a gTLD opens a can of worms in terms of the control of anti-competitive or other unlawful practices.

debate. “Of course, everyone has a view about punishment, but we must ensure that the basis of penal policy is informed by high-quality research evidence. If not, we condemn ourselves to a cycle of failed policies.”

Issues around crime and imprisonment of course date back centuries, yet the same cannot be said of all areas of law. Information Technology Law, for example, is an area that emerged alongside the growth of the internet in the ‘90s, and has had to keep pace with the development of new technology.

One such development has the potential not only to transform the dotcom world but to profoundly affect traditional norms and rules of law. That development was the decision of ICANN – the Industry Technical Authority for Internet Names and Numbers – to permit new suffixes to website addresses. Put simply, this means that as well as well-known domain names like .com and .org (known as generic Top-Level Domain Names or gTLDs) numerous alternatives will now be permitted. In the years ahead we could see websites ending .supermarket or .business. Experts say it’s the biggest shake-up of the internet in a decade. But what’s all the fuss about? “Users are very much accustomed to using the original gTLDs, and this new plan will potentially create confusion,” explains Dr Konstantinos Komaitis, a lecturer in Information Technology

A REAL LETTER FROM A SATISFIED CLIENT OF THE LAW CLINIC

» DOCTOR

KONSTANTINOS

KOMAITIS

“THERE IS A RISK

OF PEOPLE LOSING

THEIR TRUST IN THE

INTERNET”

Hello Mich

ael and Cr

aig,

You darlin

g boys. Ho

w can we

ever repay

you for a

ll the har

d

work and w

orry you w

ent throug

h

to get us

OUR HOME.

No words c

an

ever be en

ough to sa

y how we f

eel

that your

involvemen

t made it

all

happen. Pl

ease try a

nd visit y

our

second hom

e any time

. You’re t

he

very beste

st.

Mary and J

ohn Paters

on, Argyll

HELP SUPPORT THE LAW CLINIC

PROFESSOR DONALD NICOLSON, DIRECTOR OF THE LAW CLINIC, HOPES ALUMNI WILL BE WILLING TO HELP BY FINANCIALLY SPONSORING THE CLINIC THROUGH REGULAR DIRECT DEBITS OR ONE-OFF GIFTS. ALL GIFTS GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN PROVIDING ADVICE TO LOCAL PEOPLE, AND MAKE POSSIBLE THE CONTINUED WORK OF THE CLINIC. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE, PLEASE CONTACT CAROLINE NOTMAN AT CAROLINE.NOTMAN@STRATH.AC.UK OR CALL +44 (0)141 548 4029