Hartley News Online Your alumni and supporter magazine
Recent news
Check here in each edition of Hartley News Online for the latest news from the University and your alumni and supporter community…
We were greatly saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen earlier this month.
We were honoured to be the first University to be granted a Royal Charter by The Queen, two months after her accession to the throne in 1952.
The University joined the rest of the nation in mourning, flying the University flag at half-mast as a mark of our respect during the formal mourning period, and closing for the state funeral on 19th September.
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This year saw the University celebrate its 70th anniversary, and on Saturday 14th May we welcomed over 300 alumni back to Highfield Campus for a special celebration event.
The day featured talks from our experts in medical research, and alumnus and Pro-Chancellor Jon Sopel, as well as tours of the campus, opportunities to reconnect with old friends and a quiz to test our guests’ knowledge of all things Southampton. Below are just a few photos from this very special event.
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We are delighted by the news that the University of Southampton ranked 78th in the QS World University Rankings 2023, this reaffirms Southampton’s global status in the top 100.
University of Southampton President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark E. Smith said: “I’m delighted with the consolidation of our position in the top 80 universities in the world and would like to thank everyone for their dedication and commitment that is integral to our success.”
Many thanks to all those that took part in the QS Survey.
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The University welcomed Her Excellency, Dame Susan Dilys Dougan GCMG OBE the Governor General of St Vincent and the Grenadines, an alumna of Southampton, on the 14th of March.
Dame Susan met with academics from the Southampton Education School and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.
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It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our well-loved and respected colleague, Professor George Stevenson who passed away peacefully in Oxfordshire on 1st July.
During his career, George pioneered the idea that antibodies could be used to treat cancer and along with his wife, Professor Freda Stevenson, established the Tenovus Cancer Research Group at the University of Southampton. Southampton continued George’s world-leading cancer immunology research and, thanks to the support of the alumni and supporter community, opened the UK’s first Centre for Cancer Immunology in 2018.
Outside of work, George led a busy social life, enjoying squash, chess and understanding how things work, especially his favourite subject – clocks, which he spent time building and repairing.
He will be greatly missed by his family and friends including his wife Freda and three sons, James, Philip and Neil.
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Success for International Southampton Alumni at the 2022 British Council Study UK Alumni Awards
The British Council Study UK Alumni Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of international alumni, who are making a significant difference to their regions, countries, and communities in the fields of business and innovation, science and sustainability, culture and creativity and social action.
This year was hugely successful for the University: we had five national finalists from Nigeria, Jordan and India and two national winners in Nigeria and India. For the first time, we also had a finalist in the Global Award category – one of 28 alumni selected from tens of thousands of nominations around the world!
National Awards
Jordan: Annalle Abuammar (MSc. Artificial Intelligence, 2020) – finalist, Business and Innovation category
India: Rohit Mukul (LLB, 2017), – winner, Business and Innovation category
Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal (MBA, 2007) – finalist, Business and Innovation category
Nigeria: Oluwafemi Adedipe (MSc. Business Strategy and Innovation, 2016) – winner, Business and Innovation category.
Damilola Teidi (MSc. Business Strategy and Innovation, 2014) – finalist, Business and Innovation category
Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners!
Global Awards
Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal (MBA, 2007) – finalist
In addition to showcasing the achievements of our alumni, the awards also raised the profile of our university internationally, highlighting the world class talent of our graduates and our commitment to changing the world for the better.
The British Council Study UK Alumni Awards 2023 open for nominations from 1st September. For more information, please visit the British Council Study UK website.
Yeshwanth, a global finalist for the Business and Innovation Alumni Award 2022 shares how his MBA from the University of Southampton prepared him to launch India’s first online school – 21K School – to assist with the delivery of online classes during the pandemic.
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The SURNU (Southampton University Royal Navy Unit) are holding a celebratory 50th anniversary reunion event and are searching for the midshipmen in this photo.
Southampton University Royal Naval Unit – 50 years anniversary 22 October 2022 – Please contact Nigel Newnham – solentint@hotmail.co.uk
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Dr Sheida Afshan from the School of Engineering at the University of Southampton has been awarded a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship for work that promises benefits to society and economy.
The Fellowship, announced by the Royal Academy of Engineering, will enable Dr Afshan to specialise on the use of stainless steel metallic cylinders for the storage and transportation of liquified hydrogen fuel and how this can combat the climate emergency.
Dr Afshan said: “Decarbonisation is the most urgent task faced globally, to mitigate the climate emergency and sustain standards of living,” and “I am extremely excited to be part of the solution.”
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The W.E.S celebrates women who demonstrate the creation of a product that makes a difference and Sarah has been recognised for her research in Analytical Radiochemistry and Ocean technology, and for her outreach work in local schools and mentoring young female students.
Sarah has been developing a prototype to detect radionuclides that emit beta radiation and upon receiving the award said: “It still doesn’t feel quite real. It’s not sunk in.”
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A student from the University of Southampton has been awarded £2,000 in a UK Space Agency competition, to develop the idea of using satellite data in an interactive app, to help people be more energy efficient. The app, inspired by the current energy and climate crisis, will help people monitor where their energy is coming from, learn more about renewable and nuclear energy, and encourage conservation.
Eleanor Stanton, studying MSc Oceanography at the School of Ocean and Earth Science, was awarded the runner-up cash prize in the national SatelLife competition last month and is “thrilled to have the opportunity to develop it further and hopefully make a real difference.”
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Jill Lovelock née Denmark (BSc Social Sciences, 1969, in Commerce and Law) died on 9th March 2022, aged 73. She had been diagnosed with metastatic (‘secondary’) breast cancer in 2009, after a ‘brush’ with the disease a few years earlier, but had continued to live a full and active life.
Jill and Robin (BSc Social Sciences, 1969, in Politics and Sociology; MSc Social Sciences, 1998, in Political Theory) married in July 1970. Having stayed in Southampton they bought an early-Victorian townhouse in the centre of the city in 1975, where Robin continues to live. He is also continuing to spend 2-3 months each year in several visits to their old stone house in a small country village in central France. Jill had a successful career as a local government officer: two spells totalling over twenty-three years working for Hampshire County Council ‘bookended’ fifteen-and-a-half years at Southampton City Council. In the last decade or so of her career Jill played a key role in developing Hampshire’s international policy and links, including managing a multi-authority office in Brussels.
And from our last edition…
In light of the events unfolding in Ukraine, the University Executive Board has decided to suspend until further notice both of the University’s formal partnerships with two Russian institutions.
The University’s immediate focus has been on the practical and pastoral support we can provide to our students and staff, particularly those from Ukraine and from Russia.
We are proud to be an international community and know that many of our alumni and supporters will be directly impacted by this situation. Our thoughts go out to everyone in our community who has been affected.
We will continue closely to monitor this fast-moving situation, and the needs of our community.
We are thrilled to announce that Southampton has made it through to the final four shortlisted locations in the bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.
Claire Whitaker OBE, Bid Director, UK City of Culture 2025, said “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to so many people for the achievement of winning a place on this shortlist. Three years of sustained work and thousands of people supporting us – not just in the communities of Southampton but across the wider Solent region. The bid has brought the city together, embracing the world of creators, children and young people, artists, academics, businesses and civic leaders. This is a moment of celebration for all of us.”
We were delighted to see several University alumni and friends recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in January.
- Dr Alexander Geoffrey Lambert, alumnus and Deputy Director of Covid Infection Survey Operations at the Office for National Statistics was awarded an OBE for services to Statistics and Public Health.
- Mr Aaron David Phipps, alumnus and Paralympic gold medallist was awarded an MBE for services to Wheelchair Rugby
- Mrs Eliza Jane Ecclestone, alumna, was awarded a BEM for services to the community in Sevenoaks, Kent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Sir David Winton Harding, friend of the University, was awarded a knighthood for services to Philanthropy
- Mr Richard Middleton, former Chief Operating Officer of the University, was awarded an OBE for services to the Commonwealth and Higher Education.
From the 14th to the 19th March the University celebrated India Week, a week dedicated to the furtherance of Southampton-India collaboration and our valuable partnerships in the region. Two reunion events were held for Indian alumni, one in Southampton and one in Mumbai, as well as a virtual roundtable event, film screenings, lectures and social events.
Alumnus Craig Lawton (BA Music, 2007) and his Charity Symphony Orchestra were invited to play at the Royal Albert Hall alongside rock band Don Broco for the Teenage Cancer Trust concert on 21st March this year.
The orchestra joined Craig’s classmate and Don Broco bassist Tom Doyle (also BA Music, 2007) and the rest of the band on stage for their first ever outing with the backing of a full orchestra.
While more used to playing Mahler and Mozart, Craig and the orchestra were excited for this opportunity to play at an iconic concert series, started by The Who over two decades ago, for such a worthy cause.
The Charity Symphony Orchestra is a leading fundraising ensemble based on the South Coast of England and features several other University alumni. All players and management team members of the orchestra donate their time and skills to raise money for worthy causes.
Earlier this year, the University was very pleased to receive a generous legacy gift from Lord Selborne, former Chancellor of the University from 1996-2006. This gift will support Enterprise activity at Southampton. Read about Lord Selborne’s life and involvement with the University.
As part of a major project with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the University’s engineering consultancy was recently involved in materials testing to help preserve Admiral Nelson’s flagship, the HMS Victory, for another 50 years. You can watch a video explaining the work below.
Alumna and Professor of Sustainable Business, Denise Baden, is running a series of competitions aimed at raising awareness of sustainable lifestyles and eco-friendly modes of living. Denise’s research shows that fictional role models can have a huge impact on the behaviours of audiences, and the latest Green Stories competition, run in association with BAFTA, asks budding videographers to produce 5 minute films addressing the issue of excessive consumption in fictional narratives. The deadline for entries is the 31st May 2022. You can find out more information about all the Green Stories competitions here.
