University remains popular
Figures released by UCAS show that the University of Exeter remains a first-choice destination for the best students. Applications to study in 2012/13 are at the same level as last year with an average of more than six students applying for every place. 49 per cent of applicants come with at least three expected grade As at A level (or equivalent). The University has seen an increase in applications for many subjects, including Law (up 19 per cent), Biosciences (up 12 per cent) and Engineering (up six per cent).

Sports investment
£8 million will be invested in new and improved facilities at the Sports Park on Streatham Campus. This includes a new health and fitness studio, two new exercise studios, a new team changing pavilion, hockey pitch resurfacing, covering for the tennis/ netball courts and a new entrance. All plans are subject to planning permission and discussions with relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport and other funding partners.

Me and my shadow
Fourteen members of senior University staff, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janice Kay and Director of Academic Services, Michele Shoebridge, have been paired up with students as part of the University’s new Shadowing Scheme. The scheme gives staff and students the opportunity to gain an insight into each other’s daily working lives and aims to enable students to gain direct insight into leadership roles at the University. The University hopes that in turn senior managers gain valuable and current insights into students’ experiences to enable better informed decision-making. The scheme is part of the University’s Students as Change Agents initiative.

Arts Council funds Northcott
The Exeter Northcott Theatre has been awarded £125,000 per year for the next three years by Arts Council England South West. The University has been working hard over the last 18 months to find a way of sustaining the theatre so we are delighted that the Arts Council has recognised its importance to the region. The money will enable the Exeter Northcott to continue its popular year-round family programme and be able to continue to present high-quality national companies.

Offer-holder visit days
You may see large numbers of visitors on campus on Wednesdays in the next few months for offer-holder visit days. As the name suggests, these days are for undergraduate applicants who’ve been offered a place for entry this October. Around 1,500 visitors will come each week to visit departments and take accommodation and campus tours. Parking should be unaffected as visitors will be brought by shuttle bus. Contact Sue Lucas, Student Recruitment Officer on ext 2529.

On-line expenses
Nearly 1,000 expenses claims are made every month and each takes up a considerable amount of time for staff making claims and for administrative staff in processing them. An on-line system will make completing claims easier, make authorisation more efficient, and will result in quicker payments. The status of claims will be track-able. Implementation commences in March and it is hoped the system will be tailored to our use by the end of April.

Research data survey
Researchers and PGR students could win a Kindle by taking part in a short online survey. The Open Exeter project needs to understand what kind of research data is being used, how it is stored and managed, and what type of training would be useful as well as finding out opinions on Open Access. The project aims to build an institutional data repository for all types of research data.

Mental Health matters
On Weds 22 Feb, for the first time universities across the UK are holding a Mental Health and Wellbeing day for students and staff. There will be a series of events during the day at the Streatham Campus in Exeter, including a ‘mind apple’ tree in Devonshire House foyer where you can get an apple and pledge what you are going to do for your mental wellbeing.

Foreign language speakers needed
The University has set up Exeter Assistance which is a call centre that can be invoked in the event of an emergency. It is staffed by volunteers from the Colleges and Professional Services – 50 volunteers have already been trained and we are really grateful to them for offering their time to support the University in this way. However, we need more foreign language speakers. If you would like to volunteer, or to find out more, please contact Ann Pollard (ext 5775) or Sue Dummett (ext 5768).

Recent grants
Jane Milling and Kerrie Schaefer from the Drama department are working on a University of Manchester-led £1.5 million project, funded by the AHRC, into how society can get the most out of the vast array of often overlooked cultural activities Britons take part in. Andrew McRae’s work on Stuart succession literature is boosted by a £337,022 grant from the AHRC. The Ministry of Defence has funded Fiona Macbeth and Masters students in Drama to create a radio play about service leavers, working with MED Theatre (a community theatre company) and local families.

Bridging the Gaps call
The next cut-off date for applications to the Bridging the Gaps development fund is 14 March. An extra £10k is available for projects that do not fulfil the usual requirement of being relevant to the EPSRC remit. It is also looking to support current or new projects (funded from any sources) that can use aspects of the virtual environment either creatively or to achieve research goals more effectively. Full details, guidance notes and the application form are available online.

Summer in China
There is a chance for five Exeter staff to teach at Tsinghua University English Summer Camp in Beijing for three weeks this Summer. Applicants must possess a master’s degree but could be from Colleges or Professional Services. The International Office will contribute to air fares and Tsinghua will offer a RMB13,000 (£1,315) stipend. Details are online, as is the Exeter application form. More info from Richard Foord. Deadline 24 Feb.

Email service upgrade
Exeter IT have begun upgrading the email service from Exchange 2007 to 2010. Users will notice subtle improvements that include email threads being presented in a similar format to Smartphones, to save time viewing and managing email. Another benefit is that OWA, the web version of Outlook, offers more compatibility across web browsers and platforms. The migration will be completed for all staff and students by June 2012. Contact: Dave Dickinson.

New bird and bee homes
On 20 February the Birds and Bees campaign is collaborating with WildSoc to build and install bird nest boxes and homes for solitary bees across the Streatham Campus. This will increase the biodiversity on campus and create a legacy for WildSoc, with monitoring the boxes becoming an annual activity, which will feed into the Campus as a Living Laboratory initiative. More info on the event on Facebook or the Biodiversity Enhancement Plan 2010-2015.

Wainwright Walk
The Wainwright Walk raises vital funds to increase access to justice in Exeter by supporting the work of the Community Legal Helpdesk. On Fri 9 March from 2pm walkers will tour Streatham Campus then significant and historic legal landmarks in Exeter city centre, finishing at the Combined Court Centre and a drinks reception. The event is being held in memory of District Judge Jill Wainwright, a friend of the Law School. To take part contact the Law School office or donate here.

RAMM Victorian debate
The College of Humanities is working with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Exeter to explore our Victorian legacy on 23-24 Mar. A major panel debate on Fri 23 Mar at 7.30pm, chaired by the BBC’s Andrew Marr, includes the feminist and socialist historian Sheila Rowbotham, Exeter Honorary Graduate John O’Farrell, Exeter Visiting Professor Isobel Armstrong, and Dr Paul Young, Lecturer in English. Tickets are £25 (£20 concessions). More info on RAMM website. RAMM also needs our votes for the Art Fund Prize 2012.

Exeter Pride
Exeter Pride, now in its fourth year, is open to everyone (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or straight). On Sat 31 March there will be a Rainbow Flag Parade through the city centre and entertainment at Exeter Phoenix and Gandy Street. We are looking for staff and students to represent the University at Pride, either in the parade, on a stall or helping in other ways. Contact equalityanddiversity@exeter.ac.uk

Olympic music
The Music Office is running a family music afternoon on Sat 3 March, 2-6pm in Kay House to teach a rhythm piece called ‘Olympic Rings’. It will then be performed on Sun 4 Mar, 7pm in the Great Hall as part of a concert involving local school children, Exeter University Groups and musicians from the EMG Symphony Orchestra. Workshop costs £5, includes drumsticks, a T-shirt, and free entry to the concert. Concert tickets are £8/5. Contact the Music Office on 01392 723042 or 01392 723813.

Open wide
The Peninsula Dental School is hoping to attract around 300 people to its Dental Education Facility in Heavitree, Exeter, to receive basic dental treatment free of charge and to help train the next generation of dentists. It is open for treatments Monday to Friday, 9.15am to 4.00pm, from 12 March until mid July. Call 01392 405350.

Design studio
To help them manage the 1,000 jobs a year that require their design expertise, the Design Studio has a new general enquiries email designenquiry@exeter.ac.uk.

Psychology surveys
Undergraduate psychology students are conducting a study on the effect of father’s mood on child emotional outcomes. They need fathers of children aged 3-6 to fill in an online questionnaire. For info contact Sarah Densham. A separate study is looking at low mood , and needs a wide section of society to fill in an online survey. For info contact Caroline Farmer. Both surveys are confidential and anonymous.

Sport shorts
Staff drop-in pay and play badminton sessions run on Tuesday lunchtimes from 12.30-2pm. The sessions are free for platinum members and £2 for everyone else. The squash ladder is now into its second term and staff are invited to join in. A golf society has been formed and will play local courses every few months at discounted rates. Please contact Andy Jack if you are interested in any of these activities.

Until 16 March
Exhibition: behind a camera in front a hawza - images by massimiliano fusari
Location: The Street Gallery, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Streatham Campus
Exhibition open: 9am-5pm. More details online

Until 23 March
Dickens at 200 exhibition from the University’s Special Collections
Location: Bill Douglas Centre, Streatham Campus

Mon 20 Feb, 3-4.30pm
Selling genetics online, and the questions this raises
Egenis seminar with Dr. Anna Harris (Egenis)
Location: Byrne House, Streatham Campus
Info: Claire Packman

Tues 21 Feb, 1pm
Taking Stock of Argument: Examining Research Trends in Argumentation in Science Education with Implications for Professional Development
Professor Sibel Erduran (University of Bristol)
Location: BC114, St Luke’s Campus

Thurs 23 Feb, 9.30am-12.30pm
Introductory workshop in Deaf Awareness
Location: Civic Centre, Rennes Room, Paris Street, Exeter (EX1 1JN)
Booking essential via Fozia on info@signs4life.org.uk

Thurs 23 Feb, 1pm
Darwin Day talk
Nick Davies (University of Cambridge)
Cuckoo adaptations: trickery and tuning
Location: Lecture theatre A, Daphne du Maurier building, Cornwall Campus

Thurs 23 Feb, 5-6.30pm
Creative Encounters: Neuroscience meets the Arts
Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE and Professor Christopher Bannerman discuss the interaction between neuroscience and the arts.
Location: Amory C501, Streatham Campus, and via videolink to SR8, Peter Lanyon building, Cornwall Campus
Register by email or contact Helen Butler on 01392 726208

Thurs 23 Feb, 5.30pm
Annual Dodderidge Lecture - 'Mapping the Law'
Professor Michael Lobban (Queen Mary, University of London)
Location: Bateman Lecture Theatre, Building:One, Business School, Streatham Campus

Fri 24 Feb, 1 - 4pm
Workshop: Montage as Practice – Learning how to narrate visually
Led by Massimiliano Fusari, professional photojournalist, and Riccardo Pezzetti, Chief Executive of Emblema photographic agency
Location: Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Streatham Campus
Free to attend. Register: workshop@massimedia.com

Fri 24 Feb, 4pm
The Age of Excess: excavating supermodernity
Alfredo González-Ruibal (Institute of Heritage Sciences, Spain)
Location: Room 320 Laver building, Streatham Campus
Project info online. Contact Marisa Lazzari

Mon 27 Feb, 3-4.30pm
'Metaphors of Medical Migration: descriptive and normative perspectives'
Egenis seminar with Dr Teodora Manea, Visiting Researcher
Location: Byrne House, Streatham Campus
Info: Claire Packman

Wed 29 Feb, 4-6pm
Exeter Initiative for Statistics and its Applications (ExIStA) workshop
Register: online form by 22 Feb.
Location: Poldhu Room, Kay Building, Streatham

Wed 29 Feb-Sat 3 March 7.30pm
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
By Bertolt Brecht
Exeter University Theatre Company
Location: Exeter Northcott theatre

Thurs 1 Mar, 1pm
Centre for Ecology and Conservation seminar
What can we learn from long-term data sets on mammals?
Phil Stephens (Durham)
Location: LTA, Daphne du Maurier building, Cornwall Campus

Thurs 1 Mar, 5pm
Classical Association Lecture
Alexander in the Age of Shakespeare
Dr Richard Stoneman
Location: Queens LT1, Streatham Campus

Fri 2 Mar, 9am-2pm
Farmers’ market
Location: Forum Piazza, Streatham Campus

Fri 2 Mar, 6-8pm
Book launch: Riptide volume 7
With music, readings and an address by Ben Bradshaw, Exeter MP
The event is free but, as numbers are limited email editors@riptidejournal.co.uk for tickets.
Location: Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

Mon 5 Mar, 12-2pm
Workshop : 'Valuing Wildness in Animals’ project: ‘Otters’
Location: Council Chamber, Northcote House, Streatham Campus
Info: Helen Butler 01392 726208.

Mon 5 Mar, 8.30pm
Cafe Scientifique
How much should we do to keep our pets alive?
Dr Chris Eirmann, Companion Care vet
Location: Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street
Free

Tues 6 Mar, 5pm
Imagining Literacy: the Gremlin, the Matrix and other Triumphal Tales
Professor Mary Hamilton (University of Lancaster)
Location: BC114, St Luke’s Campus

Weds 7 Mar, 1pm
Social reform laws in colonial India and women's empowerment
Dr V. S. Elizabeth (National Law School of India University, Bangalore)
Location: Pearson Teaching Room, Building:One, Business School, Streatham Campus

Weds 7 Mar, 8am-2pm
Workshop: Carbon Matters – creating tomorrow’s low carbon technologies
Chaired by the Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network with speakers from the Eden Project and Zero2050.
Tickets are available online. Contact Jenny Pilkington.
Location: Innovation Centre, Streatham Campus

Thurs 8 Mar, 10am-4pm
International Women’s Day Vintage Clothes Swap & Sale, with the University of Exeter Oxfam Group.
Location: Lemongrove, Cornwall House, Streatham Campus

Thurs 8 Mar, 1pm
Centre for Ecology and Conservation seminar
Richard Bardgett (Lancaster University)
Linkages between, plant, soil microbes and ecosystem nutrient cycles
Location: LTA, Daphne du Maurier building, Cornwall Campus

Thurs 8 Mar, 4.15pm
Human/Cultural Geography Seminar
Experiments in Audio Geography: Sounding Ruins
Michael Gallagher, (Glasgow)
Location: LT1, Peter Lanyon, Cornwall Campus

Thurs 8 Mar, 6.30pm
International Women’s Day open evening, quiz and short-documentary
Location: Global Centre, Dixs Field, Exeter city centre

Sat 10 Mar, 10am-2pm
Workshop: Montage as Practice – Learning how to narrate visually
Led by Massimiliano Fusari, professional photojournalist.
Bring your own laptop, loaded with the program Lightroom.
Location: Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Streatham Campus
Free to attend. Register: workshop@massimedia.com

Weds 14 Mar, 5.15pm
The Nicholas Orme Lecture in Medieval History 2012
King Athelstan: The Maker of England?’
Michael Wood, Independent Scholar and Broadcaster
Location: LT1, Queen’s, Streatham Campus