End of warranty for phase 1 – report any faults now
It’s coming up for 12 months since we moved back into Phase1, doesn’t time fly when you are having fun?……
This is the last chance to get any issues fixed under warranty (at the builders cost) . Please log any faults you know of through the PLANON fault reporting system. http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/facilities/services/helpdesk/ which can found under “Facilities Service Desk/Faults Reporting – Planon” in the side bar of the University staff intranet pages. If you include some words along the style of “Warranty issue” or “Refurb fault” in the description that would help identify them. These can then be passed directly to the builders via Facilities. It is much better to have the same fault reported multiple times than not at all, so please log anything you see.
Phase I is everything from the spine to the back wall of the atrium on all floors.
Shonah Ion
Location of current safety forms.
A recommendation from the recent safety audit of the Department was to ensure everybody knows where the current blank safety forms are located. They are found on the University safety web pages at http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/depts/safety/index.html . These can be found by looking under safety in any of the University A-Z indexes. All safety form templates can be found here, usually at the end of the individual guidance i.e. risk assessment, COSHH etc. The link on the Physics web site will be updated to reflect this.
Shonah Ion
News from Facilities
Water Hygiene Testing in Physics Building will take place week commencing Monday 4th September 2017 from 9am daily.
Two Lancaster University engineers will require access to kitchens and shared bathrooms to test hot water temperatures. The engineers will not test every kitchen/bathroom just a sample from different locations within the building. This brief survey will take approximately five minutes, and is to ensure that the hot water is maintained at the correct temperature to prevent any instances of legionella. There will be no shutdown of service.
If you have any queries regarding the timing of the work please contact Facilities Helpdesk as soon as possible, facilities.helpdesk@lancaster.ac.uk 01524 593333
Shonah Ion
Safety Inductions
There is no safety induction in September due to holidays.. The next will be part of the PG orientation day on 6th October, with normal service of inductions on the first working Thursday of the month, being resumed in November at 2:30pm on Thursday 2nd in A27 Physics.
Shonah Ion
Making Professor 2017 – Lancaster’s flagship staff development event – Monday 11th September
Lancaster University is delighted to announce an expanded conference format for Making Professor 2017, aimed at giving staff the very best chance of getting to the top in their careers.
The theme for the 2017 event is: “How to identify your pathway to chair”
This event is primarily designed for those with an interest in academic promotion to professor as a personal short-term or longer-term aim. It is also open to those who provide support (either as HoD/manager or professional services) for academic colleagues.
This year’s internal and external keynote speakers and other contributors will provide first-hand insights into the role of a chair, top-tips for planning your career development, and ways of facing up to the challenges as you make your way to the top. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions through the day.
There will also be practical workshops focused on research, teaching and balanced pathways to promotion, with key questions for you to explore, and with expert input from a variety of perspectives.
See more here.
To register your interest, please email: oed@lancaster.ac.uk
Isobel Hook
Jo’s Gonna Jump!
Hello everyone,
Not long now, just over 3 weeks until I hurl myself out of a plane at 15,000 feet woohoo!!
If you would like to listen to my spot on Radio Lancashire please go to the recording on our Face book page at: https://www.facebook.com/josgonnajump/ where you can also see me practising with the help of my poor fella. You will also be able to see some live streaming of the day (obviously Sara does not want to jump out with me to film the actual jump – why not? -) but we will record the mornings antics and, if a clear day, as much of the descent as possible.
Thank you to everyone who has donated so far we are truly grateful. Please note that I am paying for the jump out of my own pocket so all donations go straight to Mark.
If you want to give lose change, there is a bucket in University House and a sponsor form or you can go online as below.
Everyone’s favourite pocket-sized Wonder Women, Jo Malbon, is going to jump out of a plane! But don’t worry, it’s not because she’s been pushed over the edge. No, Jo’s jumping for Mark.
Let us introduce you to Mark Fitchett. Husband to our very own Emma Fitchett, PG Co-ordinator in the Dept. of Economics, and father to Will and Sam, Mark was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2013. So what is MS? Well, no one really knows what causes it, which is why treatment is so difficult. What is apparent is the impact it has had on Mark. Prior to his diagnosis, Mark was self-employed as a driving instructor, however, following his diagnosis he had to stop working and now the family is reliant on just Emma’s pt wage and ESA benefits. He suffers daily with fatigue, left side weakness, brain fog, eyesight deterioration, tremors, speech problems, anxiety and cognitive problems, and all of these symptoms are getting worse.
So what can be done? There’s a treatment called Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), where they basically they take stem cells from the blood, give chemotherapy to kill off the immune system, and then reintroduce the stem cells. This should rebuild his immune system again without the presence of MS. Emma likens it to turning a computer off and on again. Unfortunately, Mark doesn’t qualify for this treatment on the NHS due to the criteria they use, but the treatment is available abroad in Russia, Mexico, Italy, Israel, US and India. The downside to this is the cost.
Seeking treatment abroad is going to cost the family a grand total of £45,000. To date, they have raised just over £10,000 through fundraising events organised by friends and family. This is amazing and Mark and Emma are incredibly grateful and humbled by the generosity and kindness of those around them. There’s still a way to go though, and that’s where Jo comes in.
On 6th September 2017, Student Based Services’ very own Jo Malbon is going to jump out of a plane. From 15,000 feet. FIFTEEN THOUSAND FEET! That’s above the clouds, people! And we’ll be live streaming it from the ground so you can watch as she defies sanity and jumps for Mark. But Jo’s not doing it for the fun (ha!) of it. In the words of Sir Bob, “Give us your @!%*ing money!”. Think about it – if everyone gave even £1, there’s enough of us to get Mark his treatment and, essentially, change his life. Because that’s what it comes down to. The things that we take for granted like going for a bike ride with our children or going for long walks in our beautiful surroundings – these just aren’t possible for Mark right now. This treatment has the potential to change his life. So Jo is jumping out of a plane to raise money to get Mark his treatment, and we want you to sponsor her.
You can sponsor Jo and make your donation by
https://www.gofundme.com/msannihilation (minimum of £5)
Sponsorship form and donation bucket (for loose change) at Reception in Uni House, with Jo in the Student Registry and in the UG Management School Office.
All of your sponsorship goes directly to Mark – not a penny of it is being spent on the jump – so give what you can to support Jo in her terrifying fall to earth, and in turn support Mark to kick MS’s bottom!
Jo Malbon
2nd & 22nd September Open Day HELP Physics recruit
I have been working on plans for the Open Days and like always the admissions team needs your support. Following the success of the July Open Days we would like to replicate this on Saturday 2nd September and Friday 22nd September 9-3:30. This is the first year we can show off our new building and facilities and having the atrium full of demos and staff at the stand worked a treat, we had lots of positive feedback regarding how many academics we had and how lovely and helpful they all were.
Physics Welcome desk – STAFF NEEDED!
This year we are located in the Learning Zone and will be chatting to potential applicants and guests and guide them in the direction of the physics building for demos, tours and the talk in Faraday – it could be tricky with the spine works!
Physics Building – DEMOS NEEDED!
I plan to fill the atrium with interesting demo’s or items for people to look at and more importantly engage in. Do you have anything that would be suitable (we need a risk assessment for it). If you can think of anything please talk to me, if it needs someone with it I hope to have enough ambassador to share the work load.
Tours – LAB ACCESS!
These will be run by our ambassadors however if you happen to be working in a lab and would be willing to take over as the ambassador comes in this would be fantastic there is nothing as enthralling as listening to a passionate academic talk about their subject area! Or maybe you hadn’t planned to but don’t mind working in a lab to talk to guests occasionally?
I desperately need volunteers to help support these important days that ultimately fuel our applications. We need to show we going above and beyond so any help or ideas are very much welcome.
I will be working both days from 8:30 – 4:30 however I am only asking you for a couple of hours here or there – as much or as little as you can give. In previous years I have been able to get you a lunch voucher and I hope this will happen again. Also I do give Jim details of who works for the work load allocation so it is recognised.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask and if you are happy to help please email me with dates and times available.
Helen McAlley
Emergency Lighting Testing
Emergency Lighting Testing in Physics Building will take place week commencing Monday 28th August 2017 from 9am daily.
Every month there is a quick test to ensure all Emergency Lighting fittings are operational. This involves a quick visual test. In residences, this applies to corridors and kitchens. There are longer, more involved tests at 6 month and 12 month intervals.
Shonah Ion
Closure of staircase No.1 for cleaning
The stairs adjacent to the passenger lift and Mechanical workshop, near the front entrance will be closed from the 21st August for 1 week to allow deep cleaning. Please use other stairs during this time.
Shonah Ion
Physics Away Day – Thursday 5th October 2017
The next Physics Away Day will take place on Thursday 5th October at Green Lane Conference Centre, (Lancaster House Hotel). An agenda is not yet available.
Attendance is mandatory for academic staff and all other staff are welcome to attend if they wish. Please confirm your attendance to me with any dietary requirements by Weds 27 September at the latest.
Grainne Wilkinson
Performance Development Reviews for 2016/2017
The 2016/17 Performance Development Review (PDR) cycle is drawing to a close. All Lancaster University staff employed for more than 12 months continuously, including those on fixed-term contracts, are expected to take part in the PDR process. Staff who are on probation do not need to have a PDR but new starters in support areas should have objectives set using an ‘Initial PDR form (for new starters)’.
For full information on PDR policy, guidance and PDR forms please visit http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/hr/pdr/ The PDR forms were updated quite recently so please ensure you use the current version from the webpage. The period of review will generally be from the beginning of August 2016 to the end of July 2017.
When forms are complete and signed by both reviewer and reviewee please could they be passed to me.
Grainne Wilkinson