People

Essex first on UCAS board

The Head of Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions at the University has been elected to the Board of Directors of the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Mike Nicholson is one of three new directors elected to represent small and medium sized institutions that are members of UCAS, the body responsible for co-ordinating full-time applications to UK higher education institutions.

This is the first time that Essex has been represented on the UCAS Board, which was created following the merger of the UCCA and PCAS admissions systems in the mid-1990s.

Mike, who will take up his four-year post on 1 August, said: 'The next few years are likely to mark a period of significant change for the UK admissions process.'

'Proposals for a fully-electronic applications service, the possible creation of an admissions service for taught postgraduate degrees, a move towards greater transparency in how admissions decisions are arrived at, and the debate over a post-qualification admissions system, as well as the introduction of a new tuition fee regime from 2006 means that the Board will have to ensure that UCAS adapts to the new situation, and continues to provide a first-rate service to higher education, applicants and their advisers.'

Mike is also currently the national Training Officer for the Higher Education Liaison Officers' Association (HELOA).

Picture caption: Mike takes up the new UCAS post from 1 August

Volunteering efforts rewarded

Two students have received national recognition for their volunteering work.

Laura Koster and David Savage were both awarded Student Volunteering England Gold Awards which recognise leadership, dedication and achievement in volunteers.

Laura won the award for her work on two volunteering projects. The first, an English Language Teaching project, helpes refugees living in Colchester to learn English. Laura instigated the use of lesson logs to keep track of the refugees' progress and their needs so teachers can pitch the lessons at the appropriate level and attend to the areas where the students need the most help. Laura also took part in the 'Global Voices' projects, giving presentations about her native country, Holland, to local school children.

David was recognised for designing and implementing a sports coaching project for local secondary schools. As a member of the University Cricket Club, David set up cricket coaching for the pupils, with fellow Club members volunteering to help deliver the coaching. The coaching took place in a number of Colchester schools over six weeks, culminating in an inter-schools tournament with pupils competing against each other using the skills they had learned.

Obituary
Mr James Green FRCS

The longest-serving member of the University Court, retired surgeon Mr James Green, died last month aged 95.

University records show Mr JBM Green, known as Jim, attended every meeting of Court over 20 years from 1965 to 1985.

He served on the Development Committee from 1976 until 1980, and was a former Chairman of the Building Sub-Committee, during which time building projects included the Health Centre and development of sports facilities.

Mr Green came to Colchester during the Second World War, and in 1946 he was appointed an ear, nose and throat (ENT) consultant at Essex County Hospital. He was head of ENT when he retired in 1975.

Obituary
Professor Winsten

Professor Chris Winsten passed away peacefully on the 28 May in hospital in Chelmsford.

Professor Winsten arrived at Essex in October 1968 to join his former Imperial College colleague, Professor G A Barnard in the Department of Mathematics. At Essex, Professor Winsten's speciality was stochastic processes, a topic for which he had an intuitive flair - his methods were often geometric and never to be found in books. First-class students found his lectures immensely stimulating; third-class students changed course. At Essex, although generally the exemplar of the absent-minded professor, he was a surprisingly efficient Dean of Mathematical Studies between 1979 and 1982. For cleaners, however, he was a nightmare - negotiating a route from door to window in his office required care and balance.

Before he came to Essex, Professor Winsten had made his name both as one half of the Prais-Winsten (1954) transformation still used by economists today and one-third of the Beckmann-McGuire-Winsten (1955) approach to transportation economics: Sadly he was too ill to attend the international meeting celebrating the 50th anniversary of this landmark paper.

Professor Winsten had a colourful childhood, since his mother was the artist and sculptress Clare Blake, and his father Stephen (known as Inca) was a teacher and writer who was well-known in the literary world. His mother's bust of George Bernard Shaw is in the Albert Sloman library. He claimed to have been the last to visit Shaw before his death (following a fall from a tree when aged 95!). Professor Winsten retained his mother's interest in the arts, reserving a room in his Wivenhoe house as a location for exhibitions by local artists.

Graham Upton
Department of Mathematical Sciences

Also in the printed July edition of Wyvern:

• Honour for human rights work
• Civic role for Essex alumni
• Essex graduate scores Ashes job
• Names in the news
• Walking the walk for charity