03/12/2010: Queen's picks up major education award
11/11/20210: University celebrates Diwali
01/11/2010: Conflict Transformation workshop for Indian journalists
25/10/2010: Diwali to be celebrated at Queen's University
11/10/2010: Pioneering film maker to deliver international lecture
03/09/2010: Institute for a Sustainable World tours India
20/08/2010: Countdown begins to Belfast Mela
06/07/2010: Nobel prize winner honoured by Queen's
06/07/2010: Vice-Chancellor addresses Chief Executives' Club
05/07/2010: Nobel Laureate 'in conversation' at Queen's
10/06/2010: School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy's links with India
24/05/2010: Queen's life-saving research recognised
29/04/2010: Autism book by local authors to be translated into Hindi
15/04/2010: Festival celebrates 60th anniversary
16/03/2010: Kashmir's divided families examined
02/03/2010: Trade Mission to India
03/02/2010: New partnership for Queen’s and Madras Christian College
19/11/2009: International student college launched in India
18/11/2009: Indian and Irish poets create 'world first' cultural event
18/11/2009: Clean water plant gets international boost
17/11/2009: India and Northern Ireland forge mutually beneficial partnership
16/11/2009: Leading UK engineer brings aerospace expertise to India
19/10/2009: Indian exchange programme expands
22/09/2009: Minister leads Indian trade mission
24/08/2009: The Belfast Mela, a celebration for the senses
24/08/2009: Indian research leaders of the future at Queen's
27/07/2009: Queen's leads water-tight training in India
23/03/2009: World-class construction skills critical to local economy
11/03/2009: Local innovation gains national recognition
23/02/2009: Reduction in parasite infections ahead for India
03/02/2009: 2009 Honorary graduands announced
The School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University Belfast is actively developing links with the Karve Institute of Social Services (KInSS, affiliated with the University of Pune, India), with the aim of promoting the internationalisation of social work education and research in Northern Ireland.
Two lecturers of Social Work, Dr Chaitali Das and Dr Janet Carter Anand, together with three first year social work students, Lauren Donnelly, Naomi Ferguson, and Clair Doherty completed an intensive exchange program hosted by the Social Work facility of KInSS. Both Dr Das and Dr Anand have international experience as social work educators and were keen to promote the benefits of sustainable social work initiatives across borders.
The exchange program received initial funding under the QUB’s Internationalisation Strategy and was supported by school management.
“This Indian connection has become quite a talking point amongst students and staff in the School. The way Chaitali and Janet got it off the ground in such a remarkably short time shows just how much interest and energy there is for internationalisation amongst our staff and students” said Professor John Pinkerton, who has responsibility in the School for promoting and coordinating internationalization.
During their visit students and staff explored the varied roles and scope of social work in India through classes and visits to a range of services. They experienced first hand the effects of globalization on absolute poverty, homelessness, unorganized labor, exploitation of women and the degradation of the environment in the Indian context. They also got an opportunity to observe Indian social work strategies such as community development and participation in civil society movements through people’s movements, government, non government and multinational corporate organisations.
In their reflections on the visit the students emphasized the practice relevance, the experiential learning and their discussion with fellow students.
“India was a fantastic opportunity to be a part of a cross cultural learning experience. I have already been able to put into practice some of the learning I did out there. I would advise any student to get involved in a project such as this”
“I was constantly aware of my skin colour, my gender, my culture. That perhaps afforded me a brief glimpse of the experience of members of minority ethnic groups here in Northern Ireland.”
A presentation on the outcomes and experiences of the International Social Work Exchange Program was made at the SSPSW Seminar Series on 23 February.
A Colloquium on International Social Work Exchange is to be hosted by the SSPSW in April involving delegates from NI, UK, Australia and Ireland. In October a delegation of students and faculty members from KInSS will be visiting Queen’s to undertake a similar exchange programme hosted by the SSPSW staff and students.
A team from Queen's University has won an award for creating the first low-cost arsenic removal plant in India.
Dr Bhaskar Sen Gupta and colleagues in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering received the outstanding engineering research team of the year title.
They received the accolade at the Times Higher Education awards in London.
It recognises the team's work in tackling the world's worst case of ongoing mass poisoning.
Millions of people in parts of eastern India and Bangladesh have been exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic through well water.
The arsenic is naturally present in the regions geology, but the poisoning was only identified in the 1980s.
Queen's Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said that the award underlined the global impact of the University's research.
"This pioneering project is a powerful example of how Queen's expertise and academic research can result in positive outcomes for society as a whole, and I am delighted to congratulate Dr Bhaskar Sen Gupta and his colleagues on winning this major award," he said.
Praising the work, the judges said that engineering is essentially about problem solving.
"The team from Queen's has exemplified this, finding an innovative solution to overcome arsenic contamination of groundwater and thus improve the quality of life in rural communities," they said.
Employment and learning minister Danny Kennedy also welcomed the news.
"Dr Sen Gupta and Queen's are to be congratulated on the Award which follows the success of Queen's in being named as the Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2009," he said.
Over 70m people in eastern India and Bangladesh consume water and rice contaminated with arsenic.
Dr Gupta and his team developed a method of removing arsenic from groundwater without using chemicals.
The team established a trial plant in Kasimpore, near Kolkata, offering the technology to rural communities.
Six plants are now in operation in rural locations in West Bengal and are being used to supply water to the local populations using the subterranean arsenic removal technology.
Professor Tony Gallagher lights the traditional Indian lamp during the Diwali celebrations at the University.
Queen’s University Belfast celebrated the biggest festival of India, Diwali, for the very first time in the Students' Union on Friday 5 November. Over 200 people attended the event, including Professor Tony Gallagher, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s, who gave an inspiring talk about the importance of celebrating international festivals and emphasized the contributions of the international community at the University as well as in Northern Ireland.
The name Diwali translates into “row of lamps” in Sanskrit. Diwali is celebrated throughout the world and involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. It is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Diwali is the celebration of this inner light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness, removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance.
The event at Queen’s was organised by Dr. Shrobona Bhattacharya and the programme included an orchestra from Methodist College Belfast, classical Indian dances, Bengali songs, prayers and talks. Those who attended took part in the group dance (Dandia), wore Indian national costume (sarees), and participated in prayers and singing.
Delegates with the Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson, Dr Satish Kumar, Director of the Queen’s India Initiative, and Dr Cathal McCall, the School’s India Initiative co-ordinator.
A one-day workshop on conflict and conflict transformation was held recently in the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy for a visiting delegation of journalists from Nagaland, India. It was part of a visit co-ordinated by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Speakers included: Dr Cathal McCall and Mr Eamonn Mallie (journalist and author on Irish affairs) on ‘The Media and Conflict in Northern Ireland’; Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards on ‘Talking to Hamas’; Professor Rick Wilford on ‘Northern Ireland and the Executive’; Dr Margaret O’Callaghan on ‘Commemoration in Ireland’; and Dr Peter McLaughlin on ‘‘Using the Media to Achieve Political Progress in Northern Ireland’.
There was lively discussion and debate and delegates and speakers agreed that it had been a very interesting and worthwhile experience with many parallels drawn between Northern Ireland and Nagaland.
Diwali , or the ‘Festival of Light’, will be celebrated at Queen’s University next month.
The festival, which symbolises the victory of righteousness and lifting of spiritual darkness, is traditionally celebrated at the end of the Hindu month of Ashwayuja between October and November.
During the five-day festival people light up traditional lights and candles all around their homes.
To mark the festival on Friday 5 November, a number of events will take place in Space, in the Students’ Union.
The evening, which runs from 7pm to 9pm, will feature talks, a cultural programme and group traditional dance, as well as an Indian dinner. All staff are welcome to attend with their families.
Cost for the dinner is £4 per head and can be paid for at the door on the evening.
Anyone who wishes to attend is asked to contact Shrobona Bhattacharya by Wednesday 3 November at shrobona.bhattacharya@qub.ac.uk; shronbonabhattacharya@yahoo.com or by telephone on 0789 5000 134.
A public lecture at Queen's University next month will bring to Belfast one of the pioneers of the new cinema in India - Shyam Benegal.
He will deliver the Shruti Foundation Internationl Lecture, hosted by Queen's Film Theatre, on Tuesday 2 November on the topic of Communication and Culture: Tradition, Modernity and Post-Modernism in Indian Cinema.
Considered one of the leading filmmakers of the country ever since his first feature film, Ankur, was released in 1973, Shyam Benegal's films have been seen and acclaimed widely in India and at international film festivals for the last three decades. He has received numerous national and international awards for his work, including in 2007, the highest award in Indian cinema, for lifetime achievement. He has to date made 27 fiction features for cinema.
The core subjects of his films have been varied in nature, but are mainly centred on contemporary Indian experiences. Problems of development, social and cultural change appear on many levels as a continuing thread in practically all his films.
Apart from fiction features, he has made a number of documentaries on different subjects ranging from cultural anthropology and problems of industrialization to music. His work for television includes several series based on international stories and on short stories by well-known Indian writers, in addition to a major 53-part series on the history of India based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book, Discovery of India. He has also made an extra-mural educational series for rural children sponsored by UNICEF.
A reception will be held from 6pm in the QFT, 20 University Square, followed by the lecture, with film clips, at 6.45pm.
To register to attend this free event, please contact: Paul Cochrane
Email: p.cochrane@qub.ac.uk
Tel: 028 9097 5323
Press coverage of the Ahmadabad lecture by Dr John Barry and Dr Geraint Ellis
The tour, sponsored by the British Council in India, took in four Indian cities – New Delhi, Ahmadabad, Baroda and Chandigarh - and featured four Queen's University academics - Geraint Ellis from the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, (SPACE), John Barry from the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy (PISP) and the Institute of Sustainable World (ISW), Bernard Smith. from the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, and Robin Curry from the Institute of Sustainable World.
The tour began on Friday 13 August with Drs. Ellis and Barry giving a master class to Planning and Architecture Masters students and evening presentations on climate change, planning and energy security and peak oil in Ahmadabad to CEPT University, in state of Gujarat. On 14 August the pair were off to the city of Baroda , also in Gujarat, to talk at an Institute of Indian Designers and British Council organised event.
On the 16-17 August, Geraint Ellis, John Barry, Bernard Smith and Robin Curry gave presentations at a two day conference organised by Queen's, Responding to Climate Change: UK-India Perspectives. This British Council and Institute for a Sustainable World sponsored conference was also sponsored and included academics from the University of Pune, the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), IIT Delhi, the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (SPA) and the Centre for Science and Environment. Finally on 19 August Dr. Ellis gave presentations in the city of Chandigarh, also sponsored by the British Council.
Dr. Geraint Ellis, Senior Lecturer in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering and the Queen’s co-ordinator of the visit said “This was an extremely successful event and many potential researcher partners, research projects and other ways for the Institute for a Sustainable World and its affiliated research groups to establish firm links with Indian researchers and universities. Climate change and related issues of energy, planning and sustainability are global issues and t here is much mutual learning and exchange of ideas to be had between Queen's and India scholars, universities and policy-makers."
Dr Barry, Associate Director of the Institute for a Sustainable World, said, "We fully expect this trip to be the first of many and we are already in discussions with the British Council in India about further events. We will also follow up with the researchers and research groups we met to explore ways of establishing links, through mutual staff and student exchanges, joint projects and short courses. While the schedule was full it was an extremely fruitful trip and we all look forward to returning to India in the near future and to seeing the initial links made on this trip deepened and bearing fruit."
Jaipur Kawa Brass Band will perform at the Mela
The 2010 Belfast Mela 2010 will take place later this month in Botanic Gardens, right beside Queen’s University.
Organised by Arts Ekta, Northern Ireland’s largest multi-cultural festival runs on Sunday 29 August from 12pm to 6pm, with free admission, and offers visitors the chance to celebrate culture and creativity through music, dance, arts and food from over 30 nations across the globe.
This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever with many new features including “Taste the World”, with cookery theatre by award winning Indian chef Manju Mali and a specially designed interactive cultural journey for children.
Visitors can take part in cookery demonstrations, watch an international showcase of music and dance and try out the traditional craft of weaving - once a thriving industry in Northern Ireland.One of the highlights of the programme includes the magical Kawa Circus from Rajasthan, supported by Sikh Sword Dancing, Jaipur Kawa Brass Band and Belfast Community Circus.
For more information visit the website http://belfastmela.org.uk/
Professor Sen is congratulated by the University's Chancellor, His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma
Internationally renowned economist Professor Amartya Kumar Sen is honoured at Queen’s today (Tuesday 6 July 2010).
Professor Sen received a Doctorate of Science DSc(Econ) for distinction in economics at this morning’s graduation ceremony.
Considered one of modern India’s greatest intellectuals and economists, Professor Sen’s reputation is unrivalled in academic circles. He is a renowned philosopher, economist and social thinker. In 1998 Professor Sen won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his work in welfare economics and used the prize money to set up a trust fund to help the poor in India and Bangladesh. In recognition of this, the Indian government awarded him with the highest civilian award, the prestigious Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India) in 1999.
Professor Sen’s many other achievements and honours include the Leontief Prize for outstanding contribution to economic theory from the Global Development and Environmental Institute (2000), the Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service USA (2000), and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (2003).
Watch Professor Sen receive his honorary degree
At the Chief Executives' Club event were (from left): Mr VD Sabherwal (of Andras House); Joanne Stuart, Chair of Institute of Directors; Professor Peter Gregson, Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s; Mrs Sabherwal and Lord Diljit Rana
Professor Gregson outlined how Queen’s has strengthened its position as a global university , offering an outstanding education experience and undertaking research which continually pushes the boundaries.
In today’s global economy, universities play a crucial role in supporting and raising the profile of local economies. He described how the research and development activities at Queen’s provide local companies with access to cutting edge research, while the partnerships with multi-national companies and international universities ensure that Northern Ireland is firmly on the map as a innovative and entrepreneurial region.
Professor Gregson also outlined recent developments at Queen’s which ensure an outstanding student experience and how investing in students is an investment in Northern Ireland’s future in the global market place.
Professor Gregson has spoken repeatedly of the unique position of Queen’s within higher education in the UK and Ireland. He is committed to seeing Queen’s develop as a broadly-based research-driven University and in 2006 he led Queen’s to membership of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK universities. Queen’s is the only university to join the Group since its foundation in 1994. He has made internationalisation a key priority for the University, and has led the establishment of key strategic partnerships including those with Georgetown University, University of Malaya and Petronas.
Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen will be ‘in conversation’ with the BBC’s William Crawley at a special event in The Great Hall at Queen’s University Belfast this evening (Monday, 5 July).
Regarded as one of the world’s greatest thinkers, the renowned Indian economist was rated as one of the top ten intellectuals of the modern age by Prospect magazine alongside Noam Chomsky. He also featured in Time magazine’s 2010 list of the top 100 most influential people in the world.
The event at Queen’s University is held in association with the British Academy (represented by the Chief Executive, Robin Jackson) and the Royal Irish Academy (represented by President Nicholas Canny). Professor Sen will speak about his work on welfare economics, for which he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1998, and his latest book, The idea of Justice.
Professor Sen used his Nobel Prize money to set up a trust fund to pay for initiatives to help people in need in India and Bangladesh. In recognition of this he was awarded the Indian government’s highest civilian honour, the prestigious Bharat Ratna. He has also received the Eisenhower Medal in the United States for Leadership and Service, and the Life Time Achievement award by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Professor Peter Gregson, Queen’s Vice-Chancellor said: “Professor Amartya Sen has rightly been identified as one of the greatest intellectuals of our time. His work has served to highlight and positively alter injustices and inequality across the globe. A role model for our staff and students, we are privileged to have him join us during graduation week at Queen’s.”
Sir Adam Roberts, President of the British Academy, said: “I have had the incredible privilege of being a colleague of Amartya Sen’s in three great institutions: the London School of Economics, Oxford University, and the British Academy. He has been a pioneer in exploring the connections between liberty and the effective tackling of poverty. In his hands, economics is definitely not the ‘dismal science’ that it’s sometimes said to be. It is wonderful that his huge contribution is being celebrated in Belfast.”
Professor Nicholas Canny, President of the Royal Irish Academy added: “Amartya Sen is distinctive among Nobel laureates in Economics in giving priority always to the possible impact on the wellbeing of people, and particularly on the wellbeing of the weak and the vulnerable, of whatever economic paths are chosen by governments.”
The ‘conversazione’ event comes ahead of the conferment of an honorary doctorate by Queen’s on Professor Sen for distinction in economics during the 10.30am ceremony tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 6 July).
Media inquiries to Lisa McElroy, Press and PR Unit. Tel: 00 44 (0)28 90 97 5384 or email lisa.mcelroy@qub.ac.uk
Efforts by the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen's University to promote links with universities in India are continuing.
Staff and research students have made a number of vists to the country to promote their work and develop research links.
For more details of the visits click here
A senior lecturer from Queen’s University has been honoured for his research work in tackling the world’s worst case of ongoing mass poisoning.
Dr Bhaskar Sen Gupta, from Queen’s School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, has received an Excellence Award from the Asian Water Industry and a second award, the St Andrew’s Prize for the Environment, for his work in creating the world’s first chemical free arsenic removal plant in India.
Currently over 70 million people in Eastern India and Bangladesh, experience involuntary arsenic exposure from consuming water and rice; the main staple food in the region. This includes farmers who have to use contaminated groundwater from minor irrigation schemes. It is estimated that for every random sample of 100 people in the Bengal Delta, at least one person will be near death as a result of arsenic poisoning, while five in 100 will be experiencing other symptoms.
Leading an international research team, Dr Sen Gupta implemented an innovative method of removing arsenic from groundwater without using chemicals. The team established a trial plant in Kasimpore, near Kolkata, offering chemical-free groundwater treatment technology to rural communities for all their drinking and farming needs. Six plants are now in operation in rural locations in West Bengal and are being used to supply water to the local populations using subterranean arsenic removal technology.
Dr Sen Gupta received his Asian water industry at a Gala Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The St Andrew’s Prize is a joint environmental initiative by the University of St Andrew’s and the international integrated energy company ConocoPhillips. The prize aims to find practical solutions to environmental challenges from around the globe.
Speaking about his awards Dr Sen Gupta said: “I am honoured and humbled by the recognition given to me by both the Asian Water Industry and St Andrews. These awards recognise the contribution of Queen's to the Asian water industry in general and the novel arsenic removal from groundwater in particular.”
The St Andrew’s prize includes a cash award of $75,000. Speaking of his team’s plans for the money, Dr Sen Gupta said: “This award will enable us to transfer our knowledge to other groups who will be able to set up 25 more operations with around 25,000 people benefiting from the provision of safe drinking water."
Further information on civil engineering at Queen’s is available online at http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPlanningArchitectureandCivilEngineering/
Media inquiries to Press and PR Unit, 028 9097 5384 or email comms.office@qub.ac.uk
Dr Karola Dillenburger (right) with Smita Awasthi
A leading book on autism by a Queen’s researcher is to be translated into Hindi and published in India, where currently over one million people are thought to be affected by the condition.
The book entitled Parents’ Education as Autism Therapists has already been translated into Japanese and provides a useful introduction to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) for parents and professionals working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The book’s co-editor is Dr Karola Dillenburger from Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Education, who is also ABA consultant at the Applied Behaviour Academy in Bangalore. ABA is the application of the science of behaviour analysis to socially relevant behaviours. When used for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ABA-based treatments are individually tailored, child centered, and can produce remarkable results.
Dr Dillenburger said: “There are over 1 billion people in India and, at a conservative estimate, approximately one in 150 people are affected by autism. The key to effective treatment is to diagnose the condition as early as possible and provide early intensive behavioural intervention based on ABA. For the past four decades, ABA has provided a basis for effective treatment across the world, and now this book will help parents in India who want to become educated as ABA therapists for their own children.
“Aimed at enhancing people's lives in ways that they or their carers feel are important, ABA forms that scientific bases for a wide range of methods and techniques to promote a full range of skills. It can help break down barriers to learning that isolate individuals diagnosed with autism, allow them to reach their full potential, and consequently enhances inclusion.”
The translation of the book into Hindi, alongside the translation of Simple Steps, an innovative multi-media guide to ABA, has been organised by Smita Awasthi, President of the Association for Behavior Analysis in India, who is an external research student at Queen’s. Following her first visit to Belfast in January, Smita said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Belfast. I am impressed with the commitment of professionals and parents to bring evidence-based interventions based on the science of ABA to families affected by autism.”
Currently being translated, the Hindi edition of Parents’ Education as Autism Therapists will be available from October 2012. SIMPLE STEPS: The multimedia ABA Autism Training Box will also be translated into Hindi. Further information is available at www.peatni.org.
Media inquiries to Lisa McElroy, Press and PR Unit. Tel: 00 44 (0)28 90 97 5384 or email
lisa.mcelroy@qub.ac.uk
A festival of friendship, harmony and cultural diversity will be held in Belfast at the weekend to mark the 60th anniversary of Republic Day of India.
The event, in St George's Market, will run from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday 18 April and will include a food fair, craft stalls, music, dancing and children's activities. Admission is £1.
For more information visit the Indian Community Centre website.
Representatives from Queen's University and the University of Ulster are taking part in a trade mission to India this week.
The mission - one of the biggest to India to be arranged by Invest NI - includes managers from nearly 30 companies, as well as delegations from both universities.
The delegates will explore business opportunities in Delhi and Mumbai, and travel to other commercial centres such as Bangalore and Chennai.
Queen’s University and the University of Ulster are hoping to extend links with institutions in India, including the Bengal Engineering and Science University in Calcutta, the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi and the University of Madras in Chennai.
Separated wives in the Kargil region of Kashmir
The ordeal of divided families in Kashmir, following years of India-Pakistan conflict, will be discussed at a public lecture at Queen's University next week.
Dr Debiddata Aurobinda Mahapatra, (
Dr Mahapatra is the 2010 Charles Wallace Fellow in Anthropology. This is a three-month position funded by the Charles Wallace India Trust awarded to Indian academics or professional social anthropologists. Dr. Mahapatra received funding from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC),
The lecture will be held on Monday 22 March from 4pm - 6pm in the Old Staff Common Room and refreshments will be available from 4pm. Anyone interested in attending is asked to email Dr. Fiona Magowan at f.magowan@qub.ac.uk
For more information on the Charles Wallace Fellowship and former holders of the Fellowship visit click here
Belfast celebrated the Indian Festival of Colours on Sunday 28 February.
St George's Market came alive to the sounds and colours of the festival, which marks the coming of spring.
Organised by ArtsEkta, the event attracts hundreds who want to take part in the day, which is a literal explosion of colour and culture as people cover each other in coloured power.
For pictures from the event visit the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8543389.stm
Professor John Thompson
Madras Christian College (MCC) in Chennai has signed its first major partnership agreement with a leading UK university.
The new partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, a member of the Russell Group of the UK’s 20 leading research intensive universities, will facilitate student exchanges and exploit learning opportunities in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at both institutions.
Currently four exchange students from Queen’s are studying at MCC in the fields of English, Politics, Anthropology and Geography and Paleoecology. The first reciprocal visit to Queen’s by students from MCC will take place later this year.
The new partnership with MCC comes just weeks after Queen’s University installed His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary of the Commonwealth and former Indian High Commissioner to the UK as Chancellor. Late last year Queen’s also celebrated a week-long festival of languages and culture in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata, when leading poets from the University joined together with their Indian counterparts including Ashoke Viswanathan; Jayanta Mahapatra; Sunil Gangopadhyay; Professor Nabaneeta Dev Sen; Srijato and Mamang Dai.
Principal of MCC, Professor Alexander Jesudasan joined Professor John Thompson, Head of Queen’s School of English, to sign the new agreement at an event attended by Chris Gibson, the British Council’s Director for South India. Funding to facilitate the new links was secured by the School of English at Queen’s following receipt of a grant from Phase II of the Prime Minister’s Initiative Scheme.
Speaking at the event, Professor Thompson said: “Like Madras Christian College, Queen’s University Belfast has been home to a vibrant and diverse academic tradition of excellence for many decades.
“Teaching links between the island of Ireland and Chennai have been ongoing since the arrival of missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. This exciting new partnership will now see a whole new generation of scholars exploiting vital learning and research opportunities in Chennai and Belfast; building on our shared histories and identities.
“The signing of the agreement with MCC today sees a significant broadening and deepening of Queen’s links with India, something that is of tremendous mutual benefit to the education sectors and economies of both India and Northern Ireland.”
Professor Alexander Jesudasan added: “We are delighted with our new academic partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and look forward to seeing this relationship flourish in the future."
Media inquiries to Aeshna Makkar at ICON PR. Tel: 011- 46562890 – 95, Mob: (0)9911638353, e-mail:
aeshna@iconpr.in or Lisa McElroy, Queen’s University Belfast. Tel: +44 (0)2890975384 or email
lisa.mcelroy@qub.ac.uk
David Gibson
Over 1,000 delegates at a business summit in India benefited from advice on entrepreneurial motivation from a Queen’s University Belfast academic who has been recognised as one the world’s top global entrepreneurship educators.
David Gibson, a Senior NICENT (Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship) Teaching Fellow based in Queen’s University Management School represented Europe when he shares his business knowledge at the 3rd International Entrepreneurship Summit in December.
The event at the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata, one of Asia’s finest business schools, was attended by top entrepreneurs and academics from around the world.
West Bengal has not seen the increase in entrepreneurial activities seen in some other Indian states and the conference is bringing together experts from across the globe to speak on what entrepreneurship means to them and what their students aspire to.
The invite to speak at the conference is a unique opportunity to highlight the entrepreneurial spirit of Queen’s University and form new links. It follows previous visits by Queen’s delegations to India.
David is recognised as a trail-blazer for entrepreneurial education. Among his achievements is developing an enterprise for life education model which is embedded across the entire curriculum at Queen’s. It has also been adopted by universities in India, China, Canada, Sri Lanka and throughout the UK and was recognised as a best practice model by the EEC.
He is also the only recipient of a National Teaching Fellowship Award for enterprise education by the Higher Education Academy in the UK and is the author of a leading book on enterprise competencies called The EFactor, which is now used in over 100 universities, including Cambridge, where it is a core text.
David said: “This is a real opportunity to build on strategic academic and business relationships. The Indian business and education sectors are intrigued by what we are doing and are very keen to increase their links with Queen’s and Northern Ireland.
“Collaborations can have a real impact on education as transnational education links can benefit both economies and could lead to spin-out companies.
“Some universities in India are already using the Queen’s enterprise for life education model and we want to build on that. Kolkata is not as strong commercially as other areas in India and they want to learn from institutions like ours about how we are reaching out to students and staff to change people’s mindsets.
“I’ll be speaking about how important is to have entrepreneurial motivation in order to create high growth businesses but also for people who don’t necessarily want to start their own businesses to have an entrepreneurial mindset and to be able to think innovatively within their workplace.
“Queen’s University is seen as cutting-edge, especially after winning the Times Higher Entrepreneurial University of the Year title and we are keen to build on our successes.”
Later this week David will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) conference where he will pitch for the title of Global Entrepreneurship Educator. He was recently named one of three finalists in the competition.
At the evening of music and poetry in New Delhi are (l-r): Professor Ed Larrissy; Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin; Professor Edna Longley; Professor Ciaran Carson; Ken Thompson, Ambassador of Ireland in India; and Professor Michael Longley
A senior delegation from Queen’s has recently returned from a ten day visit to India. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen existing links and develop new partnerships which would be of mutual benefit to the Indian economy and education sector and those of Northern Ireland.
During the trip, some of Ireland’s most distinguished poets joined together with their Indian counterparts to celebrate a week long festival of languages and culture in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
Believed to be the first event of its kind, the cultural festival provided the literary traditions of India and Ireland an opportunity to build on the shared history of excellence in poetry.
The delegation included: Michael Longley, Ireland Chair of Poetry; Ciaran Carson, Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry; Ed Larrissy, Professor of Poetry at the School of English; Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin, traditional singer in residence at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, and Edna Longley, Professor Emerita at Queen’s.
During the ten-day visit, Queen’s also opened an office situated at Bengal Engineering and Science University in Kolkata. The opening of the office gives the go-ahead to a further three year programme of collaborative research as part of the Eastern India Water Research Institute (EIWRI).
Also launched during the visit was the Queen’s India Schools Partnership (QUISP) which will see small clusters of schools in India developing partnerships with Queen’s and its partner schools in Northern Ireland.
A new international student college which will offer Indian students the opportunity to study at a leading UK university was also launched in New Delhi. A joint venture between Queen's and INTO University Partnerships, the new INTO-Queen’s College will deliver an outstanding and authentic student experience for those Indian students hoping to complete academic preparation in the UK.