This section keep you up-to-date with the CSFP community, which encompasses current award holders, alumni, the national agencies that support them, and their host organisations.
We welcome items for possible inclusion of no more than 100 words. Given the size of the CSFP community, it may not be possible to include every item that is submitted. The site managers, therefore, reserve the right to edit or reject material at their discretion. Please note that promotional material will not normally be accepted.
To submit items please email alumni@cscuk.org.uk
FORMER FELLOW CONTINUES RESEARCH LINKS WITH HOST UNIVERSITY
Dr Shashikala Inamdar (Commonwealth Fellow, Clinical Research, University of Liverpool, 2006) has recently become
chairperson of the Department of Biochemistry Karnatak university, Dharwad India. Dr Inamdar is still collaborating with the University of Liverpool in a research project, and is in the
second year of a UKIERI,project sponsored by British Council.
FORMER DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION JOINS LIDC
Dr Hilary Perraton, who until 2009 was Deputy Chair of the CSC, becomes the first Visiting Fellow of the LIDC, and brings his expertise promoting open and distance learning – flexible methods of teaching including online learning – to his new joint honorary appointment at LIDC and the Institute of Education. His work will include advising LIDC on its Distance Learning for Development programme, which encourages collaboration in the design, delivery and marketing of distance learning courses provided by its member Colleges.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR WINS PRESENTATION PRIZE
Mohd. Golam Quader Khan (2007 Commonwealth Scholar from Bangladesh, PhD Aquaculture Genetics, University of Stirling) has won first prize in the oral presentation competition at the 2nd PhD Research Conference at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling. Golam’s talk, on ‘Application of DNA Markers in Genetically Male Tilapia Production’ was based on his PhD research, supervised by Dr David Penman and Professor Brendan McAndrew.
GOOD PRACTICES IN EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS GUIDE
The Africa Unit has published a guide for those who are interested in forming partnerships between educational institutions, but are unsure what is involved or how to go about starting the process. The guide is split into two sections: Section One consists of the conceptual framework, and Section Two comprises principles and guidelines and is essentially a ‘how to’ guide.
The guide reflects discussions with individuals and offers case studies of institutions involved in partnerships and their valuable insights; it also provides the findings from a 2008 survey conducted by the Africa Unit, as well as reviewing relevant literature on educational partnerships.
This guide contributes to the ongoing discussion around partnerships in higher and further education by presenting an introduction to the theoretical framework and, more importantly, providing practical advice based on real life examples. 'Good Practices in Educational Partnerships Guide: UK-Africa Higher & Further Education Partnerships' is available online to download. For a hard copy, please email partnerships@acu.ac.uk.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS BY ALUMNI
ALUMNUS PUBLISHES BOOK ON AGRICULTURE IN ASIA
Dr C Devendra (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD and DSc in Animal Nutrition, University of Nottingham (1966-1969) ,has recently published his seventeenth book “Small Farms in Asia: Revitalising Agricultural Production, Food Security and Rural Poverty”. The small farms make a significant contribution to food production , and are a complex combination of crop and livestock farming, with the animals often enhancing the sustainability of the farming systems. The book provides new knowledge and important contribution , in the light of current global concerns on food security , continuing poverty and hunger .It assesses opportunities for increasing productivity, emphasises the contribution of animals to small farms, and underlines the importance of policy and increased investments to stimulate agricultural growth in Asia . More information on the book
BOOKS ON COUNSELLING
Alumnus Dr. Geoffrey Wango (PhD Guidance and Counselling in Schools, University of Birmingham) has co-authrored two recent publications:
Wango, G. M. and Mungai, E, K. (2007). Counselling in the School: A Handbook for Teachers. Nairobi: Phoenix Publishers.
Wango, G. M. (2009). School Administration and Management: Quality Assurance and Standards in Schools Nairobi: Jomo Kenyatta Foundation.
ALUMNUS RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP
Dr. Venkateswarlu Kadiyala (Commonwealth Fellow, University of Dundee, 1988), Professor of Microbiology at Sri Krishnadevaraya University, India, has been given an Endeavour Executive Award by the Australian government to be held at the University of South Australia during October 2010 – February 2011.
CAREER NEWS
Dr Kanamarlapudi Venkateswarlu (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD in Molecular Biology, University of Sheffield, 1993 - 1996) has now become Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at Swansea University.
Valérie Price (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Edinburgh, Childhood Studies, 2007 - 2008) has been selected by the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program of the Canadian Federal Government to work for the Canadian International Development Agency as a Senior Development Officer on the Kenya-Uganda team.
Dr Doris Onwukaeme (Commonwealth Scholar, Pharmacognosy, University of Bath, 1984 - 1988) has been promoted to the post of Professor, Pharmacognosy at the University of Benin, Nigeria.
Dr Joohnson Adesodun (Split-site Scholar, University of Stirling, 2002) has been appointed Head of Department, Soil Science, University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria (2010 - 2012).
NEW ISSUE OF COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS NEWS OUT NOW!
The June issue of CS News has been sent out to scholars and alumni and is also available to read on the CSC website. This edition focuses on the close links between UK universities and the scholars, fellows and alumni of the CSC. As well as exploring how UK universities maintain international relationships, the magazine looks at alumni whose connection with their host institution has had a significant impact on their career.
The cover shows alumnus Professor Elizabeth Blackburn receiving the 2009 Nobel Prize for Mediceine or Physiology.
ALUMNI GATHERING IN CAMEROON
CSC Executive Secretary Dr John Kirkland (also Deputy Secretary General of the ACU) attended a
Research and Innovation Management Improvement for Africa and the Caribbean Project conference in Cameroon 17 - 19 June, and also presented a special session on Commonwealth Scholarships in Cameroon. Dr Kirkland also took the opportunity to meet wiht local CSC alumni at an informal gathering.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR PUBLISHES ARTICLE IN SCIENCE
Commonwealth Scholar Charles Melnyk (PhD, Cambridge University), from Canada, has co-authored an article in Science “Small Silencing RNAs in Plants”. For more information visit: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/sci;328/5980/872
FORMER FELLOW RECEIVES AUSTRALIAN SCHOLARSHIP
Professor Kadiyala Venkateshwarlu (Commonwealth Fellow, Agricultural Microbiology, University of Dundee), Microbiology Department, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, has been awarded an Endeavour Executive Award 2010 by the Australian government. Professor Venkateshwarlu is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a Fellow of the Association of Microbiologists of India. He has also been a Visiting Senior Research Associate, jointly sponsored by the National Research Council, USA, and the United States Air force from May 2001 to May 2003.
ALUMNUS BUILDING NETWORK TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
Professor Rafiqul Islam of the University of Dhaka (Commonwealth Academic Fellow, University of Nottingham) is now a member of an international network on climate change study and research in Germany. He will be visiting several countries, including India, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Germany and Italy, in his work to establish an international network among scientists carrying out research on climate change. COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR IN CHINA UK ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGE FINAL
Shams Usmani (2009 Commonwealth Split-site Scholar, PhD Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University and Lancaster University) and his team from Lancaster University have won a place in the final of the China UK Entrepreneurship Challenge, a competition for business plans which have the potential to bridge China and the UK in terms of product design, market or manufacture. Shams' team – Gaea Naturals – will compete against seven other finalists at the UK final in July 2010.
ALUMNI EVENTS IN ZAMBIA AND CANADA
Professor Tim Unwin, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, has taken part in events in two countries. He attended a reception for alumni and distance learning scholars on 24th May at the High Commission in Lusaka, Zambia, hosted by the High Commissioner. Guests were also able to network with local stakeholders from DFID and the British Council. On 3rd June Professor Unwin attended a dinner in Ottawa, meeting alumni and local stakeholders, such as CBIE (the local CSFP agency), DFAIT (the Department for Foreign Affairs which sponsors CSFP awards in Canada) and the local UK High Commissioner.
RECEPTION FOR COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARS AT CAMBRIDGE
A reception for Commonwealth Scholars was held at the University of Cambridge on 1 June 2010. Hosted by the CSC and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust (CCT), guests included current Scholars at Cambridge, Professor Tim Unwin (Chair of theCSC) and Michael O'Sullivan CMG (Director of the CCT). Photos of the event can be viewed on Flickr.
CSC PUBLISHES NEW EVALUATION REPORT ON IMPACT IN HEALTH
The CSC has published the latest report from its evaluation and monitoring programme, looking at the impact that former Scholars and Fellows have had on health, with particular reference to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The report, based on survey returns from over 2,000 former Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows, found that, while 16% of scholarships had been awarded in specifically health-related areas – ranging from community health programmes to groundbreaking malaria research – 38% of respondents were able to cite their work as having a direct impact on health. Likewise, many of those studying in health fields could also cite impact in other key areas such as agriculture, environment and governance.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR SCOOPS PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE
Benhajj Shaaban Masoud (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD Law, Nottingham Trent University, 2008-present) has been named as one of just four winners, and the only one from the UK, of the International Insolvency Institute (III)'s prestigious 2010 III Prize in International Insolvency Studies.
Benhajj's entry, 'Theoretical Aspects of the Cross-Border Insolvency Landscape: Issues and Perspectives for Sub-Saharan Africa', was judged by a distinguished panel of leading international insolvency academics and practitioners and scooped a coveted Bronze Award.
ALUMNUS WORKING TO EXPAND USE OF SOLAR POWER
Professor I M Dharmadasa (PhD Solid State Electronics, Durham University) is Professor and Head of Electronic Materials & Sensors Group at Sheffield Hallam University, and has a background in solar energy research, and his "solar village" project will enable communities in Sri Lanka and Africa to use solar energy for their community needs.In a recent paper Professor Dharmadasa looks at the major developments in photo voltaic solar panels, enabling more widespread and effective use of solar panels on roofs and walls of buildings, and also provides case studies on the use of panels in different countries and climates.
Professor Dharmadasa is closely involved in sustainable development and is also President of theAssociation of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK
ALUMNUS ON BBC NEWS
Dr Heather Bell (DPhil in History, University of Oxford), Director of International Strategy at the University of Oxford, was featured in an item on the flagship BBC news programme, the News at Ten, on Wednesday, 28 April. The item was looking at culturally diverse regions in the UK, and Dr Bell spoke on the importance of international mobility for universities such as Oxford, in order to attract and retain high level academics and students from around the world.
FELLOW NAMED AS NEW PROVOST
Professor Bandele Olajide Osinusi has been named as new Provost, for the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Lagos. He has enjoyed a distinguished medical career, and between November 1978 and May 1979, Professor Osinusi was at the Queen Mother’s Hospital, Glasgow for six months on a Commonwealth Fellowship, and also spent time as the King’s College and Professor Bagshawe’s Unit in Charing Cross Hospital, both in London. The placements provided him with experience in Obstetric and Gynaecological Ultrasound and in the current trends in the management of Tropho-blastic Disease.
On his return, he established various Biometric parameters and growth patterns for Nigeria fetuses in utero and started the Feto Maternal Unit at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. He was appointed a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1987 and became the Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Ibadan in 1991.
SCHOLAR AWARDED PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
David Musoke (Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar, MSc International Primary Health Care, University College, London) was awarded public health educational materials (books, DVDs, CD-ROMs and accessories) worth £2,000 for the Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda by the British Medical Association / British Medical Journal Information Fund 2009. The materials, which are mainly in the fields of Communicable Diseases, Sanitation and Hygiene, greatly enhance the existing book stock at the MUSPH library.
ALUMNUS HONOURED
Amongst those being given honorary degrees at McMaster University’s spring convocation are Dr Kevin Lynch (Commonwealth Scholar, Economics, University of Manchester) at the 10 June service. A former Clerk of the Privy Council, Canada's highest civil service post, Dr Lynch is an economist by background, earning his PhD at McMaster.
PROFESSIONAL FELLOW IMPLEMENTS PATIENT SAFETY MEASURES
Mrs Nanthini Subbiah (Deputy Secretary General, The Trained Nurses Association of India) was one of four health professionals who spent time learning about patient safety issues in a range of health agencies in the UK between Deember 2009 and February 2010. Based at NHS Manchester, the fellows also spent time at
the Department of Health, National Patient Safety Agency, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the General Medical Council and WHO.
Measures that Mrs Subbiah is seeking to implement following her return to India are: improving information amongst health professionals; encouraging nurses to adopt WHO guidelines on infection control; the integration of patient safety into training programmes.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR REACHES BP ULTIMATE FIELD TRIP 2010 GRAND FINAL
Eyong Egbe, Commonwealth Scholar from Cameroon studying MSc Biotechnology at the University of Manchester, reached the BP Ultimate Field Trip 2010 Grand Final. Ultimate Field Trip is a team competition for the chance to spend six to eight weeks with BP's operations in the North Sea. The final, on Monday 12 April, was hosted by the BBC’s John Humphrys.
NEW COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS IN SINGAPORE
Two Commonwealth Scholarships will be available at the National University of Singapore at its Graduate School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering (NGS). The two awards, for PhD study, are open to citizens of any Commonwealth country include a monthly stipend, full payment of fees and computer/book/conference allowance. Applicants should have at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree or equivalent.
The closing deadlines are 15 May and 15 September for the January intake of the following year, 15 November for the August intake of the following year, and 15 Mar for the August intake of the same year. For further information contact: ngsenquiry@nus.edu.sg or see the National University of Singapore website: :http://www.nus.edu.sg/ngs/scholarships.html
CSFP ALUMNUS ACHIEVEMENTS RECOGNISED
The Hon. Dr Lockwood Smith, Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, has been honoured with a Massey University Distringuished Alumni Award. He has been Speaker since 2008, and has served nine terms as an MP, and has held numerous ministerial portfolios. Dr Smith held his Commonwealth Scholarship (PhD in Animal Science) at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR REACHES FINALS OF BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION
A business plan put together by Commonwealth Split-site Scholar Shams Usmani (Phd Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University and Lancaster University, 2009) has been shortlisted for the finals of the Rice Business Plan Competition. The business plan, regarding a modified industrial wastewater treatment bioreactor, was written by Shams and fellow students in management studies at Lancaster, including a Chevening Scholar whom Shams met at a welcome reception in Manchester last year. The Rice Business Plan Competition is one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world, and attracts applications from leading business schools internationally.
CSC MARKS COMMONWEALTH DAY 2010
 A small group of 2009/10 Commonwealth Professional Fellows and hosts got together on 8 March – Commonwealth Day – to discuss their Fellowships and how both Fellows and hosts can benefit from them. It was a useful discussion and very encouraging to note the enthusiasm of the Fellows for implementing the skills and knowledge they had gained when they return home. The Fellows came from a wide variety of backgrounds, and included lawyers, education professionals, a psychiatrist, a head of charity, and a representative from a parliamentary commission, amongst others. Representatives from AMREF, Middlesex University and from the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT) were able to attend and reported on what a valuable experience hosting Fellows had been for them.
From the meeting, Fellows were able to join other Commonwealth Scholarship Commission award holders who were fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Commonwealth Day Observance at Westminster Abbey. The theme for 2010 was Science and Technology for Society and, in honour of this, HM The Queen laid a wreath on the grave and memorial of Sir Isaac Newton. The CSC was especially honoured this year as one of our Scholars, Sirika Pillay (2008 Commonwealth Scholar from South Africa) was invited to carry the Commonwealth Mace before the Queen as she entered the Abbey.
PROFESSIONAL FELLOWS PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO INTERNATIONAL LIBRARIANSHIP
Three Commonwealth Professional Fellows gave an enlightening talk to ILIG – the International Library and Information Group of CILIP (Chartered Institute of
Library and Information
Professionals) – on 10 March, about the challenges they face in their home institutions and what they have gained from their three-month Professional Fellowships hosted by Middlesex University. The Fellows – Abdul Garuba from the University of Benin in Nigeria, Hagar Atta-Obeng from Kwame-Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, and Olanrewaju Osaniyi from Redeemer’s University in Nigeria – have undertaken an intensive programme of professional development organised by Alan Hopkinson of Middlesex University. This has included visits to other institutions, including the universities of Oxford, Manchester and Cambridge, as well as to the British Library and to INASP (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications). While the Fellows all feel that they have gained greatly from their professional programme, possibly the most impressive experience they have had whilst in the UK was to see snow for the first time!
COMMONWEALTH CONVERSATION: COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS HAVE 'TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT'
The positive impact of Commonwealth Scholarships has been specifically referenced in the final report of the Commonwealth Conversation, the largest-ever public consultation on the future of the Commonwealth. The report, titled 'An Uncommon Association, A Wealth of Potential', was published on 8 March (to coincide with Commonwealth Day).
'Our research has shown that when the Commonwealth’s work directly touches the lives of individuals, it has a hugely positive impact… One of the most popular topics on the Conversation website was the value of Commonwealth scholarships. Dozens of people spoke passionately about the transformative impact of these educational opportunities on their lives. For the small number of people who have been directly touched by programmes such as this, the Commonwealth has real significance and enjoys lasting support.’
For more information, and to read a summary or the full report, visit the Commonwealth Conversation website.
ALUMNUS SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD
Professor Rifat Atun (Medical Scholar 1982, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Colleges of Medicine) has been shortlisted for the Ibn Sina Award for Healt by The Muslim News Awards for Excellence. Professor Atun has worked at Imperial College London as Professor of International Health Management, and has been seconded to the Executive Management Team of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as the Director of Strategy, Policy and Performance Cluster.He has worked extensively with governments and international government organisations and agencies to design, implement and evaluate health systems and primary care strengthening programmes.
SCHOLAR'S CONTRIBUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE RECOGNISED
Jyotiraj Patra, a Commonwealth Scholar studying for a DPhil at the University of Oxford, has been selected as
one of the Brightest Young Climate Leaders, 2010 in India.
This was a joint initiative of the Hindustan Times, Artic Holdings and the British Council to identify and recognise bright ideas towards a low-carbon future.
Jyotiraj was selected for
facilitating ongoing community-based activities towards enabling the availability and accessibility of renewable energy technologies (RETs) for energy security among rural communities in the state of Orissa.
NEW DISTANCE LEARNING SCHOLARSHIPS
Partnership between the University of the Gambia and Leeds Metropolitan University is resulting in a new MSc in Responsible Tourism being available via distance learning awards offered by the CSC. The Vice Chancellor of the University of the Gambia,
Professor Muhammadou Kah, said that the course will be important in building capacity in both the tourism sector and in the teaching of tourism to undergraduates. Full story
NEW PROFESSORSHIP
Professor Jones Olanrewaju Moody (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD King’s Colleg, London, 1986-1989) has recently been promoted to be the first Professor of Pharmacognosy in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and also elected Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
FORMER SCHOLAR AWARDED TWO FELLOWSHIPS
 Dr Amam Zonaed Siddiki (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD in Molecular Parasitology, University of Liverpool, 2002-2006) was recently awarded a Fellowship by the British Council, Bangladesh to attend a training workshop on “Building a successful international research career”. The workshop was sponsored under the Talented Researcher Programme of the International Strategic Partnership in Research and Education scheme funded by the British Council. Dr. Siddiki was one of the five selected participants from Bangladesh who has attended the workshop in February in London which focused on techniques for developing and maintaining international networks and embedding international partnership along with bidding for external source of funding.
Dr. Siddiki was recently awarded an Australian government-funded Endeavour postdoctoral research fellowship for the year 2010. Dr. Siddiki will be joining the Marsupial Research Group of the Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney to conduct subspecies identification and molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium isolates collected from human and animals in Bangladesh and Australia..
DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR APPOINTMENTS
Professor Olorunfemi Olaofe (Commonwealth Scholar,, PhD of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, 1979-82) has been appointed as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Ado-Ekiti in Nigeria. With an academic background in chemical engineering, prior to his appointment he served as Head of Department and Dean, Faculty of Science, Chairman, Committee of Deans and on several other committees.
Professor Joseph RA Ayee (Acadenuc Fellow in Politics, University of Glasgow, 1993/4) has taken up the post of Deputy Vice Chancellor and Head, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. Previously he served as Dean, Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ghana for seven years.
FOUNDATION LINKS MEDICINE AND ARTS
Dr Jock Murray, Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, a Commonwealth Scholar (1967-68) and Commonwealth Fellow (1985), has been appointed President of the Robert Pope Foundation. Dr Murray is the former Dean of Medicine at Dalhousie University. The Robert Pope Foundation was founded in 1992 to support programs that relate the arts and medicine. The foundation supports many projects, including the Medical Humanities Program at Dalhousie Medical School, and scholarships at NSCAD. Robert Pope was an artist, a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design, who completed a large series of paintings on the experience of cancer before he died of his disease.
RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR SUSTAINALE LIVELIHOOD
Commonwealth Scholar Collen Zalengera (MSc in Renewable Energy, Loughborough University) has launched a project where renewable energy technologies will be installed in a community to meet the various energy needs of the people.
The project will involve solar lighting using solar lanterns and PV modules for households, schools, and health centres; biogas production from animal waste for cooking; solar and wind water pumping for clean water supply and irrigation agriculture; water harvesting technologies and drip irrigation.
The objective of the project is to demonstrate and use renewable energy technologies in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Energy poverty in Malawi is a very serious problem mainly at a domestic level in the rural areas. Women travel for an average of 10-15 kilometres to fetch firewood and this reduces the time they spend in income generating activities and family activities. The project is to be funded by Empower Projects of Australia.
FORMER COMMISSIONER APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE UK NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO
Former Commonwealth Scholarship Commissioner Professor William John Morgan FRAI FRSA was appointed the new Chair of the Board of Directors of the UK National Commission (UKNC) for UNESCO on 1 February.
‘Education, the Sciences, Culture, Communication and Information – all play a vital role in every country’s fabric. In the next three years the UKNC will expand its activities of providing expert analysis to UK policy-makers on key UNESCO conventions; participating in UNESCO’s programmes internationally and raising awareness in the UK about UNESCO and its global contribution to international development and to peace,’ Professor Morgan said.
Professor Morgan holds the University of Nottingham’s UNESCO Chair of the Political Economy of Education. Between 2002 and 2008 he was a Commonwealth Scholarship Commissioner and chaired the CSC’s Academic Staff Fellowships and Professional Fellowships committees.
ALUMNUS LINKS GHANA AND SCOTLAND
Dr Charles Amarety Aryiku (Commonwealth Scholar, MRC Psych, University of Edinburgh, 1979) has been commissioned as Scotland’s first Honorary Consul-General for Ghana, at a ceremony in the City Chambers in Glasgow. The ceremony was conducted by His Excellency, the Ghana High Commissioner Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo. Dr Aryiku is a consultant psychiatrist, and is now resident in Ayr, Scotland.
ALUMNUS NAMED AS NEW VICE CHANCELLOR
Professor Adetokunbo Sofoluwe (Commonwealth Scholar, MSc Numerical Analysis, University of Edinburgh, 1974) has been appointed the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Professor Sofoluwe, whose academic area is in computing, was the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Management Service) of UNILAG and between March 2005 and November 2006, he was the Director of Academic Planning Unit of the university.
RECEPTION FOR DISTANCE LEARNING SCHOLARS AND ALUMNI IN KENYA
 A reception was held on 8 February in Nairobi for CSC distance learning scholars and alumni. The event was hosted by Dr John Kirkland, Executive Secretary of the CSC, and as well as members of the CSC community, guests included HE MrRob Macaire, UKHigh Commissioner to Kenya, and Professor Crispus Kiamba, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (and also an alumnus), who also made speeches.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of a contribution to the CSFP endowment fund, made by distance learning scholar Nelson Ndegwa Gichora on behalf of a group of scholars. It is hoped that Kenya will be hosting its first awards under the CSFP endowment fund from next year.
ALUMNUS UNDERTAKES AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Dr M Abul Kashem (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Reading, PhD in Agriculturual Extension),
is currently working as the Principal Investigator of a research project entitled "Factors Contributing to Yields Gaps in Rice and Wheat at Farmers' Field". The project is funded by the USAID through GKF (Grammen Krishi Foundation) administered by the Bangladesh Agricultural Cooncil (BARC).Dr Kashem has also been appointed as
Director, Agricultural Museum, Bangladesh Agricultural University, where he is currenlty a Professor.
NEW RESEARCH PROJECT ON WORLD POPULATION
Professor Diana Coole (Commonweath Scholar from the UK, PhD Political Theory, University of Toronto, 1982) has been awarded a three-year Major Research Fellowship by the Leverhulme Trust. Diana is professor of social and political theory at Birkbeck, University of London. Her Leverhulme project is called `Too many bodies? The politics and ethics of the world population question'.
NEW APPOINTMENT
Professor Samuel Anbahan Ariadurai (Commonwealth Scholar, UMIST, Textile Technology) has been recently promoted as the Professor in Textile and Apparel Technology at the Department of Textile and Apparel Technology of the Open University of Sri Lanka.
He has also been appointed as the Professor - Technical Textiles and Head / Textile Research and Innovation Centre of the Textile Institute of Pakistan - Karachi for a period of two years (being undertaken during his sabbatical period).
SCHOLARS TO FACILITATE COMMONWEALTH YOUTH SUMMITS
Two Commonwealth Scholars have been selected as facilitators of the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Summits. Stephanie Yorke (Commonwealth Scholar from Canada, DPhil English Literature, University of Oxford) and Steadman Noble (Commonwealth Scholar from Jamaica, MA in Participation, Power and Social Change, University of Sussex) will help coordinate activity at the Regional Youth Summits, involving 14-17 year olds from youth groups and schools. The Commonwealth Youth Summits are a series of two-day debating events run by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS).
ALUMNUS APPOINTED VICE-CHANCELLOR
 Professor Andrew Petter (Commonwealth Scholar, LLM University of Cambridge, 1981) of the University of Victoria Faculty of Law and former British Columbia Attorney General has been announced as Simon Fraser University’s ninth President and Vice-Chancellor.
Petter says that SFU’s commitments to teaching and research excellence, and its strong community links, give the university a unique capacity to be a leader in meeting today’s social, economic and environmental challenges.
"With three distinct campuses, SFU is a cutting-edge university with the capacity to provide its faculty, staff and students the best of all educational worlds. As president my primary goal is to build on SFU’s incredible diversity and combination of strengths as one of Canada’s leading universities.”
ALUMNUS EDITS NEW JOURNAL
 Professor John S Moolakkattu (Commonwealth Academic Fellow from India (2003-2004) is the founding editor of the South African Journal, Ubuntu: Journal of Conflict Transformation, published by the School of Politics, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Since 2008, he has been serving as the inaugural Gandhi-Luthuli Chair in Peace Studies, in the School of Politics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban. He has published three books and over twenty five articles in various journals since his fellowship. The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Peace to be brought out in January 2010 has five pieces written by him.
NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENT
Dr Jayantha P Jayasuriya (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Liverpool, 1975-1978) has been elected President of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka for the year 2010-11.
ALUMNUS PURSUING DEGREE IN HEALTH CARE POLICY
Carolyn Idusso (Professional Fellow, Public Health) is the recipient of a Ford Foundation Scholarship to pursue a Masters in Health Care Policy and Management at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, 2009 – 2010.
JOURNAL WRITING WORKSHOP IN NAIROBI
In association with the British Institute of East Africa, the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom is planning a writing workshop to assist young scholars to prepare material for publication in international journals.
The workshop is scheduled for Friday and Saturday 19th and 20th March 2010 at the BIEA, Laikipia Rd, Nairobi. ASAUK will support travel and accommodation within eastern Africa for up to 10 participants. Applicants should contact David Kerr d.kerr@bham.ac.uk as soon as possible and certainly by 29th January 2010, with a short CV, an indication of travel expenses and short abstract. If you have a draft paper or chapter ready, then we would be keen to see it at this stage.
Those papers selected for the workshop should be ready for circulation in full by the end of February 2010. Participants should get them into a form suitable for submission to a journal (about 8,000 words and with footnotes).
ASAUK are particularly interested in applications from those who have recently finished theses and those who are in the final stages of doctoral degrees, whose research has been completed. However, applications from more established academics are also welcome.
RECOGNITION FOR ALUMNUS’ RESEARCH IN LATE ANTIQUITY PERIOD
Dr Tamara Lewit (PhD, Institute of Archaeology, University of London 1989) has been elected the 50th Australasian Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, an archaeological and historical society of approximately 2,500 international Fellows.
During her Commonwealth scholarship Tamara completed a Doctorate on the economy of the Later Roman Empire. Her PhD was published as “Villas, Farms and the Late Roman Rural Economy (third to fifth centuries AD)” (Oxford 1991/2004), and was cited in the Cambridge Ancient History volumes XIII (1998) and XIV (2000).
Since 1989, Tamara has continued to research on the rural economy and particularly farming in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. She is currently engaged in analysis of the production and trade of fine pottery alongside agricultural goods. She is part of a team of colleagues from the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne who have been awarded one of less than 150 Australian Research Council Discovery Grants in the Humanities and Creative Arts for 2010, and will be researching the Aegean region in Late Antiquity as part of a project entitled 'The silent wilderness speaks: the long history of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles'. She works as Subject Leader of History of Ideas in a Foundation Studies course for international students at Trinity College, the University of Melbourne.
NEW ISSUE OF CS NEWS NOW ONLINE
The January 2010 issue of CS News is now on the website. This edition focuses on the increasing number of countries offering awards and looks at the experiences of scholars and alumni who have held awards around the Commonwealth over the last 50 years.
ALUMNUS RECEIVES ROYAL MUSICAL ASSOCIATION MEDAL
Dr W Dean Sutcliffe (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Cambridge, PhD in Music, 1984) has been awarded The Dent Medal by the Royal Musical Association. The medal is presented annually to recipients selected for their outstanding contribution to musicology, from a list of candidates drawn up by the Council of the Association and the Directorium of the International Musicological Society.
Dr Sutcliffe, who is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Auckland, was awarded the medal for “producing a remarkably impressive body of published work, including monographs, critical editions, edited volumes, and journal articles, distinguished by an acute analytical insight and elegance of expression that are models of their kind.”
Dr Sutcliffe also won praised for his monograph on Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas (2004) and has made a leading contribution to the development of eighteenth-century studies as founding editor of the journal Eighteenth-Century Music.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
At the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society for In Vitro Biology the society honoured alumnus Christopher J Bayne (Commonwealth Scholar at Bangor University, 1964) with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Christopher is now an Emeritus Professor of Oregon State University in the USA, and is dividing his time between Oregon, Arizona and Trinidad.
PRIZE FOR SCHOLAR’S MSC EFFORTS
 Clovice Bright, Irumba was awarded a prize from the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University for the best overall performance on the MSc. Advanced Course following completion of his Master of Science with Distinction in Petroleum Geochemistryin 2008.
Clovice has also attended an intensive 8-weeks diploma course on management of petroleum development and operations organised by the International Program for Petroleum Management and Administration (Petrad) in Stavanger, Norway.
SCHOLARSHIP FOR PHD
Hemant Sahni from India has been awarded an Overseas Research Scholarship by University College London and a PhD Studentship by the Child Health Research Appeal Trust to undertake research on T Cell Development & Immune Responses at the UCL Institute of Child Health. Hemant completed his Commonwealth Scholarship MSc in Molecular Medicine with distinction and was awarded the UCL John & Elizabeth Best Graduate Student Award 2008-09.
CAREER ANNOUNCEMENT
Dr Godwin Nyiutaha Imandeh (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD Environmental Biology, at the University of Wales, Swansea, 1995,) has been promoted to Associate Professor of Entomology at the University of Jos, Nigeria.
ALUMNUS PRESENTED WITH NOBEL PRIZE
Professor Elizabeth Blackburn (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Cambridge, 1973 – 74) has been presented with her Nobel Prize (for Medicine or Physiology). On 7 December Elizabeth delivered her Nobel Lecture at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. She was introduced by Professor Thomas Perlmann, a member of the Nobel Assembly and associate member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. On 10 December she was presented with her Nobel Prize by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden at a ceremony in Stockholm. More information on the Nobel Prize week activities
RESEARCH ON SECURITY PROFESSIONALS
Dr David Last (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD International Relations, LSE), who has spent thirty years in the Canadian Forces, is now a Professor at the Canadian Royal Military College. He is carrying out research on the comparative education of security professionals, particularly the development of transnational communities of practice. More details are on the research page of his website at www.davidmlast.org. David would welcome communicatin with anyone with similar research interests.
NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR ALUMNI
Professor BSB Karunaratne (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Warwick), of the Physics Department, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, has been appointedDirector of the Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Sri Lanka.
Professor Debiprasad Dash (Commonwealth Scholar, University of Lincoln, PhD Management Studies), currently on leave from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, India has joined as the Head of the School of Business & Design at the Malaysian campus of Swinburne University of Technology.
Dr. Mohommad Tawfique Hossain Chowdhury (Commonwealth Scholar, Queen Mary University of London, MSc Dental Health) has been appointed
Department of Dental Public Health, Sapporo Dental College,Dhaka, Bangladesh.
SCHOLAR WINS BRITISH POULTRY COUNCIL AWARD
Chamari Palliyeguru (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD Poultry Nutrition and Related Biotechnology, Harper Adams University College) has been awarded the British Poultry Council 2009 Scholarship Award for her research work. Chamari (pictured right, with Lord Davies, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) was presented with her prize, £1,000 and a medal, at an awards ceremony on 1 December 2009 in the House of Commons Members’ Dining Room.
CSC AT COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING
 Professor Tim Unwin, CSC Chair, held an alumni reception during CHOGM in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The event was held on the evening of Wednesday, 25 November, and provided an informal and enjoyable opportunity for alumni to meet Prof Unwin. The CSC’s latest evaluation report, Assessing impact in the Caribbean, was also launched at CHOGM. Prof Unwin also spoke at a press conference on ‘Education for Equitable and Sustainable Futures’, with Carol Holness (Commonwealth Scholar, MSc Human Rights, London School of Economics and Political Science) and Peter Williams (from the Council for Education in the Commonwealth (CEC)).
ALUMNUS CONTRIBUTING TO SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
Professor Shashikala Inamdar (Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Liverpool, 2006) has been involved in various technological developments and patents: Work on “Recombinant protein with Serological and Cancer diagnostic application” and was selected as the best Indian technology and has won Silver Medal (2008) for commercialization by the India Innovates Growth Programme. Utilisation of commercial use is in progress.
Professor Inamdar has given a number of presentations, including one at the University of Edinburgh, (2008), which included research from the CSC fellowship, has been designated Honorary Visiting Professor by the University of Liverpool (June 2009 August 2009), and is collaborating with colleagues at Ghent University, Belgium on a project.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN FELLOW AND HOST UNIVERSITY
 Dr. Buba Ibrahim Ahmed (Commonwealth Fellow at Swansea University, 2006 – 2007) together with his Swansea counterpart, Professor T.M Butt were awarded with 3-year DelPHE research grant. The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University DelPHE research team were at the Swansea University from February – August 2009. The grant is on the development of sustainable and environmentally-friendly strategies for controlling Nigerian insect pests including the newly-discovered Liriomyza sativae.
The ATBU research team has found the research collaboration to be highly stimulating and rewarding in many ways. It gave them the opportunity to acquire new skills/techniques and to also expand their knowledge base in the field of crop protection. The collaboration between ATBU and Swansea University is likely to lead to joint publications and also new modules. The ATBU DelPHE research team will transfer the new skills and technologies to colleagues at ATBU and eventually other parts of Nigeria. Benefits will include: a reduction of the input of harmful synthetic chemical pesticides; prevention of ground water contamination; protection of farmers from pesticide contamination.
ALUMNUS RECEIVES SCIENCE AWARD
Dr JK Ladha (who studied botany at post-doctoral level at the University of Dundee) has been awarded the International Plant Nutrition Institute the 2009 Science award for his immense contribution to agriculture across several Asian countries. Dr Ladha is a senior soil scientist, co-ordinator of the Rice-Wheat Consortium in Asia and representative of the International Rice Research Institute in India. Dr Ladha receives a plaque and US $5000.
DELPHE GRANT
Dr. M. Nazrul Islam (Commonwealth Fellow, Geography Department, University of Hull) has been awarded a Development Partnerships in Higher Education (DelPHE) grant (£75,000 for three years). The research project, Food Security through Community Food Bank and Employment Generation: An Action Research in Natural Disaster Prone Areas in Northern Bangladesh, will contribute to DFID’s effort in eradicating seasonal hunger in the northern region of Bangladesh. It is a collaborative action research between the Department of Geography and Environment, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh and the Department of Geography, University of Hull, UK and was developed with Dr Islam’s PhD supervisor and co-researcher Dr. Barbara T Rumsby.
SCHOLARSHIP RESEARCH PUBLISHED
DRA Dissanayake (Commonwealth Split site Scholar at the University of Edinburgh) has published a paper in the Journal of Veterinary Microbiology which includes material from her Commonwealth scholarship research. Another forthcoming paper is being published in the Journal of Medical microbiology.
SCHOLARSHIP TO PURSUE PHD
Girija Godbole (Professional Fellow in Environment in 2006).has received the Gates Cambridge Trust scholarship and is now pursuing a PhD in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge.
ALUMNUS INVOLVED IN AGRICULTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTS
 Dr Nicholas Ozor (Commonwealth Split-site Scholar in Agricultural Extension from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the University of Reading) is involved in a number of agricultural projects. He is Project Co-ordinator on a DelPHE–funded project for agricultural adaptation to climate change in southern Nigeria, and is working to dovekie curriculum coverage on climate change as a teaching fellow at his home institution. Dr Ozor is also pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship in technological innovation and climate change/agriculture through the African Technology Policy Studies Network.
ALUMNI EVENTS
Alumni have participated in events in the Caribbean and Canada held at the end of October. CSC Commissioner Kathy Mansfield hosted a small dinner for alumni during a trip to St Lucia. A reception to mark the 50th anniversary of Commonwealth Scholarships took place in Ottawa, co-hosted by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) which is responsible for Canada’s participation in the CSFP and the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) which currently administers the program with funding from DFAIT. Over 150 guests attended, including CSC alumnus Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, and representatives from academia, government and diplomats.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR UTILISES NEW DENTAL TECHNIQUES
 Commonwealth Scholar Dr Neeraj Gugnani is presently working on novel dental caries diagnostic tools with Professor Roger Ellwood and Dr Iain pretty, at the University of Manchester UK.
During his scholarship Dr Neeraj has acquired skills on the usage of new tools and techniques for the early detection of dental caries. “It was indeed a very enriching experience to get trained at one of the premier institutes in the UK. The diagnostic methodology helps to detect the dental decay in its early stages and in turn helps us to motivate the patients to take appropriate steps toward remineralization. Such advanced technological tools are not usually available in developing countries and the fact that that now I am not only trained to use them but also using them among my home population is a matter of real satisfaction.”
COMMONWEALTH FELLOW PUBLISHES ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
Professor Aniekan Edet (Commonwealth Fellow, University of Liverpool, 2005), is the co-author of a study included in the Environmental and Monitoring Assessment Journal. The 12-month studyassessed the seasonal and tidal effects on the physical parameters of river and groundwater, the major potable water sources in Calabar, Nigeria.
SPLIT-SITE ALUMNUS REPORTS IMPACT OF AWARD
Dr
Naraindra Kistamah, who has recently received his doctorate (after a split-site PhD at the University of Mauritius and University of Manchester in Textile Chemistry), has already seen many benefits from his Commonwealth scholarship. As a senior staff member, and currenlty Head of Department, the award has helped his own research work as well as his colleagues and institution, "helping to build capacity at the University of Mauritius where I am able to give advice, support to junior staff of the department whose research work is in progress."
ALUMNUS PUBLISHES NEW BOOK
Dr Kiran Prasad, a former Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Leeds, has edited a book that has just been published, entitled: "e-Journalism: New Media and News Media",examiningthe role of the new media and how the nature of news media and news presentation has changed dramatically over the last decades with the emergence of new media technology and growing popularity of electronic news media (published byBR Publishing Corporation, New Delhi).
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR WINS HEALTH PROMOTION PRIZE
Shanna Sunley (Commonwealth Scholar from Canada, MSc Public Health (Health Promotion), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2008-2009) has been awarded the Zoë Walker Memorial Prize for
Health Promotion by unanimous decision of the course exam board.
SINGAPORE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF THE CSFP
A CSFP 50th anniversary reception was held at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Friday 2 October. The event was attended by His Royal Highness, Prince Andrew, together with around 100 CSFP alumni, representatives and friends, who gathered at NUS to celebrate the CSFP’s longstanding tradition of recognising and promoting the highest level of intellectual development. At the reception, NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan announced that the university will offer two Commonwealth Scholarships a year for doctoral study.
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLAR WINS NOBEL PRIZE
Elizabeth Blackburn (Commonwealth Scholar, PhD Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, 1973-1974) has won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009. Elizabeth was awarded the prize jointly with Carol Greider and Jack Szostak for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. Their work has revealed how chromosomes can be copied and has helped further understanding on human ageing, cancer and stem cells.
Elizabeth Blackburn was born in 1948 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. After undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne, she received her PhD in 1975 from the University of Cambridge on a Commonwealth Scholarship, and was a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University, USA. She was on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, and since 1990 has been professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco.
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