As we approach our 180^th year, it is fitting that we at Queen’s University not only reflect on our contribution to this city and region, but also look forward with renewed vigour to respond to many challenges facing society today.

You are invited to join us for the launch of Queen’s University Belfast’s ‘Civic Mission’ – a morning of celebration and discussion.

Building on the foundations laid by the University’s Social Charter, and the recent announcement to pursue University of Sanctuary status, this event will marry our intention to formally become a Civic University.

• Date: Thursday 6 June 2024
• Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm (lunch will be provided)
• Location: The Great Hall, Queen’s University Belfast

Please register for the event at go.qub.ac.uk/civicmission

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), with a range of wellbeing and sporting events centred around the theme of 'Movement'.

• Places are still available for the headline panel discussion, 'Moving the Dial on Mental Health', on Thursday 16 May.
• Staff can also sign up for one of 100 free ice creams (regular cone with sauce) or slushies available at the Circus activities and performance event on Wednesday 15 May.

Key details of all MHAW events can be found here.

1 in 2 of us will experience cancer at some point in our lives. 

Dealing with a diagnosis – either your own or that of a loved one – can be life-changing. 

Please be aware that we are there to help support you and would encourage you to:

• Discuss your circumstances with your line manager so support and any reasonable adjustments can be put in place. 
• Avail of our excellent Employee Assistance Programme for free, confidential counselling support.

PRISM, Queen's LGBT+ Staff Network, invites you to attend KALEIDOSCOPE CABARET, a live LGBTQ+ performance showcase at the QFT to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia this Friday 17 May from 6.15 - 8.15pm in Queen's Film THeatre (QFT).

The event, hosted by drag king Dick Von Dyke, will showcase a selection of Ireland's most exciting queer talent, featuring live music, poetry, comedy, and film.

Acts on the night include HY:LY, Venus Patel, Niall McDowell, Becky McNeice, and Zara Meadows.

Purchase your ticket on the QFT website.

The third Queen’s Technician Showcase takes place on Thursday 23 May from 1.30pm to 4.00pm in the Biological Sciences Building, Chlorine Gardens. All staff and students are invited to attend.

This showcase highlights Queen’s technicians and the valuable work they do. The afternoon will include a variety of talks and events, including a poster show, workshops, and demonstrations.

Find out more information on the Queen's Technicians website.

Nominations for this year's Postdoc Awards are now open. All staff are encouraged to nominate postdoctoral researchers who have excelled in one of the award categories this academic year. The deadline for nominations is Sunday 30 June.

Find out more and nominate here: Postdoc Awards 2024

At Queen's, we recognise the physical and emotional impact that undergoing fertility treatment can have on staff.

Our Fertility Treatment Leave Policy sets out the University’s commitment to supporting staff who are themselves undergoing, or who are supporting their partner who is undergoing, fertility treatment, including the provision of paid time off.

The policy sets out these leave and pay arrangements, as well as further sources of information and support available.

Find out more.

Green Month is taking place throughout May, focusing on community action around biodiversity.

Staff are invited to join the Sustainability Team for a range of events aimed at getting you outside, improving our environment and meeting local community groups. Events include a litter pick along the River Lagan with the Boat Club, a Bioblitz with Friends of the Field and pollinator planting at the David Keir Building.

Find out more, including how to register, here.

The Aurora female-only leadership development programme at Queen's will commence in late Autumn 2024. Application to the programme will be available via the online platform from 27 May 2024. 

Information Session: Before submitting an application, as well as discussing the opportunity with your line manager, colleagues are encouraged to attend the Aurora Programme Information Session, taking place on Wednesday 15 May from 2.00pm to 3.00pm.

Please register here to attend. 

Securing a fellowship can give a helpful boost to an academic career; this networking session – taking place on Thursday 23 May from 11.15am to 2.00pm in the Canada Room/Council Chamber, Lanyon Building – is designed to equip prospective fellowship applicants with first-hand knowledge from fellowship experts and successful fellows, helping them to plan and prepare their own application.

Please register here. Registration will close on Friday 17 May at 5.00pm to enable time for preparation, including confirming hospitality requirements.

The Staff Wellbeing team invite colleagues to the following upcoming events. Information and registration is via iTrent Employee Self Service* (except where indicated):

• Drug and Alcohol Awareness: Wednesday 22 May, 10.00am to 11.30am, online
• Men’s Mental Health and Wellbeing: Wednesday 12 June, 10.00am to 11.30am, online

During Mental Health Awareness Week this week, 13 to 19 May, the Student Nursing and Well-Being Ambassadors are providing the following information events and activities to promote mental health awareness. Events will take place in the Medical Biology Centre, Lisburn Road, and there are activities and information sessions for both staff and students.

• Lifeline information sessions
• Mindfulness sessions
• Yoga
• Inspire information session

Please register here. For more information, please contact Ciara Close at c.close@qub.ac.uk.

Queen's helps make gym membership affordable for you and your family with a choice of All-Inclusive, Fitness and Swim Staff Membership options.

Associate (spouse/partner/sibling/retired/child) and Family rates are available for your loved ones.

No long-term contract required for Salary Deduction or Direct Debit memberships, giving you the freedom to cancel with just one calendar month's notice.

Find out more about Staff Membership.

Queen’s Sport invites staff to join them on Saturday 18 May for a Day on the River at Queen's University Boathouse, Loughview Road BT9 5FH.

Racing will take place from 11.00am to 4.00pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be available to purchase on the day.

Find out more: A Day at the River

Queen’s Sport are pleased to announce the launch dates of this year's Queen's Sport Summer Scheme.

The Queen's Sport Summer Scheme is renowned for offering children aged 6 to 14 years a fantastic opportunity to engage in high-quality sports activities.

• Queen's Staff and Students: Enrolment opens on Tuesday 7 May
• Members and General Public: Enrolment opens on Friday 24 May

Find out more on the Queen's Sport website.

Queen's is partnered with Cyclescheme to offer our staff savings on the cost of a bike and equipment for commuting to work.

The costs are spread over monthly instalments taken from your payslip pre-tax.

The scheme can save you between 32% – 42% on the cost of a bike and accessories. Cycling to work enables you to save on fuel costs while travelling sustainably.

Find out more.

The University provides a range of services and policies to support you in caring for your family, including:

• Flexible working;
• Childcare at Queen's (on campus since 1970) offering a range of childcare support;
• Join the Queen's Parents Network;
• Family leave policies;
• Information and support for your home life.

The next Ciorcal Comhrá – Irish Language Conversation Circle – will take place on Thursday 16 May from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in Junction Café.

Fáilte roimh chách! / Everyone welcome! Tae nó caife saor in aisce / Free tea or coffee.

Staff are invited to get involved in SU Volunteer's 'Declutter and Donate' campaign, helping to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation's lifesaving research. This is an opportunity to spring clean your space while supporting good causes.

Donations to the campaign will be accepted at the sites detailed below until Sunday 7 July.

This week is Learning at Work Week, 13 to 19 May. At Queen’s, we have a commitment to investing in our staff and offering the opportunity for staff to engage in a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

The theme of this year’s Learning at Work Week, ‘Learning power’ (the power of learning), highlights the importance and benefits of continual learning and development.

Visit go.qub.ac.uk/LAWW24 to discover all the different learning opportunities at Queen's, from IT courses, First Aid and Financial training to Open learning and Sports courses. Find the right course for you to continue your personal and professional learning development journey.

The Digital Experience Insights Survey for all Teaching Staff 2024 is closing soon.

All full-time or part-time teaching staff at Queen’s will have been sent an email with a survey link. If this includes you, please complete the short survey and let the Centre for Educational Development (CED) know your digital experiences and thoughts.

On completion of the survey, all teaching staff can enter a separate prize draw to win Amazon vouchers up to £100. This year there are more prizes to be won.

All staff at Queen's can avail of our Staff Discounts Scheme, which offers you discounts at hundreds of outlets – including supermarkets, high street stores and restaurants, as well as vouchers, reloadable top-up cards and access to discounts specifically for Queen’s staff.

Find out more about the Staff Discounts Scheme.

For the latest public health advice and guidance on measles, please visit the NI Direct website.

Institutionally, we have published the following guidance for the Queen's community:

• Measles guidance for staff on the People and Culture website
• Measles guidance for students on the My Queen’s website

Recent posts from Queen's Policy Engagement (QPol):

• Professor Marie Coleman: A critical response to plans for a ‘public history’ of British Policy in Northern Ireland during the Troubles
• Dr Shonagh Hill: Women theatremakers in Northern Ireland – New Podcast Now Available

To contribute an article to Queen's Policy Engagement, please email Kevin or Alice at qpol@qub.ac.uk.

The Conversation is a news website featuring articles by academics, often republished to global media outlets. Articles by Queen's academics published in The Conversation have been read by 12.5 million people internationally. Read the latest:

• Dr Suzanne Whitten: Gaza campus protests: what are students’ free speech rights and what can universities do?
• Dr Simon Cameron: Kourtney Kardashian Barker isn't the first to drink breast milk – but we know surprisingly little about its adult health benefits

Queen's Staff Blog provides a space for staff to share our reflections, knowledge and experiences and build a connected University community. Our latest blogs celebrate a current and a former Queen's staff member:

• BLOG: A marathon achievement for a Guinness World Record! Dr Stephen Cochrane reflects on his Guinness World Record-breaking win for the Fastest Marathon Dressed as a Scientist!
• BLOG: Celebrating Thomas Andrews: A founder of Queen’s and science in Northern Ireland. Dr Kevin Morgan and Professor Steven Bell from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering celebrate the legacy of Queen's first Vice-President Thomas Andrews, a significant figure in the history of Chemistry.

If you are interested in writing a staff blog piece, please contact internalcommunications@qub.ac.uk.

Read the latest staff news stories on the Staff News and Community Gateway:

• Queen’s Statement on the Middle East Conflict
• Queen’s welcomes Taoiseach on first official visit to Northern Ireland since taking office
• Queen’s ranks in the top five in two student awards
• Queen's Academics Speak at Yale University Peacebuilding Conference
• In Pictures: REACH '24 - Queen's first Arts and Sustainability Festival

The Communications Office is hosting a virtual training session with The Conversation UK for academics and researchers in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences on Thursday 30 May from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

This interactive session will be led by one of the editors who will take you through what The Conversation is, its origins and aims, what it does and why.

Register via Eventbrite: The Conversation media training registration*

The School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences invites staff to the Arthur Brownlow Mitchell Memorial Lecture 2024, hosted by Professor Alan Smyth, taking place on Tuesday 11 June at 1.00pm in the Basement Seminar Room, Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM), preceded by lunch at 12.30pm in the WWIEM's Outer Atrium.

Registration for this event is essential. The closing date for registration is Friday 31 May.

Please register here: Arthur Brownlow Mitchell Memorial Lecture 2024

Staff are invited to the Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Professor Mary McCarron (Trinity College Dublin) taking place on Tuesday 21 May from 5.30pm to 7.30pm in the Council Chamber, Lanyon Building.

Professor McCarron will speak on 'Leadership in Academica, Health Research and Health Care: Charting a Personal Journey'.

Please register for your free place here.

Find out more on the School of Nursing and Midwifery website.

The Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility team invites staff to the launch of Baroness Shami Chakrabarti’s new book, Human Rights: The Case for the Defence, taking place on Thursday 13 June, from 6.00pm to 7.30pm in the Emeleus Lecture Theatre, Lanyon Building.

The discussion will be chaired by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick, and there will be an opportunity for questions and answers following Shami Chakrabarti’s opening address, and a chance to buy a copy of the book for signing.

Please register here: Shami Chakrabarti: Human Rights, the Case for the Defence (Book Launch)

Staff are invited to the returning Pint of Science event on Wednesday 15 May to join researchers from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine for an evening of talks on the future of lung infections.

This event will be held in ‘The Wee Bar’ in One Elmwood. Tickets cost £5. All proceeds go to the Pint of Science charity.

For further information, please contact Dr Donna Rogers, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Public Engagement Manager (d.rogers@qub.ac.uk).

The annual InterSim Conference is being held on Friday 7 June from 9.00am to 5.00pm at the KN Cheung SK Chin InterSim simulation centre, Medical Biology Centre (MBC), Health Sciences Campus. 

Simulation is a widely used method of experiential learning to help transform learners and their skills. The theme of this year’s conference will be 'Transformation through Interprofessional Simulation'.

Find out more and register here:* Annual InterSim Conference, Queen's University Belfast

Queen’s University Belfast has been selected to host the Enterprise Educators Conference from 4 to 6 September 2024. This is the first time that the conference is taking place outside of mainland UK.

This conference attracts international delegates and speakers from around the world who are pioneering the future of enterprise education.

Staff are invited to apply here with session proposals by the deadline of Friday 31 May.

Earlybird tickets are now available here.

For questions or more information, please contact kat.maguire@qub.ac.uk. 

The Mitchell Institute invites staff to the following events. More information and registration can be found at the links below:

• Seminar: Uncivil War: the British Army and the Troubles, 1966-1975, Monday 13 May, 4.30pm to 6.00pm, Institute of Irish Studies, 27 University Square
• Report Launch: NI Business and Human Rights Index Launch, Tuesday 14 May, 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Moot Court, School of Law

Queen's PhD students and researchers and public health professionals are invited to the free online workshop, 'Introduction to Stakeholder Network Analysis', taking place across two sessions as follows.

• Session One (Introduction): Tuesday 21 May, 10.30am to 12.30pm
• Session Two (Tutorial): Tuesday 28 May, 10.30am to 12.30pm 

You can attend either session or both, but please note that to take part in Session 2 it is a pre-requisite that you attended Session 1. Sessions are facilitated by Queen's academics.

Find out more and register here: What's On | SPACE

Postgraduate students are invited to participate in the Futurum Programme to learn more about the world of Entrepreneurship. Staff are asked to please share this opportunity with interested students.

Participants will learn about what it takes to start a start-up, hear from seasoned entrepreneurs and people who have been there, and take part in an ‘innovation bus tour’ and ‘accelerator crawl’.

Find out more and apply before Wednesday 5 June: Futurum Programme | The Graduate School.

Please contact kat.maguire@qub.ac.uk with any questions.

Staff are invited to view the latest edition of the new Research and Innovation Newsletter.

This newsletter provides the entire research community at Queen’s with information on the latest news, announcements and events related to their researcher journey and on Research and Innovation activities at Queen’s.

Subscribe here.

Academic researchers at Queen's (including PhDs and early career colleagues) are invited to enrol on the ENGAGE Programme, launching on Thursday 16 May online and in-person.

This is an opportunity for participants to supercharge their research impact, and is suitable for academics eager to collaborate with industry and/or aiming to enhance their communication prowess.

Apply here to secure your place (limited spaces remain for the launch event).

Read this week's summary of funding opportunities and news from the Research Development team.

Join the mailing list.

Details of ongoing works being carried out across the University campus can be found on the Estates Directorate webpage.

More information: Campus Development: The week ahead.

This week’s new and returning films at Queen's Film Theatre, your cinema on campus.

SHOWING THIS WEEK:

• All You Need is Death
• Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet

'Leading Live' events are stand-alone, short breakfast events giving leaders – staff who play a leadership role, whether formal or informal – the opportunity to share experience and knowledge through conversation.

These events take place from 9.30am to 11.00am (with breakfast available from 9.15am). The next Leading Live sessions are as follows:

• Wednesday 22 May: Theme: 'Leading upwards and managing my manager'
• Wednesday 2 October: Theme: 'Getting and keeping myself - and others - motivated'

Please register your interest here.*

People and Culture's Learning and Development programmes offer many training and development opportunities, from Learning for All to LinkedIn Learning, that are suitable for all staff, including:

• Effective Communication Skills
• Recruitment and Selection Training
• LinkedIn Learning article and courses on Leadership Styles and how to use them

View the full May programme of events here.

Have you ever been in a situation where you want to challenge someone’s behaviour, but you didn’t know how to do it or what to say? As part of our commitments in our Athena Swan Gold action plan we have committed to increase the number of staff completing Active Bystander Training so they know what to do if they witness or experience inappropriate behaviour.

The Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Unit and Queen's Gender Initiative therefore invite all staff to attend Active Bystander Training on Wednesday 15 May from 2.00pm to 3.30pm via MS Teams.

Register via iTrent Employee Self Service. The Teams invite will be emailed the day before the session.

UKRI's new open access policy applies to monographs, book chapters and edited collections published on or after 1 January 2024. The Open Access Team's training sessions look at how to apply for funding and how to apply for an exemption. Current UKRI-funded authors at Queen's are advised to attend.

The next training session takes place on Wednesday 15 May from 3.00pm to 4.00pm via MS Teams.

Booking is via iTrent (search for 'UKRI open access policy for long form publications'), or by emailing openaccess@qub.ac.uk.

The following learning events are now open for application. Full information and registration can be found via the iTrent links below.

• Introduction to Teaching: 2 to 6 September, 10.00am to 4.00pm – week of supported preparation for staff that have not previously been responsible for delivering a module.
• HEA fellowship claims – online programmes where participants will complete their claim for Fellowship/Associate Fellowship/Senior Fellowship HEA:

Queen’s AI Hub has a new digital home

As part of the AI Team's ongoing commitment to helping staff and students navigate the ever-evolving AI landscape, the AI Hub has moved to a new location and is now housed within the Queen's DigiHub. While the setting is new, and now accessible to the general public, you can still access the same comprehensive AI resources.

Visit the AI Hub here: go.qub.ac.uk/AI-hub

Queen’s DigiHub

The Digital Learning @ Queen’s site has been transformed into Queen’s DigiHub with a fresh look and feel and enhanced user experience for staff and students. Discover a collection of digital teaching and learning support resources including the Artificial Intelligence Hub.

Staff training delivered by CED, Digital and Information Services and various Digital Learning teams across Faculties is now available to book via the Digital Learning Training Events calendar.

Training sessions for the month ahead:

• Introduction to Microsoft Publisher – Monday 13 May, 2.30pm to 3.30pm
• QuestionMark for Computer Assisted Assessment or Surveys – Wednesday 15 May, 2.30pm to 3.30pm
• Advanced Word Processing: Making Best Use of Word – Friday 17 May, 10.00am to 11.30am

Colleagues are invited to register via iTrent for the training course 'Using Vevox with PowerPoint and Teams', taking place on Wednesday 22 May.

Vevox is an audience engagement tool which enhances online, hybrid, and face-to-face sessions with options for live polling, quizzes, surveys and Q&A. Instructors can present questions, answer options and results through a web browser. Students participate using a web browser, or the Vevox app, on their own device.