Olympic Announcements

INTO This Week has dedicated the Announcements section to the great London 2012 Olympic stories coming out of our partner universities in the United States, United Kingdom and China.

UK students show off their "wiff-waff" skills at INTO China during the Olympics

We are now more than halfway through the London 2012 Olympic Games, with British athletes celebrating a huge medal haul on home soil and their Chinese counterparts enjoying life at the very top of the Olympic medal table - for the time being at least.

In China, both the press and public are fully confident that Team China can even surpass the haul they acheived in 2008, which totalled 100 medals, including 51 gold, and the one sport they hope to dominate in is table tennis. It might be a cliché, but China dominates the world at table tennis (ping pang qiu, 乒乓球) and students at the INTO China centre at Nankai University may have discovered why.

It seems that every building on campus has a table tennis room. The dorm building and the INTO office building both have ping pong tables, while INTO students can hone their skills during study breaks in the College of Chinese Language café. Playing table tennis is a part of Chinese culture as much as calligraphy or drinking tea and everyone learns to play at school.

However, very few are aware that the game originated as a sport in Britain during the 1880s and was originally called "wiff-waff'. Regardless of it's origins, it still seems that China have the edge as their medal count in the sport numbers 3 golds and two silvers! Lets see if they can live up to the standard set by Beijing 4 years ago.

Dispatches from London: University of South Florida students and staff share their sights and sounds of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Today I made my way to see the 85 kg Olympic weightlifting. This event was hosted at the Excel venue on the south side of London. Before I entered, I found a large group of Thailand natives playing music, singing their national anthem, and genuinely proud to be at the Olympics. The group welcomed me in their celebration, despite the language barrier. One nice man even posed for a "Go Bulls" picture.

As I entered the venue the energy and excitement of the night's events sent chills up my spine. I made my way along the path to the entrance of the event. When I approached the stands, I was in awe of the proximity of my seats. I watched the intensity and concentration of every athlete. Some achieved, and succeeded, but every athlete had confidence and pride to represent their country in the 2012 Olympics. I was able to see the medal ceremony. This was such a special moment. The admiration from the crowds for the athletes was unprecedented. As they stepped on the platform and received their medals, the crowd went wild. My heart was racing as well. I knew at this very moment history was taking place right in front of my eyes. This was a feeling I will be certain never to forget.

Christa Roe, Proud Bull

For more Dispatches from London blog entries, click here.

Judo gold winner from Russia visits INTO UEA London for press conference

Michele Sahrle, Professional Services Team Leader for degree students at INTO UEA London, has now got an Olympic story to tell after she came face-to-face with Russia's Mansur Isaev, the gold medal winner of the men's -73kg category.

The Olympian, who had visited the centre for a press conference, had thoroughly deserved his gold after beating Japan's Riki Nakaya, the world number two, and earlier overcoming South Korea's Wang Ki-Chun, the world number one and silver medal winner in Beijing who had bettered him in their previous six meetings.

 

NEW FACES

John Didier 

Centre Director
INTO Colorado State University  

For the past 13 years I have been an Associate Professor of History at CSU, teaching in the fields of Asia and East Asia, with a focused concentration on Chinese intellectual history.

I previously lived, studied, and worked in Taiwan and mainland China for five years, learning the languages, whilst and gaining TESL experience. My degrees are all in Chinese literature and Chinese intellectual history, out of Minnesota (BA) and Princeton (MA, PhD).

For the past five years I have served as first Associate Dean of Faculty and Graduate Studies (2007-2008) and then Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies (2008-2012) for the College of Liberal Arts at CSU. I am very happy to join INTO's excellent team, and I look forward to many years of happy and fruitful engagements with all of you.

 
 

Jordan Sowell 

Coordinator for Student Engagement
INTO Colorado State University 

Jordan Sowell holds two degrees from Colorado State University, and is a Colorado native. Her two degrees are a Bachelor's of Arts in Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, with German concentration, and a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second and Foreign Language.

As an undergraduate student, she studied abroad in Regensburg, Germany, where she became interested in international education and student affairs. After receiving her Masters, she taught at Kobe Kaisei College in Kobe, Japan for two years.

Jordan worked as an English language instructor at the Intensive English Program at Colorado State University for five years. During this time, she also worked as an administrative assistant in the main office and served as the Homestay Coordinator and Activities Coordinator. She views the Coordinator of Student Engagement position as an opportunity to teach English and American culture outside the classroom, and is eager for the 2012-2013 school year to begin.

 
 

Janel McLean 

Human Resources Coordinator
INTO North America 

Janel has 16 years of Human Resource and Administration experience, most recently as Human Resources Generalist at Bergensons Property Services. Prior to that, she served as Human Resources Manager at Freedom Graphics in San Diego County.

Janel will be assisting with all aspects of Human Resources for INTO North America, including recruitment, benefits, payroll, compensation, and administration. We are pleased to welcome Janel to our growing organisation.

 
 

Gemma Lambert 

Team PA
INTO University Partnerships UK 

Gemma will provide PA, administrative and project support, in particular to Geoff Webster, Ruth Gee and John Baule, but also to the wider Executive Team as required. She will be working alongside Anna and Lianne in helping to coordinate the relocation and getting things set up in Brighton.

Gemma joins us from a long standing PA role with an investment bank and brings a wealth of fantastic experience and useful skills! Gemma is in the office over the next couple days and officially starts next Monday 13th August so please introduce yourself if you are around.

 
 

NEW JOBS

Student Support Assistant – Web Applications Developer

$9.00 - $11.00/hour
Tampa, Florida, USA

Academic programme

£32,000-£35,000 dependant on experience.
INTO Glasgow Caledonian University

Economics Lecturer for International Foundation and Undergraduate Diploma Programmes

c£27K
INTO Manchester

Assistant Programme Manager for the International Foundation Programme

£30,000 per annum
INTO Manchester

Receptionist

C. £15.3k pro rata (27.5 hours per week each) subject to review in August 2013
INTO University of East Anglia

Centre Director

Circa £60,000 - £65,000 per annum.
INTO University of Gloucestershire

Enrollment Manager

DOE
Huntington, West Virginia, USA

Admissions Advisor

tbc
INTO University Partnerships

Admissions Assistant

tbc
INTO Head Office, Brighton
SHOW MORE

INTO This Week 104

08 Aug 2012

01

Oregon State University ‘boldly goes’ where few have gone before

Everything went according to plan on Sunday, Aug. 5 when at approximately 1:32am Eastern Daylight Time, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) made a smooth descent toward the Red Planet, deployed its parachutes, and lowered the rover “Curiosity” via cable to explore the surface.

NASA's Curiosity rover then transmitted its first colour photo and a low-resolution video showing the last 2 1/2 minutes of its dramatic dive through the Martian atmosphere, giving an insight into a spacecraft landing on another world.

As thumbnails of the video flashed on a big screen on Monday, scientists and engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory let out "oohs" and "aahs."

But what does it take to get a vehicle, weighing nearly one tonne, almost 300 million miles across space and onto another world with chaotic atmospheric conditions?

Researchers at Oregon State University have been working for the past four years with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on a computer model of the Martian atmosphere that the project engineers have used to make adjustments in the spacecraft's control system for the landing.

"They call it 'the seven minutes of terror' because so much will happen in such a small window of time - and it is when the greatest risks to the mission take place," said Jeff Barnes, a professor in Oregon State University's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. "MSL is one of the most robust space vehicles ever built but there will still be a lot of tension until those few minutes are over and we know that the landing was a good one."

The OSU Mars atmospheric model is one of two that NASA and JPL engineers have been using to make small adjustments to the on-board software that will guide the entry, descent and landing of the Mars Science Laboratory.

Based on orbital observations of atmospheric conditions gleaned from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the model calculates and predicts what conditions are likely to be. It can be adapted in different "nests" to simulate the Mars atmosphere over a very wide range of spatial scales.

Created by Barnes and OSU research associate Dan Tyler, the Oregon State atmospheric model of Mars is a continuation of their previous research on the Red Planet. Both OSU scientists worked on the Phoenix Mission, which landed in the north polar region of Mars in 2008, and Barnes' involvement in Mars research dates all of the way back to the historic Viking mission. More recently, Barnes was heavily involved in the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission, which operated the first rover on the Mars surface.

But this is the most ambitious, and expensive (at about £3 billion), NASA Mars mission yet. The Mars Science Laboratory is designed to descend inside the very large Gale crater, hover at about 20 metres above the surface, and lower the Curiosity rover via cables to the surface. Past missions have "bounced" rovers down inside of giant airbag padding, but this rover is much bigger and heavier than those in the past.

"It's about the size of a Mini-Cooper," Barnes said, "so they've built a sophisticated "sky-crane" system to lower it to the surface, then explosively sever the cables, and fire rockets to move the spacecraft away from the area so it doesn't fall onto and crush the rover. This is all totally new - it's never been done before."

With OSU contributing heavily to NASA's current missions and indeed future space exploration programmes, Amy McGowan, Centre Director for INTO Oregon State University, believes students from around the world are now paying particular attention to the University as a potential study option.

"We are so thrilled about OSU's involvement in something as exciting as the recent Mars landing. This kind of ground-breaking research at the University not only inspires our students here in the centre, it also helps strengthen our profile on a global scale."

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02

A graduate ‘gold rush’ is sweeping across INTO’s partner universities

Previously, INTO This Week reported on INTO students that had progressed and graduated with top marks from Newcastle University. Three more partner universities have now had their graduation ceremonies, and there have been a plethora of INTO students graduate with outstanding grades. With results still coming in, INTO This Week promises to bring you more achievements from our partner universities over the coming weeks.

A record number of students graduate with a First or Upper Second class degree - The University of Manchester's best ever results!

Out of 586 students from the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester, 29% attained a First-Class honours degree, and 56% an upper second class honours degree. This now places the University among the top in the UK.

The results are a testimony to one of The University of Manchester's mottos - "Research informs learning." The university's unique attitude to making their research multidisciplinary, means students are taught by the world's most forward thinking academics.

Former INTO Manchester students were among those celebrating. Seungtaik Hwang from South Korea has just completed his first year of a Chemical Engineering degree at the University, and achieved a First. He said: "Although it was hard, stressful and even painful sometimes. I'm so proud of my good grade!"

INTO students achieve 'starred firsts' at the University of East Anglia

Degree results surpassed expectations across the board at INTO UEA. Two INTO students achieved were awarded 'starred firsts' at degree level for their outstanding performance. Starred firsts indicate exceptional results and are only awarded in three other UK universities - Oxford, Cambridge and York.

"We're very proud of all former INTO students who recently graduated from the University of East Anglia," said Debbie Price, Centre Director. "With a solid academic foundation and a real confidence in their English language skills, students who leave INTO UEA are in the right position to succeed at university. I wish the best of luck to all of our graduates in their future endeavours."

The University of Exeter contributes further to partner universities achieving top marks

In July, the University of Exeter held their annual graduation ceremonies in the Great Hall, followed by photos and celebratory drinks on the piazza, in the heart of the campus.

The event provided an opportunity for former INTO University of Exeter students - who progressed to Exeter after completing their courses - to reunite with teachers and discuss their plans for the future.

"It was really fabulous to see all the students and we are very proud of them," said Karen Kenny, International Diploma Programme Manager. "It is particularly pleasing to hear of students who are planning to study their Masters at Exeter. We know how hard they have worked to achieve their degrees. It's great to mark their success with the formal ceremony."

This year, 17 students who studied a Diploma in Business Management, Accounting and Economics gained Firsts while another 33 graduated with a 2:1. These students began their studies with INTO in 2009-10.

Irina Karpova, a recent graduate who studied a Foundation Engineering Pathway course in 2008 said: "Studying in Exeter was a great experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to develop so many skills and abilities, which I wouldn't be able to develop in Russia."

"I also met a lot of very nice people. The teachers in the University are very supportive and helpful. I'm happy that I chose to study in Exeter and I hope that someday I will be able to come back to see how the University is developing!"

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03

INTO University of East Anglia students inspire primary school children

As part of the run-up to the Olympics, students from INTO University of East Anglia were invited to visit local primary schools to speak to the children about their home countries.

Each class at Lyng Church of England Primary School chose a different country that they wanted to learn more about, in preparation for the Olympics. The class chose to learn more about the people and culture of China, so they invited INTO students Chen Shujing, Lin Shixia and Cai Juanjuan to come and teach them about their country.

After giving a short presentation about Chinese customs and culture, the INTO students taught the children how to write their names in Chinese characters and practiced some simple Chinese phrases. Finally, in a true meeting of styles, everyone sat down for a nice cup of Chinese tea together!

"This was a great opportunity for the students to see a little part of British culture; they even got to join the Headteacher, Mrs Watson, for a proper school dinner," said Matthew Perry, Academic Director at INTO University of East Anglia. As a governor at Lyng Primary School, Matthew was keen establish a link between the school and INTO. "Small rural primary schools sometimes do not get much international exposure, so it was a great educational experience for the children. Everyone really enjoyed it," he said.

In a similar vein, four of INTO's Japanese students recently paid a visit to Hevingham Primary School to speak to a class about their culture and customs. In the international spirit of the Olympics, the children had chosen to do a project about Japan, and were keen to learn more about the country.

Now that links have been formed with local primary schools further visits have been planned for the future. Some of INTO's Russian students have already been invited to Lyng Primary School after the success of the first visit. These visits will not only help children and young people to learn more about other cultures, they also serve to broaden the horizons of INTO's own students!

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