10 Ways Book - University of Leeds

10
Ways the
University
of Leeds
Changed
the World
Much of the research carried out at the University of Leeds has a lasting positive impact
on the world. By its very nature, the pursuit of knowledge about the complexities of
nature, culture and society is a gradual process.
Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
Our expertise and knowledge impact on society in so many ways, including breakthrough
discoveries, design of innovative products, services or technology, projects for the cultural
enrichment of society, developing research-informed public policies, or revolutionising
established ideas, theories and practices.
The shortlisted entries outlined in this commemorative book ‘10 Ways the University of
Leeds Changed the World’ competition, give us the opportunity to showcase and celebrate
these truly world-class achievements.
All of the entries in this book continue to reflect our major global impact on society.
01
Image: The Future is Wild Ltd
1
We Have Discovered How Animals and Humans Move
Professor McNeill Alexander CBE FRS has played a pivotal role in establishing foundations for research in biomechanics, introducing
concepts and methods of analysis used by scientists in many disciplines across the globe. The full scope of Prof McNeill Alexander’s
contribution is immense, and the following projects just provide an insight to the level of impact he has made.
As one of the first to recognize that in running animals, tendons in the feet and legs do not simply connect muscles to bones, but rather act
as springs, recovering locomotion energy, Prof McNeill Alexander’s discovery has had a fundamental impact, not least on running styles,
training techniques and injury treatment for human athletes.
His research has also established how the shape and size of animals and their limbs determines their movement, a spin off from this work
being a prediction of how fast dinosaurs should run. This work led Prof McNeill Alexander into palaeontology, translating the biomechanics
of modern animals, to reconstruct the palaeobiology and biomechanics of extinct animals, which in turn has drawn him to the design and
development of walking dinosaur robots, like those popular in museums across the world.
Professor McNeill Alexander CBE FRS
Nominated by Prof Jeremy Rayner
Faculty of Biological Sciences
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
03
2
We Have Created the Most Successful Company
Ever to Grow Out of a UK University
Emeritus Professor David Rhodes began his research on the theory of microwave filters in 1964 as an undergraduate student at Leeds. His
work spanning four decades, led to the spinout of Filtronic plc, which by 2000 became the world’s leading supplier of microwave frequency
electronic components for the telecommunications and aerospace industries.
In the late 1980s, Prof Rhodes turned his focus to the mobile phone market, convinced that it would provide a huge growth area for
advanced microwave filters.
Whilst many experts failed to predict the truly exponential success of mobile communications, Prof Rhodes predicted the future, establishing
‘Filtronic Comtek’, manufacturing filters for use in mobile phone base stations. Demonstrating a significant edge over the competition,
Motorola and Northern Telecom quickly adopted the products. With the introduction of GSM, ‘Filtronic Comtek’ was already well placed to
supply their products to the telecommunications giants.
Filtronic’s products are currently found worldwide in mobile phones and base stations, microwave links, satellite systems and radar, with the
company having created 3000 jobs across the globe.
Emeritus Professor David Rhodes CBE
Nominated by Professor Giles Davies and Professor Ian Hunter
Faculty of Engineering
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
05
3
We Have Changed the World’s Perception of Disability
Until the early 1990s, disability was regarded as a personal tragedy, with teaching and research almost exclusively focused on how to care
for disabled people and the search for medical cures.
The Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) at the University of Leeds has played a pivotal role in changing the world’s perception of disability,
ensuring its recognition as a significant equality and human rights concern.
Disabled People in Britain and Discrimination: A case for anti discrimination legislation, published by Prof Colin Barnes (Founder and
Director of the CDS) provided the first comprehensive analysis of institutional discrimination against disabled people in contemporary society.
This study prioritised user involvement and provided a benchmark for future research. It also captured the imagination of key influencers
across the world, allowing them to acknowledge the need for anti-discrimination legislation.
The CDS was also instrumental in establishing Disability Studies in the UK and Europe as an interdisciplinary academic discipline. Almost
twenty years later, CDS continues to help transform our understanding of disability research and policy (most recently through the Academic
Network of European Disability Experts, advising the European Commission) and teaching on a worldwide scale.
Prof Colin Barnes, Prof Nick Ellison, Prof Ray Pawson
Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
07
4
We Have Helped to Secure An International Treaty
Outlawing Chemical Warfare
The research into chemical and biological warfare undertaken by Prof Alastair Hay over more than three decades, has established his role
as a global governmental adviser, helping to secure an international treaty outlawing chemical warfare.
Prof Hay began his work in the early 1970s studying the effect of herbicides used by the US Government during the Vietnam War. Some
herbicides had a chemical contaminant called dioxin. Following his investigations Prof Hay was invited by the US Environmental Protection
Agency to produce guidelines on human exposure to the dioxin family of chemicals.
In the early 1980s, the danger of a war in Europe between NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries involving the use of nerve gases and other
toxic chemical agents became a real threat, and Prof Hay began to campaign to persuade scientists not to engage in research leading to the
development of these weapons.
Prof Hay has continued to highlight these issues, encouraging governments around the world to sign treaties to outlaw the use of chemical
and biological weapons and investigating their alleged uses. He has also worked with the World Health Organisation on developing public
health responses.
Prof Alastair Hay
Faculty of Medicine and Health
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
09
5
We Have Seen the Invisible
Our everyday life is dominated by images, with curiosity often leading us beyond the surface to examine structure and function.
In the 1960s, Hounsfield created the Computerised Tomography (CT) scanner, commonly used in medical imaging. The success of this
technology in medical applications allowing us to see in 3D what is happening inside structures, inspired research into Industrial Process
Tomography (IPT), which began at Leeds in the late 1980s. Global oilfield service company Schlumberger were among the first to use IPT
for the measurement of oilfield flows, with the team later expanding their work into applications in mineral and chemical production.
The next development Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) provided a pivotal advance, allowing this all seeing technology to be
introduced into food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, enabling its use in electrically conducting metal vessels. These systems are now
in worldwide use, by multinationals including GlaxoSmithKline, enabling new process understanding and resulting in quality, financial and
environmental benefits.
Further research has led to the development of the technology into wider applications, resulting in multi million pound cost savings and
lower environmental impacts across the globe.
Prof Brian Hoyle, Prof Mi Wang, Prof Richard Williams
Faculty of Engineering
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
11
6
We Describe How English Really Is
For the first time in history there is now a truly world language. English is the first language for some 375 million people, and is spoken in a
host of varieties by hundreds of millions more. There are more speakers of English in India today than there are in the whole of the Old
Commonwealth and the United States combined.
English Language at Leeds is at the heart of describing this unprecedented phenomenon. In 2004, Professor Upton was asked by the BBC
to help drive forward its ‘Voices’ project, the UK’s largest-ever examination of speech variation, allowing the public to celebrate their unique
versions of English. Its broadcast and Web-based findings have created an unprecedented resource for linguists around the world, focusing
on the sensitivity of social and geographical variations in English and on their constant evolution over time.
This theme of constant change in a living language inspires Prof Upton’s work with the Oxford English Dictionaries too. The world’s most
eminent set of English dictionaries carries his unique analysis of the most current Received Pronunciation, as a fitting complement to the
rest of their up-to-date analysis of the world’s favourite lingua franca.
Nominated by Professor Chris Megone
Faculty of Arts
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
13
7
We Have Helped Public Transport to Run More
Efficiently
In 1984, London Transport adopted revolutionary software developed here at Leeds, the world’s first full implementation of a bus driver
scheduling system in a major city.
Bus driver scheduling can easily be formulated mathematically, but the model is extremely hard to solve. Pioneering techniques were
developed at Leeds to produce good solutions quickly. Previously, it took a large, highly-skilled team of schedulers more than a year to reschedule London Transport bus fleet by hand. It was impossible to react quickly to changing demand and working conditions. Yet, just one
month after implementation, one scheduler was able to produce schedules for a sixth of the fleet.
The benefits of faster scheduling, cost reduction, speedier reaction to changing needs and the ability to cost and evaluate different operating
scenarios, have led to the adoption of the software by numerous transport companies. A new system was developed after 1991, to handle
the more complex scheduling problems arising in train operations, as well as bus operations. It has been further exploited by a University
spin–out company, Tracsis plc, established in 2004.
Dr Sarah Fores, Dr Ann Kwan, Dr Raymond Kwan, Margaret Parker, Dr Les Proll, Dr Barbara Smith, Emeritus Prof Tony Wren
Faculty of Engineering
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
15
8
We Have Changed the Study and Development
of African Theatre
Over more than four decades, the Workshop Theatre in the School of English has substantially influenced the development and study of
African theatre worldwide.
The Workshop Theatre is responsible for training more African and Africanist theatre scholars and activists than any other institution across
the globe, for leading the development of academic study of African theatre, and promoting the practice and theory of Theatre for
Development across international organisations, government ministries and local communities.
Partnerships have been developed with a range of governmental and support organisations across the African continent and beyond. At the
invitation of the Eritrean government, Prof Plastow was invited to run the country’s first professional and community-based theatre
programmes, resulting in the training of over 150 activists working in three languages and the development of a number of plays tackling
social issues from HIV and AIDS to post-war reconciliation.
Through the creation of a diverse range of applied theatre activities for communities throughout Africa, the Theatre together with Leeds
alumni have highlighted the role of drama in shaping the political, economic and social welfare of the continent.
Prof Jane Plastow, Emeritus Prof Martin Banham
Faculty of Arts
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
17
9
We Have Influenced the Development of Democracy
Prof David Beetham (Emeritus Professor in the School of Politics and International Studies) has achieved international acclaim for his
influence in the development of democracy.
During a period which witnessed a transition to democratic rule in many countries across the world, Prof Beetham developed his ground
breaking ‘Democratic Audit’ assessment tool. Based on the key principles of popular control of political processes and decision making, his
tool provides local ownership for academics, civil society groups and the government of individual countries across the world.
Adopted by UNESCO, the ‘Democratic Audit’ meets an international need for expertise on democracy. The publication Introducing
Democracy: 80 Questions and Answers (1995) has been translated into over 30 languages and used in the political process, and by citizen
groups to embed democracy, in countries from Bosnia to the Philippines.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (including almost all world parliaments) have also invited Prof Beetham to lead a working group of senior
parliamentarians and academics, in developing audit criteria to enable parliaments across the world to assess, and renew their own
democratic practice.
Emeritus Professor David Beetham
Nominated by Prof Clive Jones, Dr Ed Gouge
Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
19
10
We Have Changed the World's View of
Tropical Rain Forests
Tropical forest accounts for half of all forest, species, and carbon in living matter on the planet. It was once assumed that its area is
declining and that mature forests which are still intact simply maintain their carbon stocks. Professor Oliver Phillips, Dr Alan Grainger and
other colleagues at Leeds have shown that reality may be very different.
An international group led by Prof Phillips published a paper in 1998 showing that 75% of plots sampled from mature forests in Amazonia
had actually absorbed additional carbon from the atmosphere over recent decades, reducing the rate at which carbon dioxide is increasing
in the atmosphere and helping to slow global climate change. Phillips, Lewis, Baker and Lloyd have discovered through the global research
network they lead, RAINFOR, that tropical rain forest trees are growing and dying faster than before.
Dr Grainger showed in a 2008 paper that despite frequent claims about rapid deforestation there is no convincing evidence for a net decline
in overall tropical rain forest area over the last 30 years. This may be because more natural reforestation is offsetting deforestation than
previously assumed.
Prof Oliver Phillips, Dr Alan Grainger, Dr Tim Baker, Dr Simon Lewis, Prof Jon Lloyd
Faculty of Environment
10 Ways the University of Leeds Changed the World
21
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