We have come to the end of another remarkable academic year at the University of Westminster, and are extremely proud of the successes and experiences of our students, alumni, colleagues and friends who have been recognised and celebrated. As we approach the new academic year, we look back on the top 10 highlights from the University in the 2020/21 academic year, in no particular order.
1. PhD student shortlisted for Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition
Mara Leite, a PhD student at the School of Life Sciences who is studying how algae can help humans travel to and settle on Mars, was shortlisted in the Royal Greenwich Observatory’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition for 2021. Her photo entitled ‘Buck Moon and the Needle’ pictures a full moon in the Magnolia neighbourhood of Seattle, Washington.
2. Colleagues and alumni recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours and Birthday Honours lists
A number of Westminster colleagues, alumni and supporters were recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list and the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for their achievements and service to people across the UK. Together, the lists are the most significant announcements of civilian and gallantry awards. Recipients included Sumita Singha and Peter Barber, who both became OBEs for their services to architecture, and alumnus Rajinder Tumber, who was awarded an MBE for his services to the cyber security industry.
3. Students collaborate with Selfridges on sustainable collection
Seven current and former students from the Menswear MA course at the University of Westminster collaborated with world-renowned retail and brand consultant, fashion visionary and wellness advocate Yasmin Sewell on a new fashion range in Selfridges. The project encourages consumers to acknowledge their unworn clothing and get it back into circulation through updating pieces from Sewell’s own wardrobe.
4. Westminster receives £3 million Quintin Hogg Trust funding to enrich student experience
Funding from the Quintin Hogg Trust has contributed towards the creation of a range of major projects across the University to enhance student experience. Highlights include the expansion of Westminster Working Cultures and the launch of its first virtual iteration, the development of the Inclusive Futures Programme and a hugely successful first year since the launch of the Active Travel Academy.
5. Westminster’s first ever Black History Year
Westminster’s Black History Year Steering Group, consisting of Westminster’s BME colleagues, allies and the Students’ Union, put together an array of events, programmes and talks to explore and recognise Black histories. The Black History Year initiative has allowed the Westminster community to engage with Black colleagues’ and students’ histories by reflecting on times past using Westminster’s archival collection while responding to the present with case studies that reflect extraordinary achievements.
6. Westminster proudly ranks in top 20 universities globally for supporting gender equality
The University was recognised as one of the top 20 universities globally for supporting gender equality according to the Times Higher Education (THE) impact ratings. Westminster also ranks in the top 25 globally for supporting reduced inequalities, and both of these fantastic results demonstrate the hard work being done across the University on reducing inequality both within the University and across society, and rewards the hard work of colleagues as we strive to create fairer opportunities for all.
7. Westminster alumnus one of core team behind Oxford COVID-19 vaccine
Dr Mustapha Bittaye, who graduated from the University of Westminster in 2012 and is a Postdoctoral Scientist at the University of Oxford, is one of the core team of scientists who worked on the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The work Dr Bittaye and his colleagues completed in their MERS-CoV vaccine trial became the blueprint for the COVID-19 vaccine programme. He was also interviewed by the BBC, and said there is “no limit to what Black scientists can achieve.”
8. Academics launch ‘Undercover’ face masks exhibition
The Westminster Menswear Archive at the University of Westminster launched their online exhibition ‘Undercover – From Necessity to Luxury: The Evolution of Face Coverings during COVID-19’, which reveals how face coverings have evolved in response to COVID-19 over the last 12 months. It explored how masks evolved from being a functional PPE object in short supply, to becoming an everyday object worn by millions.
9. Students raise over £100,000 for Westminster’s COVID-19 Response Fund
Students raised £109,197 for Westminster’s COVID-19 Response Fund during the annual telephone campaign. The three-week campaign involved Westminster students contacting over 1,000 former students to hear about alumni experiences and raise money for the University’s COVID-19 Response Fund which aims to support students suffering financial hardship caused by the pandemic.
10. Academics exhibit projects at the Venice Biennale
Academic colleagues co-produced three different installations that were exhibited at the Venice Biennale which responded to the theme ‘How will we live together?’, including ‘Three British Mosques’, a pavilion produced by Shahed Saleem in collaboration with the V&A museum.
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