Students come face to face with a 'real-life' cyborg

On Wednesday 11 December, a group of A Level Computing students visited the Science Centre at Staffordshire University for the annual Christmas Lecture.

The speaker was Professor Kevin Warwick from Reading University, and he gave a fascinating lecture entitled ‘Robots, Cyborgs and the Ghosts of Christmas Future’.  Professor Warwick gave an insight into the research he is undertaking, including demonstrations of robots that are learning to think for themselves, and some video clips of robots that have human brain cells implanted in them. 

He also showed us a clip of the surgery that he underwent to have a silicon chip implanted into the nervous system in his arm, and then how he was able to communicate ‘brain to brain’ with his wife when she had a similar chip implanted into her nervous system.  NULC students found this lecture fascinating, and it gave an insight into how research in the future will take us further into the realms of artificial intelligence.

 

Students experience street dance workshop

Today AS and A Level Dance students and Level 2 Performing Arts students took part in a commercial street dance workshop.

The workshop was hosted by freelance dancer Nic Howell and learners got the opportunity to experience first-hand a commercial workshop by a professional working artist as well as ask questions on audition processes and the professional dance industry.

Nic was very impressed with the ability and dedication of the learners and is looking forward to working with the dancers again in future workshops.

It's Cakemas

Faye Matthews organised a bake sale called 'cakemas' with the A2 Theatre Studies students.

They raised an amazing £119.82 towards the cost of props and materials for their practical performance. 

The students made their own cakes, worked together to promote and sell them - it is a fantastic team building exercise which is important to the success of their performance!

The students (from left to right)  Meg Dale, Angelina Cliff and Paige Davis.

Students’ designs bowl manufacturer over

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) students made such a good job of designing fruit bowls that manufacturer KMF decided to present them each a gift of the final product.

The A Level Product Design students designed fruit bowls in four different styles and also a mobile phone holder as part of the design challenge with KMF Precision Sheet Metal Limited.

Students first visited KMF in November for a guided tour of the factory floor where production processes were demonstrated and explained.  Armed with the knowledge of how to reduce costs, minimise waste and improve designs, students returned to College and selected six designs for prototyping.

Phil Heath, Programming Engineer at KMF said: “It was with genuine enthusiasm that the students came to KMF; armed with many designs and ideas on their first visit. We gave the students a tour of our facility so that they could see at first hand the production techniques that would be used on their designs.

“The students’ designs progressed from simple drawings and paper cut outs into professional CAD 3D Model File Data. It was a pleasure to work with them on this project.”

Andrew Snape, Curriculum Manager – Technology at NULC, said: “Working with KMF has given the students real world insight into exactly how their designs can be manufactured. The students have worked really hard on their product designs and are very excited to receive their finished items.”

The students took out a College Enterprise loan to fund the manufacture of their chosen products.  Principal Karen Dobson will be presenting the final manufactured products to the student designers at the M.A.D.E Here shop in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre at 11am on Thursday 12 December.  The products will shortly be on sale at M.A.D.E Here.  Students hope to reinvest profits in order to further develop their product portfolio.

Karen Dobson, Principal at NULC, said: “Projects like this give students valuable experience and a chance to show off their skills. It’s this kind of opportunity that makes Newcastle-under-Lyme College a first choice for students. We are extremely grateful to KMF for investing in the product designers of the future.”

NULC offers art and creative related A Level courses in Art, Dance, Film Studies, Graphic Design, Media Studies, Music, Music Technology, Photography, Product Design, Textiles and Theatres Studies.

To find out more about courses visit www.nulc.ac.uk, call 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Fastrac tractor makes pit stop at NULC

David Bell, JCB’s Chief Corporate Development Officer, visited NULC on Thursday 5 December.  David met with engineering, product design and creative students including A2 film students who filmed the visit and two A2 media students who interviewed him.
 
David was joined by engineering and design specialists from JCB who provided workshops with students to discuss research, design philosophy and component details.

In addition the JCB Fastrac tractor also made a visit to the College with students having the opportunity to get a hands on tour of the vehicle.

Particle Physics

A group of seven AS physics students from NULC sixth form were given a fantastic opportunity to attend a Particle Physics Workshop at University of Birmingham on Wednesday 4 December. 

The day was for only 30 students from across the West Midlands and started with a lecture about Particle Physics by Dr John Wilson, who is a member of the University's Particle Physics Research Group.  John followed on from the work that students are studying as part of their AS level course, and discussed the research that is taking place at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.  Students were then given hands-on demonstrations of particle physics detectors: from cloud chambers to spark chambers and cosmic ray measuring devices.

In the afternoon, they worked in pairs on computers analysing some data from the Atlas detector at CERN.  This was an excellent introduction to physics at degree level, and it gave NULC students the opportunity to meet Birmingham University students, and look at the University campus.

Film Club - Thursday 28 November

Junction 15 Productions bought their national indie film festival, organised in collaboration with Newcastle Borough Council, to NULC - four award winning films were screened to NULC Film Studies students, who thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

 
Film Producer and former NULC student Suzanne James spearheaded the event and highlighted the criteria used from an industry perspective to pick the winning films.

Categories included Best Experimental -Rhombus,  Best Documentary - Hitching the A1 and the winner for Best Fiction category was Rep 5091 

 

Suzanne and Verica (curriculum leader for AS/A2 film studies and A2 media studies)also screened Paelistin, from the Experimental Category.  Verica commented: "As a judge for the event it was my overall winner; a poignant and poetically lyrical film which centres upon the horrors of war."

Students voted at the end of the night and unanimously declared 'Rep 5091' as the overall winner.

OSCAR winner presents awards

Former NULC student and OSCAR winner Peter Bebb was the guest speaker at the Bottle Cap Film Festival Awards Evening.  The multi award winner computer imagery artist won an Academy Award for his work on the Leonardo Di Caprio blockbuster Inception.

In addition two film students volunteered their time and acted as guides for the Bottle Cap Film Festival hosted by Junction 15 productions in collaboration with Newcastle borough council.

Pete has previously been a judge for the College's own Heat Wave Film Festival and during a visit commented: "The facilities at the College are amazing and have certainly been designed to encourage the next generation of film makers.”

Students work with award winning film producers

Students studying A Level Film Studies at NULC took part in an engagement event with Junction 15 productions as part of the Bottle Cap Film Festival in Newcastle town centre.

Former NULC Film Studies and international award-winning film producer Suzanne James led sessions along with Darren Teale, Creative Director for Junction 15 productions.

The students were split into groups and Suzanne spear headed the camera work - our students were instructed in the use of industry standard cameras, the same Panasonic equipment which the BBC use, and the jib was also put into use which allowed our students to film some fantastic crane shots . 

Darren took on board the editing and delivered a workshop in how to use Adobe Premier CS6. Junction 15 screened their professional films, pop videos made for MTV and discussed budget, location shooting, editing, industry protocol and networking/client customer liaising providing an invaluable insight into film business practice .

Verica Travar-Williams, Curriculum leader for AS/A2 film studies and A2 media studies, said: "The students were beaming all day, despite the cold and a wonderful day was had by all - I was very proud of team film especially how energetic and enthusiastic they were with every task given."

Four students stayed  on as ambassadors for our college in the afternoon and guided/mentored primary school children and helped out with Suzanne and Darren, in terms of filming and editing.

Click here to visit our Facebook page and see a gallery of photographs from the event.

West End stars inspire students

On Tuesday 12 November AS and A Level Dance, Music and Theatre Studies students visited The Regent Theatre to watch a performance of West Side Story.  After the show lucky AS Theatre student Billie Ingrid Brighters met members of the cast.

With ground breaking choreography by the legendary Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, an unforgettable score by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story changed the face of musical theatre for ever.

Leading the talented new cast is Katie Hall as Maria and Louis Maskell as her star-crossed lover Tony. Katie has most recently played Christine in the national tour of Phantom of the Opera and Cosette in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre in the West End, while Louis has previously appeared in the national tour of Scrooge -The Musical.

Natalie Weatherer, Curriculum Leader AS/A2 theatre studies and AS media studies at NULC, said: "It was an amazing performance for the students to see as it had not been on tour in the UK for 5 years!  It’s great for our students to see a West End performance in Staffordshire."

Former graphics student provides insight into careers

Brand Identity and Web Design expert Mandy Wong, from the Manchester based Fresh Design Agency, visited AS and A level Graphics students this month, sharing insights into her career and inspirations.   

Starting with her days in the late 90's as a BTEC and A Level Graphics student at NULC, Mandy outlined her journey from a BA in Graphics at Cumbria University to her first job as a Junior Designer at local newspaper The Sentinel. 

Students were free to ask questions about the realities of life and employment prospects in the wide and developing graphic design field. Illustrating her recent agency work for blue chip clients including Clarks shoes, Lexus and Halfords, Mandy made it very clear that talent itself isn't enough to guarantee success, and that young designers need to continually improve and develop their skills base.

Mandy recently worked on design projects for Lexus

After a Q&A session, Mandy went on to give encouragement and advice to students with a particular interest in Logo Design, Branding and Web.  Course staff believe that it is incredibly valuable for our current generation to learn from NULC Alumni, gaining first hand impressions of the challenging and exciting career pathways that can lead on from the study of Graphic Design. 

Impressed by the work of current NULC students, Mandy has offered a summer work placement to NULC student Vitali Dzubenko.  Vitali is his second year at NULC studying A levels in graphics and science.

To find out more about studying A Level Graphic Design at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

AS Students Visit Keele Medical School

On Wednesday 20 November, a group of AS Science students were lucky enough to visit the Medical School at Keele University for the Medpath Widening Access Day.  This was for a select group of NULC students, and was held in the medical school building on the Keele University campus. 

NULC students met some of the medical students studying at Keele, and heard about their experiences of the application process.  NULC students had the opportunity to try out medical procedures such as blood pressure monitoring,  measuring blood oxygen levels and using an ECG machine. 

The day finished with a tour of the fantastic medical school facilities.  NULC students felt that they had really benefited from the day, and that it gave them an insight into the application process.  ‘An inspiring day’ was the comment from one of the students. 

NULC STEM Community Developer Lucy Nevitt said: "Our links with Keele University have been further strengthened by this trip, and it showed our students what fantastic facilities are available within a university environment."

AS History and Politics @ Higher Education seminar

The second AS History and Politics @ Higher Education seminar took place on Thursday 14 November at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. Students were introduced to the most recent developments in parliamentary sovereignty by Dr Peter Lamb, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Staffordshire University.
 
The students proved themselves formidable adversaries in the question and answer session, particularly, amongst others, Jordan Stec, who challenged Dr Lamb with a range of probing questions, such as the reasons why the United Kingdom should remain part of the European Union. Fully deploying their academic knowledge from their AS Government & Politics course and also showing clear evidence of a deep interest in current affairs, the students covered topics such as devolution, a potential referendum on membership of the European Union and the scheduled Scottish independence referendum.
 
The event was a roaring success and bodes well for the development of stronger links between staff and students at both institutions.
 
If you are not currently an AS or A2 government & Politics student but would like to attend future events please contact Christopher McQuillan in the Sixth Form Centre. Seminars in the series are listed below:

• History UCAS applications lead by Dr Alannah Tomkins, Programme Director for History at Keele University – Sept 2013
• Developments in parliamentary sovereignty lead by Dr Peter Lamb, senior Lecturer in International Relations at Staffordshire University – Nov 2013
• The US Presidency; poodle or powerhouse? Lead by Dr Jonathan Herbert Director of Teaching & Learning SPIRE Keele University – Jan 2014
• From Kaiser to Fuhrer – lead by Dr Pauline Elkes, Senior Lecturer in History, Staffordshire University – March 2014

 

Award-winning film production company inspire Film Club

Local award-winning film production company, Junction 15 visited the College's Film Club to chat with A Level students studying Film Studies.

Darren Teale, Creative Director and Suzanne James, former NULC student and now Film Producer for Junction 15 provided a superb and highly insightful presentation sharing  invaluable advise on career pathways, university choices and a wonderful insight into film, television and corporate productions from an industry perspective . 

The duo also screened two music videos from their portfolio which were produced for MTV. Suzanne, a former A Level Film Studies student has had her film 'Damage' which centres upon domestic violence screened on a world wide basis and has won several international awards since completing her studies at NULC.

 

Verica Travar-Williams, Curriculum leader for AS/A2 film studies and A2 media studies organises Film Club and taught Suzanne during her A Levels.  Verica said: "I am so proud of her and Suzanne is a wonderful role model to our female students."

To find out more about studying A Level Film Studies at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Product Design students bring designs to life

A Level Product Design students have been given a fantastic opportunity to have their designs made by a local engineering company, and then sold in the College's M.A.D.E here shop in Newcastle town centre. 

The students visited KMF Precision Sheet Metal Manufacturing on the High Carr Business Park on Friday 8 November, and they were shown around the manufacturing facility by members of KMF staff, including one of their apprentices. 

The use of high tech lasers to cut metal with complete accuracy and precision was especially impressive. KMF manufacture a range of products for companies, including making the self-service Costa Coffee machines that can be seen at petrol stations. The Product Design students are now finalising their designs, and prototypes will be made by KMF before the final designs are commissioned.

To find out more about A Levels at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

2013 IFS Student Investor Challenge Launch

A Level Accounting students are again being given the opportunity to participate in the Institute for Financial Services’ prestigious “Student Investor Challenge” competition. 

Working in teams, students invest a “virtual” £100,000 in shares and use their skill and judgement to trade their portfolios using real data supplied by Bloomberg and FTSE (just like real traders).  Entrants are given extra tuition to learn about stock market theory so this is a great opportunity to learn something new (and it also looks good on your UCAS application).  NULC students have in the past reached the national finals (top 8 out of more than 800 entries) so why not have a go.  You never know, you could win the top prize which is an all expenses paid trip to New York.

If you are interested contact lecturer Richard Simpson but be quick, the competition starts on the 5th November!  For further information visit http://www.studentinvestor.org

A-Level Accounting Students Visit Lancaster University

On Thursday 17 October a group of 27 A Level Accounting and Economics students visited Lancaster University’s Management School for an insight into the finance related degree courses they offer and to get a taste of what it is like to study at one of the UK’s leading finance research universities.

After a tour of the campus and the halls of residences students were treated to taster classes with Professor Mark Shackleton and Dr Emanuele Bracco.  Professor Shackleton demonstrated how market prices are set in the “trading pits” for a range of commodities like barrels of oil, coffee and wheat.  Follow this link to a get a feel for what a “trading pit” looks like:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKE6McIwqfg&feature=related

Pretty frantic!  Did you notice how the traders use a range of hand signals to say whether they are selling or buying?  Palms out, “I’m Selling”, fists clenched “I’m buying”.  Here is another link that should give you a good feel for what’s going on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF3e7MY9Hqk

Students had to estimate the prices that they would be prepared to pay to buy and to sell bottles filled with pennies.  The catch is you don’t know how many pennies are in the bottles.  This link shows the trading game in action in a previous session.  The ideas in the demonstration are very relevant to issues like the pricing of shares in Royal Mail too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch_5uuKpiS0&feature=edu&list=PL18895495644A6AF5

Well done to Josh Hopley and Yusuf Gigani who won the game with the closest estimate of the real value.

Dr Bracco led a session on game theory (also called The Nash Equilibrium after the character Russell Crowe played in the film “A Beautiful Mind”).  Dr Bracco explained this theory using a classic example called “The Prisoners’ Dilemma”.  Have a look at the following for further explanation.  Game theory is essential for understanding collusion in markets.
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microeconomics/nash-equilibrium-tutorial

Curriculum Leader Richard Simpson said, “This was a brilliant way to show students what studying at a leading University might be like.  Hopefully it will really inspire our students to really aim high”.

Film Club 2013

To launch Film Club 2013 special guest speaker, Daniel Hopkins, Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University and experimental filmmaker visited NULC.   


Dan provided a talk to students which focussed on courses at Staffordshire University and provided invaluable career advice to AS and A2 Film Studies students and A2 Media Studies students. 

Several short films were screened and post talk NULC students had the opportunity to speak with

Daniel on a one to one basis.  The night was highly successful and the students felt it was an enriching event – they absolutely adored the films, especially the student projects and Daniel’s experimental bodies of work.

To find out more about studying A Level Film Studies at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on info@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254254.

Pez and Pencil inspires next generation of designers

AS and A level Graphics students have been working with young typographic artist and designer Tom Perry.  Tom, who studied A Level Graphics alongside the National Diploma in Graphics at Newcastle-under-Lyme College in 2004, has recently been carving out a successful career as a freelance designer. 

Having completed a degree in illustration Tom launched Pez and Pencil, with a growing client list including the ‘Why Not?’ clothing brand, Tom has built a reputation of highly individualised approaches to the creation of type and lettering based illustration and advertising.  During his workshops at NULC, Tom gave students an illustrated overview of his journey from College to industry and led a quick-fire creative typography exercise.

 

Mike Kelly, Course Leader for Graphics at NULC, is delighted to have someone of Tom’s calibre coming back to share their ideas and industry insights with current students. “ Tom is such a motivating character and if a little of his energy and inventiveness rubs off on the students it can only help them as their understanding of this subjects potential grows. Students need to hear and see first-hand how an interest can become a career choice, something we can do by bringing in talented practicing artists.”
 
Check out Tom's outstanding portfolio by clicking here to visit his website.

To find out more about studying A Level Graphics at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Premier League Boss highlights benefits of Computing, IT and Sports Science

On Friday 4 October NULC Sixth Form was lucky enough to welcome John Murtough, Head of Elite Player Performance at the Premier League, to talk to some of our students. 

John works at the Premier League Head Office in London.  His talk was to a packed auditorium of students studying A-levels in Computing, IT and Sports Science.  John explained all about the Elite Player Performance Plan, and the way that they collect data from every Premier League player. 

He then talked about how the advances in Computing and IT systems have enabled more analysis to be done into training methods, and that this has helped improve the clubs academy systems for youth players. 

John has worked previously at a number of Premier League clubs, and he ran the youth academies at Fulham and Everton.  It was a fascinating insight into the world of professional football, and how important data analysis is becoming across many sports.

To find out more about studying A Levels at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Local college inspires new generation of politicians

Students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) are taking part in European Democracy Week in partnership with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

Students studying AS and A Level Law at the College have been invited to take part in a week of events by the local council.  The week kicks off on Monday with the Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Gareth Snell meeting with students and providing an insight into local government and the role it plays within society.

Emily Phillips, Curriculum Leader for Law at NULC, said: “We’re delighted to be the only college locally to be participating in European Democracy Week.  The students will be meeting a whole host of public figures and learning all kinds of employability skills.  Opportunities like this really set our students apart when applying for university, as they have first hand experience of working with public figures and an informed insight in to government and politics.”

In addition, students will also be taking part in a Planning Committee Meeting where they will have the opportunity to apply the theoretical law they have been studying at college.

NULC offers the broadest range of post-16 opportunities in North Staffordshire, courses are available in a wide range of subjects including 35 different AS/A Levels plus vocational courses in Art, Design and Media, Beauty Therapy, Business and Accounting, Childcare and Early Years, Computing and IT, Construction, Engineering, Floristry, Hairdressing, Health and Social Care, Land Based Studies, Music Technology, Performing Arts, Public Services, Sport and Travel and Tourism.

To find out more about the range of full-time courses available visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 25424 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Explosive start to science lectures!

The NULC Sixth Form Centre welcomed guest lecturer Dr Andrew Thomas, a physics research fellow at University of Manchester, to give his science lecture entitled ‘More Magic Than Harry Potter'. 

The lecture was attended by A Level Chemistry and Physics students, as well as BTEC Applied Science students.  Dr Thomas showed students a range of spectacular experiments involving electromagnets, gunpowder, lasers, and lots more. 

It was an inspiring start to the new academic year, and showed NULC students how exciting (and explosive) science can be!

To find out more about studying A Levels at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Newcastle to New York!

Former NULC Graphics student, George Myers, has seen his work showcased at one of New York’s most famous buildings, Grand Central Station.  

The cutting edge ‘3D’ animations promoting the UK's own Financial Times had commuters stopping in their tracks to take in these site specific adverts.  George, now an established editorial illustrator whose clients have included The Guardian and Financial Times, worked flat out on the project for a month but is understandably thrilled with the results and critical reaction.

During his fours years at the College, George studied the National Diploma in Visual Communication and A Level Graphics where he achieved an A grade, before progressing to study a Foundation degree with NULC. 

Mike Kelly, Assistant Head Of NULC Sixth Form, is delighted to see a  former student excelling.  Mike said: “ George was very quiet as a student but obviously had the quality of ideas and drawing skills to excel. It’s incredibly rewarding for the staff who taught George to see him fulfilling his potential in such a spectacular arena.”

Click here to visit George's website or to view a short film of the Grand Central Station installation click here.


To find out more about the range of A Level courses available at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Former college student wins ‘New Designer of the Year’ award

A former Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) textiles student won New Designer of the Year award at a prestigious graduate design show.

Kate Turton, aged 21, from Stone studied A Levels in Textiles and Art at Newcastle-under-Lyme College, achieving A* in both subjects before progressing on to De Montfort University to study by Fashion Fabrics and Accessories.

The former Alleynes High School Pupil was the 2013 winner of the Business Design Centre New Designer of the Year Award for her range of fabrics.

Judges commented: “Kate was a clear winner. Her use of colour, shape, mark and negative space was sophisticated and well considered. Her breadth of experimentation on a wide range of fabrics showed she has vision for its uses.”

New Designers is an exhibition for emerging design, taking place over two weeks, with eight distinct design zones and two prestigious Awards Evenings.

For 28 years, New Designers has been bringing together the very best in UK graduate design, showcasing the work, energy and talent of the next generation of designers. It's long-standing reputation continually attracts a prestigious design-conscious audience of over 18,000 professionals, public, media and education, all wanting to see what's new.

New Designers is the UK's most important graduate design exhibition, full of innovation and fresh thinking.  The show sees over 3,000 of the most talented, newly graduated designers from the UK's leading universities.

To find out more about studying A Level Textiles at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254.

Able and Talented day for primary school

On Tuesday 18 June, five of our AS Maths students accompanied staff to Sir Thomas Boughey to help run an Able and Talented day for primary schools. 

There were 30 Year 6 students from across a number of primary schools attending and they had the chance to get involved with a carousel of activities including a Mathematical treasure hunt! 

Our five students, supported by Year 9 students from Sir Thomas Boughey, led and organised the activities and were responsible for awarding points. The day was aimed at promoting Mathematics and was a great joint venture shared by Sir Thomas Boughey and NULC.

To find out more about studying Maths at NULC click here.

New funding opens up cosmic opportunities to students

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has been awarded over £2000 funding through the Royal Society Partnership Scheme.

The grant has been awarded to the College’s Sixth Form Physics Department, providing students with the opportunity to build their own Cosmic Ray Muon Detector.

Martin Gallacher, Subject Leader for Physics at NULC, explains what a Cosmic Ray Muon Detector is used for: “Muons are charged particles that are created in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays collide with the atoms in the air.  We plan to build an electronic detector using materials sourced from Birmingham University and Fermilab in Chicago.  The detector will then be capable of digitally counting the number of muons that pass through it and we can use it to investigate various factors that may affect the muon count rate.  We can even use it to verify Einstein’s Theory of Relativity!”

The Physics department have been working with particle physicists from Birmingham University who have provided expert lectures and workshops with the talented NULC students.

The College will now work in collaboration with Birmingham University on the project and are planning a trip to the University in the new term to begin using their detector before ordering the equipment to build their own at the College 

Martin added: “It’s a long term project which is due to finish at the end of 2014, so not only will our current Physics students be involved but also those students who’re currently in High School and planning to study Physics at Newcastle-under-Lyme College in September.”

Each year, around 1100 bright and ambitious students from across Staffordshire and Cheshire choose to study AS and A Levels at Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s Sixth Form Centre.  The College provides AS and A Levels in more than 35 different subjects.

In 2012, 153 A* and A grades were achieved with around two thirds of our students achieving the top A*-C grades and 11 subjects enjoying 100% pass rates including Accounting, Dance, English Language, English Language and Literature, Film Studies, French, Geography, Media Studies, Photography, Textiles and Critical Thinking. At NULC more students from go on to university than from any other college in Staffordshire* (*Data from UCAS).

To find out more about studying at Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s Sixth Form Centre visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Bake sale success

AS Theatre Studies students held a bake sale on Tuesday 26th March at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) to raise money towards the cost of hire for set/ props from the New Vic Theatre.  The students also held a raffle to win one of two chocolate Easter cakes.  The students raised a grand total of £155.75 and all cakes were eaten! Well done to all those involved.

Student receives design advice from industry guru

Danielle Madeley, an AS Graphics student at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has received beneficial advice to help her with her coursework from two leading Graphic Design figures.

Danielle was surprised and delighted to receive a detailed email response from Wally Olins (Graphic Design brand guru and partner in international agency Wolff Olins) who went on to send Danielle an autographed copy of his new ‘Brand Book’. 

She has also received interest and detailed guidance from Lindon Leader (designer of one of the world’s most famous logos for ‘Fedex’).

 NULC Art and Creative staff encourage learners to gain in depth research and insights whenever possible and Danielle’s project should really benefit with the input from two of the most famous design minds working in the field today.

Danielle with her signed book from Wally Olins

To find out more about studying A Levels at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Former student returns for work placement

Origami creations from workshop Bryoney led.

A former A Level student has returned to the NULC 6th Form Centre on a work placement and inspired a number of new ideas and techniques amongst current students.

Bryoney Cartlidge, completed A Levels in Graphic Design, Media Studies and Textiles in 2009, where she achieved AAB in her final results. Bryoney has spent the last two half terms working with A Level Textiles lecturer Sharon Porteous.  

After completing her A Levels at NULC, Bryoney progressed on to Huddersfield University where she is currently studying Textile Design.  As part of her degree Bryoney is undertaking a range of work placements this academic year before completing her third and final year at university. 

Bryoney, originally from Sneyd Green, has been working with the second year textile group and has inspired several of the students to utilise the top of the range laser cutting machine with the support of AS Product Design lecturer Roger Sharman. 

Sharon said: “This has enriched the student’s personal investigation units and has produced some excellent results for those involved.  Bryoney has also demonstrated her use of the electronic notice board Pinterest and at least two second years have used this method of collating images to evidence their collection of research for their new unit of work.”

During her last two lessons Bryoney prepared, demonstrated and led origami workshops as part of the introduction to Unit 4. 

Sharon added: “Bryoney has now moved onto her next adventure a placement in France, I would like to thank her on both mine and the student’s behalf for her valuable input and wish her every success.”

To find out more about studying A Levels at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Students reach Senior Final of the Youth Speaks Competition

Frankie Morgan, Heather Arnold, and Fiona Chell, current AS students, in the NULC 6th Form Centre, acquitted themselves brilliantly at the Senior Final of the Youth Speaks District 2013 competition last week in Market Drayton.

The competitors were: Newcastle-under-Lyme College, Concorde College, Trentham High School, Meole Brace School Science College, St Josephs College, Thomas Telford School, City of Stoke on Trent College, Newport Girls High School, and Grove School.

Thomas Telford School went through to the next round. 100 plus guests attended, consisting of teams, teachers, parents, friends and Rotarian officials and members.

Jon Winter(personal tutor) and Mike Fyles (team adviser) attended for NULC.  Mike said: “It was a very good evening, Frankie, Heather, and Fiona were great representatives for the College, worked really well as individuals and a team, and received many positive comments from the audience during the break and after the event.”

To find out more about studying A Levels at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

 

Think-maths inspire NULC students

Students studying A Level Maths at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) were treated to an inspirational maths lecture from a member of a group of mathematicians called Think-maths.  

Think-maths offer exciting and innovative ways of presenting maths topics.  Dr Flo Tettamanti from Imperial College London spoke to the AS Maths students about Fluid Dynamics.  

Amongst other things, she used a smoke machine to make huge smoke rings which floated across the College's auditorium.  After the lecture Flo ran a workshop with students studying Further Maths, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

 

To find out more about studying A Level Maths or Further Maths at the NULC Sixth Form Centre click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

6th Form students enjoy Parisian life

NULC students studying A Levels in French, Film Studies and Media Studies enjoyed a four day visit to Paris.

The excited students visited the French capital as part of the enrichment programme for their A Level course.

The trip was organised by A Level Media Studies lecturer Natalie Weatherer  with the help of Verica Travar-Williams A Level lecturer in Film Studies and Michael Lacoult A Level Lecturer in French.

During the four days the students visited the Pompidou centre, Musee d’orsay, and the Museum of Cinema along with various other culturally significant landmarks.

Natalie said: "A brilliant time was had by all on the annual trip and the students were fantastic ambassadors for the College.  A 2014 is being planned as we speak!"

To find out more about studying A Levels at Newcastle-under-Lyme College click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

 

6th Form students take part in Youth Speaks competition

Two Teams from the NULC Sixth Form Centre took part in the Youth Speaks competition run by the Rotary Club of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The competition took place in the College's auditorium with NULC students Nathan Cooper, James Clark and Jess Smith discussing ‘Are Tattoos still taboo?’and Heather Arnold, Frankie Morgan and Fiona Chell discussing ‘Graffiti as Art?’.  Two teams from Newcastle-under-Lyme School also competed.  

Heather, Frankie and Fiona came first on the night and each won a cash prize and have been invited to take part at the district finals on the 6 March at the Festival Drayton Centre in Market Drayton.

Frankie the main speaker of the winning team was also unanimously voted best individual speaker of the night.

To find out more about studying A Levels at the NULC Sixth Form Centre contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk or click here.