No 6288
Wednesday 5 December 2012
Vol cxliii No 11
pp. 191–211
19 December, Wednesday. Michaelmas Term ends. Last ordinary number of the Reporter in the Michaelmas Term.
5 January, Saturday. Lent Term begins.
9 January, Wednesday. First ordinary number of the Reporter in the Lent Term.
15 January, Tuesday. Full Term begins.
19 January, Saturday. Congregation of the Regent House at 2 p.m.
22 January, Tuesday. Discussion at 2 p.m. in the Senate-House (see below).
The Vice-Chancellor invites those qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 107) to attend a Discussion in the Senate-House on Tuesday, 22 January 2013, at 2 p.m. for the discussion of:
1. Second-stage Report of the Council, dated 3 December 2012, on the restructuring and rationalization of hospital facilities for the Department of Veterinary Medicine at West Cambridge (see p. 206).
2. Report of the General Board, dated 28 November 2012, on the establishment of two Professorships in the Faculty of Philosophy (see p. 207).
3. Report of the General Board, dated 28 November 2012, on the re-establishment of the Professorship of Aerothermal Technology (see p. 208).
4. Report of the General Board, dated 28 November 2012, on the establishment of two Readerships in Judge Business School (see p. 208).
The Vice-Chancellor begs leave to report to members of the University as follows: that having been received into the County by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, Mr Hugh Duberly CBE, and into the City by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Sheila Stuart, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were received into the University at the Senate-House by the Chancellor, The Lord Sainsbury of Turville, accompanied by the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrary, the Orator, and the Proctors. The Esquire Bedells and the University Marshal were in attendance. Inside the Senate-House the High Steward, the Deputy High Steward, the Commissary, and Lady Borysiewicz were presented to the Duke and Duchess, before they inspected the Senate-House in the company of the Orator.
Accompanied by the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor, Their Royal Highnesses next attended a reception for invited guests, including representatives of the County and City, held in a marquee in Senate-House Yard. Before entering the marquee, the Vice-Chancellor presented University Constable Peter Bowyer, the longest-serving member of assistant staff. The Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor then presented Heads of House or their representatives and some nominated students from each College. Representative postdoctoral researchers and some long-serving members of the University’s assistant staff were also present, as were members of the Council. At the end of the reception the Chancellor made a speech welcoming Their Royal Highnesses, and The Duke of Cambridge spoke in reply.
Academical dress was worn and scarlet by doctors; flags were flown and the University Bellringer arranged for the bells of the University Church to be rung (see the notice on p. 211). Music was performed in the marquee by student members of the Instrumental Awards Scheme.
The Vice-Chancellor gives notice that he has received with gratitude the following benefactions:
(a)a benefaction of £2m from the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund, of which both the capital and the income may be used, payable over three years, to support the Cambridge Leukaemia Research Centre;
(b)a benefaction of $3,750,000 from the Institute for New Economic Thinking, of which both the capital and the income may be used, payable over five years, to support a Cambridge Institute for New Economic Thinking;
(c)benefactions totalling $275,000 from Google Ireland to support five postgraduate studentships in the fields of machine learning, mobile computing, mobile security, social computing, and statistical machine learning;
(d)a gift of £100,000 from Professor Peter Baldwin and Dr Lisbet Rausing to support a landscape design competition for the University Library, of which both the capital and the income may be used;
(e)a benefaction of £30,000 from Michelle Ong to endow a History Undergraduate Travel Fund to provide grants to students for travel and research expenses related to their study.
The Council is submitting a Grace to the Regent House (Grace 7, p. 210) for the approval of regulations to govern the Michelle Ong History Undergraduate Travel Fund.
The Vice-Chancellor announces the following result of the poll and of the transfer of votes under the Single Transferable Vote Regulations:
Elected from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2016: The Rev’d Jeremy Lloyd Caddick, EM, Dr David Arthur Good, K, Dr Rebecca Julie Lingwood, HO, Dr Rachael Padman, N
Number of valid votes cast: 1,079 (not including 16 spoilt papers) (Quota: 216)
|
First count |
Transfer of Dr Padman’s surplus |
Second count |
Transfer of Mr Caddick’s surplus |
Third count |
Result |
|
|
Mr Caddick |
235 |
235 |
–19 |
216 |
Second elected |
|
|
Dr Good |
172 |
+42.05 |
214.5 |
+12.48 |
226.48 |
Fourth elected |
|
Mr Goode |
127 |
+18 |
145 |
+6.48 |
151.48 |
|
|
Dr Lingwood |
193 |
+73.5 |
266.5 |
266.5 |
Third elected |
|
|
Dr Padman |
352 |
–136 |
216 |
216 |
First elected |
|
|
Non-transferable |
268 |
77 |
||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
Total |
1,079 |
1,077 |
1,076.46 |
All three speakers at the Discussion on 9 October 2012 (Reporter, 6281, 2012–13, p. 51) spoke in favour of the principle of constructing a new Data Centre. (The original Report on the Data Centre is available in the Reporter, 6274, 2011–12, p. 811.)
Professor Todd made three points, the first being a concern that the scale of the Data Centre is not sufficient for the long term IT needs of the whole University. The Council is clear that the proposed Data Centre is not an attempt to create a comprehensive data strategy for the University, although it might form the physical core for such a strategy in the future. The Data Centre is primarily a response to the need for the University Computing Service (UCS) and High Performance Computing Service (HPCS) to vacate the Arup Building which is to be re-developed for another purpose. It also provides the opportunity (a) for a much needed expansion of high performance computing facilities (as noted in paragraphs 133–137 of the September 2012 Review of IT infrastructure and support; Reporter, 6282, 2012–13, p. 57); (b) to provide Cambridge Assessment (CA) business processes with additional resilience and efficiency; and (c) to re-locate energy-intensive computing facilities from departments into a more appropriate and energy-efficient space, thereby saving energy and also freeing space in departments for grant-earning academic activity. There is considerable expansion space to accommodate such facilities within the proposed building.
Professor Todd’s second point was a concern that in the short term the current back-up facilities in the Arup Building will not be available. UCS, HPCS, and Estate Management are developing interim plans to ensure continuity of service throughout the transfer process. Because the Arup Building needs to be vacated in 2013 before the proposed Data Centre is completed in late 2014, arrangements are being made for the temporary housing of UCS and HPCS servers in the Roger Needham Building, the Soulsby Building, and the Old Press Site.
Finally Professor Todd suggested working with other organizations, such as the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute, to combine operational need for data facilities with strategic research partnerships. A steering committee chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs and including senior representatives from each of the main user groups was established to oversee the initial stages of the project. That Committee spent considerable time exploring these and related options during the scoping stage of this project, but eventually all parties agreed that an attempt to manage physical co-location and facility-sharing would lead to delay in implementation and managerial complications that would probably outweigh any possible cost savings. Strategic research co-operation can be pursued independently of physical co-location.
Mr Taylor also expressed concern that departmental computing needs have been neglected. As indicated above, there is considerable expansion space available, and indeed the site and building design take into account a possible second building should there be a need.
In response to Mr Taylor’s query about timescale and cost, it is expected that the Data Centre will be operational by the end of 2014. The projected cost includes full fitting out of three data halls, one of which is reserved for CA; the UCS and HPCS halls both have the capacity to accommodate further racks. If the fourth fallow hall is required, then funds will need to be found to fit it out fully. The Steering Committee is developing a cost and management model which will provide a firm basis to enable departments and research groups to plan their future IT purchases and management plans. In this context, and given the wider need for reduction in carbon emissions, it will be necessary to develop a model for electricity charging, at least for energy-intensive computing, that avoids perverse incentives to maintain old inefficient equipment and expensively-cooled rooms in departments.
Dr Cowley expressed concern about cost effectiveness and the ‘green’ justification. Projected costs did indeed vary during the early stages of the project as the Steering Committee explored different potential partnerships and building scope, but there have been no significant moves in scope or projected cost recently. After Stage C had fixed the technical requirements for the Data Centre, and during Stage D development of the design, the Steering Committee commissioned an independent report from Migration Solutions, a consultancy specializing in the design and commissioning of such facilities. Their report, which was considered by the Planning and Resources Committee on 28 November 2012, concluded that the design meets the brief and that there are no significant savings possible, given the technical brief and urban planning requirements. Energy savings are difficult to quantify because the Data Centre will provide expansion opportunities for HPCS and re-location/expansion opportunities to research facilities that are currently dispersed in buildings with a range of energy efficiencies. Nevertheless, it is certain that the Data Centre when fully occupied will provide energy efficiency of at least 25 per cent compared with a similar scale of operation distributed around many buildings with ad hoc air conditioning arrangements.
Dr Cowley also asked about the financial basis of HPCS operation. HPCS is expected to be broadly self-funding on a recurrent basis, recovering staff, equipment, and running costs (including electricity) from user charges. There is no expectation that HPCS should also cover the capital costs of its building: no other research facility in the University is expected to do so, and there is no reason why HPCS should be an exception in this regard. However, as indicated above, the reduction in costs through energy efficiency will contribute substantially to the capital investment.
Finally Dr Cowley asked about management structure. In recent months, CA has provided the Representative User for this project and is also driving the construction of a robust financial and management model; this is work in progress. It is proposed that the operational team will report for day-to-day management to the head of computing activity in the University in whatever structure is created following the Review of IT Support and Infrastructure. There will however also be a governing body consisting of representatives from UCS, HPCS, and CA to determine the strategic direction of the Centre. As noted above, prior to completion of the new building, the Steering Committee has oversight of the project.
The physical requirements for data storage and processing are difficult to predict into the long term, but the Council believes that the current proposal is an appropriate and prudent response to foreseeable need. The Council has accordingly submitted the Grace to the Regent House (Grace 1, p. 209).
The Council gives notice that, on the recommendation of its Standing Committee for Applications and after discussion with CUSU Officers, it has agreed to amend the regulations for Allowances to Candidates for Examinations and Cambridge University Students Union (Statutes and Ordinances, pp. 232 and 194) so as to delete reference to the phrase ‘degrade’, as it has undesirably negative connotations. The Council is submitting Graces to the Regent House (Graces 4 and 5, p. 209) for approval of the amended regulations.
Paragraph (iii).
An allowance made under Regulation 1(b) or 3(a)(i) is normally granted in respect of the three terms of a academical year. Exceptionally it may be granted in respect of the terms of more than one academical year.
Rule 4.
The Registrary shall include in the roll for category (i) the name of any sabbatical officer of CUSU who, before completing a course of study leading to the degree for which he or she intends to be a candidate, has been given an allowance under Regulation 1(b) or 3(a)(i) for Allowances to Candidates for Examinations for the purpose of holding such office, but shall not include any such sabbatical officer who has completed a course of study for any of the degrees specified in Rule 3 and has not commenced any further course of study.
Rule 6.
The Registrary shall include in the appropriate electoral roll the name of any sabbatical officer of CUSU who has, before completing a course of study leading to the degree for which he or she intends to be a candidate, been given an allowance under Regulation 1(b) or 3(a)(i) for Allowances to Candidates for Examinations for the purpose of holding such office, but shall not include any such sabbatical officer who has completed a course of study for any of the degrees specified in Rule 9(a) below and has not commenced any further course of study.