Babylab at Downing Street
Staff from Birkbeck’s Babylab were invited to a Number 10 reception in honour of the Autism Speaks charity, hosted by Sarah Brown, the Prime Minister’s wife. Autism Speaks awarded the Babylab a £450,000 grant over five years, raised from the Henry Smith Charity and the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund, among others. This will help establish a national network for the study of baby siblings of children with autism.
Leslie Tucker says: “We are investigating whether there are differences in development between infants who have siblings with autism and those who do not. This may help identify the early signs of the disorder, allowing for earlier, more effective intervention aimed at improving the quality of life of those affected. A national network will bring together researchers with common aims and advance discoveries in this area.”
Leslie explained the work of the Babylab (aka the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development) to Gordon Brown at the reception. “He was very receptive and seemed enthusiastic about it.”
Meanwhile, the Babylab welcomes two new administrators: Rachel Wu and Marian Greensmith. If you would like your baby to take part in a study, email babylab@bbk.ac.uk with contact details and your baby’s date of birth/due date.
(from Birkbeck Matters, Issue 5, Autumn 2007)
Jane’s retirement party
After 13 years working at the CBCD as the Babylab Administrator, Jane has retired. During this time the team has moved buildings twice, expanding each time, the number of studies that are conducted in the labs have increased and the workload for Jane has got ever larger. In total we believe that Jane has welcomed over 6000 parents and babies into the Babylab some of whom are now 14 years old!
To thank Jane for all her work, and to introduce our international staff to some of the delights of English cooking we held an English tea party for her retirement. Here are some photographs of the day.
Lab Garden Opening at 32 Torrington Square
On 23rd May 2007 our new lab garden was officially opened. Staff and students at the CBCD are very pleased to be able to enjoy the peacefulness of this outdoor spot. Below are some pictures of the transformation from wilderness to garden...
Recent Awards
Marie Curie Training Centre of Excellence
The CBCD and affiliated laboratories has recently been granted "Marie Curie Centre of Excellence in Training" status by the European Commission. The award came with six 3-year fully funded postgraduate fellowships that we have recently filled.
The Queen's Anniversary Prize
The CBCD was awarded the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2005.
Read the full story on the Birkbeck College main website.