Congratulations to Paula Kiel (pictured), doctoral researcher in the Department of Media and Communications, who has won the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) 2016 Best Student Paper Award.

Her paper, The Emerging Practices of the Collective Afterlife: multimodal analysis of websites for post-mortem digital interaction, particularly impressed the judging panel for its strong theoretical grounding, the novelty of its object, and its overall relevance to the field of internet research.

The paper will be presented at the AoIR Conference in Berlin on Friday 7 October.

Studying at LSE and living in London is exciting, but it’s also important that we look after our physical health at the same time as enjoying ourselves. Make sure you remain happy and healthy during your time at LSE by following some important healthcare guidance.

Registering with a doctor
If you’ve not done so already, make sure you register with a doctor before you get ill. Further information on how to sign up can be found on the LSE website.

Can you recognise the signs of meningitis?
Knowing the signs of meningococcal septicaemia (meningitis) helps ensure early detection and effective treatment of the disease.

Individuals with meningitis can become seriously ill very quickly, so it’s important that you get medical help immediately if you are worried about your health or someone else who is unwell.

Not all meningitis symptoms are always present, and they can occur in any order, so make sure you are aware of all of the signs of the illness. Learn how to spot them and find out more about the disease from the NHS website.

If you need further advice, or simply need to ask a question about meningitis, you can contact one of the following 24 hours a day:

NHS 111 (dial 111)
The Meningitis Research Foundation 0808 800 3344
Meningitis Now 0808 80 10 388 (24 hour nurse-staffed helpline)

For further information about student health, visit the LSE website.

The Communications Division is doing some research into student experience at LSE and would like to hear from new students.

If you are in your first year at LSE either at undergraduate or postgraduate level, we want to hear just what your first impressions of LSE are. Your valuable input will help us continue to improve how we communicate to students.

If you would like to join our focus group and are available on the afternoon of Wednesday 12 October please contact us at comms.brand@lse.ac.uk.

Don’t forget to include some brief details about yourself, where you are from and what you are studying so we can make sure we have a wide cross-section of students and opinions.

We will then contact you to confirm your place. Those students who do take part will receive a £10 Amazon voucher as a thank you.

Do you love writing? Become a student blogger and share your experience as an LSE student while honing your blogging skills.

We’re looking for all sorts of students - from first year undergraduates, to final year PhD students; from those who’ve lived in London all their life to new arrivals in the city. Bloggers write about all sorts of different things to do with being a student at LSE and living in London.

Bloggers will be given training in guidelines and content and training in how to use wordpress. Every month we give out a prize for the best blogger as well as a prize at the end of the year.

Please contact ard.studentblogs@lse.ac.uk for more information and to get involved.

The Finance Division are pleased to introduce the LSE Finance Hub; a new online portal for you to access LSE financial services in one place.

Available 24/7, the Finance Hub provides you with a quick and secure way to: 

• View account, billing and financial summaries
• Raise and track enquiries in real time
• Secure messaging
• Submit documents for review and completion
• Make payments

After you have received an email invitation from the Finance Division, you'll be able to access the portal via https://financehub.lse.ac.uk/ or by using the Apps selector on the LSE homepage.

We hope this new self-service approach will make accessing services and managing your financial information a lot easier. The portal has been designed to provide you with an intuitive experience and while we envisage it will be very simple to use, if you have any problems, questions or feedback, please visit www.lse.ac.uk/FinanceHubHelp.

If you haven’t received a copy of the Student Facilities Guide 2016-17, visit the LSE Facilities Guide webpages.

In response to student feedback, you’ll be pleased to hear that in addition to the Student Salon, a microwave has also been located in Saw Swee Hock on 2^nd floor (outside the Faith Centre).

In recent surveys students told us that they don’t have enough spaces around the campus for independent study, collaborative work, to power their devices or to simply sit between classes (especially where they don’t have to pay for food and drink, or share the space with the public).

In response to this feedback a number of spaces in Clement House have been redeveloped in the central stairwell alcoves (floors 2-7).

These spaces provide students with unique, creative and innovative areas to study, to collaborate, to communicate and to think.

LSE Estates will be carrying out the refurbishment of Tower 3 entrance and reception area until 22 December 2016.

The main entrance to Tower 3 is closed and the entrance to ground floor reception area and 1^st floor mezzanine level is restricted during these works. Visitors to Tower 3 should access via Tower 2 lift lobby and staircase.

Faster, convenient and cheaper - pay with your LSE ID card and get five per cent extra free.

LSE Catering is delighted to announce the re-introduction of our popular loyalty reward scheme. Use your LSE ID card, which incorporates sQuid, instead of cash to make convenient and secure contactless payments at all LSE Catering outlets and earn a five per cent loyalty reward. Using your card for payments will also make you eligible for future special offers and promotions.

Simply register your card at squidcard.com/support/LSE, load it with funds and start using it to enjoy the benefits.

You can also win £10 loyalty in our monthly prize draw* - spend £30 or more on your card to be entered (*prize draws will run into December 2016).

After a summer dominated by a bruising leadership contest, what is the future for the Labour party in Brexit Britain? On Tuesday 4 October the Ralph Miliband Programme host a debate with Guardian writer Andy Beckett, Professor of Politics at the University of Kent Matthew Goodwin, and Director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies Faiza Shaheen (pictured). #LSELabour

Other events coming up next week include Professor Kent Deng’s inaugural lecture on 10^th-12^th century China; Professor Marc Hetherington on Why Washington Won't Work; and a discussion on democracy, The Worst Form of Government?.

Tuesday 4 October, 6.30-8pm, Old Theatre, Old Building

Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman discusses his new book Easternisation: War and Peace in the Asian Century with Jonathan Fenby, author of Will China Dominate the 21st Century?, and LSE IDEAS' Yu Jie and Michael Cox. Join the debate on how far the growing wealth of Asian nations is moving the international balance of power away from the West.

Signals and Social Consequences from Shrinkflation to Fighter Jets
Speaker: Dr Pippa Malmgren
Recorded: Monday 19 September, approx. 78 minutes

Britain after Brexit: will something continue to turn up?
Speaker: David Smith
Recorded: Tuesday 20 September, approx. 80 minutes

Arab Dreams: growing up in the shadow of dictators
Speaker: Riad Sattouf
Recorded: Thursday 22 September, approx. 72 minutes

LSE Catering will be holding a Pop-up Cocktail Bar on the 8^th floor of the New Academic Building on Friday 30 September. The event is open to all and runs from 5-8pm.

The event has been incredibly popular over the last few years with cocktails and background music combined with amazing views over London, proving to be a big hit. It's a great opportunity for drinks with friends or a chance to meet new people from around LSE.

Security officer and former boxer Daniel Beckley is running skip fit lessons for all students and staff.

The next lessons will take place from 1-2pm at the Badminton Court, Old Building, on Tuesday 4 October, Tuesday 11 October, Tuesday 25 October. Just turn up on any of these dates with your own skipping rope. All lessons are free.

For more information, email Daniel at d.beckley@lse.ac.uk.

On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, we’re showcasing a selection of students and staff sharing their favourite places on and around campus in celebration of all the wonderful places at LSE and across London.

As proud supporters of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s #LondonIsOpen campaign, the initiative is an opportunity for you to tell the LSE community what spaces make you feel part of LSE, and remind the world that our capital is open to everyone.

Follow along every day for new stories, and share selfies of you in your favourite places with us on social media.

Thank you to all of the students who helped out during Welcome Week!

New arrivals commented that you were friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Starting out in a new city or country can be overwhelming, and our student helpers across campus, in residences, and at the Students' Union should be recognised for working hard to make sure new students feel part of LSE’s community.