The way that urban spaces, such as social housing estates, are lit reinforce the increasing levels of inequality faced by cities says a new report by the Configuring Light research programme, based at LSE.

An LSE expert on happiness and behaviour has launched a free online tool to help people who want to cut down on alcohol.

Professor Paul Dolan used insights from behavioural science to create the innovative and easy-to-use tool. It uses a simple brain-training exercise, known as a ‘cognitive bias modification’ (CBM), to reduce any unconscious preference people may have for alcoholic drinks over non-alcoholic ones.

Working together with Claudine Provencher, Head of LSE LIFE, Gemma Stansfield, Daniel Linehan and Helen Green are currently developing the LSE LIFE offer. While they are new to LSE LIFE, they are certainly not new to LSE. (In fact, all told, they have more than 30 years’ experience at the school between them!)

In a new post for the LSE Teaching Blog, they talk with blog editor Jane Hindle about how they see ways to combine study support, personal development and professional skills, and new opportunities to do this within the framework of a particular course or programme, or even at the departmental level.

This spring, we’re launching a fresh new look for lse.ac.uk. If you’re interested in getting a sneak preview of what the new website is going to be like, the Web Improvement Programme (WIP) team is running a 'show and tell' exhibition in the atrium/reception area of the New Academic Building on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 May.

The exhibition will feature the new page designs, previews of some of the new features available, and reveal the latest ideas for the School’s new homepage. Members of the WIP team will be on-hand between 12-3pm on both days to answer any questions you may have.

Daniel Payne, curator for the politics and international relations collections at LSE Library, is asking staff to donate any campaigning literature they receive (e.g. leaflets, posters etc) related to the forthcoming referendum on UK’s membership of the EU to the Library.

This can then be preserved and potentially used in the future for teaching and research, so please do get in touch with Daniel if you are able to help.

This week Spectrum, LSE’s LGBT+ staff network, has been marking International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (#IDAHOBIT) on Tuesday 17 May.

Read our new blog post Five tips for LGBT+ inclusive communications at work and come along to Queering the African City: Johannesburg & Nairobi, our event with LSE Cities, on Thursday 2 June.

If you’d like to join our mailing list or have a question or a suggestion then drop us a line at spectrum@lse.ac.uk, follow @LSESpectrum on Twitter or visit lse.ac.uk/spectrum.

On Friday 13 May, LSE hosted its first Athena SWAN conference, entitled ‘Inclusive and Intersectional: insights into the new Athena SWAN processes’. In support of the School’s application for Athena SWAN accreditation from the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU), the conference explored the mainstreaming of gender equality in the higher education sector and the implications of intersectionalities for the development of inclusive institutions, including race and sexual orientation.

Isabella Chan, the lead organiser of the conference, commented: "LSE’s Athena SWAN conference proved an excellent opportunity to present and discuss experiences of gender equality in action and to share ideas and advice on promising courses of action and best practice. We would like to thank the School, the speakers and all the participants for contributing to such an engaging event!"

Ms Susana Malcorra, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Argentina, visited LSE on Friday 13 May to hold a 'conversation on Argentine foreign policy' with faculty and students.

For more information contact Professor Gareth Jones, Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Centre, at g.a.jones@lse.ac.uk.

To promote Dementia Awareness Week 2016 (15-21 May), Adelina Comas-Herrera and Lisa Trigg from the Personal Social Services Research Unit will be running a free ‘Dementia Friends’ Information Session.

Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition. The one-hour session will take place on Tuesday 24 May, 12.30-1.30pm, room 9.04, Tower 2. Everyone is welcome.

There’s now a new way to book and pay for tennis courts at Lincoln's Inn Fields - camden.gov.uk/active.

Online tennis bookings can now be made for up to five weeks in advance. During the transition to online bookings (until Monday 6 June) cash bookings at the huts for turn up and play customers will still be accepted, but not for advance bookings.  From 6 June, only online tennis bookings will be accepted.

Congratulations Research Development team!
We start with good news. Congratulations to our Research Development team, who have been nominated for Research Management Team of the Year - award sponsored by Worktribe at this year’s ARMA awards. Fingers crossed they win!

HEIs allowed to lobby Government
A new clause introduced on 1 May 2016, that bans organisations receiving government grants from using these taxpayer funds to lobby government and Parliament, will not affect HEIs. Find out more

Get ready for early career schemes
We’ve begun planning for a cluster of funding calls for early career researchers, with deadlines in early Michaelmas term. These calls are very competitive, so start developing your research ideas into research projects now. Find out four ways Heads of Departments and Research Centre Directors can get ready for early career schemes. Learn more

Public-Philanthropy Partnership in research investment: a new way forward?
Our Deputy Director, Jon Deer, updates us on the Philanthropy and Social Investment conference (PhiSI), hosted by the European Commission and the Dutch Presidency of the EU. At the conference, speakers discussed the possibility of fundamental changes for the way research is funded in the EU and what impact these may have on the social sciences and humanities. Learn more

Wellcome Seed Awards, a first step towards a large-scale project
Wellcome Seed Awards are a great way to make the most of Wellcome’s Humanities and Social Science funding. Marsha Henry, Deputy Director of LSE’s Centre for Women, Peace and Security, speaks about her recently won Wellcome Seed Award for her project on ‘Gender, Structures and Social Wellbeing: A Socio-Legal Exploration of Conflict-Related Gender-Based Violence in Bosnia Herzegovina and Liberia.’ Read more

Other news

• From October 2016, researchers will need to submit a data management plan (DMP) for any funded research. Guidance and tools are available. Read more
• Last but not least, is your research achieving its impact potential? Attend a lunchtime session for digestible advice on REF, knowledge exchange and impact. Find out more

The Single EU Capital Market: progress and challenges
Monday 23 May at 5.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Jonathan Hill (pictured)

Cities for a Small Continent
Tuesday 24 May at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Professor Bruce Katz and Professor Anne Power

The History of China's Future
Thursday 26 May at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor William A. Callahan, Dr Leigh Jenco, and Professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Slippery Slope: Europe's troubled future
Thursday 26 May at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Giles Merritt

Misbehaving: the making of behavioural economics
Date: Wednesday 1 June
Speaker: Professor Richard H Thaler (pictured)
Ticket release date: Wednesday 25 May

Tales of the Unexpected: gender equality and social progress in Bangladesh
Date: Friday 3 June
Speakers: Juli Huang, Professor Naila Kabeer, Professor David Lewis, and Professor Amartya Sen
Ticket release date: Thursday 26 May

Thursday 19 May 19, 6-8pm, NAB LG.09, New Academic Building

This year's Epstein Lecture will be presented by Dr Taylor Jaworski, Queen's University, Canada. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in the NAB.

Thursday 26 May, 6.30-8pm, Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor William A. Callahan, Professor of International Relations at LSE, Dr Leigh Jenco, Associate Professor of Political Theory at LSE, and Professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine.

The panelists will discuss the newly published book, The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China, which explores the history of China during a period of dramatic shifts and surprising transformations, from the founding of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) through to the present day.

Service Automation: robots and the future of work
Speakers: Professor Mary Lacity and Professor Leslie Willcocks
Recorded: Monday 9 May, approx 92 minutes

Rethinking the Global Monetary System
Speaker: Dr Raghuram Rajan
Recorded: Tuesday 10 May, approx 87 minutes

Race, Reform and the New Retrenchment: the perils of post-racialism after Obama
Speaker: Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw
Recorded: Wednesday 11 May, approx 89 minutes

Monday 23 May, 11am-3pm
This is an opportunity to get inspired, meet colleagues and exchange ideas to improve teaching and learning with technology. With a specific focus on e-assessment, you can book a place to this learning café style event (with lunch included) via the training system.

The full agenda can be found on the LTI blog.

Thursday 26 May, 12-2pm
This workshop will help you to draft your own ‘Pathways to Impact’ statement applying it to your research project. Explore key drivers for private sector - academic collaboration and discuss ways in which your research can influence and be used by private sector organisations.

Writing for Blogs
Wednesday 1 June, 12-1.30pm
This course will provide guidelines on good practice when writing web content with a specific focus on creating and writing for blogs. It is aimed at staff who are already blogging and those who are considering using a blog to communicate with their audience. This is a practical class with a mix of presentations, discussion and hands-on activities.

Giving Effective Presentations: How Not to Use PowerPoint
Thursday 2 June, 12-1.30pm
After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Specify the characteristics of an effective presentation
2. Design presentations in order to communicate your ideas to a specific audience
3. Choose and use software to effectively support your presentation

Integrating Digital and Information Literacies Into the Curriculum
Tuesday 7 June, 12-1.30pm
This session will explore the concepts of information and digital literacies, how they relate to teaching and learning and why they are important for our students. We will discuss how the skills that underpin these literacies can be embedded in course curriculum. We will also look at some examples of good practice. It will provide an opportunity to review your current teaching and consider how to integrate digital and information literacies into the courses and programmes that you teach.

Social Media for Research
Monday 13 June, 12-1.30pm
An activity-based workshop with opportunities for discussion aimed at academic staff and PhD students who would like to learn how to use social media in a research context.

Wednesday 8 June, 2-3.30pm
This workshop will aim to give researchers the information they need to be able to peer review effectively for  academic journals. It will cover what is peer review, the aims of effective peer review, why you should consider being a reviewer, and hints and tips on getting it right. Ending with a practical exercise to help potential reviewers identify ways to review, as well as common issues, the workshop aims to make attendees feel confident in accepting a review request. Drawing on expertise from Taylor & Francis’ journal editors and peer review management team, this workshop is primarily aimed at early career and mid-level researchers and is relevant across the disciplines.

Moodle Surgery
Various dates
Whether you already are a proficient user or you have no idea what Moodle is (yet!), book your half-hour slot at lunch time and we'll help you develop your skills in using the platform for administration or teaching purposes.

Moodle Basics
Thursday 9 June, 10am-12pm
This course is open to all LSE staff who need to update/edit Moodle courses. It provides an introduction to basic skills required to update/edit a course in Moodle.