Postgraduate Engineering student Modupe Jimoh was privileged to meet The Queen at the recent Association of Commonwealth Universities’ Centenary Conference. Held on 16 - 18 October 2013, the conference marked the 100th anniversary of the Association. The event brought together 250 university stakeholders from Commonwealth Nations across the globe for a three-day event focusing on the future of higher education. As a commonwealth scholar who also doubles as an academic in her home country of Nigeria, Modupe was invited to attend the conference. Modupe writes of her experience:

“Over the course of three days, delegates engaged in discussions on the challenges facing the international higher education sector under the theme 'Future Forward - taking charge of change'. An array of brilliant speakers contributed to the Centenary Conference, giving delegates a lot to consider. One of the speakers, Dr Boghuma Titanji , a Commonwealth Scholar from Cameroon who gave a talk titled 'An African Scholar’s perspective on the returning early career researcher', which was based on her experience as a 'returnee' and her hopes of returning again on completion of her PhD to a Cameroon with an environment more conducive to academic research. Others speakers included Sir David King, who spoke about the changing demographics of the world's population, the rise of the middle classes, and the pressures this could create for HEIs. Dr Mo Ibrahim (amongst others) delivered a timely reminder to delegates representing African universities that, having the youngest population, Africa is the future and that the responsibility of developing the mental capacity of the continent so that it can fulfil its potential lay firmly with those delegates in the room, who run the continent's Universities.

“The conference had its share of fun as it included a Gala Dinner and Symons and PR Awards. It was my first visit to the hallowed turf of the Oval, home of Surrey Country Cricket Club, which formed the backdrop to the Gala Dinner. Music performed by the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra helped start the evening off on the right note. Respected sports journalist, Mihir Bose, proved to be the ideal speaker for the location and his speech emphasised the power of sport, throughout the times and across the Commonwealth, to lead the way in breaking down barriers. The Gala Dinner provided ample opportunities for me to meet stakeholders in the academia, forming new bonds in a relaxed environment.

“The climax of the conference was on Friday morning when along with other delegates I attended a reception at Buckingham Palace where I met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the ACU, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the royal family. The Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Children’s choir entertained the guests to a variety of songs and music. Little group chats with the Queen and the royals continuing into the afternoon. I guess I can say it was historic!

Photo: Modupe Jimoh meets The Queen

“The three-day conference concluded with an engaging debate in which delegates discussed whether society expected too much of universities. The debate gathered even more momentum when the motion was opened for contributions from the floor, with delegates using their three minutes to vocalise their opinions. The motion was put to a vote and, although it was defeated, a sizeable proportion of the audience backed it. What I learnt from the debate - and from the rest of the conference as a whole - is that the new constant in higher education is change, change due to shifts in technology, government policy, population demographics and economic conditions. Through attending the ACU Conference, I have been invigorated to, rather than continue being subject to change, begin to stand up and take charge of change.

“I am currently researching on the topic ‘Predicting Pollutant Spill Concentrations from Urban Drainage Schemes’ specifically looking at the hydraulics within a square manhole. A prototype of which can be found in the flow rig located at the Warwick Water laboratory. The research includes the study of the dispersion of solute within a square manhole as well as the effect of surcharge on travel time and headloss across the manhole. It seeks to investigate the different flow regimes possible as the surcharge level changes relating it to larger urban drainage schemes.”