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Mentoring week: Research mentoring in BUBS

Professor Michael Silk is Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice in the Bournemouth University Business School (BUBS). His current research focusses on urban renewal, social inequalities and disability. He has received funding from the British Council, the ESRC, the AHRC, the British Academy and Sport England, amongst others.  In this blog post, Michael discusses the support available in BUBS to support mentoring.

In 2020, and coinciding with the launch of BUBS, the School began restructuring research into defined Dept. based concentrations (Professorial Led Research Groups); these supplement interdisciplinary Research Centres that serve as the public face of excellent research. Predicated on alignment of activities with emergent Departmental and institutional strategic narratives, as well as other internal and external drivers–BU2025 core and strategic investment areas, UN Sustainable Development Goals, accrediting bodies, and UK Research Councils—these research groups are designed to balance the development of quality with a focus on development, focussing on short-term achievements (e.g. increasing the number of staff that are publishing and the quality of publications from those already published), medium term goals (higher quality larger bids and stronger external networks), and longer-term strategizing (enhance the interdisciplinary research culture, invest significantly in ECRs and evolve established research networks).

Based on research which suggests informal mentoring is often more effective than formal mentoring (e.g. Cotton & Raggins, 1999; Inzer, 2005) these groups provide a space for career development, role modelling, social interaction, as well as developing more focussed areas of research strength / capacity and thereby feeding into the wider BUBS narrative. Whilst the development of these groups has in part been impacted by the pandemic and will benefit from physical interaction, there have been a number of activities developed within these groups over the last few months (e.g. writing & bidding workshops). Furthermore, the School has put in place a new research infrastructure in each Department (a Postgraduate Research Lead, a Research Environment Lead, and a Strategic Research Lead) who work closely with the Head of Department (HoD) and Deputy Dean (Research and Professional Practice) who provide a more formal structure for inclusion, performance and environment in our research activities (including mentoring). To further maximise support (and indeed, compliment informal mentoring with formal mentoring given that a mix of styles is likely the best approach), we will be developing a formal mentoring programme across Fusion utilising an online platform / software.

Guest talk from the Internet Advertising Bureau- 23 March at 1pm

Dear all,
Christie and James (Biographies below) from the IAB UK are our guests this coming Tuesday at 1 pm. They kindly accepted to give a talk on “Digital advertising regulation in the UK” to the MSc Marketing Management and MSc Marketing (Digital) students. This talk will provide our students deep insight into the industry of digital advertising.
If you wish to attend, please email me : kkooli@bournemouth.ac.uk and I will send a Zoom invitation.
Regards,
Kaouther

Christie Dennehy-Neil is Head of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at IAB UK, the industry body for digital advertising. She works with the sector to achieve the optimal policy environment to support a sustainable future for digital advertising, and to help boost the understanding of the sector and its benefits within regulatory and political circles. Christie has overall responsibility for the IAB’s work on (self-)regulatory and public policy issues, and public affairs.

James Davies is Public Policy Manager at IAB UK, engaging with politicians and other policy-makers on the digital economy and digital advertising. He was previously Senior Policy Programmes Manager at BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, where he managed policy initiatives on digital education, the use of personal data and the societal impacts of social media. Prior to this James managed the political news website PoliticsHome.com and worked as a political consultant for Dods.

NIHR Grant Applications Seminar ONLINE

Funding opportunities, NHS, PG research

Tuesday 23rd March 2021, 10.00am – 12.30pm

Do you have a great idea for research in health, social care or public health?
Are you planning to submit a grant application to NIHR?

The popular NIHR seminar continues online and will next take place on Tuesday 23rd March 2021 from 10.00am – 12.30pm. The seminar provides an overview of NIHR funding opportunities and research programme remits, requirements and application processes.

NIHR will give you top tips for your application and answer specific questions with experienced RDS South West advisers.

There are also have a limited number of 20-minute 1-to-1 appointments available after the seminar should you wish to discuss your proposed study with an RDS adviser. Find out more and book a place

SIA open call for game changing research concepts: what could you do? Sign up now to find out more!

Last Friday, we announced the call for game-changing research concepts to enable the growth of BU’s Strategic Investment Areas.

This is your opportunity to put forward the concepts for which BU will be known in the years to come. Concepts that are prioritised for development by the SIA Steering Groups, will benefit from tailored institutional support to turn your idea into a reality.  This could include identification of match-funding, support from estates, personalised funding development support and much more – you tell us what you need!

 Game-changing research concepts are welcomed from all of our academic community across all career stages. 

To learn more about the SIAs, the open call and to discuss what you could do, read further details on the staff intranet and sign-up for sessions now by emailing sia@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

Briefing events are taking place on the following dates:

  • Medical Science SIA briefing session, led by Prof Stephen Tee – 9.30am on 6th April
  • Animation, Simulation & Visualisation SIA briefing session, led by Prof Kate Welham – 10am on 7th April
  • Assistive Technology SIA briefing session, led by Prof Christos Gatzidis, 10.30am on 22nd April
  • Sustainability, Low Carbon Technology and Materials Science SIA briefing session, led by Prof Richard Stillman, time and date TBC

General drop in-sessions for any queries, to discuss potential ideas or to identify potential BU partners are taking place on the following dates/times supported by SIA Steering Group members and RDS staff:

  • 1st April at 2pm
  • 8th April at 2pm
  • 19th April at 11.30pm
  • 29th April at 2pm

Email sia@bournemouth.ac.uk to get your diary invitation now!

 

Conversation article: Sea levels are rising fastest in big cities – here’s why

It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. What is less well know is the threat of sinking land. And in many of the most populated coastal areas, the land is sinking even faster than the sea is rising.

Parts of Tokyo for instance sank by 4 metres during the 20th century, with 2 metres or more of sinking reported in Shanghai, Bangkok, and New Orleans. This process is known as subsidence. Slow subsidence happens naturally in river deltas, and it can be accelerated by the extraction of groundwater, oil or gas which causes the soil to consolidate and the surface to lose elevation.

Subsidence leads to relative sea level rise (sea level rise plus land sinking). It turns croplands salty, damages buildings, causes widespread flooding and can even mean the loss of entire coastal areas.

Subsidence can threaten flooding in low-lying coastal areas, much more so than rising sea levels, yet scientists are only just realising the global implications of the threat with respect to coastal cities.

In fact, while the average coastal area experiences relative sea level rise of less than 3mm per year, the average coastal resident experiences a rise of around 8mm to 10mm per year. This is because so many people live in deltas and especially cities on deltas that are subsiding. That’s the key finding of our new research, where we analysed how fast cities are sinking across the world and compared them with global subsidence data including less densely populated coastlines.

Map showing relative sea level rise in 23 coastal regions around the world.
When weighted by population, relative sea level rise is worst in south east Asia, followed by south and east Asia, and the southern Mediterranean.
Nicholls et al, CC BY-SA

Our finding reflects that people often choose to live in river deltas, floodplains and other areas that were already prone to sinking, and in doing so will further enhance subsidence. In particular, subsiding cities contain more than 150 million people in the coastal zone – that’s roughly 20% of people in the world who live by the sea. This means relative sealevel rise will have a more sudden and more severe impact than scientists had originally thought.

Here are a few of the most affected cities:

Jakarta

The Indonesian capital Jakarta is home to 10 million people, and is built on low-lying land next to the sea. Groundwater extraction caused the city to sink more than three metres from 1947 to 2010 and much of the city is still sinking by 10cm or more each year.

Subsidence does not occur evenly, leading to uneven risks that make urban planning difficult. Buildings are now flooded, cracks are appearing in infrastructure which is being abandoned.

Jakarta has built higher sea walls to keep up with the subsidence. But since groundwater pumping continues, this patching-up policy can only last so long before the same problems occur again. And the city needs to keep pumping since groundwater is used for drinking water. Taking water, the very thing that humans need to survive, ultimately puts people at risk from inundation.

The battle against subsidence is slowly being lost, with the government proposing in 2019 to move the capital to a purpose-built city on the island of Borneo more than 1,000km away, with subsidence being one of many reasons.

Shanghai

Developing rapidly in the past few decades, and now with a population of 26 million, Shanghai is another sinker. The city has maximum subsidence rates of around 2.5cm a year. Again this is mostly caused by lowering groundwater levels, in this case thanks to drainage to construct skyscrapers, metro lines and roads (for instance Metro Line 1, built in the 1990s, caused rapid subsidence).

Body of water in front of lots of skyscrapers.
Shanghai is found where the river Yangtze meets the sea.
John_T / shutterstock

If no additional protection is built, by 2100 this rate of subsidence and sea level rise mean that a storm surge could flood around 15% of the city.

New Orleans

In New Orleans, centuries of embankments and ditches had effectively drained the city and sunk it, leaving about half of it below sea level.

Map of New Orleans with shaded areas below sea level.
Much of New Orleans is below sea level (red) and relies on sea walls to stay dry.
The Data Center, New Orleans, CC BY-SA

When Hurricane Katrina breached the levees in 2005, the city did not stand a chance. The hurricane caused at least US$40 billion (£29 billion) in damage and particularly took its toll on the city’s African American community. More than 1,570 people died across the state of Louisiana.

If the city had not subsided, damage would have been greatly reduced and lives would have been saved. Decisions that were made many decades or more ago set the path for the disasters that are seen today, and what we will see in the future.

There are no simple solutions

So what can be done? Building a sea wall or dike is one immediate solution. This of course stops the water coming in, but remember that the sea wall is sinking too, so it has to be extra large in order to be effective in the long-term. In urban areas, engineers cannot raise ground easily: that can take decades as buildings and infrastructure are renewed. There is no simple solution, and large-scale urban subsidence is largely irreversible.

Some cities have found “solutions”. Tokyo for instance managed to stop subsidence from about 1960 onwards thanks to stronger regulations on water pumping, but it cannot get rid of the overall risk as parts of city are below sea level and depend on dikes and pumps to be habitable. Indonesia’s bold proposal to move its capital city may be the ultimate solution.

Increased urbanisation especially in deltas areas and the demand for freshwater means subsidence will remain a pressing issue in the coming decades. Dealing with subsidence is complementary to dealing with climate-induced sea level rise and both need to be addressed. A combination of rising seas and sinking lands will increasingly leave coastal cities at risk.

Sally Brown, Scientist, Bournemouth University and Robert James Nicholls, Professor of Climate Adaptation, University of East Anglia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Funding Development Briefing – Spotlight on: AHRC Research Development and Engagement Fellowships

Funding opportunities

The RDS Funding Development Briefings now occur weekly, on a Wednesday at 12 noon.

Each session covers the latest major funding opportunities, followed by a brief Q&A session. Some sessions also include a spotlight on a particular funding opportunity of strategic importance to BU.

Next Wednesday 24th March, there will be a spotlight on AHRC Research Development and Engagement Fellowships

We will cover:

  • Overview
  • Aims and scope
  • Q & A

For those unable to attend, the session will be recorded and shared on the Teams site under the ‘Files’ section, and also saved on the I Drive at I:\RDS\Public\Funding Pipeline\Funding Development Briefings.

Please email RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk to receive the Teams invite for these sessions.

 

Kidneys are calciyummy!

conferences

Every cell controls its function by regulating intracellular calcium levels. Neuronal transmission, cardiac contractions, white blood cell movement, insulin secretion…all these events happen because calcium floods into the cytoplasm, binds proteins that trigger cell-specific effects. Studying calcium dynamics is important and provides insights that guide our understanding of human physiology and our ability to control disease states such as cancer and diabetes (among others) with drugs or genetic manipulation to impact cellular signaling cascades via changes in gene expression patterns through chromatin remodeling events that occur as a direct result of altered levels of free cytosolic Ca2+ ions in cells.

We know that calcium dynamics regulate human kidney function but we’re not clear how or why. Studying human kidneys is, as you’d imagine, extremely challenging, so models are used instead. Here at BU we use the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to model aspects of human cardiac and kidney function – paying particular attention to how genes control cell biology a nd how cells work together to maintain organ function.

According to professionals similar to those at thekidneydocs.com, the kidney is a complex system made up of millions of specialized cells that perform many functions including filtering blood to remove waste products from the bloodstream and producing hormones that regulate blood pressure and blood volume; it also regulates ion concentrations in the blood by reabsorbing some ions into the blood and excreting them in the urine or producing urine containing concentrated salts for excretion from the body via the urethra.

Recent work being presented this week at the British Society for Cell Biology’s ‘Dynamic Cell’ conference demonstrates how the fly’s kidney like cells (called nephrocytes) have regular ‘calcium waves’ lasting about twenty seconds. Using a combination of transgenic flies and pharmacology, this is the first time we’ve appreciated that nephrocytes have a rapid and ever-changing calcium biology. They are a window into what’s going in our own kidneys. The image above shows a calcium wave rising and falling in a single nephrocyte – imaged within a living larval fly.

What’s particularly tantalizing is the likelihood that these calcium waves are controlled by mechanisms of direct relevance to human physiology – so the hunt is now on to identify these mechanisms!

 

The International Centre of Tourism and Hospitality Research [ICTHR] supports global tourism recovery from COVID. Professor Dimitrios Buhalis will deliver a range of keynotes, panels and interventions around the world. Please join us at these events.

Business Engagement, conferences

The International Centre of Tourism and Hospitality Research supports global tourism recovery from COVID.
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis will deliver a range of keynotes, panels and interventions around the world.
Please join us at these events.

PHILIPPINES Wednesday 17 March 2021, 15:45 – 16:15 Manila time 07:45 – 8:15 am, London time.
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis,  Smart Tourism within Smart Cities
Department of Tourism, REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Tourism Promotions Board: Tourism in the Philippines
Tourism and Technology Forum, Manila, The Philippines,
Register to attend the event at https://www.bit.ly/TravelTourismForum

 

 

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LONDON Wednesday 17 March 2021, 10:30 – 12:15 Association of British Travel Agencies (ABTA)
Business Resilience Webinar Series:  Managing Travel Workforces
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR)
Future Talent in Tourism
REGISTER https://www.abta.com/events/abta-webinar-managing-travel-workforces

 

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18-20 March 2021 INDIA Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Global Hospitality and Tourism Conference on Experiential Management and Marketing
GHTC 2020 Conference https://www.ghtconference.org/
Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, North -Eastern Hill University,  Shillong (India)

Thursday 18 March  2021, 14:00 AM to 15:00 (IST) – 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM (London Time).

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Smart Tourism and Restart of Tourism.

Friday 19, March 2021 14:30 to 16:00 (IST) – 09:00 AM to 10:30 AM (London Time).

Workshop on Publishing Tips in Top Tier Tourism and Hospitality Journals

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Getting Past the Pandemic – Working Together
TTI Spring Conference webinar – Thursday 18 Mar 10:00 – 13:00 (UK)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/getting-past-the-pandemic-working-together-tickets-140256217121

Detailed Agenda
10:00  Welcome & TTI Update Tim Wright, Chairman, TTI
10:10 Addressing the Tourism Industry Tom Jenkins, Director, European Tourism Association
10:35 Tourism Post COVID Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University Business School
11:00 A Return to Hospitality Rob Paterson, CEO, Best Western Hotel Group GB
11:25 Coffee Break
11:45 Will  Airlines Take Off Again? Simon McNamara, Country Manager United Kingdom, IATA
12:10 Testing – Crucial to the New Normal Angus Urquhart, Sales Director, GeneMe UK
12:35 Leveraging Tech and Data Towards a Post-Pandemic World Richard Baker, Chief Commercial Officer, Inspiretec
13:00 Chairman’s Summary and Close Tim Wright, Chairman, TTI
Moderator: Paul Richer, Genesys Digital Transformation

​

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Wednesday 24 March 2021 – 13:45-14:45 South Africa time – 11:45-14:45 London time
Johannesburg Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
Africa Business Tourism and MICE
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis – Digital Transformation – new reality for survival recovery and growth
Moderator: Natalia Bayona UNWTO
Register https://virtualproductions.flockplatform.com/ep/?event=2021-Africa-Business-Tourism-and-MICE-Masterclass

 

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Virtual Reality (VR) Innovations in Tourism & Destination Marketing
You are invited to attend this PATA Youth Webinar co-hosted by the Bournemouth University International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research
25 March 2021 – 09:00 London Time – 16:00 in Bangkok Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3616158045802/WN_aLW3IMa3QN-Q-DCPVQ5hlQ
What is the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) on the Tourism industry? We know that it is immersive, engaging and opens up new ways for destinations to engage with travellers. We know that the technology is exciting and as youth, we want to be at the forefront of this upcoming trend.
Dive into the world of VR with our expert guest speakers from Hong Kong Tourism Board, Spherie and Teleport to learn about VR Trends within the industry, opportunities with new technology and the decision-making process that happens behind the scenes.Questions we’ll ask in the panel discussion:
– What’s the wildest dream you have for the future of VR technology within the space of tourism?
– To Hong Kong Tourism Board, as a destination, what are the factors that you have to take into consideration, before choosing VR as a tool/technology in your marketing strategy?
– To Spherie and Teleport, what advice would you give to youths interested in breaking into the VR space as an entrepreneur?

IMSET Seminar: Understanding coastal change

Thursday 18 March at 4pm 

Understanding coastal change: impact and implications global to local scales with Dr Sally Brown, Bournemouth University  

Coastal zones are under multiple threats of natural and anthropogenic change. The impact of these threats are anticipated to worsen with climate change and the effects of sea-level rise. In this presentation, Sally will highlight different elements of her research, including how physical processes and socio-economic change vary throughout time, and demonstrate methods and solutions to adapt to these changes. Examples will be taken from global, regional and local scales from areas that Sally has worked on around the world. 

Sally is a coastal and climate change adaptation scientist. She joined BU in 2018, and as all but six weeks of her time at BU has been part-time or working from home, she is keen to integrate more and work with others in research at BU. Find out more about Sally’s research.  

Find out more and book your place.  

Share this event on Twitter: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/imset-seminar-understanding-coastal-change-tickets-140996671841?ref=estw 

BU Academic Targeted Research Scheme: Only a few heartbeats away: Biofeedback in your pocket

My name is Lars Marstaller and I joined BU as Senior Lecturer for “Technology for Behaviour Change” on the Academic Targeted Research Scheme in July 2020. The aim of my project is to develop a smartphone biofeedback app.

What is biofeedback?

Biofeedback refers to technology that makes biological signals perceptually available that are otherwise hard or even impossible to perceive. Examples of such biological signals are heartbeats or brain waves. By making these biological signals available, the technology creates a feedback loop to the nervous system. The simplest model of such a feedback loop is the thermostat. The thermostat receives feedback by measuring the temperature in a room and then adjusts the heating up or down. This loop is then repeated until a pre-specified goal state is achieved and the room is nice and cozy. A similar loop is created through biofeedback. The important difference, however, is that biofeedback makes the user aware of the feedback signal. This way, the user can consciously try to modulate the signal towards an intentional goal state.

In my research project, I focus on feedback from heartbeats. The smartphone biofeedback app will allow users to listen to their heartbeats on their own or as part of a mindfulness exercise. In addition, the app will allow users to engage in biofeedback training. In this training, users learn to regulate their breathing to maximise their heart rate variability, i.e., to repeatedly speed up and slow down their heartbeats. By manipulating their heart rate variability, users thereby activate cardiovascular homeostatic reflexes in the autonomic nervous system associated with rest and recovery.

 

Why a smartphone biofeedback app?

Empirical evidence increasingly suggests that biofeedback has positive effects on a number of psychological conditions, such as anxiety, stress and depression. However, in order to use biofeedback, one needs to spend money on a device. Even though biofeedback devices are becoming increasingly affordable and biofeedback technology is getting integrated into more and more devices, such as smartwatches, the cost of a biofeedback device is likely to affect the adoption of the technology by less affluent parts of the population and in developing countries.

Yet, large parts of the population already possess a computing device with multiple sensors and cameras, i.e. a smartphone. In the UK, around 80 percent of the general population own a smartphone. This means that if my project succeeds, a large part of the population will for the first time have access to sophisticated biofeedback technology by downloading an app from an app store onto their phone.

Artificial intelligence for biofeedback

In order to leverage the technological capabilities of smartphones for biofeedback, I am using state-of-the-art machine learning technology. The problem is how to detect heartbeats in noisy sensor data. My solution is to use convolutional neural networks, a technology that is used in many applications to recognize faces, license number plates, or species of mushroom. This approach requires large amounts of data for training of the neural network.

In the first phase, I am working on creating a dataset for machine learning. The next steps include neural network design and training as well as experimental validation, where my heartbeat detection technology will be compared against the gold standard of electrocardiography. Finally, I will focus on developing the biofeedback app and measuring its efficacy to reduce stress.

If you’re interested in my work and would like to know more or collaborate on large-scale heart rate data projects, please get in touch.

Older People and Malnutrition in the UK today

Business Engagement

 

 

 

 

 

Prof Jane Murphy from BU’s Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) was invited to speak at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPGs) for Ageing and Older People on 10th March 2020. The topic of the session was ‘Older People and Malnutrition in the UK today’.

Chaired by Rachael Maskell, MP, it was attended by public, stakeholders and other MPs. This cross-party forum holds government to account on issues affecting ageing older people.

The online forum addressed the concerns of malnutrition in older people, that has worsened as a result of the pandemic due to the consequences of shielding, lockdown and isolation and people not accessing health and social care services.

Jane spoke on the part research plays in raising awareness of malnutrition across health and social care setting alongside Dianne Jeffery OBE, Chair of the Malnutrition Task Force, Dr Trevor Smith , Chair of BAPEN and Vittoria Romano, Chair of  the British Dietetic Association Older People Specialist group.

Jane shared some good practice examples from her research and tools co-produced with key stakeholders and older people to address the problem – the Patients Association Nutrition Checklist and the Nutrition Wheel (see Malnutrition Task Force website). Also a call to action for:

1) more focus on prevention and early identification of malnutrition in the community

2) people having access to appropriate Primacy Care and Voluntary Sector Organisation support in local communities and

3) prioritising nutritional care across integrated pathway across health and social care as part of new integrated care systems to support recovery.

She also raised the importance of research in the area to respond to the concerns of black and minority ethics communities.

What was clear is that long after we’ve beaten the virus, the NHS, care homes and communities will still be dealing with the consequences of malnutrition unless we take action now!

 

BU Academic Targeted Research Scheme : Immersive Environments for Disaster Management

I joined the Disaster Management Centre as a Senior Lecturer in December 2019 and my post is also part of the Academic Targeted Research Scheme. The Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC) is part of Bournemouth University Business School (BUBS).

My research is focused on Immersive Environments for Disaster Management. This involves a review of current Disaster Management education, training and exercise methodologies and recognised practice and how technology enhanced learning platforms might be used to inform and add to current practice in Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management. Although my research will be wide-ranging, after a career of more than 20 years in Public Health, my initial research has centred around looking at the potential of immersive environments, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality for preparing for pandemics and other high consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) with the potential to cause pandemics.

I started out in public health research and then went into health sector emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR). I began my career as a research scientist specialising in microbiology and moved into health emergency preparedness and response with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in 2005. This organisation became part of Public Health England (PHE) in 2013 where I was the strategic lead for EPRR.

While with HPA and then PHE,  I managed teams involved in the development and delivery of training, simulations and exercises in health security for the health sector both at home and abroad. These included the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s strategic schedule of emergency response training and exercises and international training and exercise events for organisations such as DGSante, (European Commission), the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC).

My national EPRR responsibilities included managing PHE’s EPRR Programme which included preparing for and management and co-ordination of emergencies such as the Swine Flu pandemic in 2009, the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury in 2018.

My international public health work includes the development and delivery of a programme of work to strengthen the emergency preparedness and response capability and capacity for public health emergencies in Africa and Asia. This involved the co-creation of EPRR solutions, including “off-the-shelf” tools using innovative solutions, such as simulations, in order to build EPRR capability and capacity in these countries.

I’m going to be reaching out to colleagues across BU to foster collaborations and in order to enrich my research in the area of immersive environments and enhanced learning platforms, including the potential for these technologies to be applied in emergency preparedness and response in a post CoVID-19 world.

If you’re interested in the work that I am doing or if you think I can provide input into your areas of interest please get in touch.

Come along to SURE to support our students. Wednesday 17 March 1pm

Undergraduate students from across all faculties, including BUBS, will present their work at this year’s SURE. They would love to see you in the audience.
Before Wed March 17th register on eventbrite here
If you want to join on the day, you are welcome to join the conference on MS Teams even if you haven’t registered: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/SURE2021

Conference agenda

  • 13:00 Opening Statement by Conference Co-chairs, Dr Mary Beth Gouthro and Dr Fiona Cownie, Welcome by VC John Vinney
  • 13:15 Keynote ‘Lockdown stories: Digital storytelling and community empowerment’ – Dr Isa Rega, Faculty of Media and Communication
  • 13:50 Session one – Join our breakout channels to watch students present their work
  • 14:50 Coffee break – Join our social channel to chat with other conference attendees
  • 15:15 Session two – Join our breakout channels to watch students present their work
  • 16:15 Coffee break – Join our social channel to chat with other conference attendees
  • 16:30 Keynote ‘Search and Research’ – Dr Lois Farquharson, Samreen Ashraf Bournemouth University Business School
  • 17:00 Summary and prizes with Dr Mary Beth Gouthro, Dr Karen Fowler Watt, Eleanor Wills and Dr Fiona Cownie
  • 17:30 Optional after conference social for those who want to join. Grab yourself a drink and celebrate your success!

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis will be contributing to theAssociation of British Travel Agencies (ABTA) Business Resilience Webinar Series: Managing Travel Workforces

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR) will be contributing to the

Association of British Travel Agencies (ABTA) Business Resilience Webinar Series

Managing Travel Workforces 17 March 2021, 10:30 – 12:15 –

Venue: Zoom followed by a virtual networking platform

REGISTER https://www.abta.com/events/abta-webinar-managing-travel-workforces

This webinar will provide an essential update for those responsible for managing workforces in travel. Listen to sessions on key areas affecting travel employment before taking part in a new virtual networking session with other HR and industry peers.

In the morning, get an employment law update, including the latest information on the furlough scheme, and what the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement means for your staff. Following the Government’s COVID-19 roadmap announcement, understand your responsibilities for homeworkers and staff returning to the office. Learn the key considerations for when you are developing and implementing new remote working policies, and get an insight on how you can use technology to support your staff. Hear expert advice on training, motivating, and engaging with staff that have worked through the pandemic and those returning from furlough. Get guidance and advice on how you continue to look after your staff as working patterns change, providing support both in the office and at home. Finish the morning by taking part in a new interactive networking session. This discussion group on an innovative   platform ‘Wonder’ will allow you to discuss common issues with colleagues, and follow up directly with webinar speakers.

 

 10:30 Welcome from the moderator 

Vicki Wolf, Education Manager, ABTA 
10:35 Employment law update 

  • •Furlough – understanding the latest extension
  • •Sending staff to work in the EU – considerations following the EU-UK Trade and Cooperationagreement
  • •Possible legislative changes coming in 2021
  • •Employer duty of care – planning your return to the office

 

Ami Naru, Employment Partner, Travlaw
11:00 Hybrid workforce – what does this mean? 

  • •Staff collaboration and communication channels
  • •Remote working, transformation and duty of care

 

Simon Johnson, General Manager, UK&I, Freshworks
11:20 Staff wellbeing and engagement 

  • •Motivating, managing and engaging with returning staff
  • •Looking after your staff remotely and in the office
  • •Redundancy support

 

Hazel Craig, Senior Data Analytics Consultant, Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing
11:40 Panel discussion: future talent in travel 

  • •Developing future talent pipelines
  • •Filling skills gap because of COVID-19
  • •Utilising apprenticeships
  • •Diversity and inclusion

 

Moderated by: Vicki Wolf, Education Manager, ABTA

Jo Roche, Managing Director, Northern Training Academy

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Professor in Marketing, Strategy and Innovation, Bournemouth University

Carole Hodgson, Apprenticeship Delivery Manager, Hays Travel (TBC)
12:10 Summary and close of webinar 

Vicki Wolf, Education Manager, ABTA 
12:15 Networking and discussion 

ABTA is hosting a virtual discussion group on an innovative platform, specifically designed to make networking easy and fun. Meet your industry colleagues and discuss common issues surrounding your workforces. The interactive platform will have a number of areas to help start discussion, feel free to join a specific meeting group or network informally with colleagues. Discussion groups to include:

  • •IT resources
  • •Restructuring and workforce management
  • •Diversity and inclusion
  • •Apprenticeships
  • •Staff engagement