BU Research Blog

The Centre for Qualitative has received approval to continue as a Research Centre within Bournemouth University.  Kip Jones will act as Centre Director, with Caroline Ellis-Hill acting as Deputy Director. The Centre will be part of the new Department of Health Sciences & Public Health in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences. Members are welcome from across departments and faculties at BU.

The Centre for Qualitative Research (CQR), a long-standing resource for research practice and postgraduate learning at BU, has recently undergone a ‘refit’ of its web pages.  Content from the old site has been moved over to the new platform for Bournemouth University groups and centres. The new format now makes it possible to link with work taking place in other Schools and research sites. In addition, Impact, Public Engagement and Postgraduate Research links feature on every page.

CQR is held in high esteem globally for its innovative work and commitment to qualitative research. The refreshed web pages provide an international ‘shop window’ for CQR, School of Health & Social Care and BU more generally in regards to cutting-edge qualitative work. CQR has always engaged across Schools at BU and welcomes new opportunities for collaborate efforts.

The new CQR pages include information, resources and links organised around the following areas of research:

• Humanising Health and Social Care
• Novel and Innovative Research Methodologies
• Performative Social Science

In addition, areas such as Biographic Narrative Interpretive Research, Cut-up Technique and Appreciative Inquiry are covered. A new page outlining the ‘Gay and Pleasant Land? Project and Rufus Stone’ has been added. The recently organised, cross-Schools ARTS in RESEARCH (AiR) collaboration is also featured.

The new web pages include new information and resources, links to further information and even videos for viewing pleasure! Last but not least, a photo has been added as a ‘Featured Image’ highlighting the essence of each page.

Have a look around this interesting site!

WAN celebrated Christmas with a networking event, and an inspirational presentation from Felicity Aston, MBE.

Felicity started her career as a Senior Meteorologist working with the British Antarctic Survey. When she started in Antarctica (having completed her MSc), she knew that she would not be returning home for some time – she spent three summers and two winters at the station, as is typical for staff. Her love affair with a snowy landscape went from there….

Felicity shared some of her subsequent experience, including:

• The Polar Challenge – in 2005, she was part of the first all-female team to complete the race across Arctic Canada to the North Magnetic Pole coming 6^th out of 16 teams
• In 2006, she was part of the first all-female British expedition across the Greenland ice sheet
• In 2009, she was the team leader of the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. The team comprised women from six Commonwealth member countries and they skied to the South Pole to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth.

However, most of her presentation was about the motivation and endurance required to complete her most extreme journey, crossing the Antarctic, by herself, using muscle power alone – an accomplishment that was truly astounding.

She started by asking the audience: “When were you last actually alone?” This prompted the audience to think about how little time any of us spend completely by ourselves; who we are is very often a product of those around us. Would we want to experience ‘self’ in a period of long isolation? Could we do so without any other human reference points? What would be the cognitive dissonance?

It was good to hear that Felicity is very human (rather than a super warrior) – once the intrepid achiever had been dropped off and her transport had departed the first thing that Felicity did, was to sit down on her sledge and cry! Being reduced to tears when a hurdle seems un-surmountable is a common experience for many; hearing that this courageous woman did likewise, was heartening.

She experienced physical anxiety, including breathing difficulties, a raised pulse and actual shaking. But then she pulled herself together and just got on with it, although ‘getting on with it’, required more endurance than any of us can imagine! She was pulling her supplies in two sledges, weighing approx. 85kg, in temperatures of -22F (-30C), on a journey that would take 59 days, many of which were complete white-outs.

She became anxious about losing kit, or things not working. Her broken lighter left her with just 46 matches to light her stove. She had panic attacks at times and had to focus on her breathing. Her mask to protect her from exposure froze like iron against her face each morning. She had to remember to break her food into postage-stamp sized peices to pass through the small gap in the mask during the day. She started thinking that “if you think something will go wrong, it probably will – so take action”. She spent ages one day, securing her one and only spade, as the thought of it falling off the top of her sledge without her notice, had occupied her thoughts.

As days passed, it became harder and harder to motivate herself. The little voice inside her head would say “just stay in your tent another hour” but another voice would come up with incentives to continue: “if you get up and go, you can eat all your chocolate in one go.” In the end, common-sense prevailed and the over-arching ‘mantra’ became “just get out of the tent”.

“Just get out of the tent” was a powerful message – once the first step is taken the next one follows.

She spent Christmas and New Year alone. Eventually after so little visual stimulation, she started talking to the sun; eventually the sun spoke back. She then had hallucinatory episodes where she saw dismembered floating hands pointing the way, and a gnome-like man who rode off on a small dinosaur. She shared her photos, made jokes and laughed at herself. She spoke with frankness about her weaknesses, demonstrating true humility and lack of ego – something that is uncommon in male achievers.

The audience were endeared to her!

In conclusion, it now makes applying for promotion, submitting that publication, going for that award etc., seem like an easy step in comparison. So, as Felicity would suggest, “just get out of the tent” – achievement begins with that first easy step!

Finally, big thank you to Sara who had organised the event but was off sick – get well soon and a very Happy Christmas, to our WAN community from your co-convenors – Heather, Chris and Sara.

Hello !

The entries to this year’s Research Photography Competition are now open!

Can you convey your research through an image?

We are looking for academics and postgraduates to tell the story of their research through a photograph, which can be used to inspire current BU undergraduates.

All submitted images will be showcased on the BU website late 2015, where staff and students will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite image/s. An exhibition will also be displayed in the Atrium Art Gallery during February 2016. Winners will then be announced during an Awards Ceremony which will take place on Thursday 4 February 2016.

How to enter the competition:

Step 1: Take your photo!

You can be as creative as you like in capturing the essence of your research. You could take a photo of your research in progress, showing how it is developed. Or you could focus on the people involved – the people behind the research, or the people benefitting from it. Unusual or artistic images are encouraged!

Step 2: Submit your photo

Submit your photo to the research email inbox, along with a 100–200 word description of your research by the 13th of January 2016.

Need inspiration?

Then take a look at our regular ‘Photo of the Week’, where you can read about the research behind the images or visit the Research Photography Competition 2015 webpages which highlight last year’s Research Photography Competition entries.

Sophie Smith, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) has been awarded a ‘You’re Brilliant!’ Award by the Occupational Therapy students.

The awards which were introduced to BU in 2010 have been a great way for students to nominate staff who they think are brilliant. And Sophie definitely fits that description. Sophie was praised as being fun, approachable, warm, welcoming, calm, happy, positive and a fantastic teacher.

Sophie would like to say a big thank you to all who nominated her for their kind words.

Well done Sophie!

The Festival of Learning enters its fourth year in 2016 and will be running from Saturday 25 – Wednesday 29 June. It’s a fantastic public engagement opportunity for BU to showcase the great research coming out of the university. The call for proposals is now open and the process for submitting an application is simple:

1. Think of an idea for an event that demonstrates your research – will it be innovating and interesting to members of the public? Watch our video from 2015 for some inspiration.
2. Decide if you want your event to be a bookable event that people can sign up for or whether you’d like a run a stall or drop in activity instead (i.e. an activity based on passing traffic rather than pre-bookings)
3. Consider who you want to be your target audience (adults, families, businesses etc.)
4. Consider whether your event meets the Festivals objectives, what you plan to do during the event, how it will appeal to your intended audience and what your attendees will get out of attending the event.
5. Complete the Festival of Learning event application before January 31^st 2016: see here (We are unable to accept late proposals due to the tight turn around between the call closing and review by the panel.)

If you would like to discuss an idea in more detail, please call/ email Naomi Kay (Public Engagement Officer) 61342/ nkay@bouremouth.ac.uk or click here for more detailed information about submitting a proposal.