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Intergenerational working

Earlier in the month as part of a whirlwind three State visit to the US we visited one of three  Intergenerational Schools in Cleveland, Ohio. http://www.tisonline.org/ This model of education has two distinct programmes to promote learning and working between the older and younger generations. The first is a ‘buddy reading’ system where older people living in the community come into the school to read with pupils. Every pupil receives 2 x 20 minute sessions with an older person per week to enhance their reading skills. A second programme involves every class in the school visiting one of thirty-one care facilities (day care and long stay care) in the area once a month where pupils work with older people on a range of projects. The image attached is one art project  where pupils visited the care home and worked with people with dementia residing in one of Clevelands premier care facilities, Judson to create these banners that hang in the entrance to the care facility. These two initiatives demonstrate the possibilities for learning and working together in meaningful ways benefitting both older adults and school children. We have been experimenting with intergenerational working here at Bournemouth via a Tech Group facilitated at The Bourne Academy where school pupils have welcomed people with dementia and their carers into their schools to work together in an after school club where they have been learning to play on the wii, xbox and ipads together. This way of working offers opportunities to educate younger generations about dementia and to combat associated stigma, ignorance and fear of what it might mean to live with dementia. To paraphrase some of the words of the School Principle in Cleveland, who I found truly inspirational, the younger we start to educate our children about life and the challenges it can throw at us the better prepared they will be to contribute as active citizens in our society.

BU SDRC Contributions to WIT Contact & Surface 2015 International Conference

PG research, Publishing, student research

BU SDRC Director Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor) organised a special session on “Surface Engineering” at the WIT 2015 Contact and Surface International Conference and contributed as a member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) as a reviewer during 2014-15.

SDRC Professor Mark Hadfield chaired the special session and also helped the conference as a member of the ISAC to support review process.

BU academics and researchers along with the SDRC international partners from Gazi University Turkey contributed presentations and have submitted the following extended full length papers to the WIT International Journal of Computational Methods & Experimental Measurements (CMEM), which are all currently under review for publication.

  1. Khan, Z., Pashaei, P., Bajwa, R., Nazir, M. H., & Cakmak, M. (2015). Fabrication and characterisation of electrodeposited and magnetron sputtered thin films. In Contact and Surface 2015. València, Spain. Retrieved from http://www.wessex.ac.uk/15-conferences/contact-and-surface-2015.html
  2. Saeed, A., Khan, Z., & Hadfield, M. (2015). Performance Evaluation of Surface Protection Applied to Large Vehicles. In Contact and Surface 2015. València, Spain: Wessex Institute, UK. Retrieved from http://www.wessex.ac.uk/15-conferences/contact-and-surface-2015.html
  3. Gultekin, A., Pashaei, P., Khan, Z., Ozturk, M. K., Tamer, M., & Bas, Y. (2015). X-ray and ab initio study of structural, electronic, elastic and optical properties in Be1-xZnxS alloys depending on Vegard’s law. In Contact and Surface 2015. València, Spain. Retrieved from http://www.wessex.ac.uk/15-conferences/contact-and-surface-2015.html
  4. Nazir, M. H., Khan, Z. A. (2015). Maximising the Interfacial Fracture Toughness of Thin Coatings and Substrate through Optimisation of Defined Parameters. In Contact and Surface 2015. València, Spain: WIT. Retrieved from http://www.wessex.ac.uk/15-conferences/contact-and-surface-2015.html

WIT is currently collaborating with BU in Corrosion research through a post doc programme Mark Hadfield (PI), Zulfiqar Khan (Co-I) led by Dr Adil Saeed as a post doc researcher.

Corrosion (experimental, modelling and simulation) and Surface Engineering (nano coatings) research within BU SDRC is conducted in collaboration with multinational industrial partners through match funding with significant in-kind experimental support.

For further details on current research activity in SDRC please visit the Centre webpage. If you have interests in these areas and would like to find more please contact Dr Zulfiqar Khan

Policy Update

Monday

International Students

A surge in international students wishing to study in London has caused campus extensions and building projects worth a total of £4bn. Overseas student surge drives expansion at London universities (FT).

Tuition Fees

The SNP will support Labour’s bid to reduce tuition fees in England. SNP to back Labour on English tuition fees (Scotsman).

Student Votes

New polls suggest that both the two main parties are tied with 31% of student support ahead of next month’s general election. The Greens were the next most popular party, with 25%. Labour and Conservatives neck and neck among student voters (FT).

Tuesday

The Student Vote

A poll of 13,000 undergraduates finds “Green surge” amongst student population at the expense of the Liberal Democrats. Student poll: campus vote swings from yellow to Green (Times Higher Education).

Post-Study Work Visas

Francois Hollande and Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi agree to introduce a new two-year post-study work visa for Indian students studying in France. France introduces two-year PSW permit for Indian graduates (The PIE News).

Fossil Fuel Divestment

More than 200 members of staff at UCL and Soas sign a letter to their university boards following languorous negotiations of divestment from fossil fuels. UCL and Soas staff tell their universities to divest from fossil fuels (The Guardian).

Wednesday

Election 2015

Columnist Danny Finkelstein suggests that DPM Nick Clegg will pay a high price for his broken promise on tuition fees. The comment piece suggests Mr Clegg did it because he concluded that his policy had been wrong and the new policy was better. Opinion: Politics will be poorer if Clegg is kicked out, (The Times).

Thursday

Part-time students

The fall in part-time students in the UK means lost opportunities for individuals and the economy, the new head of the Open University Peter Horrocks warns. He is calling for part-time higher education to be made a much higher priority. Warning on loss of part-time students (BBC News Online).

Friday

Student reviews

New rankings published by WhatUni reveal the top universities in the country based on reviews from 20,000 students. Bournemouth are ranked 66th out of 113. The full list can be found here.

Immigration/post degree visas

Leading figures from the world of arts and fashion have warned in a letter to the Guardian that those most likely to contribute to Britain’s arts sector are penalised by the current immigration rules, which make it difficult for those who rely on freelance or unstructured work to qualify for visas. Graduate immigration curbs strip Britain of talent, says arts figures (The Guardian).

I’d also like to highlight that BU Politics Society are holding a question time debate with candidates from parties across Bournemouth and Poole on Monday the 27th April, 7.30-9.00pm. For more information and to register for the event, please click here.

 

Everyone’s a researcher, Turning my PGcert assignment into a book chapter. How did that happen?!

As someone who has joined academia from industry there are certain skills that I have found very transferable into the educational and enterprise remit, however research is my new area.

As an early researcher (slowly but surely progressing thorough the PHD journey) the whole notion of publishing my own work is something that was quite unknown to me.

But what I am learning quite fast is that opportunities exist for embracing research in every aspect of what we do here at BU.

Part of my formalised route to becoming a lecturer has been a requirement to study for the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGcert). Although it can be easy to view this as just being about enhancing knowledge around education, with the formal part being to produce 3 x 5000 words assignments I thought early on to take a different approach to this.

One of my aims whilst studying for this was to try to get my work published. And that is what has happened with my first assignment

I can now say I am a proud researcher, having dipped my toes into the water with the result of a book chapter in a new book titled ‘Collaborative Learning in Media Education’.

http://www.amazon.com/Collaborative-Learning-Education-Marcus-Leaning/dp/1932886931

available now on Amazon and shortly free to download on google books.

I am chapter 3 so hopefully may get some reads before people close the book!

What I have learned from this is that we are all researchers and research comes in many forms. Now I have to work out what to do with my next two PG Cert assignments!

Melanie Gray

Lecturer in Marketing

Faculty of Media and Communication

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

The following funding opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information:

Innovate UK

Portable Renewable Energy Generation. A project competition has been opened to identify and develop innovative solutions to generate portable renewable energy technologies that are able to work in a range of locations on underused or vacant land in Cardiff. Up to £1m will be awarded. Closing Date: 08/06/2015

Medical Research Council

Tackling AMR Theme 2: Accelerating therapeutic and diagnostics development.  Bids are welcome for the broad theme encompassing the development, scale up and manufacture of new human and animal therapies and the diagnostics required to better target both new and existing therapies, and to monitor bacterial pathogen spread. Funds will be available to support research over 12-24 months period, and are expected to be around £200k (80% fec). Closing Date: 04/06/2015 at 16:00

UK-Brazil Neglected Infectious Diseases Partnership. This initiative will provide funding for collaborative 2-3 year research projects, focused on neglected infectious diseases in Brazil. Closing Date: 18/06/2015 16:00

UK – Philippines: Joint Health Research Call. The focus of this call is research into infectious diseases that impact the most vulnerable in society within the Philippines. Up to £3.2m funding is available with up to £640k available per partnership. Expression of Interest Closing Date: 16/07/2015

Natural Environment Research Council

Environmental Risks to Infrastructure Innovation. A budget of up to £1m is available for research that addresses the challenge of making our infrastructure resilient and mitigating the effects of extreme weather events and climate change. Expressions of Interest Closing Date: 28/05/ 2015 at 16:00

The Royal Society

International Scientific Seminars. This scheme is for Royal Society Research Fellows who want to organise a small two-day scientific seminar, specific to a particular field of science or cross disciplinary in nature, at the Royal Society at Chicheley Hall. Closing Date: 11/06/2015

Wellcome Trust

Research Training Fellowships. This scheme is for medical, dental, veterinary or clinical psychology graduates who have little or no research training, but who wish to develop a long-term career in academia. Fellowships are normally for two to three years and cover research expenses and the fellow’s salary.  Closing Date: 07/09/2015

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your  RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in  RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on Research Professional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

Live Q&A with the Guardian: How can academics help science reporters get their facts straight?

The Guardian Higher Education Network recently hosted an online discussion asking the question: ‘how can academics help science reporters get their facts straight?’  At a time when academics are increasingly under pressure to engage non-academic audiences with their work and demonstrate the impact of their research, the importance of being able to use the media as a communication channel cannot be understated.  However, the perception of working with the media is that journalists often skew facts and overstate the importance of findings, thus distorting the original research.  How then can academics help journalists to get their facts right?

The debate featured contributions from academics, science communicators and journalists, and covered issues such as accuracy, the importance of preparation and the fact that research often can’t provide the definitive answers or ground-breaking results that journalists may want.  It also veered into a wider discussion about how research is perceived in the UK and whether, in an age of social media, journalists are even needed to disseminate research results.

The full discussion can be read here.  Comments on the Q&A are now closed, but you can continue the debate in the comments section below.

Nordic College of Caring Science & The European Academy of Caring Science Conference

I too was a delegate of the recent Nordic College of Caring Science & The European Academy of Caring Science Conference (19th – 20th March 2015, Copenhagen, Denmark), ‘Exploring Care for human service professions’

http://www.caring-science.dk/ (see Research Blog 20/4/15).  I have been reflecting on the experience.

Colleagues Associate Professor Clara Aarts (from Uppsala University Sweden), Dr Ann Hemingway (from FHSS) and I, jointly presented a paper entitled ‘A Lifeworld Led Model for Public Health’. In our paper we specifically considered the use of a lifeworld led approach to the reduction of health inequalities. The Lifeworld is about the meanings of everyday life and what it is like to exist as a human being. Our piece was related to practice underpinned by philosophy. It was one of a plethora about Caring Science and human dignity and integrity as a focus for health and well-being.

After the conference it occurred to me that this particular forum had been like no other I had experienced. On reflection I think this was because we not only ‘talked the talk’ of Caring Science philosophy within our papers, we ‘walked the walk’ of Caring Science during the time of the conference. This ‘walking the walk’ was evident at different levels – the interpersonal and contextual. At an interpersonal level the atmosphere during presentations (or certainly the ones I experienced) was in-keeping with the philosophical basis of caring science – it felt ‘safe’, respectful and supportive. It encouraged discussion and sharing of ideas and learning from each other and together. It demonstrated that academic rigor does not need to come at the cost of these qualities (this has not always been the impression I have gained elsewhere).  I was also acutely aware of the supportive nature of colleagues at the conference – those from FHSS I travelled with, those I presented with, those we presented to and others who I met during lulls in conference activity (I think I am supposed to call that ‘networking’). As conference participants we were also ‘walking the walk’ of Caring Science given the venue and its philanthropic/caring roots and philosophy (the venue was Diakonissestiftelsen, Copenhagen, Denmark).

The BU contingent of delegates are all members of the European Academy of Caring Science and this was the first joint conference with the Nordic College of

Caring Science. During the final keynote speech Professor Emerita Elisabeth Hall offered her view of the meaning of caring science for human service and human health. She alluded to the notion of ‘caring feel’ or ‘tone’ that a caring context can illicit when we have ‘got it right’. The audience noted that the ‘tone’ of the conference venue itself had been in-keeping with caring science given its historical, spiritual, philanthropic and caring context. There was agreement that we should continue with joint European Academy of Caring Science and Nordic College of Caring Science ventures in the future given the positive experiences and discussions we had shared. We were asked to ponder what links the two organisations given their differing geographical coverage and potential perspectives. At the risk of stating the obvious I think it is care that links them, not only in word but also action.  

Liz Norton  lnorton@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

 

GeoNet Low Carbon Cities

Awarded & submitted bids, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund

Luca D’Acci presented our third GeoNet seminar about the need for ‘Low Carbon Cities’. With cities accounting for 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, it is clear that something needs to change and low carbon cities could be the answer.

 

The benefits of low carbon cities can be seen in cities such as Copenhagen. Copenhagen has become one of the ‘greenest’ cities in Europe through its innovative use of energy efficient technology and design. Copenhagen is also a compact city. D’Acci suggests a key change to support the conversion to a low carbon city is reducing urban sprawl. Furthermore, a car-based transport model results in increased costs; for example, Houston spends 14% of its GDP on transport, versus only 4% in Copenhagen.

 

Therefore, remodelling a city’s shape and form could be the answer to a more energy efficient world. Containing urban sprawl, developing energy efficient buildings and encouraging ‘greener’ transport systems could contribute to establishing a successful low carbon city. Benefits of these changes have been predicted. Investments of $1.7 billion in domestic energy efficiency could generate annual savings of $626 million, which is a payback time of only 3 years. In addition, 2 million jobs would be created by the new low carbon technological industry. Furthermore, health benefits and a significant reduction in pollution related illnesses would result in a higher standard of living and a better quality of life.

 

Next we went on to discuss how these cities could be implemented. I personally found it interesting that we could look to the past for ideas to shape the future. The Greeks and Romans designed their central hubs around unity, variety, compactness and nature, all of which are characteristics that we want to emulate in our cities today. Futuristic transport using renewable energy sources, building multifunctioning, independent cellular cities, and simply changing to energy saving light bulbs are all ways of creating a low carbon city. However, it is evident that a change in attitude will be important to ensure success.

 

An interesting discussion with the audience followed with most agreeing that low carbon cities are necessary for sustainable development. However, many agreed that the changing of attitudes would be difficult to achieve in existing cities. Despite this, it is important that we find the best solution to regenerate cities, in order to create a sustainable future and provide a template for developing countries to model their new low carbon cities.

Charlotte Unwin, GeoNet Intern

OECD Co-operative Research Programme Fellowships

Funding opportunities

Applications are invited from research scientists working in agriculture, forestry or fisheries and who would like to conduct research projects abroad, in another member country of the Co-operative Research Programme.

The aim of the OECD Research Fellowships is to strengthen the international exchange of ideas and increase international mobility and co-operation among scientists working in these areas.

Applications should fit into one of the three following research themes:

  • The Natural Resources Challenge
  • Sustainability in Practice
  • The Food Chain

To apply for a Research Fellowship Award, please consult the following documents:

and complete the:

Please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer in the first instance if you intend to apply.

OECD Conference Sponsorship

Funding opportunities

Applications are invited from research scientists working in agriculture, forestry or fisheries for funding towards a conference (or workshop, symposium, etc) to take place in a member country of the Co-operative Research Programme.

The aim of the OECD Conference Sponsorship scheme is to inform policy makers, industry and academia of current and future research, scientific developments and opportunities in these areas.

Applications should fit into one of the three following research themes:

  • The Natural Resources Challenge
  • Sustainability in Practice
  • The Food Chain

To apply, please consult the following documents:

and complete the:

Please inform your RKEO Funding Development Officer if you intend to apply.

Bournemouth Academics attend Popular Culture Association conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, and conduct archival research in US.

In April, Faculty of Media & Communications lecturers Dr Julia Round and Dr Sam Goodman presented research papers at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association national conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Held this year at the Marriott Hotel in downtown New Orleans, the PCA/ACA conference is one of the annual highlights of the contemporary cultural studies community, as well as popular culture throughout history. It features a variety of research strands, including Comics, Gaming, British Culture, Science Fiction, Craft Beer culture, Sports, Gender and Sexuality and many more, and often hosts over 3000 delegates over four (very long – 8am-9.30pm) days. Sam and Julia’s attendance of this event represents the international reach of research at BU, and offered them both a number of opportunities for networking and engaging in critical discussions with an international community of like-minded scholars. Julia’s paper, entitled Revenant Landscapes in The Walking Dead, builds on her recent research into zombies and adaptation and she will be developing it into an article for publication over the following year. Sam’s paper, entitled Made Safe From Time’s Iniquity: Genre, Identity and Post-Millennial Tension in Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, was presented in the British Culture strand, and dealt with the expression of resurgent British nationalism expressed in popular media during the early 2000s. He plans to develop this paper into a longer article on the subject in conjunction with further research into how British identity changed after the end of the Cold War, with a view to submitting it to the Journal of Popular Culture in early 2016. Sam, Julia and colleagues Dr Peri Bradley and Dr Richard Berger, who also attended the conference, will present their papers at BU in a specially convened session in June 2015 (details to follow). Next year’s PCA/ACA conference will take place between March 22nd-26th in Seattle, Washington; more information can be found on their website: http://pcaaca.org.

Further to the event in New Orleans, Sam also took the opportunity to engage in archival research whilst in the US. Generously supported by the Faculty of Media and Communication’s Narrative Research Group, Sam visited Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in order to inspect the personal papers and manuscripts of Salman Rushdie, acquired by Emory in the last five years. He said ‘though it may seem unusual for a literary scholar to be inspecting archives, it is a growing trend among my colleagues as they pursue interdisciplinary research in the humanities. Examining the evolution of a text through its various influences and rewritings enables deeper insight into its possible meanings’. Sam spent five days in the archive where he mainly examined the original typescript of Rushdie’s Booker Prize winning novel, Midnight’s Children (1981), however, he also had a chance to read through preparatory notes on this novel and its follow-up, Shame (1983), as well as various fragments and relevant personal correspondence. Sam further commented that ‘the archive holdings are extensive and a lot to manage in only a few days, however, the staff in the MARBL library were very helpful, and it was a very productive visit’. Sam is currently working on an article that reads Rushdie’s use of alcohol within the narrative of Midnight’s Children as an allegory for the legacy of Empire; combining post colonial and medical humanities approaches and informed by this archival research, Sam intends to submit the completed article to Wasafiri journal of Postcolonial Studies later this year.

Leverhulme Trust visit, 29 April, now open for bookings

Funding opportunities

The Leverhulme Trust visit on 29 April is now open for bookings – please visit the Staff Development & Engagement Pages to book.

Are you interested in bidding to Leverhulme Trust for research funding or finding out a bit more about what they expect to see in an application? If so, come along to our visit from Jean Cater of the Leverhulme Trust on 29 April, 12-2pm. 

In the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about the Leverhulme Trust, see http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk.

Investigating and Visualising the Effects of Environment on Prey Detection Rates: A Key Variable in Human Evolution

PG research

We would like to invite you to the next research seminar of the Creative Technology Research Centre.

 

Speaker: Pete AllenInvestigating and Visualising the Effects of Environment on Prey Detection Rates: A Key Variable in Human Evolution

 

Title: Investigating and Visualising the Effects of Environment on Prey Detection Rates: A Key Variable in Human Evolution.

 

 

Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM

Date: Wednesday 22 April 2015

Room: P302 LT, Poole House, Talbot Campus

 

Abstract: This project utilises interactive 3D virtual worlds in order to determine the effect which the composition of the environment has on the ability of humans to detect prey animals within it.

The research focuses on the environments found in Europe prior to the Last Glacial Maximum, during the time period known as Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (circa 30-55K years ago). By recreating various OIS3 environments virtually, we can investigate the effects of “openness” (degree of forestation), light levels, terrain and many other factors on prey detection rates.

 

Data is collected via experiments in which participants are able to navigate realistic 3D environments to search for prey animals. The search strategies they employ and the effect the environment is having on them can be recorded both from the software itself and via sophisticated eye-tracking technology. This data will inform us of the hunting strategies utilised by early human societies as they reacted to the changing landscape during OIS3.

 

This project makes use of Unreal Engine 4, a technology well suited to the creation of large, complex, interactive virtual worlds. UE4 is mostly associated with large-scale games development projects, but has the flexibility for use in this kind of research, often referred to as serious games.

 

 

We hope to see you there.

CEMP / CEL Research Bulletin April 2015

Funding opportunities, Publishing, REF Subjects, Research assessment

 

               

 

The latest CEMP bulletin, now combined with the Centre for Excellence in Learning, is now available as a PDF  CEMP CEL bulletin April 15  or word doc  CEMP CEL bulletin April 15

The bulletin provides a ‘top 20’ of research funding opportunities related to education, learning and pedagogy research and grouped into the the three BU learning research sub-themes: Media and Digital Literacies, Practitioner Enquiry and (Higher) Education Dynamics.

To follow up any of these opportunities, please contact Julian or Richard in CEMP or Marcellus Mbah in CEL.