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Working with the European Media Management Association

At the recent BU EU Funding day, I was asked if I would write a short blog post reflecting on my first 6 months working as the Deputy President of the European Media Management Association (EMMA). So here it is!

My first observation is that over the past few years BU has become more aware of the need to become more externally focussed and integrated into a range of high quality networks. As far as my field of Media Management is concerned, EMMA provides a great platform. It also provides an excellent network to develop a range of collaborative activities at institutional and individual level, and to gain different cultural perspectives on the subject domain.  

Being active in such an organisation requires commitment, but the rewards have been excellent in terms of working with European Board members, getting access to a new network and the ‘local’ knowledge that each person brings to the table. BU also bid for and won the right to host the EMMA Annual Conference, which has traditionally been held in major European or capital cities. Being a part of a European association has now moved the conversation from “where is Bournemouth…is it near London?” to “we’re looking forward to working with BU”. From my perspective that’s a quantum leap in our profile!

BU now has an EU Network Fund and I’d encourage you to use this as a springboard to engage with a range of European stakeholders.

My term as Deputy President has another 18 months to run and I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead!

London 2012 – BU Creative & Digital Economies Exhibition

Whilst the excitement of the London 2012 Olympics fades into the memory, many stakeholders are turning their attention to idea of ‘Legacy’.

A successful application to the BU Small Grants Scheme enabled a small team in the Media School to promote our Creative & Digital Economies Research Theme at the Olympic venue in Weymouth. Working in partnership with UK Trade & Investment, we curated an exhibition of work by leading South West based creative businesses.  This project provided a unique opportunity to associate BU with an enviable and well-respected collection of successful innovators, whilst showcasing our engagement with the Creative & Digital Economies.

The exhibition was very successful and attracted over 100 local and national Creative Industries businesses. One of the recurring themes during conversations with these companies was the need for a greater understanding of appropriate business models, and in particular, how to develop new media technologies that translate into products and services.

The exhibition undoubtedly provided a unique opportunity associate BU with a once in a life time event, but there were more tangible outputs in the form of;

  • Exploring the potential for a KTP project with Entertainment One.
  • Scoping the potential for a joint Cisco Olympic legacy project.
  • Developing a dialogue with two local authorities for them to be involved in the BU Festival of Learning next year.
  • Using the local creative business network for a grant application to the Creative Industries iNets

 

Engaging students: The Research Apprenticeship Summer Scheme in the Psychology Research Centre

Fusion

In the last round of applications to the Fusion Investment Fund Dr Ben Parris, Dr Sarah Bate and Professor Sine McDougall from the Psychology Research Centre applied for, and were awarded, funds to pay for five summer placement positions that enabled our most promising students to gain a greater insight into life as researchers on a full-time basis. For a period of 9 weeks the students became part of one of the research laboratories in Psychology.  The students were responsible for experiment preparation, data collection, and data preparation and joined in lab discussions. Three RA positions were open calls; two were allied to REF impact case studies. All 2nd year students were invited to apply for the positions. Linking in with the employability strand on the undergraduate course the students were asked to provide an up-to-date CV and a 500-word summary on how the summer placement scheme would benefit them in their future career. The five selected candidates were housed in P106, which was converted into dedicated office space where the RAs could base themselves over the summer period and interact with each other and with postgraduate students and members of staff.

The scheme had a large impact on research. The five students on the scheme contributed to literature reviews, data collection, experiment programming and lab discussions for several members of staff in the Psychology Research Centre. Whilst they were each allied to a particular member of staff, others in the Centre sought their help when there was a bit of down time on the main project on which they were working. Whilst it is too early to list research outputs that have benefitted from this scheme, clearly the data collected, the literature reviewed, and the experiments programmed have all contributed towards the research goals of members of the Psychology Research Centre. Overall, data from over 200 participants were collected at a time when it is particularly difficult to recruit and test participants. Moreover, given that the scheme represents effective training for those seeking a career in academia, the full-time positions gave students the opportunity to engage in professional practice. Furthermore, by allying two positions with impact case studies the scheme involved their engagement with bodies external to the university (e.g. Poole Hospital).

Feedback from the students themselves provides useful insight into the utility of the scheme to them. All students reported great satisfaction with the scheme, having learned how to conduct a piece of research properly. They report having learned useful technical skills that they can apply to their final year projects. Most importantly they report direct benefits for their final year of study. Not only have they used their time wisely in thinking about the project which forms a large part of their final year (and degree as a whole) but the students reported that one of the biggest benefits was improvements in article reading skills.  Two of the students commented how extra reading for lectures now seems a lot easier; they can now read and extract important information in half the time.  This has enabled them to explore a much broader range of papers, which has increased their understanding of Psychology.  One student wrote ‘My general understanding of Psychology has been greatly improved, igniting a much stronger passion for the subject than I have ever felt before and the impact that this has had on my University work is extremely valuable to me’. Another wrote ‘Since starting back in term one, I have found that reading journal articles has become an easier process for me. I am now able to look at any article from any topic area and understand more fully what I’m reading, and where to go to find the information that is relevant for the task at hand’. As a final example, one of this year’s RAs wrote ‘The opportunity to continue to study, conduct research and become more familiar with programs such as SPSS throughout the summer means that the return to the final year is considerably less daunting and I feel more confident about designing and conducting my own study’.

A final important consequence of this scheme neatly highlights one of the benefits of fusion.  Admittedly an unintended consequence of the scheme, engaging potential researchers of the future had the consequence of making researchers of the present feeling somewhat trapped in the past. One of the apprentices took it upon himself to introduce us to the potential of Twitter and Facebook for participant recruitment. This has now been incorporated into our participant recruitment strategy. The Facebook site attracted 80 ‘likes’ within a few days (I believe that number is now much higher) and has since been used to recruit participants.  This will increase the efficiency with which all members of the Psychology Research Centre complete research. In short, the masters became the apprentices.

Dr Maharaj Vijay Reddy to assess the impact of the Japanese Tohoku Tsunami

Congratulations to Dr Maharaj Vijay Reddy from the School of Tourism who has received a small grant from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF) London for his pilot research on the impact of the Tohoku Pacific Tsunami.

The Tohoku Pacific earthquake (8.9 magnitude) and the tsunami that followed have had catastrophic impacts on Japan creating economic, nuclear and humanitarian crises in 2011. It has made detrimental impacts on the infrastructure, economy, environment, society and culture of North Eastern Japan. The forthcoming pilot project by Dr Reddy aims to explore the nature of the impact on the tourism industry of the North East Japan, identify local collaboration and the priorities for future in-depth research to benefit the socio-economic revival of the tourism dependent communities and local businesses in North East Japan.

Dr Reddy commented ‘the small grant from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation will hugely help me to investigate the Japanese tsunami impacts on tourism and develop local collaboration with researchers in Japan for in-depth research’. Dr Reddy is a member of BU’s Grants Academy and is an expert working on natural disasters. He has successfully conducted larger projects for international agencies including UNESCO HQ Paris on the 2004 Asian tsunami, the worst natural disaster in the recent history.

Muslim international students and media representations of Islam

In January 2012, Dr Lorraine Brown from the School of Tourism and Professor Barry Richards from the Media School won £2000 from the Research Development Fund to conduct research on the impact of media representations of Muslims and of Islam on the lived experiences of international Muslim students.

The aim of this unique collaborative project was to make a contribution to the literature on the international student experience, and to academic understanding of sojourner perceptions of media images and how these shape the sojourn experience.

25 interviews were undertaken with international Muslim students. These have been transcribed and thematically analysed. Themes derived from analysis include: media consumption; perceptions of representations of Islam; impact of perceived representations on the international sojourn and well-being; impact of perceived representations on host attitudes towards and treatment of Muslims in the UK; correcting negative image of Islam through positive narratives and accurate representations of the faith.

Findings have been written up into two journal articles, which will be submitted in 2013.

The first article concerns the profile of media consumption, focusing on the media students consume and the perceptions formed of how Islam is represented in the media. The second article looks at the implications of negative representations of Islam for well-being, including consequences for self-esteem, identity and satisfaction with the sojourn.

The next 3 Leisure and Recreation Theme Seminars

The Leisure and Recreation Theme is continuing it seminar series with:

  • Our Christmas get together  on Wednesday 12 December, 1.00-2.30pm, TAG 20 when we will be focusing on the work of two Post Graduate Researchers working within the theme with  presentations looking at travel life history and the co-creation of festival experiences followed by discussion and seasonal refreshments!

Then in the new year we will be looking at two diverse subjects

On  Wednesday 30th January at 2.00pm. TAG 01  Dr Andrew Adams will be talking about Sport and Human Rights

And then on Wednesday 27th February at 2.00pm. TAG01 Paola Palmer will be MAD about the wreck http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2012/08/21/mad-about-the-wreck-project-launch-15-august-poole-museum/ 

Please put the dates in your diaries. Further information from sbeer@bournemouth.ac.uk

At an early stage in your research career? Then come to one of our ECR Forums!

Training

Over the past few months we have run a series of forums for academic colleagues who are at an early stage in their research career.  You can find out more about the September session here

The forums will be open, informal sessions where you can meet with a group of experienced academics and members of R&KEO to discuss anything you like to do with research. From publications to projects to funding to research strategy we will be on hand to help and advise. Lunch / refreshments will be provided so booking is essential

The next forum will be held on 11 December 12:30 – 15:00 Casterbridge, Talbot Campus and you will need to book to confirm your attendance.

UK Dementia Congress 7th Annual Conference

In late October 2012 the UK Dementia Congress hosted its 7th annual conference at the Hilton Hotel in Brighton, which was attended by two members of the BUDI team (Clare Cutler and Ben Hicks). A poster detailing a recent BUDI project around Dementia Friendly Tourism was accepted and displayed alongside other posters highlighting innovative and exciting research. The conference was attended by many professionals, academics, service providers and service users. This was a wonderful opportunity for BUDI to showcase current research and to be able to liaise with others currently working in the field of dementia.

CIPPM reports on Open Standards in Government IT Procurement

The Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management (CIPPM) has recently completed two reports commissioned by the UK Cabinet Office to assist the Government formulate a policy on Open Standards in Government IT Procurement.  The policy was published and adopted on the 1st November 2012. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/government-bodies-must-comply-open-standards-principles

On page 8 of the Government’s document justifying its policy decision, the role of the CIPPM is explained as follows:

“The Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) at the University of Bournemouth was commissioned to undertake the analysis of the evidence submitted. Cabinet Office has published this as an independent report (see the Cabinet Office website: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/open-standards-consultation-documents). The methodology for the analysis is also provided.

During the course of the consultation, Cabinet Office commissioned Open Standards in Government IT: A Review of the Evidence (also available on the Cabinet Office website) by the CIPPM. The review looked at economic and legal aspects of introducing an open standards policy for government IT, including an appraisal of costs and benefits. Bournemouth University published drafts for peer review and following this it has now been published by Cabinet Office.

The independent analysis and research elements were undertaken to ensure that due consideration was given to the complex evidence base and that a neutral analysis of the consultation responses is distinguishable from the policy decisions taken by the Government in light of the consultation exercise.”

The review of the evidence on the competition and innovation effects of open standards in IT systems was led by Sally Weston, a commercial lawyer and Head of Law at Bournemouth University, and Professor Martin Kretschmer, Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management. They have also drawn on the expertise of economics professor Jenifer Piesse.

Dr Marcella Favale, CIPPM research fellow, led on the analysis of responses to the consultation process (which included online responses and roundtable discussions), using a social science approach combining grounded theory for identifying patterns of argument and quantifying these by type of respondent. It is highly unusual for a public consultation exercise to be analysed in the manner, treating responses as data to be analysed under a rigorous and transparent methodology. CIPPM has developed a pioneering capacity in this field.

Professor Martin Kretschmer and Sally Weston comment on their review of the evidence:

“Although there is a lack of quantitative evidence on precise cost savings from adopting open standards there are abundant examples where an open standards policy has been adopted with consequent benefits. The literature identifies few downside risks. The challenges appear to lie in the manner of implementation so that potential pitfalls, such as adopting the wrong standard, are avoided while maximising potential gains from increased interoperability, such as more competitive procurement and benefits to SMEs and citizens. The evidence does not support the need to offer intellectual property rights to write good interfaces.” 

The government’s published response to the Consultation cites the CIPPM studies on pp. 9, 14, and 20:

Page 9: “The role of the Government in this instance is that of procurement rather than market intervention and the Bournemouth report highlights that in this case: ‘arguments suggesting that royalties on standards are essential to reward and encourage innovation are not clear cut and the balance of interests is in fact far more nuanced.’”

Page 14: “The review of evidence by Bournemouth University noted that patents are an important means of protecting the value of software and can be effective revenue sources for the patent owner. However, issues exist in industry for example with regards to patents trolls and patent thickets – in the UK these are best considered by the Intellectual Property Office (for example through its work on implementing the Hargreaves Review).”

Page 20: “However in terms of getting a picture of compatibility with European policies and legislation, the response from the consultation was inconclusive. Therefore, in drafting the policy and principles for open standards, we have drawn on legal and economic evidence presented in other sections to ensure that our approach is consistent with our European obligations. We have also considered the evidence presented in the Bournemouth review and drawn on the expertise of government officials in other departments.”

HEA Teaching Development Grants – Collaborative Scheme

Funding opportunities

The HEA have announced the call for the next round of Teaching Development Grants  (collaborative grant scheme).

The collaborative grant scheme invites proposals from two or more departments or other groupings within or between HEIs that support the enhancement of learning and teaching.

Successful applications will demonstrate scope for long-term impact, and provision for evaluation and dissemination will be clearly defined. The hosting institution will be expected to contribute towards the project in the form of match funding.

The project lead must be a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the lead institution must be a subscriber to the Higher Education Academy. Proposals submitted under the Collaborative scheme may request up to £60,000 from the Higher Education Academy. Projects will run for eighteen months.

  • Call opens – Monday 7 January 2013
  • Deadline for submissions – 5pm on Thursday 28 February 2013

If you are interested in  this scheme, please inform Caroline O’Kane by Friday, 30th November.  The HEA will only make 7 awards in total.  If multiple bids from BU are anticipated, we expect to set up an internal competition, to ensure that only the strongest applications are submitted.

 

 

 

 

Science and the Media – Invitation to participate

The new ‘Science and the Media’ research cluster, situated in the Media School, is holding a mini-conference on Wednesday, 12 December from 2 to 4:30 pm (in CG01, Christchurch House).

We are hoping to involve all BU colleagues and doctoral students engaged in research on a topic related to this broad theme, so please consider joining us.

If you would like to make a short, informal presentation describing what you are researching (15 minutes or so, followed by questions), kindly get in touch with one of us asap. We will be pleased to add you to the afternoon’s programme.

Many thanks, and with best wishes

Stuart (and Shelley and An)

 

Brief bios:

Stuart Allan’s science-related publications include Environmental Risks and the Media (co-edited, 2000), Media, Risk and Science (2002), and Nanotechnology, Risk and Communication (co-authored, 2009). Recent co-written journal articles have appeared in New Genetics and Society (2005), Science Communication (2005), Health, Risk & Society (2007), Public Understanding of Science (2009), and Journal of Risk Research (2010), amongst others. In 2011, he edited a special issue of Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism focusing on the topic ‘Science Journalism in a Digital Age.’

Shelley Thompson lectures in Corporate and Marketing Communications in the Media School at BU. Shelley’s current research explores the framing of nanotechnology in the mainstream press, in both print and online contexts. Her research interests around science primarily link to communicating science to a non-specialist audience, especially looking at the ways the mainstream media frame emerging science and technology.

An Nguyen is Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the Media School at BU. His research interests include public engagement in science debates in the media and the role of journalists in facilitating that process. An area where he has explored these issues in-depth is public connections to climate change. He is writing a book, Science News and the Public, for Bloomsbury Academic.

Preparation commences for the BU REF Final Mock in Spring 2013.

REF Subjects, Research assessment

blog.onlineclock.net

With almost a year to go before the submission deadline of 29 November 2013 for REF2014, lots of ‘behind the scene preparations’ is currently underway. This  includes the  launch of the BU REF Final Mock Exercise for Spring 2013. This follows on from our previous Summer 2012 mock exercise which primarily focused on outputs. This final mock REF exercise will be a complete dry run, giving a realistic and authentic feel for the actual REF2014 submission. This latest exercise will be the fifth and the final in a series of different preparation exercises that have been held at BU ahead of the REF2014 submission deadline.

As in the Summer 2012 mock exercise, this final mock will be open to all academic staff. However, unlike all previous mock exercises, BRIAN will play the centre role in this final mock. All outputs will be nominated by staff on BRIAN, to be submitted to external reviewers. An official guidance on making your nominated research output selection on BRIAN has been produced. If you are unable to access the guidance attached to this blog post, please talk to your UOA leaders who will be able to help you. Although the deadline for nomination is not until 15 February 2013, now would be a good time to start thinking about which outputs you’re likely to put forward, and to prepare justification statements where applicable. Although REF2014 requires a maximum of four outputs, we’re giving you the opportunity to get feedback from the reviewers on up to six outputs, so make the most of this chance to really shape your outputs submission.

If you need any more information about the REF, have a look at all the previous blog posts that we’ve included here, or visit the REF website. Alternatively, you can contact myself or Julie Northam in the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development and Operations Team, or leave a comment below.

Notice to All Academic Staff: 2013 PhD Studentship Competition – Deadline for submission:10th December 2012

PG research

Studentship proposal forms are currently been invited for the 2013 BU PhD Studentship Competition for projects starting in Sept/Oct 2013, as part of the Fusion Investment Fund.

There will be 50 studentships available across two parallel strands:

(1)   Matched Funded projects

(2)   Fully Funded.

All proposals should match clearly to one of the eight BU Research Themes

Staff are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying

Strand 1 – Matched Funded Studentships

  • A total of 45 matched funded studentships are available.
  • Matched-funding – The stipend for 2013/14 is going to be £14,000 but this is likely to increase in line with the Research Council stipends over the course of the studentship.  As such, the external funder would need to provide a minimum of 50% of the costs, for example:
    • 3 x £7.5K = £22.5K towards the stipend
    • 1 x £1.5K = £1.5K research costs (@ £3K over 3 years – or £2.5K where research costs are likely to be up to £5K)
    • Total = £24K over 36 months
  •  Any additional contribution from the matched funder helps to offset the cost of the school.
  • Matched Funders may come from:
    • Industry/business partners,
    • Government and non-government organisations,
    • Other academic institutions
    • NHS,
    • Research Councils, or
    • Other external bodies. 
  • Priority may be given to applications that involve supervisors from two or more Schools and/or those from early career researchers.
  • Applicants are encouraged to discuss potential applications to this funding strand with Deputy Dean for Research or equivalent within their School.

Strand 2 – Fully-Funded Studentships

  • A total of 5 fully funded studentships are available.
  • These are exceptional awards for highly original, timely and non-applied or “blue-sky” research projects where there is no potential for match funding.  Priority will be given to those areas where there is a clear strategic driver for a particular REF Unit of Assessment and/or the applicant can demonstrate an immense societal impact.
  • Applicants are encouraged to discuss potential applications to this funding strand with Professor Matthew Bennett or Professor Tiantian Zhang in advance.

The studentships will be awarded to supervisory teams on the basis of a competitive process across the whole of BU led by Professor Matthew Bennett (PVC) and managed by the Graduate School.  Applications will be reviewed internally and assessed with awards made by a cross University Panel. In selecting proposals for funding emphasis will be placed on the excellence of the research and quality of proposal.  Strategic fit with one of the relevant UoA and potential for societal impact are key criteria.

Only the best projects in each strand will be funded and proceed to advert.  Full details and criteria are set out in the policy document BU Studentship Competition 2013 Policy 

Applications on the Studentship Proposal form which can be downloaded here: Studentship Project Proposal 2013 should be submitted to the Dr Fiona Knight (Graduate School Academic Manager) via email to PhDStudentshipCompetition@bournemouth.ac.uk  no later than 5pm on 10th December 2012.  Decisions will be made in early January 2013.

All general enquiries can be addressed to Dr Fiona Knight (Graduate School Academic Manager) via email to PhDStudentshipCompetition@bournemouth.ac.uk

Santander PGR Grants – Apply Now!

PG research

The Graduate School and the Development Office are pleased to announce the launch of a number of Santander Grants.

BU works closely with Santander, who are committed to supporting higher education and as such, are offering 25 x £1,000 grants for BU Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs).  These grants are specifically designed to allow PGRs to travel to at least one university from either the UK Santander Universities Network or to one of the Overseas Santander Partner Universities, to undertake a specific piece of work and build or develop links with international Researchers.

Successful applicants will be expected to participate in general PR activities about their research. This may involve attending events and promoting the benefits of the funding.  *Unsuccessful submissions from the last round of the Santander Scholarship funding (run by the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO)) cannot be resubmitted to this round. Previous unsuccessful applicants can submit new projects/ideas to this round.

For further information, please read the GS Santander Travel Grants – Policy

To apply, please complete the GS Santander Travel Grants – Application Form and submit it by email to the Graduate School (email: graduateschool@bournemouth.ac.uk) by 5 pm, Monday 14 January 2013.

 

Grade Grubbing – survey open

Steph Allen in the Media School is starting the UK pilot on the topic of Grade Grubbing (grade enhancement) and is looking for academic colleagues (both at BU and external to BU) to complete a survey on the topic. Is this has happened to you in the past, or if you think it might happen in the future bearing in mind that students are now seeing themselves as customers, then she’d appreciate you spending a few moments completing a short, anonymous pilot survey.

You can access the survey here:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZCJD7BG

New PhD at HSC!

BU Challenges

Colleen Deane has recently joined the School of Health and Social Care to commence a BU matched funded PhD studentship investigating novel mechanisms regulating muscle mass in the elderly. Colleen has just successfully completed her Masters (with distinction) in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Health Promotion, where she investigated the effects of specific hormones (Testosterone) and polyphenols (Resveratrol) on artificially aged skeletal muscle cells, extracted from rodent mice. This PhD aims to enhance current understanding of the mechanisms regulating age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass (termed ‘sarcopenia’) and the associated reductions in mobility, general health and quality of life. Whilst exercise and nutritional interventions improve muscle size and function in young individuals, this response is attenuated in elderly muscle. Thus, using a combination of physiological and metabolic/molecular techniques these studies will investigate novel mechanisms underlying the blunted response of ageing muscle to exercise and nutritional growth stimuli. For further information contact Colleen on cdeane@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Last chance to book on our ‘How to Network’ session

Networking is crucial in academic life and critical for participation in EU funding. In today’s world, to develop a strong academic career, publications aren’t enough; network relations can play a huge role.  Being well connected and carrying out research in cooperative partnerships significantly increases your chances of attaining a professorship and will allow you to grow your research career by participating in a range of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects.

Networking can be daunting and exhausting. To help you identify key players and how best to approach them as well as learning  how to network effectively with a range of stakeholders, expert Dr Martin Pickard of Grantcraft will deliver 3 hours of  fantastic guidance in this session on Talbot campus.  Booking is essential through the Staff Development website.