An orchestra for people with dementia and their families faciliated by players from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and BU Music students has been funded following a successful application from Ian Jones, Ian Davis and I to the FIF CCCP strand. The kick off meeting with the musicians, students and the BUDI team was held on the 5 March and we are currently in the process of recruiting people with dementia, and their carers if they wish, to participate in a 10 week programme that will start in April and culminate with a performace at the Winton Life Centre on 14 June as part of the BU Festival of Learning. This is the first project that we are aware of where a symphony orchestra works with people with dementia giving them the opportunity to relearn instruments, learn instruments for the first time while combining this with the choir approach of many initiatives in the UK and worldwide which acknowledge the power of music for the well-being of those with dementia. The team working on this project are very excited about the possibilities this project offers, not just as an example of public and community engagement, and a fused approach to working between students, researchers and professional musicans that engages with those living in our community, but because it ensures that we address one of the fundamental myths that often surround dementia of decline in abilities, when in fact people with dementia can learn new things!
Category / Research themes
Website & BRIAN Training Sessions
Due to popular demand we are hosting training sessions for the new research webpages together with BRIAN training.
These sessions are open to all BU academic staff, post graduate research students and those supporting researchers in their communications activity.
During the session you will learn the following:
Research Webpages
- Why BU has new research webpages
- How you can upload content to the website
- How the site can be used most effectively to maximise exposure of BU research.
BRIAN
- What is BRIAN and why is it important
- How to set up and maintain your BRIAN profile
- How to ensure your details are correct
- How to request a photo is uploaded
- How BRIAN links to your external staff profile
To book on one of the following sessions please use the links below…
Thursday 27th March 2pm in P421 Poole House, Talbot Campus
Thursday 17th April 2pm in P421 Poole House, Talbot Campus
We hope to follow these with a session at the Lansdowne Campus (room pending). If you would be interested in a Lansdowne session or you have any queries, please email Shelly Maskell on smaskell@bournemouth.ac.uk
FUSION within Sustainable Design Research Centre (SDRC) – Faculty of Science & Technology
“At the heart of the BU2018 strategy is the powerful fusion of research, education and professional practice, creating a unique academic experience where the sum is greater than the component parts”.
SDRC has been actively engaged with the BU Fusion initiative through various methods i.e. Fusion fund, Festival of Learning, Fusion conferences, international collaborations, chairing international conferences, keynote & invited guest speaking, journal reviews & editorship, funding councils review panels, visiting professors from international HE, engaging with regional industry & community stakeholders and research informed education.
Some examples of research informed education & linkages between the two academic activities are provided briefly.
Design Engineering Level – C
Unit: Design Methods & Projects (40 credit)
Dr Zulfiqar Khan is leading this significant unit within the Design & Engineering framework in the Faculty of Science & Technology. This unit has four projects. Final project (project 4, 50% of the course work) is linked to The Tank Museum. An educational trip to the museum is part of the course work, an additional visit (complimentary free entry for the day), which involves access/study to/in archives and study of engineering systems & components within design & engineering context. This project is linked to the PhD research projects with the Tank Museum [Zulfiqar Khan lead] and current collaborative research project with the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL) Ministry of Defence [Zulfiqar Khan lead]. Topics in these projects are related to the Sustainable Design Research Centre areas of Corrosion, Contact Mechanics and Tribology.
Design Engineering Level – H
Unit: Advanced Technology & innovation (40 credit)
Dr Zulfiqar Khan is leading this core unit within the Design & Engineering framework in the Faculty of Science & Technology. The students submit a research paper (50% of the coursework) in the second semester. Students have the opportunity to get involved with the existing PhD programmes within SDRC [mainly led by Zulfiqar Khan] or engage in new mini research projects. Students are involved with the Sustainable Design Research Centre research themes in Renewable Technology, Corrosion, Tribology & Sustainable Design. Students published 2 x journal and 1 x Conference papers in AY 2012-13. Students have published 1 x journal paper this year. 2 x journal & 1 x conference papers are submitted in AY 2013-14 and are currently under review.
Design Engineering Level – I & H
Unit: Design Projects (40 credit) and Final Design Projects (60 credit)
Zulfiqar is QS for level I and supervised the following level H projects. Students in both levels were involved in the Sustainable Design Research Centre Renewable Technology theme in collaboration with community led Poole Tidal Energy Partnership [ZK one of the founding directors] projects in Tidal Energy. Final year projects in Tidal Turbine and Heat Pump were showcased in the BU Festival of Design & innovation (FoDI) 2011-2012. Level I students were set projects to design non-rotating tidal turbines and students presented their work to the community stakeholders in renewable technology.
Product Design Level – H
Unit: Design Projects 3 (60 Credits)
A retro-fitted horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) was designed & a functional prototype was developed by a final year student [ZK supervised]. Student participated and presented his work in the BU Renewable Technology Public Engagement (Question Time) Event as part of the BU Festival of Learning 2013 organised by SDRC [ZK and Mark Hadfield].
MEng Level – I
Unit: Thermo-fluids & Heat Transfer (20 credit)
Zulfiqar Khan contributed to the development of this unit and has been leading as unit leader. Two research projects in Solar-thermal technologies (thermal conductivity and thermal expansion) are fully funded by Energy Company [ZK lead] within Sustainable Design Research Centre. This research is supported by off campus experimental and simulation labs at the industrial unit [ZK lead]. A lab has been developed at BU to fully link the newly developed unit through its fundamentals to the current researches in thermo-fluids, heat transfer (thermal conductivity, thermal convection) and fluids (Bernoulli’s, Frictional flow, Fluid properties) linking research in Solar-Thermal technologies. MEng level I students have been performing experiments in fluid properties and heat transfer which are directly linked with the researches within SDRC.
Students’ lead published papers
- Nugent, M., Khan, Z. (2014). The effects of corrosion rate and manufacturing in the prevention of stress corrosion cracking on structural members of steel bridges. The Journal of Corrosion Science and Engineering JCSE, 17(16). Retrieved from http://www.jcse.org/
- Wilton-Smith, K., Khan, Z., Saeed, A., & Hadfield, M. (2013). Accelerated Corrosion tests of Waste-gated Turbocharger’s Adjustable and Fixed End Links. In 11th International Conference on Surface Effects and Contact Mechanics. Siena, Italy: Wessex Institute of Technology, UK. Retrieved from http://www.wessex.ac.uk/13-conferences/contact-and-surface-2013.html
- Dobson, P., & Khan, Z. (2013). Design considerations for carbon steel pipes materials’ selection applied in fossil powered plants subjected to wet-steam flow accelerated- corrosion review paper. Journal of Corrosion Science and Engineering, 16, 1-13. Retrieved from http://www.scopus.com/source/sourceInfo.url?sourceId=12326&origin=recordpage
- Denham, L., & Khan, Z. (2013). The prevention of corrosion and corrosion
stress cracking on structural members of
fixed deep sea oil rigs. The Journal of Corrosion Science and Engineering, 16, 1-13. Retrieved from http://www.jcse.org/
If you have interests in BU Fusion, Research informed education and or SDRC research activities and would like further information then please contact
Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor)
Director SDRC
An EU Masters in Dementia
Positive 
about Dementia is an EU multi-lateral project to develop an inter-disciplinary Masters programme to educate and develop an effective and informed dementia workforce. It was launched in September 2013 and is funded by the EU Lifelong Learning programme. The Positive about Dementia Masters programme will take a positive and appreciative view of the life experience of people living with dementia. The curriculum will contain modules that will explore dementia awareness, evidence-based practice,and research to inform how we can support the wellbeing of people with dementia through educating dementia professionals. The BU team (involving colleagues from SciTech, the Business School, HSC and BUDI) hosted the kick off meeting back in December and following our next team meeting in Dublin in February we are moving full steam ahead with partners in all countries currently conducting consultations with a range of local stakeholders including service commissioners and providers as well as people with dementia and their carers about their views on what the curriculum should cover. A website has been created which will document our development activities over the next 2 and 1/2 years www.posadem.eu. In due course we will be looking for students to pilot the modules we create. If you have a view about what the curriculum should look like or if you know someone who may be interested in being one of our pilot group students do get in touch.
School of Tourism Researcher Presents Keynote on CSR at ‘8th Health and Wellbeing at Work Conference’
School of Tourism researcher Dr Tim Breitbarth (Sport Academic Group) delivered a keynote presentation at the 8th Health and Wellbeing At Work conference in Birmingham at the beginning of March. Health and Wellbeing At Work is the UK government’s programme for improving the health and wellbeing of working age people.
Now in its 8th successful year, the two-day conference held at the NEC featured – for the first time – a track fully dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Tim has published widely on CSR in international business and sport. The thousands of national and international participants could pick and mix from 20 tracks and visit the large exhibition.
Following Tim’s presentation on ‘Making the business case for CSR’, other well-known presenters and practitioners like Professor David Crowther (De Montfort University), Mark Baird (Head of Industry Affairs & Alcohol Policy, Diageo), Nicky Day (Director of Corporate Partnerships, WWF) and Karen McArthur (Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, Thomson Reuters) informed and inspired the audience.
Invited by Sterling Events, Tim also co-chaired the track together with Yogesh Chauhan (Director Corporate Sustainability, Tata Consultancy Services; Business In The Community Board Trustee Director).
Fusion funding supports Brussels trip to find out what EU does for you
As a result of a successful Fusion fund bid, 34 students drawn from across Bournemouth University’s Media and Business Schools will go on a five-day fact finding trip to Brussels between 17th-21st March. The trip is part of a project around engaging the public in the 2014 European Parliamentary Elections. The students, who will be accompanied by Dr. David McQueen and Dr. Dan Jackson (Media School), will be gathering data and producing a range of media reports (interviews, features, blogs, photographs, profiles and backgrounders) which will feed into Media School coverage of EU election night on 22nd May. The itinerary includes a meeting with MEPs Ashley Fox and Julie Girling organised by Douglas Tham (Politics Society President and Politics and Media second-year student), tours of the Council of the EU, the Parlamentarium, the European Commission and the Palais de Justice.
The Fusion project links to the research theme Communities, Cultures and Conflicts. In particular, it links into work within the Media School on governance and exploring ways of deepening democracy through developments in political communication and in the production and consumption of news. Research outputs will include qualitative data on young people’s attitudes to the EU elections in Britain, but also in other EU nations. Students will be reflecting on opportunities and barriers to engaging young people in EU political affairs and considering the particular challenges media professionals face in covering the election against a backdrop of political disengagement, the rise of UKIP and increasing euro-scepticism. As a recent Eurobarometer survey (2012) demonstrated only 27% of Britons were very or fairly attached to the EU, last by a significant margin out of all member states. The survey also revealed Britons to be amongst the most uninformed citizens of all member states about EU matters, thus raising democratic concerns about the public’s potential for manipulation, and the democratic legitimacy of elected representatives with turnout at the last EU Parliamentary Elections in the UK at just 34.7%.
This multidisciplinary project will embrace staff-student co-creation to produce research and media outputs that will inform and engage students and the local public in the 2014 EU Parliamentary Elections. Alongside the many benefits for participating BU students and staff, the project will strengthen links between Bournemouth University and local and regional political parties, media organisations, as well as EU political and educational institutions in Brussels and beyond.
The students who will attend represent programmes across the Media School including Politics and Media, TV Production, Journalism, Radio Production, Animation, Post Production Editing the Business School’s Law degree,
More details on the Brussels trip and the election night coverage will follow in future posts.
David McQueen
(Programme Leader: BA Politics and Media)
Sharing ideas
Is it possible for BU to help shape a social movement for positive change? I have been lucky enough to attend various external events recently that have been pretty inspiring from the point of view of hearing from colleagues working in different countries and different sectors in the UK about new, novel, creative, innovative (select the word you prefer!) approaches to understanding dementia, conducting dementia research and generally creating what I would call a ‘social movement’ to improve and enhance the lives of all those affected by dementia. I shared some of these with staff on the BU induction session this week and got a pretty good response from new colleagues working across BU schools and services so thought I would take the opportunity to share some of the ideas that hearing about work elsewhere have got me thinking about in terms of what we might be able to do locally as part of the work that BUDI is doing on behalf of the University, but also that aligns to current government priorities about creating dementia friendly communities.
The first idea that excites me is the idea of intergenerational schools that has been pioneered in Cleveland by a truly inspirational colleague, Professor Peter Whitehouse who is a neurologist by trade, but a social innovator at heart. Take a look at the innovative approach they have used to improve education standards for kids but also providing community engagement opportunities for those living with dementia http://www.tisonline.org/. What I love about his work is that when I first met him over 15 years ago it seemed to me that he was very much talking about medical aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease (which I tend to be critical about) and so I was intrigued when he then wrote a book challenging medical conceptualisations about dementia back in 2008, http://www.themythofalzheimers.com/a really good read for anyone interested in constructions of knowledge – and over the years he has been involved in so many cutting edge scientific studies but he has also been applying more ‘social’ knowledge to his community to help improve the day to day lives of those with dementia. So a scientist who is applying practical lessons to the real world. Could we create an intergenerational school here in Dorset? or could we apply aspects of this idea and create for example an intergenerational garden where people with dementia work with kids, families, to create an inner city space where people share life skills and work in community with one another? Thanks to Ian Jones and his community partnership work which is such an asset to what we can do research wise at BU, we are going to test out the idea of having school children work with people with dementia learning to play with technology such as the wii, xbox, ipad, Nintendo DS. So we are going to do a little bit of intergenerational work locally that also feeds into the wider UK work to try and create a generation of dementia savyy youngsters who will understand dementia, be open to talking about it, know the risk factors and generally help to reduce the stigma surrounding dementia in our society. Angela Rippon, who is an Alzheimer Society ambassador gave a fantastic talk about the Alzheimer Society schools project at the Dementia Leadership Challenge project washup workshop we hosted in Bournemouth at the and of February; and I have been following this up and it is disappointing that there appear to be no projects happening in Bournemouth. What could we do with local schools to help raise awareness and contribute to the long term challenge of erradicating the stigma that surrounds dementia? See this link for some really creative projects that are happening across the UK http://alzheimers.org.uk/schools. Back in December ULT agreed to a proposal developed by a group of BU colleagues for BU to work towards being a dementia friendly university. What might this mean beyond raising awareness of dementia amongst our student and staff body, addressing HR policies and creating a dementia friendly environment that makes it easier for all staff, students and visitors to find their way around campus? Could we create opportunities for people with dementia to help students with their projects, for example to create technologies that genuinely address from the outset the needs and wishes of members of our community who become socially disabled by their dementia? Could we encourage students to create a media campaign that challenges negative images of dementia and raises awareness of dementia at the same time? I like the idea of a bus poster campaign that has been used successfully elsewhere to raise awareness of mental health issues, but there are likely many other creative approaches!
Can we build on the positive reputation I believe that BU has of being an applied University, and by this I mean one that equips its students to apply knowledge to their future working lives, a University that addresses societal issues by getting dementia embedded into more of our activities? I appreciate that there are many societal issues, different health conditions that may also be worthy of this kind of approach, so really I am talking about an example of how we can contribute to the notion of a ‘social movement’ generally to help improve society. Dementia offers an opportunity to test out social innovation and given 1 in 3 of us will develop dementia and a further 1 in 3 will know someone with dementia (friend, family, neighbour) more than 2/3 of us are going to directly experience dementia as our population continues to age. If you have creative ideas about how we might achieve a ‘social movement’ type approach do feel free to pop into PG63 or the first floor of the EBC and have a chat with me or the rest of the BUDI team.
CEMP Bulletin for March / April
Here is the updated CEMP Research / Innovation bulletin for March / April 2014. CEMP bulletin March | April 2014
Please contact Julian or Richard in CEMP if you are interested in any of the funding opportunities here, or have other ideas for collaborative projects with CEMP.
2014 sees a surge in engagement with eBU
Through immediate internal publication and open peer review, eBU is ideally placed to support the developmental needs of authors at any career stage, and I’m pleased to say that, so far, the 2014 issue has seen a levels of engagement from across the career spectrum. eBU has had two working paper submissions so far in 2014 (and there are plenty more in the archived 2013 issue!).
Firstly, under the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing theme, Sheetal Sharma (HSC) and colleagues submitted a paper titled Eliciting Nepali women’s views on childbirth and the newborn. A full text file of this paper has been openly reviewed and can be viewed here – http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/17. I understand Sheetal has just submitted this paper to an external journal, so best of luck and we await with great excitement to hear the outcome!
Secondly, under the Education, Learning and Practice theme, Jonathan Williams (again HSC) has submitted a paper titled Is student knowledge of anatomy affected by a Problem-Based Learning approach? A full text file of this paper can be read here – http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/24.
eBU was also delighted to be able to support outputs from the 2014 PGR conference, and a number of PGRs have decided to use eBU to showcase their work. Why not take a look at the following abstracts and posters:
Business, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth
Alice Bonasio – PGR Conf 2014 Abstract: Customer Engagement Through Crowd-Funding and Social Media: http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/21
Lifelong Health and Wellbeing
Ben Hicks – PGR Conf 2014 Abstract: Using commercial computer game technology to benefit men with dementia residing in rural areas of Dorset: http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/19
Sheetal Sharma – PGR Conf 2014 Abstract: Pregnant and ‘dirty’ for 40 days: A qualitative study of childbirth practice, beliefs and myths in Nepal: http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/20
Jonny Branney – PGR Conf 2014 Abstract: Is spinal manipulation associated with changes in cervical inter-vertebral motion?: http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/23
Research Methods and Practice
Jenny Roddis – PGR Conf 2014 Poster: Experience of interviewing: face-to-face vs. telephone: http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/22
Technology & Design
Manuel Salvador – PGR Conf 2014 Poster: Automating Data Pre-processing for Online and Dynamic Processes in the Chemical Industry: http://ebu/index.php/ebu/article/view/18
BUDI – Lunch time seminar
BUDI welcome
Associate Professor Elaine Wiersma to deliver a lunch time seminar
Date: Tuesday 8 April
Time: 12 Noon until 13.00
Venue: EB203
Limited places available: email mobrien@bournemouth.ac.uk to reserve your place.
Engaging People Living with Dementia in the Development of Services: Lessons Learned from a Canadian Context
This presentation will explore the ways that a Canadian research team is engaging people living with dementia in the development of services. Specifically, two projects will be discussed—the development of a self-management program for people living with dementia, and a dementia journey mapping project. The engagement of health and social care providers with researchers and people living with dementia will be described within those two projects. Lessons learned about people, relationships, and process will be described and discussed.
Bio:
Elaine Wiersma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She is the Advisor for the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Dementia Studies, the lead of re-THINKing dEMENTIA, the division of Dementia and Seniors’ Mental Health at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health, Lakehead University, and the chair of the North West Dementia Network. Her work has spanned community and long-term care sectors, using qualitative and participatory methodologies to examine the social dimensions of aging and dementia. Currently, her work is focusing on the development of self-management in dementia and exploring the context of aging and dementia in rural northern communities in Ontario. Elaine is engaged in a number of initiatives, both research and community initiatives, that seek to engage people living with dementia and care partners as equal partners, recognizing that the involvement of these groups is vital to creating more effective services and programs.
Bournemouth European Network in Cyber Security (BENICS)
In recent years, the field of Cybersecurity has attracted researchers and practitioners from academic fields ranging from Computer Science and Design, through to Psychology and Business Studies. To date, however, these communities have not been influenced by each other. Their research are disseminated in a variety of workshops and conferences across these fields. As a result, there is a misunderstanding of the role these different fields play in improving cybersecurity. For example, some researchers describe people are “the weakest link” and encourage designers to build systems that “Homer Simpson” can use safely. Unfortunately, treating users as a problem limits opportunities for innovation when people are engaged as part of a solution. Similarly, treating practitioners like cartoon characters disenfranchises the very people that a design is meant to support. Bournemouth University is one of the few institutions in the world with interests across the disciplines contributing to Cybersecurity, a small enough size for academics across these disciplines to engage with each other, and the vision necessary to fuel this engagement. To take advantage of the opportunities afforded to Bournemouth, an interdisciplinary seminar series in cybersecurity was launched in September 2013. The seminar series has attracted both staff and students from across the university, together with practitioners from local industry with interests in cybersecurity. So far, this has led to connections forming across the Faculty of Science & Technology, and the Media and Business schools. Resulting collaborations with our seminar speakers have also led to prospective KTP and Horizon 2020 proposals, and invitations to deliver guest lectures at other universities.
To build on this momentum in interdisciplinary cybersecurity activity at Bournemouth, we have created the Bournemouth European Network for Interdisciplinary Cyber Security (BENICS): a FUSION funded SMN activity. Over the coming year, BENICS will bring five invited European cybersecurity academics to Bournemouth to engage in short (one-week), focused collaborative visits. These visits will introduce invited academics to Bournemouth’s cybersecurity capabilities, allow them to share their interests with us as part of the cybersecurity seminar series, and engage in short and focused proposal building, research, or teaching resource creation activities.
Following each visit, Bournemouth and the visiting academic will engage in pump-priming activities; these will refine deliverables produced to sustain the momentum created during the visit. These deliverables will form the basis of a joint publication at an agreed international conference or journal.
Watch this space for more information about these visits, and please get in touch if you’re interested in engaging with BENICS and our cybersecurity research in general.
Sustainable Design Research Centre – Faculty of Science & Technology Research Seminar
Date: 02/04/2014
Time: 12:00 – 12:30
Venue: PG 22
Title: Renewable energy goes global – what is wrong with the wind turbines?
Abstract:
As a fast growing renewable energy source, wind turbines have undergone significant development over the past thirty years providing a suitable portion of renewable energy in many countries. However, the world’s demand for wind energy supply will continue to increase in the next five to ten years. To increase the production efficiency, wind turbine manufacturers have been focusing on the increase of output power from individual turbines. Larger and heavier gearboxes are being put up ‘in the air’ (on the top of high towers), which has unfortunately been accompanied by an escalation of tribological issues related to wear and lubrication in the drivetrain systems. The unsatisfactory performance and reliability of wind turbines are threatening the sustainability of wind energy globally. Wind turbine failure, white structure flaking (WSF), has been found to limit the lives of a large number of wind turbine gearboxes from the design life of over 20 years to as short as 6 months to 2 years and the premature failure has a huge impact on the reliability of wind turbines and the cost of wind energy due to its frequent occurrences and high cost involved (at £300k per gearbox replacement). This talk presents the research on WSF at University of Southampton.
Brief bio:
Dr Ling Wang is a lecturer in condition monitoring of tribological systems at the national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS), Engineering Sciences Academic Unit, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment since 2007. She has published over 80 peer reviewed papers and conducted collaborative research projects with a wide range of industrial partners including Rolls-Royce plc. GE Aviation, Vestas Wind Systems, Shell Global Solutions, Afton Chemical Corporation, BP and Agusta Westland.
These seminars are organised by the University Sustainable Design Research Centre in the Faculty of Science & Technology to provide a platform for disseminating latest research activities and results. These seminars are good opportunity of networking for both BU staff and students.
If you would like further information on research activities in corrosion, corrosion simulation and corrosion monitoring please visit SDRC webpage. For any specific inquiries please contact
Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor)
Director Sustainable Design Research Centre
Dementia Friends Training – Thursday 20 March,Talbot Campus
Do you wish to become a Dementia Friend? Janet Scammell, Dementia Champion is running an introdutory session which will last from 50 mins to 1 hour on Thursday 20 March at 12 noon in TA131 (Tolpuddle Annex, Talbot Campus). This training is open to all staff and students. At the end of the session, participants are invited to become Dementia Friends (which basically means promoting positive thinking about living well with dementia in their own communities). You also get a lovely dementia friends badge!
If you wish to attend please let Michelle O’Brien know by either email mobrien@bournemouth.ac.uk or call 01202 962771.
Fusion – Exploring Histories of Women’s Radio in Europe
I am delighted to report that I, and my Co-investigator Dr Kate Murphy, have been successful in our Fusion Investment Fund bid, which will support an international academic research network Women’s Radio in Europe Network (WREN) that I have played a key part in developing since 2012.
WREN investigates the history and role of women’s radio in Europe and at the centre of this inquiry stands the idea of radio’s double articulation as both (domestic) technology and medium of communication. Women broadcasters and women’s radio provides a lens through which a number of histories and transnational flows can be analysed. Up till now, most women’s radio histories have mainly been examined within national contexts or narratives. These highlight the important role played by women’s radio in times of social change, financial and political crisis and modernisation. Yet, there has been no systematic research to the various patterns of transnational circulation mediated through women’s radio, nor a sustained comparative research. A vital aspect of WREN’s work is making these transnational connections between women, radio and society visible and accessible to researchers, practitioners and publics.
Funding was sought from the Staff Mobility and Networking Strand (SMN) and will enable a WREN workshop to be held at BU in the autumn (2014). WREN currently includes active members from the UK, Netherlands, Turkey, Denmark, Portugal, USA and Australia. The aim of WREN is to develop international collaborative research exploring women’s radio histories. The fusion funding will enable us to organise the first stand alone meeting of the network at BU. The aim of this meeting is to further develop plans for publications, bids for future external funding, and to build and develop our current web presence (http://womensradioineurope.org/). The workshop will also include an open seminar to which staff and students will be invited to attend. This is exciting news and I am looking forward to start planning and preparing!
Dr Kristin Skoog Lecturer in Media (Broadcasting History) – The Media School
eBU news, updates and success story!
eBU news: updates and achievements
It’s been a while since I posted about eBU. Since my last post there has been some exciting updates and progress to report. There are some new faces to welcome, a reminder to encourage students to submit, news that eBU is supporting outputs from the PGR conference and will support outputs from an exciting new conference, and… (drum roll…) a paper originally submitted to eBU has been published in an external journal!
Welcome aboard!
Heather Savigny has joined me as a co-editor. I have met with Heather a few times now, and it is obvious that she is passionate about developing writing and scholarly skills. On this basis, Heather is a perfect addition to the team. We have both met with the new PVC Prof John Fletcher, and I’m glad to say that, like his predecessor, he is very supportive of eBU. Shelly Maskell from R&KEO has also come aboard and will provide vital support in helping develop eBU.
Encourage students to submit
One immediate challenge for eBU is not appeal to students. eBU launched a bit too late last year to appeal to students who would have made important submissions at the end of last academic year (dissertations etc), but hopefully we will be well placed to appeal to them this year! So I urge all academic staff to encourage students who produce good quality to a) encourage them to spend a little bit more time and format their work into a publishable output and b) offer some support to this end.
PGR conference
eBU is well placed to help early career researchers and students make that leap into the ‘publish or perish’ world of academia. On this basis, it is a tool that PGRs should take advantage of. We are actively encouraging people who presented their work at the PGR conference to submit their work to eBU. We have received a good number of abstracts and posters already, and eBU will be a great platform to showcase this work BU wide. Outputs associated with the PGR conference to have deadlines, and these are:
- Please submit posters before Friday 14th March.
- Please submit abstracts before Friday 14th March.
- Please submit conference papers before 12th April
I would encourage those who made an oral presentations to write it up as a conference paper. There is guidance for PGRs on myBU and on the Graduate School website, but do feel free to get in touch with any questions. We don’t generally set deadlines, so please remember that you can submit any other papers you might have in the pipeline (e.g. review papers) at any time, and we will guarantee a quick internal and open peer review.
Future scope
Congratulations to Luciana Esteves from ApSci, who has been successful in winning some Fusion funding to kick-start an annual undergraduate research conference at BU – SURE@BU. This is something to look out for in the future, but it is worth stating now that eBU will play a key role in the publication of conference abstracts, posters, conference papers etc.
Success!!!
I’m glad to report that one of the submissions to eBU has been published by an external journal, and I believe others will shortly follow suit. The successful paper in question is a paper that I wrote with colleagues. However, it is a useful little case study to illustrate how and why eBU works.
Myself and colleagues in HSC and outside (University of Exeter, University of Plymouth and Westbourne Medical Centre) submitted a grant application in the second half of last year. In most grant applications you have opportunity to summarise the key literature, and this one was no different. Unfortunately whilst the grant application was unsuccessful, I took a senior colleagues advice and spent a little bit of time turning the application into a paper. After a few weeks I submitted it to eBU (the phrase ‘put your money where your mouth is’ comes to mind!). As I had a bit of a vested interest it was processed by editorial colleagues and reviews were uploaded after a few weeks. It really helped having two sets of informed but fresh eyes scrutinise the paper, and changes were made on the basis of these reviews. The paper was submitted to a journal and accepted with suggestions for minor changes.
When I wrote this article I was a Research Assistant here and, like many early career researchers, I had aspirations of becoming published in peer reviewed journals. One of my trepidations was getting that first publication. I’m now a PhD student here, and I’m sure the floodgates will open (along with another colleague have since have had another accepted!) as I now have many ideas for potential papers and now – thanks to eBU – I have no fear of the unknown!
Andy Harding
Doctoral Researcher and eBU co-editor
“Six-hit” for PR History
Collating and editing six books on the history of public relations is one of the main projects being undertaken by Professor Tom Watson of the Media School during his FIF-supported study leave.
The books will be the first-ever study of PR’s history outside North America. Collectively the series is entitled “National Developments in the Development of Public Relations: Other Voices” and is being published by Palgrave in its new Pivot model.
The first book, Asian Perspectives in the Development of Public Relations: Other Voices, is now in production and will be published in May. It will be followed by Eastern Europe and Russia (being edited), Middle East & Africa, Latin America & Caribbean, Western Europe and a final book of essays on the theorisation of public relations history.
“In public relations literature for several decades, it was assumed that PR was an American invention,” Prof Watson said. “And American scholars nationalistically purveyed that world view. Since the start of the International History of Public Relations Conference at BU in 2010, it was evident that PR and informational/promotional communications have many sources which depend on social, political and cultural influences.
“This series will shift the historiography of PR and related methods of communication away from the US to the ‘other voices’ of the series title. It is an important development that keeps BU as a world leader in PR and media/communication history research, alongside the work of the Centre for Media History.”
Prof Watson says publication of the series should be complete by mid-2015. Each Pivot volume is up to 50,000 words and is published by Palgrave in e-book and print-on-demand formats. The publisher undertakes to publish each book within three months of its submission.
Centre for Qualitative Research (CQR) Refreshes Its Web Presence
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!
ENABLE: Reflections on a Fieldtrip
A room with a view
The barrier to the ‘resort’ was shut when we arrived but our interpreter told the guard that we were indeed going to the Tasik Chini Resort – the only place one can go after passing through the gate. After deliberation, he let us proceed.
The receptionist indicated that tonight we had two rooms rather than the one room we had booked, having asked for two extra beds in the room for the children. One room had a twin bed and a mattress, and the other a single bed, but she said she would sort it all tomorrow. We paid in full after debating three or four times what the actual price was for the stay; a kind of mental gymnastics that pulls the mathematical body into contorted shapes only vaguely resembling the original anatomy from whence it came.
The rooms: interesting that the room with the twin beds and a ‘mattress’ was exactly that; no sheets or blankets just the mattress. The other room, however, looked more promising at first sight. There were in fact two beds there not one. OK, so the toilet ballcock was gone and water was constantly overflowing from the cistern onto the bathroom floor, but TWO beds!
So, we divided the children, given they didn’t want to sleep without an adult, sprayed the rooms with insecticide and prepared for the night. It was then that I (Jonathan) looked at the two beds and saw that whilst one was fine, the second was covered by dead, dying and some struggling ants and assorted insects; and the toilet was still dripping, resonant off the hollow dampness of Derbyshire’s Blue John mines! That bed couldn’t be slept in as I then preceded to spray it.
So, back to plan A with me (Sara) and one of the girls in the bed and one on the mattress. But, just a minute, there’s a mattress but no covers or pillow. No that’s not going to work so three in a bed it is, with some topping and tailing, and me back to the bed in the other room keeping the insects at bay and drowning the noise of the leaking cistern by air conditioning that’s making everything too cold and dry.
Fieldwork is, of course, meant to be a little uncomfortable and sometimes evocative of van Gennep’s ‘rite of passage’, a gaining of one’s socio-anthropological spurs! However, we are staying at what purports to be the premier resort for Tasik Chini. This is important because, until 2004 – (and here I (Jonathan) had to stop writing for a while to scratch that itch that turned out to be a troop of ants seeking solace in my bed) – in 2004 eco- and ethno-tourism (although somewhat contested) was seen as an important means of securing the economy of the area. It seems now, a decade on, that this resort finds anyone staying a rather irritating yet bizarre intrusion into a life that happily runs purposelessly for itself, except for weekend weddings, or as a place for the army cadets to stay and practice manoeuvres through the night. (Manoeuvres punctuated by eerie whistles, commands and shouts!) And, rather perversely, it seems that staff cannot get a single order right, no matter how small or precisely articulated it is: kopi ice O kosong (black iced coffee, without sugar) usually has milk and sugar in it; roti bakar (toast), if it comes at all, takes longer (much longer) than nasi goreng (fried rice)!
It also seems to evoke, more seriously, something that mimics the tragedy happening to the lake in bio-environmental terms and, from a human perspective, to the Orang Asli people living around the lake. It is an intrusion into the ill-thought plans of others or an encumbrance to manage that imposes rather than seeks dialogue!
And still the dripping cistern spits! (Should have consulted ‘Tripadvisor’ first http://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Hotel_Review-g298291-d2213723-Reviews-Lake_Chini_Resort-Pahang.html!)
Jonathan Parker & Sara Ashencaen Crabtree
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