The second largest natural harbour in the world, Poole plays host to a fascinating array of wildlife.
Poole Harbour
Join the next event in our online public lecture series to find out more about the creatures that call Poole Harbour home and how BU research is helping to protect and preserve their environment.
Professor in Marine and Coastal Ecology Roger Herbert will talk about using artificial reefs and rockpools to provide habitats for marine life and Professor of Conservation Ecology Richard Stillman will discuss his work balancing coastal bird conservation with human development.
There will also be the opportunity for discussion and questions.
This is the third event in our online public lecture series, which is showcasing BU research and expertise as part of the #ourBUstory campaign. Future events will explore topics including the lessons we can learn from the past in responding to crisis, listening to seldom heard voices, and supporting the regional economy.
The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, planned to take place from 22 October – 13 November 2022.
The festival is a prestigious initiative by a major research funder, and BU’s continued involvement is justified by the quality of our events and activities. Being part of this festival is an achievement worth citing and celebrating. BU have been involved in the festival for over a decade, running our own internal selection process and delivering up to ten activities per year.
Funding of up to £1,000 is available to deliver your event.
Who can apply?
Events must “feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)”. If this doesn’t clearly apply to you, consider these options;
Does your research have clear implications for society that could be explored from a social science perspective?
Could you collaborate with a social scientist, combining your resources and creativity to explore the impact of your research? If you’re looking for a collaborator, the Research Blog or BU website are great places to start or contact us for help
What support is available?
Before applying, you will have access to:
Bookable one-on-one advice slots with BU’s Engagement Officer; Book an advice slot.
Detailed applicant guidance to help you apply
When your application is successful, you will receive:
A half-day training session from an expert external public engagement trainer
Continuing advice and support from BU’s public engagement team on all areas of planning, promoting delivering, evaluating your activity
The promotional boost from being part of a huge national festival.
How to apply
Read the application guidance to support you in completing an effective application.
A paper led by BU’s Dr Theo Akudjedu, exploring the impact of Covid-19 on radiographers, has been named as Radiography journal’s Editor’s Choice for 2021.
Each year, the journal presents an award for the Editors’ Choice paper, selected from the five issues which make up the current volume.
Dr Theo Akudjedu
Dr Akudjedu, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Imaging and MRI Radiography at BU, was lead author of the winning paper – a systematic literature review examining the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on clinical radiography practice.
The paper was chosen from a shortlist of 12 papers which were selected for their topicality, important messages and sound research methodologies.
Dr Akudjedu brought together collaborators from across the world, as well as colleagues from the Institute of Medical Imaging and Visualisation at BU, to investigate the pressures facing radiography departments as key teams in the treatment of Covid-19 across the globe.
Published in Issue 4 of 2021, the article brings together available evidence to provide a comprehensive summary of the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnostic and therapeutic radiography practice.
He said: “In the initial acute phase of the pandemic, medical imaging emerged as one of the key diagnostic tools for the management of COVID-19 patients. This altered the work pattern and load of the clinical radiography workforce. We explored the impact of the pandemic on the radiography workforce independently in regional studies including the UK.
“We employed a robust methodology to systematically review and integrate the available evidence in our research to provide a comprehensive summary of the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diagnostic and therapeutic radiography practice to serve as a one-stop-shop to practitioners in the field.”
He added: “It is exciting for this important piece of work conducted by colleagues at the Institute of Medical Imaging & Visualisation at Bournemouth University with its global partners to be recognised. We are very grateful to our international partners and the Editors of the Radiography Journal for the recognition”
Naming the paper as their Editor’s Choice winner, J. M. Nightingale, Editor-in-Chief of Radiography journal, said: “With so many COVID-19 related articles published within radiography and radiology journals in the last two years, it has been challenging for practitioners, managers and educators to keep up to date with the latest evidence.
“This review was timely and much needed as a valuable reference resource for policy formulation and to inform developments in the radiography workforce, education and training.”
The next RDS Funding Development Briefing will be on Wednesday (13/03/22) at 12 noon.
According to our plan, there will not be a spotlight presentation this week. To add value to the meeting, feel free to join with external funding related questions you may have.
Next Wednesday (20/03/22), we will have MRC Overview for you.
Important note: those academics considering to apply for ERC Starting Grant 2023 Call, please contact Research Facilitator International Ainar Blaudums or your Funding Development Officer as early as possible to let us plan together timeline for internal approvals. It may happen that ItB is required late in June before call opening (call opening planned for 12/07/2022, expected application submission deadline on 25/10/2022).
As mentioned last week, after the BRIAN upgrade, you can look forward to seeing the different elements within your BRIAN account represented by its own ’tile’ on the homepage –
Let’s now take a closer look at the “Publications” tile –
By default, your “Publications” tile shows you a condensed summary list view of your publications within your BRIAN account.
When you click on the right arrow key, you will then get to see the ‘graph’ view instead –
Clicking on the left arrow key will take you back to the list view. As mentioned, the publication “list” view is the default setting within your account; however, you can change the default view to “graph” if you wish, by clicking on the “configure homepage” option within the drop-down menu underneath your profile –
And by clicking on “graph” as shown below –
There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).
Do stay tuned for more exciting new features from the BRIAN upgrade!
Starting 1 April 2022, all BU corresponding authors will no longer need to pay the Article Processing Charge (APC) for publishing with PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Digital Health, PLOS Genetics, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLOS ONE and PLOS Pathogens, due to the JISC PLOS flat fee agreement that Bournemouth University has signed up to.
In order to benefit from this agreement, it is important that you properly self-identify during the submission process to be recognised as eligible for this agreement.
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If you wish to find out more about this publishing deal, you can visit this FAQ – and ensure that you expand the PLOS Institutional Partnerships menu and select PLOS Flat Fee Agreements –
We are currently looking for individuals with long-term symptoms of Covid-19 to take part in our research – See the below poster and attached Recruitment poster. If interested please get in contact via the email provided!
As mentioned last week, after the BRIAN upgrade, you can look forward to seeing a much more consistent and a “cleaner” feel to the overall look of the homepage –
If you look closely at the top right corner of the “Publications” and “Grants” tiles, you will also notice a feature that will allow you to quickly clear any “pending” or “rejected” publications –
There will be a planned upgrade to BRIAN taking place beginning the week commencing 19th April, during which time BRIAN will be unavailable for use. The planned upgrade is expected to take place all week, therefore we are hoping for BRIAN to resume running again by 25th April 2022 (if not earlier).
Do stay tuned for more exciting new features from the BRIAN upgrade!
Today say the start of the Eight National Summit of Health & Population Scientists in Nepal. Bournemouth University is involved in two presentation. The first will be one by University of Huddersfield PhD student Tamang Pasang, and her supervisors Prof. Padam Simkhada (FHSS Visiting Faculty), Dr. Bibha Simkhada (former BU Lecturer in Nursing and current FHSS Visiting Faculty) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. Pasang will be talking about her thesis fieldwork: ‘Impact of Federalisation in Maintaining Quality of Maternal and Neonatal Care in Nepalese Health System’.
The second presentation will focus of the Nepal Federal Health System Project, our major collaborative project examining the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move to a federal government structure in 2015. This is a joint project led by the University of Sheffield with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, and two institutions in Nepal: Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences MMIHS) and PHASE Nepal. This interdisciplinary study is funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref.
MR/T023554/1].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery, Maternity & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)
We’ve all heard of the psychotherapy couch, and the dynamic between a client and their human therapist. But perhaps less well known is the increasingly popular pet therapy. And no, that’s not therapy for your pet – it’s the relatively new phenomenon of therapy for humans, which involves animals.
These animal assisted interventions (AAIs) – which also include a trained human professional – are proving beneficial to people of all ages, leading to significant reductions in physiological responses to stress – such as heart rate – and associated emotions, such as anxiety.
It’s a longstanding and widely accepted fact that people of all ages can benefit from partnerships with animals as pets. From the joy of the human-animal bond, to companionship and improved mental health, there is no doubt that cats, dogs and other pets enhance our lives immeasurably.
But over the last ten years or so, animals have started to help humans in settings away from the home – such as hospitals and care homes for the elderly, as well as schools, universities, prisons and rehabilitation services.
The Royal University Hospital Emergency Department in Saskatchewan, Canada, for example, has been welcoming therapy dogs (and their handlers) since 2016.
A recent study based at the hospital set out to investigate whether canine therapy had any impact on the wellbeing of patients – the majority (around 70%) of which had been admitted and were waiting for a hospital bed, and all of whom were experiencing pain.
They each received a ten minute visit from a St John Ambulance therapy dog in addition to the usual hospital care. Using a detailed psychometric survey, the researchers assessed patients immediately before the visit, immediately afterwards and 20 minutes afterwards. They were encouraged to find that the patients reported a significant reduction in pain, anxiety and depression following the visit by the therapy dog – and an increase in general wellbeing. If you’re curious about the cost of dog sitting in the UK, you can find out how much it typically costs on householdpets.co.uk.
Therapy involving dogs can also reduce blood pressure and heart rate. As dogs get older, they are more susceptible to cancer and could benefit from taking fermented turmeric.
Cats and horses also help
Over the last ten years, cats have also joined the AAI movement – and have been used in settings such as schools and care homes to improve wellbeing. Just being in the presence of a cat has been shown to improve mood and reduce feelings of loneliness. Playing with a cat, and physical contact through stroking and hugging, can induce a sense of calm, especially for children and frail elderly patients in long term care.
Stroking and interacting with a cat can improve our mood and reduce loneliness.
In fact, even a cat’s purr can bring emotional relief, especially when we’re feeling stressed.
One study – with patients living with chronic age-related disabilities in a nursing home – found that those who were assigned a cat therapy session three times a week, for six weeks, had improved depressive symptoms and a significant decrease in blood pressure.
Horse assisted therapy is particularly useful for young people experiencing mental health and behavioural issues. In many cases, those who have not benefited from traditional, talk-based therapy, may experience benefits – particularly an increased feeling of calm and emotional control – when participating in horse therapy, during which they learn how to communicate with and care for the horses.
Similarly, therapeutic horse riding therapy provides physical and emotional benefits to children with disabilities, helping to improve their balance, posture and hand-to-eye coordination. It can also help children to learn to trust and become more socially aware.
Therapeutic horse riding has been shown to improve symptoms of PTSD in adults, too. And equine therapy, where there is no riding – but instead feeding, grooming and leading the horse – can help people to process and change negative behaviours, such as those associated with addiction.
Why pets are good therapists
Building relationships and social connections through socialising and human interaction is a key part of maintaining and improving our mental health.
Animals, when left to their own devices, also make and work to maintain and enhance emotional relationships and connections with others. We are extremely lucky that – when it comes to dogs, cats and horses – this tendency also extends to humans, as long as we behave in a way that is comfortable for the animal.
And science has shown that they can understand what is happening in our interactions with them, too.
Horses can read our emotions and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
Horses can read and tune into human emotions. They can even learn about a person from watching them interact with another horse, and adjust their behaviour accordingly – such as approaching and touching the person more if they appear to display discomfort around the other horse.
Research with dogs and cats has found that they too can read and respond to our body language, facial expressions and voices.
Part of the joy of building a connection with an animal is discovering who they are and what they enjoy – and it goes without saying that their welfare must always be a top priority. But if think you have a superstar therapy pet in the making, then do consider reaching out to a pet therapy organisation in your area, such as Pets As Therapy in the UK. They’d be glad to meet you and your animal companion.
Have you had a total hip replacement? If so, you could participate in a new BU research study which aims to determine whether walking over a measured distance is beneficial after total hip replacement surgery.
We are looking for adults who are 3-6 months past their hip replacement surgery and currently don’t wear an activity monitor (such as a Fitbit).
You’ll need to visit BU for a series of tests and wear an activity monitor (which will be provided) for five weeks while undertaking a series of outdoor walking. You’ll also need to keep an activity diary and take part in a group discussion.
This year’s theme is building impact, celebrating our REF 2021 submission and exploring practical ways to create impact and share your research.
The half-day conference will take place in the Fusion Building on Talbot Campus from 1pm – 5pm on Tuesday 7 June, with internal and external speakers and workshops. Light refreshments will be provided.
The conference is open to all BU staff and postgraduate research students.
It will be followed by a drinks reception from 5pm to celebrate BU’s REF submission.
We’ll be sharing more details around the schedule, sessions and speakers shortly.
To register your interest and receive further updates, book your place via Eventbrite.
Congratulations to Charlotte Clayton, PhD student in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) on the publication of an article based on her PhD study. The paper ‘The public health role of case-loading midwives in advancing health equity in childbearing women and babies living in socially deprived areas in England: The Mi-CARE Study protocol’ is co-authored with her supervisors Prof. Ann Hemingway, Dr. Mel Hughes and Dr. Stella Rawnson [1].
This paper in the European Journal of Midwifery is Open Access, and hence freely available to everybody with an internet access. Charlotte is doing the Clinical Academic Doctoral (CAD) programme at Bournemouth University. The CAD programme provides midwives with bespoke research training, which includes conducting a piece of independent research whilst also remaining in clinical practice. The CAD programme is part of the NIHR Wessex Integrated Academic Clinical Training Pathway and in her PhD study supported by BU and University Hospital Southampton (UHS), where Charlotte works as a midwife). Charlotte use the Twitter handle: @femmidwife.
Unlock greater potential by maximising your awareness and understanding of Integrity!
The ability to utilise integrity in research, writing and teaching is vital for academic success. However, continuing to retain your integrity is fundamental but this can only be achieved by maintaining an ability to keep up-to date with the rules constituting academic dishonesty. Not so unlike technology rules and guidelines are continually changing. How then do you develop and maximise your understanding of honesty and dishonesty and continue to retain Integrity? BU’s Integrity Week will give you the skills and resources to do just that!
The importance of Academic Integrity will be highlighted at Bournemouth University’s Integrity Week.
Organised by cross faculty departments for students, staff and faculty, the week will comprise of a combination of interesting workshops, cross faculty and professional presentations where experts will share their knowledge on differing aspects of honesty and dishonesty. Panel discussions, open to all, will provide a lively forum for the sharing of experiences.
Reasons to attend!
Unlock and achieve greater success through integrity
Discover Integrity resources
Acquire skills to utilise integrity in research, writing and teaching
Learn how to maintain integrity in an evolving world of change
This will be an unparalleled week of opportunity for students, staff and faculty to ensure that through awareness and understanding BU stays at the forefront of everything that Integrity represents.
Apply for £500-£5,000 to fund your public engagement activity or event
The deadline for applications is midnight 24 April to enable funds to be awarded by mid-May. All spending must be completed by 31 July.
We welcome applications from researchers at all stages of their careers. RDS can provide 1-2-1 advice on preparing an application and will also work with successful applicants to support planning and delivery to ensure outcomes are achieved within the timeline.
This is the final opportunity to apply for internal funding this year for public engagement with research activity.
What we’re looking for
You will need to demonstrate that your proposed activity will involve a two-way interaction between you and your chosen public. The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) defines public engagement as “the myriad ways in which the activity and benefits of… research can be shared with the public”.
“Engagement is, by definition, a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” NCCPE
How to apply
Please first read the policy and applicant guidance. Then submit the online application form. A PDF version is supplied so you may preview the form, but this must not be submitted. Supporting statements from HoDs may be submitted via email.
Applications must be submitted by midnight Sunday 24 April.
Applications are now open for M-level 20 credit CPD unit: Public Involvement in Research. Application deadline 3rd May. This course is delivered online for 5 consecutive Tuesdays starting on Tuesday 31st May. The unit is open to external applicants; PGRs (as part of the Doctoral programme) and BU staff.
This Master’s level unit is co-designed and delivered by the PIER (Public Involvement in Education and Research) Partnership and Dr Mel Hughes. As a participant you will explore and evaluate a range of models and approaches to public involvement in research from shaping your research idea and through each stage of the research cycle. You will identify a strategy for public involvement (what, why and how) that will best fit your research study allowing you to gain an appreciation of how collaborating with people with lived experience (public, patients, carers, service users and potential users) can enhance your research. Specific emphasis will be placed on strategies for engaging and collaborating with marginalised groups so as not to reinforce social and health inequalities and inequities. Sessions will be interactive and involve drawing on the expertise of people with lived experience, including members of the PIER partnership.
Grants of up to £200 are available via the Research Impact Fund to facilitate relationship building with external stakeholders such as policymakers or industry contacts leading to impact development.
The aim of this is to support ad-hoc requests leading to impact development, such as media appearances, meetings with policy makers, meetings with industry contacts, or attendance at industry/policy/third sector events where network-building (leading to potential impact) is the key reason for attending.
The funding can be used to meet with new stakeholders, organisations or groups or meet with existing stakeholders to gather testimonials or other evidence to demonstrate how research has made a difference (e.g. has resulted in real world impact).
Please note that the travel fund cannot be used to fund conference attendance except in instances where attendance will result in achievable impact or evidence of impact.
Eligibility:
You will be eligible to apply if you meet the following criteria:
You are an ECR and / or you are new to research, or
You can demonstrate you have emerging impact from existing research
Developing and evaluating a novel interactive virtual reality intervention for children with eczema
Team: Dr Heidi Singleton, Yaqing Cui, Dr Xiaosong Yang, Dr Emily Arden-Close, Professor Steven Ersser, Professor Debbie Holley, Dr Sarah Thomas, Richard Glithro, John Moran, Dr Andy Hodder and Amanda Roberts (Nottingham Support Group for Carers (NSG) of Children with Eczema).
Aim: To co-create a complex VR health intervention based on the guided imagery approach to treating eczema (Ersser et al., 2014); targeted at children (aged between 7 and 11 years of age) (complex intervention development). This intervention is not a medical device but addresses a clinical issue and can be used at hospital or in the home. Our processes and outputs will be congruent with some of the staging of complex intervention development advised by the Medical Research Council (2021).
Evidence from our small-scale PPI project (Singleton et al. 2022), points to the need for an interactive VR innovation that provides an immersive experience to distract from itchy eczema with minimal requirements for contact with the child’s face or hands. To tackle this problem, we will design and develop a prototype system of an interactive “mini-VR igloo headset”. We will work with the Department of Design and Engineering to design and develop the prototype.
The two initial ideas for the engineering of the igloo are presented below. In keeping with a person-based approach these ideas will be discussed with our PIER group and will form part of the developmental work with our Nottingham based charity stakeholder partner.
This HEIF funding will enable this cross faculty team to work together (with external partners and Voice), with some additional paid staff to accelerate and maximise the development of a complex intervention to enhance its potential for impact. It will also provide us with several prototypes to test at BU events.
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