Category / Fusion themes

Student numbers in the next decade

BU Challenges, Fusion, Fusion themes, innovation, international

In contrast to recent student numbers intake across the country FT has published an article stating that, undergraduate numbers will see a rise in England in the next decade. [APRIL 7 2024. Looming rise in student numbers sparks calls for skills reform in England. Peter Foster and Anna Gross. © The Financial Times Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved].

Total numbers have a direct relation to several factors including but not limited to overseas students, and both financial and planning challenges faced by international students. Various geographical regions for example South and Southeast Asia are conventionally more leaning towards traditional degrees for example engineering and medicine. Particular interest in these degrees is stemmed by primary and secondary education systems, national skill gaps and more widely societal impacts. Despite, a brief decline in the numbers of international students a pattern in terms of various disciplines varies according to available data. In order to attract and sustain international student numbers core engineering and medical/ medicine degrees will remain significant centripetal force.

FT also reported that, this year universities will make a loss on each domestic student unless there is a change in fees policy [APRIL 7 2024. Looming rise in student numbers sparks calls for skills reform in England. Peter Foster and Anna Gross. © The Financial Times Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved]. In addition, a more diverse repositioning in terms of educational provisions is needed, such as strategic priorities for engineering & technology degrees, innovation in delivery models and methods of gradually but completely decoupling from textbooks taught system to a more flexible intuitive, research informed and practice-based education in partnership with industry which is fit for solving real world impact bearing problems. In turn safeguarding graduates’ future, placing their learning experience at the heart of education-research interface to guarantee higher levels of employability and job satisfaction.

HEIs are also facing a challenge in terms of financial sustainability as reported, the sector is struggling to recruit the higher-paying foreign students it relies on to subsidise lossmaking domestic places [FT 07 April 24]. A two-pronged approach would be needed to address these challenges. Firstly, repositioning in terms of facilities and resources to introduce, apply and integrate more state-of-the-art modelling and simulation techniques for practice, practical and experimental elements of teaching in engineering and technology degrees and initiating a phased transition from dependency on conventional hardware tools e.g. expensive machines to realise releasing economies of scale. Secondly, more robust, simpler and well understood parallels and transitioning pathways between HEIs and primary to higher secondary education are needed.

FT added that, “At the same time, government spending on skills will be 23 per cent below 2009—10 levels, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank.” [APRIL 7 2024. Looming rise in student numbers sparks calls for skills reform in England. Peter Foster and Anna Gross. © The Financial Times Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved]. Collaborating closely with industrial partners and stakeholders’ skills gaps can be strategically prioritised for medium to long term needs, and educational provisions would need reshaping to integrate with research portfolio, UNSDGs, socio-economic, environmental impacts and relevant REF Unit of Assessment (UoA).

FT reported that, “The apprenticeship levy introduced in 2017 has also failed to deliver the expected boost to training, according to London Economics.” [APRIL 7 2024. Looming rise in student numbers sparks calls for skills reform in England. Peter Foster and Anna Gross. © The Financial Times Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved]. This is an important pathway for filling the skill shortages and also bridging the gap between theory and practice. A steady rise in flexible learning engineering degree students’ numbers, have been observed. These students are industry professionals who join these degrees at L5/6 level for a BEng/MEng flexible learning program. In addition to academic benefits these professionals achieve academic benchmark qualifications for professional registrations with professional institutions. This is one of the best available models to address skill shortages with a flexible high-quality delivery and academic provisions underpinned by research.

A stronger and broader engineering sector in collaboration with industry partners and professional institutions to develop futuristic engineering degrees to contribute to economic growth and its sustainability with an upward trajectory to address real concerns that, “tackling (of) the UK’s entrenched skills shortages and low economic productivity.” [APRIL 7 2024. Looming rise in student numbers sparks calls for skills reform in England. Peter Foster and Anna Gross. © The Financial Times Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved] is important.

Telescopic Electrochemical Cell (TEC) for Non-Destructive Corrosion Testing of Coated Substrate. Patent number GB2018/053368

FT also mentioned in its latest article that, “Policymakers should also remove the cap on FE college places in order to “level up” education, (Lord Jo Johnson), added, providing more opportunities.” [APRIL 7 2024. Looming rise in student numbers sparks calls for skills reform in England. Peter Foster and Anna Gross. © The Financial Times Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved]. This can be looked into within the context of above-mentioned points in terms of establishing more defined parallels between HEIs and from primary to higher secondary education. A rethink to consider schools’ post code model for HEIs entry will help in levelling up.

Keywords: education, numbers, overseas students, engineering, skills, industry, professions.

 

Zulfiqar A Khan

Professor of Design, Engineering & Computing

NanoCorr, Energy & Modelling Research Group Lead

Email: zkhan@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

Celebrating with the RNLI

Awarded & submitted bids, international, PG research, Publishing

Staff in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences at Bournemouth University (BU) would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the charity the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) on its 200th anniversary!  Some of us have personal experience of working with the RNLI.  For example, Adam Bancroft, Programme Lead in Paramedic Science and Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science, in the Department of Midwifery & Health Sciences has been a lifeboat volunteer  Adam and his wife Paula were  both volunteer crew at Tower RNLI on the banks of the river Thames, which is still the busiest RNLI station in the UK.   They would commit to at least two shifts a month where they would be at a state of readiness to launch at moments notice on the pier, ready to respond. 
The picture of Adam and Paula was taken in 2013 for the RNLI as part of a photo shoot that was published in the Lifeboat magazine featuring volunteers and the different walks of life from across the UK and Ireland and the Channel Islands.  I am not sure Adam wants me to share this, but on their wedding day the ‘car’ for Paula was the spare RNLI boat, crewed by volunteer and full-time crew who gave their time to deliver her to the party boat for the service.  Adam did say that sadly neither of them able to volunteer now.
In a very different way of working with the RNLI, BU academics currently are involved in a collaborative research project with RNLI to prevent the drowning of toddlers under the age of two in rural Bangladesh.  This project called Sonamoni.  BU is leading this interdisciplinary study of nearly £1.7 million funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
This interdisciplinary project is a collaboration of BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH), BU’s Department in Accounting, Finance & Economics and Department of Design & Engineering, and external partners, namely the University of the West of England, the University of Southampton, the Poole-based RNLI and in Bangladesh the research organisation CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), and in Uganda Design Without Borders (DWB).  The Bournemouth University team comprises staff from three faculties: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and one PhD student Mr. Md. Shafkat Hossain.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMWH

The Fog of Streaming Wars

In his recent article published in The Conversation, Prof. John Oliver provides a provocative thought piece that describes the current market dynamics of subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming firms and an outlook on the industry’s future direction.

He notes that the industry is currently characterized by an oversupply of service providers which has led to aggressive competitive pricing and a squeezing of profit margins. He goes on to conclude that the weaker players, those with less efficient operations or inferior offerings, are starting to struggle and an ‘industry shakeout’ is inevitable.

You can access the article at: https://theconversation.com/in-the-fog-of-the-video-streaming-wars-job-losses-and-business-closures-are-imminent-225829

THE UK PRODUCTIVITY PARADOX PUZZLE lecture by BU Economist Dr Peter Howard-Jones

Dr Peter Howard-Jones delivers an AFE BUBS research seminar with the title “The United Kingdom Productivity Paradox: Myth or Reality,” at 2.00-3.15pm, Tuesday 26 March, Bournemouth Gateway Building 113 (first floor), Lansdowne, Bournemouth University.

Abstract
“Whilst the financial crisis was a catastrophic event in the global economy and in particular the UK with its pre-eminent banking sector, there are historical key events that may hold THE KEY TO CURRENT TRENDS TO UK PRODUCTIVITY AND THE LABOUR MARKET. The infrastructure changes in the 1980’s, poor regulation of the financial sector from 1986 to the present day, the 30 years experiment in private finance initiatives and the privatisation of national infrastructure now in the hands of foreign investors, may well be more important catalysts than the financial crisis itself. Following on from the financial crash came Brexit wielding a further blow to an economy already in crisis with key infrastructure under significant pressure as politicians from all parties claimed the solution lies in economic growth. Whilst this is a truism this relies on investment spending and the United Kingdom’s record in both public and private sectors is lamentable. Couple this with increasing inequality and reducing social mobility and a pattern of economic and societal decline is established. The reality lies in a new paradigm which needs introducing into the economic lexicon which includes human and social capital. THE GOAL OF IMPROVING UK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE LABOUR MARKET lies in a sense of place (regionalisation) and the creation of distributive mechanisms that provide a platform for WORKFORCE INCENTIVISATION and in turn affordable GOVERNMENT REVENUE collection.”

“The abstract above represents some productivity research that I did some years ago (at BU) which was published in The Journal of Economic Perspectives. What I want at the seminar is a robust discussion about an extension to this work which Conor and I are discussing involving the whole gamut of the UK economy and the effect on productivity. So, some key words in no particular order: Neoliberalism, populism, inequality, income distribution, taxation, infrastructure, investment, social capital, human capital, and the elephant in the room or not as is the case for the two main political parties, Brexit. Please feel free to come with your own key words.” Dr Peter Howard-Jones.

Dr Peter Howard-Jones recognised long-term contributions at BU are as: an ECR, a research award (2021) links with LSE, institutional economist, inspiring historical economics context, exceptional analytical thinking; lectures and highly engaging facilitative debating seminars, who is contactable about or after this lecture or with ideas on the above stated discussion on ‘an extension to this work’ research. Email phowardjones@bournemouth.ac.uk

RSVP organiser (if not done so) Professor Davide Parrilli
dparrilli@bournemouth.ac.uk
M. Davide Parrilli, PhD (B’ham), MPhil (Sussex), SFHEA, FeRSA
Professor of Regional Economic Development
BUBS PhD Programme Coordinator
BUBS Output Champion
Professorial Member of BU Senate
Bournemouth University Business School
AACSB Accredited; SBC Accredited; EFMD Member
& Editorial Board/AE of “European Planning Studies”

Note: A welcome independent posting/photo by FV for AFE BUBS

Economic Turbulent Times especially for SME Firms’ Productivity from Eastern Europe Talks by BU EACES member

conferences

‘Globalisation, integration, cooperation – what is at stake in the current turbulent times? The title of the 6th Conference in cooperation with the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies 22-23 March 2024 hosted in South-East Europe, Szeged University.’ An EACES member from Bournemouth University, joined in via the host hybrid liaison of an ‘economic constraints online’ distance free option in parts recorded. This conference was a cauldron of many research talks, many directly from SE Europe – within ‘geo-economic fragmenting’ (EACES terminology), presenting multi-factorial pathways for alternative futures.

The conference keynote plenary presentations were by leading European research institutes: Marzenna Anna Weresa, Professor of Economics (Warsaw School of Economics): European Competitiveness in Turbulent Times: Focus on Innovation. Nicolaas Stijn Groenendijk, Professor of Public Policy, Organisation and Innovation (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences): Global resources and the EU’s strategic autonomy role (EU, he stated is small relating to global spaces which should be protected not controlled: satellites, security economics, governance and environment including outer space, cyberspace, weapons, instruments in interplay with geo-economics geopolitics).”

Professor Weresa, Poland, emphasised the importance of using “innovative competitiveness to survive turbulence changing behaviours, attitudes, experimenting” with the “ability to improve productivity through use of relational capital, resources; ability to create evolving new relationships (collaborations, alliances) in providing a stable framework for multidimensional co-operation in arenas of social, ecological, economic, that must ultimately lead to sustainability, building human and social capital to transform labour market and environment with need of competitiveness support from new policies to meet the challenges in 20th anniversary year of EU integration in this zone.”

FOR INTRIGUED READERS, MORE RARE INSIGHTS: Demands for extra finance economic investment were identified by some presenters as divided into a ‘never-ending goal of closer convergence by the most advanced Eastern European transition economies, or deterioration even instability has occurred’ (where constrained not received). Alongside improving financial models, financial digitalisation and green transition research, where ‘large investment is needed mainly for SMEs’ (small medium enterprises are the majority of firms in Eastern Europe). Alternatives to beneficial FDI (foreign direct investment) were highlighted, with some potential FDI kept for ‘national home issues’ by others, alternatively benefits of keeping ‘productivity and trading boundaries’ closer together within Eastern Europe. Research into ‘Roundtripping FDI,’ academically ‘defined as onshore corruption and offshore secrecy for starting-up businesses or mitigating figures is reports progress for this complex to measure indirect FDI, transmission shipment via a hidden host intermediary economy. Reality challenges stated in geo-economics and geo-policies to achieving either ‘strength’ from co-operation, integration and finance economic strategies within more heterogeneity (differences) and increasing ‘potential vulnerability’ from dissipation, stasis, fragmenting debated. One South-East Europe researcher described ‘as wishing to help the EU as currently it is like a parent struggling not coping very well in relation to Eastern Europe matters.’ A new finance economic societal era change called ‘Zeitenwende’ is gaining momentum in academia and popular media.

NOTE: Professor Michael Landsmann, The Vienna Institute, REGRETTED BEING UNABLE TO VISIT AND LEAD OPEN THE CONFERENCE KEYNOTE DUE TO LAST MINUTE CIRCUMSTANCES BUT HIS RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION IN THIS ARENA IS: ‘importance of understanding economics from a global perspective and multiple view-points.’ Coincidentally, the previous week, the UK defence secretary returned from a visit to Ukraine and Poland NATO exercises, with a satellite signal jamming of his plane’s navigation system, near Kaliningrad; stressing “increased 3% GDP spend on defence” and “support for Ukraine,” according to the Times, “it was a wake-up call,” as he saw a different ‘East-West’ in engagement mode perspectives instead of ‘West-East.’

Notably, Michael Landsmann co-authored ‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: assessment of the humanitarian, economic, and financial impact in the short and medium term’ in International Economics and is ‘the Economist winner of the Rothschild Prize 2022’. Michael Landsmann published research states: ‘how can the geo-economic and geopolitical challenges of our time be classified and understood, and how is the West and East integration proceeding?’ “Economic policy issues are not purely factual questions, but involve – as Kurt Rothschild emphasised” – “questions of power, interests and the goals of various social groups”. ‘With his analytical approach, Michael Landesmann has made these power constellations, interests and goals visible. In his lectures, he concretises this approach using three developments: Russia’s war against Ukraine, energy and inflation crisis, and global multipolarity. He relates it to the title of his lectures revolving around conceptual ‘centrifugal and centripetal forces in the European integration process,’ and ‘the need for flexible and experimental economic policy in turbulent times.’


BU: An independent report on topical critical latest Eastern European Matters in research by Fiona Vidler MBA MSc MLIBF, member of EACES, with BUBS AFE quantitative research theme: Impacts of Corruption, Financial Constraint and Firm Productivity. Global Crisis Times – SME Evidence from European Transitional Economies – historical roots in comparative economics past hundred years: focus on over thirty years ago, fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and Independence (1991), with empirical regression analyses interpretations (using prior advanced statistics econometrics research training by USA specialists) in global financial crisis turbulence timeframes for SMEs (small medium enterprise) firms; exploring economic trading alliance influences relationships; endogenous (internal causes) effects beyond exogenous crises (a resurgence interest in visionary post-Keynesian on economic consequences from the 1930s, elements now reoccurring).
(PDF) Poster 2023 Fiona Vidler AFE BUBS (researchgate.net)

It’s only a name…

BRIAN, international, Publishing, writing

Yesterday my co-author Dr. Orlanda Harvey received an email from a sociology journal informing her that “The below co-author name is not matching with the separate title page provided and in the submission. If Van is the middle name please update the name in the author’s account.  Name in separate title page appears as Prof Edwin van Teijlingen….Name in site appears as vanTeijlingen, EdwinPlease address the above issue before resubmitting the manuscript.”

If you have an odd name in English you will have to get used to this kind of misunderstanding.  This is the second time this is happening when submitting a paper this month!   Interestingly with a different variant of my name.  A migration and health journal  argued to me co-author that my name on ORCID was ‘Edwin van Teijlingen’ but on Scopus ‘van Teijlingen, Edwin Roland’.  the journal then asked that we change it.

To add more example on the inflexibility of online systems, my greatest surprise a few years ago was that I could not add my Dutch family name ‘van Teijlingen’ with a small ‘v’ on the online booking web pages of the Dutch airline KLM.

What’s In A Name? A name is but a name, and to quote Shakespeare: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

 

New article by BU Social Work academics

Knowledge Exchange, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Drs. Louise Oliver and Orlanda Harvey  who had their latest article published in the British Association of Social Workers magazine. The article is titled: The seven-eyed social worker: a tool for critical self-reflection”. This article is about how a supervision model, developed by Hawkins and Shohet, which focuses upon the relationship between the service user/client and the social worker. The two BU academics noted that “This model supports critical reflection, delving into the use of self when working with others. It promotes professional curiosity, which is at the heart of critical reflection”. This gives an alternative lens and approach to social work practice.
Well done!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Congratulations to Prof. Sara Ashencaen Crabtree

international, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Sara Ashencaen Crabtree, Professor of Social and Cultural Diversity, on the publication of her latest book An Historiography of Women’s Missionary Nursing Through the Lives of Two Sisters: Doing the Lord’s work in Kenya and South India (published by Routledge).

This book employs both ethnographic and secondary, archival data, drawing on a rich, fascinating trove of original material from the pre-1940s to the present day.  It offers a unique historiographic study of twentieth century Methodist missionary work and women’s active expression of faith, practised at the critical confluence of historical and global changes. The study focuses on two English Methodist missionary nursing Sisters and siblings, Audrey and Muriel Chalkely, whose words and experiences are captured in detail, foregrounding tumultuous socio-political changes of the end of Empire and post-Independence in twentieth century Kenya and South India.

This work presents a timely revision to prevailing postcolonial critiques in placing the fundamental importance of human relationships centre stage. Offering a detailed (auto)biographical and reflective narrative, this ‘herstory’ pivots on three main thematic strands relating to people, place and passion, where socio-cultural details are vividly explored. 

This book pays tribute to our former colleague, Professor Fran Biley.  As part of a wider oral history project entitled “Memories of Nursing” Fran Biley interviewed two British sisters who had retired to the South of England.  The two sisters, Muriel and Audrey, followed very similar missionary career paths in two different former British colonies.  Two sisters spent a total of 54 years working as Methodist missionaries in India and Kenya, one as a nurse, the other as a midwife.  Fran collected over 10 hours of interview data, as well as old videos, a suitcase of 35mm slides, albums full of old photographs, letters and personal papers from the two sisters.   Unfortunately, Fran died far too young in November 2012, before the rich data could be analysed.  Sara conducted further extensive interviews with Muriel and others who knew them, as well as undertaking a huge detective hunt to find a considerable amount of secondary data pertaining to the sisters and other Methodist missionaries across UK archives.  I am glad to be able to report that  Dr Muriel Chalkley, whose life is portrayed in the book, received an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University in recognition of her services to nursing.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’ Health (CMWH)

 

PRME UKI events and open calls for applications for awards

You are invited to a Zoom meeting of the PRME UKI (Principles of Responsible Management Education, UK and Ireland) Interest Group on Employability, Sustainability and Jobs of the Future (co-led by Dr Jonathan Louw MCIPD SFHEA and Dr Karen Cripps) that will take place on 13th March from 2.30pm – 4.00pm. This will host Arti Kumar MBE as a keynote presenter to celebrate the close of the ‘Career Story Telling for the Sustainable Development Goals’ workshops.

 Arti’s keynote speech will unravel the key features of SOARing to Success as a principled, inclusive and interconnected approach. She will show how staff can animate the four dimensions of SOAR as a process of personalised learning that enables all students to constructively align their aspirations and employability development with sustainable development goals. 

The SOAR framework was used to structure the ‘Career Story Telling for the Sustainable Development Goals’ workshop that was delivered at over 20 universities as part of PRME seed funding for pedagogic innovations 2023 (by Karen Cripps, Cathy d’Abreu and Dr Milena Bobeva).The session will include insights from collaborating colleagues and students, share the resources developed through the project, and host an open discussion on approaches to embedding ’employability for sustainability’ within the curriculum. You can read more about the project and collaborators in the link below and the zoom registration link here.  To register in advance for this meeting click here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

PRME Global Student Sustainability Awards Open

We are delighted to share that submissions for the 2024 PRME Global Student Sustainability Awards are open!

All Sustainability-oriented student organisations associated with PRME Signatory Members from the PRME Chapter UK & Ireland are encouraged to apply! Submissions should be completed through a SUBMISSION FORM (deadline: 31st March 2024 at 23:59 ET) to be filled by a student organisation representative, who must be a student formally enrolled with a PRME Signatory Member during the 2023 calendar year.

Applicants can find all the information about the Awards structure, submission criteria and requirements by accessing the CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS – TERMS OF REFERENCE. There, you will see that the PGS Sustainability Awards are divided into two phases: Regional Awards (February to May) and Global Awards (May to June).

Due to a partnership with Marketplace Simulations, on the 18th June 2024, PRME will celebrate the Regional Winners and award the Global Winner during the 2024 PRME Global Forum. On occasion, the student organisation awarded as the Global Winner will receive a USD $2,000 monetary prize to increase the impact of their local initiatives! The PGS Team will host two informational webinars to present the 2024 PGS Sustainability Awards and answer any questions regarding the application processes.  Please find below the registration links to these informational sessions:

  • Informational Webinar 1 – 8th March, 12.00 to 13.00 CET (register here)

Informational Webinar 2 – 18th March, 17.00 to 18.00 CET (register here)

PRME UK and Ireland Conference and Doctoral Colloquium 2024

The Calls for Proposals are open for the PRME UK and Ireland Conference and Doctoral Colloquium 2024 ‘Educating for Deep Transformation: Business Schools’ contribution to a Greener, Healthier, Fairer Society’ to be held at the University of Exeter 19th-21st June 2024. 

Submission Deadlines:

Doctoral Colloquium: Tuesday 12th March 2024

Conference: Tuesday 19th March 2024

Details of the Calls can be found here.

Additional information can be found in the link below.

2024 PRME Faculty Teaching Awards: Applications are Open

The PRME Faculty Teaching Awards recognize excellence in teaching sustainable development and responsible management practices in business education. They seek to honour innovative and impactful pedagogical contributions that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and align with the pedagogical interests of the PRME community.

Eligibility: Faculty at PRME Signatory institutions from all levels and disciplines. Applications can be submitted from individuals or as a team application of no more than six.

Submissions close: 31st March 2024. For more details click here.

British Council funded BU project SUNRISE on sustainability research: three upcoming events

PG research

SUNRISE (Supporting ­­­University Network for Research in Sustainability Engagement) is a British Council funded managed by BU in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

The project aims at inspiring and building capacity for sustainability research through hybrid cross-institutional student mobility events. Particularly, it focuses on leveraging student online and hybrid mobility to build capacity for research on sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To achieve this, we will be hosting three cross-institutional hybrid conferences celebrating sustainability research carried out by staff, and undergraduate and postgraduate students in both universities. These will be demonstrating research addressing local and global challenges on five key themes:

 

Food nutrition and eating behaviour (SDG 2, 3, and 12)

Gender equality (SDG 5) 

Tourism and Hospitality (SDGs 3, 10, 12)  

Sustainability marketing and communication (all SDGs)  

Sustainability and employability (SDG 4, 5 and 8)  

 

The events will be delivered following the following schedule:

17 April 2024, 8-10 am (UK time) - researchers from both BU and USM will introduce the work they carry out on the themes above

9 May 2024, 8-10 am  (UK time) – we will host a student conference including live presentations and a virtual multimedia exhibition of UG and PG student research related to global challenges

Autumn 2024 - we will host a PGR conference including live presentations and a virtual multimedia exhibition of research related to global challenges

All events in the series will be run in a hybrid mode, i.e. they will be in-person at both the partner campuses with a virtual link between both universities capturing keynote presentations, online panel sessions and live pitches for research collaboration.

At BU, the project is managed by Dr Milena Bobeva (BUBS), Dr Reena Vijayakumaran (HSS), Prof Fiona Cownie (FMC), Dr Roberta Discetti (BUBS), and  Dr Daisy Fan (BUBS). Our partners at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are Dr Vina Tan Phei Sean and Assoc Prof. Ng Theam Foo.

 

Interdisciplinary research team to create short film using artificial intelligence in AHRC-funded project

Awarded & submitted bids

Researchers from BU will create a short film entirely using artificial intelligence (AI) to explore the creative and legal issues surrounding the use of these tools in media production.

The research project has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and will investigate the use of generative AI tools in media creation – focusing on collaboration, creativity, and representation. This includes concerns about copyright, job security, and other ethical and legal challenges.

Multiple screens in a computer generated landscape

“There has been a lot of thinking about responsible AI and the way it is used and implemented, as well as the implications for things like production and jobs and how roles in the industry will be affected,” said Dr Szilvia Ruszev, Senior Lecturer in Post Production, who is leading the project.

“We hope that through the discussions and the use of these tools, we can develop a more nuanced understanding of how we can still be creative and use AI in a responsible way.”

The BU research team also includes Dr Maxine Gee (Principal Academic in Screenwriting), Professor Xiaosong Yang (Professor of Computer Animation and Deputy Head of Department), Dr Tom Davis (Associate Professor in Music and Audio Technology) and Dr Melanie Stockton-Brown (Principal Academic in Law), as well as partners from the University of Michigan, USA and Zhejiang University, China.

They will use generative AI tools at each stage of the production process, such as the script writing, image creation, sound and music, and for the post production on the film.

They will also evaluate these tools from the perspectives of representation, collaboration and creativity as well as exploring key legal aspects, including copyright.

At each stage of the process, the team will hold workshops which will include talks about the issues being investigated and hands-on experience with helping to create the AI-generated film. The workshops will be open to BU staff and students, as well as industry stakeholders and policymakers.

Dr Ruszev said: “Fictional media has a history of shaping societal understanding of stereotypes through media representation but the data used to create content through AI is not objective and so we are looking at what sort of impact that will have on the representation of identities and groups.

“There are also issues around copyright to explore – such as who owns the idea, and the ethical and legal challenges that need to be addressed.”

The project has received over £170,000 in funding from the AHRC as part of the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme, which will support the development of responsible AI and how it can be embedded across key sectors.

Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the AHRC, said: “The impact of AI can already be felt in many areas of our lives. It will transform our jobs and livelihoods, and impact on areas as diverse as education, policing and the creative industries, and much more besides.

“The research which AHRC announced today will provide lasting contributions to the definition and practice of responsible AI, informing the practice and tools that are crucial to ensure this transformative technology provides benefits for all of society.”

Socio-Ecological Transition Seminars – Spring 2024 events

We are delighted to share the spring 2024 calendar for our Socio-Ecological Transition Seminars (SETS). This seminar cycle’s discussions will revolve around the global crisis of waste and the unsustainability of current modes of production and consumption, analysed across sectors and geographical contexts, in its societal, organisational, political, and ethical dimensions.

We have a confirmed calendar of international distinguished speakers:

April 3rd h 3 pm: A public sociology of waste, Myra Hird

Myra J. Hird, Professor in Environmental Studies at Queen’s University (Canada). Myra holds a PhD from Oxford University and is a distinguished interdisciplinary scholar researching the global waste crisis and will present her recent book A Public Sociology of Waste (2022, Bristol University Press).

April 24th h 3 pm: Recycling Class: The Contradictions of Inclusion in Urban Sustainability, Manisha Anantharaman

Manisha Anantharaman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Center for the Sociology of Organisations, Sciences Po Paris (France). Manisha holds a PhD from University of California Berkeley, and her research focuses on the politics of ecological transition and sustainability. Manisha will present her recent book Recycling Class. The Contradictions of Inclusion in Urban Sustainability (2024, MIT press).

29th May h 3 pm: The Social Life of Unsustainable Mass Consumption, Magnus Boström.

Magnus Boström, Professor of Sociology at the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Social Science (CESSS) at Örebro University, Sweden. Magnus’ research interests include politics, representation, consumption, action, and transformative learning in relation to various transnational environmental and sustainability issues. Magnus will present his recent book: The Social Life of Unsustainable Mass Consumption (2023, Rowman & Littlefield)

All seminars are online on Zoom:

https://unitn.zoom.us/j/85334570893Meeting ID: 853 3457 0893

Passcode: SETS

SETS is a joint initiative between the Research Group on Collective Action, Change, and Transition at the University of Trento, the Centre for Sustainable and Socially Responsible Consumption at Bournemouth University, and the Environmental Sociology Section at the University of Orebro. The seminars are open to a diverse audience, including academics, students, practitioners, social movements, and the non-specialist public.

SETS aims at reflecting with critical instruments and theories on socio-ecological transformations in times of crisis – with a special focus on everyday life and the sphere of social and ecological reproduction. In particular, the seminars aim at eliciting reflection on the different practices and “fields” where struggles and transformative action take place. The seminars are open to a diverse audience, including academics, students, practitioners, social movements, and non-specialist public.

Dr Roberta Discetti, SETS co-founder

Embedding Fairtrade in teaching and research: a panel discussion with the Fairtrade Foundation

Business Engagement, Fusion, Fusion themes, Student Engagement

Dear all,

As part of our BU Fairtrade weeks 2024, we are delighted to invite you to a panel discussion dedicated to academics with an interest in sustainability, to explore connections with Fairtrade through collaboration with the Fairtrade Foundation.  

Date: February 27th at 2 pm – Fusion Building, room F305 (in-person only event).

BU is a Fairtrade University; we received the accreditation in 2022 with the highest possible score (3 stars out of 3) and we are among a very small group of universities worldwide to have achieved this. There are plenty of ways for academics to get involved with Fairtrade that will be explored in a panel discussion with the following speakers: 

Elena Fernandez-Lee, Education Campaigning Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation: Elena will talk about the Fairtrade University scheme, discussing best practices to embed Fairtrade in teaching and research, and highlighting potential areas of collaboration with BU academics. Elena will also share about the Foundation’s new campaigns about climate justice and decolonization of the curriculum, and outline ways for BU academics to get involved. 

Izzy Chalk, BU Sustainability Officer: Izzy will talk about BU’s journey to becoming accredited as a 3-star Fairtrade university, outlining best practices in embedding Fairtrade in the curriculum and emphasising further areas of collaboration between the Sustainability team and BU academics. 

Dr Roberta Discetti, BU Fairtrade academic representative: Roberta will share some research-informed practices related to Fairtrade engagement, including NGO/academics cooperation, student co-creation, and multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives. 

The panel discussion will be followed by an optional 30-minute networking where we will have the opportunity to connect with our guest speaker Elena and discuss different ways of expanding the integration of Fairtrade in sustainability teaching and research. This event is open to all BU and AUB academics, to maximise opportunities for collaboration across departments and faculties.