BU Research Blog

March 21, 2023

Association between Traumatic Injuries and Heart Rate Variability- Systematic Review Published in PloS One by an MSPH PhD Student

BRIAN, BU research, Doctoral College, Knowledge Exchange, open access, student research rmaqsood

Rabeea is a 2nd year PhD student who is based in the Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health. As a part of her PhD, her systematic review on the association between traumatic Injuries and HRV has recently been published as an open access research in PloS One.

It is the first systematic review to provide evidence on the relationship between non-acute traumatic injuries and Heart Rate Variability (RMSSD, SDNN and LF/HF) ratio. This also highlights paucity of evidence and calls for further research in the field, especially in the Military research- the focus of Rabeea’s PhD.

The co-authors on this paper are Rabeea’ supervisors: Prof. Ahmed Khattab (MSPH, BU), Prof. Christopher Boos (Department of Cardiology, UHD), and Prof. Alex N Bennett (DMRC, Stanford Hall).

March 21, 2023

BU Research Funding Panels 23 – Call for Chair & Deputy Chairs, Reopening Call

BU research, BU2025, Doctoral College, Fusion, HEIF, Industry collaboration, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, Public engagement, Research Supervision zafzal

Expressions of interest invited for Chair and Deputy Chairs of BU’s Research Funding Panels

***DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 14^th APRIL 2023***

We are seeking expressions of interest (EoIs) for Chair and Deputy Chair of the new funding panels:

Studentship Funding Panel
Research Development Funding Panel
Knowledge Exchange & Innovation Funding Panel

Applications from underrepresented groups (women, minority ethnic, declared disability) are particularly welcome.

What are the Research Funding Panels?

These are the new, agile and responsive way that internal funds for projects that support Doctoral Studentships, Research Development, and Knowledge Exchange and Innovation will be managed at BU from August 2023.

Why should I apply to be a Chair or Deputy Chair? What’s in it for me?

Being a Chair or Deputy Chair of a funding panel means that you are involved in making important decisions about applications for funding. This means you need to be able to evaluate applications fairly and be able to express your thoughts about them effectively in meetings and via feedback. You will be directly involved in the process and therefore helping to ensure that internal funding at BU is used for projects that will have real world impact. It’s also a great opportunity to engage with colleagues from across the faculties.

Chair and Deputy Chair further information:

Eligibility is as follows: EoIs from full members of the Professoriate for the posts of Chair and from Associate Professors and Professors for the posts of Deputy Chair.

These posts are very important to the running of the panels you will be chairing meetings, ensuring that decision-making is fair and robust. As such, we require applicants to these posts to have some experience of chairing meetings, sound knowledge of the panels area and a keen desire to lead the research and knowledge exchange agenda across the university. There won’t be huge demands on your time, but you will be required to read and review multiple applications and there will be occasions when you may need to respond swiftly to requests to amend uses of funds.

Sounds like it could be interesting. How do I apply?

EoIs for the Chair or Deputy Chair roles should consist of a case (maximum length of one page) outlining your suitability for the role. Please outline your experience, your understanding of agenda and anything else you feel relevant.

These should be submitted to the relevant panel mailbox by the deadline of 4.30pm 14^th April 2023. Please ensure your EoI clearly states whether you are applying for the Chair or Deputy Chair position.

Studentship Funding Panel – DoctoralCollege@bournemouth.ac.uk

Research Development Funding Panel – ResearchDevelopmentFund@bournemouth.ac.uk

Knowledge Exchange & Innovation Funding Panel – KEandInnovationFund@bournemouth.ac.uk

March 9, 2023

BU HL team wins award at the BISA Model NATO at FCDO in London

BU2025, Events, Fusion, Fusion themes, Global engagement, humanities, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, RKE development framework, Strategic Investment Areas, Student Engagement edolea

BU students in the Humanities and Law Department, Shahidah Miah (3rd year Law student), Alex Carey (2nd year History student) and Josh Pitt (3rd year Politics student) won the Distinguished Delegation Award at the BISA Model NATO. The event took place at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on Friday, March 3rd, and was organized by the British International Studies Association in partnership with FCDO.

Over 100 students from 30 UK universities participated at the 2023 edition. It is the first time BU takes part in this simulation and wins a team award, against some powerful teams from universities with long tradition of politics and international studies.

What is BISA Model NATO – This is a simulation type of event. Students are randomly allocated a country and each student is part of a specialised NATO body – the Military Committee and the Civil Emergency Planning Committee. The students then have to agree a detailed set of actions to be endorsed in a final declaration by a simulated North Atlantic Council, NATO’s highest authority. BU team successfully represented Canada.

In BISA’s press release summing up the event, Mark Webber (BISA President) said: “The simulation is designed to provide students with experience of crisis decision-making; to get them into the heads of people having to make tough choices in very testing circumstances. The students rose to this challenge very well. The Model concluded with a declaration agreed by all the student delegates on how NATO should respond to a major natural disaster. The students performed just like seasoned diplomats.”

Employability skills demonstrated. Simulation events are a recognised model of learning and allow participants access to insights unobtainable in a traditional classroom setting. Our BU students had very good & concise interventions, demonstrated excellent negotiating skills, proposed great initiatives and worked brilliantly as a team representing Canada, thus contributed to reaching overall consensus at the end of the day. They were true diplomats for a day. And they also networked with fellow students, staff from other universities and diplomats from FCDO. They received glowing praises for their interventions during the day.

Why this is so timely – Students participating in the model are working on the aftermath of a natural disaster – multiple earthquakes across the eastern Mediterranean and South-East Europe resulting in significant loss of life and mass displacement of populations. Given the current context, both geopolitical with the War in Ukraine and the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, but also more broadly the climate change and the likely increase of natural disasters in the near future, working on such scenarios helps prepare students for real life situations. In addition, such events are inspiring students to embark upon careers and projects in diplomacy, government, non-governmental organisations and the military.

BU delegation at BISA Model NATO was advised and supported by Associate Professor Alina Dolea and Senior Lecturer Scott Keefer.

The full press release featuring our students is available here – BISA/FCDO Model NATO 2023 – Over 100 students from 30 universities | BISA

March 1, 2023

ESRC Festival of Social Science 2023 – call for applications will open on Monday 27 March

BU research, ESRC, Events, Impact, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Public engagement ballen

Apply for up to £1,000 to deliver your event and take part in a national festival of public engagement with research

What is the ESRC Festival of Social Science?

The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, usually taking place during November. 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. The festival aims to encourage, support and create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences.

Why should I take part?

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.

It is an excellent opportunity to engage people outside of academia with your research and with the benefit of co-ordinated support and promotion from RDS and the ESRC.

You can apply for up to £1,000 to deliver your project.

What if I’ve never done any public engagement before?

Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is the ideal place. You’ll have access to comprehensive support, advice and training throughout. If you’re unsure, seek out a more experienced colleague to collaborate with.

Can I apply if I’m not a social scientist?

The ESRC says that 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 will I be expected to do?

Familiarise yourself with best practice for public engagement with research. Whether you’re new to this or experienced, there’s always room to improve
Apply to our internal panel
If successful, attend an initial training session
Plan, deliver and evaluate your activity or event, working with the public engagement team to shape your project into an impactful, professional and fascinating experience

What support will I get?

Being part of this festival means a higher level of support and reach than we are normally able to provide.

Before applying, you’ll have access to:

A dedicated session of the Public Engagement with Research (PER) Network, featuring previous event holders
Bookable one-on-one advice slots with BU’s Engagement Officer
Detailed applicant guidance to help you apply

When your application is successful, you’ll get:

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.

What next?

We are dedicating our next meeting of the Public Engagement with Research Network on Wednesday 29 March to helping you apply for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2023. In this session we’ll explain more about the festival and how to apply. We’ll hear from Dr Maxine Gee and Dr Rachel Moseley who have previously held events and activities as part of the festival. They will share their experiences and advice. More details about this session can be found here, or you can join the Public Engagement Network to stay up to date

Explore previous events from BU and examples from around the country
Start brushing up on how to make public engagement work for you. A great place to start is BU’s own video guide to getting started in public engagement with research (Brightspace). You can also browse guidance and case studies from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)
Book an advice slot – once available

In the coming weeks we’ll provide more information about applying to the ESRC Festival of Social Science. In the meantime, if you have a question please email the team.

February 27, 2023

Second INRC Symposium: New Frontiers in Neuroscience -Neuroimaging and Integrative Multi-Sensing Methods

BRIAN, BU research, BU2025, Events, Featured academics, Fusion, Fusion themes, Knowledge Exchange, nhs, NHS, Postgraduate Research, Public engagement, REF Subjects, Research Centres, research methods, research staff, Strategic Investment Areas, Student Engagement, Uncategorized ebballester

Recent advances in neuroimaging, accompanying the coalescence of multiple neurophysiological registration modalities in virtual reality settings, are experiencing a substantial growth in brain research. These developments in experimental and analytical approaches to probe the human brain, open exciting avenues for novel applications in e.g., health, media industries, education, sport, art, or tourism. This topic was the focus of the second symposium of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre , which took place on the last 16^th of January at the Inspire Lecture Theatre on Talbot Campus.

The symposium, entitled “New Frontiers in Neuroscience: Neuroimaging and Integrative Multi-Sensing Methods” concentrated on these two linking themes from a cross-disciplinary angle, leveraging synergies between BU departments, collaborators in other universities, industry, charities, and at the NHS.

The event started with a fascinating talk by Mavi Sanchez-Vives (Biomedical Research Institute IDIBAPS, Barcelona), Leader of the Human Brain Project work-package entitled “Networks underlying brain cognition and consciousness”.

Prof Fred Charles presenting at the 2nd INRC Symposium.

Next, our first session revolved around the integration of multi-sensing methodologies and their industrial applications. In this focused session, we enjoyed three exciting talks, the opening one by Prof. Fred Charles (BU) on multimodal immersive neuro-sensing approaches; followed by Dr. Ifigeneia Mavridou (EmteqLabs), who discussed her appealing research of affective responses to VR environments. Finally, Dr. Federica Degno (BU) showed us her avant-garde work on co-registration of eye movements and EEG recordings.

The second session, centred on neuroimaging recordings in clinical neuroscience, was opened by Dr. Ruth Williamson (Deputy Chief Medical Officer, University Hospitals Dorset), who presented her multidisciplinary study of the effect of cold-water immersion on brain function, inspiring a stimulating debate on its clinical applications. The symposium concluded with Prof. Carol Clark’s (BU) very interesting talk on mapping brain structure, function and cognition in women engaged in sporting activities.

After the symposium, we had two follow-up activities in the afternoon: first a seminar, sponsored by the Department of Psychology and the MINE research cluster, by Dr. Benjamin Schöene (Universität Osnabrück), who debated the novel perspectives that VR offers in psychological research; followed by a visit to the Multimodal Immersive Neuro-sensing lab for natural neuro-behavioural measurement (MINE), led by Dr Xun He .

All of us in the INRC would like to thank very much the attendants to the symposium, and a huge thanks to the speakers for accepting our invitation, and for their compelling talks.

For colleagues who could not make it, the two thematic sessions were recorded, and can be accesed on this link. If you are interest in getting in touch, contributing or joining the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre, please do not hesitate to contact Ellen Seiss, (eseiss@bourenmouth.ac.uk) or Emili Balaguer-Ballester (eb-ballester@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Thank you again for your interest, and we are looking forward to seeing you in our next activities.

Kind regards,

Ellen and Emili on behalf of all of us at the INRC

February 16, 2023

SaferKids VR launch

Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, BU2025, Fusion, Impact, Industry collaboration, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, Strategic Investment Areas shodge

Before the pandemic, local school children had a local facility near Wallisdown called SafeWise. SafeWise supported children learning about keeping safe and in particular road safety. However, during the pandemic this facility closed, leaving children without such an important resource. In collaboration with Colin Parnell from Centre VR, Dr Sarah Hodge (from the Department of Psychology) was awarded a bid by Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council to develop a VR simulation/game about road safety skills; SaferKids VR.

The educational simulation/game was designed and created, with an interdisciplinary team, including psychologists, and game developers and programmers. The team of game developers and programmers, consisted of two BU graduates Sam Walsh and Josh Maddocks, as well as Andrew Ham. Since graduating from his Masters degree, Sam has led the team on the SaferKids VR development.

Within SaferKids VR, there was the creation of SKIE: Safer Kids Interactive Expert (robot pictured above). SKIE supports the player in VR, navigating the friendly real-life interactive virtual world and achieving learning goals and road safety skills. The players complete various types of crossing while in VR, walking to and from school, as well as various mini games at key location points as they progress through the simulation/game.

Schools can sign up for their pupils to be involved.

For more information on the project please see the link https://centrevr.co.uk/saferkidsvr/ or contact shodge@bournemouth.ac.uk

February 16, 2023

Tell us about the social, cultural & community events you’ve been involved in

BU research, Events, HE-BCI, Impact, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Public engagement ballen

Please tell us about your social, cultural and community events for the period 1 August 2022 – 31 July 2023

This data forms part of BU’s annual Higher Education – Business & Community Interaction survey and is used to calculate our Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) grant. It also feeds into our submission to the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) so it is really important for us to provide a full and accurate picture of all our public engagement.

Which events do I need to report?

Public lectures & talks
Performance arts (music, dance, drama etc)
Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc)
Museum education
Media engagement (TV/radio interviews, podcasts etc)

If you’re not sure if your event is eligible for inclusion, take a look at the SharePoint site which includes further details and guidance.

What data do we collect?

For the purposes of the HE-BCI survey, please record the following:

Event dates – to ensure eligibility
Whether the event or activity was free or chargeable
The number of attendees (or views/visitors)
The amount of staff time in hours needed for delivery.

All events that were part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022, Online Public Lecture Series and Café Scientifique have been collated on your behalf centrally, so there is no need to add these.

Deadline: Friday 29 September 2023

We would encourage you to add your new data regularly throughout the year, while the details are easily recalled.

Further information

The SharePoint site provides details about what data is collected, including how to calculate attendee numbers, staff time, reporting online activities and multiple related events.

If you have any further questions about the HE-BCI return, please contact publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

February 13, 2023

Café Sci – Tuesday 7 March 2023: Emotion and its effects on spatial memory

BU research, Events, Impact, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Public engagement ballen

At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.

We’ll be joined by Dr Tara Zaksaite on Tuesday 7 March from 6:30 – 8:00pm

Emotion and its effects on spatial memory

Spatial memory is our ability to remember where things are, for example remembering where you put down your keys, or where you met a friend. Interestingly, our spatial memory is stronger when we have an emotional connection to a place or object.

But do we better remember things with positive associations or negative? And can we turn this around and use the power of emotions to improve our spatial memory?

Join Dr Tara Zaksaite, a cognitive psychologist and a lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University, to discover how your spatial memory works and to ask your questions.

This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early, so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.

Attendance is free but booking is required

February 8, 2023

Erasmus+ teaching in Nepal

international, Knowledge Exchange Vanora Hundley

BU professors Vanora Hundley and Carol Clark are currently in Nepal as part of an exchange between Bournemouth University (BU) and Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

They have enjoyed discussing research with the Masters in Public Health students at MMIHS, whose research proposals include topics as diverse as stress and burnout, musculoskeletal injuries in hand-loom workers, and occupational health of high altitude porters.

Yesterday they were teaching the students as part of their Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit. Vanora outlined the history of Safe Motherhood and the group had a detailed discussion about the causes of maternity mortality and strategies to improve care for mothers and babies. Carol gave a lecture on urinary incontinence (including teaching the class how to do pelvic floor exercises) and explored how we handle taboo subjects such as this.

Carol and Vanora had an opportunity to meet with students from MMIHS who had recently returned from their exchange with Bournemouth University. The students spoke about how their time in Dorset had enabled them to learn about health in the UK and to share their expertise in delivering public health in a low income country.

The Erasmus+ exchange promotes cross-border education and knowledge exchange. It facilitates networking, enables capacity building and provides opportunities for future collaboration.

February 8, 2023

REMINDER – RKEDF Evaluation Workshops: Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 February

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement, Training ballen

The Public Engagement with Research Team are running two workshops this month: Evaluation of Engagement and Advanced Evaluation.

These sessions will be delivered by Dr Jamie Gallagher, one of the most experienced engagement trainers in the UK. Jamie is a dynamic and engaging trainer who makes these sessions enjoyable as well as useful.

It is recommended that both sessions are attended to gain the full benefit. The sessions will build skills from the basic principles of evaluation, through to being able to develop evaluation plans for even the most complex topics, exploring data capture, analysis and reporting. You’ll also learn how to write evaluation reports for funders or for the REF (Research Excellence Framework).

While both sessions are recommended, attending just the first session may be appropriate for your needs. It is advised against only attending the second session.

Evaluation of Engagement: Monday 20 February, 9am-12:30pm, Talbot Campus

This workshop will highlight what you need to ask yourself, and the public, to ensure you can demonstrate the success of your intervention and capture the long term impact of it.

Successful public engagement can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you when, why and crucially how to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. It will highlight how to demonstrate success to funders, record impact for the REF, help to improve your processes, and give you a better understanding of the people you are connecting with.

At the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

Understand the purposes, uses and limitations of evaluation
Apply event-appropriate evaluation methods in multiple scenarios
Prepare useful, answerable and relevant evaluation questions
Devise and deliver your own evaluation plan
Interpret and report evaluation data.

To book a place on this workshop please complete the booking form.

Advanced Evaluation: Tuesday 21 February 9am – 12:30pm, Talbot Campus

Taking an in-depth look at evaluation, participants will explore data capture, analysis and reporting. From surveys to focus groups, you will learn how to format powerful questions and report meaningful data. Discover how to develop evaluation plans for even the most complex topics. You will also learn how to write evaluation reports for funders or for the REF.

This workshop requires good base knowledge of evaluation, ideally from attending the previous Evaluation of engagement workshop.

To book a place on this workshop please complete the booking form.

For any queries regarding either of these sessions please contact the Public Engagement team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.

February 8, 2023

Join the next meeting of the Public Engagement with Research Network: Wednesday 22 February 10-11am

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

Join the next meeting of the Public Engagement with Research Network

Find out how you can use public engagement activities to carry out new research with your public participants.

We’ll look at how to seamlessly integrate research into your activity, how to navigate ethics requirements and what this process can do for your work.

Professor Debbie Holley and Dr Holly Henderson will share their experience of doing research with children and adults as part of a fun family activity day for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022.

This meeting will take place on Wednesday 22 February 10-11am at BG217.

You can join the network and find out about future meetings, join our BU Public Engagement with Research Network. Check under ‘Meetings’ for upcoming sessions.

If you have any questions, please email the team.

February 8, 2023

Take part in a national festival of public engagement with research

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement ballen

ESRC Festival of Social Science 2023 – call for applications will open on Monday 27 March

What is the ESRC Festival of Social Science?

The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences, usually taking place during November. 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. The festival aims to encourage, support and create opportunities for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences.