BU Research Blog

14 July 2018

Successful Midwifery Education conference at BU

international, NHS, PG research, Publishing, student research Edwin van Teijlingen

In the first week of July Bournemouth University ran its second international midwifery education conference in the Executive Business Centre. This year’s conference was called ‘What works in midwifery education? A conference run by midwifery educators for midwifery educators.’ CMMPH (Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health) brought together nearly 100 delegates on Thursday and Friday (July 5-6). There were presentations and posters from midwifery educators based in in all four countries of the UK, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia, resulting in lively stimulating debates.

The conference organisers has teamed up with the leading scientific journal in the field Midwifery (published by Elsevier). To coincide with BU’s conference Midwifery published this month its special issue on Midwifery Education. This special issue was introduced at the conference by Dutch midwife Dr. Ans Luyben, one of the special issue’s editors.

The conference awarded two prizes for the best poster. One prize was for the best academic poster and one voted by the conference audience. The former prize was won by a poster from NHS Education for Scotland. The public’s poster prize was won by a poster from the University of Bradford jointly produced by film students and student midwives.

The main conference organisers Dr. Catherine Angell and Dr. Sue Way from CMMPH said afterwards that the success of the conference means that CMMPH will organise a third midwifery education conference run for and by educators in three years’ time.

11 July 2018

Working as a Student Research Assistant with the ADRC – some thoughts by Dorian Crudgington

PG research, Public engagement jbentley

After completing the second year of my Biological Sciences course I wished to gain some formal research experience so I applied to be a Student Research Assistant with the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre at Bournemouth University. Understanding the significance of dementia related problems, I was excited and proud to get involved with research on such a problematic and widespread condition, and to work alongside Professor Jane Murphy.

The project aim was to evaluate the impact and use of a learning resource and training video produced by the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre. I was provided with a well-structured plan for my 4-week project. Principally, this involved collating data from a questionnaire regarding the resource’s usefulness, analysing the results using qualitative methods, and producing a report of the results.

I got stuck in quickly and within hours I had already mastered aspects of Excel and Word I had never used previously. As the work began to develop momentum, data analysis became the next task to be executed. My course has always prioritised quantitative data analysis due to the nature of data usually obtained, and I had no prior experience working with qualitative data. By the end of the third week I had delved into various approaches in the field of qualitative research, and had conducted a thematic analysis of over 400 questionnaire answers.

Prior to this experience, the research process was alien to me. However now I have knowledge of the different stages involved and the fundamental organisational skills required, which has really helped me plan and develop ideas for the independent research project in my final year. I have really enjoyed the project and have developed incredibly useful skills as well as learning about nutritional care for people who have dementia.

9 July 2018

Free Freshwater Advanced Training Course open for applications

Awarded & submitted bids, BRIAN, PG research Genoveva Esteban

Professor Genoveva Esteban (Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology) in collaboration with the Freshwater Biological Association, is running an Advanced Training Course on Freshwater Taxonomy and Field Identification Skills for PhD students, early-career researchers, and post-grads.
The course has been funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and has a maximum of 20 places available for UK-based applicants. Travel (up to £100) and accommodation are covered. The course will be based at the River Laboratory in Dorset, 24th-28th September 2018.
To find out more and to apply visit: https://www.fba.org.uk/courses

Deadline is now 31st July 2018.
If you require further information please contact Genoveva Esteban gesteban@bournemouth.ac.uk

26 June 2018

BU Libraries are open all through the Summer

PG research, student research, writing cfowler

Both BU libraries (Bournemouth House Library at Lansdowne and The Sir Michael Cobham Library at Talbot) will be open over the summer break and library staff will be available for help and advice. Check the website for full details of the library opening hours over the holidays. A helpful guide on library facilities for research outlines the full range of services and resources that are accessible all year round.

If studying at home over the break, loanable items can be borrowed for the whole of the vacation. Also, the e-journals and e-books that BU subscribes to are all available off campus. Detailed help in accessing e-resources off campus is available online in our library guide. If researchers are staying here in Bournemouth, there is plenty of quiet study space and computers in the library, as well as printing, copying and scanning facilities.

Note that due to essential maintenance work by IT Services, the libraries will be closed on the following dates although e-resources will continue to be available off-campus as usual:

Saturday 30 June: Bournemouth House Library closed all day.

Saturday 14 July: The Sir Michael Cobham Library closed all day.

Both libraries will be closed on bank holiday Monday 27 August.

18 June 2018

BU’s PGR Isabell Nessel presenting at the 13th Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids in Las Vegas

PG research, Public engagement, student research inessel

The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) www.ISSFAL.org held its 13^th International Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA at the end of May. After a very informative Satellite Symposium (Arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids in infant development), the Congress started with a welcome reception in the Tropicana Hotel. This was not only well attended by the approximately 500 delegates from all over the world, but also Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra made an appearance.

The following 3 days were packed with excellent and informative sessions about General Nutrition, Maternal and Infant Nutrition, Inflammation and Allergy, Clinical Trials Methodology and Ketoneurotherapeutics. In between, well-known researchers in the field presented their research in plenary talks. Dr Michael Crawford obtained an omega-3 research award and Dr Maria Makrides was awarded with the Alexander Leaf Award. Her presentation entitled “Standing on the shoulders of giants: great women role models, mentors and advocates” was really inspiring.

I would like to thank ISSFAL for the opportunity to present my PhD research. My presentation was entitled “Optimising LCPUFA content of donor human milk: A review of current milk banking practices and recommendations for improvement”, presenting the results of our UK Milk Bank survey, which is now extended internationally. Furthermore, I had two posters displaying our work on preterm formula milk storage conditions and lipid degradation; and the effects of lipid degradation products on intestinal cells in vitro. These presentations gave me the possibility to position myself in the fatty acid research world and to make valuable contacts.

ISSFAL was especially taking care of us New Investigators, providing New Investigator Awards, organising a New Investigator social at the Mob Museum for networking with other researchers at a similar stage, as well as organising a meet the professor breakfast to talk to the experts in the field. One of the none scientific highlights was of course our trip to the Grand Canyon on the free day.

I would also like to thank my supervisors Dr Simon Dyall and Prof Minesh Khashu for their ongoing support as well as Gillian Weaver and Dr Caroline Childs for the fantastic collaborations. Furthermore, I would like to thank Bournemouth University and Santander for making this trip possible.

If you would like to learn more about our research, please feel free to contact me at inessel@bournemouth.ac.uk

Isabell

14 June 2018

SciTech PGR Aishah Selamat Discusses On Her Research Impact with UK Data Service

PG research, Public engagement creativetech

SciTech PGR Aishah Selamat from the Creative Technology Department is one of UK Data Service 2018 Data Impact Fellow. Here in this video, she discusses her research using machine learning to build an analytical model for SMEs in the private coach hire industry and the research impact using UK Data Service open data.

12 June 2018

Health & migration research in Nepal & India #BUFoL18

Festival of Learning, international, PG research, Public engagement Edwin van Teijlingen

Festival of Learning event 2018 with an international flavour: exploring recent research projects undertaken in Nepal by staff from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. The event focuses on Nepali migrant workers in India, women and migration and explores the health and social issues of transgender and the use of hormone therapy in male-to-female transitioning populations in Nepal.

Fusion Building: Create Lecture Theatre, Bournemouth University on Saturday 16 June 2018 from 5.00-6.00PM

Free tickets can be found here!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Dr Pramod Regmi & Prof Padam Simkhada (BU Visiting Faculty)

11 June 2018

Calling all PGRs – Postgraduate Research Community Questionnaire (1 Week Left)

PG research ccutler

The Doctoral College is conducting research into postgraduate researcher communities and we would love to hear our PGRs views.

Thank you to everyone who has completed the questionnaire so far.

The questionnaire is open for just one more week and should only take 10-15 minutes to complete (no log-in required).

>>>>> Click here to access the questionnaire <<<<<<

Drinks voucher available for all that complete the questionnaire.

If you have any questions please contact Natalie (nstewart@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Clare (ccutler@bournemouth.ac.uk).

8 June 2018

Doctoral College June NVivo Workshops – open to all

PG research ccutler

The Doctoral College is hosting two NVivo workshops. If you would like to attend either of these workshops please follow the instructions below.

Introduction to NVivo – 19th June (click here to book)
Advanced NVivo – 20th June (email pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk )

Please note that to book onto the Advanced NVivo workshop you need to attend the Introduction to NVivo first.

7 June 2018

LAST CHANCE to book for NIHR Grant Applications Seminar & Support Event – 26 June 2018

Funding opportunities, PG research Louise Ward

Last chance to book for this with the deadline just over a week away…

Are you planning to submit a grant application to NIHR?

We are holding a one-day event in Bournemouth that is aimed at helping you to improve your chances of success.

The morning seminar session is open to anyone to come and hear Simon Goodwin, RfPB Programme Manager for the South West, and RDS advisers give presentations on what makes a good grant proposal. Topics covered will include:

what does the NIHR (and in particular RfPB) look for?
the application as a marketing document: selling the topic, selling the method, and selling the team
the team
clarity of description and explanation
feasibility issues
identifying and avoiding potential pitfalls.

The afternoon support session of one-to-one appointments is for those who would like to discuss their own proposal with an RDS adviser.

This event is FREE and refreshments and lunch will be provided. Places are limited and will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. In order to secure your place please register using our online form by 1pm, 18 June 2018. Find out more.

And don’t forget, your local branch of the NIHR Research Design Service is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU) on the 5th floor of Royal London House. Feel free to pop in and see us, call us on 61939 or send us an email.

7 June 2018

New paper by Cici Alexander for the ‘LEAP: Landscape Ecology and Primatology’ team

Awarded & submitted bids, PG research akorstjens

EU-funded postdoc Cici Alexander completed her 2 year position with Ross Hill and Amanda Korstjens in September 2017. In this time she analysed LiDAR and UAV imaging data to identify trees and forest structural characteristics for the tropical forests that LEAP works at in Indonesia. The newest paper is hot off the press while another paper is in review. In the new paper, Cici shows a method of using drone-mounted cameras to measure and identify tree structures and variation to locate emergent trees at LEAP’s main field site Sikundur, Sumatra, Indonesia. Emergent trees are important for primate sleep sites and serve many other essential roles in tropical forests, but they are also the most vulnerable trees to selective logging.

The work is done in collaboration with our charity partners (Matt Nowak, Graham Usher) at Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, and Serge Wich from Liverpool John Moores University as well as Dr Abdullah from our international partner Universitas Syiah Kuala. Authors also include ISLHE-LEAP PhD student Emma Hankinson and LEAP MRes student Nathan Harris who were vital in verifying the method on the ground.

Alexander et al. LEAP paper

(Special limited duration paper access link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1XAhj14ynSEdoi).

Her first two papers were technical notes on:

‘Influence of micro-topography and crown characteristics on tree height estimations in tropical forests based on LiDAR canopy height models‘ 2018

‘Structural attributes of individual trees for identifying homogeneous patches in a tropical rainforest‘ 2017

Based on LiDAR data from Batang Toru, Sumatra, Indonesia where the newly identified and highly threatened Tapanuli orangutans occur and a planned dam is threatening the ecosystem.

For more information on the ‘LEAP: Landscape Ecology and Primatology’ research group, visit our website or like our facebook page. Our work featured also in the BU2012-2018 review (p17).

25 May 2018

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Booking Now Open – Spaces Limited

PG research nstewart

Booking for the Three Minute Thesis Competition is now open.

Thursday 7 June 2018, 17:30 – 19:00

This event will challenge PhD students to share their research in one static PowerPoint slide in 3 minutes.

Come along to support them.

This event will be followed by a networking opportunity.

Presentation list and times to come.

Click to book.

24 May 2018

Medical Research showcase at CoPMRE’s Spring Visiting Faculty Day

conferences, Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, PG research adixon

The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Research & Education (CoPMRE) held its Spring Visiting Faculty Day at the Executive Business Centre. Fourteen posters (VF Programme Spring 2018) were presented showcasing the breadth of collaborative projects being undertaken by BU and local clinicians. The Best Poster prize was awarded to Dr Paul Whittington, Department of Computing & Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, for his presentation entitled Automatic Detection of User Abilities through the SmartAbility Framework. Professor Tamas Hickish, judge, felt that all the posters were excellent and address important health care issues. Paul’s poster was chosen as the research was generated by a deep understanding of disability, the use a mobile phone technology and generalisability to significant areas of health care need such as stroke and frailty. As such his work is scalable and feasible.

Visiting Faculty Days are a great opportunity to share innovative ideas and research. The event was very well received and links for possible further collaboration have already been formed as a result of networking. Our next Visiting Faculty Day will be held in December.

22 May 2018

BU research helping charities achieving sustainable privacy by design

Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, Public engagement Shamal Faily

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash

In November 2017, we were awarded funding through RKEO’s Charity Impact Acceleration fund to work help a local charity — StreetScene — prepare them for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). At the time, many charities were well aware of what GDPR was and the penalties for non-compliance. However, the guidance made available to them by the ICO was general and costly to implement in terms of time and resources. Our thoughts summarising the dilemmas faced by charities facing GDPR were recently covered by The Conversation.

Using work from her doctoral research, Jane Henriksen-Bulmer has devised a customised Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) process for charities, which she is now putting into practice at StreetScene. This helps them evaluate how privacy impacts their business workflows, and the privacy risks they face.

To help other charities benefit from this work, we will be running a free GDPR for Charities workshop on June 11th at the EBC. The workshop will share the results of this work with around 50 participants who work for or with local charities, and provide hands-on training on the process and complementary design techniques and software tools that charities can put into immediate practice. We’ll also be running a panel with invited speakers to discuss the challenges that small charities face with GDPR.

Although this work is helping local charities, we hope our work leads to more debate on how everyone (and not just big business) can ‘build in’ sustainable security and privacy.

21 May 2018

Postgraduate Researcher Specialist Training- Spaces Available

PG research, Research Integritiy, Training nstewart

Postgraduate Researchers make sure you are GDPR compliant by this Friday 25 May 2018
*Managing Research Data – Legal Compliance and Record Management – Tuesday 22 May 2018 – 14:00-16:00 Book Now

Specialist Training
*Introduction to NVivo – Thursday 24 May 2018 – 09:00-16:00 Book Now

*Advanced NVivo – Friday 25 May 2018 – 09:00-16:00
email pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk to book

*Please note these sessions are for PGRs only, bookings will be closely monitored.

17 May 2018

New BU mental health paper published

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to FHSS students Folashade Alloh and Igoche Onche who found out today that their ‘Mental health in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC): Going beyond the need for funding’ has been accepted for publication by the editors of Health Prospect. The paper is co-authored by FHSS staff Dr Pramod Regmi, Prof Edwin van Teijlingen and Dr Steven Trenoweth. Health Prospect is an Open Access journal.

More than 70% of the global mental health burden occurs in many low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). The paper discusses mental health issues in LMIC under different themes such as abuse and mental illness, cultural influence on mental health, need for dignity in care, meeting financial and workforce gaps and the need for national health policy for mental health sector. The paper highlights that mental health education and health care services in most LMIC is poorly resourced; however, there is an urgent need to address issues beyond funding that contribute to poor mental health. In order to meet the increasing challenge of mental health illness in LMIC, there is a need for effort to address cultural and professional practices that contribute to poor mental health among individuals. The authors argue that mental health should be integrated into primary health care in LMIC. Creating awareness on impact of some cultural attitudes/practices will encourage better uptake of mental health services and increase the ease of discussing mental health issues in these countries which will contribute to reducing stigma faced by mental health patients.

14 May 2018

New collaborative publication FHSS PhD students, staff & Visiting Faculty

Centre for Excellence in Learning, international, open access, PG research, Publishing, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to FHSS PhD students Preeti Mahato and Elizabeth Waithaka, FHSS academics Drs. Catherine Angell and Pramod Regmi and BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada (Based at Liverpool John Moores University) on the publication of their latest paper: ‘ Health Promotion opportunities for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nepal’ [1]. The paper appeared in Health Prospect: Journal of Public Health.

Mahato, P.K., Regmi, P.R., Waithaka, E., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C. . Health Promotion opportunities for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nepal. Health Prospect, 16 (2): pp. 13-17, May. 2018.

Available at: <https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/HPROSPECT/article/view/19903/16389>. Date accessed: 14 May. 2018. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v16i2.19903.

14 May 2018

Exciting PhD studentship opportunity for an aspiring individual with an interest in older people’s health and wellbeing.

Funding opportunities, PG research, Public engagement jbentley

PhD Studentship – Physical and Psychological Effects of a Whole Systems Wellness Intervention for Older Adults Living in Care HomesWith an aging population and increased numbers of older people aged 85 years and over, there are increased demands for long-term care. Many residents living in care homes are dissatisfied, lonely or depressed and the majority of their time they are inactive. Lack of engagement in physical activity has detrimental effects on both physical and mental health and quality of life, and contributes to a lack of meaningful social interaction. Whilst the provision of regular exercise can improve physical function of frail older people, if combined with cognitive training, there could be improvements in both physical and cognitive functional status in older adults with and without cognitive impairment. This is a fully-funded PhD studentship to start 17 September 2018 (36 months), which includes a stipend of £14,777 each year to support your living costs.Closing date for applications 4 June 2018.

For further details and how to apply click here.

Category / PG research