Category / Research communication

New blog on Open Access publishing

BU research, Featured academics, international, open access, PG research, Publishing, Research communication, Research news, student research, Uncategorized, writing

authoraid-2016Some months ago Andy Nobes asked my colleague Prof. Padam Simkhada and I if we could write a blog about why we had so many papers in freely available online journals in Nepal.  Andy is the Programme Officer, Research Development & Support at INASP, which is an international development charity based in Oxford working with a global network of partners in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

We had a whole range of immediate answers to Andy’s question, including ones like: we both love Nepal; we are on the editorial board of a few journals that are part of the NepJOL group; and editors invite us to submit articles and/or editorials. Moreover, we feel reasons for Open Access publishing are very similar to our key reasons for working in a low-income country like Nepal. These principles are (a) conducting applied academic research in low-income countries for the greater good; (b) helping to build research-capacity; and (c) telling the world about our research through quality academic publications.  This week saw the publication of our blog ‘Publishing in journals of the NepJOL family’ on the AuthorAid website, click here to read the post.

Edwin van Teijlingen, Professor of Reproductive Health Research at Bournemouth University and Padam Simkhada, Professor of International Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University and BU Visiting Faculty.

The Research Photography Competition is Returning for its Third Year!

BU research, Events, Research communication, Research news, Student Engagement, student research

Want to submit to this years Research Photography Competition but not sure where to start? Need some inspiration?

Over the past two years the competition has seen some fantastic entries from both staff and students across the University. From photos of the heart of a fly, the monsoons in Nepal, to Napoleon looking over St Helena and photos which represent the fantastic work academics at Bournemouth University are doing to improve nutritional care for the elderly. You can submit an image for any area of your research and it can be as creative or as simple as you like. Take a look below at some of the entries we had last year.

calliphora-heart-comp_2

‘The heart of a fly- exploring cardiovascular disease’

Dr Paul Hartley

Faculty of Science and Technology

monsoon-nepal-2015-smaller-version

‘Monsoons in Nepal’

Professor Edwin Van Teijlingen

Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
img_5538

‘Napoleon looking over St Helena’

Dan Hogan

Faculty of Media and Communication

 dignity-in-care

‘Dignity in care: improving nutrition in people with dementia’

Professor Jane Murphy

Faculty of Health and Social Sciences

Want to submit? All you have to do is send an email to research@bournemouth.ac.uk with your image and a 100-200 word blurb about the research behind the image, by 5pm on Friday 27 January. 

If you’d like more information have a read through here or you can email Hannah Jones if you any questions.

Take a read through the terms and conditions here.

Research in the news – dementia research features in Vision Magazine

BU research, Knowledge Exchange, Research communication

Some of BU’s dementia research has been featured in Vision magazine, which highlights clinical research news from the Wessex region.  The article demonstrates BU’s person-centred approach to dementia research, showing how different teams are working to improve the quality of life people with dementia.

Professor Jane Murphy and Lecturer Joanne Holmes have been working with local Dorset care homes to develop a better understanding of nutrition for people with dementia.  The team discovered that people with dementia often weren’t eating enough to meet their daily energy requirements.  The reasons behind this are diverse – some people face physical difficulties with chewing and swallowing, while others may struggle to identify when they feel thirsty or hungry, or find it hard to remember when they last ate.  By working together local care homes, the team were able to develop training resources to help care staff improve their knowledge of nutrition.  The resources also provide a wealth of ideas and tips for supporting people with dementia to eat and drink well.

Professor Jan Wiener and his team are exploring how to improve building design to help people with dementia.  People with dementia often struggle with navigating around unfamiliar environments, which can become a particular problem if they move to a care home as the disease progresses.  The team use a variety of different methods including eye-tracking technology, virtual reality technology and behavioural navigation experiments.  Their aim is to use the results of their research to improve dementia friendly design guidance.

Dr Samuel Nyman has been funded for three years by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to explore the benefits of Tai Chi for people with dementia.  The study he is leading is looking to identify any benefits with a particular focus on seeing whether Tai Chi can help to improve people’s balance, and therefore reduce the risk of falls.

To find out more about their research, do read the full magazine article.

 

EPSRC Science Photo Competition 2016 – deadline 16 December

BU research, Research communication, Research news

sciphotocomm

There’s just over a week left to submit entries to the EPSRC’s 2016 Science Photo Competition.  They are looking for images that demonstrate research in action.  Images can be submitted to any of the following categories:

  • Equipment and Facilities: Images of the equipment, facilities and tools used in your research.
  • Eureka and Discovery: Images that reflect that Eureka moment or new discoveries and understanding that arise from your research.
  • Innovation: Images of research that has inspired innovation or is related to commercial breakthroughs.
  • People and Skills: Images of people working as part of your research team, taking part in or affected by your research.
  • Weird and Wonderful: Unusual, eye-catching and bizarre images arising from your research.

The competition is open to EPSRC-supported researchers and doctoral students.

For more details and information about how to submit your entry, see the EPSRC’s website.

 

Bournemouth University researchers awarded major new research council grant to explore Paralympic coverage

BU research, Research communication, Research news

Para-athlete
This summer saw Team GB win 147 medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio – their highest total since the 1988 Games in South Korea.  As in 2012, media coverage of the Games celebrated the achievements of Britain’s ‘super humans’, but now the Games have finished for another 4 years, what difference has that coverage made in the lives of people with disabilities?Researchers at Bournemouth University, in collaboration with colleagues at Loughborough University, the University of Bath, Nottingham Trent University, and the University of Western Ontario, have been awarded a grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to find out exactly how extensive media coverage of para-sports shapes public perceptions of, and attitudes towards people with disabilities. The interdisciplinary team will be led by Professor Michael Silk, a Professor of Sport in BU’s Faculty of Management and Director of the Sport & Physical Activity Research Centre.

“How people with disabilities are treated in everyday life is influenced by the way that they’re portrayed in the media, but there is very little evidence to explain exactly how the visibility of para-sport athletes makes a difference to the everyday lives of people with disabilities,” explains Professor Silk, “There is a need to find out how para-sport broadcasts are put together and what audiences think of such coverage. This can help us to understand how such coverage changes the way people with disabilities are treated and perceived.”

The project builds on previous research conducted at Bournemouth that explored the way athletes with disabilities were represented in the media during the 2012 Paralympic Games.  This coverage celebrated athletes for their achievements as ‘super humans’.  Subsequent research questions the narrative of para-athletes as ‘super-humans’ and suggests that many people with disabilities largely didn’t benefit from the legacy of the Games.”

“The coverage of the last two Paralympic Games has certainly elevated the visibility of certain types of disability,” continues Professor Silk, “and this might open the door to potential social change.  Despite this, much work is needed to better understand the ways in which athletes are presented in the media and the very real barriers faced by people with disabilities when participating in everyday life.”

“To find out more about the role of Paralympic coverage in everyday life, the research addresses how different audiences make sense of this coverage.  We’ll also be analysing broadcast coverage of this year’s Paralympics and talking to staff from Channel 4 – the UK’s official Paralympic broadcaster and a project partner on this research.  We want to find out more about their editorial decision-making process.  We’ll be sharing our findings through an exhibition and full-length documentary.”

“We’re going to be working with a wide range of people and organisations – Paralympics GB, former Paralympians, disability artists and activists to name just a few – to develop recommendations that will impact future coverage of para-sport.  We want to influence para-sport coverage so that it’s inclusive, stereotype-free and makes a difference to the daily lives of people with disabilities.  Ultimately we hope that our project will help to positively influence the way that para-athletes are portrayed through Paralympic broadcasts across the world.”

Sound recording, stories and memory: listening to stories ‘told’ by a tree

BU research, Events, Featured academics, Research communication

We would like to invite you to the latest research seminar of the Centre for Games and Music Technology Research.

sellasia

Speaker: Dr Panos Amelidis  (Bournemouth University Lecturer In Music & Audio Technology).

 

Title:     Sound recording, stories and memory: listening to stories ‘told’ by a tree

 

Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM

Date: Wednesday 7th December 2016

Room: P409, Poole House, Talbot Campus

 

Abstract: The village of Sellasia in Southern Greece has perfect conditions for the cultivation and production of olives and olive oil, an activity very important for the economy of its inhabitants. But, can an olive tree be transformed into a fictional conduit of storytelling using audio recording technology and its possibilities? This seminar refers specifically and discusses three aspects of a practice-based research project, an audio-visual installation, ‘Stories of a Tree’ based on the sound produced by the olive tree as well as the soundscape of Sellasia. The first aspect is the concept and research questions of the project. The second concerns the methodology which was implemented for its realization, and the content in which it was placed. The third is the artistic challenge of communicating something about history and memory, related to the Sellasia village, through the medium of composed sound and interactive technology using a mixture of field recordings and interviews collected during the author’s staying at the village, as part of a residency organized by McGill University.

 

We hope to see you there.

British Conference of Undergraduate Research – abstract deadline extended

BU research, Research communication, Student Engagement, student research

The deadline for students to submit abstracts to the British Conference of Undergraduate Research has been extended to Sunday 15 January 2017.

We have already seen a number of entries from Bournemouth University students, but it would be great to encourage more students to apply.  It’s a brilliant opportunity for them to share research that they’re undertaking or have undertaken as part of their dissertation, placement or a Student Research Assistantship, as well as developing their communication and presentation skills which will be helpful in any career.

Further information about BCUR, including guidance for submitting and abstract and how to submit a finished abstract can be found here: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/bcur17.

Stories from students who have taken part in previous undergraduate research conferences can be found here.