Category / Research news

TOMtalks: Tomorrow’s Oceans Matter: an evening of short talks and films

BU research, Events, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Research news

We have a fantastic event happening at BU on Wednesday 27th April, organised by the Litter Free Coast and Sea project with support from Bournemouth University.

It is an open event and anyone is welcome to attend. Details are on the eventbrite page.

There will be 4 excellent speakers sharing how they have been working to help protect and create cleaner oceans using some very innovative methods. There is a bit more information about the project below.

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tomtalks-tomorrows-oceans-matter-tickets-24595770612?aff=eac2

How does ocean plastic turn into boardshorts? Is 2 minutes enough to turn the tide of beach litter and can artwork from the tideline define our impact on the sea?

 

Wednesday 27th April, 6.30-9.00pm. Talks start at 7pm. Tickets are FREE and bookable on eventbrite. Tea & coffee provided. http://bit.ly/1TVqtfr

Seminar, Prof Edwin van Teijlingen, ‘Maternal Mortality in Nepal’, Wed 20th April, Royal London House, R303, 13:00-13:50.

BU Challenges, BU research, Centre for Excellence in Learning, conferences, EU, Events, Featured academics, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund, international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research communication, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, Research news, Research themes, Uncategorized

Maternal Mortality in Nepal
Abstract: The session links various social and political factors that affect maternal mortality. Women dying in pregnancy and childbirth is very much a problem of and in low-income countries. This talk focuses on Nepal, one of the poorer countries of the world, to highlight a range of maternal health issues and wider influencing factors including globalisation and the influence of global organisations such as the World Health Organisation.

For further information regarding the Social Science seminar series, get in touch with Dr Mastoureh Fathi (mfathi@boutnemouth.ac.uk).

Pritchard & Harding paper cited in top journal, but there’s a ‘but…’

Featured academics, Publishing, Research communication, Research Integritiy, Research news, Research Training, writing

cloudAs an ECR I am delighted to see that a research paper that Prof. Pritchard and myself wrote in 2014 has been cited in one of the most well regarded journals in the field.

Our paper on the occupational backgrounds of Non-executive directors at NHS acute trusts, published in the Journal for the Royal Society of Medicine Open, was also the subject of an article in the now defunct Independent  newspaper and a post on this blog in May 2014.

Last year, in 2015, it was cited by a paper published in the Journal for Health Services Research and Policy. I won’t name which edition or paper because there is a ‘but…’, and it concerns the carelessness of the authors who cited our work.

There is a ‘but…’ because the authors got my name wrong – both in the in text citation and in the bibliography. The good news is that it still links on citation tracking systems (such as the function on Google Scholar) as a paper that I co-wrote. Yet as an ECR, who is trying to make his way in the ‘publish or perish’ world of academia, I can’t help but feel a bit frustrated. Here’s my name in a top journal, but it’s incorrect.

So I took action, I emailed the editors. To their credit I got a response within minutes, with an apology for the carelessness of the authors and that contact with the publisher had been initiated to see if it could be corrected. Yet, due to the inflexibility of doi, apparently this is unlikely.

This then got me thinking about my first publication. I have to admit I did not check the final galley proof thoroughly enough. Indeed, when it was published, it became apparent that I had not corrected some basic incorrect spelling of names in the bibliography. In other words, some very respected authors’ names were wrong! I can happily report that this was corrected, and no offence caused (I hope!).

But the lesson here – check final galley proofs. If you cite an article, I think the very least you can do, out of respect for colleagues, is to get the authors name right. I have made this mistake, and so have authors who have cited me, so it would scream hypocrisy if I was too mad! But it does show that it might be a relatively common problem, so again – check final galley proofs!

However, once the relative pain bypassed, one our papers has still been cited in a top journal – and that is very satisfying indeed.

 

BNAC presentation Jib Acharya

BU research, international, Publishing, Research news, student research, writing

Jib poster BNAC +Edwin 2016FHSS PhD student Jib Acharya presented a poster from his thesis research at last week’s BNAC (Britain-Nepal Academic Council) Study Days in Liverpool.[1]  Jib’s PhD research focused on the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of poor women about nutritious food and the study also identify major food barriers.  He used a mixed-methods approached comprising a survey and qualitative research. The poster at BNAC focused on findings related to mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about nutritious food.  Jib’s research is supervised by Dr. Jane Murphy, Dr. Martin Hind and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  Some of the preliminary findings of this FHSS thesis have recently been published in two academic journals. [2-3]

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

References:

  1. Acharya, J, van Teijlingen, E, Murphy, J, Hind, M. ‘A Comparative Study on Nutritional Problems in Preschool Aged Children of Kaski district of Nepal’ poster at Britain-Nepal Academic Council (BNAC) 14th Annual Nepal Study Days (Liverpool April 2016)
  2. Acharya, J., van Teijlingen, E., Murphy, J., Hind, M. (2015) Assessment of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards healthy diet among mothers in Kaski, Nepal, Participation 17(16): 61-72.
  3. Acharya, J., van Teijlingen, E., Murphy, J., Hind, M. (2015) Study of nutritional problems in preschool aged children in Kaski District in Nepal, Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Healthcare 1(2): 97-118. http://dspace.chitkara.edu.in/jspui/bitstream/1/560/1/12007_JMRH_Acharya.

Research Blog Survey

BU research, Research news

Here at RKEO we are always trying to improve the services and information we provide to our audience and the research blog has been our main tool for communicating news to our audience. The research blog has been running since its first post back in March 2011, which makes it a strong 5 years old!

With this historic achievement of age it doesn’t  mean that there isn’t room for improvement. If you have the time it would be greatly appreciated if you could fill out thisquick survey about the research blog. This will allow us to improve the site and in turn provide a better service for you!

21FD6083B5F5C05F6562C774DBE189B9

Biotechnology YES 2016 is open for applications

Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer, Research news

Environment

Biotechnology YES is an innovative competition giving early career researchers from diverse backgrounds a practical insight into how to commercialise research and recognise the benefits of industrial collaboration, providing a springboard for their own career development into a multitude of sectors. The competition is delivered in partnership, funded by sponsorship,  draws on expertise from industry and the research community and aims to encourage an entrepreneurial culture in the UK postgraduate and postdoctoral base for the benefit of the UK economy.

The challenge for participants is to prepare an oral business plan presentation, in a team of four or five, for a hypothetical bioscience start-up company seeking equity investment. The plan is based on a plausible idea based on real markets and developed over the course of a three day residential workshop. The workshop encompasses presentations and mentoring sessions from leading figures in industry who give their time and advice for free. It culminates in the presentation of business plans to a panel of ‘equity investors’. These individuals come from industry and academia and have decades of experience and proven track records of professional success. Winners from the regional workshops progress to the final held in December.

Workshop dates will be posted on the Biotechnology YES and BBSRC websites once finalised and and include Syngenta, GSK and Unilever .

The competition is open to all bioscience researchers registered at a UK university not just those funded by BBSRC. However, if any of the workshops oversubscribed, Research Council funded researchers will be given priority.

Find out more and APPLY by visiting www.biotechnologyyes.co.uk or www.environmentyes.org

Biotechnology YES 2016 is open for applications until 27th May 2016.

UG Talks

BU research, Research news

The Undergraduate Talks (UG Talks) is an exciting new opportunity for members of Bournemouth University and the public to learn about the innovative research being conducted by BU’s undergraduate Population. Each talk will last 3 minutes with a chance for Q&A afterwards.

If you would like to present your research, then in order to secure your place at this exciting event, you must send a title and brief overview of your research to Oliver Cooke. There are only 10 spaces available, so you must submit your work as soon as possible!

We already have quite a few talks covering these subjects:

  • Copyright law
  • Social media in Politics
  • Games design
  • Costal management
  • Sports nutrition
  • Roman Britain
  • And much more!

Time and Date: Thursday 5th of May, 12pm – 2pm

Location: 5th Floor, Student Centre,Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus.

If you are interested in attending this event, then you can book on here.

If you have a questions about the event or you would like to present please email Oliver Cooke for details.

 

Front of postcard

RSB Science Communication Awards

BU research, Research news

The Royal Society of Biology Science Communication Awards 2016 are open for applications.

If you’re a bioscience researcher, working in any sector of UK biosciences – from universities, institutes or industry – then consider applying. Supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Awards are intended to reward outreach work carried out by both young scientists and established researchers to inform, enthuse and engage the public.

There are two categories: New Researcher Prize (£750) and Established Researcher Prize (£1500).

Please forward to any great science communicators!

More info: http://www.rsb.org.uk/scicomm

Deadline: Thursday 30 June 2016

Contact: karen.patel@rsb.org.uk

There are also a few places left on our Science Communication Workshop

18.04.16 | 09:00 – 17:00 | Charles Darwin House, London, WC1N 2JU Find out more and register: https://www.rsb.org.uk/events?event_id=1196

Research Blog Survey

BU research, Research news

Here at RKEO we are always trying to improve the services and information we provide to our audience and the research blog has been our main tool for communicating news to our audience. The research blog has been running since its first post back in March 2011, which makes it a strong 5 years old!

With this historic achievement of age it doesn’t  mean that there isn’t room for improvement. If you have the time it would be greatly appreciated if you could fill out this quick survey about the research blog. This will allow us to improve the site and in turn provide a better service for you!

21FD6083B5F5C05F6562C774DBE189B9

How well do local authorities use data?

innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Research news

open data

 

Across England, local authorities are asking questions about how they can redesign services, save money and drive local economic growth.

  • How many people will need adult social care services in 5 years time?
  • Which children are most likely to enter the care system and what support might prevent this happening?
  • How can traffic flows, public transport, cycle lanes and town centres be optimised to help local businesses to grow?
  • Which households are most likely to fall into council tax arrears?
  • How can money be saved on refuse collection by only emptying bins when they are full?
  • How effective are local authority commissioned services at delivering positive social outcomes?

Nesta’s new research programme – the Local Datavores – aims to help local authorities use data better.

Nesta are always keen to hear from people working on data projects in local authorities and related organisations. If you would like to be involved in the research, or have heard about or been involved in any pioneering data science projects, please get in touch at tom.symons@nesta.org.uk

Success is infectious? SciTech researcher wins best student presentation at international conference

BU research, Research news

Danny Sheath, who has just submitted his Ph.D. thesis for examination, attended the 10th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotope Techniques to Ecological Studies (http://isoecol.com/2016/) in Tokyo last week. Held every two years, this conference attracts an international audience of ecologists who use stable isotope analysis in their research. Danny presented an oral paper on a key aspect of his doctoral research that investigated how parasites alter aspects of the behaviour and diet of their hosts. By comparing the ‘trophic niches’ of infected and uninfected hosts, he quantified the consequences of parasites for food web structure.

He clearly made it sound much more interesting than me though as he won the student prize for the best presentation against some stiff competition in his first presentation at a major international conference! On his return, he then received some further good news when some of his research was accepted for publication in the journal Parasitology. Well done Danny!!