BU Research Blog

Bournemouth University Department of Tourism and Hospitality is ranked #12 in the world

in the Shanghai Ranking of Academic Subjects 2018 Hospitality and Tourism

http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/hospitality-tourism-management.html

With the support from RKEO, BU, as the project coordinator, successfully hosted the EU funded SMOOTH project midterm meeting on 28 June 2018. The EC project officer and about 20 researchers from eight project partners attended the meeting.

The meeting is a huge success and the members of the consortium presented their research work produced so far. The EC officer is very impressed by the project scientific and technology achievements and the quality of the work presented by the project partners. The consortium has already produced  many dissemination outputs  based on the work from the project and several of impressive tangible demonstrators. The core project international partners have already successfully completed the EU funded RABOT project.

I had great pleasure in presenting as part of an International panel presentation at the recent IHSRC.  Our paper entitled ‘Working through dialogue, phronesis & techne to develop judgement-based practice’ was well received within the home of phenomenological research and philosophy.  We aim to progress this work across 4 UK and 3 US HEI’s over the next three years.

The quality of papers was excellent and the breadth made choosing which sessions to go to quite challenging.  I will be feeding back some of the highlights to the next Phenomenology Interest Group meeting; papers hinting at a phenomenology of death, the ‘saturation’ of US helping practitioners in the current political situation, evidence based practice as an underpinning of phronesis, and adaptations to dialogal phenomenological method had significant impact and have given me much to think about.  My thanks are due to the FHSS conference funding committee for partially funding my attendance.

We were made very welcome by Wofford College and by the town of Spartanburg.  As the Carolina’s are home to Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Spartanburg has one of the ‘hotlight’ stores (massive sign outside saying ‘HOT NOW’ which flashes when they come out of the fryer), it would have been rude not to…

Dr Karen Rees

Senior Academic Health Visiting and Public Health, FHSS

This year CEL has promoted active making and creative origami and lego workshops to connect with the Fusion strands of Education, Research and Professional practice. We were delighted to hear about the Annual International Graphic Novel and Comics Conference at BU. Dr Julia Round  reports here with additional photos of ‘sketchnotes’ ( a superb visual note-taking process) by @Johnmiers ‏ and Paul Fisher Davies @CrosbieTweets ‏ For more information on the conference itself and our previous events, please see our website www.internationalgraphicnovelandcomicsconference.com.

thanks to Paul Fisher Davies @CrosbieTweets ‏ 

thanks to John Miers @Johnmiers

From 27-29 June 2018, the Annual International Graphic Novel and Comics Conference (#IGNCC18) returned to Bournemouth University. This was our ninth annual event after many previous successful conferences held at various venues (Manchester Metropolitan University, Dundee University, Glasgow University, the British Library, the University of London in Paris, and Bournemouth University). We were overwhelmed with submissions and were delighted to welcome over 100 international scholars to the beach to explore comic books past and present under the theme of ‘Retro! Time, Memory, Nostalgia’.

Despite soaring temperatures, everybody kept their cool, and the event has been a fantastic success. Particular highlights included six keynote talks from many notable international practitioners, researchers and scholars. Local Bournemouth artist Rozi Hathaway (Cosmos, Njálla – Breakout Talent Award Winner, Broken Frontier Awards 2016) opened our event with a talk on ‘Retrospective Storytelling: From Childhood to Characterisation’, about how her own work uses and adapts autobiographical themes, and reflecting on the methods and reasons for doing so. The following sessions on Wednesday examined areas such as fan events and activities, methodologies for approaching comics histories, British comics, gender reboots, and more. We closed our first day with prolific author Anne Digby (writer for School Friend, Girl, Tammy, Jinty and the Trebizon children’s books), in conversation with Mel Gibson (University of Northumbria) (Remembered Reading) on ‘Writing Comics for Girls’. This was the first time Anne has spoken about her work at a comics event, and her insights and memories of the industry were incredible.

On Thursday 28 June we welcomed Ian Gordon (National University of Singapore) (Superman: the Persistence of an American Icon; Kid Comic Strips: A Genre Across Four Countries; and Comic Strips and Consumer Culture 1890—1945) who spoke on ‘Nostalgia and the Materiality of Comics’, drawing on his personal history to reflect on the changes seen in the industry. Additional papers on curation, conflict and memory, hidden histories and anonymous creators all followed, as well as discussions on how ‘retro’ could be used as a theme, aesthetic, or idea. These debates were summarised wonderfully by Woodrow Phoenix (Rumble Strip, The Sumo Family, Sugar Buzz, She Lives) in our closing keynote, who spoke on ‘The Intersection Between Memory And Possibility In Alternate Realities, Or: What If? Is The Past More Than Just A Story-Generating Machine?’ Woodrow’s reflections on his work drew together ideas about how retro styles might be used to complement – or disguise – deeper meaning, and was inspirational in its scope and enthusiasm (as well as in the free comics he generously gave us all!)

Our final day on Friday 29 June was led by a keynote from 2000AD artist and British comics researcher David Roach (Masters of Spanish Comic Book Art), who spoke about ‘The Spanish Masters’ – giving a detailed history of the Spanish artists who worked on British and American comics in the last century and whose work reshaped both industries. Papers on memory, trauma, temporality, digitization, rewritings and revisionism were also presented, alongside a further talk and display of Woodrow Phoenix’s giant graphic novel She Lives – a celebration of the physical properties of comics as well as an exploration of the intersection between installation artwork and comic strip. Finally, the presentations were closed by keynote Catherine Anyango Grünewald (Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden) (Heart of Darkness: Observer Graphic Novel of the Month 2010) speaking on ‘Committed To Memory: Remembering And Responsibility In Visual Storytelling’ – reflecting on the methods she uses in her own practice to reintroduce marginalised and unspoken points of view.

IGNCC18 was also complemented by the art exhibition ‘Retro! in Process: From Scripts to Comics’, which was curated by Alexandra Alberda and Zuzanna Dominiak  and on display at the Executive Business Centre from Wednesday 13 June 2018 – Saturday 30 June 2018. These images conveyed the process of artists turning writers’ scripts into a finished comic, encouraging visitors to explore the process of making comics through the works themselves and the reflections of their writers and artists. The exhibition was tied into the launch of the Retro anthology – a themed body of work produced on the conference theme and published by Inkpot Studios/UniVerse Comics, which was launched at the close of the event with a free copy for every delegate.

Across all three days we were overwhelmed by the quality and thoughtfulness of papers and research presented by all of our participants. IGNCC welcomes scholars, practitioners and students alike, and one of our key strengths comes from blending different perspectives in this way. We particularly encourage outstanding work from doctoral candidates through our annual Sabin Award, which is presented to the best paper given by a postgraduate student. The conference is organised by Julia Round (Bournemouth University), Chris Murray and Golnar Nabizadeh (Dundee University), and Joan Ormrod and Dave Huxley (Manchester Metropolitan University), and under the aegis of two scholarly peer reviewed journals: Studies in Comics (Intellect Books) and the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics (Routledge). Selected papers will be published in a special issue or edited collection.

For more information on the conference itself and our previous events, please see our website www.internationalgraphicnovelandcomicsconference.com.

Planning Ahead – A Reminder (Staff & PGRs)

Projects which are ‘above minimal risk’

If you’re hoping to start data collection activities at the beginning of September and are in the process of completing your research ethics checklist, please remember that during August there are NO Research Ethics Panel Meetings.  If you want to start your data collection activity in August/September, please submit your checklist in time for final Panel meetings to be held in July.  Checklists received during August which need to be reviewed by full Panel will be deferred until September (dates to be advised).

Projects which are ‘below minimal risk’

Reviews for low risk projects (Staff and Postgraduate Research) will continue as normal during August.

More details about the review process and Panel meeting dates can be found on the Research Ethics Blog.  Email enquiries should be sent to researchethics@bournemouth.ac.uk.

BU is committed to developing a coaching and mentoring culture. My name is Curie Scott and I work in the Centre for Excellence in Learning (CEL). I am part of the coaching bank at BU.

I have space to coach two people now or starting in Sept 2018-19

This coaching opportunity is open to postgraduate students, academics and professional services staff. My interests are in personal and professional development through creative reflective practice. In terms of research, I am at the end of my PhD journey and willing to walk alongside you if you are studying. My particular research interests are visual research methods and their potential at enabling conversations about difficult or sensitive topics. However, coaching is not about me but you and your goals! Let me know if you are interested in coaching here

How does it work?

My role as a coach is to walk alongside, listen attentively and ask you deep questions. I’m experienced with one-to-one and peer coaching groups with academics and professional services staff. I’m part of a Womens’ Education coaching network and and have done life-coaching too. Coaching conversations are shorter term working relationships. They help you stop, be listened to and see what arises in a safe space to work through complexities. Each coaching conversation is different and develops based on your own goals. Typically, we meet for 1-1½ hours each month for 3-6 months. I’m practiced in a variety of reflective and coaching tools for self-awareness and self-development.

How could coaching help?

Coaching facilitates exploratory conversations with goal setting that we review together. The whole process is supportive but can also be challenging as you approach blocks and decide upon new ways of working. Coaching is helpful in navigating personal and professional goals, job or role transitions, career aspirations, and interpersonal relationships. This list is not exhaustive!

Want to chat?

If this intrigues you and you want to know more before committing, drop me a line on cscott@bournemouth.ac.uk

Prof Jane Murphy and Dr Michelle Heward from the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) were invited to join Health Education England (HEE) to showcase the Dementia Education and Learning Through Simulation 2 (DEALTS 2) programme at the Alzheimer’s Society Show in London. The ADRC have been commissioned by HEE to develop and evaluate the DEALT2 programme across England.

The DEALTS 2 programme was showcased by Jan Zietara, Head of Programme Delivery for HEE, in her presentation on Saturday 9^th June as well as on the HEE event exhibition stand. This provided a fantastic opportunity to disseminate the recently launched programme resources, which are now freely available to download on the HEE website. DEALTS 2 is a simulation-based dementia education programme for staff in acute hospitals across England. It is based on an experiential learning approach, placing hospital staff into the shoes of a person with dementia, to facilitate a positive impact on practice.

Throughout the two days at the show there were many exhibition stands and talks from a wide range of organisations across the dementia field and it was great to hear ideas from people attending about how DEALTS 2 could be adapted for new audiences – watch this space!

We forget that “football” actually means “men’s football”. It’s the same with other popular sports – our habit is to refer to basketball and women’s basketball, cricket and women’s cricket, ice hockey and women’s ice hockey. This naming places men’s football as the dominant universal and natural norm, while women’s football becomes the “other” version.

If we want a level football playing field, then “football” should be redefined by changing our reference to tournaments, championships and leagues to “men’s football” if that is what is being played. It’s time we started referring to the men’s football World Cup, just as we refer to the women’s football World Cup.

Read more at:

https://theconversation.com/why-this-football-tournament-should-be-called-the-mens-world-cup-98348

A recent music composition created by Dr Ambrose Seddon (Creative Technology; EMERGE) has been awarded 2nd prize in the 11th Destellos Competition of Electroacoustic Composition and Video-music, Argentina.

The Destellos competition is one of the most well-established international competitions within the field of electroacoustic music, and has links with various institutions around the world. The 2nd prize was granted by GRM, France; Musiques & Recherches, Belgium; Motus, France; and Fundación Phonos, Spain. The awarded work, Traces of Play, is a 4-channel ‘surround sound’ composition, which received it’s premier in June 2017, and was performed here at BU in the Loudspeaker Orchestra Concert on 28th February 2018.

I was recently fortunate enough to be given the unique opportunity to attend the 13^th Congress for the International Society for Study of Fatty Acids (ISSFAL) and Lipids in Las Vegas Nevada. My experience started with an interesting satellite symposium entitled “An Update on the Role of EPA and DHA for Brain Health”. During this satellite experts such as Dr. Karin Yurko-Mauro gave an excellent insight into the current research on a topic which strongly relates to my PhD.

On the first day of the conference I was given the opportunity to present some of the work I have done during my PhD with an oral presentation entitled “Preliminary analysis suggests a high DHA multi-nutrient supplementation and aerobic exercise produce similar improvements in verbal memory in older females”. This was an amazing and rather surreal experience, as presenting research I had conducted at an international conference is not something I would have envisioned being able to achieve just a short time ago. As well as my oral presentation I also had a poster entitled “Circulating DHA levels as a predictor of gait performance under single and dual-task conditions in older females”.

During the conference there were a series of plenary lectures, as well as sessions covering a breadth of topics including general nutrition, aging and neurodegenerative diseases, brain fatty acid uptake, inflammation and allergy and clinical trial methodology. In between sessions leading pioneers within fatty acid research Professor Michael Crawford and Dr Maria Makrides were each given awards with Professor Crawford being given the omega-3 research award and Dr. Makrides the Alexander Leaf Award.

The ISSFAL committee were very accommodating of the younger researchers attending the event. organising a young investigators social to the mob museum and putting together a “meet the professors” breakfast to allow us to pick the minds of some of the leaders in the field. Furthermore I won a young investigators award by ISSFAL, which is given to recognise and encourage excellent abstract submissions, and in turn allowed me to register for the conference at no cost.

I would firstly like to the thank the ISSFAL organisers for allowing me the opportunity to present my work at such a respected conference and my PhD supervisors Dr. Simon Dyall and Dr. Fotini Tsofliou for supporting me through the research process. I am also grateful for being awarded a full Santander mobility award and for my BU studentship funding, which has allowed me to make the trip to Las Vegas possible.

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

Paul