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Investigating the Effects of Environment on Prey Detection Rates: A Key Variable in Human Evolution

PG research

We would like to invite you to the latest research seminar of the Creative Technology Research Centre.Prey_Detection

 

Title: Investigating the Effects of Environment on Prey Detection Rates: A Key Variable in Human Evolution

 

Speaker: Peter Allen (a Bournemouth University PhD student funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)

 

Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM

Date: Wednesday 27th April 2016

Room: PG19 LT, Poole House, Talbot Campus [please note the change from our usual venue]

 

Abstract:

 

This research project applies cutting edge videogame technology to conduct a psychology experiment which is designed to test human visual acuity as far as it relates to prey detection rates. The original contribution to knowledge is the acquiring of experimental data which is then used to investigate the effects of the environment on prey detection ability and help address open questions in the field of paleo-anthropology concerning human evolution.

 

The environment plays a major role in determining the hunting strategies which upper Palaeolithic humans would use when hunting ungulate species. In open environments such as savannah and grassland, humans relied on persistence hunting whereas in closed areas like forest there was preference for ambush hunting and careful planning to intercept migrating herds. These hunting styles are thought to have affected human evolution by selecting for required anatomical and cultural features. Persistence hunting utilises endurance running which requires a gracile form and the ability to regulate body temperature without slowing down, whereas encounter hunting relies more on strength and social coordination.

 

Little work has been done to understand the role which the composition of the environment plays in prey detection ability, which in turn determines which hunting styles can be utilised and therefore what features would be selected for in different geographically separated Palaeolithic human societies. This project aims to test the hypothesis that prey detection ability will vary according the composition of the environment in terms of the density of vegetation (open or closed-ness) and the assemblage of floral species contained within.

 

We hope to see you there.

 

HRA Approval for NHS Research

Research Ethics

HRA Approval is the new process for the NHS in England that simplifies the approvals process for research, making it easier for research studies to be set up. It replaces the need for local checks of legal compliance and related matters by each participating organisation in England. This allows participating organisations to focus their resources on assessing, arranging and confirming their capacity and capability to deliver the study.

Laura Purandare, Research Monitor RBCH, has kindly agreed to run a seminar on 4th May at 2pm in BG14 to explain the changes.

The session will cover:

  • What HRA approval is
  • The implementation of changes
  • The difference it proposes to make to health research in England
  • What it means for our researchers
  • Key resources

The session will last approximately an hour, and Laura will be available for questions following the session. We hope to see you there.

Team-work on Team-based Learning Project : My experience as a URA

Centre for Excellence in Learning, conferences

Blog post by Jade Offer, Undergraduate Research Assistant (Innovative Pedagogy)

I applied to become an Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) as I believed it would help me develop and learn new skills, and it did! As an accounting student, I enjoy working with numbers and that is why I initially applied. The field I choose was unrelated to my degree course and was something I knew little about: the teaching of pathophysiology to student nurses. Despite this I was fully immersed within the research and have really enjoyed my experience.

Fortunately enough I was chosen alongside a fellow student to work on a research project entitled: An Evaluation of Team-based Learning (TBL) in teaching Applied Pathophysiology to Student Nurses. Working with a fellow research assistant made the job even more fun, and was extremely helpful as we could talk and meet with each other to analyse the data, and to aid each other in inputting the data efficiently. We were welcomed into a team with the research leads; Dr Jonathan Branney and Dr Jacqueline Priego, both of whom provided amazing support for us both as we analysed and organised the research they had previously conducted. They both took time out of their schedules to teach us how to use the new research software we needed to use and made regular contact to assist us, which was greatly appreciated.

My involvement in the project

  • Attend regular meeting with the team to discuss next steps
  • Reading previous literature on TBL (relevant articles to our research)
  • Developing spread sheets to organise relevant exam results data
  • Using transcript software to analyse qualitative data
  • Using SPSS to carry out statistical analysis on the quantitative data collected
  • Communication Skills- Composing and delivering presentations

I also had the opportunity to be involved in SUREBU 2016, which is a showcase of research carried out by Bournemouth University students. We were both given the opportunity to present at national conferences, which we hope to attend, as it is an amazing opportunity and privilege. We have also been given the amazing opportunity to be involved in writing a professional research paper that our team hopes to get published, which is very exciting!

What I have gained

  • Presentation skills- delivering a verbal presentation of our findings and how the research was conducted
  • The importance of participant anonymity and the rules of handling important data
  • The important of research in making future changes and trialling new ideas
  • The development of a research project- from raw values to understandable statistics
  • A keen interest and knowledge of Team-based Learning
  • Knowledge in a new field which I would not have otherwise been exposed to

 I would highly recommend applying for a URA job, it has been such a beneficial experience for me; acquiring new skills, developing existing ones and meeting and working along side motivated and friendly individuals. Immerse yourself in the research job and you will find it an invaluable experience alongside your studies.

Jade Offer, BA (Hons) Accounting and Business student, year one

UG Talks

The contents of some research can be exceptionally complex and almost like another language to those of us who know nothing about a specific subject. The undergraduate talk (UG Talks) breaks this mould by challenging undergraduate students to talk about your research in just 3 minutes.

This gives undergraduates a valuable opportunity to convey their research to their peers and colleagues, all the while gaining some worthwhile experience in presenting their work which could prove extremely useful for future assignments or when they graduate.

So the format of the talk is that the presenter are allocated 3 minutes in order to explain their research, they are only allowed one accompanying PowerPoint slide with their presentation, so they must choose carefully!

In order to secure their place at this exciting event, they must send a title and brief overview of their research to Oliver Cooke. There are only 10 spaces available, so they must submit their work as soon as possible!

The talk will be happening early May at midday and will be held on the 5th Floor in the Student centre, but this can be subject to change.

If you know any undergraduate students who may be interested, please encourage them to submit!

Front of postcard

Dr. Jenny Hall on spirituality in midwifery: new publication

Publishing

Dr. Jenny Hall in CMMPH published her latest article ‘Facilitating learning of spirituality in midwifery’ in the academic journal Spiritual Care [1].   She highlights that there has been considerable discussion in the literature around spirituality at the end of life but little relating to childbirth. Perhaps because of this facilitation of learning around the subject is limited. The aim of this article is to raise awareness of these issues and promote future discussion and research.

Congratulations

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

 

Reference:

Hall, J. (2016) Facilitating learning of spirituality in midwifery, Spiritual Care 5(2): 81–88.  DOI: 10.1515/spircare-2016-0021,

Save the Date: 24/5/16 – Smart Cities Sandpit

BU Challenges, Funding opportunities, Research themes, Training

 

BoPOn Tuesday, 24th May 2016, BU’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO) will be hosting a Sandpit event on Smart Cities, supported and attended by staff from the Borough of Poole and other organisations.

Which means…?

We’re seeking to come up with novel research which addresses how we link and upgrade infrastructures, technologies and services in key urban sectors (transport, buildings, energy, ICT) in a smart way which will improve quality of life, competitiveness and sustainability of our cities and their transformational impact on aspects of community life, cultural experiences, future society and the economy.

So, who should attend?

The sandpit is open to everyone, and we do mean all BU staff and PGRs. It doesn’t matter whether you have a research track record or not. We want anyone who thinks they might have something to contribute (and even those who think they don’t), and who is available all day on Tuesday 24th May to come along. We will also be inviting relevant external attendees to contribute to the day.

What do I need to prepare in advance? What will the sandpit entail?

Absolutely nothing in advance. During the sandpit, you’ll be guided through a process which results in the development of research ideas. The process facilitates creativity, potentially leading to innovative and interdisciplinary research ideas. These ideas will be explored with other attendees, and further developed based on the feedback received.

What if I don’t have time to think about ideas in advance?

You don’t need to do this. Some inspiring speakers with a range of backgrounds will be coming along to give you ideas…creativity road sign

What about afterwards? Do I need to go away and do loads of work?

Well… that depends! The sandpit will result in some novel research ideas. Some of these may be progressed immediately; others might need more time to think about. You may find common ground with other attendees which you choose to take forward in other ways, such as writing a paper or applying for research funding.

What if my topic area is really specific, such as health?

Your contribution will be very welcome! One of the main benefits of a sandpit event is to bring together individuals with a range of backgrounds and specialisms who are able to see things just that bit differently to one another.

So, is this just networking?

Definitely not! It is a facilitated session with the primary intention of developing innovative research ideas, which also enables the development of networks. It gives you the opportunity to explore research ideas which you may develop over time, together with the chance to find common ground with academics from across BU and beyond.

So, how do I book onto this event?

To take part in this exciting opportunity, BU staff  should complete the Smart-Cities-Sandpit-Application-Form and return this to Dianne Goodman by Tuesday, 17th May (extended to allow for those taking leave around the Bank Holiday). Places are strictly limited.

By applying, you agree to attend for the full duration of the event on 24th May (c. 9:30 – 16:30). This event will be held in BU’s Executive Business Centre (EBC).

If you have any queries prior to submitting your application, please contact Emily Cieciura, RKEO Research Facilitator: EU & International.

 

 

RKEO win NUS Green Impact Award – Silver

RKEO have spent the last year greening up the office and doing our bit for the environment and the well-being of the RKEO team.  We submitted to the NUS Green Impact Award in February and we are proud to announce that we achieved the Silver award status, which is excellent as this was our first ever entry.

DSC03613 (2)We have achieved a lot in the last year, which includes reducing our printing by 24.3% (we’re aiming for 50% in two years) and we have saved BU 34% on printing costs by significantly reducing our colour printing; we’ve recycled and reused practically everything we could have; we’ve introduced a switch-off campaign; various lunch clubs involve walking, quizzing, spinning and craft; we contributed to Fair Trade Fortnight; we’ve reduced car usage when travelling to work; everyone has a plant on their desk; and much, much more.

Our greening initiative was called GHEFRRE (Green, Healthy, Ethical, Fair, Recycle, Reuse, Environmental) and an endangered finger monkey was our mascot.GHEFFRE  Congratulations to the whole team!

Plaque

Externally funded Fellowships – all you need to know and more

Funding opportunities

fellowshipsWhat a Fellowship can offer

Fellowship Schemes are generally designed to develop scientific leadership among the most promising scientists, by giving fellows x years’ support. Early career fellowships enable sufficient time for the fellow to develop their research plans and to gain international recognition. Many funders offer fellowship networking and training activities, working with host institutions, to support the development of future leaders in the funders remit. Established career fellows need a strong vision for the research proposed and the team delivering it. Most funders will provide greater support as the expectation is that ‘world-leading’ individuals will deliver high quality research. All fellowships are there to develop the next generation of researchers.

Dependent on the stage of career, most fellows will gain greater leadership and communication skills; act as ambassador and advocate for their research field; develop a research team around them, which should lead to greater research income; and build a reputation that will attract other top academics to join BU.

Applying for a Fellowship

The majority of fellowships awarded by external funders will provide the fellow with funding to concentrate on research, which can mean significantly reducing the fellows teaching load from 50% up to 100% of their time. Therefore, it is vital that any potential BU applicants discuss their plans with their Head of Department, Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice or Dean of Faculty before starting the BU application process. Applicants will need to provide their Faculty with details on how an awarded fellowship will affect their current workload, if any time will be spent away from the university, and whether any additional staff will need to be employed as part of the fellowship, including replacement teaching for the applicant.

Any applications that are given the initial go ahead by the Faculty will still need to go through the normal submission process at BU. Therefore, applicants will need to discuss with their RKEO Funding Development Officer their intention to bid for a fellowship as soon as they have agreement to apply from the Faculty.

What to apply for

There are many different fellowship opportunities available for all stages of an academic career.  A comprehensive list of these can be found here, which is also on the ‘Research Funders’ Guide’ under ‘Research Toolkit’ in the main menu bar.

If you wish to discuss with RKEO your research plans and/or the benefits of a fellowship then please contact your RKEO Research Facilitator in the first instance.

 

BU Physiotherapy Student wins award!

Centre for Excellence in Learning

WP_20160416_15_16_31_Pro (2) WP_20160416_005Darel Evans, BU Physiotherapy student, won the award for the best poster presentation at the Physiotherapy Research Society at their recent congress. Held in Leicester this was the 35th annual conference of the society focussing on Improving Quality of Life for People with Chronic Conditions. His work, supported by the Centre for Excellence in Learning as a Co-creation project with Dr Jonathan Williams, was entitled:

Can a Tibail mounted accelerometer be used to detect differences in lower limb impact across different footwear?

and would, once developed help those with lower limb impact/loading problems (such as knee osteoarthritis) choose footwear to minimise the impact/loading experienced through the limb.

Latest Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

money and cogsThe following funding opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information.

Medical Research Council

Public Health Intervention Development scheme (PHIND) supports the early stages of development of interventions that address an important UK or global public health issues; in particular non-healthcare settings with population level interventions.  Up to £180k is available for projects lasting up to 18 months.  Closing Date 12/7/16

The Royal Society

The Royal Society Research Grants scheme provide grants up to £15k for scientists in the UK who are in the early stage of their careers.  Closing Date 1/6/16

The International Exchanges schemes have available up to £12k (and an additional £2k for research expenses if applicable) for new collaborations between scientists in the UK and overseas.  The closing dates for the three schemes are as follows- Standard Programme Closing Date 7/6/16.  France Cost Share Scheme Closing Date 10/6/16. Kan Tong Po Visiting Fellowships Programme Closing Date 7/6/16

University of London

The School of Advanced Studies at the University of London is inviting participants to take part in the Being Human Festival run in Partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.  Up to £5k is available to run 5-10 events as Being Human ‘Festival Hubs’.  Closing Date 16/5/16

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline.

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer.

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on Research Professional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

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

BU Challenges, Centre for Excellence in Learning, conferences, Fusion, Fusion Investment Fund, international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, Research themes

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…’

Publishing, Research Integritiy, 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.

 

RKEO Drop-in session – 20th April

Guidance

GreatnessA couple of months ago, RKEO introduced monthly drop-in sessions for academics to turn up and ask us anything, knowing that members of RKEO would be on hand to help. Unfortunately, despite lots of advertising, no one has taken up the opportunity to attend the first two drop-in sessions. Therefore, operating a three strikes and we’re out policy, if no one attends the next drop-in session then we will cancel those organised for the rest of this year.

The next drop-in session is scheduled for 20th April, between 2-4pm in the Talbot Atrium cafe.

The following RKEO staff will be available for the session:

Ehren Milner – Funding Development Officer for Management

Eva Papadopoulou – Funding Development Officer for Media and Communication

Kerri Jones – Funding Development Officer for SciTech

Philip Leahy-Harland – Project Delivery Officer for Management

Nimisha Prajapati and Sara Mundy – Project Delivery Officers for SciTech

Jenny Roddis – Research Facilitator for HSS and SciTech

You don’t need to be from these faculties as staff will help with any queries you have and if they’re not able to answer your query then and there, they’ll ensure you receive a timely response from RKEO. Basically, come along and have a chat. These are also great opportunities for us to gather feedback from you on the service that we deliver to you. Come and find out about upcoming calls such as the British Academy’s small grants scheme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships, and how we can support you in your research career.

RKEO look forward to seeing you.

BNAC presentation Jib Acharya

international, Publishing, 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

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!

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