Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Get some of these interesting presentations in your diary now ‘Enhancing social life through global social research’:The social sciences at BU. For details click here!
Three sessions:
Part 1. Young people and development
Part 2. Ethnographies of religion & cultures
Part 3. Social science research in diverse communities
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Monday
Europe
Organisations representing universities and students have joined the campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union, while a group of pro-EU scientists has also set out its arguments. NUS and UUK join EU ‘in’ campaign. (THE).
Tuesday
Oxford University
A Freedom of Information request has revealed there are just 13 women paid more than £140,000 a year, compared with 145 men at Oxford University. Oxford University criticised for gender gap among top earners (BBC News).
Wednesday
TEF
Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary has been questioned by the BIS select committee on the TEF. When questioned on the timescale of the TEF, Mr Javid said that introducing the TEF for 2017 is workable but concerns for universities around it being rushed were understandable, he went on to say that his priority is to ensure they get the TEF right. Sajid Javid: priority for TEF is to ‘get it right’ (THE).
HEFCE
A piece in the Guardian looks at the future of HEFCE, including how likely it is to continue to exist as well as the importance of it to the higher education sector. Has Hefce had its chips? (The Guardian HE network).
Thursday
Green Paper
The likely inclusion of widening participation metrics in the teaching excellence framework is being shaped by ministers’ drive to meet targets set by David Cameron and a fear of dropout rates rising after the scrapping of student number controls. Cameron access targets ‘a major factor’ in higher education Green Paper (THE).
General Election
According to a report by HEPI, students had less impact on the outcome of this year’s UK general election than expected. HEPI reveal that one of the reasons for this could be the lack of enthusiasm for Labour’s £6K fees policy. Student voters had ‘less impact than expected’ on general election (THE).
Friday
Student loans
GuildHE has criticised the Chancellor’s plan to freeze loan repayment thresholds for all post-2012 students and graduates in England, calling the move an ‘unfair retrospective change’ that would prompt doubts among future students about whether to go to university.
Osborne plan to force current students pay more for loans ‘unfair’ (THE).
Coming up in October:
A full programme of workshops is available – see PGR Workshops – 2015-16 Timetable for further information. If any are of interest to you, booking is via myBU Graduate School PGR Community (don’t forget to log on with your student username and password).
Supervisors – information on how you can support your PGRs in their personal and professional development can be found on the Graduate School Intranet.
A new report, published today, addresses the challenge that cultural institutes face when trying to capture the full value of their work to individuals in society. Commissioned by the AHRC’s Cultural Value Project and using two of the UK premier cultural institutions, the Natural History Museum (NHM) and Tate Liverpool (TL), the report explores alternative approaches and practical evaluation techniques to measuring the value of culture.
The report addresses an evidence gap as far as cultural policy is concerned and has the potential to bring quantitative economic techniques to policy debates which, say the authors of the report, have been “fragmented and curiously ungrounded in empirical evidence”.
View the AHRC press release and link to the report here and find out more.
Matt Bentley’s first paper with a Bournemouth University Address was published in ICES Journal of Marine Science on 13 October 2015
Panelists at #PSASchools 2015
On Tuesday 13 october 2015, Dr. Darren Lilleker, Dr. Dan Jackson and Dr. Anna Feigenbaum from the Faculty of Media and Communication travelled up to London to lead sessions at the Political Studies Association’s first annual PSA Schools Conference. The event brought together 150 Sixth Form students from schools around London and the South East for an afternoon of exploring Pressure Groups, Anti-politics and Representation. In packed out workshop room, Dr. Lilleker and Dr. Jackson sparked debate over the rise of digital politics, asking in their session on Social Media and Political Communication, “Does social media offer a new way to develop a more dialogical relationship between citizens and their elected representatives?” Reflecting on the workshop, Dr. Lilleker said, ““It was interesting to hear the views of young people on digital media use and get them thinking about how their behaviour links to broader social trends in political engagement.”
Dr. Anna Feigenbaum’s session drew from her research into protest camping. She engaged students in a hands-on activity, designing blueprints and political strategies for their own hypothetical protest camps. Choosing Women’s Equality as their campaign issue, following a compelling keynote by Sophie Walker, Leader of the Women’s Equality Party, the students choose their protest sites, including Parliament and the Playboy Mansion. From clever hashtags to lodging people on houseboats in the Thames to politically subversive games of pin-the-tail-on-the-bunny, students showed their creativity and tactical savvy. 
Taking part in the Question and Answer Panel Session that rounded out the day, Dr. Anna Feigenbaum joined Campbell Robb, CEO of Shelter; David Bowles, Director of Public Affairs of RSPCA; Graham Smith, CEO of Republic and Maddy Ryle of the Democracy Centre in a lively discussion facilitated by Dr Andy Mycock (University of Huddersfield) that ranged from the purpose of direct action to strategic uses of the law in political campaigning. Covering questions of Britishness and the Monarchy and the ethics of lobbying, sixth formers in the audience showed they were far more than an apathetic generation of youth. Politically reflective and insightful, they spoke of media misrepresentations of the working class, the need to scrutinise profiteering bankers, growing inequality in representative politics and when engaging in civil disobedience might be justified.
Speaking 
of his participation in the event, Dr. Jackson – who also convenes the PSA Media and Politics Specialist Group – said, “It is great to engage young people with some of the big political challenges of our day. Plus, this is a great way to put Bournemouth on the map, in terms of politics education at BU, as we develop our curriculum around politics, political communication and social movements.” Based on the success and positive feedback from this first event, the Political Science Association has plans to make the conference an annual affair. An exciting opportunity to share our BU Research in an interactive way with young people, we would encourage colleagues to join in future events!
With thanks to James Ludley and Helena Djurkovic of the PSA for organising this innovative event.
I have recently returned from a Santander sponsored trip to Glucksman House Ireland, New York University for a series of meetings with key academics within the department of Irish Studies Professor Miriam Nyham, and Professor Mick Moloney at NYU. I attended a number of events to connect with key stakeholders in the Irish events sector in New York. Having recently received funding from the BU Fusion Staff Mobility and Networking Fund (SMN) I plan to continue my networking at NYU performing research regarding my PhD topic ‘The role of identity and place attachment for Irish Diaspora audiences at Irish cultural events’. I am very excited about returning to NYU in Spring next year to meet with my contacts at Glucksman Ireland House, NYU and to perform my Ethnography field research at the Irish Arts Center NY, the Irish Center in Long Island and the range of events at Glucksman Ireland House NYU with many commemorative Irish cultural events. For more information about this project, please contact: Pearl Morrison morrisonp@bournemouth.ac.uk
Staff are invited to submit applications for an undergraduate research assistant (URA).
The Undergraduate Research Assistantship programme aims to support at least 50 undergraduate students to work under the guidance of an experienced academic in a research position that is directly related to their career path and/or academic discipline.
The staff application deadline has been extended to Sunday 25th October.
To apply for a URA, please complete the following URA Application and send to urap@bournemouth.ac.uk by midnight on Sunday 25th October. The following selection criteria will help your application.
If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Clarke, KE Adviser (KTP) on 01202 961347 or email clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk
A smartphone device for monitoring sensation loss in patients with diabetes has been nominated for three awards at the Institute of Engineering and Technology Innovation Awards. The device, developed by Bournemouth University, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Foundation Trust and Poole Hospital Trust enables patients to self-monitor their symptoms and wirelessly transmit their results to their consultants.
Over time, people with diabetes can develop nerve damage, caused by prolonged exposure to high blood glucose levels. Sensation loss needs to be monitored by medical professionals to try and limit further damage. The severity of the nerve damage will dictate the frequency of hospital visits, but it can be as often as monthly which is quite time intensive for both patient and consultant.
The device, created by Dr Venky Dubey and his Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Neil Vaughan, involved the development of a smartphone app and a 3D probe fitted to the phone. The 3D probe is designed to vibrate, according to the intensity set by the app, which helps to analyse the levels of sensation loss in a patient. This data, along with basic details such as weight and height, are recorded by the app and can be transmitted to a GP or consultant who can monitor the need for further treatment or check-ups. As well as being a considerable time saver for both patients and medical professionals, the device also helps to give patients more control over their care.
Commenting on the nomination, Dr Dubey said, “I’m very pleased that our device has been nominated for three awards as it recognises the hard work that went into the project and its potential to make a difference to patient care. Looking to the future, we hope to run clinical trials to test the device and gain patient feedback so that we are able to improve it further before its commercial potential is realised.”
The smartphone app and 3D probe have been nominated for three awards at the Institute of Engineering and Technology Innovation Awards. The categories the team have been nominated for are communication, healthcare technologies and measurement in action. The awards ceremony will be held on 18th November in London.
Attend our Research Professional visit taking place on the 3rd Nov and get expert help with setting up your personal account and searches!
Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. Jordan Graham from Research Professional is visiting BU on the 3rd of November 2015 to demonstrate to academics and staff how to make the most of their Research Professional account.
This will include:
Location and the session timings are:
Talbot campus P424
10.15 – 11.15 – Research Professional presentation
11.15 – 11.45 – RKEO interactive session setting up searches
Lansdowne campus S103
13.30 – 14.30 – Research Professional presentation
14.30 – 15.00 – RKEO interactive session setting up searches
After the presentation, the RKEO Funding Development Team will be on hand for an interactive session where they will help you set up your Research Professional account, searches and offer advice from a BU perspective.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about funding opportunities and to meet the Funding Development Team, particularly if you are new to BU.
Please reserve your place now at a BU Campus to suit through Organisational Development
Maribel Glogowski, our UK Research Office (UKRO) contact, spent a whole day at BU on 14/10/15. Her visit was very successful, working with the RKEO Team to ensure that we are up to date with Horizon 2020 and the management processes invovled plus a full afternoon dedicated to updating BU staff on the calls, especially with the publication of the Work Programmes for 15-17 on 13/10/15.
There will be further posts about specific elements of the new Work Programme once their applicability to BU has been assessed.
The slides from the afternoon available to BU staff. Please contact Dianne Goodman for these to be sent to you. Please note that as the visit is part of our paid subscription to UKRO, these slides whould not be shared outside BU.
If you are considering applying for EU funding please contact Emily Cieciura, Research Facilitator – EU and International, as early as possible so that RKEO can give you the support you need to develop your bid and submit.
Research Professional have been following several discussion threads around the impending government spending review and the possible implications for the science budget. The latest article is centred on the science minister, Jo Johnson’s assurance that the results of the Sir Paul Nurse review of research councils will be considered by government.
By following the link above, you will also find various other discussions about potential mergers of government departments that may have a knock-on effect on future research resources.
NERC is inviting the environmental science community to submit new ideas for strategic research. NERC is seeking ideas for research challenges that should be priorities for strategic research investment through highlight topics. NERC would welcome ideas from both researchers and those who use environmental science research.
Ideas for highlight topics should be submitted by 19 October 2015.
New guidance is available to explain what they are looking for, and how to submit ideas. The Strategic Programme Advisory Group (SPAG) will use these ideas to develop proposals for new highlight topics.
The aim of this process is to capture and build on ideas for excellent strategic science coming directly from the environmental science community. NERC first asked for ideas for strategic research last year, and 150 ideas were received by the cut-off date of 31 August 2014. NERC would like to thank all those who submitted ideas at that time. The ideas spanned all three of NERC’s strategic challenges (benefitting from natural resources, resilience to environmental hazards and managing environmental change) and covered a broad range of environmental science disciplines. Ideas were received from research and user communities, and from individuals and groups.
![InnovateUK_LogoA_Interim_RGBx320govuk[1]](http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/files/2014/12/InnovateUK_LogoA_Interim_RGBx320govuk11.jpg)
To support academic colleagues in depositing their research open access the BURO Team in Library and Learning Support have produced a brand new guide – Open Access and Depositing your Research. Colleagues will find this guide particularly useful if you are…
Guidance is provided in the following key areas:
Please note: this guide is in development and more sections will soon be added. The guide will shortly appear on the deposit page in BRIAN. The BURO Team welcome any feedback.
Please note: during this short period around the Mock REF/internal review exercise increased levels of deposit mean the BURO Editorial Team may take a little longer than usual to make your research open access and respond to any queries about your outputs. In recognition of this the online nomination form provides an option to indicate that you have submitted the your full text to BURO via BRIAN even if you are unable to provide a BURO web link for each of your outputs at the time of form completion.
BU’s Professor Dimitrios Buhalis has been invited on a speaking tour of four cities in China, including two conferences and two research seminars. The invitations come from three of China’s universities and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
This includes giving a keynote speech at the International Smart Tourism Conference and at the 9th UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Forum on tourism trends. Both conferences will be held in China in October 2015. Professor Buhalis’ presentation will cover the issues of smart tourism, the internet of everything, big data, and the co-creation of tourism and hospitality experiences.
This year’s International Smart Tourism Conference is themed around the idea of ‘new normal, new travel, new experience and new paradigm’, with the conference serving as a platform to share and exchange the latest developments in smart tourism.
The 9th UNWTO and PATA Forum will focus on the idea of ‘tourism and the experience economy’. By sharing research and up-to-date industry practices and exploring current challenges, conference attendees hope to identify potential new areas of research on tourism as an experience economy.
The third EPSRC photo competition is now open for entries. The theme of the competition is ‘research in action’, which could include people involved in or affected by your research, unusual or bizarre images arising from your research or images that reflect new discoveries as a result of your research.
The competition is open to all EPSRC supported researchers and doctoral students.
The overall winner of the competition will be awarded £500 worth of camera / photography equipment. A prize of £150 worth of camera / photography equipment will also be awarded to the winner of each category. Runners up in second and third place of each category will receive £25.00 worth of camera / photography equipment. All winning images will also be featured in EPSRC‘s Pioneer Magazine and other EPSRC publications. The value of prizes may be increased dependent on sponsorship.
The deadline for submissions is 19 December.
Images from previous competitions can be seen here.
For full details and how to enter the competition, visit the EPSRC’s website.
Yesterday BMJ Open published our latest article on the weight management in obese men, under the title A qualitative evidence synthesis on the management of male obesity.[1] To the best of our knowledge, this is the first synthesis of qualitative studies investigating men’s perceptions and experiences of weight management services. The interdisciplinary study was conducted between the three research centres at the University of Aberdeen, namely the Health Services Research Unit (HSRU), the Health Economics Research Unit (HERU) and the Rowett Institute of Health & Nutrition, the University of Stirling’s NMAHP Research Unit, the University of Edinburgh’s Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research & Policy (SCPHRP) and Bournemouth University.
Studies published between 1990 and 2012 reporting qualitative research with obese men, or obese men in contrast to obese women and lifestyle or drug weight management were included. The studies included men aged 16 years or over, with no upper age limit, with a mean or median body mass index of 30 kg/m2 in all settings. In total 22 studies were identified.
Health concerns and the perception that certain programmes had ‘worked’ for other men were the key factors that motivated men to engage with weight management programmes. Barriers to engagement and adherence with programmes included: men not problematizing their weight until labelled ‘obese’; a lack of support for new food choices by friends and family, and reluctance to undertake extreme dieting. Retaining some autonomy over what is eaten; flexibility about treats and alcohol, and a focus on physical activity were attractive features of programmes. Group interventions, humour and social support facilitated attendance and adherence. Men were motivated to attend programmes in settings that were convenient, non-threatening and congruent with their masculine identities, but men were seldom involved in programme design.
The paper concluded that men’s perspectives and preferences within the wider context of family, work and pleasure should be sought when designing weight management services. Qualitative research is needed with men to inform all aspects of intervention design, including the setting, optimal recruitment processes and strategies to minimise attrition. This paper grew out of the larger ROMEO study which was published in our full HTA (Health Technology Assessment) report, which is also freely available on line, click here! [2]
CMMPH
Reference:
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SERVED research project: Supporting Evidence-based Research for Veterans Experiencing Dementia
Alzheimer’s Awareness Week – join us in BGB on Tuesday 20th May
Nanocoatings to Bionanocomposites: Sustainable Solutions
Take part in the 2025 ESRC Festival of Social Science – Deadline for applications: Thursday 15 May 2025 
AI learning to read emotions from motion….
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Research Information Network
Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme pre-Published