Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
The Spring newsletter of the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) is available online now, click here! Also you can read more about our Centre on our webpages. CMMPH embraces the notion of FUSION as a key Bournemouth 
University centre. This is illustrated in each newsletter which always has sections on the three segments of Fusion: Education, Practice and Research.
Following a recent review by the Research Performance Management Committee (RPMC) applications are now open for the establishment of new Research Centres. This process is open to all groups of academic staff, each led by a member of the Professoriate, to put forward proposed Research Centres. Applications can be from established Research Centres, new groupings or new amalgamations of groupings (old and/or new). The new Research Centres will be launched in September when existing Research Centres will cease to exist unless they have applied under this process (except where exempt).*
Research Centres are the public face of BU’s research. They bring together individuals and research teams from across the University to form collaborative and interdisciplinary groupings which, through the development and delivery of world-leading research, strengthen and underpin the delivery of the BU2025 vision. They offer an opportunity for the Professoriate to engage in leadership of research that can contribute significantly to the aims of BU2025 – see leadership role descriptor – and provide a genuine platform for innovation and the achievement of critical mass.
Research Centres provide opportunities for staff at all levels to become members, benefitting from dynamic, creative relationships which cut across the perceived boundaries of discipline, Department and/or Faculty. Research Centres provide members with the opportunity to be a part of an interdisciplinary research community, which enables individuals to join and establish interdisciplinary relationships and networks which can facilitate and strengthen their own research.
Applications (see pages 6 – 9) are to be completed and submitted to the Faculty Research and Professional Practice Committee (FRPPC) for approval. As part of the application process Research Development and Support (RDS) will provide a data set of the KPI’s relating to the proposed membership for the past year. This means that there are two deadlines – the first being to allow time for the data set to be prepared and the second for final submission to FRPPC. Arrangements and the dates for submission vary between Faculties and are shown in the table below:
| Faculty | D/L for proposed
membership list |
D/L for completed
application to FRPPC |
D/L for approval by Faculty |
| FMC | 5th July 2019
A Faculty meeting on 5th July 2019 will discuss and finalise Research Centre compositions. Proposed Centres and membership lists should be brought to this meeting. |
14th July 2019
Details of submitting completed applications to be decided at this meeting but the deadline is 14th July and will be submitted for FRPPC via DDRPP (ethorsen@bournemouth.ac.uk) |
18th July 2019 |
| FHSS | 14th June 2019
Proposed membership lists to be sent directly to Project Delivery Manager (plynch@bournemouth.ac.uk) by 14th June who will provide data set by 21st June |
5th July 2019
Deadline for submission of completed applications to DDRPP (vhundley@bournemouth.ac.uk) |
21st July 2019 |
| FoM | 28th June 2019
Completed applications (including membership lists) to be sent directly to Project Delivery Manager (plynch@bournemouth.ac.uk) by 28th June 2019. |
28th June 2019
Same as deadline for membership list. Project Delivery Manager will forward to DDRPP (msilk@bournemouth.ac.uk) |
19th July 2019 |
| FST | 21st June 2019, 5 pm
Completed applications (including membership lists) to be sent to DDRPP tzhang@bournemouth.ac.uk |
21st June 2019
Same as deadline for membership list. |
4th July 2019 |
For an overview of the approval process please see this flowchart.
If you have any questions please contact me, (plynch@bournemouth.ac.uk EXT 68265), or the DDRPP for your Faculty.
*Institutes will be exempt from this process and addressed later. The following entities are exempt from this process for the reasons stated: NCPQSW and NCCA as they are externally recognised national centres; DMC, CoPMRE, Centre for GP Practice, Centre for Digital Entertainment and BUCRU as their purpose and remit exceeds the scope of the Research Centres policy and therefore the re-commissioning process
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is one of the largest funders of clinical research in Europe and have a number of funding streams that you can apply for in order to conduct health-related research. The NIHR then has a number of Clinical Research Networks or ‘CRNs’ that are spread out to each region of England. The local CRN is Wessex, based in Hedge End, Southampton.
At the heart of CRN activities is the NIHR CRN Portfolio of studies. This consists of high-quality clinical research studies that are eligible for consideration for support from the CRN in England. Adoption onto the portfolio has a number of benefits for researchers, such as help in identifying potential research sites, access to patients and the public to carry out ‘PPI‘ and advice on recruitment strategy at any point during the study. The CRN offers support to researchers via their Study Support Service and likewise via each portfolio manager and their team. You can see a breakdown of each portfolio here on the Wessex CRN page.
Portfolio adoption is usually vital to participating NHS Trusts when considering the research studies they wish to undertake, as they are reimbursed for the resource given to conduct the study (e.g. research nurse support, data manager time). As a result, it is strongly advised that external funding is considered for BU clinical research projects – the amount of funding doesn’t have to be substantial.
Each CRN is given a budget for the financial year by the NIHR, which is then distributed to sites based on their recruitment figures.
In order to be eligible for portfolio adoption, there are three criteria a study must meet:
You can read more about study eligibility here, including research funded by overseas partners.
The source of research funding is the principal determinant of eligibility for NIHR CRN support and so it is encouraged that researchers seek external funding where possible and appropriate, from the NIHR, another area of central Government or one of their non-commercial partners. The amount of funding doesn’t need to substantial in order to be eligible.
For any queries to do with the portfolio or for guidance regarding implementing your research in a healthcare setting, take a look at the Clinical Governance blog. You can also get in touch with BU’s Research Ethics team with any queries.
BU’s Knowledge, Exchange and Impact Team hosted a sold out Public Lecture Day at the Executive Business Centre back in April. A varied programme of lectures was presented to members of the public along with invited members of local University of the third age groups which included: Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Ferndown.
Staying Active and Independent for Longer (SAIL)
After lunch, the afternoon of lectures began with Ann Hemingway, Professor of Public Health & Well-Being from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences and Adele Ladkin, Professor of Tourism Employment from the Faculty of Management, who presented an overview of the Staying Active and Independent for Longer (SAIL) project.
The SAIL project, which runs until 2020 is funded by the European Commission and aims to identify new and sustainable partnership opportunities between areas such as leisure, tourism and health to help ageing people be more active and remain independent for longer.
The SAIL research team are working with local authorities, businesses, charities and older people to learn from experiences and to try out different strategies and is comprised of team members from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK.
Unlike other SAIL partners, the team at Bournemouth University are not delivering initiatives to older people. Instead, they are drawing together the learning from all initiatives to manage a feasibility study for this international project. This study will, assess contribution to healthy ageing or viability of business and service models, to pave the way for wider-scale implementation.
The BU team are using the Expertise Management Methodology (EMM) which has been developed to explore and access complex real-life initiatives.
Back Pain: Another way to look at it
Next on the programme was Alan Breen, Professor of Musculoskeletal Research in the Faculty of Science and Technology at BU and Director of the Centre for Biomechanics Research at the AECC University College.
Professor Breen introduced his research – Back Pain: Another way of looking at it. Lower back pain is the largest cause of days lost to disability in the world and is felt at some point in the lives of around 80% of us. While the statistics are staggering, they are getting worse, with the majority of cases having no diagnosis, let alone a cure. Why is this condition so resistant to the personalised medical advances to which so many other disorders are gradually surrendering?
Alan’s talk compared how we used to understand back pain in Victorian times, when manual handling was unregulated and injuries were rife, with how we understand it now, when we know much more about the risks of becoming a chronic sufferer. In the years between the two, (in the 1990’s) Alan served on the main research review groups that drove the ‘Back Pain Revolution’. This acknowledges that whether we get better or not is not just a physical matter. However, researchers have recently realised that we don’t really know enough about the mechanisms of back pain to gain control over it in individuals. Overcoming this is the new way of looking at it.
The research being conducted in Alan’s Centre focuses on these mechanisms. Using motion X-rays (fluoroscopy), he and his colleagues have been able to bring forward a new technology to measure the mechanics of the spine at individual segments to identify ‘markers’ that characterise the functional changes that happen with back pain. Alan presented examples of how this has led to improvement with relatively simple lifestyle changes.
From Alan’s point of view, “Giving a talk of this kind to a more mature audience, many of whom had suffered with back pain for many years was rewarding, because of my interest in the early prevention of chronic back pain.”
The Hyksos Enigma: Researching the 15th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt
After a short break, the afternoon continued with Dr Chris Stantis, a postdoctoral researcher at BU. Her role as a bio archaeologist involves studying human remains (skeletons, cremations, mummies) from archaeological sites. By studying the people of the past, we can understand who they were, how they lived, and how they died.
At #BUPLD2019 Dr Stantis presented some of her research on ancient Egypt. The team she is working with are examining the skeletal remains of people and animals buried in cemeteries at the site of Tell el-Dab’a in the northeastern Nile Delta. Many of these people would have lived in the city when it was known as Avaris and was the capital of the 15th Dynasty. The 15th Dynasty is also known as the Hyksos period, and is the first time foreign rulers controlled Egypt. The Hyksos rulers had long lasting impacts on Egyptian culture, but no one knows for sure where the Hyksos came from or who they were. Quite the enigma!
The team are doing some amazing things at BU, studying topics such as ancestry and disease.
Dr Stantis is focusing on chemical analysis to understand where these people grew up, in order to try and find the origin of the Hyksos rulers. The people and culture they descended from is still a mystery, but with the help of archaeological chemistry she hopes to provide some clues.
Dr Stantis said “I loved presenting some of my initial findings at #BUPLD2019. The audience was engaged, they asked really good questions, and of course there were free sandwiches and coffee”
The effect of emotion on cognition: What can we learn from those with obsessive-compulsive disorders?
The afternoon of lectures was closed by Dr Ellen Seiss, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Head of the SC2AN Neuroscience Research Group within the Department of Psychology.
Ellen is conducting research in cognitive and clinical neuroscience using behavioural and EEG methods, her current areas of interest are the cognitive deficits in people with OCD, emotion recognition in VR settings, as well as the link between food choice and intake and cognition.
Dr Seiss discussed the effects of emotion on cognition and what we can learn from those with obsessive compulsive disorders and explained that our emotions influence a lot of our everyday cognitions, for example how we tend to certain situations, how we memorise information and how we make decisions. This emotional effect is more pronounced in people living with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Those affected often try to avoid ‘harmful’ events with ritualised behaviours; such as checking doors, lights, or extreme cleanliness rituals.
Dr Seiss concluded that the interaction between emotions and processes are very complex in people with OCD. For example; selective attention, memory and memory confidence, decision making in uncertain environments.
Ellen highlighted the relevance of this research; If we know how people with OCD process information to memorise it and to make decisions, and what the underlying neurological changes are, we might be able to use this to adjust our OCD models and treatment options.
Bournemouth University’s Public Lecture series aims to offer BU academics the opportunity to share some of the fantastic research they’ve been working on with members of the public. Allowing a diverse and enthusiastic audience to ask lots of questions and engage in interesting discussion about the research taking place here at Bournemouth University.
The varied programme was well received with some audience members commenting;
“The event helped with the concept of bringing people, mainly older, together. We met many people from our local community we did not know”
“Very enjoyable to hear up to date ideas and research”
” Learning about subjects I knew nothing about”
“Interesting lectures related to the real world”
If you missed the Public Lecture Day and would like a copy of the presentations or require more information about this event please contact the Public Engagement Team; publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
The Royal Society are looking for researchers to showcase the UK’s leading research at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition 2020. Could your work be the next cutting-edge exhibit?
The Exhibition is the Society’s flagship public engagement event with more than 14,000 visitors each year. In the past, exhibitors have featured in media such as The One Show, The Guardian and The Daily Mail. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to raise the profile of your research and institution with key influencers, including potential funders, government and the public. They welcome proposals from researchers in academia, industry and in between, as long as the project lead is UK-based.
The deadline for proposals is 3pm Tuesday 10 September, 2019.
Selection will be based on:
Have a look at this year’s exhibitors to see some of the inspiring research they’re looking for. Exhibiting your work here is a significant project, with months of work leading up the the event and high expectations for the quality of stands. You will need a committed team of people and an ambitious vision for your exhibit.
However, take this is a fair warning rather than off-putting; the Royal Society will help you every step of the way, from submitting your proposal to designing an exhibit.
If you are interested in applying, and contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer at BU) who can help you prepare your application and refine your ideas.
BU Research has been featured previously at the Summer Science Exhibition, when the ‘Dinosaurs to Forensics’ exhibit showcased the Digtrace research project.
Are you new or relatively new to research? Are you interested in attending a workshop that will allow you to improve your understanding and confidence in the application of ethical considerations to your research activity? Then take advantage of the following opportunity!
Dr Helen Kara will be delivering a one-day workshop on Monday 17th June, 09:30 – 16:30 on Talbot Campus, entitled Ethical Thinking and Decision-making in Practice.
The aims & objectives of this sessions are to:
If you want to book onto this workshop and take advantage of this great opportunity, then please see the following page for instructions.
If you are a PGR, please email Organisation Development to book your place.
The new ‘UK Local Information Pack‘ has been introduced today, 5th June to support the set-up of NHS / HSC research in the UK.
The ‘UK Local Information Pack’ is the set of documents that NHS / HSC organisations use to formally start preparing to deliver the study. You can find more information here, including what comprises the pack. All researchers wishing to set-up their study at an NHS/HSC site from today, 5th June, need to be aware of this change.
Researchers and research teams may be aware of a document called the ‘Statement of Activities’ – this is essentially a document that allows the sponsor to make clear to the research site, what activities will be undertaken locally. The document can also act as the agreement between the sponsor and site.
From today the Statement of Activities has been replaced by a document called the ‘Organisation Information Document‘. For non-commercially sponsored studies, that are not clinical trials or clinical investigations, the ‘Organisation Information Document’ should be used as the agreement between sponsor and participating NHS / HSC organisation.
Another feature of the new UK Local Information Pack is the inclusion of a delegation log template, which is intended to be used at participating NHS / HSC organisations. This will allow NHS/HSC organisations to locally record who will be working on the study and who is authorised to undertake study tasks. The delegation log can be found here and should be used for studies submitted for approvals from today.
For non-commercially sponsored studies studies an IRAS Schedule of Events or a SoECAT will be a part of the IRAS Form submission and is used in the UK Local Information Pack as a way of providing clarity to participating NHS / HSC organisations on the cost attributions associated with a study.
Guidance on the use of the new UK Local Information Pack has now been published in the Site Specific page of IRAS Help to help applicants get ready for the change.
If you are making an IRAS Form submission or planning to set up research in an NHS / HSC organisation from today, 5th June 2019 please read the transition guidance so that you prepare the correct materials.
If you have any queries regarding any of the information provided above, or would like some guidance with regard to implementing your research in a healthcare setting – please get in touch with BU’s Research Ethics team.
You can also take a look at the Clinical Governance blog for documents, links and training opportunities.
BU PGR Adedoyin Festus Fatai was one of three PhD students accepted to present at a 3-days intensive workshop on “Tourism: Economics and Management. Tourists as Consumers, Visitors and Travelers” in honour of Lionello F. Punzo which held at the Department of Economics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy (Italia), between 30 May – 1 June 2019.
It was an invaluable experience to serve as a discussant alongside other researchers in the field and to receive feedback on one of the empirical chapters from my PhD research. Additionally, there were comments from well-experienced journal editors with opportunities for collaboration.
An important lesson from the 15 papers discussed is that knowledge of research methods is not enough! instead, having a ‘story’ is more important. A good story will always sell as long as it identifies a clear gap to fill; is significant and has a strong motivation for it to be published in a journal with high impact factor.
Festus
CQR’s webpages have now migrated to the new Centres and Institutes pages of the Bournemouth University website. We are in the progress of refreshing and updating the new pages, but you can still connect to the old CQR webpages, at least for the time-being. It is here that you can find links to many of the specialisations of members including
Humanising Health and Social Care;
Novel and Innovative Research Methodologies;
Performative Social Science and Arts-led Research;
Narrative and Biographic Research
Humanising Care, Health & Wellbeing
13-14th June 2019
The Humanisation approach is supported by working practices which encourage connection to personal experience and research approaches which privilege subjective experience and knowing. Organised and led by CQR’s Deputy Director, Caroline Ellis-Hill.
CQR Members presenting at the Conference include: Camila Devis-Rozental, Caroline Ellis-Hill, Chantel Cox, Clare Gordon, Karen Rees, Lee Ann Fenge, Liz Norton, and Sally Lee.
CQR Members, Associates, and Doctoral Students are also busy writing. Below, just a taster from a range of members’ recent wide variety of methods and subject matter, now in press or about to be. CQR members come from across FHSS departments and several other BU Faculties. CQR and CEL have particular synergies around creativity in research and education. Many faculty claim membership in both Centres!
Assoc. Member Lee-Ann Fenge:
Fenge, L., Oakley, L., Taylor, B. and Beer, S. (in press) The impact of sensitive research on the researcher: preparedness and positionality, International Journal of Qualitative Methods
Fenge, L., Melacca, D, Lee, S. and Rosenorn-Lanng, E. (in press) Older peoples’ preferences and challenges when using digital technology: a systematic review with particular reference to digital games, International Journal of Education and Ageing
Fenge, L. Cutts, W. and Seagrave, J. 2018. Understanding homelessness through poetic inquiry: looking into the shadows, Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 19 (3), 119-133
BU Visiting Prof Catherine Hennessy:
Hennessy, C.H. and Means, R. (2018). “Connectivity of Older People in Rural Areas”, Chapter 8 in A. Walker (ed.) The New Dynamics of Ageing, Bristol: Policy Press.
Member Camilla Devis-Rozental:
Devis-Rozental.C. (2018). Developing Socio-Emotional Intelligence in Higher Education Scholars. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Member Jo Thurston:
Thurston, J., 2020. Opening a Door to a Private World: Using Auto/biographical Methodology to Explore Health Experience. SAGE Methods Cases.
Assoc. Member Carly Stewart:
Sparkes, A. C. & Stewart, C. 2019. Stories as actors causing trouble in lives: a dialogical narrative analysis of a competitive cyclist and the fall from grace of Lance Armstrong. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.
Stewart, C., Woodward, M. and Gough, R., 2019. ‘I’ve drawn, like, someone who was the world’: drawings as embodied gestures of lived yoga experience. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.
CQR Director Kip Jones, Member Jo Thurston, Assoc. Member Louise Oliver
Thurston and Oliver prepare for the interview
Jones was invited by Sage Publications’ MethodSpace to write a blog article for their June/July Special Issue on Creativity. Kip transcribed his interview on biographic research conducted by CQR members, Joanna Thurston and Louise Oliver. The pair interviewed Jones, along with several other academics, for their film, “It’s not research, it’s just stories!” The film was screened at the British Sociological Association Auto/Biography Study Group Conference in December 2018. Kip Jones discusses “Biography, Auto-biography, and Creativity” in the MethodSpace blog piece.
Assoc. Member Lorraine Brown:
Kichuk, A; Brown, L; Ladkin, A 2019 Talent pool exclusion: the hotel employee perspective International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Member Jenny Hall:
Crowther, A. Stephen & J. Hall (2019) Association of psychosocial–spiritual experiences around childbirth and subsequent perinatal mental health outcomes: an integrated review, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology.
Assoc. Members Janet Scammell, Vanessa Heaslip, Karen Cooper
Rosser, E., Scammell, J., Heaslip, V., White, S., Phillips, J., Cooper, K., Donaldson, I., Hemingway, A., (2019). Caring values in undergraduate nurse students: a qualitative longitudinal study. Nurse Education Today.
Member Michele Board, Associate Member Vanessa Heaslip
Board, M., Pigott, L., Olive, H. and Heaslip, V., 2019. Better Together – A Day Hospital’s move towards Integrated care. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation.
Kip Jones held a successful video session for the recent Social Fiction Conference at the Morgan Centre for Research into Everyday Lives at the University of Manchester. He will be conducting another session via video link with postgrad students at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in Kazakhstan in a few weeks’ time. Both sessions centre around the award-winning short film, RUFUS STONE and Jones’ part in creating it.
CQR Deputy Director Caroline Ellis-Hill:
Ellis-Hill C, Lamont –Robinson C & Galvin K (2019) Sustaining wellbeing after a stroke: reflections on humanising lifeworld processes within an Arts and Health group – HeART of stroke EACS conference – Sustainable Caring for Health and Wellbeing Oct 1st -3rd 2019 Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland
Paglioni M, Ellis-Hill C, Board M and Branney, J and Valentine J (2019) Exploring the experience of older people who attend a hospital … The British Society of Gerontology 48th Annual Conference: University of Liverpool 10 -12 July 2019.
Doctoral student, Charlotte Clayton, has a poster accepted for presentation about her PhD research fort the University of Southampton conference, ‘Pregnancy, Maternity and the Self’ 21st June.
Assoc. Member Trevor Hearing presented:
“The Scholarly Studio: The Application of the Television Studio as a Performative Research Tool” at: Creative Practice Research in the Age of NeoLiberal Hopelessness 10-12 May 2018 University of Bedfordshire.
CQR members Lee-Ann Fenge, Kip Jones, Vanessa Heaslip Took part in the Charity Research Showcase at Bournemouth U.
Participants discussed their research with the charity sector and a wide range of charity partners.
Following on from yet another successful year of CQR Lunchtime Seminars, it is time now for CQR members, Associate Members and Doctoral Associates, to be thinking of ideas for seminars for the next academic year. The theme for the year will be: “Methods to Our Madness!” Informal talks followed by interactive discussions are the order of the day!
There certainly will NOT be time to explain a whole research method! Instead, presenters are asked to informally talk about how they decided on a method for a piece of research, and perhaps how that worked out (or not!) for them. CQR audiences are particularly interested in what we might call the application of ‘Creative Methods” in research!
CQR members are asked to submit ideas now as it takes time to organise the calendar for these ahead of time. Please send your thoughts via email to Kip.
Come to this public event on Wed 19 June to hear the latest results from 3 dementia research projects:
After the talks, come and meet some of our researchers to hear more about dementia research at Bournemouth University over a free light lunch.
Schedule:
Wednesday 19 June
Please share the link for this public event dementia-and-living-well.eventbrite.co.uk with anyone who might be interested.
CoPMRE held its Spring Visiting Faculty Morning at the EBC with a theme of Surgical Futures. One of our guest speakers was Dr Jason Moore, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University (USA) who presented his research on how robotics can enhance the training of future surgeons. He discussed the mechanical development of an advanced robotic medical simulation training system which allows the user to virtually practice on a diverse number of human anatomies whilst offering guided feedback. . A full report for this event can be found here VF Report Spring 2019
The next event will be held on 3rd December 2019.
Dr Anya Chapman, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management at BU whose research specialisms include coastal resorts and regeneration, was Cafe Scientifique’s guest speaker earlier this month. Anya is specifically interested in British seaside resorts and has long been fascinated by the seaside pleasure pier. In fact, Anya claims that part of the joy of working in Bournemouth is its two seaside piers! Anya has been part of the National Piers Society’s Executive Committee since 2013, and her role as Honorary Secretary has shaped and influenced the direction of her current research.
Dr Chapman is currently working on a research project funded by the Government’s Coastal Revival Fund, which investigates seaside pier sustainability. As part of this project, Anya has ‘pier reviewed’ all 60 surviving British seaside piers to identify best practice in pier operation, ownership models, management techniques, and product development, and interviewed the owners of the ‘top ten’ best practice piers. The results of this research will be published in a best practice toolkit which will be distributed to all pier stakeholders to enable the sharing of best practice and enhance the sustainable operation of seaside piers for the future. 
Anya’s Café Scientifique talk covered the rise and development of British seaside piers and considered their changing roles and purpose during the last 200 years. The current challenges faced by seaside piers were also examined, including the threats facing these structures in an era of climate change, rising sea levels, and storm surges. The issue of funding and costs of piers was considered and the question of ‘who pays’ for these iconic seaside heritage assets was discussed.
Examples of ‘best practice’ piers were then highlighted and Anya identified the importance to piers of having a unique selling point and product offering; collaborative and partnership working and ownership models of piers; and that piers should have a number of target markets, both visitors and local residents, in order to become year-round operations. Maintaining the pier as a flagship attraction within the wider resort product offering is important for the visitor economy and also for the identity and promotion of the resort in which it is located.
Anya concluded the talk by considering seaside piers of the future; their form and function and the role that they will play not only in seaside resorts, but also inland and other unusual locations such as Sheffield and this year’s Glastonbury festival!
Dr Anya Chapman reflects on her experience of presenting at Cafe Scientifique earlier this month;
Anya said ‘the experience of presenting at Café Scientifique was enjoyable and enlightening. It was really insightful to hear about people’s experience of piers and how they value and engage with these structures. It was also good to see the levels of engagement and discussion on the issue of climate change and how seaside piers might be used in the not-too distant future as a source of blue energy production, meaning that the form and function of piers will continue to adapt in the 21st century’.
Photo of the week May 2019 – Research Photography Competition
Café Scientifique takes place on the first Tuesday evening of the month at Café Boscanova
Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion around that topic
We’ll be joined by Dr Annamaria Neag on Tuesday 4 June from 7:30pm until 9pm (doors open at 6:30pm) No need to register, make sure you get there early though as seats fill up fast!
“All my life is in my telephone”: The lived media experiences of unaccompanied refugee children in Europe
By 2018, more than 80.000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were registered in the EU. That’s half of Bournemouth’s population. Refugee children pose considerable policy challenges, with their integration being of utmost importance. Studies show that refugee children have IT skills; however they lack the ability to make critical media choices. This talk will present a research project that investigated how unaccompanied refugee children use digital technology and social media across three European countries; the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy. Media literacy education is one of the tools that could empower young refugees to become active citizens. We’ll discuss how these findings can assist in developing media literacy for refugee children’s civic participation.
Find out a bit more about the project; Media literacy for unaccompanied refugee youth
If you have any questions please do get in touch
Find out more about Café Scientifique and sign up to our mailing list to hear about other research events: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/cafe-sci
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Today ResearchGate alerted us that our paper ‘Nepalese Trekking Guides: A Quantitative Study of Sexual Health Knowledge And Sexual Behaviour’ [1] has been cited 300 times. This paper links between Tourism and Public Health in the field of sexually transmitted infections in travellers and tourism workers. This article, in an Open Access journal, is co-authored by BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen with BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada and Psychology colleagues from the University of Southampton.
This study assessed sexual behaviour, knowledge and condom use among male trekking guides in Nepal. A questionnaire (n=324) was administered to Nepali men working as mountain trekking guides. Most respondents (59%) had initiated sex before the age of 18. Most (84 %) reported 
sexual relations with a woman other than their partner, 46% reported foreign partners, 43% had Nepalese partners, and 28% had concurrent foreign and Nepalese partners. Most (70 %) reported ever having sex with a foreign woman and two-thirds had had sexual intercourse with foreign women in the previous 12 months. Participants’ age, education status, age of first sex, smoking and drinking habits and English proficiency were significant predictors of having sex with foreign women. About 60% reported condom use during their most recent occasion of extra-marital sex. A similar proportion had used a condom during last sexual intercourse with a foreign woman.
The likelihood of condom use was associated with a guide’s age, educational level, ethnicity, age of first sex and work experience. Most trekking guides reported sexual relations with foreign women as well as irregular use of condoms. Although sexual health knowledge about among trekking guides is high, some misconceptions still result in unsafe sex. Hence there is an urgent need to revise the existing training for trekking guides and implement appropriate health promotion programmes.
Reference:
A ‘UK Local Information Pack‘ will be introduced on the 5 June 2019 to support the set-up of NHS / HSC research in the UK.
The ‘UK Local Information Pack’ is the set of documents that NHS / HSC organisations use to formally start preparing to deliver the study. You can find more information here, including what comprises the pack. All researchers wishing to set-up their study at an NHS/HSC site from 5 June, will need to be aware of this change.
Researchers and research teams may be aware of a document called the ‘Statement of Activities’ – this is essentially a document that allows the sponsor to make clear to the research site, what activities will be undertaken locally. The document can also act as the agreement between the sponsor and site. Researchers setting up their study before 5 June should continue to use this document.
From 5 June the Statement of Activities will be replaced by a document called the ‘Organisation Information Document‘. For non-commercially sponsored studies, that are not clinical trials or clinical investigations, the ‘Organisation Information Document’ should be used as the agreement between sponsor and participating NHS / HSC organisation.
Another feature of the UK Local Information Pack is the inclusion of a delegation log template, which is intended to be used at participating NHS / HSC organisations. This will allow NHS/HSC organisations to locally record who will be working on the study and who is authorised to undertake study tasks.
For non-commercially sponsored studies studies an IRAS Schedule of Events or a SoECAT will be a part of the IRAS Form submission and is used in the UK Local Information Pack as a way of providing clarity to participating NHS / HSC organisations on the cost attributions associated with a study.
Guidance on the use of the UK Local Information Pack has now been published in the Site Specific page of IRAS Help to help applicants get ready for the change.
If you are making an IRAS Form submission or planning to set up research in an NHS / HSC organisation from 5 June 2019 please read the transition guidance so that you prepare the correct materials.
If you have any queries regarding any of the information provided above, or would like some guidance with regard to implementing your research in a healthcare setting – please get in touch with BU’s Research Ethics team.
You can also take a look at the Clinical Governance blog for documents, links and training opportunities.
The article titled “The effects of 8 weeks of inspiratory muscle training on the balance of healthy older adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study” has been published by Physiological Reports.
It is the first research to describe the effects of inspiratory muscle training (i.e. breathing exercises that improve the strength of inspiratory muscles) on static and dynamic balance (measured with the clinical tool mini-BEST) and functional mobility (such as Timed Up and Go and 5 sit to stand tasks) with community dwellers older adults (aged 65+).
The research is part of Francesco Ferraro PhD journey. Journey guided with the supervision of Professor Alison McConnell, Dr James Gavin and Tom Wainwright
The article is now fully available as open access here
https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14076
To examine the effects of 8‐week unsupervised, home‐based inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on the balance and physical performance of healthy older adults. Fifty‐nine participants (74 ± 6 years) were assigned randomly in a double‐blinded fashion to either IMT or sham‐IMT, using a pressure threshold loading device. The IMT group performed 30‐breath twice daily at ~50% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). The sham‐IMT group performed 60‐breaths once daily at ~15% MIP; training was home‐based and unsupervised, with adherence self‐reported through training diaries. Respiratory outcomes were assessed pre‐ and postintervention, including forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume, peak inspiratory flow rate (PIFR), MIP, and inspiratory peak power. Balance and physical performance outcomes were measured using the shortened version of the Balance Evaluation System test (mini‐BEST), Biodex® postural stability test, timed up and go, five sit‐to‐stand, isometric “sit‐up” and Biering–Sørensen tests. Between‐group effects were examined using two‐way repeated measures ANOVA, with Bonferroni correction. After 8‐week, the IMT group demonstrated greater improvements (P ≤ 0.05) in: PIFR (IMT = 0.9 ± 0.3 L sec−1; sham‐IMT = 0.3 L sec−1); mini‐BEST (IMT = 3.7 ± 1.3; sham‐IMT = 0.5 ± 0.9) and Biering–Sørensen (IMT = 62.9 ± 6.4 sec; sham‐IMT = 24.3 ± 1.4 sec) tests. The authors concluded that twice daily unsupervised, home‐based IMT is feasible and enhances inspiratory muscle function and balance for community‐dwelling older adults.
Café Scientifique takes place on the first Tuesday evening of the month at Café Boscanova
Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion around that topic
We’ll be joined by Dr Annamaria Neag on Tuesday 4 June from 7:30pm until 9pm (doors open at 6:30pm) No need to register, make sure you get there early though as seats fill up fast!
“All my life is in my telephone”: The lived media experiences of unaccompanied refugee children in Europe
By 2018, more than 80.000 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were registered in the EU. That’s half of Bournemouth’s population. Refugee children pose considerable policy challenges, with their integration being of utmost importance. Studies show that refugee children have IT skills; however they lack the ability to make critical media choices. This talk will present a research project that investigated how unaccompanied refugee children use digital technology and social media across three European countries; the Netherlands, Sweden and Italy. Media literacy education is one of the tools that could empower young refugees to become active citizens. We’ll discuss how these findings can assist in developing media literacy for refugee children’s civic participation.
Find out more about the project; Media literacy for unaccompanied refugee youth
If you have any questions please do get in touch
Find out more about Café Scientifique and sign up to our mailing list to hear about other research events: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/cafe-sci
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BU’s Dr. Bibha Simkhada’s paper ‘Factors affecting the utilisation of antenatal care in developing countries: a systematic review of the literature’ [1] is currently the 27th most cited paper in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. This is great achievement considering that the journal has published nearly ten thousand articles since its inception (to be precise 9,847). The Journal of Advanced Nursing (published by Wiley) is one of the prestigious journals in the nursing field. This extremely well-cited paper was part of Bibha’s Ph.D. study at the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Bibha Simkhada is Lecturer in Adult Nursing in the Department of Nursing and Clinical Sciences
. One of her co-authors also works at BU, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and a second co-author, Prof. Padam Simkhada from Liverpool John Moores University is Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences. The third co-author Dr. Maureen Porter retired a few years ago.
Reference:
Overview
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation have commissioned Professor Sir Adrian Smith to provide independent advice on the design of future UK funding schemes for international collaboration, innovation and curiosity-driven blue-skies research. There is a written call for evidence to inform this advice, and BU is preparing an institutional response to this call.
Further information can be found in the call for evidence document, and associated Terms of Reference.
How to contribute
If you would like your feedback to be included in the institutional response, please complete the feedback form and send to Lisa Andrews, RDS Research Facilitator by Wednesday 15th May.
BU staff can login below:
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025
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