Tagged / health and well being

AWE: Augmented Wildlife Experiences – Gaining traction

HEIF

We’re excited to share updates about our groundbreaking Augmented Wildlife Experiences (AWE) project created by a team of academics from the Department of Life and Environmental Science. The project uses digital technology to create immersive experiences along walking trails, helping people connect with nature in new and meaningful ways while supporting their well-being. Wildlife sounds, camera trap footage, and educational information are accessible on our custom-built website, www.awetrails.co.uk.

BU HEIF funding allowed us to complete our proof-of-concept trail at Holton Lee, owned by Shaftesbury Millie College – by Livability. Over the past months, we have actively shared our work and built connections with diverse audiences. Various organisations have asked us to develop an AWE trail on their lands to enhance their public engagement activities.

Sharing Our Vision

On the 11th of November, Amanda Korstjens and Anastasia Vayona presented AWE for BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, titled: “Augmented Wildlife Experiences (AWE) trails to support nature connection”. The talk reflected on the challenges faced during the setup of the first trail at Holton Lee, located on private land with restricted access owned by Shaftesbury Millie College – by Livability, compared to the unique opportunities and issues anticipated with new trails being established on public land. We also discussed how AWE can be a tool to allow less mobile people to immerse themselves in local nature online.

Join us for more public events:

January 14th 2025 Webinar for Bournemouth Natural Sciences Society: “Using IT to make wildlife trails more interesting and accessible – Augmented Wildlife Experiences ( AWE) trails to support nature connection”.

In February, 14-23rd 2025, as part of “A Heathland Celebration” exhibition at the Gallery Upstairs in Upton Country Park (led by Julia Jennings), we will hold a panel discussion.

June 3rd, 2025, we will showcase AWE at Café Scientifique with Bournemouth University’s Public Engagement team. In a relaxed setting, we’ll explore how AWE merges conservation with technology.

Building Momentum

  • Anastasia Vayona submitted a British Academy small grants proposal, seeking to test the effectiveness of AWE enhancements in promoting nature connectedness.
  • AWE now proudly includes six talented students from diverse disciplines, whose fresh perspectives and skills are driving the project forward. This SERT (Student Environmental Research Team) started planning and shaping our second trail in November 2024 (funded by departmental QR funding). The Talbot Woods trail is a collaboration with Martha Searle from Talbot Village Trust. Get in touch if you would like to contribute.

AWE is a collaborative multi-disciplinary project led by BU academics working with local organisations Dorset Electrical Solutions, Shaftesbury Millie College, and Talbot Village Trust.

With these activities and accomplishments, AWE is paving the way for a future where technology and conservation work hand in hand.

Stay tuned for more updates and join us at www.awetrails.co.uk

Announcing Wellness Retreat – the new WAN Wellbeing Strand

Women's Academic Network

The last 18 months has been extraordinarily challenging for virtually everyone in the UK, for all the usual and known reasons of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the end of a ‘phoney war’ Brexit to full-blown Brexit realities, terrifying news about the global environmental crisis and endless awful news of social and civic conflict overseas.

In academia we have experienced both the same and different challenges, although what emerging research has taught us is that challenges impact particularly heavily on women academics.

In the Women’s Academic Network (WAN), as is well known, we offer a supportive forum of women academics and PGR, running successful events for our members, for all BU academics, reaching out to others beyond BU too. What we have not offered to-date is care for the mind and body, as caring for self is just as vital for academic success as Fusion is. So this fresh academic year we are rectifying that omission to offer a holistic, new and innovative strand promoting wellbeing in WAN.

Our first event is the WAN Wellness Retreat on the 8th Sept where we are offering a relaxing and rejuvenating morning retreat that will leave participants feeling great and provide them with all the tools and techniques to keep them feeling on top form. And as a special treat we have arranged a luscious goodie bag for participants to take home!

So, what’s in store?

We will start the wellness journey with breathwork and self-hypnosis for inner bliss by the internationally recognised Relational Life Therapist and bestselling co-author of Practical Zen for Health, Sarah Bladen.

Appreciating that daily life takes a toll on your back, we have invited Katanneh, a Pilates practitioner who specialises in Pilates for runners and rehabilitation of back, neck and shoulder injuries to work with you for a better back.

We will wrap up the day with our very own Dr Melsia Tomlin- Kräftner, WAN convenor. academic and in-house SportsBU yoga teacher, who will make sure participants leave the retreat feeling relaxed, revitalised and ready for a busy new academic year.

Spaces are limited and filling up fast. To join us on this complementary retreat email:

ahamidi@bournemouth.ac.uk

Date: 8th September

Time: 9:30am-1:00pm

Location: Student Hall, Talbot House

Bring your mat, a towel and see you there!

Dr Abier Hamidi, Dr MelsiaTomlin- Kräftner, Dr Jo Mayoh and Professor Sara Ashencaen Crabtree

WAN Convenors

If you are not a WAN member but are interested in becoming one, please email at scrabtree@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

Congratulations to PhD student Raksha Thapa

Doctoral College, Featured academics, international, PG research, Postgraduate Research, Publishing, Research news, Student Engagement, Uncategorized, Women's Academic Network, writing

This week BU PhD student Raksha Thapa  heard from the editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health that her  manuscript “Caste Exclusion and Health Discrimination in South Asia: A Systematic Review” has been accepted for publication [1].  Raksha is supervised in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences by Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Vanessa Heaslip and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  The paper is a systematic review and the protocol for it was published in PROSPERO early on at the start of her PhD studies [2].

Well done!

 

References

  1. Thapa, R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Heaslip, V. (2021) Caste Exclusion and Health Discrimination in South Asia: A Systematic Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (accepted).
  2. Thapa, R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Heaslip, V. (2018) Caste exclusion and health discrimination. Prospero CRD42018110431crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42018110431

Implementing Nutrition Screening in Community Care for Older People (INSCCOPe) Conference – 24th April 2019

Events, Research communication, Research news

The Ageing and Dementia Research Centre (ADRC) in collaboration with Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) hosted their end of research project conference on ‘Nutrition Screening in Community Care for Older People’ (INSCOPPe) at the Captain’s Club Hotel in Christchurch. Funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, this 2 year project aimed to understand factors that may help or hinder implementation of a new procedure for nutrition screening and embedding it as a routine aspect of care. New tools have been developed to encompass training for wider rollout across the organisation and wider adoption nationally.

At the conference, the outputs and impacts of the research were showcased for delegates and new tools were launched including training videos and new workbook launched ‘Managing malnutrition (as undernutrition) and caring for older people living in the community’. The workbook is aimed at healthcare staff working in community teams. Prof Jane Murphy, Research Project Lead/Co-Lead for the ADRC  ‘ Supporting staff to have the skills and knowledge in identifying and treating malnutrition in older people living in the community is  vital for organisations to meet their responsibilities for delivering excellent care.’

The speakers were:

  • Dame Christine Beasley – Trustee, Burdett Trust for Nursing
  • Jane Murphy, Professor of Nutrition, Co-Lead Ageing and Dementia Research Centre,  Research Project Lead, Bournemouth University
  • Annemarie Aburrow, Dietitian for Wessex Academic Health Science Network and Research Assistant, Bournemouth University
  • Kathy Steward, Area Matron, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • Kathy Wallis, Associate Director, Wessex AHSN
  • Julia Lake, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Interim Divisional Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professionals
  • Alison Smith – BDA Older People Specialist Group chair, Prescribing Support Consultant Dietitian

 

Thank you to everyone who attended. The conference was a real success and really helped showcase the important work that ADRC continues to do.

“It was such a great day – Thank you for having us over” – Caroline Laidlaw, Advanced Dietitian Mental Health from Sussex Partnership Trust.

The Ageing and Dementia Research Centre would like to extend a big thank you to those that contributed to the research and are grateful to The Burdett Trust for Nursing who provided generous support for the research project.

Please see website for more details about the research and how to access the tools:

http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/nutrition-screening