BU Research Blog

Our Experience: My Voice, My Story

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Maggie Hutchings image which represents BU’s Fair Access Research Project in action.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

The Fair Access Research project brings together students and staff from across the university to develop research knowledge and expertise in the field of fair access to higher education. The team are developing an understanding of the challenges some students face in accessing and succeeding in university, how university is experienced by different groups of students and how the university can support them. The impact of the research will be felt by students and academics across the university as awareness is raised and a shift in culture is felt over time.

The photo voice method was used by BU students participating in the ‘My Voice, My Story’ research project to produce images and ‘stories’ about their experiences of being a non-traditional student. Students co-created their stories and were invited to share their experiences at an ESRC Festival of Social Sciences workshop with an invited audience of academics and widening participation practitioners. The image shows the participants’ reflections captured at the workshop through interpretations written on the table-cloths, and contributing to the data for the research. Insights were gained into the effects of arts-based social participatory research methods for eliciting deep stories to inform policy and practice.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Hutchings or Dr Vanessa Heaslip or Dr Clive Hunt who are leading the Fair Access Research Project.

This photo was originally an entry in the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Baltic Pride: The visibility of LGBT human rights claiming

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Jayne Caudwell’s image of a Pride bus in Baltic Pride 2016.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

This research project focuses on Baltic Pride 2016 and the politics of LGBTQ visibility. Pride parades can be important for the advocacy of LGBT human rights claims. Prides take place across the world and their histories and scales vary enormously. Some adopt en-mass celebration and carnivalesque styles, whilst others face severe opposition. Global manifestations of Pride are uneven and yet, they are connected. Many take place around the month of June because of the legacies of USA-based LGBT liberation triggered by the Stonewall Riots on June 29^th, 1969 in Greenwich Village, and most rely on rainbow flags, LGBTQ-positive banners and slogans to carry the politics of global Pride.

The research explores the transnational flow of the Pride movement and associated universal human rights claims through the visuals of Baltic Pride 2016.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Caudwell.

This photo was originally an entry in the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk.

‘LandEscapes – Treading on the line of fantasy and realism’ – A high dynamic range landscape photography exhibition at the Bournemouth International Centre

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Rehan Zia’s exhibition ‘LandEscapes- Treading on the line of fantasy and realism’.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

“My practice-led research is looking at exploring the best practice in high dynamic range landscape photography. I often exhibit images that I have created to acquire feedback that I could subsequently reflect upon. This image shows my latest and biggest exhibition ‘ LandEscapes – Treading on the line of fantasy and realism’ at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) where 35 of my images were on display from 6 December 2016 – 12 January 2017,” explains Rehan.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Rehan.

This photo was originally entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Loxodes rex– The ‘King’ of Tropical Microbes

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Hunter N. Hines’s image of the freshwater species Loxodes rex.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

Loxodes rex is a flagship freshwater ciliate species, a large eukaryotic organism that is a single cell. The photomicrograph is an image taken in Florida (USA), using 100x magnification. This species was long believed to exist only in Tropical Africa.

This research into flagship species in new global regions questions the ideas of microbial biogeography and dispersal.  This species is 1,200µm long (1.2 millimetres!) and visible to the naked eye. The large mouth is at the top left of the image and you can see numerous food items within the cell. The many lines running down the cell are ciliary rows, which are used for swimming.

Further research into the project will reveal more flagship species in novel regions, and could uncover species which are new to the science world.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Hunter.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Archaeology: Hidden Landscapes

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Ashely Green’s image which presents one of the key stages in surveying a site- georeferencing.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

Ashely’s research is looking at the potential to detect burials prior to archaeological excavation. She is doing this by producing software that automatically detects grave-like responses in geophysical collections of data. The software will use data from sites across Ireland and South-West England to describe the geophysical signatures of medieval burial practices. These sites are surveyed at a high-resolution with a range of techniques to determine what lies beneath the ground surface and how this may affect the detection of burials.  This research aims to lessen the negative impact of modern activities on these burial sites.

This photo presents a key stage in surveying a site – georeferencing, where the survey grids and elevation profile coordinates are recorded to be associated with the corresponding geophysical data.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Ashely.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Pollen from a Bumblebee

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Paul Hartley’s image of the pollen from a bumblebee.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

The image shows optical sections through a marsh thistle pollen grain taken using a Leica SP8 confocal microscope. Pollen grains have a morphology unique to the flowers they originate from.

Researchers in the Department of Life and Environmental Science are using this principal to establish the foraging range of bumblebees and other important pollinators. This grain of marsh thistle pollen was collected from the pollen sacks of bumblebees foraging in the Purbeck lowland heaths. Marsh thistle was not recorded in the vicinity of the bee but was recorded further afield. This illustrates that bumblebees use multiple habitat areas and wide foraging ranges to find their preferred resources.

This research supports and guides important questions regarding ecology as well as strategies to conserve a wide range of important pollinators.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Hartley.

This photo was originally an entry in the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

This is me. I am Ron.

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Chantel Cox‘s image of a man named Ron.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

Chantel explains her research and why she chose to capture a picture of Ron:

“My research is looking at the cultural processes that underpin healthcare professionals meeting the identity needs of frail older people.  It is known that a ‘loss of identity’ in a person may lead to poorer health outcomes and/or reduced engagement in therapy,”

“This photo is of Ron. I met him as I was walking past a café where he was sat outside dressed as Santa, in December. What struck me about Ron was his confidence and how he enjoys dressing up because more people engage with him. When asked to describe himself he said “I’m 68, retired and very disabled”. Despite this, he is able to support his identity needs through his physical dress. I hope that my research will enable more people like Ron to be supported in the future,” says Chantel.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Chantel.

This photo was originally the winner of the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Zooming in on Dietary Differences

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Catherine Gutmann Roberts’ image of her research into the dietary differences of different species of fish.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

This photo shows a caddisfly larva and a chironomid (non-biting midge) larva, just a couple of the macroinvertebrates, which were extracted from a young barbel gut. Barbel (Barbus barbus) is a species of fish that has been relocated from Eastern flowing rivers to Western flowing rivers in England for the purpose of recreational angling. This research will measure the dietary overlap and potential competition between the barbel and its native conspecifics, chub (Squalis cephalus), dace (Leuciscus leuciscus) and minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus). It will also determine which other factors affect diet, such as location, size of fish and their stage of development.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Catherine.

This photo was originally an entry in the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Tiddles- the playful data analyst!

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Andrea Lacey‘s image of her cat Tiddles playing in her data transcripts.  The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

Andrea explains more about her research and the background behind the image.

“I’m exploring the experience of mental health student nurses first practice placement,”

“I conducted focus groups to find out what students expect to get out of their placement. I recently started analysing the data and cut up sections of the transcript. I had just placed some possible sections together when Tiddles decided to join me. Tiddles is a rescue cat who until then had never shown any interest in play. These pieces of paper were too much for her and she wouldn’t leave them alone! The more fun she was having, the more her tail was swishing! I removed her countless times yet each time she came back and rearranged my carefully placed groupings. The impact here is two-fold- Tiddles does likes play and you can never predict the frustrations involved in research!” says Andrea.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Andrea.

This photo was originally an entry in the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Dramaturgical study of ‘Game of Thrones’

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Professor Kerstin Stutterheim‘s research which is a dramaturgical study of popular HBO series Game of Thrones.  Photo of the Week is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

My current research project is an analysis of the dramaturgy and aesthetics used to make Game of Thrones a success. This will understand the emotions and the attractiveness of this successful production. My research in the field of film dramaturgy can open the door to an understanding of the power and the techniques of audio-visual narration in performance works. Film dramaturgy can not only support our film and TV students to learn their skills but also enable people to understand film and media productions as work reflecting reality. Although ‘Game of Thrones’ is a fantasy-series, it reflects Zeitgeist- the situation we are currently living in. My research will look at how this series is representing concepts of the world we live in or our fears about it.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Professor Stutterheim.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Sherlock’s Window: In search of an odourless growth medium

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Andrew Whittington‘s image of a third instar blowfly larva (maggot).  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

A key aspect of forensic investigation is the assessment of the ‘window of opportunity’ during which death took place. Estimations using insects (e.g. blowflies) increase accuracy. Using blowflies to determine post-mortem period requires an understanding of the temperature dependent growth patterns that they develop through their life cycle. In order to understand this, blowfly larvae are reared on growth media in the laboratory.

Sherlock’s Window is a HEIF funded project at BU which aims to produce an odourless growth medium that can be rolled out internationally for use in forensic investigation. Illustrated here is the head of a third instar blowfly larva. Maggots have no eyes, but the protrusions at the tip of the mouth area are palps, used for feeling and manipulating food particles. The rows of black barbs that are visible are used to pull the maggot forward through the food substrate.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Whittington.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Improving Vehicle Transportation Safety and Security

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Neetesh Saxena‘s image of research being undertaken to improve vehicle transportation safety and security. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

This research involves securing communications efficiently among vehicles (electrical vehicles, petrol/gas vehicles, and hybrid vehicles) between the vehicles and the road side equipment. This work ensures the availability of critical information to these vehicles that will ultimately help in reducing road accidents and injuries. This work is carried out in collaboration with Georgia Tech and BU.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Saxena.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Cretan Sea Submarine 4236

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Rutherford’s image from his ongoing project entitled Submarines. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image produced by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

“Over more than thirty years of commercial and fine art photographic practice, I have often noticed remarkable disparities between the scenes, objects, events or moments ‘out there’ I had attempted to record – and the content of the resulting photographs. These sometimes subtle, sometimes drastic, and often unanticipated disparities between what I had seen and what the photograph shows me seem to be the result of significant differences between the ways in which we experience time and space – and the way in which the camera renders them,”

“My research investigates two inter-related notions; Whether the camera sometimes records scenes, events and moments that did not exist ‘out there’ but which were instead created by the act of photographing them and, to what extent our ability to recognise this phenomenon is impeded by the ontological and epistemological assumptions inherent within the language we use to describe what photographs ‘are’ and what they show us – for example, by describing (and thereby reinforcing the idea that) photographs are ‘taken’ rather than ‘made’”, explains Rutherford.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Rutherford.

Or please visit Rutherford’s website: http://www.theshadowofthephotographer.co.uk/

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Riding for gold: 2016 Paralympic Games Prosthetic Limb Development

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Bryce Dyer’s image of prosthetic limb development for the 2016 Paralympic games. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

This image illustrates some of the aerodynamic testing that was conducted as part of a project to develop a new prosthetic limb for several elite-level cyclists. The image here shows elite GB paracyclist Craig Preece using one of the final prototype designs in an indoor wind tunnel. Craig is an amputee who lost one of his lower limbs in active combat as a member of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. The testing process evaluated several designs for their impact on his aerodynamic drag. After this project was completed, Preece went on to win gold at the 2016 Invictus Games using the final design.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Dyer.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Palaeoenvironments of Africa: Why so long in the tooth?

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features postgraduate researchers Lauren Sewell and Lucile Crete’s image which represents palaeoenvironments in Africa. The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

As part of the Institute for Studies of Landscape and Human Evolution (ISLHE), Lauren and Lucile’s research focuses on past environmental and vegetation changes in eastern and southern Africa. They’re looking to understand the nature of the landscapes and climatic influences which species evolved in, thrived in or died out in. The photo’s background represents both the potential vegetation present at the time and the symbolic evolutionary tree. The research is fuelled by their desire to understand human evolution. They use abundant, herbivorous antelope species (springbok in southern Africa and impala in East Africa) whose teeth are reflective of the vegetation available at the time.

The results should provide more information about past environments in Africa where different hominin species have been found, to understand what influenced species evolution 3 to 0.5 million years ago.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Lucile.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Employability after BU- Am I going to be prepared to begin a career where someday my name will be added to the FMC Wall of Fame?

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Vianna Renaud’s image of a first year Faculty of Media and Communication (FMC) student contemplating his employability after BU. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

“A first year student takes a break in the Weymouth House lobby. Contemplating the photos and bios of BU alumni who have achieved great success in their careers, he wonders if he is going to be ready at the end of his course to join their ranks.  While he knows that he must undergo a sandwich placement year as part of his course, he wonders how BU is going to help him achieve his goal of securing his dream placement,”

“My research is on peer to peer coaching amongst students where there is a compulsory sandwich placement component in their academic programme. By pairing final year students who have just returned from their industry placement to first year students, I will investigate the impact this mentoring intervention may have on the sandwich placement search of the first year student when they begin their second year,” explains Vianna.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Vianna.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Gathering women for a focus group discussion in a rural area of Nepal

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Preeti Mahato’s image of her gathering women for a focus discussion in rural Nepal. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

Preeti’s research focuses on evaluating quality of care provided at birthing centres in rural areas.

Conducting a focus group in a rural community of a low income country like Nepal is not always easy, especially when it involves babies and small children. This photo shows BU’s postgraduate researcher Preeti interacting with women she gathered for a focus group discussion. The discussion involved women in the community who gave birth at the nearby birthing centre and others who gave birth either at home or other health institutions outside the village.  Many of the women brought their babies along with them. Preeti said that she found it hard to conduct the discussion as the babies would cry or start shouting. The women were also asked about the quality of service they received or have heard of is provided by their nearby birthing centre.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Preeti.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

The ORI Gait Lab

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Shayan Bahadori’s image of the ORI Gait lab. The series is a weekly instalment which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

Shayan is part of the Orthopaedic Research Institute (ORI) which is made up of a team of BU professionals who carry out world-leading research into Orthopaedics.

The ORI Gait lab is a world-class facility utilising the Motekforce Link GRAIL system that uses an instrumented dual-belt treadmill, Vicon motion-capture system and synchronized virtual reality environment next to three video cameras and electromyography. This is the best available equipment on the market and one of only 23 GRAIL systems in the world. At ORI we use the GRAIL to analyse function and malfunction of the hip and knee joint. Our research aim is to establish a database of normal hip and knee joint functioning, which can be used as a reference to identify abnormalities of joint function in people with hip and knee pathology.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Shayan.

This photo was originally an entry to the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk