Faculty News & Events Spring/Summer 2011

‘HEDGEROW FUTURES’ INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM:
3rd -5th September 2012.

Hedgelink’s first International Symposium on Hedgerow Ecology, Conservation and Management ‘Hedgerow Futures’ is to be held at Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent , UK. The meeting will address the following themes: Biodiversity, Connectivity, Ecosystem Services, Sustainability, Management, Relationship with People.

Further information is available at: http://www.hedgelink.org.uk/hedgerow-futures-conference-2012.htm or from the conference convenor Prof. John Dover j.w.dover@staffs.ac.uk

An additional collaboration is proposed between Staffordshire and Derby Universities and Newcastle under Lyme college beginning in January 2012.

Professor Sarah Grogan and colleagues are proposing to pilot a study to investigate the impact of a dance movement therapy intervention on young people’s body image and experiences of embodiment. There is some evidence from previous work that aerobic dance interventions can improve body image in young women.

The proposed study will focus on creative dance instead of aerobic dance and will look at impact on young men as well as young women. There is growing evidence that young men are becoming more concerned with the appearance of their bodies than formerly and it is important to know whether dance interventions impact on body image and embodiment in young men as well as in young women.

Young women and men will take part in a dance movement therapy intervention and will then take part in focus groups and interviews where they discuss the experience. We will use these accounts to provide process information that will help us to design a dance intervention that can be rolled out to a larger sample of young people in Staffordshire and Derbyshire.

At present our key aim is to see whether a dance movement therapy intervention impacts on participants’ subjective experiences of body image and embodiment and to see whether there are things that we can do to ensure that dance movement therapy interventions are delivered in ways that ensure have a positive impact on young people’s body image. We will also aim to see whether there are aspects that can be built in to maximize positive impact on both young men and young women, as impact of exercise interventions can be gender-linked.

We are pleased to announce that Audra Jones, Technical Manager for the Faculty of Sciences, was awarded the Outstanding Manager Award for her efforts in the contributing design and construction of the New Science and Technology Centre, ensuring staff are fully informed of developments and that important feedback is provided in a timely way to the architects and developers. September 2011.

Following a Board of Governors meeting in August 2010, the the University is now proceeding with the new £30million Science and Technology Centre, to accommodate all of the University’s science teaching and research, and a range of other specialist fields - from renewable energy to medical technologies and biomechanics.

Construction on the state-of-the-art building has started with completion in 2012.  It will feature a host of specialist science and technology laboratories, a cognitive and developmental psychology suite, interview rooms, two lecture theatres which can transform into a single 250-seater facility, a dedicated IT suite, learning resource centre, flexible learning spaces, café and public exhibition space.

• View a fly through of the new building

Science students from the City’s Sixth Form College and neighbouring Stoke-on-Trent College will also make use of many of the facilities in the new Science and Technology Centre, thereby enhancing aspiration and progression to higher levels of study.

Many members of the public and staff joined us at Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus for an enthralling and exciting lecture by one of the country’s best known science communicators  – Adam Hart-Davis. 
This was part of our wide-ranging ‘Science Working for You’ initiative that aims to inspire, inform and engage people from North Staffordshire in Science and took place on Wednesday 13th July 2011 7pm

What the industrial revolution did for us.

Adam Hart-Davis is a writer, broadcaster and photographer, best known for his TV shows that include The Cosmos - A Beginner's Guide, How Britain Was Built, Science Shack, and What the Romans, Victorians and Tudors & Stuarts Did for Us. 

Further details available here (PDF, file size: 68.46KB) .

Local community members were invited to join us last Sunday for a natter and nibble as part of the Big Lunch in Hanley Park on Sunday 5th June, 11.30-3.

Staff from the Faculty of Sciences and from the Creative and Communities Unit in the Faculty of Arts, Media and Design invited local residents to take part in a range of activities or simply to join us for lunch and a chat.  There were creative activities and residents were asked about their views on Hanley Park. 

There were also Science based food activities for people to participate with and those who attended were invited to talk about the new Science and Technology Centre being built on Leek Road.  We want to know local people’s views on what they want from the new centre and how they might use it. 

The people that we spoke to on Sunday said that they would like ‘hands-on’ activities, to know about how things are made and work, to view exhibits and displays and to attend public lectures in subjects of interest to them such as Forensic Science, disease and the human body and healthy lifestyles.

We are interested in views both from local residents in Stoke-on-Trent and local organisations and businesses and from anyone who may have an interest in Science and Technology.  If you would like any information about the new Science and Technology Centre or to let us know what activities, events, displays or courses you would like to see at the centre please do contact us at sciencecentre@staffs.ac.uk.   If you would like to be included on a mailing list to receive information about events and activities at the centre do let us know when you contact us.

Please click here for recent news from Clinical Psychology (PDF, file size: 533.46KB) including amongst other things :

• Recent Trainee and Staff publications

• News on HPC Approval and BPS Accreditation

On Wednesday 18th May 2011 the Faculty of Sciences was awarded a Bronze Standard at the Green Impact Awards Ceremony.  Many thanks go to all staff in the faculty that have helped to achieve this and particularly to Dave Moreman who led our submission.  The faculty will soon be starting work on the silver and gold criteria submitting for both awards in March 2012, this will require the continued support of all faculty staff - let's go for gold in 2012!

In the photo can be seen a few of the members of staff enjoying afternoon tea prior to the awards ceremony.

Melissa Barrett, Louise Cox, Hannah Scrivener (Psychology) and Charlotte Maria Orphanou (Forensic Science) were all presenters at the British Conference on Undergraduate Research held at Preston on 19th & 20th April 2011. This was the first such conference in the UK and Staffordshire University was represented by four eager undergraduate scientists. Presenting both papers and posters, our students had a noticeable impact upon the conference and a great time with it. Melissa and Louise were completely bowled over by the experience and have volunteered to help create a Staffordshire University conference next year!

This was a thoroughly successful inaugural conference and we will be encouraging more of our undergraduates to participate next year.

New for 2010/11 - New and updated short courses and CPD in Biological & Biomedical Science.
 
Following the successful introduction of a range of half and one day professional development courses last year, new dates have been added to the programme for the forthcoming year and 2 new courses are being introduced.  The new courses are a one day Identification of anaerobes course and a workshop on the laboratory diagnosis of blood borne viruses.  All courses are CPD accredited by the Institute for Biomedical Science and are held at the Faculty of Sciences conveniently located close to Stoke on Trent railway station.  These courses are aimed at anyone requiring theoretical and practical updating in the course topic areas and may be of particular relevance to those required by the IBMS to evidence the portfolio leading to the award of the Specialist Diploma.  For further information please see the attached flyer (PDF, file size: 178.28KB) .

The Faculty has Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF4) for a project that aims to provide a sustainable scientific focus to interest, engage and inspire our local community. Working with Stoke on Trent College and the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth form college the Faculty are developing a range of activities, case studies and resources that will soon appear on a dedicated portal.  Local organisations are setting problems that can be solved by students from local schools, colleges and Staffordshire University.  The projects hopes to inspire students to follow a career in science and to increase the number of science graduates and scientists in the local community.  There are activities focused on subject enhancement, practical skills and careers information.  A press release for a recent collaborative activity with the Sixth Form College and Biological Sciences at Staffordshire University can be downloaded here (PDF, file size: 192.43KB) .
 
We would like Science Working to become the first port of call for anyone in our locality with an interest in or question about science. If you would like more information or to see how science can work for you please contact Sara Buckley or Dr Kevin Reiling at s.l.buckley@staffs.ac.uk / k.reiling@staffs.ac.uk.

The ERASMUS programme allows both staff and students to study at partner Universities, one of the links we have is with Oldenburg University in Germany.
Students from geography, biology, ecology and forensic science would all fit into the programme of study well.

Please see associated word document (DOC, file size: 41KB) with full details.

Other resources

There is a box file in the Learning Resource Centre 4th Floor Mellor Building, marked Oldenburg – ERASMUS with more information.

Key contacts

Jon Fairburn from the Geography has been to Oldenburg and you can have an informal chat with him or email him at Jon.Fairburn@staffs.ac.uk.

Ingo Mose head of the Regional Science group ingo.mose@uni-oldenburg.de

Katja Kaboth responsible for incoming international students at Oldenburg University katja.kaboth@uni-oldenburg.de

Susan Lloyd International Office, Staffordshire University 01782 294838 s.r.lloyd@staffs.ac.uk 

Please download the current Biology Newsletter (PDF, file size: 197.79KB) here.

Please download the current IESR Newsletter (PDF, file size: 180.13KB) here.

Please click here for the May 2011 version of the Clinical Psychology Newsletter (PDF, file size: 535.45KB) .