Faculty News & Events 2012

As part of Universities Week (30th April to 4th May) the University is hosting a Royal Society of Chemistry Award Lecture that will be held on Wednesday 16th May, at 2pm in the new Science Centre on Leek Road.

The attached Flyer (PDF, file size: 53.45KB) gives a short overview of the lecture, together with a fuller abstract and Biography of Professor Clark who will be coming down from York for the event.

The lecture will be applicable for everyone from research chemists through to sixth form and college students and the general public so please feel free to attend.

21st March 2012 HE STEM Showcase  Mellor Building

Local secondary schools came into the Faculty of Sciences to present their science club project work.  This was part of a project funded by the National HE STEM Programme involving the University working in partnership with a group of local schools.  Undergraduate students from the Faculty have been working with the science clubs in the schools as STEM ambassadors to support the science clubs activities. Staffordshire STEM Centre have also been involved in supporting these activities both through work with the clubs and through the STEMNET STEM ambassador scheme.

At the event the clubs showcased aspects of their project work which ranged from researching into micro-organisms and investigating forensic science to developing renewable energy powered vehicles. Teachers involved were enthusiastic about the project and the work of the student ambassadors going into the schools  “The students have been great and really inspired the pupils”.

The students also said how useful they had found the experience “I have thoroughly enjoyed working at Trentham High School, it has given me hands on experience and I would love to continue next year” and “it was good to do something science based outside the University and be able to use what I have learnt in my modules to help in the club”

Pupils from the schools were able to present their project work in front of the other schools and University staff. The pupils said that they had enjoyed the students being involved in their science clubs and in getting together to present their project ideas “it was good to communicate with people...they made the club really fun...I have always wanted to go to University to study science  but know I am positive I am making the right decision!”

14th March 2012 Mellor Building

Eight local schools were invited into the Faculty of Science to undertake a range of activities.  The activities included Physiological Monitoring,  Forensic Investigation, Scanning Electron Microscopy, quiz activities involving matching of microscopy images, hairs and fibres and a topical quiz linking news items to the pupils knowledge of geography and places.

‘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.

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 early 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.

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: 227.07KB) here.

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

Please click here for the Dec 2011 version of the Clinical Psychology Newsletter (PDF, file size: 131.8KB) .