Newsletter of Bath Spa Biology March 2021
This edition of the Biology Newsletter really highlights the resilience of all our staff and students. However, along with the word ‘unprecedented’, ‘resilience’, or at least the need to be resilient, has been overused in recent months, leading to a dampening of its meaning. I have therefore searched for a more satisfying synonym to describe our community and settled on ‘irrepressible’ as an alternative. The activities within the Subject, shown in snapshot here, detail the amazing adaptations to online working, and to a different kind of social interaction, which have taken place. Virtual projects and data collection, as well as new collaborations, continue unabated in the virtual world, along with successful placements and job interviews. Staff and students have been working together to enhance live online delivery and so far Semester / Trimester two has shown excellent student engagement, participation and enthusiasm. Some positives touched on in the items below include recording of live sessions, which offers flexibility and reduces need for travel. The ability to attend sessions in pyjamas with a cup of tea in hand has also been praised by students. A ‘modern’ pandemic has been on the cards for some time, and could have happened at any point in our recent history, so the fact that it happened at a time where we have sufficient technology to be able to carry on connecting at an academic and personal level is something to be grateful for.
That said, we are a practical and applied Subject, and there is an overwhelming sense in a number of these articles of the place that the ‘living laboratory’ at Newton Park holds in our collective mind. We look forward to taking up field and lab work opportunities again as soon as we are able. Samantha Lane, Subject Leader: Biology
Photograph taken at Newton Park in December on my last day on campus before Christmas.
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Editorial Samantha Lane, Subject Leader: Biology
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Special announcements
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Student voice Biology society Food and nutrition society EcoSoc
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Special feature 1 First year insights by Imogen Stock and Olivia Etherington-Smith, Human Nutrition BSc
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Special feature 2 Women in Science: Moving forward by Luke Sarti, Biology Society
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Special feature 3 My journey to a PhD studentship by Natasha Underwood, Conservation Biology BSc
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Special feature 4 Experiences with Job and Graduate Applications By Amber Smith, Food with Nutrition BSc
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News from the courses Biology and pathways Environmental Management Environmental Science Food with Nutrition Human Nutrition Wildlife Conservation
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Life, Health and Sustainable Environments (LHSE) Notes from the field Placements and pandemics - two student perspectives by Briony Carter, Conservation Biology BSc and James Welbourn, Food with Nutrition BSc
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News from alumni by Lamin S. Jammeh, Environmental Management MSc
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Science-Art Microcosmos: Pigments from the Persian Gulf Dr. Lisa Thomas
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Student opportunities
Special announcements
Newsletter gets a new name!
We are now a hedgehog friendly campus! And have successfully achieved the bronze award. Thank you to everyone who has supported our work and helped so far. We have made positive changes including installing hedgehog houses, running a rewilding campaign and hosting a hedgehog baking event. Join our team to continue helping hedgehogs on campus by contacting Bath Spa Hedgehogs.
Congratulations to Amber Kennard who provided the new name for our newsletter ‘A Bite of Bio!’, voted on by the Biology staff. In second place was ‘Connective Issues’ suggested by an anonymous entrant, and ‘BUZZ!’, suggested by Steph Greshon. So, thank you Amber! As we move on from Leaves and Leather (the historic name), do look out for future Bath Spa blog articles, which will be created from archived Leaves and Leather content.
hedgehogs@bathspa.ac.uk
Sian Williams is now a Registered Nutritionist! Well done Sian! Sian has fully demonstrated that she has both the knowledge and understanding of the competencies required for registration, and that she has the ability to practically apply her experience in a safe and competent manner.
Congratulations also to Dr. Lori Bystrom (Senior Lecturer in Food Enterprise and Plant Science), who is now a full fledged Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
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Biology Society
voice
In the last month we have been celebrating scientists for the International Day of Women in Science on 11 February (see our Special Feature). Hungarian Biochemist Katalin Karikó is one woman who we value and believe deserves recognition for her contribution in developing the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Another brilliant scientist, Tu Youyou, is the first female citizen of China to receive a Nobel Prize in any category. Tu Youyou discovered life saving drugs to treat malaria, saving millions of lives. Although this is an important day to celebrate, women make up only 15% of total management roles in science, engineering and technology. Women should always be recognised for their accomplishments and encouraged to pursue their goals in STEM. Which women do you value in science? @bsubiologysociety
Food and Nutrition Society
EcoSoc
In the Food and Nutrition Society at Bath Spa, we have participated in several bake offs so far this year. Beyond this, we are currently planning a quiz night, which will most likely happen on a Thursday night, but the date is still to be determined. We are also planning some more bake/cook offs where we will be trying to get people to participate by either baking or cooking their favourite foods, or something they’ve never done before and posting to us, with recipes and tips etc. These will be posted over Facebook and Instagram (with permission, of course). We also post upcoming events that may be useful for food and nutrition students, such as seminars or television shows that could be of interest.
Alongside the Hedgehog friendly campus team, the Eco Society is happy to announce that the team’s work towards Bronze accreditation for a Hedgehog friendly campus has been submitted and we are eagerly awaiting the results. Alongside the Walking and Mountaineering Society (WAMS) we were also able to raise £130 for the British Hedgehog preservation society. A big shout out to WAMS and their amazing members for this. Meanwhile we have some exciting events planned so please head over to our socials where you can find all the information you need. Soon we will be looking for individuals to be part of next year’s committee, an exciting opportunity to get involved in all things sustainability at Bath Spa and gain some leadership/teamwork skills. If you’re interested please don’t hesitate to contact us.
@Bath Spa University Food and Nutrition Society @bsu_foodandnutritionsociety
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su-eco@bathspa.ac.uk @bsuecosociety
SPECIAL FEATURE 1
First year insights by Imogen Stock and Olivia Etherington-Smith, Human Nutrition BSc
Imogen said ‘I studied at Bath Spa last year but found myself on the wrong path, so with lots of support I took the decision to start afresh from September 2020 on the Human Nutrition course. This year, for obvious reasons, has been much more difficult than last. Trying to navigate adapting to new daily life alongside new styles of online learning is tough. As a student with dyslexia I thought that the lack of in person interactions would impact communication with tutors however everything has been really accessible and easily adapted to suit my needs.
Imogen Stock
Like many, the first thing about BSU that caught my attention was the beautiful campus. I’m a country bumpkin so it feels like a home away from home; a comfort after having moved over four hours away from my family and while jumping the hurdles of this new life. The powers of social media have enabled my course mates and I to keep in touch with and get to know one another. I can speak on their behalf when I say we’ve all been really grateful for this especially since the closure of labs. We are looking forward to a new semester, hopeful that in-person teaching will resume soon!’
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am able to pull over to join the lectures – lifechanging! The amount of information available on Minerva is phenomenal too and to have the lectures available to revisit if necessary, along with notes, is gold-dust. Note to self, must get better and more accurate at writing questions in Minerva chat – can cause all sorts of confusion and embarrassment.
Olivia Etherington-Smith
Olivia said ‘Being older than the average student and making a career change in the middle of a pandemic was a little nerve-wracking. Having had a life-long passion for diet and health, I decided to make it a profession and so I applied for the Human Nutrition course. I chose Bath Spa for a myriad of reasons; the fantastic course; the breath-taking campus and surroundings - they certainly are not all like this; my knowledge and love of Bath city; and for the many reviews about BSU’s smaller size and being second to none in support from tutors - the latter being without doubt fully affirmed! With the onset of Covid-19, plans to move to the area were scuppered so I have been commuting, like many others, on days of labs. The positives of this bizarre global situation being that I listen to plenty of course-related topics in the car that otherwise might not have been so readily accessed and sometimes, if timings have gone awry, I
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That said, when arriving on campus, it’s heartbreaking to see the emptiness everywhere, and wish that could simply be due to it being barely daybreak. It was definitely trickier to navigate where to go and where to spend time studying when there was hardly anyone walking by to quickly ask and places were so empty I did not think it was for our use. It was a solitary experience at the start of the year, and it is clear how tough or nigh on impossible it is for so many students to try and successfully settle into a new place of study at the moment. Yet it’s clear that people are actively acclimatising and making this work. By answering with mics in online seminars, it puts voices to names and being able to ‘stay on’ after the lectures to chat has made a great difference on my course. Using most means of social media and WhatsApp groups, we are managing to keep in touch with each other for laughs and support and to engage regarding the course as much as possible. Even without the buzz of normal campus life, I feel extremely lucky to know that, hopefully, we’ll soon be returning to studies in a setting that lends itself to this deserted state. The campus is beautiful and inspirational on its own, I personally cannot wait to see what it is like brimming with people and to enjoy a coffee on the grass with new friends and finally put faces behind all the names.’
SPECIAL FEATURE 2
Women in Science: Moving forward by By Luke Sarti, Biology Society We all know the feats of Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin in radioactivity and genetics respectively. The contributions they made to science are honourable regardless of their gender. However, when it comes to recognising female scientists, often they are celebrated both as scientists and as women. The fact that Curie and Franklin were able to make these groundbreaking strides in a society that would see them oppressed, cannot be ignored. And yet it can seem strange that they are praised, not just as scientists, but as women. A man’s gender would not be noted alongside his success, while a woman’s is. So why make a point of a woman scientist’s gender? In the past, opportunities have always been provided for men, while women have had limited access to the field and still do in some cases. This is reflected in the current data on the imbalance. As of 2020, 47% of the overall UK workforce is made up of women, while in STEM, it is just 24%1. The problem goes back, at least, to the university level, where, in 2019, women made up only 26% of graduates in STEM subjects¹. Girls make up 47% of students enrolled on science A levels, with a very similar performance to boys in A/A* attainment². This indicates that young women have not been supported or guided at a school level to carry on with science to further education. There is certainly a perception amongst young people that STEM subjects have a ‘masculine’ image, particularly physics and maths³. Young girls have been shown to be twice as likely to draw a man over a woman when asked to draw a scientist⁴.
If these stereotypes are not dispelled then, clearly, this has the potential to influence their aspirations to enrol in STEM courses at university. Men have been shown to have better odds at obtaining grants for research than women, by about 7%3, proving that the barriers are still present as women progress into their careers. A special effort must be made to create the space in STEM research and industries for women to fill. Making clear the contribution of female scientists is inspiring to younger people, of all genders, but particularly for women. If young women feel represented in STEM, then they will be less likely to view the field as male-orientated and more likely to pursue a career in science. Those already in a science career need an environment of equity in which they are empowered to progress. Individuals, and especially leaders, with the privilege of opportunity, are responsible for changing the current institutional norms and forming a climate in which women can thrive. If a prosperous atmosphere is available, then hopefully science will benefit from the diversity of thought that women can provide. It is for these reasons that a special effort is made to honour women in science. While it is our wish that women are appreciated for their work every day of the year, we hope you joined the Biology Society on 11 February in celebrating International Women in Science Day, to recognise the impact of women on science.
References: 1. STEM Women (2021) Women in STEM: percentages of women in STEM statistics. Available at www.stemwomen.co.uk/blog/2021/01/women-in-stempercentages-of-women-in-stem-statistics (Accessed: 04/02/2021). 2. Education Policy Institute (2019) The A level gender gap: attainment and entries (1996-2018). Available at: The A level gender gap: attainment and entries (1996 - 2018) - Education Policy Institute (epi.org.uk) (Accessed: 04/02/2021). 3. Makarova, E., Aeschlimann, B., Herzog, W. (2019) ‘The gender gap in STEM fields: the impact of the gender stereotype of math and science on secondary students’ career aspirations’, Frontier Education, 4(60). 4. Bornmann, L., Mutz, R., Daniel, H.D. (2007) ‘Gender differences in grant peer review: a meta-analysis’, Journal of Informetrics, 1(3), pp.226-238.
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SPECIAL FEATURE 3
My journey to a PhD Studentship by Natasha Underwood, Conservation Biology BSc
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I’m Natasha and I studied Conservation Biology at Bath Spa University. During my studies I explored a variety of topics, such as Microbiology, Biochemistry, Ecology and Environmental Management. I found studying a broad range of topics helped me develop knowledge and key skills in the laboratory and in field work that would be useful for my future career. This included: a Research Assistant trip to South Africa with Operation Wallacea on the impacts of large herbivores on the flora within a small game reserve; volunteering with an ecologist on dormouse survey work; attending British Ecological Society (BES) conference; attending the BES summer school; and volunteering with the Cornwall Bat Group. These helped me stand out on application, and was a good way of networking within the environmental sector. For my BSc dissertation I reported on the functional trait metrics for assessing ecosystem health in tropical streams (Dominica, West Indies). At Bath Spa I had decided I wanted to go into the environmental sector and focused my modules accordingly. I graduated in 2019 and applied to take a Master’s degree in Environmental Consultancy at Plymouth University. During my time at Plymouth, I consolidated data collection techniques, gained skills required for a career in the environment sector, and focused on environmental management. I also took a parttime job in retail to fund living costs. For my MSc dissertation I reported on the riparian impacts of the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers Castor fiber in the Tamar Catchment; which looked at how beaver activity would impact on riparian habitat and the potential impacts from a catchment scale release. I organised data collection with the Devon Wildlife Trust (Mark Elliot) at the Coombeshead beaver site with landowner’s permission. However, at short notice I had to organise the data collection within a week before the lockdown took place so the project could continue; thinking ahead I was able to collect my data before lockdown which allowed my project to continue. During this project I was in contact and sharing ideas with other organisations such as Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Tamara Landscape Partnership Project, Banff beaver site and The Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS). Networking at conferences, events or just sending an email, I found very important in developing my research ideas and resources.
Those who are aiming to study at a PhD level, I strongly recommend taking a Master’s in a related topic, as this helped me with research development and it stands out on a PhD application. I took a taught Masters, however a research Master’s can potentially upgrade onto an MPhil/PhD program if it has the right qualities. When I finished my Master’s dissertation I went on the job hunt for an ecologist position. I found a seasonal ecologist role with FPCR Ecology over the summer, gaining experience carrying out ecological surveys. This role finished in October 2020, so I was back on the job hunt where I stumbled on some PhD studentship roles available for a 2021 start. PhD studentships are fully funded and paid PhD roles advertised by universities that want particular research projects to be carried out. I first applied to Exeter University PhD studentship on quantifying beaver impacts for which I was invited to interview. I did not receive an offer for the role, but the experience of the PhD interview was so valuable. Plymouth University then emailed out a studentship opportunity on the ecological and biogeochemical benefits of environmental enhancements at Moorlinch on the Somerset Levels [side note, always check your emails from your university; you never know what might pop up]. This looked like a great project, combining my love for wetland management, natural flood management, wetland remediation, improving water quality, and enhancing habitats for wildlife all in one project. I applied with a letter of application tailored for that specific role, which I would advise for any job application. I was invited for an interview and the questions were in depth and thorough about the project itself and I had to give a presentation. That same afternoon I got the call that I had been offered the conditional offer for the PhD studentship - one of the happiest and proudest moments of my life! I have now started my PhD at Plymouth and am beginning processes of data collection, preparing my data management plan, and doing a huge literature review. Between all this I attend online classes for training and meetings with supervisors. I am planning to start some data collection in March, particularly soil sampling at this stage then some water sampling and ecological surveys, before construction of the wetland features in July 2021. Thank you for reading and good luck with your own learning journeys! 9
SPECIAL FEATURE 4
Experiences with Job and Graduate Applications By Amber Smith, Food with Nutrition BSc My name is Amber Smith and I am in my third year of the Food with Nutrition course under the School of Sciences. Searching for jobs and graduate programmes is certainly a daunting task, particularly as the market is increasingly becoming more competitive. I thought I would highlight some of my experiences with searching for roles, as well as outline some advice that I would hope can better prepare you when looking for jobs. I cannot emphasise this enough - really establish a portfolio of your passion for your industry. It is simply not enough to just state that you have an interest in something, you need to provide evidence of it. Quite often, the passion you show can tip you in favour for a position over someone else. It could be that you have been an active member or a committee member of a society, it may be that you have entered a competition, or it may be that you have been a subject representative for your course. All of these small experiences help to demonstrate a bigger picture of who you are, why the industry is for you, and why you are truly passionate about it. You can also get involved with other non-industry related extracurricular activities or programmes to show your wider interest as well, such as the Bath Spa Awards, or volunteering. All of these experiences and opportunities can provide you with employability skills such as organisation, leadership or innovation. If you haven’t already, start looking for ways to add to your experiences. 10
Another key element to consider when applying for jobs is networking. LinkedIn is a great place to get started with networking and job searching. You can set up your profile so that you can get job alerts regularly within your sector. Follow the companies and businesses that are relevant to you, that way you can stay informed about the opening of jobs or graduate programmes, but also to stay informed about their recent ventures, which will prepare you for any questions they may ask you about their company. It would be good to start connecting with your student cohort, alumni and any guest lecturers you have had to start to build a small network on LinkedIn. I would also advise going to a networking event. I recently attended a Women in Business networking event via Zoom. While most of the women on the call had businesses that were not so relevant to my industry - food, it was still a fantastic learning opportunity for me to practise speaking and interacting with other professionals and learn more about the world of work, identifying how businesses can be more sustainable, and about business in general. By being engaged and interested in the conversation, I was offered a one to one conversation with the guest speaker, who had previously worked in the food industry and provided me with a mentoring session. Facebook quite often has pages that you can follow that are specific to your industry, such as freelance workers or nutritionist pages, often providing helpful information. It is difficult to stand out in industry at this age and gain solid experience and establish a varied networking portfolio, but by being an interactive and involved member, it will help to open new avenues of opportunity. You will need a certain level of preparedness and organisation for job hunting. If you are in your 1st or 2nd year, start to look at the companies you might be interested in applying for now. Make a note of their typical release dates for their jobs or graduate programmes, and make a note of the benefits they can offer you, their location, and what the role would involve. Also make sure you regularly update your CV - I recommend every two months. That way, you are already prepared to apply for the companies you are interested in when the time comes. A lot of these companies that offer graduate programmes have a short time frame for applications, so often students can miss out on applying because they left the research too late. These roles start advertising around November until February, but this may vary from company to company.
Additionally, set up a separate email if you haven’t already which solely deals with job opportunities and correspondence. That way, your important emails will not be mixed in with advertisements and junk emails which then can later be missed or left for long periods - this has genuinely been an experience I and others I know how experienced where they have missed an opportunity because they saw an email too late. When preparing for the application process, it can seem overwhelming to prepare. Firstly, know the company and the role you are applying for. It doesn’t have to be in great detail, but be sure to know where the company is based, what year it was founded, who they work for or what their target audience is, and their brand ethos or mission statement. You may be asked in an interview to give an overview of the company so this research will help to prepare you with these questions, but the research will also help you determine whether you like the idea of working at the company in the first place. An understanding of a company's current target audience, their current portfolio of products or services, and their new areas of development can also help inform you for any presentations you may have to give. Quite often for any creative or innovation roles, you will need to present a new idea to a business as part of the application process. Your presentation should aim to provide an overview of the business and their current portfolio of work, establish a gap in the market, and then your concept, making sure to link it back to how it aligns with the businesses objectives and their target audience. Be engaging, enthusiastic and even vulnerable in an interview or in group discussions. An interviewer or assessor will of course want to find out more about your knowledge or industry experience, but interviews and group discussions are just as much a way for interviewers to assess your personality. It is great to ask a question to the interviewers themselves, that way you can strike up a personal conversation which can help to make a more comfortable setting for an interview, as well as making you memorable to the interviewer. In one interview, I was having a conversation about my recent trip to Devon and had a light-hearted debate about whether it's jam or cream that goes on a scone first. Group discussions may be simply ones where you are given topics to discuss on the spot or you have been given time to prepare, perhaps
even read through articles or reports beforehand. In any case, make sure you are interactive and courteous with the group and provide insights from both viewpoints. I had to do group discussions for one of my applications, and one of the statements asked about veganism as a trend. The obvious answer is yes, but by discussing how in some areas of the world meat consumption is increasing, you provide a new angle and demonstrate a discerning mind. It is important to never simply agree with someone, add more knowledge to the discussion. The assessors are looking to see whether you are well informed about your subject area, which will mostly come from your university studies, but also additional reading and regularly looking into the latest news. Maybe set alerts for news articles to your phone, or spend one hour a week reading about something related to your subject area. Perseverance and resilience is so important. Rejection is hard and sometimes you will disagree with their feedback, but the application process, interviews or presentations you have to give all provide you with experience and learning opportunities for the future. I was rejected from a job I thought I had a really good chance of getting. As part of the last stage of the application process, I was required to give a 20 minute presentation to pitch two new food product development ideas. While I didn’t get the job, it allowed me to gain more confidence to present to assessors or acquaintances and be more informed about how to structure my presentation. It can be very difficult to get a job straight after university in an increasingly competitive world. Do not give up looking, you might get a job after 10 applications, maybe 100. It is important to remember that you might not land your dream job straight away, you may need work your way into it. If you are finding it difficult to find a job, keep adding experiences to your CV or portfolio by volunteering time, doing freelance work, working on projects, attending networking events or entering competitions. If you are serious about the career that you want, dedication will get you there. The experiences and advice that I have shared with you today has helped me to achieve a role as a New Product Developer on a fast track management graduate programme for the UK’s leader in fresh food production, Bakkavor. I will be starting this September. I hope that something I have shared with you resonates with you or helps you on your journey to finding you a role. 11
NEWS FROM THE COURSES Biology and pathways Samantha Lane Students on Biology BSc courses continued successfully with blended delivery up until the Christmas break; and although we had to prioritise practical and fieldwork for those modules with associated assessments, students enjoyed being in the laboratories wherever possible. Level 4 students in particular have been able to start developing fundamental biological techniques, including microscopy, spectrophotometry, and DNA electrophoresis and have shown excellent commitment and dedication in their first Semester at Bath Spa. Although we have started Semester two with increased restrictions, everyone is working very hard to remain engaged and to progress positively, whilst we wait to see what the Government Guidance will be for the coming weeks. It is a testament to our students’ resilience that they continue to set up and be involved in numerous societies and student groups, at a time when social contact is more difficult yet more important.
Environmental Management Ian Thornhill I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate our MSc students on getting through Trimester one in less than ideal circumstances, and to all those students ongoing - keep it up! On the day I write this there is bright sunshine and clear skies – quite a contrast to the last field trip we were able to go on this time last year, which was possibly the worst weather ever experienced on a field trip. I for one am looking forward to when we can positively plan for some hands on fieldwork. However, I want to encourage everyone to get outside nonetheless. Take a walk, some exercise, and maybe see what citizen science you can do in your own time (see SciStarter). Special mentions go to Davide Siclari, who continues to join us from Italy, and to Rasheed, who has traded the warmth of Nigeria for our winter. A further special mention goes to one of our alumni, Lamin Jammeh, who recently secured a role as Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) Project Coordinator for the UNDP in The Gambia (see the alumni section). Trimesters two and three are shaping up well, with many of the students working with industry partners for their theses; more on this next time.
Environmental Science Samantha Lane As with Biology BSc, Environmental Science students have also been able to access specialist facilities and the campus for fieldwork for the majority of Semester one. Where field trips haven’t been possible, staff have been very innovative at providing sample data sets and creating images and film to allow students to get as good an understanding as possible of what is involved. It was disappointing, though completely understandable that the Second Year Geographical Fieldwork module was unable to run this year. The good news is that a final year version of the module is planned for 2021/22, so hopefully ES students will still have the opportunity to visit the Indian Himalayas as part of their course. I am also pleased to report that following the publication of the Good University Guide, Environmental Science was listed in the top 20 courses for careers, showing that our graduates secure excellent employment following completion of their studies. 12
Food with Nutrition Anil de Sequeira It has been a challenging start to the semester, as we had to move to online delivery after the Christmas break. Feedback from students indicates that the use of Blackboard Collaborate has been helpful as students have found live lectures to be engaging because they are able to ask questions and interact with other students. They have also fed back that they feel more confident with asking questions in a virtual environment. Despite the pandemic, students from this course were able to obtain practical skills, as we were able to run face to face practical sessions before the Christmas break. With the recent Government announcement we look forward to returning to blended delivery, with practical sessions running face to face. A big thank you to technical colleagues who have worked tirelessly to produce a number of useful videos which we are using in an interactive manner to deliver practical skills online. The Food and Nutrition in Practice module continues to offer students the opportunity to work on real life projects provided by the food and nutrition sector. Despite the challenges faced by current students, a number of Level 5 (year two) students from this programme have found year long placements and a number of year three (Level 6) students have been successful in obtaining jobs in the food industry post graduation, after going through a rigorous recruitment process. The number of applications has increased after our virtual Open Days and a University Experience Day. We are thankful to our student ambassadors and alumni who have been involved in these events as they play a vital role in recruitment of students. We can celebrate the course being in the top 15 for student experience for Food Sciences, and the fact that 85% of graduates from this course are in employment/further education 15 months after graduation.
Human Nutrition Tracey Lewarne I’d like to say a big well-done to you all. Semester one didn’t end as we would have liked, back in lockdown, but you all coped brilliantly with the changes. You can read about how first year students Olivia and Imogen found starting the course in a pandemic. As we now start Semester two we await news, with fingers crossed, on when we can get back to in-person classes. The recruitment cycle is continuing and we’ve got used to running virtual events for applicants. Although this is not how we want to be promoting our course, we have had some great feedback. It’s also good that we can celebrate the course being in the top 15 for student experience for Food Sciences. I would like to thank the student ambassadors and all the Human Nutrition students doing wonderful things in the community and spreading the ‘nutrition’ message. We have lots of students involved in projects and volunteer work in the local area, and you can read about James and Isabella’s projects in ‘notes from the field’. If you are interested in volunteer work then take a look at the ‘Get Involved’ section of the newsletter. Read about Abigail Green’s experience of working in healthcare.
Wildlife Conservation Ralph Thompson Preparations continue for our new BSc in Wildlife Conservation, starting in September 2021. We are currently focused on building some very exciting teaching links with international partners and with colleagues from other schools within Bath Spa. UCAS applications to the new course are very promising and we are now involved in recruitment events to tell applicants more about the course and the University. We look forward to welcoming our first cohort in September.
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Life, Health and Sustainable Environments (LHSE) • The LHSE Seminar Series (full programme here) coordinated by Ian Thornhill and Lori Bystrom, has been well attended by staff and students alike, and continues next on Tuesday 16 March when our very own Dr Stephanie Greshon will be joined by David Harvey of Nicholas Pearson Associates to discuss ‘Monitoring the impacts of development upon protected species’. Everyone is welcome to attend. • Matthew Baker will be presenting his ongoing research as part of the South West Creative Technology Network on Tuesday 16 March, at 12pm–1pm – in association with The Studio at Palace Yard Mews, Bath, Creative Technology and Well Being Online Talk. Find out more
Publications hot off the press! Thornhill, I., Friberg, N., Batty, L., Thamia, V. and Ledger, M.E. (2021). Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds. Ecological Indicators. Hill, MJ, White, JC, Biggs, J et al. (6 more authors including I. Thornhill) (2021). Local contributions to beta-diversity in urban pond networks: implications for biodiversity conservation and management. Diversity and Distributions. Castro-Castellon, A., Hughes, J.M.R., Read, D.S. et al. (3 more authors) (2021). The role of rhizofiltration and allelopathy on the removal of cyanobacteria in a continuous flow system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
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Pauly, M., Turney, C.S.M., Palmer, J.G. et al. (3 more authors) (2020). Kauri tree‐ring stable isotopes reveal a centennial climate downturn following the Antarctic Cold Reversal in New Zealand. Geophysical Research Letters, p.e2020GL090299.
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Briony Carter with one of her charges, Schnapps the ferret, at the sanctuary. Briony is currently in her professional placement year at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Dorset.
Placements and Pandemics - two student perspectives By Briony Carter, Conservation Biology BSc As I’m sure we can all agree this past year has been challenging to say the least. Ensuring the safety of our public health is priority, so many of us had to cancel plans to travel. I had plans for my placement year to be spent in Minnesota (USA) at The Vince Shute Wildlife sanctuary – working with educating the public on wildlife conservation and caring for the black bears on site. Following this, my plan was to head to New Zealand at the PuPu Rangi Nature Sanctuary, working in the conservation and preservation of newly planted forests (in particular, efforts to protect the native Kiwi bird). Being adaptable is something we’ve all had to get used to, so I had to look closer to home for placements. This brought me to Ferne Animal Sanctuary (Wambrook, Chard).
I had volunteered here in my childhood so was quick to be accepted (and reconnected with some old friends). If any students in the future are looking to apply for placements, the first step is to always explain what you are looking for when reaching out to organisations independently. If I hadn’t mentioned to Ferne that I needed this in order to complete my BSc degree in Biology (Conservation Biology) I would not have been able to secure a position, due to limited access to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These restrictions included volunteers. Working at the sanctuary has allowed me to refresh my animal husbandry skills, with the wide range of animals cared for at the sanctuary, and gain confidence again working independently (once I had been taught the daily routine). 15
By James Welbourn, Food with Nutrition BSc I was given the opportunity to work with a community project called CropDrop, who are based in the Bath and North East Somerset area. The project was to develop a “recipe bank” of ideas that can be used for surplus food items that are provided by food banks and food pantries within Bath. After being given this great opportunity in an area that really interested me, I then worked alongside a great team of individuals from CropDrop. We would meet virtually on a regular basis to discuss factors like the main sources of fruit and vegetable produce collected from allotments to the food banks. This is so that I could create and provide healthy, simple recipes that benefitted users of the food banks. I also had the experience of being able to visit an allotment to see and harvest a pumpkin which went towards the creation of the recipes. I also created stepby-step videos to show the versatility of this vegetable. Throughout, I put the individual’s needs first by applying consideration to creating recipes that require little equipment, and recipes that are understandable if an individual’s first language is not English.
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My overall experience, if I could summarise in one word, would be ‘creative’. I was given the opportunity to let my thoughts run wild! On top of this, the project allowed me to create recipes that would help an individual get into cooking but also learn how to eat healthily. Seeing my work being published to the public, and knowing that it is helping individuals and the community, gave me a ‘buzz’ of positivity.
NEWS FROM ALUMNI By Lamin S. Jammeh, Environmental Management MSc
I have no regrets in choosing Bath Spa MSc Environmental Management Programme. The modules in the programme are all relevant to my job. The friendly and considerate teaching fraternity helped me get through the courses despite my personal challenges plus the Covid-19 lockdown – without compromising the standard. All the modules I studied have proven to be useful in my career as climate change officer for the Ministry of Environment in the Gambia. The most outstanding of them were EM7503 Environment and Society, BM7020 - Managing People and EM7502 - Waste Energy and Pollution Management. Recently, I was proud that I was asked by the permanent secretary to advise him on a draft MoU (Memorandum of 16
Understanding) between the Ministry and a private investor in pollution management. It was not difficult to notice his satisfaction with my advice which was backed by actual environmental management justifications, thanks to my training at Bath Spa. The most exciting part is that the new qualification opened the door for job interviews for me and I am proud to say I have recently been offered a job at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – The Gambia, as Project Manager to coordinate a €25 million renewable energy project entitled “Investing in Grid Connected Solar PV in The Gambia”. I did not hesitate to accept the offer thanks to my MSc experience.
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“..great things do not just happen by impulse but are a succession of small things linked together”. Vincent Van Gogh 1853 - 1890
Science Art Microcosmos: Pigments from the Persian Gulf Dr Lisa Thomas
All images copyright L.Thomas 2019.
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Although these words were written by a great artist about painting, the quote is tailor-made to describe microbial mats. These amazing microecosystems, and by micro, I mean millimetrescale and smaller, contain a multitude of microalgae, bacteria, Archaea and picoplankton all working sustainably to create living landforms, which can sometimes cover vast areas. As the microbiologist for an international research team led by Miroslaw Slowackiewicz (University of Bristol, Cabot Institute), I investigated the structure, function and dynamics of the microorganisms co-existing within a 1cm sample of microbial mat from a sabkha in eastern Qatar. The intertidal sabkhas, or salt flats, of the Arabian Gulf are examples of microbial landforms which cover extensive coastal areas of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The living mats contain extremophiles, capable of withstanding surface temperatures of > 50oC. The area is also very arid and hypersaline. The research took two years to complete and a number of international conferences and academic papers resulted. During my research I had become particularly interested in the diversity of colours within the samples; pigments and chemicals produced by the microbes as a survival and protection mechanism. I took a number of photomicrographs and using a graphics tablet and digital painting software I produced a series of ‘paintings’. I created a micro palette by picking out the natural colours in the samples and the result became ‘Microcosmos’. Here are some paintings from the digital series. My next step is to produce actual paintings on canvas.
Step 1) Download iNaturalist smartphone app Step 2) Your records will be collected on Bath Spa Observer (click to visit).
#ExploreBathSpa If you need a break from your studies or you’re having a difficult day, our beautiful campus grounds offer the perfect escape. Follow the hashtag or read more here. Blue Spaces and You! Take part in a RESPiRES related research survey - and tell us about how you value (or not) your local ponds, lakes, rivers, streams or canals. Take part here.
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Recording wildlife at Bath Spa University: take part!
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Student opportunities
Ecosia campaign Bath Spa on Ecosia is a campaign to switch the default search engine on campus to Ecosia – the search engine that uses its profits to plant trees. Support the campaign and turn your internet searches into trees by downloading through this link: ecosia.co/bathspauniversity so that your searches can count towards the University’s tree tracker. Find out more @bathspaecosia on Instagram.
Postgraduate Society! Zoe Newth and other postgraduate representatives are setting up a Postgraduate Society. To find out more, visit either the Facebook or Instagram pages.
Did you know that Biology supports an MSc in Environmental Management? The programme is accredited to the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), and discounts are available to Bath Spa alumni. To find out more visit the website or contact the Course Director, Ian Thornhill (i.thornhill@bathspa.ac.uk).
Dissertation requests If you are on the lookout for volunteers for your dissertation then why not contact Matt Baker (m.baker@bathspa.ac.uk) with details of your request for inclusion in the next newsletter? Whichever year that you are in, remember that at some point you may need volunteers for your work, too. So if you can spare the time to take part now, dissertation Karma may be paid back to you when you need it!
Take part in surveys! A three minute survey exploring people’s opinions on what they believe to be the cause for the rise in obesity for a dissertation. Take part here. People’s perception of Rhododendron ponticum on the landscape, a dissertation survey. Take part here. 19
