Northumbria News - Spring 2020 edition by Northumbria University

#TakeOnTomorrow

Spring/Summer 2020 • northumbria.ac.uk

Issue 21

RESPONDING TO COVID-19

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

ON THIN ICE

Staff and students step up in the fight against coronavirus.

Space Zone exhibition research is out of this world.

Researcher proves vital role of ice shelves in preventing sea level rises.

Turn to pages 4-5 to ﬁnd out more.

Turn to page 31 for more.

Turn to page 35.

Breath-taking new device to help disease diagnosis DESIGN ENGINEER SAQIB ALI AND DR STERGHIOS MOSCHOS

As the world’s medical and research companies join forces to ﬁnd new ways to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, a device developed by a Northumbria University academic could offer a new way to diagnose the disease. Our breath contains valuable biological information, such as DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids. These ‘biomarkers’ can be used to diagnose diseases of the lung and beyond. Currently, invasive procedures such as biopsies and taking swabs are used to collect them. In a bid to simplify the process and enable samples to be taken in a non-invasive way, a team at Northumbria University

have developed technology that retrieves samples of the lung by simply breathing into a device. This captures the biomarkers of an individual to be taken for analysis. Although there are other systems that allow sampling of the breath, they have not proven reliable with issues around contamination, sample loss and variability. The pioneering device developed at Northumbria

resolves these issues, with researchers saying the quality of data it collects from breath closely resembles that taken surgically. It is hoped that it could be used to help diagnose lung disease and other health issues such as diabetes, cancers and liver problems, potentially revolutionising the way we diagnose diseases, such as coronavirus. As such, it received support and funding through the

Northern Accelerator and ICURe programmes to move the product and the technology into the next stage of development. Continues on Pg. 2

“IN THE CASE OF CORONAVIRUS, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION CURRENTLY RECOMMENDS TESTING NASAL SWABS, ORAL SWABS AND SWABS FROM INSIDE THE LUNGS TO AVOID MISSING THE INFECTION. THAT’S WHY IT’S VITAL THAT WE DEVELOP NON-INVASIVE, QUICK AND COSTEFFECTIVE METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS AND SCREENING.” DR STERGHIOS MOSCHOS

NEWS

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

IN THIS EDITION SPRING/SUMMER 2020 NEWS

ENVIRONMENT

FEATURE

The Sun as you’ve never seen it before, Page 6

Lifetime Achievement Award for inspiring Chancellor, Page 13 Staying safe online with the Cyber Guardians, Page 23

SIBERIAN CAVES REVEAL CLIMATE CHANGE SURPRISE Page 34

Page 4-5

CULTURE

Smarter electric vehicles for cleaner greener cities, Page 33

The art of conservation, Page 39 Continents connected through cultural collaboration, Page 41

HEALTH Exercise improves life for cancer patients, Page 30

TOGETHER WE CAN RESPONDING TO COVID-19

SUSTAINABILITY

BUSINESS AND LAW A taste of success at Greggs, Page 41

Soaring towards carbon neutral, Page 37

SPORT Europa Cup success for Northumbria skier, Page 47

Keep up to date with the latest news from Northumbria University at northumbria.ac.uk/news

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Many of the articles featured within this edition of Northumbria University News were written before the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK. We have made the decision to go ahead and publish these stories to celebrate the innovative work taking place at Northumbria University. Alongside these stories, we also feature examples of how our staff, students and alumni are working together in response to COVID-19.

Breath-taking new device – continued Dr Sterghios Moschos, Associate Professor in Cellular and Molecular Sciences, has led on the development of this technology over the last few years. He explained that his team’s ambition is to reduce the need for withdrawing blood to diagnose diseases. While research evidence shows that this is possible, there is not a standardised and reliable approach to do so outside of labs in community settings, such as pharmacies and GP surgeries, or airports. “In the case of COVID-19, the World Health Organisation currently recommends testing nasal swabs, oral swabs and swabs from inside the lungs

to avoid missing the infection,” he said. “That’s why it’s vital that we develop non-invasive, quick and cost-effective methods of diagnosis and screening.” Dr Moschos is currently leading trials at seven clinical centres in Europe and the USA to find out if newly emerged strain of coronavirus can be detected in the breath. If trials show this is possible, then further research would show if his breath collecting device

could be a faster, less invasive way of collecting reliable samples for COVID-19 diagnosis. Professor George Marston, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), said: “The team have ambitions for this technology to replace invasive venous and respiratory sampling tests where possible, particularly for older and younger patients, where needles and invasive tests can be

uncomfortable or sometimes not possible. “We need new medical technologies that help to quickly and easily diagnose disease and monitor health, and this device is one of those technologies. Sterghios and his team, along with our fantastic partners, have the skills and experience to take this technology to market, resulting in huge impact on healthcare globally in the coming years.”

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Northumbria announces new Chair-elect

PROFESSOR JANE CORE RECEIVES HER HONOUR FROM PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE

Northumbria has appointed former MP, Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods as the new Chair-elect of its Board of Governors. Dr Blackman-Woods has strong links with the University, as a former Head of School and Associate Dean, and a visiting professor. She will take up her role when current Chair, Chris Sayers, stands down in August after three terms in office. Dr Blackman-Woods most recently stepped down as the Member of Parliament for the City of Durham – a position she has held since 2005. During her time in parliament she served as a Deputy Minister and worked in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, where she was involved in shaping higher education policy. From 2010 she was also the Shadow Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, and has chaired the All-Party Parliamentary University Group. At an international level Dr Blackman-Woods has served as Vice-Chair of the United Nations All-Party Parliamentary Group. She has also been an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), making extensive use of these networks to support global education initiatives and foster better parliamentary governance. As a sociologist with expertise in housing,

Dr Blackman-Woods served as a social policy academic at the University of Ulster and the University of Newcastle. She was also Dean of Social and Labour Studies at Ruskin College, Oxford. Commenting on her new role Dr Blackman-Woods said: “I am delighted to be appointed as the next Chair of the Northumbria University Board of Governors. It is a university I know well, and I very much look forward to working with the whole Northumbria team to ensure the University’s fantastic success continues.” Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, ViceChancellor and Chief Executive at Northumbria, said he is thrilled to welcome Dr BlackmanWoods to the University. “Dr Woods brings an exceptional range of experience of higher education, as a Parliamentarian, as a strong advocate of the sector, and as an academic and I very much look forward to working with her in this new capacity.” Chris Sayers, current Chair of Northumbria’s Board of Governors, added: “I am very pleased that Roberta will be succeeding me as Chair of the University. She will bring real strengths and excellent experience and I am confident that the Board will be in very good hands.”

“DR WOODS BRINGS AN EXCEPTIONAL RANGE OF EXPERIENCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AS A PARLIAMENTARIAN, AS A STRONG ADVOCATE OF THE SECTOR, AND AS AN ACADEMIC…” PROFESSOR ANDREW WATHEY

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“MY CONGRATULATIONS TO PROFESSOR CORE. IT IS EXCELLENT TO SEE HER HONOURED FOR HER SERVICES TO HIGHER EDUCATION AND TO MANY GENERATIONS OF STUDENTS AT NORTHUMBRIA.” PROFESSOR ANDREW WATHEY

Royal recognition for Professor Jane Core Professor Jane Core, former Director of Student and Library Services at Northumbria, collected an MBE from Prince William, Duke of Cambridge for her outstanding services to higher education. Jane, who retired from Northumbria in 2018 after almost 20-years’ service, was recognised for her significant contribution to the transformation of student learning, helping Northumbria to become a sector leader in the provision of student and library services. Under her leadership, Northumbria University Library became the first in the UK higher education sector to offer 24/7 access to library collections and accompanying support services. In 2017 she oversaw the completion of the award-winning Student Central, a multi-millionpound investment transforming City Campus library and centralising all student support services in one place at the heart of the campus. Jane said she was honoured to receive the award. “Accepting this award reflects the magnificent impact professional support teams have in supporting

students throughout their time at University. The transformational work that has been undertaken by colleagues in Student Library Services, alongside the foundation of Student Central, provides students with the very best support they need to shine in academia and beyond – something I am tremendously proud of. “I share this honour with those colleagues who continue to provide students with excellence in professional support.” Professor Andrew Wathey, Vice-Chancellor of Northumbria University added: “My congratulations to Professor Core. It is excellent to see her honoured for her services to higher education and to many generations of students at Northumbria.” Beyond Northumbria, Jane received national and international praise for her role as Chair of the Executive Board of SCONUL – the professional body for national and

university libraries in the UK and Ireland. She was also instrumental in developing innovative change programmes within higher education, including services designed to detect and prevent plagiarism. Jane has been professionally involved in many national and international programmes and activities, working closely with JISC, the sector body supporting higher education and research into digital resources and developing new technologies and ways of working. Find out more about one of the country’s most highly rated University libraries for student satisfaction at northumbria.ac.uk/ library

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FEATURE

GETTING PPE TO THE FRONT LINE FASTER

Northumbria, Newcastle and Sunderland universities have been working together to design and support production of vital protective equipment for the NHS. The three institutions have designed a visor which can be mass produced, while Newcastle and Northumbria have also combined their 3D printing expertise to make components for splash guard visors. Together, the universities have developed the ‘Hannan snap visor’ which can be produced using die cutting technology rather than laser cutting, which means it can be produced more cost effectively than previous designs. Simon Scott-Harden, Senior Lecturer in Design for Industry at Northumbria University’s School of Design, Thomas Nappey from Newcastle University’s Open Lab, and Roger O’Brien from the University of Sunderland’s Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice (AMAP), redesigned and engineered previous Open Source visor designs to make it easier to mass produce. The design has been made freely available through Open Source Design, so that anyone, anywhere, with the relevant facilities can download it and use it to make the full-face visor. The blueprint for the visor states it is to be manufactured from standard plastics that can be easily sourced. The parts come flat-packed and can be sterilised then assembled in one to two minutes. The head strap is fully adjustable and gives the user the ability to wear full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during use. Named in honour of Katherine Hannan, a nurse who went out of her way to be at the very frontlines of caring for the sick during the Spanish Flu pandemic at the beginning of the last century, the Hannan visor is a low-cost full face visor designed for single sessional use. The universities have worked with Cramlington-based printing, packaging and direct mail company, Potts Print, and Die Cut Finish in Leeds, to produce visors from the design. It is estimated that up to 2,000 visors an hour could be made using the new design, that could then be distributed to NHS Trusts. Those who wish to find out more about the visor or download the design can find it at hannanvisor.com Working together to 3D print visor components In another collaborative effort, more than 2,000 splash guard visor components have already been donated to Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since Newcastle and Northumbria combined their 3D printing expertise. Between the two institutions, 52 printers previously used across research activity and to support students’ work, are now in use making parts which will be assembled by the NHS and distributed to local hospitals. At Northumbria, Andrew Bellamy, Engineering and Environment Faculty Business Manager, coordinated the work of a team of technicians who are able to print up to 100 headbands every day on the lab’s 25 3D printers. “When we became aware of the project we got involved straight away to maximise the impact and our team of technicians reacted immediately to produce the first batch of headbands. It’s great to hear that the finished products have been warmly welcomed by clinicians within the NHS as they continue to fight against COVID-19,” says Andrew.

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

In a time like no other, colleagues, students and alumni of Northumbria University have been demonstrating remarkable effort and admirable spirit as the world joins forces to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Our Northumbria community is tackling these unprecedented times head on with strength, innovation and compassion – as you’ll see from the stories featured across these two pages. NOW, MORE THAN EVER, WE ARE PROUD TO SAY – #TOGETHERWECAN FASHIONING VITAL NHS PROTECTIVE CLOTHING Thousands of much needed clinical gowns and scrubs have been produced by a team of volunteers at Northumbria University’s School of Design, for use by NHS staff across the North East. The University joined forces with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in a bid to find a solution to the shortage of hospital gowns needed by NHS staff treating COVID-19 patients. The School of Design is the base for Northumbria University’s fashion degree programmes and home to a range of industry standard facilities, including over 60 professional grade sewing machines and pattern cutting tools. With the campus currently closed to students due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Northumbria staff entered into discussions with the NHS to find ways of utilising the University’s spaces and facilities, while observing social distancing and safe working, to contribute to the fight against coronavirus.

As a result, Northumbria’s skilled Fashion Design technicians and academics have been working alongside Northumbria Healthcare staff and volunteers, all of who have previous experience of working in textile industry, to make clinical gowns from NHS approved PPE patterns. With the specialist material required, sourced and delivered by the NHS, a team of pattern cutters have been hard at work cutting the material to size. The pieces are then sewn together by volunteer machinists working alongside, and overseen by, Northumbria’s design technicians. The Northumbria team also improved and digitised the pattern for the gowns and shared this with other potential manufacturers across the country, making it easier for others to help with the production of the gowns and scrubs. The safety of the volunteers has been key, with stringent risk assessments carried out to ensure the health of those taking part is protected and the two-metre rule strictly adhered to.

NORTHUMBRIA ALUMNI SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR CURRENT STUDENTS The global coronavirus outbreak has had a significant impact on some of Northumbria’s most vulnerable students. Many have found themselves unable to return to their homes, particularly international students, while others are struggling financially after losing paid work due to the UK-wide lockdown. In response to this need, Northumbria quickly established a (COVID-19) Hardship Fund to provide financial support for unforeseen costs. This could include subsistence and living costs; rent and accommodation for those who cannot travel home; support for those losing part-time employment; and those with no access to IT equipment to enable remote learning. A ‘Tough Times’ campaign has seen alumni from all over the world donate money to the (COVID-19) Hardship Fund, with £91,000 already raised at the time of going to print. More than 200 online donations have been received so far from countries including, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Korea, the US and the UK. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can do so through the University’s gofundme page www.justgiving.com/campaign/nuhardship All the funds raised will be dispersed to those students in greatest need by Northumbria’s Student, Library and Academic Services team.

However big or small, we would love to hear how you have been helping support the ﬁght against COVID-19. Email media.communications@northumbria.ac.uk to get in touch.

FEATURE

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TOGETHER WE CAN RESPONDING TO COVID-19 VITAL EQUIPMENT Thanks to the brilliant efforts of our Faculty of Health and Life Sciences we have been able to lend crucial equipment such as ventilators, Dinamaps, syringe drivers and hospital beds to NHS Trusts. This equipment is usually used by students on healthcare programmes as part of their training. Several qPCR machines, which are used to analyse patient samples and determine whether they have the virus, have also been sent out to local NHS hospitals and the British Army.

SUPPORTING OUR NHS Our car parks close to hospitals have been made available free of charge for NHS staff and supplies of PPE which would have been used by students and staff have been donated to local trusts for their frontline teams.

DELIVERING URGENT TRAINING In response to the need to prepare additional frontline NHS staff to care for patients with COVID-19, Health Education England and Northumbria University provided specialist online training in Critical Care Upskilling. The webinar-based sessions covered the recognition and management of various acute conditions found in a range of healthcare settings. The training consisted of a series of two-hour webinars which were repeated over a number of dates throughout April.

STUDENTS AND STAFF STEPPING UP In the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, students and staff have responded to national calls for action to support the NHS and the COVID-19 crisis more widely. Our academic and technical teams are involved in a range of research projects focused on understanding, testing and treating the virus. Students and academic staff who are registered health professionals, are already working to support the frontline in our region’s hospitals. In April over 370 final year nursing and midwifery students opted to join the workforce in an extended placement in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s guidance and emergency standards. Many final year occupational therapy, physiotherapy and operating department practitioners have also opted in and are expected to move into practice at the end of June. Meanwhile our second year nursing and midwifery students will be returning to practice placements in the coming weeks.

HELPING LOCAL COMMUNITIES We are hearing heart-warming stories of staff and students who are dedicating their spare time to support those in need. Whether that be through delivering food shopping to vulnerable neighbours, dog walking, picking up medication or leaving notes of gratitude on healthcare workers’ windshields in hospital car parks. A sterling example includes student Md Mominul Hamid who is delivering emergency food parcels to refugees on his bike. Md is studying a foundation degree through a Sanctuary Scholarship at Northumbria, whilst volunteering for a range of organisations including West End Refugee Service, Citizens Advice, City of Sanctuary Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Services. Now he is spreading hope to the local community on two wheels by delivering essential provisions to homes across the West End of Newcastle.

RESEARCH INTO FOOD INSECURITY The Healthy Living Lab at Northumbria has partnered with Sheffield, Ulster and Oklahoma universities to launch research into food insecurity among university students. The team are especially interested in the health and wellbeing of students at this time and are inviting students to share their experiences during the COVID-19 crisis, to be able to shape discussions around potential solutions for students everywhere in the US and the UK.

NEWS

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Left: Cell-like structures on the surface of the Sun have been captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope. They show a pattern of turbulent, “boiling” gas. Photo credit: NSO/AURA/NSF

The Sun as you’ve never seen it before Scientists from Northumbria University have played a key role in developing the world’s largest solar telescope, which is now providing the clearest and most detailed images of the Sun ever captured. The magnetic solar eruptions, which take place on the surface of the Sun, can have a major impact here on Earth. Known as space weather, these eruptions can result in disruption to air travel and satellite communications, as well as bringing down power grids, causing long-lasting blackouts and disabling technologies such as GPS. Scientists are now a step closer to better

understanding and predicting this space weather activity, due to the quality of the images of the Sun’s surface being captured by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, which are unlike anything seen before. Funded by the United States’ National Science Foundation and managed by the National Solar Observatory, the telescope is situated near the summit of a Hawaiian volcano. It was developed as a result of a collaboration between a number of international research institutions, including Northumbria University. Members of Northumbria’s world-class Solar Physics research group, including Dr Eamon Scullion, Dr Richard Morton and Professor James McLaughlin, have played a leading role in developing the cameras used within the telescope and the software required to extract the data it captures.

Dr Scullion said the images were an exciting first step towards understanding the physics taking place within the Sun’s surface. As he explains: “Seeing is believing. We can simulate solar activity and make predictions using data and computers, but this is the first time we have been able to see high resolution images of the activity taking place on the surface of the Sun. For the team here at Northumbria the real excitement will come in a few months’ time. Once we have a series of images taken over several weeks and months, we can use the software we have developed to track the changes taking place on the Sun’s surface. This will really allow us to look at the Sun in ways

“SEEING IS BELIEVING. WE CAN SIMULATE SOLAR ACTIVITY AND MAKE PREDICTIONS USING DATA AND COMPUTERS, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES OF THE ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE ON THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.” DR EAMON SCULLION we simply haven’t been able to before now.” The first images from the Inouye Solar Telescope were released earlier this year and revealed a close-up view of the Sun’s surface, including a pattern of turbulent “boiling” plasma that covers the entire Sun. The images also show cell-like structures – each about the size of France – which are the signature of violent motions that transport heat from inside the Sun to its surface. It is this activity on the Sun’s surface which can result in disruption on Earth. However, these first images are just the beginning. David Boboltz, program director in NSF’s division of astronomical sciences, who oversees the

facility’s construction and operations, explains: “Over the months, the Inouye telescope’s team of scientists, engineers and technicians will continue testing and commissioning the telescope to make it ready for use by the international solar scientific community. The Inouye Solar Telescope will collect more information about our Sun during the first five years of its lifetime than all the solar data gathered since Galileo first pointed a telescope at the Sun in 1612.” You can keep up to date with the latest images captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope at nso.edu/telescopes/dki-solartelescope

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The Big Issue names Northumbria academic as one of the UK’s Top 100 Changemakers

Left: Greta Defeyter, Schools Holiday Club Below: Front cover of the Big Issue’s Top 100 Changemakers in 2020 issue

Professor Greta Defeyter, Professor in the University’s department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, has been listed as one of The Big Issue’s Top 100 Changemakers in 2020 for making a positive impact on society through her research. The magazine’s annual list of changemakers recognises some of the “awe-inspiring” individuals and organisations doing what they can to make things better in Britain and beyond. The list of thinkers, creators and agitators represents those who The Big Issue believes will change things for the better by taking on the world’s challenges. Professor Defeyter was hailed a “food poverty hero” for leading the fight against holiday hunger – when parents struggle to feed their children outside of term time. Professor Defeyter advises policymakers on how to tackle the problem, ensuring the most vulnerable people stay fed. She also directs the Healthy Living research lab at Northumbria University which focuses on public health interventions; including school and community

breakfast clubs, holiday hunger, nutrition and food insecurity within schools and the associations between nutrition, cognition and physical activity. Professor Defeyter has directly influenced policy in this area through her role as a committee member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on School, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger and the North East of England Branch of the British Psychological Society. She is also a member of the National Steering Group for Breakfast Clubs and a trustee for Feeding Britain. In the past she has been an advisor to the Westminster Health and Education Forum and provided evidence to a number of Select Committees, the House of Lords, Annual Westminster Briefing Events and at HRH Prince of Wales, Seeing is Believing visits.

Upon hearing about being named in The Big Issue’s list for 2020, Professor Defeyter said: “I want to say thanks to The Big Issue because they’ve really laid down the challenge. It’s not what my lab has done, the challenge is what we are going to do in the future.” When asked what needed to change to tackle the issue of holiday hunger, Professor Defeyter said government policies had to address the structural causes of poverty, including changes to the benefits system. As she explains: “This is something that will involve a cultural shift in attitudes towards holiday provision across the UK. The stigma at the moment is around the fact that holiday clubs are something that are primarily offered to the disadvantaged members of our society… I suggest that we see holiday provision as a nationwide offer to

all children and families.” Paul McNamee, editor of The Big Issue, said: “This is the second time we have dedicated an entire edition of the magazine to celebrating 100 awe-inspiring people and organisations who we believe are changing the world in significant ways and giving us all hope for the future. These are the true champions of change in our society and The Big Issue is proud to shine a light on them.” Learn more about the Healthy Living Lab and Professor Defeyter’s work by visiting www.healthylivinguk.org

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“THESE ARE THE TRUE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY…” PAUL MCNAMEE

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

IN THE MEDIA: SPOTLIGHT ON SPANISH POLITICS In 2019 Spain and Spanish politics came to the attention of the world’s media with a major anniversary and election taking place within 12 months. These events presented an opportunity to reflect on the country’s past, as well as explore its future. As broadcasters from around the world set out to explain what was happening, they turned to Lecturer in Hispanic Studies, Dr Carlos Conde Solares, of Northumbria University’s Department of Humanities, to provide expert comment on both stories. His media appearances have led to opportunities he could never have imagined, as Northumbria University News found out. Last year marked the 500th anniversary of one of the most controversial passages in history – the arrival of a group of Spaniards, led by Conquistador Hernán Cortés, to the mighty city of Tenochtitlan (near today’s Mexico City) – the then capital of the Azteca Empire. Coinciding with this anniversary, a diplomatic spat took place when Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, asked the government and King of Spain to apologise for the events that led to the collapse of the Azteca Empire between 1519 and 1521. In light of these events, Northumbria’s Dr Carlos Conde Solares was invited to participate in a televised debate on The Newsmakers – an international daily news programme on Turkey’s public network, TRT. Speaking alongside a Mexican journalist and member of a

“I NOW HAVE A WHATSAPP CONTACTS LIST THAT INCLUDES SENIOR MINISTERS AND MPS THAT COMMENT ON THE NEWS OR EXCHANGE OPINIONS WITH ME ON A REGULAR BASIS.” DR CARLOS CONDE SOLARES

conservative American think tank, both with very opposing views, Dr Conde Solares was able to provide much needed historical expertise, as well as contemporary political awareness to the debate. The media appearance proved to be the first of many for Dr Conde Solares. The run up to the Spanish election in April 2019, and subsequent repeat election in November 2019 following an inconclusive result, provided the perfect opportunity for him to share his research into Spanish history with the rest of the world. An article he wrote for The Conversation, about Spain’s emerging hard right political party VOX led to another television debate on TRT. This time Dr Conde Solares featured alongside a senior advisor of Spain’s former Socialist Prime Minister José

Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the Secretary General of the VOX party, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros MP. The controversial debate attracted much attention, leading to further media interviews with France 24 and Al Jazeera during the Spanish election campaigns of 2019. In addition Dr Conde Solares was invited to write features in several newspapers, including The Globe Post in the USA, Crónica Popular in Spain, and Sp!ked in the UK. Speaking about the media opportunities his research and expertise have led to, Dr Conde Solares said: “I have enjoyed every interview and

every debate, but Al Jazeera was probably my favourite channel. The presenters are very well informed and ask very incisive questions that keep the discussion relevant and flowing nicely. The other guests are usually very high profile. This is an added bonus; many of the politicians and international academics I debated with wrote to me after the programmes in order to continue discussions in private or to collaborate in the future. This was great, because I now have a WhatsApp contacts list that includes senior ministers and MPs that comment on the news or exchange opinions with me on a regular basis!”

When asked what his highlight of the last year has been, Dr Conde Solares said: “Without a doubt my most memorable moment was when Josep Borrell, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Spanish government, recommended one of my articles on Twitter. He has since been appointed High Representative of the European Union, and my media work keeps getting a lot of attention from all sides of the political and historical debates.” To hear more news about our academics’ research, sign up to receive updates from our newsroom at Northumbria. ac.uk/news

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Perceptions of Europe explored

NORTHUMBRIA’S COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES BUILDING

The role that social media plays in creating perceptions about life in Europe, and the impact this has on migration, will be explored as part of a new international research project.

“THE CIS BUILDING PROVIDES A STUNNING ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF AND SUPPORTS ALL OF OUR TEACHING, OUTREACH AND RESEARCH.”

A team of social computing experts from Northumbria University have been awarded more than £400,000 for their part in PERCEPTIONS – a three-year research project involving 25 partners from 15 different countries. The project aims to discover how images and perceptions of Europe can impact on an individual’s decision to migrate there. It will explore where stories about migration to the EU originate, the channels they are circulated through, and how they change over time. Shaun Lawson, Professor of Social Computing and Head of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, is leading Northumbria’s involvement. He explains: “The rise in the use of social media means it has become much easier to spread specific narratives online, many of which may be inaccurate or misleading. There is also a concern that people using

PROFESSOR SHAUN LAWSON

social media are subject to an echo-chamber effect, in which the views they come into contact with generally correlate with their own and any factual inaccuracies are left uncorrected. “The aim of this new project is to understand the perceptions people living outside the EU have about life in Europe, identify the myths circulating online and assess how this might be impacting on external security and migration. This will then allow us to make policy recommendations and develop action plans and toolkits for migrants and civil society organisations to tackle this issue in the future.” Find out more about the PERCEPTIONS project at project.perceptions.eu

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“THE RISE IN THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MEANS IT HAS BECOME MUCH EASIER TO SPREAD SPECIFIC NARRATIVES ONLINE, MANY OF WHICH MAY BE INACCURATE OR MISLEADING.” PROFESSOR SHAUN LAWSON

Building the foundations for excellence The newly-built home of Northumbria University’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) has been recognised as the best new building in Newcastle at the city’s Lord Mayor’s Design Awards. The state-of-the-art building scooped the top prize at the biennial awards, which celebrate the best examples of architecture and environmental design. Established in 1994, the Lord Mayor’s Design Awards shine a spotlight on the buildings and projects that are making an outstanding contribution to the appearance and life of their communities. Northumbria’s £7m CIS building first opened its doors in 2018. Designed with sustainability in mind, the ‘smart building’ uses a specialised Building Management System which controls its heating, cooling and

ventilation, making it low carbon and energy efficient. The space combines areas for both research and teaching, with input from staff and students contributing to its design. The building also acts as a base for the Institute of Coding – a national organisation of which Northumbria is a founding member, which is responding to the UK’s digital skills gap through education and training. Commenting on the recent win, Professor Shaun Lawson, Head of Northumbria’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences, said: “The CIS building provides a stunning environment

for our students and staff and supports all of our teaching, outreach and research. Every part of the building – from the café, the specialist labs, breakout areas and networking spaces – are a hive of activity from morning right until late. We are delighted that our building has won this award.” Find out more about Northumbria’s involvement in the Institute of Coding, at northumbria.ac.uk/ioc

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Survey reveals negative impact of EU Settlement Scheme A survey designed by a migration historian from Northumbria University has revealed that the government’s EU Settlement Scheme is having a significant negative impact on European citizens living in the UK. More than 3,000 EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss citizens took part in the Settled Status Survey, designed by Dr Tanja Bueltmann of Northumbria University and the non-governmental organisation the3million, which represents the rights of more than three million EU citizens at home in the UK. The survey explored people’s experience of the ‘Settled Status Scheme’ – the UK governmentrun process through which EU citizens living in the UK must apply to remain in the country following the UK leaving the EU. The data collected identifies the applicants’ key concerns, ranging from discrimination and loss of identity, to concerns over a lack of transparency and visibility and a breakdown of trust in the government’s willingness and ability to deliver a secure status for the future. The results show that 89% of respondents are unhappy with their digital status and fear being discriminated against. For example, 10.9% of respondents said that they were

already being asked about Settled Status by landlords, banks, and councils despite proof not being required before 2021. Dr Bueltmann, Professor in migration and diaspora history, who conducted and analysed the Settled Status Survey, said: “The promise was an automatic guarantee of rights. Instead of that, we have an ‘unsettling status’. The government has a duty to finally give EU/EEA and Swiss citizens certainty. Hollow words are not enough.” Maike Bohn, co-founder of the3million, said: “The government needs to step up local outreach and support to EU/ EEA and Swiss citizens but also to employers, landlords and others who will be forced to check the immigration status of these citizens in order to avoid huge fines.” To read the full report visit the3million.org.uk

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“THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP UP LOCAL OUTREACH AND SUPPORT TO EU/EEA AND SWISS CITIZENS BUT ALSO TO EMPLOYERS, LANDLORDS AND OTHERS WHO WILL BE FORCED TO CHECK THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THESE CITIZENS IN ORDER TO AVOID HUGE FINES.” MAIKE BOHN

northumbria.ac.uk/humanities

Brexit and beyond A book edited by Northumbria University academics has warned that the North East is underprepared for the challenges it could face following Brexit. The North East After Brexit: Impact and Policy is part of book publisher Emerald’s Brexit series. Co-edited by Professors Joyce Liddle and John Shutt from Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School, it is the result of on-going research collaborations across the University and with academic colleagues from Durham Business School.

PROFESSOR TANJA BUELTMANN

The first chapter by Dr Nicola Headlam, Director of the Northern Powerhouse for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), sets the context for discussions on a refreshed strategy after Brexit. Professors Liddle and Shutt then examine the policy implications for the North East’s new Combined Authorities and the future of the Local Enterprise

Partnerships in the 11 Northern Powerhouse regions. They also consider the future of regional industrial strategy development within the UK. Shutt and Liddle argue there is insufficient focus on the challenges of Brexit for the region, and call for a better regional voice within the Northern Powerhouse. Commenting on the book Professor John Wilson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria, said: “It is

designed to help people inside and outside of the region think through some of the key drivers of change which we will face in the new decade, and to present up-to-date analysis of what more needs to change if the region is to alter its path of development and take greater advantage of the devolution process.” The book also covers the potential impact on the region’s NHS, tourism, collaboration between the North East and Scotland, small firms, the role of universities, business support networks and local government policy. Contributions are also made on education and training for public leadership and management.

The North East After Brexit is available from Hazel Goodes, Managing Editor, Emerald Publishing Limited, Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, BD161WA, United Kingdom.

“THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED TO HELP PEOPLE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE REGION THINK THROUGH SOME OF THE KEY DRIVERS OF CHANGE WHICH WE WILL FACE IN THE NEW DECADE.” PROFESSOR JOHN WILSON

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High Praise for University’s Research Chris Skidmore MP has praised Northumbria University for the quality and impact of its research and the support it offers students and graduates looking to start up their own businesses. The former Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation visited Northumbria as part of a tour of the North East. He spoke with a number of Northumbria academics carrying out research in areas of global significance, including smart materials, bioengineering and how climate change is affecting the Antarctic ice sheets. During the visit he also discussed how universities are contributing to economic growth in the region and helping to address the UK’s skills gap and productivity challenges. Mr Skidmore spoke with academics and students about the world’s first use of biotechnologies in the built environment. He also heard about Northumbria partnering with Newcastle and Durham universities on an £11 million national Centre for Doctoral Training in renewable energies,

funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC). On his tour of the campus, Mr Skidmore met academics carrying out research into the experience of volunteers working in international conflict zones, and a team leading on a £40 million International Centre for Connected Construction. Discussing how universities contribute to economic growth, the former Minister heard how Northumbria puts more graduates into professional and managerial jobs in the North East of England than any other university – and more than the Russell Group combined. On enterprise creation he heard how Northumbria is supporting a new generation of graduate entrepreneurs and innovators through assistance in start-ups and new business launches, and with a new incubator hub offering

CHRIS SKIDMORE VISITING NORTHUMBRIA

well-equipped and affordable premises for fledgling ventures. Northumbria is ranked among the top universities in the UK for graduate start-ups based on turnover. These new businesses are helping to grow the regional economy and boost productivity. Commenting on his visit, Chris Skidmore MP, said: “I was hugely impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff and students I met at Northumbria University - especially around the graduate start-up firms which can help the local economy. The University’s

research in renewable energy and Antarctic climate science is outstanding and will contribute to the UK’s status as a global science super power.” For more information on Northumbria’s research or how to work in partnership with the University please visit northumbria.ac.uk

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“THE UNIVERSITY’S RESEARCH IN RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ANTARCTIC CLIMATE SCIENCE IS OUTSTANDING AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE UK’S STATUS AS A GLOBAL SCIENCE SUPERPOWER.” CHRIS SKIDMORE MP

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Prestigious appointment for law professor

PROFESSOR CHRIS ASHFORD

Professor Chris Ashford from Northumbria University has been appointed to the influential Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Advisory Council. Members of the Advisory Council are drawn from academia, the judiciary, academic libraries, the postgraduate student community, and from the academic staff of IALS itself. Chaired by Lord Lloyd Jones, a justice of the UK Supreme Court, the Council advises the Director of IALS on its aims and objectives, strategic and operational plans, and opportunities for collaboration, research promotion and facilitation. Professor Ashford said he was delighted to be part of the new IALS Advisory Board led by Lord Lloyd-Jones, explaining: “At a time of immense challenge for Law Schools and a deep need for rigorous research on law to address the challenges our

society faces, the importance of this national resource has never been greater. It is vital that all parts of the UK are represented and so I’m particularly pleased that I’ll be providing a voice for academics in the North East of England in this forum.” The IALS supports and promotes legal research in its broadest sense, both nationally and internationally, provides services to the law schools of the University of London, and brings together the academic and the practising legal professions for the benefit of the legal system as a whole. Extending his congratulations, Professor John Wilson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria, added:

“The IALS Advisory Council is a highly influential voice for legal education and for law research. It is a prestigious role that reflects the quality and strength of research at the University, and the excellent reputation of Northumbria Law School withing the UK and internationally.” For more about the IALS at ials.sas.ac.uk

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“IT IS A PRESTIGIOUS APPOINTMENT THAT REFLECTS THE QUALITY AND STRENGTH OF RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY, AND THE EXCELLENT REPUTATION OF NORTHUMBRIA LAW SCHOOL WITHING THE UK AND INTERNATIONALLY.” PROFESSOR JOHN WILSON

northumbria.ac.uk/law

Championing diversity Northumbria played host to England’s biggest ever Boccia Open, organised by SMILE Through Sport, a North East based not-for-profit organisation founded by Northumbria alumnus and Paralympian Stephen Miller MBE. SMILE Through Sport was founded in 2013 by Paralympian Stephen Miller MBE and his wife Rachel Miller, the Managing Director of the business. Their mission is to improve the perception and culture surrounding disability sport by providing and encouraging high quality disability sports opportunities while inspiring individuals to participate. The Boccia Open is a key event in SMILE Through Sport’s calendar to support this mission. SMILE (Stephen Miller Inspiring Learning and Enjoyment) Through Sport brought together over 120 players for

the sixth SMILE Boccia Open. The event took place at Northumbria University’s £30 million sports centre and events arena, Sport Central, and welcomed all ages, disability groups and levels of competitors. Participants ranging from beginner to international level and from the under 10s to the over 50s descended on Sport Central from across the North East and beyond. “Sport has been a large part of my life and I am passionate about the impact it can have on someone’s physical and mental health”, said Stephen. “I would

like to say thank you to Irwin Mitchell and Northumbria University for helping us with this event”, he added. Northumbria’s Head of Sport and Exercise, Katy Storie, was delighted to welcome the competition to Northumbria: “Boccia is a fantastic sport and holding this event here at Northumbria highlights the empowering effects of disability sport and the work that Stephen and the SMILE Through Sport team do.” With a former Northumbria student as its helm, SMILE Through Sport has

ENGLAND’S BIGGEST EVER BOCCIA OPEN been able to access business support from the University. In its infancy, the organisation benefited from legal and marketing help through Student & Graduate Enterprise, a service which provides alumni free advice from specialist advisors. Find out more about these services at northumbria.ac.uk/sgenterprise

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Lifetime Achievement Award for inspiring Chancellor Chancellor of Northumbria University and 11-times Paralympic gold medallist, Baroness Tanni GreyThompson, has been honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.

SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS:

London Wheelchair Marathon wins

Olympic medals:

1 Tanni is the latest in a line of sporting legends who have made a major impact on the world of sport. Baroness Grey-Thompson, who was born with spina bifida, has competed in five Paralympic Games, is acknowledged as one of the most gifted and courageous sportswomen of her generation. In addition to her outstanding Paralympic achievements, she won the London Wheelchair Marathon a total of six times between 1992 and 2002, winning the final marathon just three months after giving birth to her daughter Carys. Following retirement from athletics in 2007 she has played a prominent role in public life and was made a Dame in recognition of her services to sport in 2005. In 2010 she was elevated to the House of Lords as a crossbench peer becoming Baroness GreyThompson of Eaglescliffe. In this role she takes an active part in debates, with a focus on sport, disability, health, welfare, and youth development. Fellow Olympian Sir Chris Hoy presented Baroness GreyThompson with the esteemed award at the Sports Personality of the Year ceremony - the biggest awards night in the sporting calendar. Speaking of the honour, Baroness Grey-Thompson said: “I never thought as a young Welsh girl who had a dream of playing sport, when I was watching this programme, that one day I’d be in the audience, let alone on the stage. “Growing up I tried multiple sports but I was so fortunate I found something I love and

11 4 1 World Championship medals:

5 4 3 30 World Records broken

BARONESS TANNI GREY-THOMPSON

became good at it. There were so many people, volunteers, who gave up their time and I wouldn’t be here without them, so thank you so much. “It’s been an amazing journey to see where the Paralympic movement is today. For young people today we have to make sure they have an opportunity to get active and play sport.

“Twenty years ago, Nelson Mandela said sport has the power to change the world. To my friends and family that helped me, thank you for putting up with me.” Now in her fifth year in her role at Northumbria as Chancellor, Baroness Grey-Thompson has presided over the graduations of more than 50,000 graduates.

“I NEVER THOUGHT AS A YOUNG WELSH GIRL WHO HAD A DREAM OF PLAYING SPORT, WHEN I WAS WATCHING THIS PROGRAMME, THAT ONE DAY I’D BE IN THE AUDIENCE, LET ALONE ON THE STAGE.” BARONESS TANNI GREY-THOMPSON

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ART WORK BY REFUGEES AT THE ANTONIO GUTERRES URBAN REFUGEE COMMUNITY CENTRE IN KAMPALA, UGANDA.

The value of volunteering The role and impact of volunteering on the lives of young African refugees is being explored as part of a major project, led by Northumbria University. There are currently more than 70.8 million people displaced around the world, with 1.2 million of those seeking refuge in Uganda – the majority of them young people aged under 25. Although much has been written about the lives and experiences of refugees in general, one area which has gone relatively unexplored until now is the role they can play as volunteers. A team of researchers from Northumbria’s Centre for International Development is now working with partners in the UK and Africa to find out more about the impact volunteering can have among young refugees, particularly when it comes to building skills and reducing inequalities. The Refugee Youth Volunteering Uganda (RYVU) project has been funded through a grant of more than £860,000 from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Professor Matt Baillie Smith, co-director of Northumbria University’s Centre for International Development, is leading the international team of researchers involved. They include Dr Aisling O’Loghlen of Northumbria; Dr Frank

Ahimbisibwe and Dr Robert Turyamureeba of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda; Professor Peter Kanyandago, Dr Cuthbert Tukundane and Dr Moses Okech of Uganda Martyrs University; and Dr Sarah Mills of Loughborough University. The team are working closely with young people based in four settlements across Uganda, which are home to refugees from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Somalia. All have fled their home countries due to conflict, disease and economic hardship. It is hoped the RYVU research project will shed light on this particular group of young volunteers. As Professor Baillie Smith explains: “Although much research has been carried out into the role of volunteering generally, there is very little knowledge about this particular group of volunteers, so we are very excited to be working with these young people to understand more about their experiences. There can be a tendency to think about refugees as needing help, or as beneficiaries of aid. But we know many of the young refugees in Uganda are actively involved in

volunteering themselves, and so we need to understand how this might benefit their communities as well as improving their skill set.” During the project the researchers will be carrying out interviews with the refugees and the organisations that work with them, as well as conducting group workshops and surveys. They will also be asking the young people to document their experiences of volunteering through participatory photography – giving them cameras and asking them to photograph their day-to-day life experiences. These photos will then go on display to the public as part of a travelling exhibition, allowing the results of the research to be communicated all over the world. As well as working directly with young refugees, the team will also collaborate with global refugee NGOs, volunteers and leading global volunteering and development organisations. Professor Baillie Smith added: “We are incredibly excited about working with such a great team on a topic of this importance. Volunteering is often discussed in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals, but too

often, it focuses on international and ‘gap year’ volunteers. By focusing on the different forms of volunteering undertaken by young refugees in Uganda, we can develop new knowledge of the potential role of volunteering in helping build their skills and livelihoods.” Find out more about the project at ryvu.org

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“THERE CAN BE A TENDENCY TO THINK ABOUT REFUGEES AS NEEDING HELP, OR AS BENEFICIARIES OF AID. BUT WE KNOW MANY OF THE YOUNG REFUGEES IN UGANDA ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN VOLUNTEERING THEMSELVES.” PROFESSOR MATT BAILLIE SMITH

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Solar power provides solution to clean water

Designing the future of Armenian education Design and business experts from Northumbria University have been playing a key role in exploring the development of higher education and entrepreneurialism in Armenia.

DR NICK SPENCER (LEFT) AND MARK BAILEY PICTURED AT THE WORKSHOP WITH AREVIK SARIBEKYAN, BRITISH COUNCIL ARMENIA DIRECTOR.

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY’S DR MUHAMMAD WAKIL SHAHZAD (RIGHT) RECEIVING THE GLOBAL WATER AWARD FROM HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH AHMED BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM.

A Northumbria academic has won an international award after developing an innovative process to turn sea water into drinking water, using solar energy. Access to clean, safe drinking water is something we often take for granted in the UK, but in many countries around the world, it is a scarce and precious resource. In the Middle East, where rainfall is very limited, the process of desalination is often used – in which salt is removed from sea water to produce safe drinking water. Northumbria engineering lecturer Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad has developed a new desalination technique which uses solar energy – cutting CO2 emissions by half compared to traditional methods. His innovation was recognised after he was named the winner of the Global Water Award 2020 (Innovative Individual Award for Youth) at the ‘His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award’ in Dubai. The conventional process of desalination uses large amounts of electricity, most of which is produced using fossil fuels such as oil and gas, resulting in environmental emissions. Before desalination, the sea water used is pre-treated with chemicals, with many of these then rejected back into the sea

with concentrated brine, which has a negative impact on marine life. Dr Shahzad’s 24/7 Solar Desalination project is powered by solar energy, resulting in lower environmental emissions, as well as reduced chemical rejection compared to traditional desalination techniques. Dr Shahzad believes the new system has the potential to be used in counties all over the world where fresh water is scarce. As he explains: “The process of desalination has been around for hundreds of years, ever since it was used on board long sea voyages as a way of providing fresh drinking water. However, it has changed very little in the last 30 years.

Transferring the conventional processes to this hybrid solar desalination system to produce fresh water is essential to help countries achieve zero carbon emissions. I strongly believe this technology is a game-changer and am very honoured to have been recognised with this global innovation award.” Find out more about Dr Shahzad’s research and the award at northumbria.ac.uk/ desalination

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“I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS TECHNOLOGY IS A GAME CHANGER AND AM VERY HONOURED TO HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED WITH THIS GLOBAL INNOVATION AWARD.” DR MUHAMMAD WAKIL SHAHZAD

Armenia is a country which is developing quickly, particularly within the cultural and creative sectors. Higher education in the former Soviet republic is expected to play a key role in this development, and has been the subject of a major government consultation. As part of this, a team from Northumbria University were invited to carry out a workshop involving more than 40 key stakeholders from business, education and government across Armenia. As part of the event, Mark Bailey and Dr Nick Spencer, from the Northumbria School of Design, and Dr Michele Rusk, from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, introduced ‘Design Thinking’ – an approach they have developed collaboratively over a number of years. This technique encourages people to think creatively, understand their current situation, consider different perspectives and envisage new possible futures, allowing for more productive discussions and useful outcomes.

Working in partnership with colleagues from the American University of Armenia (AUA), the Northumbria team supported workshop attendees to come up with new ideas for encouraging entrepreneurialism through education in Armenia. The ideas generated were then presented to the Office of the Armenian Prime Minister in order to help to shape higher education in the country for years to come. As Mark Bailey, Director of International Development and a Teaching Fellow within the Northumbria School of Design, explains: “We have been able to take our particular Design Thinking inspired approach, developed over a number of years and across sectors, and deploy it within a context where there is a real appetite for change and the potential to deliver significant impact in supporting a developing economy.” Read more about this story at northumbria.ac.uk/armenia

“WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE OUR PARTICULAR DESIGN THINKING INSPIRED APPROACH AND DEPLOY IT WITHIN A CONTEXT WHERE THERE IS A REAL APPETITE FOR CHANGE.” DISCOVER MORE MARK BAILEY

northumbria.ac.uk/design

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Building industry links through engineering partnership Northumbria University has become an academic partner of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the UK’s leading civil engineering professional body. The partnership, which will provide opportunities for staff and students to connect with industry, was formally launched during a visit to Northumbria by ICE Director General Nick Baveystock. Speaking to an audience of staff, students and alumni, Mr Baveystock said: “This is an exciting time for engineers, the limits of what we can achieve are changing as technology develops and we have the opportunity to find solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing the global population.” He emphasised the importance of building cities and structures that will cope with population growth, while ensuring they do so in an environmentally sustainable way. The partnership was organised by Martin Crapper, Civil Engineering Professor and Head of Subject at Northumbria. Reflecting on the collaboration, he said: “The importance of educating civil engineers to tackle future problems is clear and Northumbria is proud to

be part of this. A key focus of all our degrees is employability so that students can make a contribution to society throughout their careers. Our ICE Academic Partnership will offer tangible benefits here helping our students engage with the profession from the earliest stage in their programme, as well as helping the ICE to advance its charitable aims of making the world a better place through civil engineering.” Northumbria University’s first ICE Student Ambassador is Civil Engineering BEng (Hons) student Cerys White. As part of her role Cerys promotes ICE’s support to students, through employability events, training and networking opportunities. Find out more about the Institution of Civil Engineers at ice.org.uk.

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PROFESSOR BECKY STRACHAN OF NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY AND ICE DIRECTOR GENERAL NICK BAVEYSTOCK

“THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME FOR ENGINEERS, THE LIMITS OF WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE ARE CHANGING AS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPS AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FACING THE GLOBAL POPULATION.” NICK BAVEYSTOCK

2020 VisIoN for Northumbria Academic Northumbria University academic, Zabih Ghassemlooy, has been elected a Fellow Member of The Optical Society (OSA) for his service in the advancement of optics in photonics. OSA, founded in 1916, is the leading professional association in optics and attracts accomplished science, engineering and business leaders from all over the world. Up to ten percent of the total OSA members may be fellows at any given time, making each year’s honouree part of an elite group. Zabih Ghassemlooy, Professor of Optical Communications at Northumbria, leads the Optical Communications Research Group (OCRG) at the University. His work primarily focusses on the theoretical investigation, simulation and practical implementation of systems for optical wireless communications, visible light communications, free space optical

communications, which can be used for fast Ethernet on campus, and radio over fibre, which can be applied to 4G and WiFi technologies. Commenting on his election into The Optical Society’s 2020 Fellows Class, Professor Ghassemlooy said: “I am extremely honoured to be recognised for my contributions in the field of optical wireless communications by my peers. Working with scientists and researchers at a global level and through leading professional association

of OSA has made it possible to have a large impact on the development of free space optics and visible light communications.” The work produced by members of Northumbria’s OCRG, has resulted in huge success for University, including the publication of six books, over 800 other publications and more than 55 PhD graduates. Northumbria has also been chosen as the only institution to be involved in the €3.75m (£3.44m) Visible Light Communications based Interoperability and Networking

(VisIoN) project, funded by the European Commission. Led by Professor Ghassemlooy, the project is looking at the use of visible light communication to transmit information, known as LiFi Technology. LiFi uses high speed LED lights, invisible to the human eye, allowing the LiFi technology to communicate with LED’s in tablets or phone screens. The VisIoN project uses low-cost, plastic, all organic LEDs to develop the world’s first complete visible light communications system. Because LiFi does not expose users to radio frequency radiation like WiFi does, it means it is safe enough to use in hospitals as well as homes, work places and even underwater. To ﬁnd out more visit northumbria.ac.uk/ liﬁresearch

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Knife crime victims remembered on Tyneside Following the fatal stabbing of her sister Samantha in 2007 aged just 18, Northumbria University student Carly Barrett and her family have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the devastation caused by knife crime. The Knife Angel memorial has been created with the same message and earlier this year, Carly and her mother Alison successfully brought the wellknown sculpture to Gateshead. Standing 27 feet tall and made of 100,000 bladed instruments, ranging from pen knives to machetes, the Knife Angel is a powerful memorial of the thousands of lives lost through knife crime in the UK. Created in 2017 by The British Ironwork Centre and artist Alfie Bradley, the blades used to create the sculpture were all handed in to police forces across the country through knife amnesties. Also known as the National Monument Against Violence & Aggression, the Knife Angel has toured around the UK for the last three years, raising awareness of knife crime. A campaign, led by Northumbria University criminology and sociology student Carly Barrett, and her mother Alison Magdin, brought the sculpture to the North East earlier this year. The pair recently set up the charity Samantha’s Legacy to mark what would have been Carly’s sister Samantha’s 30th birthday. Since then, funded by the National Lottery, Carly and Alison have delivered knife

PICTURED FAR LEFT ARE ALISON MAGDIN AND HER DAUGHTER CARLY BARRETT, IN FRONT OF THE KNIFE ANGEL WITH A GROUP FROM ONE OF THE KNIFE CRIME AWARENESS WORKSHOPS THEY HAVE BEEN RUNNING.

crime awareness workshops to pupils from local schools. The aim is to educate and engage with young people, showing the damage knife crime does to the lives of both the victim and attacker, whilst encouraging them to pursue positive alternatives to violence and crime. During the workshops, Carly and Alison talk candidly about Samantha’s story and how their lives have been changed since her death. Carly first saw the Knife Angel when it was on display in Hull and made it the mission of Samantha’s Legacy to bring the sculpture to the North East. With help from the youth crime prevention organisation Edge North East, the harm reduction team at Northumbria

Police, and Gateshead Borough Council, a steering group was formed to support their bid. After meeting Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria Kim McGuinness, Carly and her mother secured the funding needed to transport the Knife Angel to the North East. The sculpture was on display outside Sage Gateshead throughout February this year, during which time it was visited by over 50 groups and over 1,300 students from local schools, who have taken part in talks and workshops delivered by Carly and her mother. Describing why securing the sculpture was so important to her and her family, Carly said: “The Knife Angel resonates with all of us as figures from

last year show that nationally knife deaths have reached their highest since the Second World War and are on the rise in the North East. Police forces in Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland are now dealing with 19 knife crimes per week. We felt something had to be done which would resonate with people and show the real impact of knife crime. For us as victims, we feel a strong connection to the sculpture, and were so pleased to be able to share it with all those who have been affected by knife crime, as well as raising awareness of the devastation knives can cause.” To ﬁnd out more about Samantha’s Legacy please visit @samathaslegacy on Facebook.

“WE FELT SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE WHICH WOULD RESONATE WITH PEOPLE AND SHOW THE REAL IMPACT OF KNIFE CRIME.” CARLY BARRETT

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The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, written by the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. At Northumbria, our academics have been working with The Conversation to produce quality current affairs journalism on some of the latest topics to hit the news.

Calling all academics! If you have a great idea for an article, the Communications team at Northumbria can help you pitch it to The Conversation. Please email media.communications@northumbria.ac.uk

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR TOP PICKS OF RECENTLY PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Coronavirus is a breeding ground for conspiracy theories – here’s why that’s a serious problem Dr Daniel Jolley, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, explains why the spread of coronavirus conspiracy theories could be as harmful to society as the virus itself.

Why do we dream? If you are having extremely weird dreams during lockdown, you are not alone. In this article, sleep expert Professor Jason Ellis explains what’s going on after hours.

Giving back to English: how Nigerian words made it into the Oxford English Dictionary

Meet the raunchy dance teachers who helped shape the modern world

Lecturer and Doctoral Researcher, Kingsley Ugwuanyi explains the enormous significance the inclusion of Nigerian English words hold for the English Language.

Senior lecturers in Music, Rachael Durkin and Katherine Butler discuss the history of mating rituals of society balls and how this has impacted modern Britain.

Antarctica’s first zero emission research station shows that sustainable living is possible anywhere

Want to help rare birds? Dig a pond

Dr Kate Winter shares her experience of living in a zero-emission base in Antarctica to highlight how life with no carbon emissions could be possible. This article was also translated in Indonesian to reach a wider audience.

Associate Professor, Mike Jeffries, explains how ponds can offer a vital food source to struggling bird species.

Find out more about The Conversation, and keep up to date with articles by Northumbria academics, by visiting theconversation.com or visiting our online newsroom at northumbria.ac.uk/news

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MEET THE ACADEMIC DR DANIEL JOLLEY

From aliens in Area 51 to the Moon landings being faked, many conspiracy theories are considered as harmless fun, but when they become mainstream and their followers reach millions, could they become harmful? Northumbria News talks to Dr Daniel Jolley, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and an expert in the field. What is a conspiracy theory? Conspiracies can be defined as attempts to explain the causes of an event as the result of secret, deliberate actions and cover-ups at the hands of powerful and malevolent groups, rather than as an unfortunate incident. In other words, was Princess Diana murdered by the Royal Family or the UK government as opposed to a car accident being the explanation for her death? Almost every significant and social event has conspiracies associated with it. Other examples include JFK assassination conspiracies, various theories relating the 9/11 attacks and, more recently, conspiracy theories proposing that coronavirus is actually

a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA as a way to wage war on China, or that the virus is caused by 5G masts. Millions of people subscribe to conspiring viewpoints and a recent YouGov Poll revealed that 60% of Britons believe at least one conspiracy theory. Why do people believe in them? There is a stereotype that concludes that people who believe in conspiracy theories are just paranoid. But millions of people believe in these theories – they cannot all be paranoid, can they? Some people argue that conspiracies have become more popular over time, others however say that they have always been as popular as they are today. There may be the

Conspiracy theories: what’s the harm? same number of conspiracies as there have always been, but what is undisputed, is that nowadays conspiracy theories spread rapidly online, so perhaps they seem more prevalent because of their increased visibility. Conspiracies often offer an answer to a problem: imagine you read on the internet or see on the TV that there is a missing plane, or a princess has just died. How does that make you feel? Ultimately, you probably want to know the reason or explanation behind such events. You may feel anxious, uncertain or even threatened. These are all natural feelings and what we tend to find, is that conspiracy theories can address the need to be in control or to deal with a threat. They can give you an enemy to blame. In essence they can help you explain the world. Cognitive biases can also result in trust in conspiracies – a type of error in thinking that occurs when people are processing and interpreting information in the world around them. One of those biases is known as ‘proportionality bias’, which is the idea that big events must be explained by a big cause. So, back to thinking about Diana - when she died it was a huge event, so to explain her death simply as a car accident, doesn’t really make sense in our minds, it doesn’t maintain proportionality. To explain her death as a government conspiracy, however, does maintain proportionality. Believing in conspiracy theories can also be blamed on a tendency to see things in patterns - random dots, patterns in the clouds or coin tosses are examples of this. Research has shown that people who are more likely to see patterns, are also more likely to believe in conspiracies. This is another example of how believing in conspiracies is a way of us trying to understand the world.

We are all susceptible to the biases in our own minds. Are conspiracy theories harmful? As we have just mentioned, often its not just a handful of people who believe in conspiracy theories, but in fact millions of people, so they can potentially be quite harmful. Our recent research found that exposing people to the idea that climate change is a hoax made them less likely to want to reduce their carbon footprint. Highlighting the conspiracy that vaccines are harmful and that the data supporting vaccinations is allegedly faked, meant that some study participants said they would be less likely to vaccinate their child. These are just some of the consequences that we found through our research, demonstrating that conspiracy theories can be quite dangerous due to the influence they can have on a person’s behaviour. In the case of coronavirus conspiracy theories, beliefs strong enough to lead people to ignore vital health advice could mean the conspiracies have the potential to be just as dangerous for societies as the outbreak itself. It is therefore important that we think about ways to intervene with conspiracy theories, in order to prevent the potentially negative consequences.

likely to help correct conspiracy beliefs. These studies show us that education might be the key to intervening and halting conspiracy theories, however we still have a lot of work to do on this topic. What is clear, is that belief in conspiracy theories isn’t just about being paranoid - we are all susceptible to the belief in conspiratorial plots to some extent. So, when it comes to the current pandemic, as well as acting to combat the spread of the coronavirus, governments should also act to stop misinformation and conspiracy theories relating to the virus from getting out of hand. Find out more about Dr Jolley’s research at northumbria.ac.uk/danieljolley

KEY FACTS

50-60% still believe in a JFK conspiracy

20%

believe Princess Diana was assassinated

How can we prevent the spread of and belief in conspiracy theories? Studies have shown that by promoting analytical thinking we can reduce belief in conspiracies. Games such as Bad News, in which people assume the role of a fake news producer, have been shown to improve people’s ability to identify and resist misinformation. Similarly, research has revealed that promoting counter-arguments to medical conspiracy theories is

18% of people endorse the idea that climate change is a hoax

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

The face of modern policing A POLICE OFFICER WEARING A BODY-WORN CAMERA

OLDER PEOPLE IN CHINA WILL BENEFIT FROM PROFESSOR QIN’S WINNING PROJECT

Newton Prize success A project co-led by Professor Shengfeng Qin of Northumbria’s School of Design was awarded the prestigious £200,000 Newton China Prize. Around the world, many countries are struggling with the challenge of rapidly expanding cities and ageing populations. With increasing pressure on services such as healthcare and transportation, there is a growing need for smarter, more accessible services which improve people’s wellbeing and their ability to contribute to society and the economy. A project co-led by Northumbria University in the UK, in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China, has won a major award for its work to solve this problem. The Transforming service design and big data technologies into sustainable urbanisation project was among 20 shortlisted for the 2019 Newton Prize – an annual award which showcases how UK science and innovation partnerships are helping to solve global development challenges.

The project combines big data technology, smart devices and innovative service design to address some of the difficulties faced in villages and cities, leading to better access to core services for the elderly. The project is currently taking place in China but could be applied to cities around the world in the future. Speaking about the win, Professor Qin said: “Winning the 2019 Newton China Prize means our UK and Chinese partners can continue to work together to develop our Newton Prize project to promote sustainable healthcare and social care policies, services and technologies in China for villagers and the vulnerable.” Find out more about the winning project at northumbria.ac.uk/ newtonprize19

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“THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR REFLECTION ON THE POTENTIAL SOCIAL HARMS THAT EMERGE FROM THE USE OF LIVE FACIAL RECOGNITION BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.” DR DIANA MIRANDA

Dr Diana Miranda, a Northumbria University criminologist, has contributed expert evidence to a debate around the use of facial recognition technology in policing. The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Sub-Committee recently held an an inquiry into how policing in Scotland uses facial recognition technology – with a Northumbria University criminologist asked to contribute her findings. Dr Diana Miranda has carried out research into the use of bodyworn cameras by police officers, including how the police officers view facial recognition technology. Her research sparked the interest of the SubCommittee and she has helped to shape the debate. The inquiry is considering whether facial recognition is lawful, ethical, proportionate and transparent. Dr Miranda’s expert contribution was submitted as evidence during a hearing last year and will also be used in the committee’s final report. Her research focuses on the impact of technologies such as biometrics, which analyse physical or behavioural human characteristics to digitally identify a person.

In 2016 Police Scotland announced plans to introduce facial recognition technology in its crime-fighting work as part of its Policing 2026 strategy. The force has not yet piloted facial recognition technology in a live setting, but does use retrospective facial technology such as uploading images to the UK Police National Database which has a ‘facial search’ facility. Speaking about her involvement in the inquiry, Dr Miranda said: “There is an urgent need for reflection on the potential social harms that emerge from the use of live facial recognition by law enforcement. Such reflection demands critical, empirical investigation that explores the impacts of using this technology on our societies. It is vital that we listen to different voices, namely different members of our community and policing professionals. Hopefully my research findings will reveal different concerns raised by

frontline police officers, in particular how they questioned if this technology is really needed and some of the implications of using it from an operational perspective.” Academics from Northumbria University are taking part in world-leading research through the University’s Centre for Crime and Policing. The research aims to enhance understanding and practice in relation to some of the key global challenges of the 21st Century, including transnational organised crime, the use of technology, social harm, forensics, and law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation. Find out more at northumbria.ac.uk/police

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Breaking the class ceiling PROFESSOR KATY SHAW

THE COMMON PEOPLE REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS • New public and private investment to support new publishing ventures outside of London, which will bring publishing closer to broader audiences and make it easier for talented writers across the whole of the UK to enter the publishing industry. • Increased investment in regional writing development agencies, resulting in improved access to professional support and networks for emerging writers. • Decentralisation of the UK publishing industry, including more literary agents to be established outside London • Improved access to the publishing industry through clearer progression routes into the industry; transparent pay and job opportunities; and accessible recruitment campaigns.

“THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE VITAL POINT AT WHICH WORKING-CLASS STORIES AND VOICES NEEDED TO BE HEARD IN MAINSTREAM CULTURE.”

• Awareness and acknowledgement of the multiple barriers facing working-class writers through meaningful support programmes across the UK.

PROFESSOR KATY SHAW

• An industry-wide recognition that developing and supporting new working-class writers will ultimately beneﬁt us all.

A Professor from Northumbria University has called for major changes to the publishing industry to make it more accessible for writers from diverse and working-class backgrounds. The UK publishing industry needs to be more representative of modern British society and provide opportunities for writers from a wide variety of backgrounds to have their voices heard. That is according to the findings of the recently published Common People report. Written by Professor of Contemporary Writings Katy Shaw, and published by writing development agency, New Writing North, the report identifies the barriers standing in the way of workingclass writers. It calls for changes within the publishing industry and strongly recommends more effective and better-funded collaborative working within publishing.

The report is based on research carried out by Professor Shaw into the Common People project – a collaboration between the UK’s seven regional writing development agencies, launched by New Writing North and Writing West Midlands in 2018. During her research, Professor Shaw interviewed 17 emerging working-class writers who featured in the 2019 Common People anthology, edited by British writer Kit de Waal, as well as professionals working within the publishing industry. She believes these changes are needed now more than ever in the wake of the current coronavirus outbreak and the impact this is expected to have on the world

• New government policy to create new ways of overcoming barriers and incentivising partnership work through public funding and regional initiatives.

economy. As she explains: “Given the financial ripple-effect publishing has on other creative industries and our economy, the Common People research is a vital addition to our thinking at a time when the focus is not only on the global pandemic, but also the looming recession and the growing inequalities that it will bring. There has never been a more vital point at which working-class stories and voices needed to be heard in mainstream culture.” Professor Shaw’s research suggests that UK publishing is not currently acknowledging the full diversity of voices active in British society today. She is calling for the publishing industry

to be more representative; to work collaboratively with regional cross-sector partnerships; and for new forms of investment to level the playing field across the different regions of the UK. Find out more and download the full Common People report at northumbria.ac.uk/ commonpeople

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Helpful hackers

Below: Students and staff from Northumbria University and the NEBRC

Computing students from Northumbria University will be testing just how well-prepared local businesses are for potential cyber-attacks by attempting to hack into their IT systems. Illegal hackers cost businesses millions of pounds every year. With unauthorised attempts to access computer network security systems becoming more commonplace, many organisations are looking for ways to protect themselves from this cyber security threat. Now a group of Northumbria students are fighting back by acting as ‘ethical hackers’ – working with businesses to test how secure their systems are and identify any potential weaknesses which could be exploited by criminals. The students are all members of Northumbria’s innovative Cyber Clinic, based in the University’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences and funded by the Institute of Coding. Alongside their studies, the group of nine students have now been employed as cyber security consultants for the newly launched North East Business Resilience Centre (NEBRC) – a non-profit organisation which supports and helps protect businesses across the North East from cyber-crimes. The NEBRC is a partnership between Northumbria, Cleveland, Durham, Humberside and the North West and South Yorkshire police forces, together with Northumbria and Sheffield Hallam Universities. It brings together the latest information on cyber-crime legislation, criminal trends, threats and new technology, providing the best advice to safeguard businesses, their staff and their customers.

The Northumbria University students will now be matched up with local businesses where they will spend time carrying out vulnerability assessments of businesses’ networks and web applications to identify any weaknesses in IT systems and computers. They will then produce a report outlining the steps which need to be taken to protect the business from reallife attacks. Dr Biju Issac, who is leading Northumbria’s involvement in the NEBRC, believes that with cybercrime on the rise many businesses, especially SMEs, may not have the knowledge to protect themselves from hackers and ransomware attacks. He adds: “To be able to stop hackers we must understand how they work, which is why we teach our students ethical hacking – giving them the skills to identify potential gaps in a

business’s IT security system. By combining our skills and expertise in cyber security with the insight and networks of our regional police forces we can help local businesses to protect themselves from cyberattacks.” The NEBRC partnership builds on Northumbria University’s national recognition as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research by the National Cyber Security Centre and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Northumbria is also a founding member of the Institute of Coding – a national initiative supported by the government through a £20-million grant from the Office for Students. It includes over 35 education partners and more than 100 industry and outreach partners that are working together to respond to

the UK’s digital skills gap. Detective Inspector Martin Wilson, Head of Cyber Security and Innovation for the NEBRC in the North East, says understanding where you are vulnerable is crucial. “My experience tells me that a lot of cybercrime against businesses seeks to exploit basic weaknesses, often which the victim company isn’t even aware they have in the first place,” he said. “Our team of student ethical hackers will be able to identify these weaknesses to the businesses concerned.” Businesses interested in becoming involved in the NEBRC can visit nebrcentre.co.uk for more information.

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“BY COMBINING OUR SKILLS AND EXPERTISE IN CYBER SECURITY WITH THE INSIGHT AND NETWORKS OF OUR REGIONAL POLICE FORCES WE CAN HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM CYBER-ATTACKS.” DR BIJU ISSAC

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Introducing the Cyber Guardians A group of older volunteers have been given the digital skills they need to keep themselves and others safe online, thanks to a Northumbria University project. In an increasingly digital world, where everything from shopping to socialising is carried out online, being able to access the internet confidently and safely is more important than ever. But for many older people, concerns around online security may be putting them off embracing digital technology, potentially leaving them isolated or at a disadvantage. Now a new project has trained a team of Cyber Guardians on how to stay safe online. They will share what they have learnt with others in their communities, acting as

ambassadors for digital safety and inclusion. The eight-month pilot project was coordinated by Dr James Nicholson and Jill McGlasson of Northumbria’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences. It followed research by Dr Nicholson exploring where older people access advice about cyber security, and the sources they trust the most. As Dr Nicholson explains: “We know that older people are the group in society most vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks and scams, and yet there is also very little engagement with this group in terms of training and information. Our research shows that peer to peer training can be very successful, but in order to achieve this we first need to train an initial group who can then go out and disseminate what they have learnt.” The group of 14 Cyber Guardians are all in their 50s, 60s and 70s and regularly use the internet for shopping, banking and staying in touch with friends and family. Most of them were already confident in using the internet, however,

much of their cyber security knowledge came from outdated advice. The training has focussed on some key areas of advice, including having a strong, unique password, which should only be changed if they believe it may have been compromised; not sharing too much personal information online; and being vigilant with emails, in particular verifying the sender email address and pausing before performing any action, such as clicking on a link or replying. The volunteers were recruited through the Old Low Light Heritage Centre in North Shields and the University of the Third Age (U3A) – a UKwide movement which brings together people in their ‘third age’ to develop their interests and continue their learning in a friendly and informal environment, and which has local groups across the North East. Kevin Magowan is one of the volunteer Cyber Guardians. The 73-year-old was already confident using a computer and the internet but hadn’t been

aware of some simple steps he could take to keep himself safe online. He said: “I have learnt a lot from taking part in the project. I realised that I was still using passwords I had set up a long time ago. Now I know how important it is to have a strong password and have also learnt about two factor authentication which I now use whenever I buy products online. I’m looking forward to sharing these tips and advice with other people in my community.” The pilot project, was funded though UK Research and Innovation’s Not-Equal Network which aims to improve access to digital technology to support social justice. It is hoped further funding can be found to allow the project to continue, with more volunteer Cyber Guardians being trained across the North East. Find out more at northumbria. ac.uk/cyberguardians

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“WE KNOW THAT OLDER PEOPLE ARE THE GROUP IN SOCIETY MOST VULNERABLE TO CYBERSECURITY ATTACKS AND SCAMS, AND YET THERE IS ALSO VERY LITTLE ENGAGEMENT WITH THIS GROUP IN TERMS OF TRAINING AND INFORMATION.” DR JAMES NICHOLSON

northumbria.ac.uk/cis

CYBER SAFETY Dr James Nicholson gives his top tips for staying safe online: • Use different passwords for all accounts. • Create passwords that are hard to guess (see tips below). • Try not to click on links in messages if possible, go to the website directly in your browser, starting at the home page. • If you receive a message or phone call asking you to do something, take a minute to think about it and verify the message before you do anything. Attackers use urgency to get you to make poor decisions.

Tips for creating passwords that are hard to guess: • Note: passwords are usually guessed using a computer program that makes millions of guesses every second, not by someone manually trying passwords. • The longer your password the harder it is to guess. Consider using three random words separated by fullstops (e.g. turkey.ballroom. kaboom) as these tend to be easier to remember than completely random password (e.g. td5Jkl!b). • Avoid using personal details as part of your password – this information can be easy to find online.

CYBER GUARDIANS KEVIN MAGOWAN AND CAROLE WHITEFIELD, PICTURED WITH DR JAMES NICHOLSON

• Use unique passwords for every account. If an attacker gets hold of a username and a password they will try and use it for as many other accounts as possible. • Come up with a sentence (not a common one!), then take the first letter from each word and turn it into a password (e.g. I need to have very strong passwords for protection = In2hvsp4p).

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Are we nearly there yet?

THE FRONT COVER OF CAROL DAVENPORT’S NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK, ARE WE NEARLY THERE YET?

Young children are being inspired to learn more about space exploration, thanks to a book written by a Northumbria University lecturer. Dr Carol Davenport, a senior lecturer in Physics at Northumbria University, has long been at the forefront of encouraging more children to consider possible careers in science, technology, engineering and maths – the STEM subjects. As director of the University’s award-winning NUSTEM team, she works with schools across the North East to nurture a passion for science from an early age, providing resources, workshops, events and courses on STEM topics for pupils, teachers and families. She decided to write her new book, Are We Nearly There Yet? while organising a series of family storytelling sessions, funded by the UK Space Agency.

Although there were books for young children on human space exploration, she couldn’t find a book on the robotic exploration of space aimed at pre-school children. Determined to give parents and children a well-rounded perspective, Dr Davenport decided to write her own story for them to use. Are We Nearly There Yet? tells the story of Rosie the Rover, a robot rover who is travelling through space to reach Mars, imagining the adventures she will have when she arrives and learning about other robotic space missions along the way. Rosie is based on Rosalind Franklin, a real space probe that is part of the ‘ExoMars’ mission, a joint initiative of the European

Space Agency and the Russian Roscosmos State Corporation. It is due for launch this summer and will land on Mars in March 2021 to search for life on the red planet. Dr Davenport explained: “I knew the Mars Rover would be launching in the not too distant future, so this seemed like a

good way to link something that was happening in real life with a subject we wanted to share with pre-school children.”

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HOW TO BUY THE BOOK Are We Nearly There Yet? is available at explainingscience.co.uk or amazon.co.uk

Championing diversity Northumbria University’s NUSTEM project has been recognised for its innovative work in improving diversity in engineering education. Designed to inspire future generations of scientists and engineers, the NUSTEM project was established by Northumbria University in 2014 with the aim of engaging more young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, known as STEM subjects, and redressing the balance of female students and under-represented groups studying STEM subjects in universities. This focus on improving diversity has now been recognised after NUSTEM was one of just three projects globally to be named as a finalist in the 7th annual Airbus GEDC Diversity Award.

This international award recognises successful initiatives that inspire students from all backgrounds to study and succeed in engineering. This year saw 48 entries from 18 countries across five continents submitted, the highest number in the history of the award. NUSTEM was selected as a finalist for the innovative nature of the project and its results to date. Since it was established, it has collaborated with 48 schools in areas of deprivation and worked with more than 43,800 children. Speaking about the shortlisting, NUSTEM Director Dr Carol Davenport

said: “I feel very strongly that it is vital that all children and young people, irrespective of their background, believe that they can have a career in STEM. In doing so, they can find fulfilling and interesting careers, as well as being part of the solution to the problems that are facing the world.” Find out more about NUSTEM at nustem.uk

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THE NUSTEM TEAM AT NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY

“I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT IT IS VITAL THAT ALL CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR BACKGROUND, BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN HAVE A CAREER IN STEM.” DR CAROL DAVENPORT

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“COMPUTING, PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND THE EMERGING CYBER AND TECHNOLOGY SECTORS ARE AMONG OUR CORE DISCIPLINES – THEY ARE AREAS WE NOW LEAD IN AND ARE KNOWN FOR.” DR GUY BROWN

London campus expansion – supporting students and industry Northumbria University’s London campus is undergoing major redevelopment and expansion as it continues to attract growing numbers of students. Campus Director Dr Guy Brown tells Northumbria News that a distinctive delivery model, high-quality teaching and collaboration with industry are fuelling the success. Northumbria University’s London campus opened in 2014 in partnership with QA, a leading innovator in education and training. Located in the heart of the capital’s financial centre, the campus now has more than 1,500 students enrolled on a range of full-time and part-time weekend-based postgraduate degree courses. The campus is also developing a marketleading reputation for degree apprenticeships, and is already working with major employers including BT, Lloyds, Prudential, Nomura Bank, Morrisons, Centrica and HMRC. A multi-phase development is now underway to enhance the teaching facilities, social space and study areas for students and

staff. Additional floors will create extra space to accommodate the growing student numbers. And with all the current expansion work due to be completed this year despite COVID-19 the new-look campus will be ready for the next academic year. In the five years since the campus opened, Northumbria has developed a distinctive delivery model designed to maximise career opportunities for students and create talented graduates who can bring new skills to employers and support economic growth. Courses available at the London campus are also highly relevant across key sectors of the UK economy where these new skills are needed. “Computing, Project and Programme Management

and the ever-growing Cyber, Information Security and emerging technology sectors are among these disciplines – they are areas we now lead in and are known for,” explains Dr Brown. He adds: “Our learning and teaching is also developed collaboratively with business and industry partners ensuring a research and business relevant offer. We are informed by the sectors our courses are aimed at – but at the same time the researchrich nature of our programmes means we are also informing these sectors. It is a symbiosis which is bringing benefits for our students, industry partners and the wider economy.” The same distinctive approach is applied to degree apprenticeship

programmes, Introduced in April 2017 as a key strand in the Government’s skills strategy, degree apprenticeships are open to newly recruited and existing staff from organisations of all sizes. They combine university study and workplace learning to enable employees to gain an undergraduate or master’s degree. Again, Dr Brown points to new digital technology, cyber security and project management degree apprenticeship courses which focus heavily and deliberately on skills that employers are desperate to fill. “This is just one example of many,” he says. Reflecting London’s status as a global city, the student community at the Northumbria campus is multi-cultural and international in

its outlook. Dr Brown believes this world-view perspective is itself helping to attract an international cohort of high-calibre students. He explains: “The campus offers an outstanding cosmopolitan experience for all our students, full and part-time, post-graduate and the growing number of degree apprentices. It is also an opportunity to study in the knowledge capital of the world.” Commenting on graduate employability, Dr Brown concludes: “Partnering with QA, with its network of high-end companies across the UK and the world, means we can also offer career-enhancing internship opportunities. The experience of working with a globally significant company in London carries huge appeal to our students.” For more information on studying at Northumbria’s London campus or working in partnership with the University please visit www.northumbria. ac.uk/london

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PARTNER OF CHOICE

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

The world is changing faster than ever before. In the ﬁght back from COVID-19, Northumbria is committed to supporting its partners and to ﬁnding innovative ways of collaborating – turning today’s possibilities into tomorrow’s reality. We are working with partners in the UK and overseas to pursue new thinking and create and exchange new knowledge. A university that challenges the status quo, Northumbria is becoming the natural choice for outstanding partners who really do want to take on tomorrow. Northumbria News takes a look at some of the latest exciting collaborations, including a new initiative with Sage supporting SMEs to access digital technology, and the latest Knowledge Transfer Partnership success stories.

To ﬁnd out more about collaborating with Northumbria University please visit

northumbria. ac.uk/business

+44 (0) 0191 227 4419

businessenquiry@ northumbria.ac.uk

Sage advice to go digital Northumbria academics are working with global software company Sage on a governmentfunded initiative encouraging small businesses to embrace digital technology. Research shows that small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in the UK spend on average 120 days a year on paperbased admin, representing a productivity loss of £40 billion in the last 12 months alone and an increase of 0.9% compared with the previous year. This new initiative – Making Accountants Digital Enablers (MADE) – brings together tech-savvy accountants across England to help drive change by showing their small business clients how to make better use of technology, and the benefits this will bring. The project supports Government efforts to grow the economy by improving efficiency and productivity among SMEs. Northumbria University and Sage were selected to deliver MADE following a successful bid to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). A recent survey of UK businesses revealed that only half currently use, or intend to use, technology for admin functions. Removing the obstacles preventing businesses from accessing digital tools and skills is therefore seen as a priority, and as trusted advisers to SMEs, accountants are perfectly placed to help. MADE is currently acting as a trial to demonstrate the potential of this unique relationship, and

Northumbria’s academics are inviting accountants to take part. Sabby Gill, MD for Sage UK & Ireland reflects on the UK productivity issue, with SMEs spending a vast amount of time on admin-related tasks. He says: “If you put a cost to that time frame, it equates to an estimated £17,000 a year that could be saved by an individual SME. As these businesses scale up, hire more staff and contribute further to the economy, even greater value can be unlocked by digitising business admin. The technology that currently has the highest productivity and value-add to businesses is now increasingly cloud and service based. As the role of the accountant continues to expand, we envisage the training will help accountants strengthen their counsel to clients and demonstrate the opportunities that digital technologies bring.” Dr Matt Sutherland, Senior Lecturer at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, believes receiving Government funding for the MADE project is significant, adding: “Together with Sage we were one of only six applications from over 170 to be successful. It reflects the quality of the University’s research as well as the leading position Sage holds in the accountancy

SABBY GILL FROM SAGE WITH LUCY WINSKELL, PRO VICE-CHANCELLOR FOR EMPLOYABILITY AND PARTNERSHIPS AT NORTHUMBRIA

KEY FACTS

Sage research shows that in the last 12 months alone UK SMEs lost 5.6% of their business time to admin software market – and represents an exciting opportunity for accountants and accountancy firms to work with Northumbria on a high-profile project. Deploying digital technologies can boost productivity considerably, but many SMEs are failing to harness the potential and are being held back. Accountants could be powerful advocators for digitisation, and through this trial and evaluation we will be able to demonstrate just how effective this could be. Support for MADE is also being provided by the Association of

There was a productivity loss of £40billion in the same time period, an increase of 0.9% compared to the year before. Chartered Accountants (ACCA). Praising the approach, Claire Bennison, Head of ACCA UK, explains: “We’re pleased to be partnering with Northumbria and Sage as the end results should offer valuable insights on how SMEs can be better supported for national and international success.” Academics from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School will work with experts at Sage over the next 12 months to undertake the trial, which will include 400 accountants and their SME clients across England. The training will

The cost to SMEs of adminrelated tasks equates to an estimated £17,000 a year

be delivered face-to-face and will provide accountants with better digital skills in areas such as app advisory, business data analytics and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Accountants can ﬁnd out more information about the project and register for the trial at northumbria.ac.uk/made

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#TakeOnTomorrow

Northumbria strengthens support for business

Northumbria University has recently announced three new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) as its collaboration with and support for business continues to grow. In the first of the new KTPs, Northumbria is working with leading charity The SportsAid Trust. Academics and PhD students from the University are also partnering with Newcastlebased business services specialist CheaperGroup, and Belfast construction experts ESS Modular. All three projects will run for two years and have received funding support from UK Research and Innovation as part of the Government’s KTP programme. SportsAid helps promising young athletes in the UK with financial support and personal development opportunities during the critical early stages of their careers. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach,

Northumbria academics from Business, Health and Life Sciences and Computer and Information Sciences are working alongside colleagues at SportsAid to develop new ways to support these athletes, and new processes for monitoring performance. Dr Matthew Sutherland, Senior Lecturer at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School and project lead, says SportsAid already provides a hugely valuable service for talented young athletes, especially if they feel vulnerable and a little lost in such a highly competitive environment. He adds: “Through this KTP we can help take our support to an even higher level – and by involving

academics from multiple disciplines we can ensure we take a holistic view to improve and innovate around the full range of services provided.” Colin Allen, Company Supervisor from The SportsAid Trust, believes the timing for the KTP could not be better, explaining: “The sport sector is waking up to its duty of care for athlete welfare and wellbeing, so this new athlete monitoring system could be ‘gamechanging’, helping to facilitate a genuine cultural change. We are looking forward to once again teaming up with Northumbria University to deliver this innovative initiative.” Dr Dimitra Skoumpopoulou, Senior Lecturer at Newcastle

L-R Colin Allen, Dr Sarah Partington, Dr Matt Sutherland, Dr Dimitra Skoumpopoulou, Marie Foalle, Dr Longzhi Yang

“WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO ONCE AGAIN TEAMING UP WITH NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY TO DELIVER THIS INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE.” COLIN ALLEN

Business School and CoSupervisor on the KTP says the new system will enable SportsAid to provide improved support to its young athletes while it will equip them to better understand the challenges athletes face in this highly competitive environment. KTPs aim to help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity by working alongside academics at UK universities to share knowledge, technology and skills, leading to new developments, products and business practices. KTPs are funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK, and are part of the Government’s industrial strategy.

Northumbria has a proven track record of excellence in KTPs across many different industries and sectors. For more information on KTPs and partnering with Northumbria please visit northumbria.ac.uk/ktp

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NEWS

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Transforming care through workforce development DID YOU KNOW? Northumbria University offers a wide range of accredited and non-accredited short courses, specialist training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes that are based on the ground-breaking research of its academic experts. Courses can be delivered locally, nationally and internationally, for individuals or employers with single or multiple learners. For employers with group requirements Northumbria can collaborate with organisations to provide customised CPD programmes, tailored to meet speciﬁc needs. Interested in ﬁnding out more about working with Northumbria? Visit our Continuing Professional Development webpage at northumbria.ac.uk/cpd

Northumbria University’s first cohort of students on the Transforming Care-commissioned Positive Behavioural Support programmes have graduated. Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) is a ‘person-centred’ approach to supporting people with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge. Through assessing the wider context of a person’s behaviour, PBS enables care professionals to develop a deeper understanding of said person’s actions in order to shape a better support package. Recognised as a best practice approach, the overall goal is to improve a person’s quality of life and the lives of people around them, minimising the chances of behaviour that challenges happening in the first place. Historically there has been a lack of guidance and support for people learning about the PBS approach and an absence of nationallyagreed standards about training requirements or qualifications. As

a result, Northumbria University was commissioned to co-develop, co-deliver and evaluate a range of accredited learning programmes in PBS. The project was initiated as part of the Department of Health and Social Care’s national Transforming Care programme, which aims to improve the lives of children, young people and adults with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviours that challenge. Northumbria University, NHS England North East and North Cumbria and the North East and Cumbria Learning Disability Network worked together to adopt a workforce development approach, a method which not only focuses on the education of individuals, but also develops the infrastructure in organisations for Positive Behavioural Support to be

enabled in practice. Dr Anne McNall, former PBS programmes Project Lead and Associate Professor at Northumbria University, led on the innovative workforce development approach used in this project: “Purely training staff in a particular approach is often ineffective and does not lead to sustainable change as it fails to address organisational and other barriers to implementing new practice; this requires whole system change, including the development of new policies, practices, ongoing supervision and support for staff to work in new ways.” The first cohort of 32 graduates studied on the Level 6 or Level 7 programme, meaning they have gained an Advanced Diploma or Post Graduate Certificate

respectively. PBS learning programmes at this level are intended for Practice Leaders who are responsible for encouraging and supporting organisations to use PBS, with another programme available at Level 4 Certificate for staff who lead teams of support workers and family carers. Following an interim evaluation, it is reported that the programmes have resulted in a range of positive impacts at individual, team, organisational and system-wide levels. These include better and more consistent support, reduced behaviours that challenge and improved quality of life. Speaking about the programme, Fiona Kelly, Mencap Area Operations Manager for Redcar and Cleveland, and Level 7 graduate, said: “The course was truly transformative. We thought we knew a lot about PBS, but we learnt so much more, all of which is completely translatable to the workplace. Within our organisation we have already noticed the positive effects of undertaking PBS training.

“THE COURSE WAS TRULY TRANSFORMATIVE. WE THOUGHT WE KNEW A LOT ABOUT PBS, BUT WE LEARNT SO MUCH MORE, ALL OF WHICH IS COMPLETELY TRANSLATABLE TO THE WORKPLACE. WE HAVE ALREADY NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT IS MAKING WITHIN THE ORGANISATION.” FIONA KELLY

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HEALTH

#TakeOnTomorrow

Making life better with age

A SPECIALIST PARKINSON’S NURSE MEETING WITH A PATIENT L-R ANNETTE PANTALL, ALAN CHAN, VALERIE EGDELL, DILEK ONKAL

Northumbria University has been selected to be part of the €2.7 million RISE-WELL project aimed at improving quality of life for an ageing population. The proportion of the world’s population aged 60 or over is set to rise dramatically over the coming decades. By 2050, about 2 billion people are expected to be over 60, representing around 22% of the world’s population, an increase of around 12% compared to the current population. With research showing that older people face many emotional and physical challenges that affect their mental health, the RISE-WELL project seeks to improve the quality of life of the ageing population. It aims to do this by training the next generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers in the area of ageing in relation to quality of life and longevity. A consortium of seven partners, RISE-WELL brings together the work of Professor Dilek Onkal and Dr Valerie Egdell from the Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University, Dr Kianoush Nazarpour from the School of Engineering at Newcastle University and Dr Annette Pantall from the Translational and Clinical Research Institute. As the North East of England cohort, they have received funding for three PhD studentship programmes. Receiving the award, and being

part of the consortium, further cements the North East of England as one of the global leaders for research in this area. Professor Onkal emphasised the importance of the grant for Northumbria University in terms of the social impact the study will have, explaining: “This research will provide us with invaluable insights on supporting and enhancing mental well-being in later life”. The study will be overseen by Dr Alan Chan and coordinated by Professor Mark van Buchem from the Department of Radiology at Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). The research will also involve Professor Eline Slagboom from LUMC. Other consortium members besides LUMC and the North East of England team are TECO Biosciences, Percuros B.V., Innoso B.V. and the Technical University of Zvolen. Funding for the project is from the H2020Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Innovative Training Networks (ITN) program. To ﬁnd out more about the RISE-WELL project, visit risewell.co.uk.

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Examining support for people with Parkinson’s Around 145,000 people in the UK are living with Parkinson’s disease – the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, which currently has no cure. Academics from Northumbria University have begun a major study to examine the support patients receive from Specialist Parkinson’s Nurses. Parkinson’s Disease is a complex condition, with over 40 symptoms including tremor, rigidity and freezing. It affects everyone differently and symptoms can vary day to day, worsening over time. Specially trained Parkinson’s Nurses help patients and their families and carers to manage their medication, as well as providing information, advice and emotional support. In an attempt to evidence the value and extent of support that these specialist nurses provide, the charity Parkinson’s UK has awarded £100,000 to Northumbria University to run a new study. Over the next two years, academics from the University will work with people who have the condition, as well as those supporting them, to find out more about their experiences of their Parkinson’s nurse. Researchers will also meet with specialist nurses to better understand their level of

knowledge regarding appropriate care and support for people with Parkinson’s. Dr Annette Hand, Associate Professor in Nursing, Midwifery and Health, said the study will help us to understand the role and scope of these specialist nurses, as well as the similarities and differences between the different models of nursing. “Our research will have significant relevance to the NHS, Parkinson’s UK, people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones, and will have the potential to inform future practice and processes,” she said. Katherine French of Parkinson’s UK said the funding would provide a large-scale examination of the real impact these nurses are making to the lives of people with Parkinsons, saying: “We hope to identify what truly matters most to inform and shape the ways we can improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s now.”

“WE HOPE TO IDENTIFY WHAT TRULY MATTERS MOST TO INFORM AND SHAPE THE WAYS WE CAN IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH PARKINSON’S NOW.” KATHERINE FRENCH Anyone interested in taking part in the study can find out more at northumbria.ac.uk/ParkinsonsNU

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HEALTH

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Exercising can reduce side effects of cancer therapy Research carried out by a Northumbria University academic has found that aerobic exercise can be effective in reducing negative side effects of a hormone therapy used to treat prostate cancer in men. Androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat prostate cancer. The common therapy can have a range of adverse side effects including weight gain and an increased risk of heart problems – but John Saxton, Professor in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Northumbria University, has found a way to help tackle the symptoms. Professor Saxton undertook a three-month study with 50 men who were due to begin a course of hormone therapy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. During the study, half of the patients received the hormone treatment only, while the other half received the hormone treatment and took part in two supervised aerobic exercise and resistance training sessions a week at the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School. At the end of the study, researchers found that the patients who had taken part in the exercise programme, did

not experience adverse changes in their cardiopulmonary fitness and fatigue levels when compared to those who had not exercised. Professor Saxton explained: “Structured exercise programmes have much to offer people living with and beyond common cancers. Hormone treatments for prostate cancer are known to have undesirable side-effects, which increase a man’s susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. “This research shows that some of the harmful side-effects of hormone therapy are reduced in men who begin to exercise regularly around the same time that these drugs are prescribed. “Our findings have important implications for the quality of prostate cancer survival.” Professor Saxton is currently co-leading a major national research trial to see if patients can benefit from a structured exercise programme before and after major abdominal surgery

for bowel cancer. The trial, which is funded by the National Institute of Health Research, is scheduled to recruit over 1,000 patients at more than 20 hospitals across the country. Professor Saxton is also co-leading a study funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research aimed at helping breast cancer patients achieve and maintain a healthy weight following treatment to reduce their risk of the disease recurring.

“OUR FINDINGS HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE QUALITY OF PROSTATE CANCER SURVIVAL.” DISCOVER MORE

PROFESSOR JOHN SAXTON

northumbria.ac.uk/ser

Hearts set on new approach to life-saving cardiac care Experts from Northumbria and Sheffield Hallam universities have launched a new research project which aims to increase patient uptake of cardiac rehabilitation programmes in the NHS. Cardiac rehabilitation is designed to help patients recover after a cardiac event or procedure, and can involve exercise sessions, dietary advice, education about their condition, and psychological support. It also helps patients better understand their medication, raising awareness of factors that could increase the risk of future heart problems, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. Currently, patients who have had a cardiac event are usually offered a one-size-fits-all rehabilitation

package, but figures show that only 52% of people in the UK who are eligible for these services actually use them. The NHS plans to increase uptake of support to 85% in the next 10 years. It is estimated that by hitting this ambitious target, the new cardiac rehabilitation programme could save up to 19,500 lives and prevent 49,000 hospital admissions within the same period. Researchers from Northumbria, Sheffield Hallam, the British Heart Foundation and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals are working

together to deliver a project that will identify which services patients would prefer to receive and how they would like to receive them. Funded by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System, the project will recruit 300 cardiac patients to fill an online questionnaire and attend followup interviews. The questionnaire is being designed by academics at Northumbria and Sheffield Hallam Universities, led by Dr Alasdair O’Doherty, Senior

Lecturer in Exercise Physiology and Health at Northumbria. The information gathered from the project will then be used to help design a new rehabilitation programme aimed at increasing engagement, uptake and completion.

Above: L-R: John Macgowan, Alasdair O’Doherty, Jessica Eagelton, Lisa Wilkins, Simon Nichols, Paul Stern, Prof. Des Breen, Jo Adams.

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HEALTH

#TakeOnTomorrow

Northumbria academics over the moon with space exhibition A permanent space exhibition that features research from Northumbria University has launched at Newcastle’s Life Science Centre.

“THE IDEA OF THE ASTRONAUT REHAB AREA IS TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES DEVELOPED AROUND SPACE MEDICINE AND ASTRONAUT HEALTH AND TO SHOW HOW IT CAN HELP IMPROVE MEDICAL PRACTICE ON EARTH FOR EVERYONE.” ANDREW WINNARD

Officially launched by Britain’s first astronaut, Helen Sharman, Space Zone brings space exploration to life. The exhibition invites visitors to launch their own rockets, climb inside a mock-up model of part of the International Space Station, touch a genuine Moon rock and watch enlightening demos on a digital globe. Guests can also discover how we’re already using space technology in our everyday lives and learn how the future of space exploration is being shaped right here in the North East. Development of the new attraction at the Life Science Centre has involved more than 150 scientists, engineers and space experts, including several research academics from Northumbria’s Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation.

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION

LIFT OFF! SPARKS FLEW AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH EVENT OF SPACE ZONE.

ASTRONAUT REHAB Astronaut Rehab is an area of Space Zone that showcases the human spaceflight research conducted in Northumbria University’s Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation (AMR) Laboratory, led by Professor Nick Caplan. Driven by Professor Caplan’s growing research team, including Dr Andrew Winnard, Dr Enrico De Martino and PhD students Kirsty Lindsay, Jonathan Laws and Patrick Swain, the AMR Lab has become a world leader in the field of spinal changes and back pain rehabilitation in astronauts. A fully interactive display,

Astronaut Rehab comprises three activities: a balance trainer; a core strength challenge; and the opportunity to try out a specially created museumfriendly version of the Functional Re-adaptive Exercise Device (FRED). FRED is an anti-gravity exercise device designed to

train the muscles that help control a stable spine and pelvis during all types of normal daily movements in order to aid astronaut muscle rehabilitation after space missions. Dr Andrew Winnard, Lecturer in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and lead of the Aerospace Medicine Systematic Group within the wider AMR Lab, consulted on the Astronaut Rehab exhibition. Dr Winnard

explains: “While in space, astronauts float in microgravity for several months, not needing to use their postural muscles, which become smaller and weaker. This can lead to back pain and risks of prolapsed discs when astronauts return to Earth and have to stand upright against gravity again. “The idea of the Astronaut Rehab area is to help people understand the technology and techniques developed around space medicine and astronaut health and to show how it can help improve medical practice on Earth for everyone.”

Other academics from Northumbria’s departments of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Computer and Information Sciences and the Northumbria Law School also contributed to the new Space Zone exhibition. Dr Chris Newman, Professor in Space Law, was a member of the advisory group who consulted on the project, sharing their expertise and ideas. Helping to tackle common gender and socio-economic misconceptions surrounding space careers, Space Zone also features life-size profiles of people who work in this field, including PhD student Kirsty Lindsay, who features as a great example of women working in STEM and human spaceflight at Northumbria. Space Zone has been supported through the Inspiring Science Fund, a scheme which is co-funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome. Additional support has been provided by The Garfield Weston Foundation, the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust and the UK Space Agency. The Life Science Centre is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Updates, including information on when it plans to re-open, will be displayed on the centre’s website: life.org.uk Find out more about Northumbria’s Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation Laboratory at aerospacemed.rehab

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HEALTH

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

UK’s first ever nursing degree apprentices join the frontline Some of the 18-month nursing degree apprentices undergoing their training in Northumbria University’s Clinical Skills Centre.

The first graduates of the UK’s first ever Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship scheme have joined the frontline at Newcastle Hospitals during the global pandemic. The cohort of eight apprentices were first to join a new programme developed by Northumbria University and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in September 2018. As they had already worked in a variety of roles in the Trust, the trainees were able to complete the short 18-month course rather than the standard two to four years, due to their previous clinical experience. However, instead of the usual induction to nursing, the graduates are now putting their skills to good use on the frontline of Newcastle’s Freeman and the Royal Victoria Infirmary hospitals. They have taken up roles working on

Critical Care, Cardiothoracic and Endoscopy wards, as well as helping with the COVID-19 response. Dr Debbie Porteous, Head of the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, said: “The structure of this specialist nursing degree apprenticeship programme moved away from traditional separate blocks of theory and clinical practice to a more blended approach. We wish our graduates every success as they move into their new careers. The circumstances right now may be challenging, but we know they are focused, caring, determined and will be a credit to the nursing profession.” Graduate Wendy Parry, now

a Critical Care Nurse, said: “It’s quite nerve-racking to start at such an unprecedented time, but I am so proud to be able to do my bit in the fight against coronavirus. The degree apprenticeship scheme is a great opportunity to use your background experience and skills to improve and develop your nursing career further.” Mauyra Cushlow, Executive Chief Nurse at Newcastle Hospitals said that the apprenticeship programme enabled the trust to grow its own workforce, saying that it empowered and supported their talented Healthcare Assistants to develop and qualify as registered nurses. “Our nursing graduate apprentices will be

“THE CIRCUMSTANCES RIGHT NOW MAY BE CHALLENGING, BUT WE KNOW THEY ARE FOCUSED, CARING, DETERMINED AND WILL BE A CREDIT TO THE NURSING PROFESSION.” DEBBIE PORTEOUS

directly involved in hands-on clinical with patients from day one and they should be highly commended for entering the profession at this challenging time,” she said. “They will be fully supported in their roles by our nursing teams and their peers and we are incredibly proud of them.” Dr Porteous added: “We have been genuinely delighted by the success of this programme –– and we look forward to similar success in our ongoing partnership with other Trusts and cohorts.” Thanks to the success of this first partnership – and the first 18-month degree apprenticeship to run in the UK – the University is now

working with other NHS Trusts to deliver further nursing degree apprenticeship schemes. Academics at Northumbria are also undertaking a longitudinal research study that has followed the students throughout their course and is ongoing as they begin their new careers. For more information on nursing, midwifery and health courses at Northumbria University, visit northumbria. ac.uk/nmh

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ENVIRONMENT

#TakeOnTomorrow

Smarter electric vehicles for cleaner greener cities KEY FACTS

More than

72,700

electric cars were sold during 2019 – 13,000 more than in 2018.

“WHAT WE ARE SUGGESTING IS A CHANGE IN HOW WE THINK ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES, TO MAKE USE OF THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO ADD VALUE AND REDUCE COSTS.” DR RICHARD KOTTER

By the end of 2019 there were

265,000 plug-in cars and

8,700

plug-in vans registered in the UK

A change in the way electric vehicles are charged could be part of the solution to tackling climate change, as academics from Northumbria University have been finding out. Concerns about climate change and urban air pollution mean cities around the world are looking at ways to reduce their carbon emissions. An increase in the number of people swapping petrol and diesel cars for electric vehicles (EVs) is an obvious example of how this could be achieved. However, this would inevitably lead to an increase in electricity usage. Addressing where this electricity comes from is essential in ensuring cities are limiting their environmental impact. By reducing the population’s reliance on CO2intensive electricity from the National Grid, and increasing the amount of renewable energy generated locally, cities could dramatically reduce their carbon

output. Now researchers from Northumbria University, working with European colleagues, have made key advances in a new approach which would help cities achieve their carbon reduction targets and also ensure energy is generated during vehicle ‘downtime’. Their proposals involve using renewable energy such as solar from photovoltaic panels to charge electric vehicles during the day. The energy is then stored in the vehicle’s battery, with any excess being fed back into the grid during the evening, reducing the owner’s reliance on fossil fuel-generated power. As Richard Kotter, of Northumbria’s Department of Geography and Environmental

Sciences, explains: “What we are suggesting is a change in how we think about electric vehicles, to make use of them in different ways to add value and reduce costs. Let’s not look at them only as a form of transportation but also as a method of short-term energy storage - using them to exchange or trade energy where beneficial. Most vehicles are idle for much of the day, as well as in the evenings and at weekends, and are typically only used during peak times during the morning and afternoon for commuting. We are proposing that the EV battery could be charged from renewable energy while the vehicle is not in use, with that surplus energy then used to power other appliances, whether that is in the home,

businesses or across the city, when it is most needed.” Dr Kotter is developing the system, known as Vehicle for Energy Services (V4ES), with Northumbria colleague Professor Ghanim Putrus and a team of researchers, also based at the University. It has been funded through the €5m Smart, Clean Energy and Electric Vehicles for the City (SEEV4-City) research project, and is also supported through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund. The aim now is to explore regulatory and policy support for the system at European, national and regional level, as well as finding ways to encourage organisations and consumers to

Source: nextgreencar.com adopt the technology required for this approach in future. As Dr Kotter explains: “This technology is still in the early stages but we know there is an increasing desire, as well as a statutory obligation, to tackle climate change in our cities. Electric vehicles will play a large part in this and so harnessing them to capture locally produced renewable energy could play a huge part in reducing air pollution and climate change.” Find out more about the SEEV4City project at northsearegion. eu/seev4-city/about/

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ENVIRONMENT

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

A CORN FIELD AT SUNRISE, TOLEDO DISTRICT, BELIZE. CREDIT: RAQUEL CHUN.

Caves provides clues to changing temperatures A Northumbria University palaeoclimatologist is exploring caves around the world to unearth new evidence about how the planet’s climate has changed over time. Stalagmites and stalactites, the mineral formations found growing from the ceilings and floors of caves, are fascinating to see. But they also give an insight into what the climate of our planet was like at a given moment in time – hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The icicle-shaped features form slowly over many years, as water carrying mineral deposits drips from the roofs of caves to the floor. The composition of the water varies depending on the climatic conditions at the time. By examining the chemical makeup at different points in the stalactite’s structure, scientists can therefore build a picture of how our climate has changed and predict future changes. Dr Sebastian Breitenbach of Northumbria’s Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences has explored caves in countries such as Germany, Siberia, India and New Zealand, examining the chemical composition of stalagmites and

stalactites to reconstruct past environmental and climate conditions. He has recently been involved in two major research projects which have provided evidence of changes to the Earth’s climate over thousands of years. The first project took place in Belize, Central America, which is part of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) – a critical rainfall belt found near the equator. By examining stalactites from a cave in the area, the research team were able to discover how much rain had fallen in the region over the past 1,600 years, and then compare this with existing rainfall data from other locations. This revealed that the ITCZ expands in a cooler climate and then contracts, or shrinks, as temperatures increase. As a result, areas of the northern tropics like Central America could experience drier conditions, leading to crop failure and possible famine. Belize is currently in a state

of drought, and the research suggests that future warming will increase the likelihood and frequency of droughts, putting the lives of billions of people at risk. The research has been published in the journal Science Advances. Dr Breitenbach has also been involved in a research project in Siberia, exploring the role that summer sea ice plays in stabilising permafrost and its large store of carbon. Permafrost is land that remains frozen throughout the year, storing vast amounts of carbon underground. It covers nearly a quarter of the land in the Northern Hemisphere and plays an important role

in stabilising climate change, holding twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. In contrast, summer sea ice is frozen sea water which floats on the ocean’s surface, forming in winter then retreating in summer. Dr Breitenbach has been working with a team of scientists to examine the relationships between the amount of summer sea ice in the ocean and the rate at which permafrost is melting. They are also exploring the impact the melting permafrost may have as the carbon held within it is released into the air. The team have examined stalagmites and stalactites within caves situated beneath an area of permafrost in Siberia.

They found the stalagmites in the caves grew intermittently from 1.5 million to 400,000 years before the present day and have not grown since, due to the overlying land being frozen. Interestingly, the period during which there was no permafrost does not simply relate to times when global temperatures were higher but is more closely linked with times when the Arctic Ocean was free of summer sea ice. The researchers say this relationship between Arctic sea ice and permafrost could be due to several processes. The absence of sea ice leads to an increase in heat and moisture transfer from ocean to atmosphere, meaning warmer air is transported far overland into Siberia. Moisture transport also increases snowfall over Siberia during the autumn months. This blanket of snow insulates the ground from the extreme cold of winters, leading to an increase in average annual ground temperatures which destabilises the permafrost. Consequently, in regions with increased snow cover and insulation, permafrost will start to thaw, releasing carbon dioxide that was trapped for millennia. Find out more about Dr Breitenbach’s work at northumbria.ac.uk/breitenbach

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ENVIRONMENT

#TakeOnTomorrow

First evidence proves impact of climate change in Antarctica A researcher from Northumbria University has provided the world’s first quantifiable evidence that an increased amount of Antarctica’s ice is flowing into the ocean due to the thinning of the continents’ ice shelves. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is surrounded by floating ice shelves which push against the land-based ice and hold it in place like a safety band. Satellite measurements taken over the last 25 years have shown significant changes in the thickness of these ice shelves. Although scientists had already suggested that these thinning ice sheets were causing a direct loss of ice from the land into the ocean, there was no data-based evidence that could prove this until now. Hilmar Gudmundsson, Professor of Glaciology and an expert in modelling the behaviour of ice sheets, led the first ever continent-wide study to assess the impact the thinning ice shelves are having on the flow of ice in Antarctica. Working with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, he used a

state-of-the-art ice-flow model he developed at Northumbria, together with newly available measurements of changes in the geometry of ice shelves, to calculate the changes in grounded ice flow. The team were particularly keen to identify how much ice flowed across the ‘grounding line’ – the point where the land-based ice sheet meets the sea-based ice shelves. And when they compared their modelled results with those obtained by satellites over the last 25 years, they found ‘striking and robust’ similarities in the pattern of ice flowing from the ice sheet into the ocean. The largest impact was found in West Antarctica, which already makes a significant contribution to sea level change. They found evidence of changes in ice flow almost 100 miles inland on Pine Island Glacier, showing

that the impact spreads much further from the coast than we might have expected. A further critical element of the findings was the speed at which the ice is flowing from the sheet into the ocean due to the thinning ice shelves. As Professor Gudmundsson explains: “Generally, we distinguish between an instantaneous response or a delayed, transient response. Our study shows the thinning of the ice shelves results in a significant instantaneous response to ice flow and ongoing mass loss. This means that we are not protected against the impact of the Antarctic Ice Sheet on global sea levels by a long response time.” The findings were published in the influential journal Geophysical Research Letters and attracted widespread global media attention. The BBC science correspondent, Jonathan

Amos, recognised the importance of the study, saying: “It’s always a powerful message when a model predicts what can be seen in the observations. Ice shelves are like the great flying buttresses in Gothic cathedrals. If they collapse, the whole edifice is in danger of coming down.” Northumbria has a growing international reputation for its glaciology research and has received significant funding in recent years to undertake research on changes to Antarctica’s environment. Find out more about our research in these areas by visiting northumbria. ac.uk/extremeenvironments

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“IT’S ALWAYS A POWERFUL MESSAGE WHEN A MODEL PREDICTS WHAT CAN BE SEEN IN THE OBSERVATIONS. ICE SHELVES ARE LIKE THE GREAT FLYING BUTTRESSES IN GOTHIC CATHEDRALS. IF THEY COLLAPSE, THE WHOLE EDIFICE IS IN DANGER OF COMING DOWN.” JONATHAN AMOS, BBC

SUSTAINABILITY

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Northumbria wins at sustainability Northumbria University’s Student Law Office establish themselves in sustainability as they win a prestigious Green Gown Award for the UK and Ireland for its transformational approach to community engagement. As the climate crisis escalates at a rapid pace, sustainability is now more important than ever. The prestigious Green Gown Awards highlight the innovative and inspiring sustainability work across universities and colleges to create a brighter future for their students. At the latest awards ceremony, Northumbria Universities Student Law Office was applauded for its transformational work, winning the “Benefitting Society” category. This category recognises the powerful and innovative ways education institutions are benefitting the lives of individuals, communities and wider society. Northumbria is acknowledged as having one of the most pioneering student law offices, where law students undertake free legal work on behalf of real clients. Over the past 10 years, students have recovered over £1.5 million in compensation on behalf of more than 2,500 clients. The judges described Northumbria’s entry as great example of what a university can achieve for social cohesion in

MEMBERS OF THE NORTHUMBRIA STUDENT LAW OFFICE

the local community. Stating the project has “transformational impact on those involved. It’s impressive to achieve so much with so little resource”. Associate Professor and Director of the Student Law Office at Northumbria, Paul McKeown, said: “Winning a Green Gown Award is a superb achievement and recognises the contribution Northumbria makes to the values and benefits of clinical legal education – both for our students and for the clients they serve. Being part of

our Student Law Office enriches the learning experience and career prospects of our students and provides access to justice for many vulnerable clients in need those who would otherwise have nowhere else to turn for help.” Recognition in the Green Gown Awards marks another achievement in a very successful year in sustainability at Northumbria. The University was named the fourth most sustainable University in the UK in the People & Planet League earlier in the year and hit the

ambitious carbon reduction target set in 2010 a year early. Northumbria has an ongoing commitment to supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. To discover how the University supports each of the goals, visit northumbria.ac.uk/ sustainability

DISCOVER MORE northumbria.ac.uk/slo

DID YOU KNOW? OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, THE STUDENT LAW OFFICE AT NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY HAVE REPRESENTED MORE THAN 2,500 CLIENTS, RECOVERING OVER £1.5MILLION.

Campus looking sharp for hedgehog guests Northumbria University has achieved a bronze Hedgehog Friendly Campus accreditation as part of its wider sustainability work. Hedgehog numbers have declined by 50% since 2000 and in response to this, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) has launched the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign, encouraging the UK’s universities to help. Northumbria University has been participating in the campaign to protect our prickly friends and, having already gained bronze level accreditation, are well on their way to achieving silver.

Members of the public can also get involved in helping to protect one of the UK’s much loved, native mammals. • Create a hedgehog haven in your garden with a small pile of twigs or leaves • Make sure they aren’t going hungry by providing some food and water • Record your hedgehog lodgers on the Big Hedgehog Map website • If you see a hedgehog in trouble, contact the British Hedgehog Society on 01584 890 801 To find out more about the initiative and how Northumbria is working to achieve a silver accreditation, please visit northumbria.ac.uk/hedgehog

HEDGEHOG NUMBERS HAVE DECLINED BY 50% SINCE 2000. DISCOVER MORE northumbria.ac.uk/sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY

#TakeOnTomorrow

Imagining ethical business

PAUL POLMAN KBE

International sustainability champion Paul Polman KBE has challenged corporate heads to step-up and take an ethical lead in a recent public lecture at Northumbria University, Newcastle. The former Chief Executive of global consumer goods company Unilever gave the lecture as part of a visit to the University, during which he also conducted a Masterclass for MBA students. His lecture, Capitalism’s Reinvention, was delivered on behalf of Northumbria University and the North East Initiative of Business Ethics (NIBE), and attracted business leaders, academics, students and members of the public. It explored how the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals can drive a new market, where purpose delivers profit and business plays a key role in tackling runaway climate change and global poverty. Mr Polman, who is an Honorary Graduate of Northumbria, retired as Chief Executive of Unilever after a decade of challenging business norms. During his tenure Unilever doubled its share price at the same time as shifting its agenda towards sustainability and global development. After retirement Mr Polman co-founded `IMAGINE’ - a foundation set up to encourage “heroic chief executives” to lead their

organisations in ways that will achieve the UN Sustainability Goals. Mr Polman used his public lecture at Northumbria to argue that society cannot wait for governments to face the connected challenges of climate crisis and extreme poverty. Instead he said the rest of us have to step-up, especially the heads of big business who wield significant private power. The lecture was part of an annual series of free business ethics events organised by Northumbria University and NIBE. Ron Beadle, Professor in Organisation and Business Ethics at Northumbria, says it was a clear highlight of the year, adding: “Paul Polman’s Masterclass session for our MBA students was an equally insightful and valuable learning experience.” Northumbria has worked closely with Unilever through collaborative research on areas such as sustainable packaging, and through student internships and placements.

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Soaring towards carbon neutral Northumbria has dramatically reduced its carbon emissions, surpassing ambitious targets in the last four years, to bring it closer to its carbon neutral goal. Solar energy, LED lighting and reduced water consumption are among some of the emission busting tactics which have helped the University decrease its carbon emissions by 48% over the last four years, surpassing its targets set in 2010. As a result, Northumbria exceeded it’s 2020 target a year early – achieving a 38% reduction against the original target of 32.5%. “The impressive reductions are the result of the commitment Northumbria has made to carbon emissions, with £4million investment in energy-saving and low-carbon technologies, and the staff and students across the University taking action to reduce energy use every day” said Keith Slater, Carbon Manager for Northumbria University. The University is now aiming for a further 43% reduction to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Northumbria’s plans will be outlined in its next Carbon Management Plan for 2020-2030.

The past year has marked other significant milestones in the University’s sustainability. It was named the fourth most sustainable University in the UK in the 2019 People & Planet League. In January 2019, Northumbria also became a member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) placing the University within a diverse network of students, researchers and other higher education institutions across the world, working towards supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To discover how the University supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, visit northumbria.ac.uk/sustainability

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“THE AMAZING REDUCTIONS ARE THE RESULT OF THE COMMITMENT THE UNIVERSITY HAS MADE TO CARBON EMISSIONS, WITH £4MILLION OF INVESTMENT IN ENERGY- SAVING AND LOW- CARBON TECHNOLOGIES, AND THE STAFF AND STUDENTS ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY WHO TAKE ACTIONS TO REDUCE ENERGY USE EVERY DAY.” KEITH SLATER

northumbria.ac.uk/geography

KEY FACTS Reducing the amount of energy required and reducing energy waste

Ensuring the systems in place operate as efficiently as possible

Adding renewable energy to decarbonise the energy used

CULTURE

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Student sculpts way to shortlist

JADE BOOTH-MALONE

Jade Booth-Malone, a third-year Fine Art student at Northumbria University, is among eleven artists shortlisted for the Gillian Dickinson North East Young Sculptor (GDNEYS) Award 2020. The GDNEYS Award is a collaboration between Cheeseburn, an art exhibition space based at Cheeseburn Grange in Northumberland; and The Gillian Dickinson Trust, which supports small charities in the North East. The award encourages local young artists to submit proposals for an installation at Cheeseburn Sculpture. The shortlisted artists are receiving mentorship and funding to develop their proposal. The proposals will be judged by independent artists and members of the public, as well as representatives from Cheeseburn and The Gillian Dickinson Trust. The winner will receive £6,500 to develop their installation, which will be displayed in 2021. Commenting on being shortlisted, Jade said: “I am really excited for this fantastic opportunity. It is a great challenge and I look forward to seeing how my ideas make an impact!”

Dr Judy Thomas, Senior Lecturer of Fine Art at Northumbria University, added: “We are delighted Jade has been shortlisted for this wonderful opportunity. The GDNEYS Award holds incredible prestige; the shortlist position demonstrates the excellent quality of ideas and practice Jade has applied across her time as an undergraduate in the Fine Art department.” It is hoped that visitors will be able to view the 11 shortlisted artists’ proposals and vote for their favourite during two open weekends, due to take place at Cheeseburn this August. The winner of last year’s GDNEYS Award was Northumbria Fine Art graduate Bethan Williams. Her proposal, entitled Beatrix and Her Friends on Tour is due to be displayed at Cheesburn this year. Find out more at cheeseburn.com

“WE ARE DELIGHTED JADE HAS BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. THE GDNEYS AWARD HOLDS INCREDIBLE PRESTIGE; THE SHORTLIST POSITION DEMONSTRATES THE EXCELLENT QUALITY OF IDEAS AND PRACTICE JADE HAS APPLIED ACROSS HER TIME AS AN UNDERGRADUATE IN THE FINE ART DEPARTMENT.” DR JUDY THOMAS

DISCOVER MORE northumbria.ac.uk/arts

DR STACEY PITSILLIDES PICTURED AT THE LOVE AFTER DEATH EXHIBITION

Exploring your digital life after death Members of the public were invited to reconsider how they think about death thanks to a unique installation, created by a Northumbria University academic The subject of death has fascinated people across the ages. Approaches to death and the dead have varied over time, from the Egyptian practice of placing items in a tomb with the deceased to benefit them in the afterlife, to the Victorian practice of taking photographs of loved ones after they die. This changing response was the subject of the Love after Death exhibition, created by Northumbria University’s Dr Stacey Pitsillides, who researches how technology and design can impact our understanding of death. As well as charting past, present and future ways of dealing with death, the exhibition also explored how the digital data we collect throughout our lives, such as

photos, videos and posts on social media channels, could allow our memories to live on after we die. Visitors to the exhibition were invited to find out more about some of the diverse practices and opinions surrounding death from around the world and throughout history. Examples included ‘safety coffins’ – used during the 18th and 19th centuries to prevent people being buried alive, as well as lesser-known current practices such as ‘reef balls’ – created by mixing ashes with concrete to form a ball, which sits on the sea bed and provides a habitat for marine life. Future approaches were also explored, such as adding QR codes to gravestones which would allow people to view digital content

“TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS US TO LEAVE BEHIND A DIGITAL LEGACY, TO LIVE ON THROUGH THE MEMORIES WE HAVE CREATED DURING OUR LIVES. BUT HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE MATERIAL LEFT BEHIND BY THOSE WE LOVE IN A RESPECTFUL WAY THAT IS NOT OVERWHELMING FOR US?” DR STACEY PITSILLIDES

such as photos when scanned. The exhibition aimed to address some of the reservations people might have when talking about death, and to explore how technology can help us to plan for death in the 21st century. As Dr Pitsillides explains: “Technology allows us to leave behind a digital legacy, to live on through the memories we have created during our lives.” The Love After Death exhibition was held as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Sciences. You can ﬁnd out more by visiting loveafterdeath.co.uk

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The art of conservation The secret history of centuries-old paintings are being revealed for the first time thanks to the skills and expertise of Northumbria University art conservators – and often with very surprising results. When Nicky Grimaldi first laid eyes on a 400-year-old painting depicting the beheading of Saint John the Baptist, she was unaware of the secret it was hiding underneath. As a Senior Lecturer in Conservation of Fine Art, Nicky specialises in examining old and often damaged works of art, finding out more about their history and explaining how to protect them in the future. But while carrying out an initial x-ray of the beheading painting, she was surprised to discover another image underneath. Featuring angels with halos, a baby in a manger and the outline of what appears to be a stable building, the image was undeniably a nativity scene. As Nicky explains: “The first stage when inspecting a painting for conservation purposes is to carry out an x-ray to assess the condition of the painting and its frame. It was while carrying out this initial x-ray that we realised there was more to this particular painting than we originally thought.” The beheading painting is believed to be around 400 years old and was bought by The Bowes Museum founders John and Joséphine Bowes in the 19th century. It is painted in a late medieval style and probably formed part of a larger altar piece. As was typical of the era, it is painted onto a piece of canvas spread over a large panel made from planks of wood. However, this wooden structure had deteriorated over the years, so curators at The Bowes Museum sent the painting to Northumbria so the damage could be assessed. It was then the nativity painting was discovered.

Left: Nicky Grimaldi and Michelle Carlin pictured with images of The Death of Lucretia at The Bowes Museum.

Left: The painting of Saint John the Baptist as it appears today, the x-ray image with the figures outlined in orange, and just the outlines.

Art Conservator Nicky worked alongside forensic scientist Dr Michelle Carlin to determine more about the painting’s age and background. This was not the first time the pair have combined their skills to uncover the history of a painting. Last year they examined The Death of Lucretia – a work of art owned by The Bowes Museum since the 1840s which went on display as part of an exhibition dedicated to the works of Italian Baroque master Guido Reni. Using state-of-the-art technology and techniques, they were able to look under the top layer of paint on the Lucretia painting, and again discovered a very different painting underneath. With the aid of forensic techniques such as chemical analysis of the paint

pigment, the pair were able to identify when the different layers were painted and start to put together a picture of how and when the painting we see today was created. “When we first started working on this painting we had no idea what lay beneath, it was quite a revelation to find that there was essentially a whole other painting under the one we see today,” said Nicky. “The torso in the current version has been completely changed at some point, in the original version Lucretia was depicted wearing an elaborate bodice, which is now hidden. We believe the original version was probably left incomplete but was then likely significantly repainted in the nineteenth century, before being sold through an art dealer

in London and then arriving at Bowes Museum.” Chemical analysis of paint from the different layers has helped to date the painting, with the earlier paint containing much coarser particles than the paint added later. As Dr Michelle Carlin explains: “There was a clear difference in the particle size between the layers. The paint added at a later date was produced post-industrialisation, by which time the process had become mechanised, meaning the particles were ground much finer. In contrast the particles in the paint underneath were much less refined.” Find out more about both these investigations at northumbria. ac.uk/nativity and northumbria.ac.uk/lucretia

“WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WORKING ON THIS PAINTING WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT LAY BENEATH, IT WAS QUITE A REVELATION TO FIND THAT THERE WAS ESSENTIALLY A WHOLE OTHER PAINTING UNDER THE ONE WE SEE TODAY.” NICKY GRIMALDI

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Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Cornish revealed An exhibition at Northumbria University gave an intimate insight into the life and work of the celebrated painter Norman Cornish. RIGHT AND BELOW: Some of the original paintings and sketches by Norman Cornish which featured in the exhibition.

PROFESSOR JEAN BROWN AND PHD STUDENT LUCAS FERGUSON-SHARP

Northumbria’s connection with pitman painter Norman Cornish dates back to the 1980s, when the County Durham artist donated a large body of work to the University. Over the years this collection – the largest anywhere in the world – has been the centre of research by staff and students. For the first time their findings, along with neverbefore-seen sketches, journals, letters and paintings by Cornish, went on display in the Cornish Revealed exhibition. Professor Jean Brown is director of Northumbria’s University Gallery and one of the UK’s

foremost authorities on the life and work of Norman Cornish. She has been researching the Cornish archive held at Northumbria. Speaking about the exhibition, she explained: “Cornish Revealed brought together pieces from our own collection, as well as others on long term loan, to really examine the techniques and materials Cornish used in his work. As well as finished paintings we also examined a whole variety of materials, including initial sketches, notes, letters and other personal items which, together, give us a much clearer picture of

his development as an artist.” PhD student Lucas FergusonSharp has been working alongside Professor Brown to explore Cornish’s practice, materials and techniques. Originally from Canada, Lucas was drawn to Cornish’s ability to capture the world around him, including the nuances of everyday life, social interaction and labour; themes that remain relevant to a wide audience. As he explains: “Norman Cornish’s unique artistic voice derives from his self-taught nature and unending enthusiasm to create art. During his lifetime he was

sometimes criticized for lacking an art school education and yet that has not handicapped the quality of his work due to a combination of his innate ability and the fact that he taught himself by studying the works of some of the world’s greatest artists. The evidence for this can be seen in the vast collection of art books and journals which he collected throughout his life. Our research aims to uncover the techniques, materials and artistic practice that Norman Cornish utilised, and to contextualise Cornish’s artwork in a larger national and international art historical context.” Cornish Revealed was part of a year-long series series of events which took place to mark the 100th anniversary of Cornish’s birth. Born in Spennymoor in 1919, Cornish left school at the age of 14 to work as a coal miner. He had always been interested in drawing and painting and joined a local sketching club to develop his skills.

Through this, he met other likeminded artists and began exhibiting his work, and in 1966 he decided to leave the pits to focus on painting professionally, going on to become one of the most sought-after contemporary painters in the country. Find out more about his life and work at normancornish.com

DISCOVER MORE northumbria.ac.uk/arts

“CORNISH REVEALED BROUGHT TOGETHER PIECES FROM OUR OWN COLLECTION AS WELL AS OTHERS ON LONG TERM LOAN TO REALLY EXAMINE THE TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS CORNISH USED IN HIS WORK.” PROFESSOR JEAN BROWN

CULTURE

#TakeOnTomorrow

Continents connected through cultural collaboration

Below: New cultural and educational partnerships with Yunnan

Cultural and educational links between the UK and China have been strengthened following the announcement of a new partnership between Northumbria University and two Chinese cultural institutions. Northumbria University, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, is developing a new partnership with Yunnan Provincial Museum and Yunnan Art Gallery, in Kunming, Yunnan in South West China. Over the coming years the organisations will establish new research collaborations, artist and collection exchange programmes and opportunities for academics and students in both cities. One of the partnership’s outcomes will be the establishment of The International Research Centre for History and Culture of Nanzhao & Dali Kingdoms. The centre will bring together art experts from both countries to carry out research into important historical artefacts from the region.

“NORTHUMBRIA IS AN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY. WE HAVE DEVELOPED STRONG LINKS WITH CHINA IN RECENT YEARS AND ARE DELIGHTED TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN OUR LINKS THROUGH THESE TWO EXCITING NEW PARTNERSHIPS.” PROFESSOR ANDREW WATHEY CBE

The partnership is supported by Northumbria University alumnus and keen art collector Wee Teng Woon through the Woon Brothers Foundation. Speaking about the partnership, Mr Woon said: “These collaborations bring Chinese art and culture, both ancient and modern, to the UK, particularly the North East. They help to foster better understanding and build closer relationships

between China and the UK. They are indeed ground-breaking developments in art, culture and education under the initiative of ‘One Belt One Road’ of President Xi. Our Woon Brothers Foundation is proud to have helped and to give funding.” Reflecting on the new collaboration, Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria

University, said: “Northumbria is an international university. We have developed strong links with China in recent years, welcoming students and developing partnerships with Chinese universities, delivering collaborative teaching and research programmes. We are delighted to further strengthen our links through these two exciting new partnerships.

We are particularly pleased to be working alongside our alumnus Wee Teng Woon, whose passion for art has inspired these new opportunities between Yunnan and Northumbria.” Find out more about this story at northumbria.ac.uk/yunnan

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Dancing on the Tyne Music and dances composed by an 18th-century dancing master were brought back to life during humanities research festival Being Human. Originally from Edinburgh, dance teacher Abraham Mackintosh moved to Newcastle in 1797, drawing inspiration from the people and places of Tyneside in his dances and music. During the late 1700s, Scottish dancing was a fashionable past-time in the North East and Mackintosh counted some of Newcastle’s most important families among his pupils. A collection of his music, housed at Newcastle’s Lit & Phil, went on display as part of the Dancing on the Tyne exhibition, organised by music academics from Northumbria University as part of Being Human, the UK’s only national festival of the humanities.

The festival involves hundreds of universities and cultural attractions, with Northumbria University holding four events as part of last year’s programme. Visitors to the Dancing on the Tyne exhibition were able to find out more about why Scottish dancing became popular in the North East, and how being closer to Edinburgh than London helped shape Newcastle’s cultural heritage and identity. There was also an opportunity for people to don their dance shoes and have a go at performing some of Mackintosh’s dances and tunes. Senior Lecturer and music historian Dr Katherine Butler believes the interactive nature of the exhibition allowed people

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: DR RACHAEL DURKIN, JAMES SMITH AND DR KATHERINE BUTLER to connect with Newcastle’s musical past. She said: “The theme of this latest Being Human festival was ‘Discoveries and Secrets’ and so it seemed the perfect opportunity to unearth this wonderful collection of music and dances, that has such a strong link to the North East, and bring it back to life”. Find out more about Dancing on the Tyne and the other events organised by Northumbria as part of the Being Human Festival at northumbria.ac.uk/ beinghuman

DISCOVER MORE northumbria.ac.uk/music

“THE THEME OF THIS LATEST BEING HUMAN FESTIVAL WAS ‘DISCOVERIES AND SECRETS’ AND SO IT SEEMED THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO UNEARTH THIS WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF MUSIC AND DANCES, THAT HAS SUCH A STRONG LINK TO THE NORTH EAST, AND BRING IT BACK TO LIFE.” DR KATHERINE BUTLER

BUSINESS & LAW

Hats off to Amsterdam graduates

NORTHUMBRIA STUDENTS IN THE COURT ROOM

OUR INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO TRAINING FOR THE BAR REPLICATES PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE MORE CLOSELY THAN EVER BEFORE.

AMSTERDAM CONGREGATION

The first cohort of students from Northumbria’s Amsterdam campus have been awarded Masters’ degrees in International Business and Project Management. Following a partnership with The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), Northumbria opened its new campus in 2018, creating new opportunities for Dutch and overseas students to study for internationally-recognised postgraduate qualifications. Extending her congratulations, Lucy Winskell OBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Employability and Partnerships at Northumbria, said: “Celebrating the graduation of our first students here has been a huge privilege. They are trailblazers for future generations of students as we continue to grow and develop our campus. “The progress we have made with our new campus in such a short period of time is extraordinary, and a measure of the hard work and dedication of our staff, the support we have received from AUAS, and the quality of students we are attracting. Our one-year Masters courses are proving extremely popular with students who have performed well at AUAS and other Dutch institutions at undergraduate level.

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Reflecting on the ceremony, graduating student Saba Gebreyohannes commented: “Today we made history as the first year of Masters students to receive a degree here. It can be hard to achieve a Masters degree in the Netherlands, and if Northumbria did not offer this programme many of us may have missed this academic opportunity.”

“IT CAN BE HARD TO ACHIEVE A MASTERS DEGREE IN THE NETHERLANDS, AND IF NORTHUMBRIA DID NOT OFFER THIS PROGRAMME MANY OF US MAY HAVE MISSED THIS ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITY.” SABA GEBREYOHANNES For more information on studying in Amsterdam please visit: Northumbria.ac.uk/ Amsterdam

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Raising the bar with new law course Northumbria Law School, internationally recognised for delivering excellence in training for the Bar, has launched a new suite of flexible and accessible Bar courses. The new Bar courses have replaced the original Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), offering greater study and career opportunities to aspiring barristers. They will be available from September 2020, led by a team of highly experienced barristers and supported by a well-established network of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Students will be instructed in the same way they would be in practice. The new bar courses will incorporate conferences, advocacy, drafting and opinion writing. Combining these practical elements with knowledge developed on the course and a sound understanding of a barrister’s professional ethical obligations will prepare students to think and behave like barristers. Students’ learning will also be supported by a year-long series of workshops designed to expand knowledge, understanding, exam

techniques and preparation for assessments. They will also have the opportunity to concentrate on other practice-focussed topics ranging from client mental health issues to financial crime. Students will also have the opportunity to complete an internationally recognised LLM (Master of Law degree) which can either be carried out in the form of a traditional dissertation, or in the multi-award winning Student Law Office. Alternatively, they can train at Northumbria through a new Bar Knowledge Course and Bar Skills course where they will be taught and supported alongside students on the Bar Course and will be provided with identical classroom-based academic and pastoral support. On successful completion of the Bar Course students will be eligible for Call to the Bar of England and Wales, subject to meeting the qualifying requirements of the particular Inn of Court, meaning they are

qualified to argue in court on behalf of another party. Emma Piasecki, Associate Professor at Northumbria Law School, said: “Our innovative approach to training for the Bar replicates professional practice more closely than ever before. We aim to ensure that on completion of the Bar Course students emerge as confident advocates with the skills, knowledge and attributes necessary to succeed and excel at the modern Bar” Northumbria’s flexible suite of Bar Courses allows students to learn subjectively, in a way which suits them best, with part time LLM, separate Bar Knowledge and Bar Skills Courses available alongside an integrated M Law Exempting Bar Course. To ﬁnd out more visit northumbria.ac.uk/law

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BUSINESS & LAW

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A taste of success at Greggs NORTHUMBRIA GRADUATE HANNAH CASEY-BURNETT (FRONT) WITH ROISIN CURRIE

CASE STUDY

“ALL STUDENTS ARRIVED WORK-READY AND SHOWED FANTASTIC POTENTIAL. MANY HAVE ALREADY MOVED UP INTO HIGHER LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT AND WITH THE ASPIRATION TO KEEP PUSHING THEY CAN GO ALL THE WAY AND BECOME FUTURE DIRECTORS AT GREGGS.” ROISIN CURRIE, RETAIL OPERATIONS AND PEOPLE DIRECTOR AT GREGGS.

Recruiting talented students and graduates from Northumbria University, Newcastle, is helping Greggs build a pipeline of future leaders. The leading food-on-thego retailer has worked with Northumbria for several years by offering student placements and internships. Many of these students have impressed so much they have gone on to secure permanent employment with Greggs and are now progressing their careers through promotion into more senior roles. In a recent example, four leadership and corporate management students from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School worked with Greggs on a two-year extended placement scheme as part of their degree. After graduating with First Class Honours, all four went on to secure full-time

employment with Greggs and are now developing high-profile managerial careers within the company. Roisin Currie, Retail Operations and People Director at Greggs, believes recruiting high-calibre graduates from Northumbria has been a hugely successful strategy, explaining: “We have had three placement intakes from Newcastle Business School and it really has been a source of talent for us. All students arrived work-ready and showed fantastic potential. Many have already moved up into higher levels of management and with the aspiration to keep pushing they can go all the way and become future directors at Greggs.

“Effective succession planning is crucial for all organisations, and I think it is important that other businesses are aware of the benefits that working with universities in this way can bring.” Newcastle-based Greggs now believes the success they have achieved through their relationship with Northumbria, in terms of people development and leadership succession planning, could be replicated by other companies. Greggs is also looking at Northumbria’s Degree Apprenticeship programme as part of its ongoing people development. Dr Brenda Stalker has led on student placements and is now

Hannah Casey-Burnett graduated from Northumbria with a first-class honours degree in 2013. After completing a twoyear extended placement with Greggs as part of her course, she was offered full time employment with the company and has since been promoted into high profile managerial roles. Commenting on her experience Hannah said: “Having the option of pursuing a degree which integrated work-based learning as the main focus of the course was a must. Greggs has invested in me from the very start of my career path, allowing me to demonstrate my potential within the organisation and gain an in-depth understanding of the organisation at such an early stage in my career. “I have worked in many parts of the business throughout my time with Greggs, enabling me to build up key relationships across a diverse workforce, from front line staff in the shops to the operating Board of Directors. Ultimately this experience has allowed me to secure a senior role as Category Planning Manager, exercising my potential and driving my development further.”

Director of Apprenticeship Programmes for Newcastle Business School. She says: “We pride ourselves on developing high quality and motivated students with a strong work ethic and the ability and maturity to manage multiple work-streams. I’m delighted for our former students who are now carving out successful management careers with Greggs. They clearly have the potential to become future leaders of one of this region’s largest and most important companies. “Building on these successes we are also working with a growing number of businesses and organisations through our Leadership and Management

Degree Apprenticeship courses. Developed collaboratively to ensure the best possible outcome for the employer and the employee, these courses nurture new and existing talent to contribute significantly to an organisation’s strategy for sustainable success.” For more information on working with Northumbria, and its Higher and Degree Apprenticeship programmes, please visit www.northumbria. ac.uk/business

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BUSINESS & LAW

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

Newcastle champions global entrepreneurship Academics from Northumbria University were joined by policy-makers and business startup experts recently at an international conference calling for greater entrepreneurial leadership. The Institute of Small Business Entrepreneurship (ISBE) annual conference 2019, a two-day event, hosted jointly by Northumbria and Newcastle universities, focused on creating the right space, culture and leadership for entrepreneurship and enterprise to flourish. Key speakers included founder and President of the Women’s Economic Imperative Dr Margo Thomas, Newcastle Central Labour MP and former Shadow Minister Chi Onwurah, and Dinah Bennett OBE, founder of Internal Consultants for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise (ICE). The conference was organised by Dr Michele Rusk, Associate Professor at Northumbria University and Dr Robert Newbery from Newcastle University Business School. Dr Rusk said a key aim of the conference was to

inspire the creation of globally connected entrepreneurial communities. Explaining further she said: “As a genuinely international conference, this has been a fantastic opportunity to celebrate entrepreneurship and to raise entrepreneurial ambition – especially here in the North East. Our region is often ranked near the bottom on entrepreneurial league tables in the UK, so this was a chance to debate how we galvanise leadership to make Newcastle and the North East one of the

best places in the world to start a business and then prosper. We were extremely proud to host this conference with our colleagues at Newcastle, and to bring it here to the North East.” Northumbria is recognised as a leading university for supporting enterprise. It was recently named the UK’s top ranked university for graduate business start-ups based on estimated turnover, for a third year running. In the higher education Business and Communities Interaction

survey for 2017/18, turnover for Northumbria graduate start-ups was more than £81.4 million – exceeding the second placed institution by more than £34 million. To ﬁnd out more about the Student and Graduate Enterprise service, visit www.northumbria. ac.uk/sgenterprise

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“IT HAS BEEN A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND TO RAISE ENTREPRENEURIAL AMBITION – ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE NORTH EAST.” DR MICHELE RUSK

northumbria.ac.uk/nbs

Northumbria Law School host prestigious Legal Services Board The legal services oversight regulator for England and Wales, the Legal Services Board (LSB) chose Northumbria University Law School as the venue for a one-day programme of events last year in the city of Newcastle, as well as its annual outof-London board meeting. The responsibilities of the LSB include ensuring the ongoing competency levels among legal professionals and making sure complaints against legal services providers are well managed. Hosting the board meeting for the LSB was a great opportunity for Northumbria Law School to welcome members of the LSB and respected guests onto campus and to demonstrate to Northumbria Law students the competencies needed to confidently enter the profession after graduation.

While on campus, alongside a breakfast seminar, the LSB also took the opportunity to visit Northumbria’s multiaward-winning Student Law Office, meeting with third and final year students currently working on real-life cases, as well as recent graduates of the office who are now employed in practice. The Chair of the LSB said she was “hugely impressed by the students” and that “it was a pleasure to hear how they had benefitted from being part of the Student Law Office’s work”.

Representatives for consumers, the court services, legal academics and barristers, judges and solicitors from regional law firms including Womble Bond Dickinson, Samuel Phillips and Sweeney Miller also attended the seminar. Professor Michael Stockdale, Head of Department for Northumbria Law School said: “We were delighted to host the LSB meeting, and to welcome members of the Board and other esteemed guests to Northumbria Law School. For us

it was an opportunity to focus on the important role for Law Schools in not only assuring the competence of our graduates at the point of entry to the profession, but also developing our students’ awareness of, and capacity for, lifelong learning and professional development. Opening the seminar to our students was also greatly appreciated. They all commented on what an excellent learning experience it

was to meet with a diverse range of LSB members including very experienced legal professionals who gave very useful advice for their future careers”. To ﬁnd out more about the Northumbria Law School, please visit Northumbria.ac.uk/ law

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BUSINESS & LAW

#TakeOnTomorrow

Raising a glass to house price increase

A RURAL PUB

A study looking at the impact pubs can have on UK house prices suggests supporting your local pub could increase the value of your property. Research led by Ignazio Cabras, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Development at Newcastle Business School, looked at how the presence or absence of a pub can affect local house prices. His collaboration with Dr Franziska Sohns from the University of Greenwich, Dr Jesus Canduela from Heriot Watt University, and Dr Steve Toms from Leeds University Business School, found a strong positive correlation between an increase in the number of pubs and an increase in house prices. In particular, the effect of pubs on house prices was found to be significantly stronger in predominantly rural areas and, to a lesser extent, in major urban areas. Commenting on the results, Professor Cabras said: “We already knew that pubs in Britain provide important places for social aggregation, offering physical settings for many types of communal activities. However, findings from our panel data analysis demonstrate that their decline also affects the overall attractiveness of residential areas in terms of economic value, particularly in the countryside. In rural areas,

preserving pubs from closure can help keep house prices stable and may even increase the value of localised house markets.” Professor Cabras also believes the findings indicate that actions and initiatives aimed at preventing pub closures should be reinforced. “Preserving the role and impact of pubs as social spaces outside the home and workplace would also serve at increasing the level of attractiveness of many residential communities and, according to their location, these may be expected to have a positive impact on house price.” This research builds on previous research led by Professor Cabras highlighting the importance of pubs for community cohesion, social engagement and local economic development, particularly in more remote areas. To ﬁnd out more about this latest study visit northumbria. ac.uk/houseprices

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Fighting fraud The Counter Fraud Professional Accreditation Board (CFPAB) has appointed Northumbria to manage its Secretariat function, in a move that confirms the University’s expertise in financial crime research. Economic crime represents a huge cost to society and needs to be prevented, detected, investigated and prosecuted by highly skilled professionals. As the recognised accrediting body, the CFPAB seeks to establish and maintain a portfolio of professional training courses, providing qualifications for staff working in the field of counter fraud. This includes employees from organisations such as HM Revenue and Customs, the Department of Work and Pensions, the NHS, Her Majesty’s Passport Office, the City of London Police and local authorities. Within its Secretariat role Northumbria will now help ensure the highest professional standards are maintained by training providers. The University will also provide advice to the CFPAB on good governance arrangements. Jackie Harvey, Professor of Financial Management and Director of Business Research at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, believes the University’s position as a world-leader in financial crime research, and as a centre for policing and criminal justice research and teaching, makes it an ideal partner for CFPAB.

She adds: “Our appointment reflects the seriousness of economic crime and the crippling cost fraud can have on society, and organisations such as the NHS. Those charged with tackling these crimes need to be equipped with the most up-to-date skills, and a key role for us is to ensure that the training providers maintain the highest professional standards of delivery. We will be establishing close relationships with the trainers and helping them to develop the best possible professional courses. “We are also looking forward to working with CFPAB and explaining how we can develop its role in tackling fraud further in the future.” Northumbria took over the Secretariat function for CFPAB at

the end of last year. Explaining further, Les Dobie, Head of Counter Fraud Training and CFPAB Chair, reflects: “As our new University partner, Northumbria will advise the CFPAB on technical and governance issues, ensuring the highest professional standards through quality assurance, managing the qualification award process and producing an annual report.” For more information on working in partnership with Northumbria, or to submit enquiries about CFPAB Awards please visit northumbria.ac.uk/ business.

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“OUR APPOINTMENT REFLECTS THE SERIOUSNESS OF ECONOMIC CRIME AND THE CRIPPLING COST FRAUD CAN HAVE ON SOCIETY, AND ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS THE NHS.” PROFESSOR JACKIE HARVEY

NEWS

Northumbria University NEWS • Spring/Summer 2020

From the North East to Nippon NEWCASTLE AROUND THE WORLD Newcastle upon Tyne England Shinshiro Japan Neuburg-ander-donau Germany Neuchâtel Switzerland New Castle Indiana, USA

“ONE OF THE AIMS OF THE PROJECT HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO ENABLE CONNECTIONS THROUGH BUSINESS AND EDUCATION SO THIS PLACEMENT BRINGS THOSE TWO TOGETHER.”

Nyborg Denmark

Nové Hrady Czech Republic Akhaltsikhe Georgia Jaunpils Latvia

ZÉLIE GUÉRIN

Kota Bharu Malaysia

A unique project linking cities around the world which share the name ‘Newcastle’ led to a dream work placement for one Northumbria University student. For as long as he can remember Mechanical Engineering student Christopher Brownhill was fascinated with Japan. Visiting the country had always been a dream of his and this dream became a reality after he secured a year-long placement with Japanese manufacturing company OSG last year. The opportunity was all thanks to the unique Newcastles of the World initiative – an international ‘club’ made up of cities whose names translate as ‘Newcastle’ or ‘New Castle’. Among the members are Newcastle upon Tyne, home to Northumbria University, and Shinshiro, which translates as New Castle, in

Japan, where OSG is based. Christopher explains that the placement opportunity allowed him to immerse himself in Japanese culture, while furthering his education through valuable real-life engineering experience. “I’ve always wanted to visit Japan so when I heard there was a placement opportunity through the Newcastles of the World scheme I jumped at the opportunity,” he said. “Everything is completely different, but that is what appealed to me – the culture, the cuisine and of course the language. I’ve used this experience to just learn as much as I can so I can then

bring that back to Newcastle for the final year of my degree at Northumbria and my dissertation.” The aim of Newcastles of the World is to provide opportunities for education, tourism, business and culture by bringing the populations of the different Newcastles together. The organisation currently has 17 members situated in countries around the world, including America, Australia, Slovakia and South Africa. Christopher is the first student to secure a work placement through the initiative and Zélie Guérin, Newcastles of the World Project Director, hopes further

international opportunities for work and study will follow in the future. As she explains: “It is tremendous that Christopher was given this opportunity as a result of our alliance with other Newcastles around the world. One of the aims of the project has always been to enable connections through business and education so this placement brings those two things together.” Caroline Theobald CBE is Chair of Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School Advisory Board, as well as a Trustee of Newcastles of the World, and helped establish the relationship with OSG.

Nové Zámky Slovakia

She said: “I met the team from OSG at a business seminar and they were very interested in forging links with Northumbria through Newcastles of the World. They are a global manufacturer and recruit some of the best graduates from around the world, so making this link with Northumbria University will benefit both organisations.” Find out more about the Newcastle of the World project at newcastlesoftheworld.com

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SPORT

#TakeOnTomorrow

Europa Cup podium finish for Northumbria skier

Emma Peters, BA International Business Management student at Northumbria University, claimed bronze in the Europa Cup Ski Cross final, in Villars, Switzerland. Ski Cross is an exhilarating winter sport discipline, in which a group of skiers, usually four, race down a specially constructed course over jumps, waves and steep turns side by side in a bid to be the first across the finish line. In what was the second stop of this season’s Europa Cup, elite Ski Cross competitors from 13 nations descended on the Swiss resort of Villars-sur-Ollon for an action-packed weekend of racing. Sixteen competitors went

head-to-head in four heats, with Great Britain’s Peters ultimately securing her place in the final. In a tight concluding race, Peters finished third place, just behind Italian first place winner Lucrezia Fantelli and Polina Ryabova from Russia. Having previously spent two years studying at Aiglon College in Villars, Peters explained returning to the region felt like competing on her “home slope”, making her first ever Europa cup podium finish all the more

special. She said: “Standing on the podium was awesome! After majorly crashing in the Big Final at the World Junior Championships back in 2018 I’ve been training so hard to get back to form.” In the run up to Europa Cup, Peters trained hard while balancing her studies. Aside from flexible assignment deadlines, she received coaching and support from Northumbria Sport and the team working as part of the Talented Athlete Scholarship

Scheme (TASS), a Sport England funded partnership between talented athletes, education institutions and national governing bodies of sport. She credits Salwa Bowen, Lead Physiotherapist at Northumbria Sport, Ralph Peter Appleby, PhD researcher within the Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation and Joel Brannigan, Head of Strength and Conditioning for helping her prepare for competitions. In November last year,

BELOW: Emma Peters, centre, claimed bronze in the Europa Cup Ski Cross final in Villars, Switzerland.

Peters also became a Sport Newcastle scholar, sponsored by Northumbria University. She said: “Northumbria has supported me massively, I really believe this support has been one of the biggest factors for my development.” Emma continues to compete in international events and hopes to take part in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Find out more about Sport scholarships at Northumbria at northumbriasport.com

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR INSPIRING CHANCELLOR Spring/Summer 2020 • northumbria.ac.uk

Issue 21

Turn to page 13

Top of the league for fundraising Northumbria’s sport community has been on a mission to raise vital funds for those who need it most during these extraordinary times. The coronavirus pandemic has put all sports competitions, fixtures and travel on hold for the foreseeable future, but this hasn’t stopped some taking on sporting challenges to raise money for charities, while still observing social distancing rules. From climbing mountains up their stairs at home to virtually running to Croatia, many inspiring students, staff, and alumni of Northumbria have been putting their energy into something positive in a bid to support various COVID-19 relief efforts. Here we share a just a few of the many charitable sporting achievements which have taken place recently. Northumbria graduate and University futsal coach, Hannah Marshall, decided she wanted to do a “mad challenge” to show her support for NHS workers and carers. So, she stepped up to raise funds for NHS Charities Together by climbing the equivalent of Ben Nevis – up her stairs. “I’m immensely proud of our NHS and I’m inspired by so many wonderful people who are doing their bit to help us in this crisis,” said Hannah, who works as a Sport Development Officer at Tyne Metropolitan College. “I wanted to do my bit to help support the fight against COVID-19, so I thought I could

combine my love for a mad challenge and my love for the NHS to show how we can stay active at home... plus I’ve always wanted to climb Ben Nevis!” With 18 stairs each measuring 17cm, she calculated that she would need to go up and down 440 times to reach 1,345 metres, the height of Britain’s highest mountain. Reaching the summit in three hours 45 minutes, donations received were more than double the original £1,345 target Hannah set, which equated to £1 for every metre. Meanwhile, final year Business with Marketing Management student, Alex Willis, has set himself a challenge to raise money for Opening Up - a charity which promotes mental wellbeing and suicide prevention through cricket. The Northumbria first team cricket captain said: “BUCS (British University & Colleges Sport) have suspended all activity until further notice meaning that all cricket is cancelled. So, I’ve decided that as no games will be played, I will still run or cycle the equivalent distance from where I live Rochdale to each first team fixture we had scheduled, within the week prior to each game.” In another impressive effort, students from sports teams across Northumbria took on a 1,400-mile virtual run from

Sport Central to Porec, Croatia, in aid of various fundraising appeals. Many universities’ sports societies had planned to travel to Porec for an Easter break sports tour. However, after it became apparent that this wouldn’t be possible, several teams, including Northumbria’s North Stars cheerleaders, netball and women’s rugby, decided to walk, run and cycle the distance they would have travelled, in an effort to raise money while keeping fitness levels up during lockdown.

For new ways to get active at home, follow Northumbria Sport on Instagram for all the latest live workouts and top tips for staying motivated. You can also access lots more pre-recorded workout inspiration on the Northumbria Sport YouTube channel.

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“I WANTED TO DO MY BIT TO HELP SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19, SO I THOUGHT I COULD COMBINE MY LOVE FOR A MAD CHALLENGE AND MY LOVE FOR THE NHS AND SHOW HOW WE CAN STAY ACTIVE AT HOME.” HANNAH MARSHALL