City of Learning

Innovative thinking. Visionary collaboration. Open debate. Endless routes to discovery and invention are open at Sheffield’s centres of learning. The city is first choice for students both near and far. Over 60,000 students fill the labs, libraries and lecture halls at Sheffield’s two universities, with a significant number coming from overseas. A good mix of local and international students doesn’t only make a difference academically, it also has a huge positive cultural and economic impact on Sheffield. Between them, the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University attract students and staff from almost 150 countries, creating truly global communities here in the city. Add to the universities a spectacular public library and colleges specialising in everything from computing to cutlery making, and the possibilities for learning are endless in Sheffield. As well as being an inspiring place to study, the city centre is also a vibrant place to live. It’s no wonder, then, that such a high number of students stick around after graduation.

Desert Garden project

– Duncan Cameron, Moaed Al Meselmani & Tony Ryan

Thousands of refugees are currently growing crops in a desert in Jordan using science developed here in Sheffield. Meet Dr Moaed Al Meselmani, Professor Duncan Cameron and Professor Tony Ryan OBE, the scientists behind the University of Sheffield’s Desert Garden project. Driven by humanitarian and sustainable aims, the project addresses issues of both waste and food at the Za’atari refugee camp. It draws on the team’s expertise in hydroponics, the science of growing without soil. Together they found a way of taking the foam from discarded mattresses and using it in place of soil. Now, families displaced by war are able to grow their own fresh food in the hostile desert environment.

Tell us a little about how you came together to work on the Desert Garden project in Sheffield.

Tony had worked for over ten years creating artificial soil from similar polyurethane foams that the mattresses are made from. With Duncan and Moaed’s experience in hydroponics, he put in place pioneering research to solve the issue of food shortages for thousands of people living in the desert in Jordan. As world-leading experts in hydroponics systems, the team used the discarded mattresses as a growing medium for crops.

How does it feel to see your research from Sheffield have a lasting realworld impact in Jordan?

It’s inspirational to see the optimism and generosity in this project. We are humbled by the experience and we are very proud of what we’ve achieved. This work was born out of innovative science and is giving families displaced by war the opportunity to grow fresh food in the desert using discarded mattresses.

You have so far raised £240,000 in donations. What will this funding mean to the communities you work with?

It has the potential to give the farmers the opportunity to apply their years of experience and skills to meaningful purpose, and at the same time produce food to eat and sell. This will help thousands of Syrian refugees to grow their own fresh food in the desert, as the project is on its way to being fully sustainable. The families involved in the project speak of benefits beyond having fresh food for the first time in years: improving mental health and wellbeing, gaining new skills, maintaining important cultural and social traditions, finding a new sense of purpose and a feeling of empowerment. The project gives people the tools and techniques they need to grow their own food and gain future employment as well as boosting mental health and greening the camp.

What did you learn in Za’atari and are there any ways that you’re now applying this learning to Sheffield?

Working closely with the refugees, the team successfully created ‘desert gardens’ that provide people in the camp with fresh herbs and vegetables, training opportunities, and longed-for greenery in a challenging desert. As scientists, we’ve learned an enormous amount from the refugees about how our research can be applied in the real world, how to use the foam, and the potential to grow crops more sustainably – and in places with degraded soils. If we can make desert gardens economically and culturally sustainable in Jordan, we can ultimately roll this out around the world and help millions of refugees to thrive. We do lots of research around issues of global sustainability and how we can reduce waste and help the food production system achieve net zero carbon emissions. Similar types of projects won’t feed the world, but they’ll certainly take some of the pressure off.

sheffield.ac.uk/giving/causes/desertgarden

The University of Sheffield

A member of the Russell Group of leading UK research universities and a world top 100 university, the University of Sheffield is guided by its aspirations to transform lives for the better around the world and its strong sense of civic duty. Its civic heritage can be traced back to its origins, when Sheffield’s factory workers donated pennies to the proposed university, and is still strong today, stoking fruitful and innovative collaborations between academics and organisations in the city. The likes of Britain’s first astronaut Helen Sharman and Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel have studied within the University of Sheffield’s laboratories and lecture halls. While the main campus is in Western Bank, the campus extends into the city centre with buildings like St George’s church turned lecture theatre, the Mappin Building, Jessop West and The Diamond.

The university is proudly international; in 2013 it launched #WeAreInternational, a campaign that has since spread to 100 other organisations, aiming to show students and academics from around the world that they are welcome and valued. sheffield.ac.uk

Images courtesy of The University of Sheffield

Images courtesy of Sheffield Hallam University

Sheffield Hallam University

Sheffield Hallam University has grown from humble beginnings in fledgling colleges in 1843 to its position today as one of the UK’s largest and most progressive universities. The University campus is constantly evolving and innovating with its flagship Charles Street building, home of Sheffield Institute of Education, being nominated for the RIBA Yorkshire 2018 Awards for architectural excellence.

Its state-of-the-art facilities attract large numbers of students from overseas and also make a big impact locally, recruiting a large proportion of home students from the city region and contributing £424m a year to its economy. Sheffield Hallam is one of the UK’s largest providers of health and social care courses, teacher training, and sport and physical activity courses. It is also home to the UK’s largest modern business school and one of the UK’s oldest established art and design institutions.

Notable alumni include actor Sean Bean, Olympian Kelly Holmes, cutlery designer David Mellor, Nick Park of Wallace and Gromit fame, and graffiti artist Kid Acne. shu.ac.uk

Sheffield Institute of Arts

Sheffield Institute of Arts dates back to 1843. It’s since become part of Sheffield Hallam University and, in 2016, opened an exciting new chapter in its long history, as it relocated to the beautifully refurbished former head post office. This home for the arts welcomes students in subjects including fine art, fashion, jewellery and metalwork, and design. The general public can also take a peek at the work of some of its students – as well as the building’s original mosaic floor and spectacular spiral staircase – during exhibitions and events. Fitzalan Square, S1 2AY shu.ac.uk/sia

Sheffield Institute of Arts

Freeman College

Opened in 2005, Freeman College offers day and residential education and care for students aged 16 to 25 who have special educational needs and disabilities. Teaching at Freeman combines practical skills – such as cutlery making, jewellery, horticulture, music, textiles – with therapeutic education. As well as gaining qualifications, the young people who study here get experience in real-life work and living situations, preparing them for life after college. Sterling Works, 88 Arundel Street, S1 2NG rmt.org/freeman

UTC Sheffield

Students with technical ambitions can join UTC from Year 10 or 12. There, they’ll study the usual GCSE or A Level curriculum, plus a specialist area of technical learning: engineering and advanced manufacturing, creative digital media, computing, health sciences or sport science. They’ll graduate ready to enter the world of business. 111 Matilda Street, S1 4QF utcsheffield.org.uk

Red Tape Central

Everyone from Pulp to the Spice Girls has rehearsed or recorded at Red Tape over the years. It opened in 1986 with support from Phil Oakey, who was topping the

Sheffield Central Library

UTC Sheffield

charts around that time with The Human League, and is perhaps the only recording studio in the country to be run by its local council. Here, music industry professionals teach courses in areas like music technology, music performance, the music business and composition, all with the aim of helping students get into the music industry. 50 Shoreham Street, S1 4SP redtapecentral.org

Sheffield Central Library

Forming one side of Tudor Square is a beautiful neoclassical building that houses Sheffield Central Library and the Graves Gallery. The library has been a much used resource for the city since 1934; today, its staff are always eager to help, shelves always well stocked, and its reading rooms a great place to spend an hour or two lost in a good book. Surrey Street, S1 1XZ sheffield.gov.uk/ centrallending

Sheffield City Archives

A treasure trove of Sheffield history. The city’s archives hold vast collections, amounting to almost 10 kilometres of books and documents, as well as maps, photographs, sound and film recordings. They also offer a research service for those unable to visit in person. 52 Shoreham Street, S1 4SP sheffield.gov.uk/home/ libraries-archives/accessarchives-local-studieslibrary

Shift Media

Shift offers training tailored to young people looking to build careers in digital media, film, TV and the cultural industries. It offers media-related vocational training as well as GCSE qualifications in English and Mathematics and employability skills. The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, S1 2BX shiftmedia.org.uk