Staff Newsletter Issue 13 - Winter 2022

Contents

Welcome 3

In focus 4

Research Institutes Update 4 Sustainable, Ecological, Engineering, Design for Society (SEEDS) Conference 7 Block and Blend – A new approach to learning 8 Festival of Suffolk 9

News and updates 10

Graduation 2021 10

Adastral – an exhibition by photographer Noel Bowler 12 New Diagnostic Radiography Postgraduate courses 13 Exploring the Highlands of Scotland 14 Introducing the International Student Community Café 16

Health and Wellbeing Quarter update 17

Sustainability 18

Trash Talk: Making Waste less Wasteful 18 EcoLab 19

Meet and greet 20 Interview with Professor Mathie 20

Student and Staff success 22

Academic takes part in an international culture research project 22 Student completes mural in Ipswich retail hub 23 Smarter Suffolk Data Hackathon 24 Student awarded ‘best student presentation’ at national conference 25

Data Governance Update 26 Open Lectures Series 27

WELCOME

The Hearts Domain (1919) Theodore Geisel/Dr Seuss

Moments come and go and therefore it can sometimes seem hard to tell how important a moment is until it becomes a memory. Hindsight is often said to be 20/20 and that’s because, as we go through life it becomes clearer which moments shape our lives and which ones don’t. Some big moments are easy to see the value of, whilst others may not seem that important at the time, but later we find out that was when everything changed.

The last two years have been full of moments that will be recorded in history as extremely valuable and here at the University, this has also been the case. This newsletter documents some of the valuable moments in our life together such as our approach to block and blend learning, the refurbishment of the East building, and our international student community café.

This issue also helps us look at future valuable moments that are in the making such as the Festival of Suffolk when we bring our community

together with many others to celebrate the royal jubilee and play our part in marking this momentous occasion.

In the midst of some of the moments of the last two years it has often seemed difficult to see the value of our experiences. However, the opportunity to look back with clearer vision than at the time, does give us cause to be proud of how we have continued to move forward positively and with purpose. I have no doubt that we have all learned a lot – about ourselves, our University and our society more widely. We have much to celebrate and more to come. So I commend this issue to you with all its demonstrations of successes over many moments – and encourage you to look with clarity at what we have achieved, be proud and look to create more moments in the weeks and months ahead that will continue to add value to our future.

Professor Helen Langton Vice‑Chancellor and CEO

In this issue

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory .”

IN FOCUS Research Institutes Update

Our Research Institutes have gathered considerable momentum over the last 5 months since the new Directors started in September. The Professors have been busy developing the vision and mission statements for the Institutes, identifying key themes and starting new, exciting research projects. The Institutes are supported by academic staff at the University and a variety of external stakeholders, and each Institute has now appointed research fellows who will be vital to drive our dynamic research agenda forward.

The Institute for Health and Wellbeing

The Institute for Health and Wellbeing’s Director is Professor Valerie Gladwell

Professor Colin R. Martin is the Institute’s Clinical Director, working closely with our NHS partners.

We are pleased to welcome: Dr Cleo Protogerou who started as a Research Fellow at the Institute in January 2022.

Colin and Valerie have enjoyed engaging with staff and have run four research cafés bringing together the University of Suffolk from many different disciplines. They have met with many stakeholders across Suffolk in a discussion on how to embed research into health and wellbeing activities and services.

Upcoming events include the Institute for Health and Wellbeing launch on 30 March 2022 (please contact research@uos.ac.uk if you would like to attend) and both Colin and Valerie have public lectures in March.

The Institute has 4 themes:

Perinatal Wellbeing led by Professor Colin R. Martin

Physical Activity and Sport led by Dr Marco Beato

Whole System Approaches to Wellbeing led by Professor Valerie Gladwell

Long-term Conditions led by Dr Noreen Cushen Brewster

Suffolk Sustainability Institute

The Suffolk Sustainability Institute’s Director is Professor Darryl Newport

We are pleased to welcome: Dr Alison Pooley who started as a Research Fellow at the Institute in February 2022 and

Dr Hannah Steventon who will start in March 2022.

Everything is moving forward swiftly and positively at the Suffolk Sustainability Institute. We are collaborating with several regional partners on a new UK Community Renewal Funded project: Road to Net Zero Business Support Programme, looking to assist business within Norfolk and Suffolk to decarbonise.

We have several Industry led projects in the pipeline. Of note is our first Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) application in collaboration with the Suffolk Business School and Paddy & Scott’s.

We are glad to report that the construction of the new Ecolab Living Laboratory at Adastral Park has started and is on track to be completed by the end of March.

The Institute’s research is centred on three key themes that span a range of emerging research disciplines and pressing urban and rural sustainability challenges:

„ Green Infrastructure led by Dr Hannah Steventon

„ Sustainable Healthy Communities led by Dr Alison Pooley

„ Energy and Resources Management led by Professor Darryl Newport

Underpinning the themes is our commitment to translate the work to be useful to everyone and the Institute promotes applied research opportunity and knowledge exchange capability through its existing research projects, demonstration, and testing facilities including the new Ecolab Living Laboratory.

IN FOCUS

The Institute for Social Justice and Crime

Professor Miranda Horvath is Director of the Institute for Social Justice and Crime

Gekoski and Kristina Massey) alongside sub contracting Research Fellow Dr Ruth Spence from Middlesex University, and taking on Maria Cross as Project Administrator.

The Institute for Social Justice and Crime has grown rapidly since Miranda’s appointment in September. In order to deliver our work on Project Bluestone (transforming police responses to rape focusing on suspect focused investigations) we have taken on two research assistants (Arianna Barbin and Thistle Dalton), a Research Fellow (Aneela Kahn) and two research consultants (Dr Anna

We were also delighted to welcome Dr Dev Maitra as Senior Research Fellow (maternity cover for Dr Olumide Adisa) in December 2021. On the 1 March 2022, Megan Hermolle will be joining us from Keele University as a Research Fellow to assist with the further development of the Institute. We are also delighted that Dr Katherine Allen and Dr Joana Ferrier continue to work as researchers with us.

We are thrilled to have four visiting Senior Research Fellows working with the Institute who bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise. They are Dr Kari Davies (Bournemouth University), Visiting Senior

Fellow in Social Justice and Crime; Dr Jeffrey DeMarco (Middlesex University and Victim Support), Visiting Senior Fellow in Forensic Psychology; Victoria Green (Marie Collins Foundation), Visiting Senior Fellow in Safeguarding; Fiona Ellis (Survivors in Transition), Visiting Senior Fellow in Social Work and Social Policy.

We are also very excited about our PGR students — not only do we have Ioana Crivatu continuing her PhD on multiple perpetrator rape within the Institute (supervised by Miranda Horvath and Jeffrey DeMarco) but in April 2022 Arianna Barbin will be starting a PhD studentship on specialism in policing rape and serious sexual offences funded by Project Bluestone (supervised by Miranda Horvath, Mark Manning and Kari Davies).

Arianna Barbin

Aneela Kahn

Dr Anna Gekoski Kristina Massey

Dr Ruth Spence

Maria Cross

Dr Dev Maitra

Five initial themes have been identified which will be the focus for developing specialisms and excellence within the Institute. Intersectionality and cross theme collaboration working is central to the Institute’s approach and Dr Paul Andell is developing this area. Each theme has a leadership team (see below) and is supported by researchers from within the Institute and across the University.

„ People, Justice and Security led by Dr Isabella Calder and Dr Mark Manning

„ Trauma, Injustice, Violence and Abuse led by Dr Dev Maitra and Dr Katherine Allen

„ Gender and Sexual Minorities led by Dr Sebastian Cordoba and Dr Katherine Allen

„ Childhoods, Children and Young People led by Dr Pallawi Sinha

„ Global Majorities, Equality and Justice led by Dr Pallawi Sinha, Dr Pere Ayling and Dr Chrissie da Costa

The Institutes’ approach to research is flexible and committed to ensuring all voices are heard — please contact research@uos.ac.uk if you would like to join a research project, have an idea, a challenge or would like to find out more.

Sustainable, Ecological, Engineering, Design for Society (SEEDS) Conference

31 August–2 September 2022

The international SEEDS Conference to be held at UWE, Bristol, brings together experts from around the world focusing on a sustainability agenda and the positive and detrimental changes that are taking place. As well as addressing technical issues, measuring, monitoring and evaluating change, emphasis is placed on our environment, infrastructure and buildings; how they exist in relative isolation and the possibilities for sustainable integrations.

The University of Suffolk is proud to again be part of this annual conference in September 2022, supporting a collective commitment to the interdependence of people, the built and natural environments, and a recognition of the interdisciplinary and international themes necessary to assemble the knowledge required for positive sustainable change.

This will be the first SEEDS Conference to take place since Prof Darryl Newport joined the University and took directorship of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute. Talking about the conference, Professor Newport said, “It’s great to be part of the SEEDS delivery team and this excellent well established conference. I look forward to taking an active role in the event to be held in Bristol. There is an array of sustainable development themes that will attract a wide variety of our Suffolk research academics. I’m also really happy to say that our team at Suffolk is looking forward to hosting the SEEDS family and the international conference in 2023.”

Dr Olumide Adisa Dr Katherine Allen

Dr Joana Ferrier

IN FOCUS

Block and Blend – A new approach to learning

Innovations in Learning and Teaching

The Covid 19 pandemic resulted in a mass move of learning and teaching into a fully online environment. As this took place at Suffolk, there was a recognition of the need to reflect on the longer term impact of the pandemic on the already complex lives of students, and the University looked to the wider international learning and teaching community to explore innovations in learning and teaching design

Block and Blend

The traditional learning model would see students’ study three consecutive modules over the duration of a semester, with assessment for all three modules at the end, block and blend is an alternative approach.

Block learning sees courses structured so that students engage with a single module at a time, normally over the period of five weeks, including assessment, combined with blended delivery which provides learning across a mixture of face to face and online learning environments. This bold and innovative approach of block and blend was designed and piloted across a selection of undergraduate programmes at Level 4.

and delivery. Key to this thinking was the belief that students want and need to engage in active modes of learning alongside technology enhanced learning. With advancements in understanding and technologies, online learning is no longer necessarily seen as isolating, but instead, a social form of learning and an effective mechanism for fostering cooperative student endeavor.

FOCUSED STUDY

Initial findings

The evaluation of student experience and achievement on block and blend programmes indicated that this approach could realise greater engagement, and an average 10% increase in assessment grades. Students reported that this approach allowed them to deep dive into topics, gave them an improved sense of efficacy and control, and enabled better time management.

Based on these findings the University has implemented block and blend more widely across all Schools and continues to work hard to evaluate retention and achievement and grow the understanding of this approach for students on part time modes of learning and those with disabilities.

Festival of Suffolk

The Festival of Suffolk is the county’s unique contribution to the national Jubilee celebrations as the country and Commonwealth, marks the historic Queens’ Platinum Jubilee taking place for her 70 year reign as Monarch. It will bring together communities, reaching across generations, connecting networks, people and organisations to deliver the biggest community event in Suffolk.

The last few years have been challenging for everyone, individuals, communities and businesses all impacted in different ways by the pandemic and the Festival is an opportunity to come together, united in sharing and celebration.

Led by the Suffolk Lieutenancy it will shine a spotlight on all aspects of Suffolk life. Clare, Countess of Euston and Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, said, “The Festival will bring together people and communities in joyful celebration, and create a powerful legacy to increase the visibility of our county.”

The Festival will feature voluntary organisations and charities, business leaders, local authorities, tourism bodies, faith groups, community leaders, youth organisations, the arts, the military and emergency services. They are all creating and delivering Festival events showcasing Suffolk as a dynamic and creative place to live, work, visit and learn.

The University is going to be taking part in the Festival in a number of ways. As part of the BT Business Expo we will be participating in events at the DigiTech Centre and hosting a one day event called Education Beyond Teaching, inviting the public to explore the diverse and surprising variety of courses available at the University.

We will also be at the Suffolk Show which will start the county’s summer of celebrations.

For more information about our events and the full Festival of Suffolk programme, take a look at the Festival website here over the next few months as details are released.

Graduation 2021

University of Suffolk Graduation and Mark Your Achievement events 2021

Over 2,500 of our students graduated across the county in October 2021, and the majority of them attended ceremonies held on the Ipswich Waterfront, a welcome return to normal celebrations.

Professor Helen Langton, our Vice Chancellor and CEO, said, “We were delighted to welcome back the Class of 2021 for their graduation ceremonies. It has been a challenging time for everyone especially those finishing their degree and going into the world of work or further study. We are very proud of our graduates and enjoyed celebrating their achievements.”

The October ceremonies followed the celebrations held in May for the Class of 2020 to mark their achievements. Due to the Covid 19 restrictions on large scale public events, the Mark Your Achievement events took the place of the usual graduation ceremonies. The events gave graduates the opportunity to wear their gown, be formally congratulated by the University in the presence of their family, and have the traditional photographs taken.

Honorary Awards

Honorary awards recognise notable contributions to the educational or cultural well being of society, in business, industry, commerce or enterprise, reflecting academic distinction, public or community service, or an exceptional contribution to the University of Suffolk.

Honorary awards were presented in October to Stephen Foster, Duncan Bathgate, Geoff Barton, Celia Edey OBE, Albert Grant OBE, Cynthia Capey, Robin Christopherson MBE, Rae Snape and Susan Falch Lovesey.

Adastral – an exhibition by photographer Noel Bowler

The latest exhibition by University of Suffolk, Senior Photography Lecturer, Noel Bowler, featured BT’s Adastral Park.

Adastral was an ongoing collaboration between the University and BT that explored the history of Adastral Park as a place of work and cultural significance for the telecoms industry and the region.

For the past two years, Noel Bowler has worked with Meral Bence, BT Adastral Park Vision and Strategy Manager, with the full backing of BT, to access this famous site looking at the office spaces, the people, the history and the innovations that occurred there.

Noel said, “We tend to remember the people that brought innovation to our workplace but over time we slowly erase the very spaces that allowed these innovations to flourish. Adastral is a visual record of these spaces, a celebration of British technological innovation and a workforce that has spanned over five decades. These workspaces, desks, labs and workshops belonged to the thousands of ordinary women and men whose tireless efforts and years of service have contributed to today’s legacy of innovation.”

“In the ever changing face of the work and the workforce, these spaces and locations are evolving, and in a post COVID world this has only been accelerated. Adastral is one small part of a much broader project that aims to create a permanent visual archive of these workspaces before they change forever. This archive will not only be a lasting legacy of our achievements but will represent a cross section of how we worked throughout the late 20 th Century.”

Meral said, “Supporting Noel in his vision to capture workspaces has been an amazing journey and at Adastral Park with its many ‘workspaces’ from traditional office spaces, to labs, network equipment and showcases, it is no wonder that it has taken many visits, spanning over two years to capture these places. This project has given me personally a new perspective on how I see the Park and what is important to capture and archive for future generations to look back on and see how we worked, innovated, researched, and tested.”

Adastral was on display at Adastral Park in 2021, open to Park visitors.

Find out about studying Photography at the University of Suffolk.

Fun facts/getting to know about Adastral Park (from

„ The site now known as Adastral Park was actually an RAF base from 1917 to 1963 (RAF Martlesham)

„ From 1958 to 1961 the Battle of Britain Flight was based here

„ There are usually around 4,000 people working at Adastral Park, with over 60,000 visitors welcomed each year

„ The park has had many royal visitors: HM King George V, HRH Prince of Wales and HRH Duke of

Meral Bence, BT)

York came to RAF Martlesham (1935), HM King Edward VIII and HRH Duke of York (1936). HRH Queen Elizabeth II visited on 21 November 1975 for the official opening of the site as it is today and the Princes Royal in November 2019

„ We have a good number of animal residents on site too — from a pair of peregrine falcons who have nested and successfully raised chicks from their nest box at Adastral for the last 3 years, rabbits, cats, foxes, hedgehogs, kingfishers, to name a few!

New Diagnostic Radiography Postgraduate courses

The diagnostic radiography provision sits within the School of Health and Sports Sciences and has run a well established degree course across East Anglia since 1991.

We have recently developed a portfolio of Postgraduate Certificates to meet the needs of the profession and underpin the development of Advanced Clinical Practice. The courses are designed to scaffold the learning and development of radiographers in specialist areas, allowing for career progression, encouraging the growth of talent within the workforce and meeting the needs of the service.

The courses available as part of our PgC portfolio include:

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PgC Computed Tomography (CT)

PgC Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

PgC Paediatric Imaging

PgC Radiographic Reporting of the Chest and Abdomen

„ PgC Advanced Practice and Reporting in Computed Tomography Colonography

On successful completion of these courses, students will be awarded 60 credits at Master’s Level study.

The courses have all been approved by the College of Radiographers and can lead students to undertake a full MSc Professional Practice: Advancing Radiography Practice at the University which is due to start in September 2022 (subject to approval).

This is a really exciting opportunity for us to directly support our practice partners and we are delighted that all of the PgC courses have now recruited and started.

We are now looking to recruit more students for the next academic intake and are exploring the prospect of welcoming international students in the future!

The Ethnographic Radiographer

Dr Ruth Strudwick has had her first book published, it’s a monograph of her doctoral work.

Written from the perspective of a diagnostic radiography educator, it introduces readers to ethnography as a methodology and examines how an ethnographic researcher sees the world in which they live.

Dr Strudwick is Associate Professor and Professional Lead for Radiography and Interprofessional Learning in the School of Health and Sports Sciences at the University.

NEWS AND UPDATES

Exploring the Highlands of Scotland

It’s been a long wait but finally field trips are back for our Wildlife students, and started with a seven day trip to the Highlands of Scotland to study some iconic British wildlife.

The students on the Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science degree stayed at the award winning Aigas Field Centre, owned by one of Britain’s best known

conservationists, naturalist and nature writer, Sir John Lister Kaye, who has featured on the BBC’s Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.

„ Course Leader, Dr Christopher Turner, said, “This was an opportunity for our students to study some of Britain’s rarest animals in the wild. They visited many sites around the Highlands observing beavers, pine martens, dolphins, ospreys and golden eagles and met with local rangers and learned about current threats to native wildlife.”

„ Student Ben Ellis said, “Seeing the large flowered European butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora), round leaf sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), and great English sundew (Drosera anglica) in the wild was fascinating!”

We run this degree programme in partnership with Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Colchester Zoo, and share associations with a range of environmental and conservation organisations.

Our students study animal and plant ecology, marine and freshwater biology, wildlife behaviour and environmental and conservation science.

NEWS AND UPDATES

In addition to field trips within the UK, when travel restrictions permit, students will also get the opportunity to study at Action for the Wild’s UmPhafa nature reserve in South Africa.

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a strenuous mountain hike with a visit to the loch beneath. Add sightings of a handful of red squirrels, two golden eagles, some osprey, bottlenose dolphins and Atlantic salmon. Wash down with single malt Scotch whisky, watching badgers and pine martens to finish. Slàinte mhath!

Find out about the course

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Fellow student Lily Sparrow added, “A recipe for a successful field trip in the Scottish Highlands: first, combine

NEWS AND UPDATES

Introducing the International Student Community Café

Since the beginning of the academic year the ‘International Advice Team’ within Student Life have hosted a series of monthly International Student Community Café events supported by colleagues in Student Life, Student Experience, the Students’ Union (SU), the Chaplaincy and other support services. The Community Café provides a forum for our international students to meet and support one another and engage with student services, and the varied calendar of events are open to all international students at the University.

Events so far have included; a guided walking tour of the historic Ipswich Waterfront, followed by a delicious afternoon tea; a poster making activity exploring what international students choosing to study with us can expect, and our December event was looked at ‘Christmas and celebrations around the world’ and making festive decorations.

Susan, a BA (Hons) Childhood student from France has particularly enjoyed the sessions as she has been able to network with other international students that she might not have met otherwise.

Following the successful launch of the Community Café last term, we have recently been awarded funding from the Student Experience Fund to help us deliver planned activities this semester to include sessions supported by Careers and Employability giving students top tips for creating a standout CV, jobhunting support, and information on the

Graduate Route Visa scheme. Another session offered by Disability and Wellbeing will explore ways to cope with home sickness and culture shock, and we hope to end the semester with a trip exploring local treasures in Suffolk such Sutton Hoo or Framlingham Castle and finish with a coastal trip to Aldeburgh for fish and chips on the beach.

An important aspect of our Community Café is to share food and we offer free refreshments for the students at every event and include a selection of hot and cold drinks, cakes and on occasion we plan to offer a small meal too.

The Student Experience Fund will also be supporting our first International Spring Festival to celebrate our international student community. We hope to hold a week of events focused on learning about different cultures and customs. Ideas so far include a poster competition, opportunities to explore culture, food, language, music, dance and art. Students will be invited to showcase their home country and we will create a fun atmosphere celebrating our rich diversity. We will also use this opportunity to exhibit international opportunities to our students and promote the new Turing Scheme and the final Erasmus grant opportunities.

For more information on the International Student Community Café, or if you have an idea for our International Spring Festival, please email the International Advice Team in Student Life internationaladvice@uos.ac.uk

HEALTH AND WELLBEING QUARTER UPDATE

We are very much in the final stages of the new Health and Wellbeing Quarter.

For those that have looked across at the old East Building when on campus, you will have seen the new lift tower that stands tall and rises above the building like a beacon. The glazing works on the tower have now been completed along with the majority of all the interior fittings.

This means that the final works to the new clinic rooms are underway, and we are looking to complete things in the coming weeks. We can then start the landscaping works which will become a lovely, open area, forming a gateway to the super new build.

The Digital and IT fit out is going well and over the next few weeks the user equipment will start to be installed. Alongside this, the furniture and specialist equipment will begin to arrive and be put into place.

We are so looking forward to the next few weeks and then to the opportunity to welcome people into the building which will be a statement for not just the University, but also a landmark for the local partnerships.

SUSTAINABILITY

Trash Talk: Making Waste less Wasteful

Estates Directorate: Justine Oakes

The timing couldn’t be better! As we celebrate our place in the top ten, People and Planet league table for Waste and Recycling, the Estates Directorate is gearing up to launch it’s Think Before you Print campaign, and more crucially the 2022 to 2027 Waste Management Plan. Our attainment of a 97% recycling rate is a significant achievement and something that we are justifiably proud of as recycling is an essential part of the waste management hierarchy, unlocking material flows into the UK economy. However, it represents the back end of what remains an essentially linear resource consumption approach within the wider context of an organisations operational process.

To really unpick why this matters, we need to understand how waste is truly wasteful, something our new Waste Management Plan seeks to address by embedding circular economy thinking into aspects of our existing procurement and resource consumption approaches. Linear consumption patterns follow the take – make – dispose pathway. A global legacy of disregard that now confronts us with major supply chain constraints as resource availability declines, costs rise, politics polarise and national/international legislative mechanisms strive to protect ecosystem breakdowns, pollution abatement, world labour and habitation rights.

Before an item reaches us, whatever we have procured has already weighed in quite heavily in terms of its impact in a variety of different ways. Here, paper here is the most obvious illustration to visualise; but what about our tables, chairs, computers; the buildings themselves? How do we secure University resource resilience and a reduced environmental impact as we implement the growth of the estate and the facilities and equipment available within it?

Circular economy thinking challenges us. It asks us to re think how we use and consume products. Re define what is possible through re use and recycling. Re invest in the types of products we procure to ensure they can be disassembled and repaired. At the heart of our new Waste Management Plan is a drive to apply this scrutiny to our procurement and management approach, ensuring we keep components and materials at their highest utility and within the value chain for as long as possible where possible. Making our waste less wasteful.

EcoLab — Addressing the housing needs of the future

Construction of the University’s ‘EcoLab’ at Adastral Park is due for completion in April. It’s a collaborative, research facility to demonstrate the regional capacity for the design, build and occupation of sustainable homes. Project partners include the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and BT.

Using latest construction methods the aim is to achieve zero carbon occupancy, and a reduction in embodied carbon of around 50% compared to a typical brick and block house. The EcoLab will also use smart systems to evaluate sustainable material performance, low carbon energy and water consumption, alongside critical consideration of the landscape through ecological design.

Benjamin Powell, lecturer in Architecture at the University, said, “The project brief addresses two of the most pressing concerns; climate change and the environmental impact of the construction industry; and the UK’s chronic shortage of affordable housing.”

Benjamin added “As well as environmental considerations, the EcoLab model is suitable to be built at scale, and achieve significant savings in construction costs. We believe this is a fundamental requirement to make a low energy future attainable for all. It will be used to test innovations in materials, smart technology, and biodiversity enhancement through partnerships with various organisations including BT.”

Our Architecture students took part in a virtual ‘EcoLab Architecture Hackathon’ working collaboratively to create concept designs.

Associate Professor in Architecture, Dr Liana Psarologaki said “These events are at the heart of what we do here. We advocate Architecture as a tool for social and ecological innovation; an agent to improve how people live and make decisions about the built environment. Our students are trained to approach design and building with curiosity and a critical eye; vital skills for future built environment professionals”.

Professor Darryl Newport, Professor in Energy and Sustainable Development and Director of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute, said, “The EcoLab embodies accessible sustainability for all, including researchers, innovators, public stakeholders and our students. It offers a vision for a sustainable lifestyle, creating a template for future domestic dwellings.”

Recognising the strength in working collaboratively, the University welcomes the support of the New Anglia LEP and BT in realising the EcoLabs ambitions.

studiomanifest.co.uk

Photographs:

MEET AND GREET

Interview with Professor Mathie

Professor Alistair Mathie joined the University in January 2021 as Dean of the School of Engineering, Arts, Science and Technology and on a list compiled by Clarivate in December, he was named as one of the world’s most influential researchers. This list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers having a significant impact on the research community as evidenced by the rate their work is being cited by their peers.

Why did you choose the University of Suffolk?

As a relatively new University, I was struck by Suffolk’s ambition articulated in the 10 year Strategy and Vision statement (2020–2030). I loved the look of the waterfront campus and the friendliness and enthusiasm of the people I met.

In my role, I feel that I can contribute to creating something substantial here in Suffolk, so we can make significant and trustworthy contributions to quality of life and economic wellbeing, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Tell us about your research?

Tell us about your background.

I’ve spent all my career in academia. As a postdoctoral researcher, I was fortunate to work with some of the best people in the world in my area of research, first in London then in Seattle. I obtained teaching and research positions at University College London and Imperial College London, before moving to the University of Kent as Professor of Pharmacology where I combined academic work with a variety of leadership roles including Head of the Medway School of Pharmacy and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Sciences.

My research centres on “bioelectricity”. In my laboratory based research, my team studies the properties of ion channel proteins which carry electrical signals across the membranes of nerve cells and muscle cells and their activity is regulated by various pharmacological agents and physiological mediators. Ion channels are important in a variety of clinical conditions, such as epilepsy, stroke, neuropathic pain, pulmonary hypertension and depression and they represent major, potential therapeutic targets for research. For example, my team are working with LifeArc’s Centre for Therapeutics Discovery to identify and develop new ion channel activators for the alleviation of chronic pain.

I’m also heavily involved in research projects to develop novel approaches to improve atrial fibrillation screening and detection. This research uses novel, smart mobile devices to record and interpret ECGs, which are a measure of the electrical activity of the heart. This work was the recipient of Healthcare Pioneers awards from the Atrial Fibrillation Association in 2019 and 2021, and an Excellence in General Practice, Pharmacy award from the 2019 Clinical Pharmacy Congress.

What does the recognition of the Clarivate list mean for your work?

Clarivate are a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics.

The award brings recognition to the research of myself and my collaborators and recognition to the University of Suffolk, listed in the rankings as my ‘home’ university. For example, the “Highly Cited Researcher’ ranking is one of the objective indicators for global university ranking used by ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities).

This award provides further indication of the development of internationally recognised research at the University of Suffolk.

What’s around the corner

I’ve been lucky enough to form some fantastic research collaborations with colleagues around the world but, for obvious reasons, we’ve not been able to meet up properly for a couple of years.

Hopefully ‘round the corner’, is a trip to visit my great friends and colleagues in Madrid, a day or two of talking science, planning and doing experiments, and an evening or three of cervezas and tapas.

The quick-fire round:

„ Tea or coffee? Coffee

„ Cat or dog? Either or both

„ Football or rugby? Football

„ Summer or winter? Summer

„ Sweet or savoury? Savoury

„ Instagram or Twitter? Twitter

„ Boxset or cinema? Boxset

„ Staycation or vacation? Vacation

„ Cake or biscuit? Cake

„ Soap or sitcom? Sitcom

„ Describe yourself in three words Hmm. I’m Scottish, and my favourite description of a Scottish person (by a non Scottish person) in three words was ‘passionate, classy and likes deep fried food’. And we never stick to three words when we can use seven.

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

Academic takes part in an international culture research project

Video artwork created by an Associate Professor at the University of Suffolk has become part of an international culture research project.

Hydor, a video art installation by Dr Liana Psarologaki, is part of the Listen From The Well exhibition in Izmir, Turkey, which is focusing on the heritage of water.

The exhibition is part of the Barbaros Water Culture Heritage Project supported by Space of Culture.

Dr Psarologaki was selected to exhibit through an international open call for artists working with water and said, “I am very happy that my most travelled video installation is now part of an interdisciplinary culture research project that focuses on the heritage of water.

“The original video was made in Margate in 2013 and has since travelled to become site specific in exhibitions in the UK, Greece and Belgium.

“In 2018 it was presented in Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi during the Venice Biennale, and now Izmir – an epicentre of culture and the arts.”

You can watch Hydor on Vimeo: Liana’s portfolio is available at Aylos Topos

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

Student completes mural in Ipswich retail hub

Microshops Ipswich, the innovative retail concept for fledgling retailers, has unveiled a new mural by our 2nd year, Fine Art student Pippa Worthington who won a competition run by Microshops, to create the 3.7m x 2.4m mural.

The brief was to represent important aspects of Ipswich and Pippa’s design features recognisable local sights, including Digby the octopus,

Portman Road, home of Ipswich Town FC and the University’s Question Mark sculpture. It took Pippa a week to complete and it is expected to remain in place for at least a year.

Natalie Sebastian, Head of Special Projects at Evolve Estates, which owns Microshops Ipswich, said, “We’re so pleased to have worked with the University on this scheme and are thrilled

with the finished piece that now takes pride of place in Microshops.

“Microshops is all about encouraging local, independent talent so it made sense to work with students on our doorstep for this project. It has gone so well we’re planning to run further competitions with the Fine Art department.”

Pippa said, “When I was working on it, people kept coming up to me recognising the landmarks. It was a nice experience and the reception is really good.”

Dr Jane Watt, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art, added, “This is a great opportunity for our students. Professional Practice is at the heart of our course, creating opportunities for students to develop their portfolios in real life situations, showcasing their creative skills and placing art in the community. Pippa’s mural is vibrant and dynamic, complementing the fantastic new creative space in Ipswich town centre.”

Microshops opened in June with 17 retail pods, and are now entering phase two. The pods are suitable for retailers, artists and craftspeople and are let on a flexible, monthly contract. For more information, visit Microshops or email them.

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

Smarter Suffolk Data Hackathon

Over sixty people gathered for Suffolk County Council’s, Smarter Suffolk Live Labs Data Hackathon at the DigiTech Centre, Adastral Park in October. An innovative collaboration between the University, Suffolk County Council (SCC) and BT, the day was an exciting opportunity to explore and develop new ideas in the science and data behind decisions that drive SCC’s highways services. It is part of a three year technical research project from Dr Hannah Steventon and Prof Nicholas Caldwell in the School of EAST.

Our students and staff worked alongside domain and data specialists from SCC, applied researchers from BT, and technical experts from equipment suppliers. Students from our BSc Computing and new MSc Data Science and Artificial Intelligence courses collaborated with industry experts to develop new ideas with the available data.

The Hackathon was designed to work on key challenges faced by SCC, ambitious to transform air quality, road usage, winter gritting, gully cleansing and street lighting. Focused on tangible outputs and practical solutions, students were challenged to unlock new ways of thinking around SCC’s data, contributing to the council’s innovation strategy.

SCC’s Executive Director Mark Ash, and Lisa Perkins, BT’s Director of Research and Innovation welcomed attendees, and Adam Oliver from BT’s Hothouse team facilitated the day. SCC Live Labs team and domain experts, product experts and partners, all gave talks and introduced challenges. Ian Thurlow from BT introduced students to BT’s Data Exchange and the data available to them.

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

With a buzz of teamwork amongst the students and supported by community experts, ideas explored included; the needs of cyclists using Vivacity Lab’s image analytic traffic counting, and traffic management to improve air quality at times of high road use. Many students have used and developed their ideas and work further in their module assignments and dissertations.

Domain experts and suppliers networked during the day, and valuable industry connections were made. Finally, each student team presented

their ideas and discoveries to the expert panel, receiving valuable feedback, prizes and certificates. Students can include the event on their CV and they gained an understanding of local authority data use for decision making in our environment, planning, transport and economy. The project team would like to thank everyone for making the day a success, and the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and the Live Labs project for funding.

Student awarded ‘best student presentation’ at national conference

Postgraduate sport and exercise student has been awarded ‘Best student free communication presentation’ at the national 2021 British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) conference.

1st year PhD student Victoria Parker presented her undergraduate dissertation project on The Effects of Static vs Dynamic Resistance Exercise on Post Exercise Hypotension at the annual conference. The abstract has been published in

the Journal of Sport Sciences. The 3 day online conference hosted a comprehensive programme of over 60 oral sessions from world leading researchers and practitioners. Awards were presented for research (free communication presentation and poster presentation) in student and non student categories.

BASES Conference Awards Hall of Fame

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Expert Statements (msecnd.net)

DATA GOVERNANCE UPDATE

Data Breaches

Any data breach, no matter how small, should be reported immediately to the Data Governance Team by email

In the email, please ensure that you have given all of the details of the breach for example the content shared, to how many and what immediate actions you have taken to rectify the situation. The team will review the breach and will come back to you with the next steps that need to be taken. Even if you are unsure if a breach has occurred, or if a near miss

occurs, please ensure that this is reported to the team so that they can advise you and any necessary action taken.

One breach that is very common is an email going to someone else with the same name, accidently copying another person into an email or sending the incorrect attachment. Please take a minute before you send an email to review the recipients and attachments to minimise the risk of such a breach — it is easily done but if we review

our emails before we press send it will help reduce the number of these types of breaches occurring. Outlook has a really useful feature whereby you can delay emails — this way it gives you time to correct an error should one occur. A guide to how to set this up can be found at Microsoft Support .

Further details of how to deal with data breaches can be found at Data Management Policy which can be viewed on our website.

Freedom of Information

Most FOI requests come directly to the FOI inbox (foi@uos.ac.uk) and are then dealt with centrally by the team.

If you receive an email which you believe is an FOI, please send it to the FOI email

address as soon as possible and they will log it and ensure it is sent to the correct person to deal with.

If you are sent an information request from the team, please ensure that you answer within the timescale asked as we are

required to respond to the request within 20 working days.

If you have any questions relating to any of the above or anything else relating to data governance then please do email the team

OPEN LECTURES SERIES

Research Realisations: Funnels, Fly Wheels and Fibre.

Thursday, 10 March, 6.00–7.30pm

BT’s purpose is to ‘Connect for Good’ and has been successful in this mission since 1837. ‘Purpose’ is at the core of how BT researches and innovates. Learn how BT creates and drives an ecosystem of research and of innovation to realise value and impact (of different types) for itself, for other organisations and for society at large.

Lisa Perkins

Director of Adastral Park and Research Realisation for BT’s Technology division.

I

like to move it, move it!

Thursday, 31 March, 6.00–7.30pm

Valerie’s talk will explore how physical activity (including sport) not only increases physical health by being active, but can also improve wellbeing by connecting, helping you learn, volunteer and taking notice (one of the 5 ways to wellbeing).

Valerie will take a personal walk through her work to date and will entwine it with personal experiences of how physical activity has shaped her research and her life.

Professor Valerie Gladwell Director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University.

I can’t get no (birth) satisfaction: International Experiences with the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R)

Thursday, 16 March, 6.00–7.30pm

Professor Martin developed the Birth Satisfaction Scale Revised (BSS-R) in 2014 as a valid, reliable and easily administered measure of birth experience, designed to robustly assess the experience of birth from the woman’s perspective. He will discuss the development and

properties of the scale, its clinical application and use internationally and the relevance and importance of birth experience to clinical outcome.

Professor Colin R. Martin Professor of Clinical Psychobiology and Applied Psychoneuroimmunology and the Clinical Director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University.

Memory, Identity, Communication: The Power of Interaction for Sustaining Personhood

Thursday, 10 May, 6.00–7.30pm

Memory impairments associated with some types of dementia can be difficult to navigate and frightening to contemplate. Memory is the basis of our personal narratives and our sense of identity. But memory isn’t just about what you’ve done and where you’ve been, reconnecting with others can come through conversations about feelings, preferences

and beliefs. Linked to the launch of the Staging Posts game, this talk will explore how such reconnection operates and demonstrate how we can help build caring communities through better communication.

Professor Alison Wray Research Professor of Language and Communication at Cardiff University in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy.

OVER TO YOU

We want this newsletter to be a reflection of all of the excellent projects, research and work being undertaken by our staff.

If you have any feedback and suggestions for content please get in touch by emailing Atlanta Blair at atlanta.blair@uos.ac.uk. Thank you.