University of Suffolk Staff Newsletter issue 15 Autumn 2022

Welcome 2

In focus 3

Success for our Graduates 3

Alarming Ladder Studios and EGX 4

News and updates 5

Graduation Week 2022 5

Higher Education Apprenticeship Landscape published in July 2022 by FISSS 7

Operation Soteria Bluestone — transforming policing of rape and sexual offences 7

Fundraising and Alumni Relations successes 8

Sustainability 9

Smart House launch 9

Sustainability Reporting 2021/22 — How Did We Do? 10

Let’s Talk Travel 11

Meet and greet 12

Sara de Freitas, Director of the Digital Futures Institute 12

Student and Staff success 13

Research initiative in Applied Sport Science 13

Physiotherapy: new course – first stories 14

‘Suffolk Arboretum’ a new MA anthology published 15

Student Awarded Undergraduate Prize for Physiology by The Physiological Society 16

Events 17

Staff Awards 2022 17

Over to you 18

WELCOME

Earlier this autumn it was good to be able to share with colleagues across the institution our thinking around increasing student numbers at our Ipswich campus. As the 18-year-old market is growing significantly across the UK we want to be in the best place possible to ensure we attract and retain our market share. The University has made considerable progress across a number of key measures in recent years, such as NSS results, tariff on entry and employability, as well as making significant investment in our estate, our people and our student experience.

It is important that we are all able to communicate our strengths and what we stand for in a consistent way, to enhance the reputation of the University and position ourselves as the university of choice.

So here is a reminder of why we are so good, and why everyone should believe us:

We are proudly modern and innovative

We are rightly regarded as a pioneer in block learning, and we are top ten in the UK for ‘best lecturers and teaching quality’ in the WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2022. We are also top ten in the UK for ‘best facilities’ in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards and have invested in state-of-the-art facilities including the £14m Health and Wellbeing building and £9.5m DigiTech Centre. We have developed a unique alliance with the Integrated Care System and County Council in Suffolk; and our partnership with BT, a world leading telecommunications company, is going from strength to strength.

We deliver transformative education

We provide excellent graduate outcomes, 26th in the UK for graduate prospects on track (Complete University Guide 2023).

We continue to invest in our students — we are 23rd in the UK for professional services spend on students.

We provide subject area excellence — we are 6th in the UK for History and 7th in the UK for

Sociology and Social Policy.

We provide opportunities for all — we deliver to more than double the national average of students from deprived backgrounds and are 3rd in the UK for social mobility.

We combine an international focus with a commitment to our region

We have world-class research, achieving an ‘outstanding’ award in the REF 2021 for producing world leading and internationally excellent research.

We make a significant contribution to the local economy with the economic impact analysis report published in 2019, showing that the University of Suffolk generated £103m Gross Value Added (GVA) and supported 2,270 jobs across the region and wider UK.

We have growing international student numbers with plans to double this year on year up to 2030.

We provide global consultancy and knowledge transfer services across businesses throughout our region and across the world including, Peru, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

In this edition you will find the latest positive examples of our work and more reasons to believe in the University of Suffolk. Be proud of all that we are, be proud of your contribution to our journey and, be an ambassador, sharing why we are the University of choice for students.

Professor Helen Langton Vice - Chancellor and CEO

IN FOCUS

Success for our Graduates

Summer 2022 saw the release of the newest Graduate Outcomes data for the sector, providing us with key insights on the destinations of 2019/20 graduates from UK universities. Whilst the sector saw an average of 78% of graduates in high skilled employment, 82% of University of Suffolk graduates (including all partners) from 2019-20 were in high skilled employment, a fantastic outcome clearly demonstrating our commitment to supporting students to progress beyond university. Additionally, 92% of students were in employment or further study, beating the sector average of 89%.

It is key that we maintain these fantastic outcomes, and the results come at an exciting time within the Careers, Employability and Enterprise team. We are embarking on a period of growth to improve the support available to students and academics, with a new team of Placement Consultants to join our expanded team of Employability and Careers Consultants, and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship experts

over the next few months. A new structure will enable the team to work in stronger partnerships with all stakeholders, and ensure that we maintain, and see, even better, Graduate Outcomes results in coming years.

Alongside this growth, we are also enhancing or launching a variety of initiatives to support students: from our expanded Micro-Placements scheme and re-branded Inspiring Futures Fund, through to the launch of ‘Build Your Future’ to provide targeted support for underrepresented groups, our VR headsets providing immersive interview and workplace skills development, and our brand new social enterprise business start-up programme, plus lots more, there is something for everyone. We have also moved to offering support for life to University of Suffolk graduates, ensuring that our alumni community know that we are here to help them throughout their ever-evolving futures and world of work.

Contact the CEE team or find out more on our Careers, Employability and Enterprise web page

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022

Alarming Ladder Studios and EGX

During 2022, University of Suffolk graduates, Daniel Wiltshire and Hannah Bull set up Alarming Ladder Studio, a new game development studio in Ipswich. After successfully being accepted to the Tranzfuser programme, Daniel and Hannah have been able to access intensive business workshops and large pitching sessions.

‘Our main goal is to make sure we can put our effort into launching our own games and help create a large game development community within the Suffolk area,’ said Daniel Wiltshire, Studio Director.

Kingdom Run VR, Alarming Ladder’s first project, is an action-adventure runner aiming to increase exercise whilst collecting lost gems. A room-scale VR experience, Kingdom Run VR requires full body movement to dodge a wide variety of traps.

Thanks to recent attendance at the trade fair for video games, EGX, including an opportunity to present on stage, over 300 attendees tried out Kingdom Run VR, from industry professionals to children of all ages.

‘We were able to get a ton of positive feedback from the attendees and even had individuals thanking us for making the game,’ said Daniel Wiltshire, Studio Director.

Alarming Ladder Studios is now looking to launch Kingdom Run VR in early 2023, with two more of our graduates, Chris Palmer and Danny

Parker, joining the team.

As students on our Games courses, Daniel and Hannah were able to access the variety of support available from the University Business Engagement, Careers and Employability directorate through the Games Hub, including the use of our VR headsets to support their work.

The Games Hub is open to all final year Games students, and prepares them to launch their own games into the market; they are also supported to submit an application to Tranzfuser, which can result in grant funding of up to £20,000.

For 2022, the Games Hub has been relaunched thanks to our new Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Manager, Amy Volkert, working in collaboration with Daniel to ensure students have the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge available.

Links

Alarming Ladder on Twitter

Alarming Ladder on Linktree

Alarming Ladder on Tranzfuser University of Suffolk Careers, Employability and Enterprise web page

NEWS AND UPDATES

Graduation Week 2022

Graduation Week 2022 at the University of Suffolk saw more than 3,000 students graduating across 15 ceremonies in the grand marquee on the Ipswich Waterfront.

The celebratory atmosphere was matched, on the whole, by glorious autumn sunshine as guests gathered with graduates to share their special day.

Highlights included an emotional vote of thanks from Lotachi Ekwunife who graduated after losing her husband to Covid and a double celebration for newlywed graduate Balal Awan

who married Arusa the day before collecting his Unitas FdA Youth Justice award.

The University also celebrated three new honorary graduates - Jonathan Adnams OBE, Dr Harry Brünjes and Paul Killik. Find out more about them on our Honorary Graduates and Fellows web page

Summing up the week of ceremonies Professor Helen Langton, Vice-Chancellor, said, “Graduation is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work and brings a sense of delight and achievement.”

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022

Higher Education Apprenticeship Landscape

published in July 2022 by

FISSS (The Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards)

The University was asked with five other universities to contribute to a research report to identify, and better understand, a number of key operational challenges when delivering degree apprenticeships. The focus was to understand the current issues pertaining to delivery, on programme assessment, end point assessment and submission of data returns for funding and certification.

In summary, the report highlighted that the uptake of higher and degree apprenticeships has demonstrated a demand for workintegrated provision at levels 6 and 7. However, the regulatory landscape is complex, and all

universities felt that there was an urgent need for refinement to align with the university quality touchpoints. It was also felt, to support HEI’s and the continued expansion of higher and degree apprenticeship provision, it would be a welcome relief to many to observe a stronger narrative between QAA, OfS, ESFA, IFATE, Ofqual and Ofsted. Lastly HEI’s felt greater collaboration would be desirable to drive a common language and an inclusive quality framework, that recognises the nuances of pedagogic approaches at different study levels, as well as embracing, and assuming alignment to the core principles of apprenticeship provision.

Operation Soteria Bluestone — transforming policing of rape and sexual offences

In September, researchers from the Institute for Social Justice and Crime, led by Professor Miranda Horvath, began work on the second year of Operation Soteria Bluestone, a national programme aiming to transform the policing response to rape and other sexual offences across England and Wales.

Operation Soteria Bluestone was first piloted in Avon and Somerset Police at the beginning of 2021, as a response to the government End-to-End Rape Review and the Home Office pledge to increase the number of rape cases ending in a conviction.

This year, working with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the National Police Chiefs Council, the project is expanding to involve 19 distinct police forces from across England and Wales.

The Soteria Bluestone project is split into six key areas of focus, all exploring different aspects of

the investigative process. The focus areas have been informed by academic studies, deep dive research and pilots in police forces, and include:

Suspect focused investigations

Targeting repeat suspects

Victim engagement

Learning, development and wellbeing for officers

Better use of data

Digital forensics

The University of Suffolk, alongside collaborators from Bournemouth University, are leading the work on conducting suspect focused investigations and targeting repeat suspects.

This research, which is already gaining national media attention, will ultimately result in a new National Operating Model for use by all 43 Home Office police forces across England and Wales.

Fundraising and Alumni Relations successes

The University’s Alumni Relations and Development team exists to strengthen relationships between the University and its supporters, alumni and friends; raise awareness of the need and impact of support; ensure our graduates build lifelong connections with us; and fundraise to support the University in its growth, and its mission to transform lives.

The team is proudly celebrating its most successful year to date. In recent months, the University received its first-ever sevenfigure donation (£1.25m) towards its integrated care provision and plans, and it also received a significant pledge (value circa £1m) from a supporter deciding to leave half of their residual estate for the establishment of a multi-year bursary. These unprecedented acts of generosity towards the University are real votes of confidence in its mission to transform lives, in Suffolk and beyond. We have launched a new film to celebrate our growing supporter community, which can be watched on our Supporting the University web page.

The team has also been busy engaging and re-engaging with hundreds of supporters and thousands of Alumni and will soon move its relationship management activity onto a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to improve the University’s communications with its stakeholders and friends in the future. Our Alumni campaign #UniSuffolkMadeMe was shortlisted for ‘best engagement campaign’ at the 2022 HEIST awards. The percentage of University of Suffolk contactable Alumni (78%) now exceeds national averages (73%) and our quarterly Alumni News achieved 30% read-rates, compared to 25.8% sector average. Ever-strong Alumni support for the University maintained its momentum and included radio interviews, blogs, talks and lectures; target-blowing social media engagement across all channels; plus the percentage of our Alumni returning to the University to take up postgraduate qualifications has risen from 22% to 54% this year. We are planning a new-look events calendar for 2023 that will include our first big Alumni event — more exciting details coming soon.

SUSTAINABILITY

Smart House launch

30 November 2022 at BT’s Adastral Park

The project is a collaborative research facility that aims to demonstrate the regional capacity for designing, building and occupying sustainable homes.

Partners in the project include the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and BT and it coincides with the launch of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute.

The DigiTech Smart House will utilise systems to evaluate the performance of sustainable materials, low carbon energy and water consumption addressing two pressing concerns - climate change and the impact of the construction industry has on this and the UK housing crisis through chronic shortage of affordable homes and will be used as a ‘living laboratory’ and demonstrator by the University of Suffolk and a range of third-party innovation partners.

The building will be easy to maintain and comfortable to be in offering a vision for a sustainable way of life that enhances lifestyles and acts as a template for future domestic homes.

Professor Darryl Newport, Professor of Energy and Sustainable Development and Director of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute, said “The launch of the Suffolk Sustainability Institute and the opening of our new Smart House Living Laboratory at the University of Suffolk is an important milestone in our journey to addressing some of the major global sustainability challenges.

“Our research experts will use their knowledge and understanding to work with our local, regional and international partners and collaborators to deliver innovative solutions for a cleaner greener future.”

Mohammad Dastbaz, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said, “The University of Suffolk is a strong advocate of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), working closely with BT, New Anglia LEP, our county and borough councils as well as significant energy companies in our region including EDF.

“We hope that our collaborative research and

knowledge exchange work will contribute to our region’s ambition for transition to a zero-carbon economy as well as the University’s key objective of carbon neutrality for scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.”

Lisa Perkins, Adastral Park & Research Realisation Director, at BT added, “Adastral Park is home to a thriving innovation ecosystem, comprising BT, Openreach and 150 businesses in the Innovation Martlesham tech cluster.

“It has long been home for the invention and delivery of impactful technology solutions that make a real difference to society. The ecosystem has been recently enriched with the presence of the University of Suffolk’s DigiTech Centre, with the aim of creating opportunities for research, education and training.

“The Smart House is another opportunity that we have co-launched which will enable exciting research into sustainability linked with smart technology. We are excited to see what further purposeful solutions may come from this.”

Sustainability Reporting 2021/22

Our Annual Sustainability report provides an opportunity for the University to communicate its strategic performance against our sustainability plans and key performance indicators against baseline data, providing transparency and accountability for that performance and an analysis of the activities and initiatives that have put us there. This process is a critical tool for organisational evaluation, enabling us to track our progress and make this journey available to internal and external stakeholders.

With the ink still drying on the report for the Academic year 2021/22, just how did we do?

Sustainability continues to remain very much in the foreground of our University Estates Strategy, with the ongoing energy crisis dominating cost variations, supply availability and contract service provision costs. Tackling these challenges has led to the development of a strong strategic direction that will bring sustainability into the centre of our infrastructure, operations and procurement decisions, building campus resilience, whilst simultaneously enhancing teaching and learning, and the student and staff experience. The Sustainability team has also been working closely with the Digital directorate, as we begin to define and derive insights into space, place and what it means to be a University in a post digital landscape. Discussions around, and considerations of, Smart Building technologies, critical upgrades to our Building Management Systems and associated infrastructure are all tools that will support us in moving more rapidly toward decarbonisation through energy and cost reduction, and have dominated much of the later part of the reporting year. Post Covid-19 we have seen an increase in campus footfall, and some encouraging continued reduction in carbon emissions. We were also delighted from April 2022 to include the newly refurbished Health and Wellbeing building into our building portfolio. The University continues to perform well in several key areas implementing further

— How Did We Do?

energy efficiency projects, waste initiatives, procurement and design policy amendments and strong engagement with our campus community, external partners and national bodies.

The headlines of the University’s Sustainability Report 2021/22 include:

„ Approximately 90% of our electricity is now procured from verified renewable energy suppliers.

„ A CO2e emission reduction of 76% against the baseline, exceeding our 55% reduction annual KPI target as we move towards decarbonisation.

„ Combined systems across campus have generated some 41,293kWh of solar electricity during the reporting period, representing a saving of 8,766 kg CO2e.

„ The Digitech Smart House has reached the final stage of completion and is being kitted out with sensors and smart projects to inform sustainable materials and living research.

„ Launch of an EV lease salary sacrifice car.

„ A waste recycling rate of 90.18%, awarding us with a top ten position for waste and recycling within the People and Planet University League.

„ Furniture doctor program to ensure ease of repair and extension of life cycle.

„ Think Before You Print Campaign, saving 610.2kg of CO2e.

„ In celebration of the Queens’ Jubilee we planted seven trees near the Atrium, chosen specifically for their ability to provide pollinator corridors and student learning opportunities.

„ We had over 147 student participants across a wide range of environmental 12 events.

If you would like to know more about our achievements over the year, please do take a deep dive into the Annual Report available on our Sustainability web page.

SUSTAINABILITY

Let’s Talk Travel

Cars and Climate

The transport sector is reported to be the second largest greenhouse gas emitting activity in the UK and is responsible for approximately 24% of emissions. The linkages between poor air quality and transport emissions are well reported upon. Most local authorities implement an Air Quality Action Plan to help monitor and calculate the air quality within town centres; Ipswich Borough Council is no exception and has an obligation to assess areas where pollutants may exceed desirable levels.

These assessments are paramount in reducing the health risks associated with air pollution and help shape the traffic management of areas around Ipswich identified as producing excessive Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulates (PM2.5 and PM10). Air quality monitoring stations are located close to the University, measuring not only our exposure, but also our contribution to this environmental impact.

How are we driving the change?

With the University’s goal of achieving NetZero by 2050, the University of Suffolk Travel Plan is being implemented to encourage sustainable modes of travel, and aims to reduce the reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles. The plan seeks to reduce the contribution of carbon emissions in the local area and with the support of the Transport Working Group, enhance the availability of, and access to, greener travel.

The Travel Action Plan helps to steer objectives for reducing local emissions and movement towards the decarbonisation of our campus areas, improve sustainable access for employees, staff, visitors, contractors, and couriers, and to promote greener, healthier travel engagement. As part of our Travel and Action Plans, the University is now proud to offer a new staff benefit that will allow staff to take advantage of a car EV lease salary sacrifice scheme with Tusker Cars, driving down costs and carbon emissions.

Tusker Cars Staff Benefit Scheme

Tusker Cars is an award-winning carbon neutral company who provide company and salary sacrifice car schemes to UK organisations in both the public and private sector. The University of Suffolk and Tusker Cars have partnered together to provide staff with a salary sacrifice scheme, to allow staff to lease electric cars. Employees can drive a brand new, fully insured and maintained car for a fixed monthly amount from their salary. The benefit of the salary sacrifice scheme includes a brand-new car built to specification, fully comprehensive insurance, annual servicing, routine maintenance and more.

More information about the scheme can be found on our Tusker Electric Vehicles web page.

Sustainability Team University of Suffolk

Sara de Freitas, Director of the Digital Futures Institute

Sara has recently joined the University as Director of the Digital Futures Institute. Working with colleagues, the Institute will develop focus areas such as digital education, environment, ICT, health and security. As BT Professor and Director of the DigiTech Centre, Sara is looking to deepen the University’s partnerships and programmes with BT and the ICT cluster of 155 companies based at Adastral Park.

Sara commented, ‘ After 10 years in executive academic roles in Australia and the UK, I am excited to be moving back into research coordination at the University of Suffolk. Here I will bring my research expertise with my leadership training together with my understanding of business engagement to explore the use of digital technologies in health, education, environmental and security areas. Working across the University and BT Group plc, I look forward to building a sustainable bridge between industrial and academic applied research. Having led academic groups in four universities, three colleges and two schools, I have developed mentoring and coaching skills and enjoy working with students and lecturers to improve student outcomes.

As a small girl, I remember coming to Ipswich on a school trip, and loved Suffolk and the maritime history. Moving to Ipswich recently, I am proud of the unique and rich history, from Sutton Hoo to the Neptune Marina. I would like to showcase the regional successes, amplifying our messages and attracting students, researchers and entrepreneurs to our University and to our Adastral Park campus.

Watch out for more information about our launch events in March which will include our Digital Futures Seminar series on the second Wednesday of every month at lunchtime starting in February.

If you would like to visit me at the hi-tech Digitech Centre or become a key partner at the Digital Futures Institute, contact me directly or email me.

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

Research initiative in Applied Sport Science

Marco Beato, Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Science (BSc, MSc, PhD, CSCS, SFHEA), has been with the University for over 6 years. His research specialism is applied sport science, GPS technology and elite football performance. Marco is an Associate Editor of The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (USA), a member of the Reviewing Panel of the European College of Sport Science (Germany), and reviewer for some of the most prestigious Journals in Sport and Exercise Science.

His paper is entitled “Recommendations for the design of randomized controlled trials in strength and conditioning. Common design and data interpretation.”

The aim of Marco’s paper is to make recommendations in the field of research design and data interpretation with the aim of improving the robustness of future strength and conditioning (S&C) research and avoiding

the replication of common mistakes that can be found in the sports literature. Much can be learned from the clinical field, therefore practitioners, coaches and researchers should be encouraged to adopt research methods coming from such research areas when they design RCTs. In S&C there is the need for more robust RCTs which should have longer duration, greater number of participants enrolled, and the right type of control group (no-intervention control or active control) based on the existing knowledge. Finally, researchers should be aware of some common mistakes that should be avoided such as the selection of a sample of inadequate dimension (type II errors) or inadequate alpha levels (risk of type I), the use of flawed statistical methods, and the incorrect selection of a statistical test or the wrong interpretation of CIs of their study.

The paper can be seen on the Frontiers web page.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

Physiotherapy: new course – first stories

This September we welcomed 25 physiotherapy students to the University of Suffolk for the very first time. They have joined the BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy programme, a brand new 3-year degree programme, approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and accredited by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

To our knowledge, this programme is the only physiotherapy programme in the UK to use a block learning and teaching programme, and it was commended by the CSP for its innovative and contemporary curriculum and the use of coproduction with local stakeholders.

Our students gained an insight into working in the health and social care setting by completing a taster/voluntary day with some of our local services, and they have developed their inperson and virtual communication skills by working with our service user group. Having finished their first module they are now starting to learn their fundamental physiotherapeutic skills in block two and three, and will be out on their first placement with local physiotherapy providers in January.

We asked one of our new first year students, Kate Fuller, to tell us about their experience of joining the course.

‘I chose to study physiotherapy following my own personal experiences. I have visited physiotherapists in the past for sports injuries, and their work has inspired me to pursue this as my chosen career. Through work experience,

I was able to observe the personal impact that physiotherapists have on their patients and how the quality of life is enhanced. This course will give me so many opportunities to learn skills that I can use to help others.

‘One of the main things I love about the course is how we are able to get so many practical experiences, through both placements and practical sessions at the University. I am going to learn many different skills over the next three years as I develop into a physiotherapist, which is really exciting. The new facilities in the Health and Wellbeing building are also incredible, it is such an impressive environment to be learning in.

‘The thing that has surprised me most as a new student is how quickly we started putting our learning into practice and it has been a good way to meet everyone on the course and develop our confidence.’

International student, Munotida Marimirofa, from Zimbabwe, said:

‘I picked this course because I enjoyed playing sport as well as helping people and what better way is there to combine both other than physiotherapy.

‘What I like most about the course is how the lectures bring forth a different and more interesting style of learning within the module.

‘What surprises me is how the content we are learning is somewhat similar to that of pre medicine students and not only to do with stretching and exercise as stereotyped by the rest of the world.’

Photo – BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy 2022 cohort, and Lecturer in Physiotherapy Liam Jenkins, and Danielle Ramsey Senior Lecturer and Course Leader

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

‘Suffolk Arboretum’ a new MA anthology published

The MA Creative and Critical Writing new anthology Suffolk Arboretum was published in September 2022 and is available in all good bookstores nationally as well as via the University Online Shop. This is the second collection of original stories from the talented Creative and Critical Writing postgraduates at the University of Suffolk. Following on from the much-loved Suffolk Folk anthology which looked at folk tales of the region, this anthology turns its attention to the remarkable woodland and trees of Suffolk.

Suffolk Arboretum also features the shortlisted and prizewinning stories from the ‘Student New Angle Prize’, an annual University of Suffolk writing award run in partnership with the national ‘New Angles Prize’ for literature which evokes the spirit of East Anglia. The foreword to Suffolk Arboretum is written by Tom Brown, CEO of the Greenlight Trust, and we leave you with his words on the importance of this anthology and its focus on the remarkable trees and woodlands of our county:

“Trees and woodlands are a quintessential part of what makes Suffolk, Suffolk. Even our county flower the Oxlip is a graceful woodland dweller. Suffolk quite literally has an abundance of nature.”

Tom Brown, The Green Light Trust

From willow trees to ancient oaks, yew trees that gather memories in their dark shade, to hawthorn trees where country mischief resides, these stories will entertain and delight any reader. It is possible to find every tree or area of woodland that is featured in the anthology from Haverhill across the county to Lowestoft. You can also listen to the podcast series of the book. A digital map of the anthology has also been created so that the trees and their stories can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Scan the QR code below to view.

STUDENT AND STAFF SUCCESS

Student Awarded Undergraduate Prize for Physiology by The Physiological Society

A Sport and Exercise Science student from the University of Suffolk has been awarded the Undergraduate Prize for Physiology by The Physiological Society. This national award recognises the excellence of final year undergraduate students of physiology. Samantha Fulcher was awarded the prize in the ‘Best Overall Student’ category as a result of the drive, commitment and enthusiasm showed throughout the degree and in particular, during her final dissertation study. The study investigated the use of resistance exercise to break up sedentary behaviour in the workplace, assessing the effects of this intervention on parameters associated with cardiovascular health. Samantha continues to be involved in physiology-based research at the University of Suffolk and is a fantastic role model for future students studying on the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022

EVENTS Staff Awards 2022

The inaugural University of Suffolk staff awards: “Celebrating Suffolk” was held on Friday 21 October 2022 and the event was a resounding success — bringing together staff from all corners of our institution to celebrate all that we have individually, and collectively, achieved over the past few years. The ideas and meticulous planning of a very small group of colleagues came to fruition in a way, even more special than we could have hoped — and the transformation of the graduation marquee to the stunning celebration venue was remarkable.

The event saw nearly 350 of our staff ‘dress to impress’ and come together to enjoy an afternoon and evening of reflection, laughter, recognition, and celebration. The event was hosted by BBC Radio Suffolk legend, Mark Murphy, who guided us skillfully through the afternoon, with tales of celebration from his career which echoed the theme of ‘Celebrating Suffolk’. We were able to learn of all the great achievements of our wonderful staff – both inside and outside of work, and we cheered the

nominees across all the eight categories – with some awards being so difficult for the judges to decide, that we had multiple winners!

We enjoyed ‘The Big University of Suffolk Celebration Quiz’ — a quirky quiz to test the University knowledge of our staff which got us all on our feet and resulted in much laughter in the marquee. The evening entertainment took over with the wonderful Jake Banfield mesmerising us with his magic, delicious food was served, a live band played, colleagues danced and there was joy and merriment until the evening ended.

It was so important to recognise and thank our staff — whether they were winners of awards or not. The camaraderie and happiness in the room was what Celebrating Suffolk was all about — a time to come together, to have fun, and to reflect on all that makes us great — as colleagues, as an educator and as an employer. We are already thinking ahead to next year!

Julie Burton, Director of People & OD

It was a great evening and lovely to come together to celebrate our achievements over the last two years, and made even more special for me by winning the Outstanding Contribution to Wellbeing Award. I was very touched to have been nominated in the first place and to win was a pleasant surprise. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make it such a fantastic event!

Alison Jones:

Fran Hyde

I think the standout moment for me was seeing the entire SLT on the dance floor — OK some had clearly been persuaded to dance by Helen — but even so I think in all my years in industry and now HE, I have not seen this, so I congratulate them — and Helen — good to see!

OVER