Bristol scientist to study new ways to tackle Alzheimer’s28 August 2013A project that will investigate new ways to protect brain cells from damage in Alzheimer’s will begin this month thanks to an Alzheimer’s Research UK grant. The one-year pilot project, led by Dr Nina Balthasar at the University of Bristol, could bring new treatments for Alzheimer’s a step closer.
Joan Skuse, 1929-201328 August 2013Joan Skuse, former Domestic Supervisor for Social Science and Priory Road, passed away in August.
New research explores public trust in A-Levels23 August 2013A new study that aims to explore public trust in A-Levels is seeking people to share their views. Results from the research, led by the University of Bristol, will be fed back to the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and English exam boards.
Student’s epic 5,200km cycle challenge clocks up over £5,200 for charity23 August 2013A University of Bristol student has completed the challenge of a lifetime by cycling 3,500 miles across North America and raising over £5,200 for charity. Self-confessed ‘bike nut’ Marcus Farnfield powered his way across 15 US states and three mountain ranges in 46 days as he journeyed from Vancouver in Canada to Washington DC on the east coast of the US.
Bristol awarded its first Wellcome and NIH PhD studentship23 August 2013The Wellcome Trust and the US National Institutes of Health have awarded a four-year PhD studentship to Mahsa Samadi, for a joint project with Professor Zafar Bashir at Bristol and Dr Serena Dudek in the US.
Mentoring scheme attracts 70 companies23 August 2013Engineering and computer science undergraduates at the University of Bristol are being paired up with mentors at over 70 companies to give them a taste of working life within the industry. Over 600 new first year students will be offered an early step on the careers ladder thanks to the Industrial Mentoring Scheme, which was successfully launched last year.
'Waiting strategy' helps street camera operators to judge suspicious events22 August 2013Closed circuit television camera operators may adopt an ‘accuracy over speed’ approach when viewing potentially suspicious behaviour, new research has revealed. The study, led by Nottingham Trent University, involved monitoring the suspiciousness of CCTV operators while tracking their eye movements.
World-leading penguin experts come to Bristol22 August 2013Penguin lovers will be treated to a unique insight into the charismatic birds’ lives as world-leading experts come to Bristol for the 8th International Penguin Conference. It’s the first time the conference has been held in Europe, with 200 delegates from 30 countries sharing their latest research and knowledge between 2 and 6 September.
EngD in Systems gains professional accreditation22 August 2013The University’s postgraduate research programme Engineering Doctorate in Systems has been accredited by the three leading professional engineering institutions.
New study shows behaviour problems at age three can affect GCSE grades22 August 2013Children who display hyperactivity, inattention and conduct problems at the age of three are at risk of worse academic outcomes at age 16, according to new research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Study suggests chlamydia infection rates have changed over time but remains common among young women21 August 2013A study exploring the frequency of chlamydia antibodies among young women – a marker for current and past infection – found this increased between 1993 and 2002, and then declined from 2007 to 2010. The first ever English population-based study of chlamydia antibodies, led by researchers from the University of Bristol, Public Health England and Imperial College, is published today [21 Aug] in PLOS One.
One of UK's rarest bats spotted in Wiltshire woods21 August 2013During a night of bat trapping on Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Blackmoor Copse nature reserve, Phil Brown, an MSc student at the University of Bristol, identified a barbastelle bat. This is the first confirmed sighting of this elusive and rare species of bat on the reserve.
Epic ocean voyages of baby corals revealed21 August 2013For the first time, scientists have recreated the journeys of millimetre-sized baby coral through the world’s seas, suggesting some of these tiny adventurers may cross entire oceans. The study, by researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Miami, will help predict how coral reef distributions may change in response to changing oceans.
Fossil fishes come to life in Ilminster21 August 2013A collection of important fossil specimens are coming back to their home town in Somerset for an outreach open day, thanks to a partnership between Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI) and the University of Bristol.
From skateboards to a collaboration with eBay20 August 2013A software company that started life as a university start-up project has launched a real-time inventory and listings management platform available to esellers using one of the world’s biggest online marketplaces. Brightpearl, which began within SETsquared’s business incubator at the University of Bristol, is now providing its retail software to both ebay.co.uk and eBay.com.
Dogs could act as effective early-warning system for patients with diabetes20 August 2013Dogs that are trained to respond to their owners’ hypoglycaemia could offer a very effective way to alert diabetic patients of impending lowered blood sugars. The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first academic study to assess whether trained dogs could be used as a reliable early-warning system to monitor glycaemia control.
ERC funds new study of animated film20 August 2013Dr Kristian Moen, Lecturer in Screen Studies, has been awarded a grant from the European Research Council for a study of the development of animated film.
September conference for Economics Network16 August 2013The Bristol-based Economics Network will host its seventh ‘Developments in Economics Education’ conference on 5-6 September, at the University of Exeter.
New web tool improves rapid ash cloud forecasts16 August 2013A new web tool, created by NERC-funded researchers at the University of Bristol, could pave the way for better management of airspace during volcanic crises.
Undergraduate admissions 201315 August 2013The University of Bristol received around 40,000 applications for the 4,631 undergraduate places available across the full range of subjects from this September.
Exploring portrait photography at the M-Shed14 August 2013Staff members Dr Barnaby Haran and Dr Dorothy Rowe from the Department of History of Art will be giving lunchtime talks on different aspects of portrait photography in the M-Shed's current blockbuster exhibition the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.
Bristol's Students’ Union wins NUS funding for innovative green projects14 August 2013University of Bristol Students’ Union (UBU) is proud to announce the launch of the Green Transformation Project, a sustainability scheme aiming to change the environmental behaviours of students at the University of Bristol.
Ancient mammal relatives cast light on recovery after mass extinction14 August 2013In the aftermath of the largest mass extinction in Earth history, anomodonts –ancient relatives of mammals – did not evolve any fundamentally new features, according to new research published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This suggests that the evolutionary bottleneck they passed through during the extinction constrained their evolution during the recovery.
Wildflowers sown across Bristol to encourage insect life13 August 2013Cornflowers, poppies, buttercups and other wildflowers will be blooming across the city this summer as part of a three year, £1.3 million research project led by the University of Bristol.
Fulbright Award for Bristol PhD12 August 2013Anna Long, a recently graduated PhD student from the University of Bristol, has received a prestigious Fulbright-Diabetes UK Research Award.
Bristol research seen by tens of thousands at Asia’s biggest science fair9 August 2013World-leading research being carried out in Bristol to identify the colour of prehistoric animals is being showcased at the largest science and technology fair in Asia, attracting some 1.2 million visitors each year.
Dan Hill, 1984-20139 August 2013Dan Hill, who worked in the School of Social and Community Medicine and before that in the Department of Social Medicine in a number of different roles on a wide variety of projects for nearly a decade, died suddenly on 28 May 2013, aged 29 years. Professor Jenny Donovan offers this tribute.
North Atlantic atmospheric circulation increases mountainous weather systems and river flow in upland Britain8 August 2013The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the most important type of climatic variability in the northern hemisphere. It controls the strength of westerly winds between the “Azores high”’ and the “Icelandic low” that bring a succession of weather systems to Western Europe. New research has looked at the influence of the NAO on orographic precipitation, mountainous weather systems, and river flow in upland Britain.
Three months alone in the ocean as Elsa aims for record-breaking row7 August 2013Rowing for up to 16 hours a day, encountering unknown creatures at night and spending three months in solitude are just some of the challenges Elsa Hammond will face as she endeavours to row 2,400 miles across the Pacific Ocean. The PhD student from the University of Bristol is the only solo woman from the UK registered to take part in the Great Pacific Race 2014, a new route for ocean rowers from California to Hawaii.
Students shine in the Edinburgh spotlight6 August 2013Performers from the University of Bristol are out in force at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this month, showcasing their talents at the largest arts festival in the world. Five groups are involved in a total of 11 shows as they join performers from all over the world for the famous festival which thrusts new acts into the spotlight every year.
Bristol researchers rewarded for excellence in psychopharmacology6 August 2013Bristol PhD students and academics from Professor Marcus Munafò’s and Dr Emma Robinson’s research groups were awarded six of 17 prizes for demonstrating excellence in clinical and non-clinical psychopharmacology and science communication at this year’s British Association for Psychopharmacology [BAP] summer meeting.
Dr Rebecca Pearson features on BBC Radio 4 programme 'The Pregnant Brain' today [Tue 6 Aug]6 August 2013Dr Rebecca Pearson, an epidemiologist from the University's School of Social and Community Medicine, will be talking about her research into the pregnant brain on a special BBC Radio 4 programme today [broadcast at 11 am] which explores the changes that take place in a woman's brain over the course of pregnancy including the effects of depression and stress.
New on-line forum on faith and public policy aims to prompt ‘spirited debate’5 August 2013Are Muslims effective participants in governance or are they victims of policies over which they have little say? This is just one of the debates, featuring contributions from academics, think-tanks, policy-makers and the voluntary and community sectors, taking place on an innovative new on-line faith and public policy forum hosted by the University of Bristol.
New findings could influence the development of therapies to treat dengue disease2 August 2013New research into the fight against Dengue, an insect-borne tropical disease that infects up to 390 million people worldwide annually, may influence the development of anti-viral therapies that are effective against all four types of the virus.
