…n and Ben Massey’s proposal, StratoBooster, will research, design and construct a small satellite launch platform. It will include a small rocket – the 30cm high StratoBooster – which ascends on a meteorological balloon to 30km and then fires its rocket booster to launch femtosatellites called ‘ThumbSats’ and small commercial payloads, in what will be the first civilian space mission to launch in the UK. The Stratobooster delivery system would sig…
…and societies and mix with our own students. Both groups of students are already planning some volunteering events together. The team that run our sports facilities has also given the students associate membership status at the gym, not only for the students, but for their partners too! We’ve also had to rely very heavily on our external partners, especially private sector accommodation providers who have gone out of their way to be flexible. As a…
…versities or courses that lead to high-earning careers risk reinforcing recruitment to City-based firms when we need to build a more dynamic economy such as in the creative and digital industries. A study last week found the UK digital economy was 40% bigger than estimated, with at least 270,000 digital companies. We should be looking to create a diverse university sector that provides firms with the capacity they need in a competitive global aren…
…As universities assess the impact of the Government’s funding cuts, there is better news from at least one part of the sector which is involved in a campaign to increase the size and quality of its research. The last thing education needs is a new acronym, but welcome to NTEU. It stands for New Type of Excellent University, a phrase coined by Andrew Wathey, the vice-chancellor of Northumbria University. Read the full article. …
…Societies, which is supporting solutions-driven research that tackles the world’s most pressing challenges, with projects guided by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The collaborative research environment of the DTA Future Societies will nurture the potential of our doctoral researchers to generate the visionary strategies required to protect the world’s ecological balance while taking care of the fundamental human needs of food, wat…
…ystems from attack. In many institutions we’re still seeing systems in use today that were first introduced as far back as the 1980s and 1990s. These outdated and often incoherent systems create a constant headache. Not only can they make the university tech infrastructure remarkably inflexible (a problem thrown into stark relief during the Covid-19 pandemic), but, as they no longer support the latest security patches, they offer inadequate protec…
…uses ever since. After joining Brookes in 1986, I established the Insect Virus Research Group, which has sought to improve our understanding of virus replication and host interactions, and then to apply this knowledge to developing baculoviruses as expression vectors for recombinant protein production in insect cells. To commercialise this technology, I co-founded a spin-out in 2007 that now focuses on using this technology to develop vaccines, di…
…years and a mission to support local people and communities that continues today. Alliance universities are helping to build the economy of the future with their leading research and close links with business. They are growing graduates who are amongst the most employable and enterprising in the country. What makes a member? A commitment to excellence, world-leading practices and outcomes Prioritising innovative teaching and the student experience…
…for the sector as a whole to tackle it. The report rightly highlights the crucial role of university leadership in driving progress. I was pleased to be part of a Vice-Chancellor’s working group that provided feedback and a strategic view on the role senior leaders can play in helping to accelerate progress in closing the attainment gap. In order to have a meaningful impact, I strongly believe a commitment to addressing this issue has to be embedd…
…ves that are likely to enhance our happiness. For instance, while it is a truism that money doesn’t buy happiness, it has been shown that money can buy experiences (like holidays, music concerts, nights out), which in turn can promote happiness. Interestingly, however, it has recently been shown that it is not the experiences per se that promote happiness, but the fact that we are able to share the experiences with others. Ultimately, it seems as…
