Blue Planet II - Our World, Our Oceans Scaling New Depths in Partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit

Home , Fangtooth, Giant oarfish, Scotoplanes

The magazine for supporters and friends of The Open University Issue No. 13

Our on-going mission Transforming lives and unlocking potential Our Blue Planet Exploring the amazing worlds in our oceans A turning point for breast cancer surgery? A new study could provide a huge breakthrough

Open Door March 2018 v16.indd 1 07/02/2018 17:42 Welcome

Inside this Open Door

3 Continuing our mission to widen participation Breaking down the barriers 3 5 Blue Planet II - our world, our oceans Scaling new depths in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit

8 News in brief Upda te on scholarships for disabled veterans and recycling course materials

10 Breast cancer pilot study Working towards improving the accuracy of surgery 11 The gift of education 5 Changing lives - one student at a time

12 The legacy garden A visual testament of gratitude and a place of quiet reflection 9 or examination, to the point where they cross the Welcome and thank stage and graduate. you for all your support I want to thank you for the part you play in As you know, people of all ages and supporting our students. Whether that is supporting backgrounds study with us, for all students with disabilities, or helping them financially sorts of reasons – to update their - you have helped and encouraged them through skills, get a qualification, boost their journeys. their career, change direction, and Thank you so much for your generosity. You help to to prove themselves. The OU is make our students’ dreams a reality. open to them all.

Whenever I go to Open University degree ceremonies I am always moved when I hear stories about the journeys many graduates have been through to get to that great day. Often graduates bring those Karen Hart who supported them through their studies to the Deputy Director of Development: ceremony; the family or friends who encouraged Alumni Engagement them to keep pushing forward through the next TMA

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Turning 50: a time for reflection, action and continued commitment

“… our plans for a university of the air. It’s designed to provide an opportunity for those people who, for one reason or another, have not been able to take advantage of higher education.” Harold Wilson, 1969

The Open University is an institution unlike any other, initially conceived in the 1960s as a ‘University of the Air’ by Harold Wilson, the then Prime Minister. The concept was met by opposition at first, but the University received its Royal Charter on the 23 April 1969, and has since taught over 2 million students. The OU has always aimed to break down barriers. It is renowned as a world leader in flexible, innovative distance learning and is uniquely placed to understand the needs of part-time students, some combining their learning while earning. People from all walks of life, from 18-98, from any background are achieving more In January 1990, Brenda Tombs became the 100,000th than they ever dreamed possible. graduate, and the 1990s saw a decade of technological Much of the work of the OU in the early years was expansion and curriculum development. pioneering in nature. The development of the use of The OU is a leader in providing free, informal broadcasting for education and “distance learning” was learning, via online platforms such as OpenLearn captured by the academic staff in reports, academic and FutureLearn. We have had 50.4 million visitors papers, publications and late-night TV programmes. to OpenLearn since 2006, offering 900 free courses, Move forward 50 years, and today’s students embrace accessed by people from 239 countries. Launched in all elements of technology with online modules, 2013, FutureLearn now has over 7 million users. There podcasts and prime time TV. have been 69.9 million downloads from our iTunesU In the 1980s, the film Educating Rita hit the screens site. starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine. Since then Today’s OU remains true to its open entry policy. The there continues to be a wide range of TV and Radio Open University has transformed millions of lives, but programmes co-produced by The OU and the BBC – millions more remain unlocked. It is time to spark our many of which you will recognise and some you may revolutionary spirit again, to share the gift of education not be so familiar with, including Blue Planet and with all those who have a dream, to believe they can Blue Planet II; Flatpack Empire (the story of IKEA); achieve it and succeed. Your support can help students Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing on BBC4 overcome barriers to learning, offering the opportunity and Thinking Allowed (Radio 4). to embark on a life-changing study journey. The University has long-standing partnerships with national institutions. We have worked with the BBC For more history about the OU, why not visit the for 45 years and 220 million viewers have watched our OU Digital Archive in the library section of the television programmes produced in partnership with website? open.ac.uk/library/library-resources/ the BBC. We have also worked with 30,000 leading the-open-university-archive corporations and businesses including the NHS and 88 of the 100 FTSE companies have sponsored staff on OU modules.

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Continuing to break down barriers 2017 saw the launch of the new undergraduate Bursary Scheme. The bursary is designed to support students with the cost of their studies, helping them to buy books or laptops and pay for travel to and from tutorials. There are up to 50 bursaries available each year and these will support students through the first 180 credits of study. The support of generous donors means that students can set aside financial worries, and focus on fulfilling their true potential. Every new bursary is a life changed, a positive influence created, and countless expectations defied.

The OU is the In 2016/17 number one university 23,630 in Northern students with Ireland for disabilities chose ‘Overall to study with us Student Satisfaction’ The OU in Scotland delivers Degree- level learning to college students on Campus We are helping Frank Neale more school students in Undergraduate Wales progress Bursaries to University From a generous donation 55% of £50,000, we are proud of OU students in England come to launch the Frank Neale from disadvantaged backgrounds Bursaries. Like you, Frank Neale, OU graduate and We are currently Europe’s former Member of the OU Council, believes that largest University with 173,927 where you start in life shouldn’t limit where you go. Through his generous donation the students bursaries will be awarded to students wishing to study at undergraduate level from low income households or underrepresented groups, who may not otherwise have been able to access higher Thank you for your generous support and education. allowing students to open up their future. As part of the OU’s 50th Anniversary campaign Find out more at giving.open.ac.uk Open up the Future, the strand Open Up Opportunity seeks to establish a major financial support programme to empower disadvantaged and underrepresented students.

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BBC Natural History Unit in partnership with The Open University

Blue Planet II, a seven-part series presented by Sir Of© course, Crown itCopyright took a lot 2013 of effort to make. Over more David Attenborough, was broadcast on BBC One at the than four years the Blue Planet II team mounted end of 2017 and it represents a fantastic new chapter of 125 expeditions, visited 39 countries, filmed across collaboration between the BBC Natural History Unit and every ocean and spent over 6,000 hours diving The Open University Science Technology Engineering underwater to bring us closer than ever before to the and Mathematics (STEM) Faculty. A generation on captivating lives of some of the most extraordinary from the BBC Natural History Unit’s award-winning sea creatures and the strangest environments. The series The Blue Planet, Blue Planet II used trailblazing Open University has also been involved from the very breakthroughs in marine science and cutting-edge beginning. The Broadcast and Partnerships team technology to explore new worlds and reveal the very commissioned and have worked with OU academics latest discoveries across our planet; from the Arctic and and the production team since 2014. Four academics Antarctic to the coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean. from the STEM Faculty advised on the series on behalf of the University throughout production. Dr Pallavi This landmark series brought viewers face to face with Anand, Dr Mark Brandon, Dr Mandy Dyson and Dr Phil unexpected new landscapes and introduced compelling Sexton worked with the BBC team providing science contemporary stories from our ocean – if you saw it background to underpin the general series narrative. could you ever forget the fish that leaps to pluck birds Within the partnership these academics ensured that from the sky? Or the mesmerising footage of the life the production team understood the most relevant around a deep sea super-hot water vent? Open University marine research, and advised where

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currently just under 111 million views in total – and that is just the UK (episode 1 was also the BBC iPlayer’s most popular programme of the year). By the time the series has been watched in North America, this spring, the audience will top ¼ billion people. With our educational mission in mind, the fact that the series was a big hit with younger audiences (14 million UK viewers aged 16 - 34) is particularly exciting. The Open University also supported the series and provided an opportunity for audiences to learn more © BBC by producing a spectacular free “Oceans” wall poster; Sir David Attenborough who has worked on many OU/ featuring illustrations of many fascinating sea creatures, BBC collaborations and articles written by the OU academic team highlighting the science of the seas, and critically our appropriate. The University’s involvement with the environmental impact on the oceans. television programme enables access to unique broadcast assets for teaching students. Instead of For centuries humankind has regarded the having an academic in front of a whiteboard talking vastness of our oceans as an inexhaustible about, for example, under sea water vents, we can use source of food, a useful conduit for transporting unique world beating footage from Blue Planet II to give goods and a convenient dumping ground for our students access to the best possible material for waste – too immense in size to be susceptible learning. Part of the academic team’s role is to identify to our environmental negligence. But human which clips can be used for both our current and future irresponsibility is pushing our oceans (and undergraduate modules. the life-support services they provide) to their To say the series has been a success seems like an limits. understatement. The audience has been huge with

Cameraman captures stunning images of ocean life © BBC

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Our poster, like the series, has reached new levels of success, with approximately 500,000 requests, along with an unprecedented number of visits to the OU’s OpenLearn broadcast site.

Dr Mark Brandon was a consultant on the original Blue Planet series 18 years ago, and he has seen Diversity of life Covering almost three-quarters of the Earth's surface, the world’s great oceans are home to an incredibly diverse web of life. The that one of the huge advances with Blue Planet World Register of Marine Species currently lists just under a quarter of a million species, with new ones being identified all the time. But even as we begin to discover the astonishing diversity of life and gain insight into their behaviour and physiology, human activity is II is how the impact of humans on the ocean has becoming an increasing threat to Flying fish Our oceans dominate Earth’s natural systems. They control the climate and the carbon the oceans and the life within them. Exocoetus volitans cycle, produce half of all the oxygen we breathe and support an astounding diversity of life. been highlighted, Spotted eagle ray Yellow spotted Aetobatus narinari Pacific sea jellyfish nettle jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata Dugong Chrysaora Dugong dugon Bottlenose pacifica Dugong dolphin Dugong dugon Dugongs are more closely related to Tursiops truncatus elephants than to marine mammals such as whales and dolphins. They Leatherback sea turtle belong to a group of African mammals Yellowfin tuna Dermochelys coriacea Red lionfish known as the Afrotheria. This group Thunnus albacares Pterois volitans “It has been so powerful to work with a team contains the dugong, manatee, elephant, aardvark, hydrax, elephant shrew, golden mole and tenrec. Flatworm Pseudoceros susanae Necklace starfish Common Fromia monilis clownfish unafraid of being honest about human impact Amphiprion ocellaris Moss animal Phylum bryozoa

PHOTIC Common seahorse Moonfish Hippocampus kuda Lampris guttatus Common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis on the global ocean. Powerful images of plastics Thought to be the first-known EPIPELAGIC Whelk warm-blooded fish, the moonfish is Buccinidae able to keep its entire body core, including its heart, a constant 5°C warmer than the surrounding water. Basking shark This allows the fish to dive to great Cetorhinus maximus Beadlet anemone depths and remain there for long Actinia equina periods without having to return to Atlantic Moonfish the surface to warm up. wolffish Lampris guttatus Sea squirt floating in the seas, and for example the amount Anarhichas Ascidia conchilega lupus Grooved brain coral 200 m Chambered nautilus Diploria Tiger shark Nautilus pompilius labyrinthiformis Galeocerdo of human waste ingested by seabirds, including cuvier Red lionfish Longbill spearfish Pterois volitans Tetrapturus pfluegeri EPIPELAGIC 0 – 200 m Humans are limited to the upper 50 m of this shallowest region Much about the venomous lionfish’s of the oceans. This close to the surface there is light and the appearance conveys a sense of danger – from its red and white zebra winds can make the temperatures relatively uniform. stripes to its long, elaborate pectoral wandering albatross on prime-time landmark fins. Its venom is delivered, for purely Yellow tube sponge defensive purposes, via an array of Aplysina fistularis needle-like dorsal fins. A sting is extremely painful to humans, but is rarely fatal. Humpback whale Spotted moray Megaptera novaeangliae Gymnothorax moringa television and coral bleaching through warming MESOPELAGIC 200 – 1000 m The mid-depths of the oceans are often called the ‘twilight zone’

TWILIGHT as the daylight fades with increasing depth. It is a vast habitat for many species of fish and a hunting habitat for mammals. Coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae MESOPELAGIC

oceans are important. It is only through such These primitive-looking fish were thought to have died out with the Giant oarfish dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But Regalecus glesne Coelacanth scientists discovered these ‘living Latimeria chalumnae fossils’ in 1938, of which only two Pacific hatchetfish known species exist. Coelacanths Argyropelecus affinis represent an early step in the BATHYPELAGIC 1000 – 4000 m evolution of fish to land-based, There is virtually no light at these depths. The relatively uniform oceanic four-legged animals like amphibians. honesty that we can ever hope to develop policy 1000 m temperature makes it a good habitat for many species of adapted fish. Squid at these depths are a major food source for sperm whales.

Goblin shark Deep-sea spider crab Mitsukurina owstoni Platymaia wyvillethomsoni responses to such tragedies.” Sperm whale Sperm whale Physeter Giant Pacific Physeter macrocephalus macrocephalus octopus Enteroctopus dofleini ABYSSOPELAGIC 4000 – 6000 m These giant mammals possess the Sun light never reaches these depths and energy for the fish and largest brain of any animals that have Atlantic hagfish benthic animals that live here rains down from above. Very few ever lived on Earth. Their head Myxine glutinosa contains an oily fluid (which hardens humans have reached these depths, in special submarines. when cold) that regulates their buoyancy during diving and rising in search of food. They can dive to around 1 km depth by holding their breath for 90 minutes. MIDNIGHT HADOPELAGIC > 6000 m BATHYPELAGIC Dana viperfish Ocean trenches make up a tiny proportion of the Earth’s surface. Chauliodus danae They descend from the oceans’ abyssal plains to huge depths, the Cock-eyed squid deepest reaching almost 11 km. Only 3 humans have been this deep. Gulper eel Histioteuthis heteropsis Eurypharynx pelecanoides Gulper eel Eurypharynx The name of this bizarre looking eel pelecanoides derives from its abnormally large Dumbo octopus mouth, which is much larger than its body. Its jaw is loosely hinged, so it 4000 m Grimpoteuthis bathynectes And Blue Planet II has been mentioned in can open wide enough to swallow an animal much larger than itself. The eel also has a pink light-producing organ Common fangtooth that it uses to lure prey towards its Anoplogaster cornuta enormous mouth.

Vampire squid the House… Giant tube worms Vampyroteuthis infernalis Riftia pachyptila

Dumbo octopus Grimpoteuthis bathynectes

‘Dumbo octopus’ refers to an entire genus of deep-sea umbrella Basket starfish octopuses, comprising at least Gorgonocephalus eucnemis 15 species. Their name derives from The UK Government Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip ABYSS their fins, which resemble the ears of Disney’s Dumbo the elephant. All Squat lobster live at extreme depths of 3000 m to Munidopsis profunda 7000 m making this group the deepest living of all known octopuses. Sea spider Colossendeis Hammond, stated in the Autumn 2017 Budget Speech: ABYSSOPELAGIC megalonyx Rattail fish Coryphaenoides yaquinae

Angler fish Melanocetus johnstonii 6000 m The female angler fish is recognised by a long spine resembling a fishing pole “Audiences across the country, glued to Blue Planet II, with a lit end, which is used to attract prey. Their large mouth and flexible Angler fish body allow them to swallow prey twice Melanocetus johnstonii Stalked crinoid their own size. A female may host up Bathycrinus carpenterii to six males on her body. The males Black swallower eventually fuse with her after losing all Chiasmodon niger their internal organs except testes. Snailfish have been starkly reminded of the problems of plastics Pseudoliparis amblystomopsis

Sea pig Sea pig HADAL Earth’s global oceans pollution. Scotoplanes Scotoplanes globosa globosa For centuries humankind has regarded the vastness of our oceans as an Sea pigs are a type of sea cucumber, and are restricted to deep, cold parts inexhaustible source of food, a useful conduit for transporting goods and a of the ocean where they are the HADOPELAGIC dominant animals. They have five to Giant red shrimp convenient dumping ground for waste – too immense in size to be susceptible seven pairs of enlarged tube feet that Acorn worm Aristaeomorpha foliacea are hydraulically operated and serve Enteropneusta to our environmental negligence. But human irresponsibility is pushing our as legs, allowing them to ‘walk’ along Giant amphipod oceans (and the life-support services they provide) to their limits. The UK led the world on climate change agreements. the sea floor. Alicella gigantea www.open.edu/openlearn/blueplanet And is a pioneer in protecting marine environments. To discover more about oceans visit Now I want us to become a world leader in tackling the

Our oceans dominate Earth’s natural systems. They control the climate and the carbon cycle, produce half of all the oxygen we breathe, and support an astounding diversity of life. scourge of plastic, littering our planet and our oceans. CLIMATE WARMING FUTURE OF PLASTIC OCEANS & OCEAN CIRCULATION THE CARBON CYCLE

The demand for plastic continues to grow but its durability – the key One of the most worrying and widely anticipated impacts of ongoing global Concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere continue to rise characteristic that makes plastic so popular – is also the reason why it is warming is a weakening or collapse of the oceans’ overturning circulation. at an astronomical rate. But even more disturbing is that the rate of change so widespread in the oceans. Plastic debris in our oceans is emerging as This vast system of oceanic currents plays a major role in maintaining our in CO2 levels is entirely unprecedented in Earth’s history. We therefore have a new, truly global challenge and one that requires a response at local, regional climates and our oceans’ biological productivity by transporting little knowledge of how our planet, and our oceans in particular, will cope regional and international levels. enormous volumes of heat, salt, nutrients and carbon around the planet. with this ever-increasing burden of greenhouse gas.

that, when eaten, leach out and disrupt We don’t yet know. But if circulation does tomorrow, we still need to try to remove With My Right Honourable Friend the Environment THE CHALLENGE POLAR SINKING THE CO2 PROBLEM normal hormonal function. Microplastics slow or change flow direction, it would have the CO2 that we have already put into the Global production of plastics is rising – in also absorb a wide array of organic and The Arctic Ocean between Greenland and major consequences for regional climates In the spring of 2014, for the first time in atmosphere. Since the 1990s, scientists and 2015 global plastic production exceeded 320 inorganic pollutants from the surrounding Norway, and the Southern Ocean around and ocean ecosystems. The past offers human history, and probably the first time engineers have been working on methods million metric tons. A 2015 study estimated environment. Their large surface-area- Antarctica, are both areas where cooling us insights into what Earth would look like in the last 2.5 million years, atmospheric to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and that 275 million metric tons of plastic waste to-volume ratio means they concentrate and higher salinity make the seawater at should the oceans’ circulation change. Data levels of the greenhouse gas CO2 exceeded reduce the severity of future climate change. was generated in 192 coastal countries in organic pollutants and can be up to six the surface dense enough to sink into the from the geological past and computer 400 parts per million. This has been driven These methods involve using: (a) naturally 2010, and between 4.8 and 12.7 million orders of magnitude more contaminated abyss to form the descending currents models both show that if the North Atlantic primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, with occurring molecules, which react with CO2 tons of it ended up in the ocean as a result than sea water. Ingestion of microplastics of the oceans’ global circulation system. circulation slows or shuts down, the entire contributions from other industrial activities. to form carbonate minerals that capture of poor waste management. The study also by marine zooplankton at the bottom of the Predictions are that global warming will Northern Hemisphere cools, Indian and Prior to the Industrial Revolution, CO2 and store CO2 in solid form; and (b) small predicted that, without waste management food chain is magnified in organisms higher cause surface ocean waters in these polar Asian monsoon areas dry up, and less ocean concentrations were about 270 parts per devices termed ‘CO2 scrubbers’, which aim improvements, the quantity of plastic waste up the food chain, where toxins accumulate regions to become warmer and less dense mixing results in less plankton and other life million, and had been consistently at that to replicate the process by which CO2 is Secretary I will investigate how the tax system and entering the ocean from land will increase by and concentration is increased. (more ‘buoyant’) and thus less likely to sink. in the ocean. level for the 10,000 years of warm climate removed from the air by leaves. an order of magnitude by 2025, resulting in 1 A stronger hydrological cycle, coupled with that humanity has experienced since the ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish. ice sheet melting, will lower the salinity of end of the last Ice Age. Yet, at 400 parts per polar surface waters, which will also increase million, we now find ourselves further from Although there is substantial concern about OCEAN FACTS OCEAN FACTS OCEAN FACTS cream; abrasives used to strip paint and/or the buoyancy of surface waters. All these because of climate warming and a stronger this average level for our warm climate of Rate of change is crucial macroplastic debris (comprising, among remove rust from buildings, cars, ships and factors could weaken the oceans’ overturning hydrological cycle delivering more fresh the last 10,000 years than this average level other things, fishing nets, plastic bags, and The rate at which CO2 is released from fossil aircraft; fibres from synthetic fabrics (more Why do seabirds eat plastic? circulation or even make it collapse. water as rain. The hydrological cycle was from the depths of the last Ice Age. This Where is the warming? drinks containers), recent research highlights fuels will determine how much of this CO2 can than 1900 microplastic fibres are released underscores just how much we have already the growing presence and abundance Seabirds such as albatrosses, The hydrological cycle describes the be absorbed by the oceans. Too fast a release CO2 is a powerful greenhouse gas in from a single synthetic garment in just one Has ocean circulation already altered the greenhouse gas composition of of microplastics in marine environments. shearwaters and petrels are known Ice sheet melting large-scale movement of water between and the oceans’ natural CO2 sinks will not be our atmosphere, meaning that it allows wash); and the mechanical abrasion of car started to change? our atmosphere, with major implications for These plastic particles can be as small as as tube-nosed seabirds. They fly vast Earth’s major reservoirs: atmospheric able to keep pace. Already the rate of release incoming sunlight to reach the Earth’s tyres on roads. Global warming is melting Earth’s ice. our future climate and oceans. distances to find their food and mainly water vapour (e.g. clouds), rain water, is overwhelming the capacity of upper ocean surface, but blocks outgoing heat a virus, and are now found worldwide, from Arctic sea ice is thinning dramatically and Ocean circulation in the North Atlantic use smell to locate it. They feed on sinks to absorb it all. Over long timescales from escaping into space. Yet, if CO2 the Arctic to the Antarctic, on beaches, in its geographic extent is shrinking too. seems to have slowed in recent decades, fresh water, ice sheets, sea ice and So why should we care? squid, fish and krill. Dimethyl sulphide Can the oceans bail us out? of 1000 years or more, our CO2 pollution will is such a powerful greenhouse gas, charges on single-use plastic items can reduce waste.” surface waters and in deep-sea sediments. The Greenland ice sheet is also shrinking, but it is currently unclear whether this saline ocean water. The broad pattern on Plastics adversely affect terrestrial and (DMS) is a chemical that is released gradually be transferred into the deep ocean, where is the extreme warming that It is estimated that, on average, every square shedding nearly 300 billion tons of water slowdown has been triggered by climate Earth is that ocean water is evaporated Today, there is 60 times more carbon in the marine ecosystems at both the macro and from the cells of marine alga when but this is a slow process as it occurs only in should have accompanied the extreme kilometre of the world’s oceans has 63,320 a year into the North Atlantic. The West change or is just part of a normal cycle of from the warm ocean surface in the deep ocean than in the atmosphere. It is krill eat it. DMS therefore serves as an isolated polar regions where surface waters increase in recent CO2 levels? The main microplastic particles floating on the surface micro scales. Nearly 700 marine species faster and slower currents. It is also unclear tropics, is carried polewards by the for this reason that one of the main controls Antarctic ice sheet is also melting and 2 2 have been reported to either ingest and/ olfactory cue alerting the birds to the 2 sink into the abyss, carrying their CO burden reason that soaring CO emissions and in some places concentrations can be showing signs of becoming increasingly whether circulation in the Southern Ocean, major wind systems, and finally falls as on the CO levels in the atmosphere is how or become entangled by plastic. This presence of krill. with them. Eventually, over timescales of have not caused air temperatures to 27 times higher. unstable. As well as raising global sea which circles the Antarctic continent, has rain (or snow) in polar regions. A warmer much carbon is stored in the deep ocean. includes almost 50 per cent of all seabirds, started to change yet, although its surface This huge reservoir of oceanic carbon means 1000 to 10,000 years, this excess CO2 will be warm more than 1°C thus far is that A new study has shown that levels, this melting will weaken deep ocean climate will strengthen this water cycle, sea snakes, sea turtles, penguins, seals, waters have warmed substantially. that the oceans may be able to help us out neutralised by reaction with abyssal sea-floor oceans have soaked up nine-tenths of Where do microplastics tube-nosed seabirds swallow large circulation by adding huge volumes of causing more rainfall nearer the poles, the heat. But the oceans have a finite sea lions, manatees, sea otters, fish and of our ever-worsening CO2 problem. They sediments. But can we wait that long? come from? amounts of plastic compared to other fresh water into the polar ocean surface, and thus greater buoyancy in polar crustaceans. The effects can be fatal but The past as a guide to the future have absorbed at least one-quarter of the heat absorption capacity, so when this birds because plastic debris coated thus increasing its buoyancy and reducing surface waters, reducing their sinking capacity becomes saturated, we may Some microplastics in the ocean result from may also have sub-lethal consequences, excess CO2 generated by human activities. Carbon capture with algae has a high level of DMS its capacity to sink. While the Antarctic The big question is: when (or) will ocean capability and potentially slowing down start to belatedly experience a level of the incomplete degradation of larger plastic compromising their ability to catch and But scientists think that the oceanic CO2 One solution to our CO2 problem is obviously associated with it and so smells like ice sheet is not experiencing as much net circulation in the North Atlantic and Southern the deep ocean conveyor circulation. atmospheric warming commensurate To discover more about oceans visit pieces. However there are several other digest food, escape from predators, maintain sink may be slowing, partly because CO2 food to the birds. melting as Greenland, its surface waters Ocean switch to new circulation patterns to burn less fossil fuels, but that doesn’t sources. These include microbeads found body condition and migrate. Plastics contain has been accumulating in the upper ocean, with our soaring CO2 levels. www.open.edu/openlearn/blueplanet are nevertheless becoming more buoyant in response to ongoing global warming? seem likely to happen any time soon. Even The BBC believe the series has impacted the in skin cleansers, toothpaste and shaving chemicals (added to increase their durability) which is now becoming saturated. if we could stop the burning of fossil fuels Learning with The Open University

Academic Excellence Accessible Environmental science (S206) This online module spans biology, chemistry, The OU’s academics are some of the If you have little or no knowledge or earth science and physics, drawing them leading experts in their field. They apply experience of studying, the OU’s ‘Access together in a holistic approach to studying their passion for their research when modules’ are open to all and an ideal the environment. You’ll investigate air, preparing study materials, which means starting point. They have been specially water, earth, life and cycles and explore designed to help you find out what it’s like that you get to learn from the best. the processes, interactions and feedback to study with the OU, get a taste for the mechanisms operating within different development of the HM Government 25 year Find out more about the OU academics subjects we offer, develop your study skills, environments. who have worked on this television series build your confidence and prepare you for For more information visit www.open.ac.uk/ and this Oceans poster: further study. For more information visit: www.open.ac.uk/access courses or call our Student Registration & Enquiry Service on 0300 303 5303 Affordable Dr Pallavi Anand For more information about Open University Studying with the OU is more affordable broadcasts and associated free learning, Lecturer in Ocean than you might think. You may even be able visit: www.open.edu/openlearn/whats-on Biogeochemistry to study for free. For more information on Every effort has been made to contact all of the funding options available to you copyright holders. If any have been please visit: www.open.ac.uk/fees inadvertently overlooked the publishers www.open.ac.uk/people/pa2398 Study will be pleased to make the necessary environmental plan A Green Future by presenting such arrangements at the first opportunity. OCEAN ACIDIFICATION INVISIBLE PLANKTON MARINE CONSERVATION The Open University offers a range of Published in 2017 by The Open University, qualifications for those interested in natural Dr Mark Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, to and environmental sciences: Brandon accompany the BBC/OU series Blue Planet II, Marine phytoplankton are the foundation of oceanic biological productivity, Today the oceans face many challenges from extensive human first broadcast on BBC ONE in autumn 2017. Our oceans are currently absorbing half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) Reader in Polar BSc (Honours) Natural Sciences (Q64) supporting complex marine food webs, and are a vital component of life on impacts. We have used the oceans for fishing, trade, communication Oceanography Discover the fascinating natural world BBC Series Producer: Mark Brownlow emitted by burning fossil fuels. This absorption is increasing ocean acidity, by studying biology through a mixture of BBC Executive Producer: James Honeyborne Earth. Using energy from the sun, they absorb as much carbon as all the and warfare and, as the Earth’s population has increased from compulsory and optional modules including: threatening the survival of marine organisms and their habitats, and www.open.ac.uk/people/mab49 the structure and function of cells, the BBC Commissioning Editor: Tom McDonald affecting our oceans’ health. If the continuing rise in emissions are not trees and other plants on land, through photosynthesis. They also produce ~1 billion in 1800 to more than 7.5 billion today, so the pressures importance of biology in human health OU Broadcast Commissioner: and technology, and how evolutionary Dr Caroline Ogilvie controlled, ocean acidity will reach 150 per cent by the next century. half of all the oxygen that we breathe. have increased – particularly on fishing. Dr Miranda adaptations contribute to the survival of OU Media Fellow: Dr Mark Brandon Dyson whole organisms. compelling evidence; in an interview in January 2018 OU Academic Consultants: Dr Pallavi Anand, Senior Lecturer in BSc (Honours) Environmental Dr Mark Brandon, Dr Miranda Dyson, Behavioural Ecology Sciences (Q52) Dr Philip Sexton Neutralising acidity in the polar regions and less diverse in the noise. But do they work? Studies of MPA THE OTHER CO2 THE ‘INVISIBLE PLANTS’ tropics. Phytoplankton are also changing FISHERIES effectiveness have shown they consistently and Evolutionary This degree develops the scientific OU ‘Oceans’ poster PROBLEM The current rise of atmospheric CO2 and OF THE OCEAN in abundance and hence productivity. As Fishing is often described as ‘harvesting improve biodiversity (the number of species Biology knowledge and techniques required for its impact on ocean acidity does not allow understanding fundamental environmental Authors: Dr Pallavi Anand, Dr Mark Brandon, surface waters warm, there is less vertical the oceans’, but it is different from farming. present), and fish numbers within them Oceans are absorbing additional CO2 sufficient time for organisms and ecosystems Marine plankton consist of microscopic www.open.ac.uk/people/mld5 patterns and processes and investigating Dr Miranda Dyson, Dr Philip Sexton mixing to recycle stored nutrients from What farmer would knowingly deplete his are higher too. How much human activity emitted to the atmosphere from the burning to adapt. To alleviate this pressure, reduction algae and bacteria (phytoplankton) and ecosystems. It also addresses how Graphic Designer & Illustrator: Glen Darby deep waters back to the surface. The stock without ensuring there was a reliable can be restricted depends on whether the of fossil fuels. The absorption of CO2 animals (zooplankton). Phytoplankton environmental science relates to society. in global CO2 emissions and ocean acidity complex effects of these changes on marine supply of replacement animals? Fishing in MPA is in international waters, the exclusive Broadcast Project Manager: Julia Burrows increases the oceans’ acidity through a form the base of marine food webs. They Dr Philip Sexton are required. Ideas being explored include food webs, carbon capture and oxygen the recent past has resembled the large-scale economic zone or territorial sea. The largest Some of the modules you can study on your series of chemical changes and reduces are eaten by zooplankton – thousands of Copyright © The Open University 2017 addition of neutralisers to the oceans, and the production is not yet clear, but they could unsustainable slaughter of the herds of buffalo MPA is currently an area of 1.5 million square Senior Lecturer in pathway to a qualification within natural and the availability of molecules essential for species of tiny animals, some of which capturing and safe storage of atmospheric result in a cascade of negative consequences on the North American plains, and marine kilometres of the Ross Sea in Antarctica (about Ocean Science environmental sciences are: All rights reserved. No part of this publication calcium carbonate shell formation. Also, CO2. These positive steps are essential for are the larval forms of larger animals. may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, throughout the marine ecosystem that may ecosystems worldwide are paying the price. 6 times the area of the United Kingdom). About the Prime Minister Theresa May said, oceans’ ability to hold CO2 is affected by saving our oceans, upon which we depend for Zooplankton, in turn, become meals for Questions in science (S111) or transmitted in any form or by any means, ultimately threaten the abundance and 2 per cent of the oceans are protected by temperature. Cold water holds more CO2 food, natural resources and recreation. larger predators, ranging from small fish This introductory science module electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording diversity of all life in the ocean. Human impacts on marine MPAs, and there are plans to expand this. www.open.ac.uk/people/pfs67 or otherwise without the prior permission of the than warm water, and because the oceans to enormous whales. Like land plants, encompasses astronomy and planetary are warming rapidly, their ability to absorb phytoplankton have chlorophyll and, through x7,000 environments science; biology; chemistry; earth and copyright holders. CO2 in the future is going to be severely photosynthesis, they use sunlight, nutrients environmental sciences; and physics. This Enquiries regarding extracts or the re-use of any As human population has increased, so has The Open University (OU) is the UK’s largest hampered. As a result more CO2 will remain OCEAN FACTS and carbon dioxide to produce organic OCEAN FACTS OCEAN FACTS module is the entry point for the Natural information in this publication, email: marine food webs. Shell-forming marine About three-quarters of the deep ocean the pressure on fish stocks. Unfortunately, binding on states that have not ratified or academic community with over 170,000 Sciences degree, and develops generic in the atmosphere, further increasing Earth’s carbon compounds in the form of soft [email protected] creatures face two potential threats from floor is covered by sediment that can reach ‘stocks’ implies there are large supplies acceded to it, such as the USA. Fish are mobile students and over 120 qualifications in a study skills, maths skills and investigative temperature. In short, ocean acidification is Unprecedented change tissues, releasing oxygen as a by-product. A vital role The United Nations Printed in the UK by Belmont Press. thicknesses of over a kilometre. In this way, of available fish, and this is often not the and at different points in their life cycles they range of fascinating and challenging subjects. caused by rising atmospheric CO2, which ocean acidification: they are unable to build skills alongside key concepts in science. marine snow transports carbon captured at case. Pressure on fish stocks has increased can pass through the legal responsibility of Convention on the Law You don’t have to put your life on hold to get increases oceans’ acidity and reduction in robust shells and their shells dissolve more Fifty-six million years ago the oceans Phytoplankton form the foundation of The Open University is incorporated by Royal A biological pump the ocean surface into the deep and is part as humans have moved from fish traps many states. This makes managing marine of the Sea (UNCLOS) the qualification you need. Around 70 per Science: concepts and practice (S112) Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in essential ions required for shell formation, readily as the ocean acidifies and becomes became so acidic that many marine marine ecosystems and carry out half cent of our students fit study around their of a biological ‘carbon pump’. If the pumped thousands of years ago to factory ships stocks challenging. Many states claim In this wholly online module, you’ll explore England & Wales, and a charity registered in with potentially devastating consequences more corrosive. organisms died out, in particular Organic matter and shells of calcifying of all photosynthesis on Earth. Half Coastal states have a territorial sea out to jobs and busy, changing lives. Wherever you carbon dissolves in deep waters, it is locked today, which catch and process large exclusive fishing rights to the full 200 nautical key ideas that underpin the study of science Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University for marine ecosystems and our planet. organisms with carbonate shells. plankton settle to the ocean floor when of all the oxygen in our atmosphere 12 nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1.852 km) study, your OU tutor, study advisers and other away for hundreds or thousands of years, quantities of fish while still at sea. The result miles of their exclusive economic zone (or a line disciplines at a higher level. Following a is authorised and regulated by the Financial Acidity and ecology However, some surface-dwelling phytoplankton and calcifying plankton die. comes from oceanic photosynthesis. where they set and enforce laws and can students are as close by as you need them to Conduct Authority. whereas if this carbon becomes buried in the has been significant overfishing of some between them where states are closer than 200 week exploring scale, each subsequent Dissolving shells plankton species and other animals Organic matter is lighter than seawater so In addition to providing us with use any resource. The measurement is from be – online, email, phone or face to face. Continued ocean acidification will result in sediment, it is locked away for millions species over the last century. For example nautical miles apart). Good management limits week focuses on an area of a particular survived and the oceans slowly its vertical transport is through adsorption at a notional base line. For a further 12 nautical of years. oxygen, oceans remove a substantial For more information or to request a discipline – biology, chemistry, earth SUP 047613 When carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean it coral reefs corroding faster than they can be recovered over hundreds of thousands the surface of other falling particles such as cod, once abundant in the North Atlantic, the amount of fish caught so that no species science, environmental science and physics/ amount of carbon dioxide created miles, states can enforce a contiguous zone, prospectus visit: www.open.ac.uk/courses produces carbonic acid, which, in addition to rebuilt, threatening their long-term viability of years. So why should we be so shell fragments, dust, sand and faecal matter. has been so depleted that current fishing is is over-exploited and the overall ecosystem “Nobody who watched Blue Planet will doubt the need astronomy. by human industrial activity, making which is important for immigration, pollution, making the ocean more acidic, also binds up and that of the estimated one million species concerned about the ocean acidification Plankton in future oceans heavily restricted. Another issue is so-called does not decline. Today, many experts believe These falling particles of dead plankton and customs and taxation. For 200 nautical miles For more informationwith carbonate ions, essential building blocks that rely on them for survival. Other ecological or to downloadthem a crucial component in the battle the‘bycatch’, when trawlers catch a species thatposter, that in many cases we must aim to allow fish that is happening today? One big other organic materials are called marine Hundreds and thousands of species of to slow human-engineered climate they do not want. Historically, this bycatch from the baseline, states have an exclusive for shell formation. The reduced availability impacts of acidification on marine organisms difference is that, back then, acidification snow because they resemble snowflakes phytoplankton live in Earth’s oceans, each populations to rise, even if that means reducing Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources: Globe alegri, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/; Plastics Christope Launay / Aurora Photos; Dead Sea change. Future warming of the oceans was discarded and, because the fish were economic zone (EEZ) where they have rights of essential shell-forming ions means include reductions in the spawning and larval of the ocean happened over a period of falling from the upper ocean. The majority of adapted to particular seawater conditions. our current exploitation rates. Bird USFWS Photo / Alamy Stock Photo; Hot Beach Ben Goode / 123RF; Ice Cliff KEENPRESS / Stone / Getty Images; Industry akiyoko / Shutterstock.com; Car Exhausts © will not only threaten phytoplankton killed, there is an additional impact on the over natural resources. Outside this are Ssuaphoto | Dreamstime.com; Ocean Reef Alexander Safonov / Moment Select / Getty Images; Bleached Coral Acropora. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Keppelbleaching.jpg; investment of more energy in shell formation growth of fish, the oxygen-carrying capacity thousands to tens of thousands of years. marine snow disintegrates during the journey Changes in water temperature, clarity, growth (due to limited availability of ecosystem. This impact includes the fish not international waters (or high seas) where no Plankton Bloom NASA Earth Observatory; Phytoplankton C. Bolton (CEREGE, France); Factory Ship All Canada Photos / Alamy Stock Photo; Fishing vessel Mark Brandon. at the expense of other essential activities, of blood in squid and predator-avoidance This gave some organisms a chance to the ocean floor, with only 1 per cent making nutrient content and salinity affect both the Marine protected areas overall hampering growth in organisms behaviour in sea urchins and fish. In contrast, nutrients), but also risk the health of being a food source for other species. state is in control. Where states are closer to adapt and allowed ocean sediments it to the deep ocean where it provides food diversity and abundance of phytoplankton We can restrict human activities, such as such as corals, oysters, clams and mussels. plants and many algae (including seaweeds marine ecosystems, including our than 200 nautical miles apart, boundaries to neutralise the extra acidity. Today’s for many deep-sea creatures that filter it communities. In response to trends in commercial fishing and mineral development, Many species of plankton are making thinner and sea grasses) may flourish in a high CO2 fisheries. Managing fisheries lie at the mid-point between them. This is acidification rate is at least 10 times from the water or scavenge it from the ocean increasing ocean temperatures and acidity, by using the laws. We can create marine carbonate shells and their fate is particularly world. However, future increases in coastal called the median line. To discover more about oceans visit faster than 56 million years ago. floor. The small percentage not consumed is the diversity of phytoplankton communities The UN Law of the Sea treaty determines protected areas (MPAs) to limit shipping and important because they form the base of pollution may counteract this potential benefit. for us to do something.” www.open.edu/openlearn/blueplanetvisit OpenLearn (open.edu/openlearn)incorporated into ocean floor sediments. is also changing, becoming more diverse andwhere states can fish, but the treaty is not searchreduce both local pollution and acoustic We are rightly proud that we can tie so many of our for Blue Planet II. Open University mission goals in education, research and impact together, and look forward to our future broadcasts! © BBC

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Open Door March 2018 v16.indd 7 07/02/2018 17:42 News in brief

NEWS IN BRIEF... For those who served - WE can give back An enormous thank you to to support disabled veterans to fulfil the potential they everyone who generously demonstrated within the armed forces. gave to our latest appeal to support the Disabled Veterans The Disabled Veterans Scholarship Dinner Scholarship Fund. Over 800 In October 2017, 80 of the alumni and supporters have OU’s supporters and friends made donations totalling joined Peter Horrocks, £40,000 to help veterans with the Vice-Chancellor, for a disability unlock their full a dinner to celebrate the potential. newly launched Disabled John Spence For veterans like John, (pictured) Veterans Scholarship Fund, leaving the forces can bring a sudden loss of purpose. which raised over £20,000 to Everything changes. An injury in the line of duty support the programme. abruptly robs them of both a career and a way of life. During the evening, guests heard from a variety of Though they gain many skills in service, many injured inspirational speakers, including Cherry Day (Vice veterans will discover they don’t have the educational President Equal Opportunities, Open University background required for ‘Civvy Street’. Students’ Association). Cherry shared her own This is why The Open University has developed The experience as a student with disabilities and of her Disabled Veterans Scholarship Fund, which is the first father who was a member of the armed forces and of its kind in the UK. It aims to offer not only financial suffered from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). support for disabled veterans embarking on higher Thank you to everyone who donated before, during and education study, but also vital care and advice to help after the event. them succeed and start the next chapter of their lives. From new engineers and mechanics, to team leaders, It’s not too late to help unlock the potential of teachers, entrepreneurs and CEOs, the new fund aims disabled veterans and transform their lives. To make a gift, visit www.open.ac.uk/donatenow From Spring 2018 we will be accepting applications, aiming to provide a full scholarship and support package for up to 100 undergraduates, plus a bespoke disability and careers support service.

Opportunities to recycle and help others Nearly twenty years ago, OU alumna Jo Hunt had an have found good homes throughout the world. inspirational idea when she and her family realised that To date, Jo has raised an incredible £210,000, in their attic was groaning under the weight of OU course support of the University and its students. Thank you to material which they had added to over the years, fully Jo and everyone that has used the website. intending to read again but never quite finding the time. Guessing that other students were in the same If you would like more information on how to sell position, the website was set up for students who want or buy old OU course material please contact: to buy and sell second-hand OU course material and set www.universitybooksearch.co.uk books. Since its inception, tens of thousands of books

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Helping young people build a more resilient and financially secure future Managing My Money for Young Adults was launched At the end of December 2017 nearly 1,000 people had on OpenLearn in November 2017 to better support enrolled on the Managing My Money for Young Adults 16-18 year olds as they become responsible for their course. own financial future and has already been viewed by over 16,000 people. This was possible thanks to the generosity of the Chartered Accountants Livery Charity. “This is a powerful New research from The Open University Business initiative which I’m School (OUBS) reveals one in seven 18 year olds are proud to be a part of. already in debt. Excluding student borrowing, these 18 I’ve seen the problems year olds have already racked up debts on credit cards, created by poor unauthorised overdrafts, store cards and catalogues. financial management Almost two-thirds of this age group believe this could from every side of have been avoided if they’d received more effective the fence; working as Bobby Seagull personal finance education and 94% say it would a trader at Lehman have been prevented with some form of guidance or Brothers right through to the financial collapse support. in 2008, as a Senior Associate at PwC, and in my To combat this growing problem, OUBS has current role as a secondary school maths teacher. joined forces with University Challenge star The core problem is clear to me. There are too and Arithmophobia expert, Bobby Seagull, and many highly educated young people stepping out MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis, to develop a into the world without the knowledge they need free course specifically designed for the financial to make informed financial decisions. Prevention education needs of 16-18 year olds. This course on really is better than cure when it comes to the OU OpenLearn platform is delivered via video personal finance and this course is a great way content, animations, case studies, activities and for young people to help themselves, above quizzes. It provides 24 hours of learning broken into and beyond what they are taught in school and eight sessions, and offers learners a strong foundation college.” of personal finance knowledge including sessions Bobby Seagull, University Challenge Star and on understanding tax, being a savvy shopper, living Arithmophobia Expert in shared households, credit ratings, mortgages and pensions. It even features a bespoke app which will help to manage budgets easily and effectively, and step- by-step animations to guide you through tricky financial To access these courses, visit open.edu/openlearn processes. and search for “Managing my money”

Visionary and committed DANGOOR to education for all EDUCATION The OU would like to thank Dangoor Education for another year of generous patronage of the Informal to Formal Accelerator Project. The project has continued to provide key support toward the creation and maintenance of essential STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Open Education Resources (OERs – free courses accessed via OpenLearn), enjoyed by thousands of learners each year. There are now 17 OERs supported by Dangoor Education, with plans in progress to increase this to 25 by the end of 2018. The OERs, encompassing a range of subjects from health to space are suitable for learners of varying levels of educational experience and can be found on FutureLearn [open.edu/futurelearn] and OpenLearn [open.edu/ openlearn]. We are grateful to have a partner with such passion and belief in the OU.

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Open Door March 2018 v16.indd 9 07/02/2018 17:42 Breast cancer trial

A turning point for breast cancer surgery?

A study that will transform the lives of thousands of women

Every year 42,000 women in England undergo surgery to remove a breast tumour. Of these, over 8,400 “You probably wouldn’t expect a are recalled for further surgery within 3 months surgeon to be partially sighted. because cancerous cells were missed during the initial Yet that’s effectively the current surgery. Shockingly, within this recall group, residual reality for breast cancer surgery. tumour tissue is overlooked again in around 1,200 Although the main tumour is patients, requiring a third round of surgery. Surgical detectable by sight or touch the recall increases patient distress, increases the risk growing margins are practically of complications, delays subsequent chemo- and invisible. By making the tumour cells brightly radiotherapy, and it also costs an extra £22 million fluorescent we hope to allow surgeons to see the annually. Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS full extent of the tumour, dramatically improving Foundation Trust (MKUH), in partnership with the OU, the accuracy of the surgery and making surgical want to improve the accuracy of breast cancer surgery recall a thing of the past.” by using a fluorescent dye to pin-point tumour tissue Dr Jon Golding, Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences during surgery.

Clinical pilot study

The pilot study will repurpose an already clinically- licenced drug called 5-aminolevulinic acid (known as ALA). ALA is administered orally before surgery and is selectively taken up and metabolised by cancer cells to temporarily give a bright purple fluorescent compound. The surgeon removes what they can see of the tumour under white light, as normal. However, towards the end of the surgery they switch over to fluorescent light allowing them to identify any outlying malignant tissue that may be near to but not part of the main tumour. The hospital intends to run the trial with 10 breast The photograph above was taken at MKUH, showing cancer patients. Dr Jon Golding, Senior Lecturer in the fluorescent cancerous breast tissue, some of Health Sciences at the OU developed the study with which would not be visible to the surgeon under surgical colleagues and will analyse the data. normal white light. If successful, this study could be a huge breakthrough in breast cancer surgery - demonstrating how surgeons If surgeons could better identify the edges of the can use fluorescence-guided surgery to detect and tumour during surgery, then recall would become remove residual cancer cells. unnecessary. Such a technique already exists for brain Each year many women, their husbands, partners, and bladder cancer surgery, using a fluorescent drug family and friends are all touched by breast cancer – in that selectively labels tumour tissue. The proposal from fact, most people will probably know someone who has MKUH and the OU is to repurpose this drug for breast suffered. We hope that this study will help to reduce cancer surgery. The aim is to provide robust evidence patient distress, reduce delays in subsequent treatment that this fluorescence-guided surgery also works for and most importantly the extra surgery – allowing these breast cancer patients. women to get on with their lives.

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Open Door March 2018 v16.indd 10 07/02/2018 17:42 Opening up opportunities for others

The gift of education for generations to come

Together we can bring life-changing learning to many more

As The Open University has played a part in your life you know what a big difference it can make. “I have bequeathed a legacy to the OU because An OU education has changed hundreds of thousands when I opted out of the extra year to do a BEd in of lives, giving individuals the chance to discover what the 1970s, and left teacher training college with a they are capable of and enabling them to change their CERT Ed, I always said that it was okay and that I lives forever. With your support, we can extend this could do an OU degree at some later date! opportunity to many more, for years to come. Together Ten years later I realised I was experienced but I we can bring life-changing learning to those who may wanted my qualifications to match the position I have thought they would never have the chance to had achieved. It was hard work but well worth it! study. I felt that the additional studying whilst working was incredibly demanding but it really made the Legacy gifts can help us support students like theory relevant to my everyday experience in the Danielle Haigh-Wood, who began studying classroom and in management. I did fund myself with the OU following a because I had a teaching job but I met people friend’s recommendation. from many different contexts and backgrounds She went on to complete and I appreciated the extra stresses that imposed. her undergraduate I would like others to have the same opportunity degree in History and and, if they are unable to fund themselves, I Philosophy whilst a would like to think my donation would have full-time Carer for her helped.” grandfather who suffers with Parkinson’s disease. Glynis Rumley BA MA(Ed) She says, “I always had dreams of doing a degree, but my commitment to him wouldn’t allow it. The OU impacted my life in ways I never thought Understanding your intentions possible. I could study while also having other If you have already included a legacy in your Will to the responsibilities. I am still a full-time Carer, but a University, it would be wonderful to thank you for your Carer with goals and a degree!” generosity. If you are comfortable letting us know, we She was overwhelmed with the help that was can confirm whether you would like to be remembered available to carers and with the support she in the Legacy Garden (see over) and ensure that we received from tutors. Danielle is now working write to you appropriately in the future. towards an MA in History.

Next steps To find out more about how gifts in Wills can open We know that leaving a gift is not to be taken lightly up the future for OU students, visit www.open. and, if you feel it is right for you, we would love to talk ac.uk/legacy or simply phone us on 01908 659 141 with you about how a legacy can support the University or email [email protected] and our students. Unrestricted gifts offer the most flexibility to respond to future developments, as these can be put to use wherever the need is greatest at the time. Alternatively, you may wish to leave a gift to a specific area of our work.

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Open Door March 2018 v16.indd 11 07/02/2018 17:42 Giving something back – the feel good factor

The Legacy Garden

Society grows great when we plant trees in whose shade we shall never sit From a Greek proverb featured in the Legacy Garden

The Open University created the Legacy Garden as generosity of our legacy donors and unveil memorial a lasting visual testament of our gratitude to legacy plaques which provide a lasting tribute. donors. If you would be interested in visiting the Milton Keynes Amongst the OU’s research labs and offices is the campus, and the Legacy Garden, please call Ella walled garden, which originally provided flowers and Woodcock on 01908 659141 or email ella.woodcock@ fresh food for Walton Hall and has found a new life as open.ac.uk our Legacy Garden. All enquiries are treated with the utmost sensitivity and The design and the planting were carefully planned in confidence. We fully understand that your priorities to represent the ethos of the OU, the appreciation of may change over time. If you choose to remain our supporters and the diversity of our students and anonymous, we will respect your wishes – this in no projects. way diminishes our gratitude for your support. Each year we gather to remember the exceptional

If you would like to give a gift to Development Office The Open University, help open up the future to all Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, learners, please fill in the donation United Kingdom MK7 6AA For general queries or to form enclosed with your magazine, donate please contact: or give online by visiting Emily Portch 01908 655044 giving.open.ac.uk [email protected]

The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales, and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our privacy policy at giving.open.ac.uk/donor-care sets out how the Development Office obtains, manages, uses and protects your data.

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