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BulletinFortnightly news for staff | 5 June 2008 | 483 Crickets inform biomimetics. One of the six forthcoming public lectures As a world-renowned research and teaching 483 | IN THE NEWS: institution, the University of Reading is rarely out of the local, national and international media. This is a selection of media appearances by members of the University and press cutting summaries which highlight the important work being done by the staff and students of the University. 5 June 2008 | View all ‘In the news’ items at www.reading.ac.uk/about/about-readinginthenews2008.asp Front cover: This year’s Public 13 May, Reading Evening Post 15 May, Reading Evening Post various projects including teaching Bulletin lecture series has been In a feature on the 14 most Professor Gary Butler (Health sixth formers from two local finalised. The lecture on influential businessmen in Reading, Sciences) has discovered height schools, Forest Boys and Reading Ian Smith, senior partner at plays a major part in identifying Girls, about Entrepreneurship and Tuesday 25 November is on PriceWaterhouseCoopers says: ‘We growth-related sickness and is Business start-up. Biomimetics, the branch of should be proud of the University urging the Government to 20 May, Reading Evening Post science that shows what can of Reading, which has established implement a height-screening The University launches SEED, its be learnt from nature. One itself as one of the top 200 in the programme for all UK children. new summer work placement world and generates a pool of example is the remarkable 15 May, Reading Chronicle scheme, offering valuable paid talented graduates each year.’ sensitivity at the receptor Professor Margot Gosney, summer work experience for level and the high speed 13 May, Reading Evening Post Director of the Institute of Health students as well as providing local reaction of crickets. The University is spearheading Sciences, has found that tastebuds companies and organisations with Researchers are concentrating STEMNET, a national science and work differently in older people welcome additional resources. engineering ambassadors scheme and can lead to them becoming on the air currents 22 May, Reading Evening Post to encourage young scientists of malnourished and is now working perception and escape The University’s stand at the RHS the future. with celebrity chef Heston Chelsea Flower Show has won a action arising from hairs on Blumenthal to develop her ground- 15 May, Daily Mail Continuous Learning Silver Award. crickets, which respond to breaking new theory. An article giving advice on how to The award winning stand showed attacking predators. graduate to your dream job. With 16 May, Farm Week how Reading’s research is trying to The Bulletin can be found online at expert advice from Carey An article discussing the answer important questions such www.reading.ac.uk/bulletin Widdows, Director of Reading’s development of a grass that may help as, could UK gardens become vital Careers Advisory Service. tackle global warming by cutting reserves as plants in the wild face The Bulletin is published in-house the level of methane given off by extinction due to climate change? during term time. Items for 15 May, ITV Thames Valley Tonight cows. With expert comment from inclusion should be sent, marked Dr Graham Crampton The University’s Centre for the Professor Ian Givens (Agriculture). ‘Bulletin’, to: Carol Derham, (Economics) was interviewed by International Foundation Communications, DEAO, BBC Radio Berkshire and ITV Thames 17 May, New Scientist Programme (CIFP) has recently Whiteknights, University of Valley, concerning the proposals Recent studies at the University’s launched a new sector-wide journal Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, for the £65million improvements Walker Institute for Climate which has been distributed email [email protected] to Junction 11 of the M4, which System Research suggest that the nationwide to Universities and other We reserve the right to edit items connects the M4 to the A33 and the strong warming seen in the north IFP providers. The journal has been and not all material may be used. Basingstoke Road area of Reading. Atlantic and western Europe since produced in response to a growing 1975, may be due in large part to interest in the cross-curricular issues Small ads will be included if space 15 May, FM World natural oscillations in ocean affecting international students as permits. A report on the University School circulation, unconnected to they embark upon multi-disciplinary Copy date for the edition of Construction Management and human-made global warming. university access courses. InForm published in August is 7 August. Engineering’s project, which aims can be accessed at http://www. to pull together existing best 19 May, Reading Evening Post The Bulletin is typeset by Diana reading.ac.uk/ifp/newsevents/ifp- practice and innovation in The University’s Free Enterprise Arnold in Communications, DEAO inform.asp For a hard copy please sustainable facilities management. Team scooped three awards at the and is printed by Advent Colour, contact: [email protected] or SIFE National competition, for Andover call ext. 6983 New programme for EYPs Qualified people who work with children’s centres and home- workforce development.’ please contact Angela Mason, young children gathered at the based childcare. For more information about EYPS coordinator, tel. 0118 378 University recently to hear about Delegates at the launch were the programme of events and 5810 or email a.m.mason@ the University’s exciting new addressed by Brian Tytherleigh, the University’s Early Years reading.ac.uk programme of events designed Director for National Professional Status Programme, to improve their standard of Programmes at the Children’s care and learning even further. Workforce Development The programme is the Council, who confirmed the culmination of collaborative Government’s commitment work between the University’s of £73m for EYPS training and Institute of Education and local assessment from 2008 to 2011. authorities across Berkshire, Kriss Turner, the EYPS who are determined to provide Director at the University high-quality professional said: ‘EYPS is proving to be development opportunities pivotal in the improvement of for people who work in outcomes for young children settings such as full day care, and we are delighted to be at nursery schools, pre-schools, the forefront of this Professor Andy Goodwyn, Head of the Institute of Education, Lorna Dick, Senior Adviser for Early Years at National Strategies, Kriss Turner and Brian Tytherleigh at the launch 483 Silver at Chelsea | Could UK gardens become vital reserves as plants in the wild face extinction due 5 June 2008 | to climate change? The University’s silver medal winning Bulletin stand this year at the Chelsea Flower Show featured research which is trying to answer questions like these. It marked the first collaborative venture between the School of Biological Sciences and the University’s Walker Institute for Climate System Research. The stand displayed work led by Dr Alastair Culham focusing on cyclamen, a common garden plant in the UK which grows naturally in the Mediterranean. ‘In the future, the Mediterranean is likely to become too hot and dry for cyclamen, Science communication in action. Dr Alastair Culham explains Plants and climate change – the theme of this while the climate of central Europe and year’s stand at the Chelsea Flower Show. Stand designed by Dr Culham, School of Biological Sciences, with even the south east tip of England will Kathy Maskell from the Walker Institute for Climate System Research and Paul Luna and students Gemma Watts, Emma Foster and Rachel Bray from Typography. become more suitable. However, the speed of climate change could be too fast for plants to move naturally to new areas and Gardens could become a vital reserve for Mediterranean. Hotter, drier summers many cyclamen species face extinction. this plant in the future’, said Dr Culham. and less frequent winter frosts, ‘For this year’s Chelsea stand we’ve done predicted for the UK, will suit many some preliminary work on a number of species that currently grow further other plants, including olive and south. However, some plants may not lavender. With a 2 to 3 degree warming, withstand wetter winters. Research led olives are likely to do well in the south by Dr Ross Cameron, which sees the of the UK and to continue to thrive in School of Biological Sciences working the Mediterranean where they currently with the Department of Soil Science, is grow in the wild.’ investigating this very subject. However, it’s not as simple as the UK http://www.biosci.reading.ac.uk/Newsand climate becoming more like the Events/Chelsea/Chelsea_008.htm Eurovisionomics For those that have lost interest in harmony with their neighbours this year, Dr Howard’s research uses the same watching the Eurovision Song Contest, with Belarus, Cyprus, Estonia, Israel, ideas as The Big Mac Index, also that seems no longer to be a music Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine awarding called Burgernomics, which the competition, just ask Dr Alan Howard them an unusually high mark in at least Economist newspaper devised in 1986 from the University’s Department of four of the last six contests, totalling as an informal way of measuring the Geography what the result will be. 33 higher than expected showing clear purchasing power parity between two Dr Howard has correctly predicted the evidence of ‘bloc’ voting. currencies. winner of the Eurovison song contest for Dr Howard said: ‘Clearly, every year, ‘We apply Burgernomics to Eurovision, the second year running. This year he some countries will award high or comparing actual voting between forecast Russia’s victory using low scores when compared with the countries, above or below the average in ‘Eurovisionomics’ analysis, or the ‘Wogan majority. However our study only looks a given year,’ said Dr Howard.

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