AUTUMN 2019

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FAMILY DAY AND CHALLENGE+

Our science-themed Family Day attracted more than 8,000 people to campus on Saturday 14 September. Visitors explored, discovered and experimented their way through the day. Highlights included Maddie Moate’s Mission to Mars, The Space Shed BRITISH SCIENCE FESTIVAL and experience zones from Family Day COMES TO AND sponsor Jaguar Land Rover. For older children (aged 11 to 16) we hosted an evening event called ‘Challenge+’ that was curated by students from Finham Park 2 school. More than 16,000 people took part in the week-long British Science Festival in There was lots to see and do with September, which took place across Coventry and Warwickshire. The University liquid nitrogen ice cream, drone racing, hosted the event, including talks, debates, discussions and activities across e-sports and pyrotechnics. campus and in Coventry city centre. DON’T MISS THE NEXT FAMILY DAY! Sunday 1 December 10am-5pm Evening events included a secret garden of Food Union. They ran events on topics including science at The Botanist, Sci-Fi productions in science, media coverage, drug and alcohol Step into a Winter Wonderland at our very special Family Day this December. the Albany Theatre, the Bootstrap Cook at abuse education, climate change, mental health It’s for all families and children from ages Coventry Cathedral, and a holographic dance and ecology. one to 16, with storytelling, interactive party in FarGo Village. There was also a special performances, craft making, an Asian live recording of the BBC’s The Sky at Night at Students from 12 local schools attended the Drumming workshop, gingerbread Arts Centre, and sports science events festival. They had the chance to meet local decorating, face-painting and henna at our new Sports and Wellness Hub. employers and took part in employability skills tattoos – plus the opportunity to learn workshops before exploring the festival. about the science of winter! ‘Cook together, Eat together’ – a free cooking club for over 55s in Coventry – was a feature We would like to thank to our principal partners of the week, focusing on healthy eating skills Cadent, Jaguar Land Rover and Lubrizol for WE’D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK while tackling the growing problem of social making it such a memorable week. isolation. Local organisations also ran their own If you have any questions or comments events, thanks to Community Grants they’d been “It was fantastic to see so many of you joining us about this newsletter, or any awarded jointly by the and on campus and at nearby events. We are excited suggestions about how we could the British Science Association (which organises to see many more of you as we look forward to improve it please call 024 7615 0708 or email [email protected] the festival). Grant winners included Vanny Radio, Coventry 2021!” Ayriss Recovery Service, West Indian Heritage To find out more about our activities Community Action group, ILEAP, The Smallpiece Jane Furze, Director of Regional Strategy visit warwick.ac.uk/community Trust, Coventry Men’s Shed, BLAST Fest, and and Public Engagement

IF YOU’D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT SIMILAR EVENTS, GET IN TOUCH! Register your interest at [email protected]

warwick.ac.uk/community Community Newsletter | Connecting us with our neighbours in Warwickshire and the region | AUTUMN 2019

MEET THE NEW WARWICK DISTRICT HOUSING OFFICER

After a successful pilot in Coventry A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD last year, we’ve entered a new partnership with Warwick District INVENTOR SEES HER Council to appoint a Housing MACHINE MADE REAL Enforcement Officer focusing on AT FAMILY DAY student housing across the district – primarily in and Among our 8,000 visitors to Family Day . New to the post is Becky Frazer was seven-year-old Evie Williams who Becky Frazer, interviewed here. [email protected] won the University’s Rube Goldberg 01926 456358 machine competition. There’s no such thing as a typical day, Area covered: Warwick District but in brief, my role involves... Being out and about, conducting “A Rube Goldberg machine is a very special scheduled inspections to check property one because it accomplishes a simple to discuss areas of concern in regard to standards and disrepair in privately rented task through a series of very complex rented properties. student homes. I’ll also be taking calls mechanisms. Over the summer we went and emails from tenants, landlords and to lots of events and challenged kids from What’s the impact of your work for neighbours about everything from repair across the region to come up with the best student tenants? issues to nuisance parties to see if I can and most fun Rube Goldberg machine and We want to make our District a great place help. No two days are the same working we were delighted with the response. We to live and work for all of our residents, in housing! loved all the entries, but we had to pick a and ensure the homes they live in are safe winner and Evie’s took the prize.” and well managed. For many it will be How does your role support – and their first experience of renting a property challenge – landlords? and it is therefore important students can Jane Furze, Director of Regional Strategy I work with landlords to let them know come to us to ask about their rights or and Public Engagement about their legal requirements and how responsibilities as tenants. I want to dispel they can ensure the tenant experience the myth that students should expect a Evie, who lives in Warwick, designed her is a great one. We also hold a mirror up lower standard from their accommodation. machine at Art in the Park in Leamington where the service or property is not as we If they have a good experience they may in August. She saw her design made into would expect. Enforcement action will be choose to stay with us after their studies. a real working machine and come to life at considered if we’re dealing with landlords the Family Day. Evie is proud to have won who offer sub-standard properties and What would you like to achieve over the competition. won’t work with us to improve. the next year? I want to get in and inspect as many Evie said: “It is awesome! When I first saw How are you working with the properties as possible to make sure they local community? the machine I liked how it was made and are up to the high standard that we expect. how it worked. It was clever how the balls The Council and the University have It’s also important to spread the word, so moved around and made other things been listening to residents’ and tenants’ residents and students know who they happen, so I wanted to design my own. feedback about student housing and some can contact for help and advice regarding It turned out well in real life.” of the issues they face. It’s helped us to disrepair, rights and nuisance. I will be out identify ‘hot spot’ areas for some proactive and about, possibly knocking on a door She added: “If I could invent a real inspections and offer more support with near you or contacting you to arrange an machine that could do anything, it housing-related issues. I’m always happy to inspection. Feel free to contact me with any would tidy up my bedroom for me!” speak with tenants, residents or landlords housing enquiries using the details above!

WALKING THROUGH TIME – ART AND HISTORY TRAIL ON CAMPUS

FREE event Until September 2020 Open all day, every day

A new art and history trail ‘Walking Through Time’ is open to explore across our campus. You’ll find new and existing sculptures Details of ‘Walking Through Time’ are provided on a beautifully from our Art Collection, plus discover some fascinating, and at hand-drawn map by the illustrator Helen Cann, which can be times gruesome, facts about the history of the site. collected from Warwick Arts Centre or downloaded from warwickartscentre.co.uk/walking-through-time Don’t miss The Good and The Bad dinosaurs on the trail – two giant corten steel dinosaur sculptures made by the acclaimed British Don’t forget you can also explore our ‘Follow That Hare’ artists, Jake and Dinos Chapman. The dinosaurs resemble trail, which we mentioned in the last newsletter: huge children’s model-making kits and appear clumsy and lovable! warwickartscentre.co.uk/follow-that-hare warwick.ac.uk/community

HELPING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ACHIEVE FITNESS GOALS

Our Sports and Wellness Hub has been helping members of the local community to achieve their fitness goals since opening in April. Whether you’re looking to improve your health and wellbeing, learn a new skill, meet new friends or keep the entire family active, the Sports and Wellness Hub offers something for everyone.

Visit warwick.ac.uk/sport to discover how other members of the community are using the Sports and Wellness Hub to achieve their personal goals.

CLIMATE CHANGE WARWICK ARTS CENTRE AT CHRISTMAS

IDEAS CAFÉ This Christmas, Warwick Arts Centre’s Nutcracker Overture to Leroy exciting programme continues. Anderson’s Sleigh Ride and Rimsky In June, researchers from the Global Sustainable Korsakov’s Dance of Tumblers – will put Development Centre, School of Life Sciences and The highlight will undoubtedly be you in the festive spirit. Mathematics departments attended an event at Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas. the Kenilworth Centre to discuss climate change – Our portly, slightly grumpy friend will Ronnie Spector & the Ronettes will be what it is, how it will change our food production, be preparing deliveries, feeding his visiting for a special Christmas show and how sceptics ignore the scientific data to suit reindeer and getting ready for his big (Tuesday 17 December 7.30pm). Pop’s their agenda. night from Wednesday 27 November ultimate ‘girl-group’ will play all the to Sunday 29 December. Suitable for hits, including Be My Baby and Do Some 40 members of the University of the Third all ages 3+. I Love You, recreating Ronnie’s New Age (U3A) across Coventry and Warwickshire York Christmases from the golden era. joined in with some lively discussions, sharing Other Christmas treats include their views and asking lots of interesting Snow Ride! A Christmas Family The Spring Season will also be on questions. We would like to thank the Kenilworth Concert (Saturday 7 December sale from early December – keep U3A for supporting with the organisation of 7.30pm). All those famous classical an eye out for updates at this event! festive tunes – from Tchaikovsky’s warwickartscentre.co.uk

WATER BEARS IN WARWICKSHIRE WITH LEAMINGTON SPA THE WILDLIFE TRUST CANAL CLEAN UP

There are still bears in Warwickshire, it’s true. Shopping trolleys, bikes, road signs and The School of Life Science’s outreach team have tyres were just some of the items that a been out bear hunting – water bear hunting! group of our students pulled from the canal in Leamington Spa on 13 October. Water bears, properly referred to as ‘Tardigrades’, have been the subject of Professor Kevin Moffat’s A total of 15 student volunteers braved recent research activities – looking at their the rain to help clean up the canal. diversity and their amazing biological abilities. The biggest find was a golf buggy The creatures are tiny – less than half-a-millimeter that had to be removed with a crane long – so the team uses a variety of microscopes a few days later. to deliver ‘extreme pond-dipping activities’ to demonstrate their work. “They [Warwick’s student volunteers] Warwick’s outreach team were given exclusive were a credit to themselves and the access to a number of Warwickshire Wildlife University, unfailingly cheerful in the face Trust’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The of rain and very smelly mud. Will the team spent a wet day in the middle of August police ever discover which golf course and one in October at Brandon Marsh, along with is now one golf buggy short?” the public who braved the rain, showing what can be found in the moss of Warwickshire if you have the equipment to look. If you’d gone down to Nick Nicholson, Inland Waterways Brandon Marsh that day… you would have had Association a nice surprise! Community Newsletter | Connecting us with our neighbours in Warwickshire and the region | AUTUMN 2019

THE PIAZZA BIG SCREEN

The exciting Piazza Big Screen sporting and cultural screenings continue throughout Autumn 2019 and into 2020, including live streaming from the Royal Opera House.

MEDICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS The Piazza is a space for the both our IN THE COMMUNITY campus community and the wider local community to enjoy a variety of national and international sporting and cultural events, in Teddy Bear Hospital sessions this year, aiming to encourage a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. On Saturday 16 November Warwick important discussions around mental Medical School hosted the first ever health and disability from an early age. ‘Teddy Bear Hospital Takeover’! Children in reception, year one and year two from Resuscitation — Education in resuscitation WHAT’S NEXT: local primary schools were invited to take Resuscitation is an organisation started Christmas Market and part in the event, covering healthy eating and run by Warwick Medical Students with the Muppet Christmas Carol and exercise, first aid, plaster casting, a passion for delivering high quality CPR 27 November 12.00-7.00pm mental health and more. education in schools. They’ve been busy at the start of term recruiting a new Join us for a Christmas market in the heart Teddy Bear Hospital is a society run by batch of teachers with the right skills and of the campus. Come along and enjoy a students at Warwick Medical School, enthusiasm to run engaging and useful Christmas treat, join in with the carols and aiming to reduce anxiety felt by young sessions in secondary schools across stay for the Christmas film showing at children when visiting hospital and other the country. 5.30pm – The Muppet Christmas Carol. Wrap healthcare environments. The event in up warm and come enjoy some holiday fun! November was their biggest to date! To date they’ve delivered CPR education to almost 1,000 school pupils in the local Rugby Six Nations Super Saturday During the rest of the year they visit local area, and hope to double this number in 14 March primary schools and scout/cub groups the coming year. They’re in the process The 2020 Six Nations Championship in Coventry and Warwickshire and run of setting up new branches at other concludes on “Super Saturday” with three sessions which include everything from universities to ensure effective CPR back-to-back matches. We’ll be screening first aid to ‘pawscriptions,’ healthy living, teaching is being delivered in schools all three! First kick-off 2.15pm. anatomy, scrubbing in plaster casting across the UK. They’ve recently been and more! They’re especially excited to given official charity status so look out for have introduced two new stations to their fundraising events in the near future!

SCIENCE ON THE HILL

Your chance to come and find out These interactive two hour events are your KEY DATES more about the exciting research window into the new research taking place Market Days at the Christmas Lectures at Gibbet Hill that will help not only the happening at the School of Life Piazza (11am-3pm) (7pm) local community but also people nationally 27 November 26 November, Sciences and Warwick Medical and internationally. (this date includes 3 December School on Gibbet Hill. chocolate and gifts Science on the Hill events are free to fair) 29 January, 12 Spring term ‘Science on the Hill’ is a new exciting attend, taking place between 6-8pm & 26 February, 11 2019/20 programme of public engagement events on Tuesday evenings in the School March 6 January – 14 March hosted by the School of Life Sciences and of Life Sciences atrium. Warwick Medical School. Family Day Winter Degree (11am-3pm) Ceremonies 1 December 21 – 24 January

Autumn term Summer term Next event: Antimicrobial Resistance – 10 December 2019. 2019/20 2019/20 Register online at warwick.ac.uk/scienceonthehill 30 September – 20 April – 27 June 12 December

Comments welcome

If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, ©2019 The University of Warwick. or any other aspect of the University of Warwick, please call CommUnity is normally published 024 7615 0708 or email [email protected]. To find twice a year by the Engagement #ThisisCoventry out more about our activities visit warwick.ac.uk/community. Group at the University of Warwick.