ISSUE SEVEN • AUTUMN 2011 Health, happiness The environmental and productivity imperative welcom e ... this most dynamic of institutions* In this issue, we examine ‘the environment’ in the broadest sense of the word. Climate change and the battle to save the planet are among the defining challenges of our era. We are proud that the University of Exeter is playing a globally significant role in this area. The city of Exeter is home to some of the world’s leading authorities on climate change, with scientists at the University and at our partner the Met Office contributing to the most authoritative UN report on global warming. In Cornwall, in particular, we are investing significantly in developing solutions to environment change and this issue looks at our Environment and Sustainability Institute and the new European Centre for Environment and Human Health. Front cover image by Alyson Hallett: Poetry on a window at Elsewhere in this issue, we explore the impact of an individual’s surroundings on their well-being the Cornwall Campus. and productivity at work; long-established research in Psychology that has been under a recent Award-winning writer Alyson media spotlight. Hallett spent the past academic year as poet in residence working with geography Research is increasingly inter disciplinary and the University is supporting new projects through students and staff at the Cornwall campus as part of a the EPSRC Bridging the Gaps initiative, which fosters collaborations by academics from across the national programme to place University. Read on for examples of our close links with other organisations and with business. To artists and writers in higher education science departments support our research further, last year saw the biggest recruitment drive in the University’s history, all over the UK. increasing the number of new academic staff by almost 14 per cent in a single year. Amongst other things, Dr Hallett, who is now a Royal Literary Fund fellow based at Our investments and initiatives are not going unnoticed. This year the University has been ranked Streatham Campus, went on in the world’s top 200 universities for the first time, an achievement we are confident we can build a field trip to Iceland, led by Professor Chris Caseldine. on and even surpass with our £350 million investment in infrastructure and facilities across our The results of the team’s campuses in Exeter and Cornwall. The University’s climb in all major UK higher education league collaboration will be published in an upcoming book of poems, tables has led to us reaching the top 10 of the ‘Table of tables’ published by Times Higher Education. photography and scientific texts. We are also considered as among the ‘Ivy League’ of UK universities*. This is the last issue of Research News in its present format - look out for a new digital version this winter. Professor Nick Talbot Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Transfer, University of Exeter. *Source: The Sunday Times Research News was edited by Abigail Dixon and Virginia Marsh, Communications and Marketing Services, University of Exeter, with contributions from Liz French, Sarah Hoyle, Ester White and the Research and Knowledge Transfer team. Design and production is by the Design Studio, University of Exeter. For comments on the magazine, please contact the editor on 01392 725770 or [email protected] news e RESEARCH NEWS • AUTUMN 2011 Low vitamin D and dementia Roman A research team from the recently because of research According to the Alzheimer’s Peninsula Medical School suggesting it may play an Research Trust, dementia civilisation has helped establish the important role in protecting affects 822,000 people in the first clear link between against several age-associated UK and costs the economy £23 found in Devon vitamin D deficiency and the diseases including cancer, heart billion per year – higher than development of the cognitive disease and stroke. cancer (£12 billion) and heart A University of Exeter problems that are a key feature disease (£8 billion) combined. archaeologist’s of dementia. The research, led by Dr David Moreover, the number of research has J Llewellyn, involved over 850 people with dementia is uncovered the Vitamin D is a fat-soluble older people (aged 65 or over) predicted to reach over 1.7 largest Roman vitamin present in a few foods living in Italy. Compared to million by 2050. settlement ever found such as oily fish. It is mainly participants with healthy levels in Devon. Two metal produced when skin is exposed of vitamin D, participants who detectorists discovered to sunlight. However, as people were severely deficient were nearly a hundred Roman age their skin becomes less 60 per cent more likely to coins in a series of fields efficient at producing vitamin experience substantial general several miles west of D, and the majority of older cognitive decline, and 31 per Exeter. Danielle Wootton, adults in Europe and the US cent more likely to experience Finds Liaison Officer for have insufficient levels. Interest new problems with mental the Portable Antiquities in vitamin D has intensified flexibility. Scheme then carried out a geophysical survey and was astonished to find evidence of a huge settlement Hubble Space Telescope will answer key astronomy questions including roundhouses, quarry pits and track ways. The site covers at least thirteen fields and is the first of its kind for the county. Wootton received funding from the British Museum, the Roman Research Trust and Devon County Council Archaeology Service. The trial excavation on the site in June uncovered evidence of trade with Europe, a road possibly linking to the major settlement at Exeter, and two burials. Future excavations at the An artist’s impression of the Jupiter-size extrasolar planet, HD 189733b, being eclipsed by its parent star. ESA, NASA, M. Kornmesser (ESAHubble) and STScI site are being funded by Earthwatch, Devon County An international team of of planets outside our solar will begin its observations in Council and the University, scientists led by the University system, known as exoplanets. October 2011. Over the next and will be assisted by of Exeter is poised to answer two years, the researchers the University’s Roman some of the biggest questions The research team, including will use tools developed at the archaeology specialist, facing astronomy today. The scientists from the University of University of Exeter to analyse Dr Ioana Oltean. The project team has secured a large California Santa Cruz, California the huge amounts of data will provide the wider programme of nearly Institute of Technology collected. Large programmes community and students 200 hours on NASA’s Hubble (Caltech), University of Arizona, on the Hubble Space Telescope with an exciting opportunity Space Telescope to explore Princeton University, IAP Paris, have historically led to data sets for fieldwork experience the atmospheric conditions NASA and Oxford University, with a lasting legacy. and training. ONE news The spirituality Beetroot juice of Transition boost The University has followed up Towns its ground-breaking research Tim Gorringe, Professor into the impact of beetroot actually reduce the amount of of Theology, is directing juice on athletes with a study oxygen you need to perform a two year project on the showing that the physiological even low-intensity exercise. In Transition Town movement, benefits of the root vegetable principle, this effect could help the community response that could help a much wider range people do things they wouldn’t has developed out of the twin of people. otherwise be able to do.” challenges of climate change and peak oil. is what will happen when In a study, published in the When consumed, beetroot the end of cheap energy Journal of Applied Physiology juice widens blood vessels, The research – funded by a makes this impossible. The and carried out in partnership reducing blood pressure and £227,000 grant from the Arts difficulties caused by this will with Peninsula Medical allowing more blood flow. It and Humanities Research be exacerbated by the damage School, researchers looked also reduces the amount of Council – seeks to clarify the caused by climate change.” at low intensity exercise and oxygen needed by muscles value assumptions underlying found that test subjects used during activity. The high the movement and to compare The Transition movement, less oxygen while walking – levels of nitrate in beetroot them with those of the which, after a pilot project effectively reducing the effort it juice causes the increase in Christian tradition. in the Irish town of Kinsale, took to walk by 12 per cent. performance. began in Totnes in 2005, seeks It aims to identify in what to address this problem. It Katie Lansley, a PhD student in The research, coupled with ways, if at all, Christianity has quickly become a global the Sport and Health Sciences findings that beetroot juice can contribute to a peaceful phenomenon, spawning, at department and lead author of can help athletes exercise for transition to a low energy present, about 400 Transition the new study, said: “As you get up to 16 per cent longer, is society. groups around the world. older or if you have conditions generating significant interest It attempts to build which affect your cardiovascular around the world. The “Currently Western society, communities where ‘energy system, the amount of oxygen widespread media coverage and increasingly other cultures descent’, or learning to live you can take in to use during of the research has led to a as well, take cheap energy, without cheap oil, will not be a exercise drops considerably. sharp increase in consumption. food and rapid transport threat but a promise, leading to Waitrose, for example, saw for granted,” says Professor a richer and more cooperative “What we’ve seen in this sales of the juice jump 82 per Gorringe.