Author Archives: ematthews

About ematthews

Status: ACTIVE. Multimedia Reporter

BU student Halls of Residence re-open after £8million transformation

Featured

Posted on by

A Bournemouth University Halls of Residence has re-opened following a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Cranborne House, situated in St Paul’s Place near Lansdowne, has been completely transformed during the year-long, £8.3 million project.

All of the 497 bedrooms and bathrooms have received a makeover, while all 76 living rooms and kitchens have been refitted.

A new common room has been created with a large TV and table football, and an external social space has also been provided with seating and a brick barbeque.

Wireless internet has also been installed in the 15-year-old building, and students will be able to use wireless technology to check whether washing machines in the Halls’ laundrette are free.

Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University, said: “It has been transformed from a building that has taken 15 years’ worth of student activity and use to a beautiful building that will accommodate over 500 students over term-time.

“It’s an essential part of the experience at BU. Student experience is absolutely key and it is delightful to see the building and the way it has been transformed.”

Cranborne House was closed while the work was carried out, but will be home to around 500 first year and postgraduate students from mid-September.

It is made up of six and seven bedroom cluster flats, all with en-suite shower rooms, and a number of self-contained studio flats.

Swash Channel Wreck Rudder raised from seabed after 400 years

Featured

Posted on by

An elaborately carved rudder which has sat on the seabed near Poole for more than 400 years has been raised by marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University.

The rudder – which features a man’s face carved into the wood – is part of the Swash Channel Wreck, thought to have been a Dutch trading ship which sank in the early 17th century.

Very little is known about the ship, which was discovered on the bed of the English Channel near Poole Harbour, and a project has been led by marine archaeologists from Bournemouth University to protect, excavate and find out more about the wreck.

Project leader Dave Parham, a senior lecturer in marine archaeology at BU, said: “This is the first time this rudder has been seen above the surface in more than 400 years

“It’s a spectacular object, with a human head carved in one end.

“There are no others of this type that have been found in the UK, and it is unusual for one like this to be recovered in its entirety – it is eight and a half metres long and weighs around three and a half tonnes.”

The Swash Channel Wreck project has been running for the past seven years, and artefacts recovered from the wreck so far include cannons, leather shoes and wooden barrels.

Other parts of the ship – including wooden carvings and a canister of cannon shot – have already been raised.

The rudder is the last major part of the ship due to be raised, and the remaining parts of the wreck have been covered with sand to protect it from seawater.

The rudder will now go to York for two years for conservation before going on display in Poole Museum.

“We’ve only recovered around 4 per cent of the wreck and the rudder is the single largest object that we’ve raised,” said Dave.

“It’s the culmination of seven years of hard work and it was a very moving experience. It’s a pleasant relief that it has all gone well.”

“It is the ship itself that is significant – there are only a few wrecks like this in the world, and it tells us more about the beginnings of the large scale international trade.”

The Swash Channel Wreck project is a partnership between Bournemouth University and the Borough of Poole Museum Service and has been funded by a £141,200 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

BU Makes Clearing Clearer

Featured

Posted on by

If you are one of the thousands of students nervously waiting to receive your A-level results tomorrow, we wish you the best of luck.

If your results aren’t what you expected – or you haven’t applied for uni but decide that you want to attend in September after all – then it’s important to remember there are still options available.

Bournemouth University will have a team of expert advisers on hand to talk you through what to do next.

Clearing

Clearing is the point in the admissions cycle where students can apply for a course which still has vacancies for September 2013.

To find out which courses still have places available at Bournemouth University, you can visit our Clearing web pages, download our toolkit or speak to an adviser on our Clearing helpdesk – 01202 966777 – which is open from 8am until 8pm on results day, 8am until 6pm on Friday 16 August and from 10am to 4pm over the weekend.

“Don’t panic and make a hasty decision,” advises Karen Pichlmann, Head of Admissions at BU.

“You will be studying for your degree for at least the next three years, so make sure the university and course are right for you.”

This includes asking questions about important things like course content, placement opportunities and how degrees are assessed.

When you call the university, you will be asked questions about why you want to do that the course, so make a few notes before you ring.

Karen adds: “It’s a really big decision, so make sure you do your research before calling a Clearing hotline.

“Check UCAS, university websites and newspaper supplements to see what courses are available, and then look into them in more detail – universities and courses you may have initially disregarded because their entry requirements were too high may be more flexible at this time of the year.”

It’s also important that you call for yourself, and don’t get parents or teachers to do it for you, as universities can only make offers to prospective students themselves. Have your UCAS number, GCSE results and A Level/BTEC results to hand when you call as you will be asked for this information.

BU Events and Leisure Marketing student Emma Craig found her course through Clearing after missing out on her firm and conditional choices by 20 UCAS points.

Emma, who is about to enter her final year, said: “Anyone who finds themselves in Clearing should go into it with an open mind.

“Initially, I thought I wanted to do sports management, but when the person on the phone told me about this course, it was perfect. Now I want to work in events and my dream job would be running festivals in Australia.

“Clearing was a second chance really – I mucked up in my exams at college, but now I’m on course for a 2.1 in a degree I love, and getting better grades than people who did well in their A Levels.”

Adjustment

If you exceed the conditions of your first choice university offer, you can choose to reconsider what and where you want to study through a UCAS process called Adjustment.

Your original uni place will be held for you (for a limited period) while you find out about other options.

If you are eligible for Adjustment, you can find out more about options available at BU by visiting the Adjustment pages on our website, downloading our Adjustment toolkit or by calling the helpdesk on 01202 966777.

BU also has an unlimited number of Academic Excellence Scholarships available for students who have achieved ABB or above at A-Level, or equivalent – worth up to £2,000.

Open Days

A lot of universities hold post-Clearing open days, so see if you can visit them and get a feel for the place.

We have Open Days on Friday 16 August and Saturday 17 August, running between 11am and 3pm, where you can tour the campus, find out more about life at BU and see some of our accommodation.

There are also Campus Tours running on Wednesday 21 August, and you are welcome to visit and do a self-guided tour during working hours any day – just pick up a guide from reception or download one from our website.

Find out more and register for upcoming Open Days

If you have any questions about your place at BU or the Clearing process, please call the helpdesk on 01202 966777

Record year for BU with NSS results

Featured

Posted on by

Student satisfaction at Bournemouth University in the National Student Survey (NSS) has reached its highest level since the survey started in 2005.

Our overall satisfaction rose to 80 per cent – an improvement of 1 per cent on the previous year.

Our overall results showed improvements in all areas, including organisation and management, and academic support and teaching, except personal development which remained constant.

Satisfaction levels in learning resources showed a significant improvement of 6 per cent to 83 per cent.

School successes included overall satisfaction improvements for Tourism, Media, DEC and Applied Sciences.

Tim McIntyre-Bhatty, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of BU, commented: “We are very pleased that we are continuing to see an overall rise in levels of student satisfaction at BU to this record level.

“However, the sector average also improved 1 per cent to 86 per cent, so we appreciate that there is still work to be done and that is why we are committed to improving the whole student experience at BU.

“This includes investment of £10.5 million in the student centre which will become the new home of the Students’ Union (SUBU).”

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen talks patient safety on BBC Radio Solent

Posted on by

By Dean Eastmond

Bournemouth University’s Professor Edwin van Teijlingen featured on BBC Radio Solent, explaining his views on a new report looking at the NHS and patient safety.

The major report by Professor Don Berwick into the NHS suggested the introduction of a lawful offence if a nurse, doctor or medical worker is found to willfully neglect a patient.

Professor van Teijlingen, who researches public health, was interviewed on the BBC Radio Solent Drivetime show about the report.

“Lots of the mistakes the NHS makes that have been in the news in the past ten years or so are mistakes of the system not an individual,” he told presenter Steve Harris.

“They are not bad nurses or doctors or healthcare professionals doing things wrong. They are problems in the system.”

He continued: “I would agree that we need a minimum of nurses on a particular kind of ward for the staff to be available for proper care,”

But he added that, just as important as the number of staff were the jobs that they were having to fulfil, saying: “more and more of the staff time is spent on filling in forms and bureaucracy.”

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.

BU student develops mobile app to help wheelchair users get into cars

Featured

Posted on by

A Computing student from Bournemouth University has developed a new smartphone application that will help wheelchair users get into their vehicles more easily.

Paul Whittington has developed the SmartATRS app, which uses smartphones and wireless technology to control the platform lift, automated tailgate and motorised driver’s seat in specially adapted vehicles.

The app has been developed for use with the Automated Transport and Retrieval System (ATRS), which enables a powered wheelchair to independently dock onto a platform lift in the rear of a vehicle.

Paul, who uses a wheelchair, said the app removes the need for the key fobs currently used to control the process.

He said: “For a person with reduced finger dexterity, the small wireless remote control key fobs used to control the platform lift, automated tailgate and driver’s seat are difficult to operate and could deter potential purchasers.

“As I use ATRS for my independence, my experience identified the need to improve the usability for a disabled user, in particular the small wireless key fobs which I found difficult to use.”

He added that the new app can also be used to control items including automated gates, garage doors and front doors, to make it easier for wheelchair users to get from their vehicles into their homes.

Voice control and joystick control have also been applied so that users with reduced finger dexterity can still use the app, which also has a number of safety features – including an emergency stop button.

Paul using the SmartATRS app

Paul using the SmartATRS app

Paul worked on the smartphone app for around five months as his final year university project, and said that he had received good feedback.

“I’m very pleased with the final result because SmartATRS has considerably improved the usability of ATRS both for me and potentially other disabled users,” he said.

“SmartATRS is significantly quicker and more reliable than using the small wireless key fobs – especially now that I can control the smartphone using the joystick on my powered wheelchair.”

Paul, 22 of Broadstone, has just finished his degree in BSc (Hons) Computing, receiving a First Class Honours.

He is now planning to undertake a PhD at BU, researching Human Computer Interaction and continuing the work of his final year project.

He also hopes to present his app to the UK manufacturers of ATRS systems, with plans to modify and commercialise it.

He said: “Overall, I found creating SmartATRS challenging and rewarding.

“It provided me with a great sense of achievement knowing that the lifestyle and independence of a disabled user had been further improved by a Human Computer Interaction design specifically targeted to overcome the difficulties of the user.”

Midwifery lecturer Dr Catherine Angell on BBC Radio Solent

Posted on by

By Dean Eastmond

Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at BU, Dr Catherine Angell, featured on BBC Radio Solent talking to presenter Katie Martin about midwifery and how a woman’s life changes in a variety of ways after having a baby.

Dr Angell explained what physically happens to a woman’s body during pregnancy – including ligaments softening and certain hormones being produced to help the pregnancy – before going on to talk about a woman’s life in the first few weeks of being a mother.

“It’s very much an emotional rollercoaster,” she said.

She continued by explaining what “the new normal” was in terms of childbirth for a busy woman’s life.

Dr Angell told BBC Radio Solent that it’s nice to see when family and friends help out new mothers in terms of practical jobs such as “taking out the washing, cooking meals and taking the children to school”

“I think we’ve moved a long way in terms of actually now regarding birth as a normal event so for most women it will be completely normal, but that doesn’t mean to say that it is an everyday event, and I think we sometimes we muddle the two things up”, Dr Catherine Angell explained.

“So actually we want women to think about it as a normal thing in their life but actually it’s exceptional, it’s a profound thing to happen to them, so you need to kind of sit back and wait for the physical and emotional changes to settle in.”

The interview also mentioned the “royal baby hype” and what life will be like for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the first few weeks of baby George’s life.

Dr Angell said: “It’s still a really big emotional change for whoever you are and it comes with that sense of responsibility and that can be scary for many first time parents.”

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.

Dr Ann Hemingway defends nurses on Three Counties Radio

Posted on by

By Dean Eastmond

BU’s Dr Ann Hemingway featured on BBC Three Counties Radio, explaining how she does not feel that nursing is deficient in care.

Recent reports claimed that nurses felt they are too busy to comfort distressed patients and fulfil their roles.

Dr Hemingway, a lecturer in Public Health, said that she felt the NHS should be targeted rather than nurses, and explained that she did not feel that care standards have declined.

“Quite recently my mother was in hospital and she had an excellent experience,” she said.

“The job has changed enormously over the past few years which people don’t understand. Patients are much sicker now in hospital than when I trained as a nurse”

She continued: “The key thing is which isn’t really discussed is that nursing care is just as important as cure. If someone gets a bad bedsore, they can die from that.

“It’s incredibly worrying and it needs to be challenged by the nursing and midwifery council”

It was then passionately explained by Dr Hemingway that there are elements of sexism in the recent news, as nursing and midwifery are typically female dominated roles.

There are no reports about surgeons and other medical jobs lacking in care standards.

“I don’t see why nurses should be singled out”

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.

BU graduate goes write way to win BAFTA competition

Featured

Posted on by

By Dean Eastmond

A Bournemouth University Master’s graduate has won a nationwide BAFTA competition to find Britain’s most promising comedy writers.

Christiana Brockbank impressed judges including comediennes Jennifer Saunders and Jessica Hynes to be named one of the winners in the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum competition.

Christiana, who completed an MA in Writing for the Media at BU in 2010, beat more than 500 entries to be named one of the five winners of the competition, which searched for the UK’s most promising upcoming comedy writers.

She said: “It’s been a bit surreal – you go from trying to get people to read your work to suddenly having lots of people asking you if they can read your script, and that makes every single rejection letter before that absolutely worth it.”

Christiana, 26, will now see her sitcom – Binwomen – performed in front of other comedians, writers and industry bosses at this year’s Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.

The comedy follows compulsive hoarder Janet as she works on the bins, and the industry panel will include comedian John Bishop and Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy at the BBC.

Christiana will also receive one-to-one mentoring sessions with comedy commissioners and independent production companies and the chance to have a full script commission paid for by the BBC.

Christiana, who is from Bolton and now lives in Ealing, London, said her time at BU helped her develop her creativity.

“What I enjoyed most about the course was being in an environment where you were encouraged to collaborate and be creative. I made some lifelong friends there who I hope I’ll get to work with again,” said Christiana, who currently works in retail while writing in the evenings.

“After graduating from Bournemouth, I continued to keep writing short films, radio sketches and sitcoms before becoming a copywriter and living like a real adult for a while.

“In the end, I gave it up and decided to move to London with the hope of one day doing what felt most right – trying to write stuff that’s funny and maybe even getting paid for the privilege.”

The BAFTA Rocliffe Sitcom Showcase takes place at the Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival on Thursday 22 August.

Find out more about the competition

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.

Dr Eileen Wilkes featured on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today

Posted on by

By Dean Eastmond

Bournemouth University’s Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Dr Eileen Wilkes, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 programme Farming Today this weekend on how archaeology affects farming and the effects farming has on archaeology.

The show looks at modern day farming and was located in a Devon farm for this week’s episode, which Dr Wilkes has been excavating for over a decade looking at Iron Age and prehistoric settlements.

So far enclosures where animals stayed and settlements where people lived have been found – dating back to over 2000 years ago. The project that was originally supposed to be only two weeks long, is still giving results ten years on!

Wilkes explains that archaeological excavations sites and farmland coincide together: “I had fallen in love with the place, the farmer and his family were very happy to have us”.

“Over the winter when we’re not here, his sheep come and graze around the excavation site”.

It was reported that over 150 British Heritage site of prehistoric date and under threat by farming methods such as deep ploughing and building.

Listen to the Farming Today interview in full

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.