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Dr Andy Johnson talks chewing gum and concentration on The Today Programme

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Psychology lecturer Dr Andy Johnson spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme about his research into chewing gum and concentration.

Andy was part of a team of researchers who found that chewing gum can help people focus better while doing tasks.

“In this study our participants undertook a very monotonous and repetitive constant vigilance task, where participants were presented with a sequence of digits and they were looking out for a particular signal,” he told presenter James Naughtie.

He added that participants who chewed gum had less of a decrease in performance throughout the task, and reported being significantly more alert.

He said: “So what we suggest is that chewing gum can facilitate vigilance during a monotonous task but that this is only found when performance has dropped to sub-optimal level, so when it starts to fall down that’s when gum has some scope for having a benefit.

“But if we are at our normal operating levels, we are sort of at ceiling effect, so there is nowhere for cognition to go. So only once our performance begins to drop does gum introduce a benefit in performance and vigilance.”

Dr Johnson, who worked on the study with researchers from Cardiff University, explained that chewing increases blood flow to the brain and that increases delivery of glucose and oxygenated blood to the parts of the brain that are doing the task.

He was also interviewed on BBC Radio Solent’s Breakfast Show, local station Wave 105 and BBC Radio Scotland about the research, which appears in the British Journal of Psychology.

You can listen to Dr Andy Johnson on the Today Programme here for the next seven days.

BBC South Today’s Roger Finn visits BU

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BBC South Today presenter Roger Finn was at BU to talk to Media School students about a career in broadcasting.

The presenter spoke about his career and offered tips to current students looking to move into the broadcasting industry, including how to write brilliant scripts for television.

In the afternoon, Roger was invited to take part in, and provide feedback for, a newsroom mock–up, where students were asked to report on a news story.

On coming to Bournemouth University, Roger said, “It’s a great opportunity; I have done it a couple of times before. I think it’s always really interesting to hear what they are interested in and what aspects excite them. Also, I think the profession is changing so fast at the moment that I think it is really vital that they know what the reality is.”

After the initial lecture, Roger and the students went through a recent episode of South Today, looking at how the programme is constructed and why certain language is used.

On the experience of talking to students, Roger continued, “It’s unusual, most nights I am talking to 500,000 people but I can’t see anyone so I might as well be talking to myself. So to be faced with 50 or 60 people is a really interesting experience, people who are asking questions immediately – it’s fantastic!”

Roger Finn’s visit also provided another example of the links the university has with industry as students were able to take note of advice given by a current industry professional.

Radio 4 presenter Jane Garvey helps students relaunch online radio station

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Radio 4 presenter Jane Garvey was at Bournemouth University to help students relaunch online radio station BIRSt.

Jane, who is a presenter on the station’s flagship Woman’s Hour programme, opened the first live broadcast by popping a balloon filled with confetti and blowing out the candles on a cake to commemorate the launch.

She was then interviewed by one of the students – covering topics like her career and her love for Liverpool FC and baking.

BIRSt is an online radio station run by MA Radio Production students every year, with each year’s team putting their own take on it.

The station is now in its 14th year, and this year has been completely rebranded – with a new orange colour scheme and a revamped website.

Jane said she was impressed by the work the students had done.

She said: “I think it is really brilliant – they are clearly really passionate about radio – and I thought the interview was great.

“In a way, they are ahead of the game – with the internet, this stuff is accessible, which is what is so great about it. They have got so many more opportunities to be heard.

“I think here, you can take all the creative chances that you might not be able to in the industry.”

BIRSt will run for 24 hours a day online, combining archive material with live broadcasts and packages created by current students.

This year, the students plan to work on new-format specialist programming that can’t be found anywhere else, as well as expanding its music programme and features repertoire.

MA Radio Production student and BIRSt station manager this year Tom Gerken said: “We were keen on trying something really new to inspire our listeners and peers.

“We are just trying to do something which hasn’t typically been done before.

“We want it to be a station where people can experience things which they wouldn’t on any other.

“We want anyone who tunes in to go: ‘that’s weird, I’ve never heard that before’ – hopefully we are going to be giving people something new and brilliant.”

He added that it was great to have someone as high profile as Jane Garvey to help relaunch the station.

“To have someone from Radio 4 come here and be happy to talk to us on air is a great start,” he said.

“We have been tweeting about it all day, so that is hopefully going to help us get listeners from the launch, which is really key.”

Jane also offered advice for anyone hoping to break into the radio industry.

“Be prepared for rejection and don’t stop putting yourself out there constantly,” she said.

“Something that I’m quite passionate about is that you should be open to everything – just because it isn’t your dream job, don’t think you don’t need to do it. Be interested in everything.”

You can listen to BIRSt by visiting www.birst.co.uk and clicking the Listen Now icon. The station can also be found on the TuneIn Radio App on both iOS and Android systems.

Find out more about MA Radio Production at Bournemouth University

BU vice-chancellor attends launch of University Innovators Guide

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Professor John Vinney, the Vice- Chancellor of Bournemouth University, attended the launch of The Dods University Innovators Guide in Westminster.

The publication focuses on the strength of university-business collaboration in the UK at the moment and examines how this relationship can be developed further in the future to help grow the economy.

The event was attended by MPs, Members of the House of Lords and business leaders.

Speaking at the launch, Professor Sir Tim Wilson, author of the 2012 Review of Business-University Collaboration, spoke about how, with the end of traditional industry, the UK has to rely on its workforce as the capital to drive forward the economy, and universities were vital in developing the necessary skills for this.

The Wilson Review was published last year and in it Professor Wilson proposed an agenda for change to make the UK the best place in the world for business-university collaboration.

Also speaking at the launch was Adrian Bailey MP, who is Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee at Westminster.

He emphasised that universities were already collaborating with business, but not enough was being done to publicise this.

“Universities need to highlight their overall contribution to driving forward the economy and society today,” he said, adding that he welcomed the publication as a great significant contribution to that.

Professor Keith Brown from the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work at BU was at the event, highlighting the work the NCPQSW does with the private and public sector to provide in providing education and training for professionals within Health and Social Care.

He was accompanied by Jo Sams who studied at the NCPQSW and now owns and runs a number of residential care homes for young people.

The Dods Innovators Guide was produced in partnership with Bournemouth University, the University of Birmingham, Brunel University, the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Northampton.

It features an article on BU by Professor Vinney in which he outlines his plans for university-business collaboration.

He concludes: “University-business collaboration brings clear benefits to our students, the University, and the businesses that we engage with, and our work with local, national and international business is a source of considerable pride.

“The recommendations in The Dods University Innovator’s Guide will ensure that BU can continue to prepare our graduates not just for the world of today, but for the world of tomorrow.”

Download the University Innovators Guide

Accounting students receive £100 prize for best company study presentation

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Final year Accounting students judged to have presented the best company study were rewarded with a £100 prize.

The company study is a project done by groups of students in their final year of the Accounting degree framework.

It consists of a 10,000 word report and a 20 minute presentation analysing aspects of a company including its financial management, corporate governance and strategy.

Of 28 groups, the best four were selected to present in front of Lesley Fox from Mazars – a company which specialises in audit, tax and advisory services, and sponsors the company study project.

Lesley said that all of the groups impressed with clear and incisive presentations on companies including brewery SAB Miller, Whitbread Plc (who own companies like Costa and Premier Inn), and real estate company British Land.

But she chose final year Accounting and Finance students Alexander Brooke, Daniel Frampton, Ivy Lappin and Rahim Bah as winners for their presentation on mining company BHP Billiton.

Lesley said that it was a “very tough decision” to make.

She said: “I was very impressed – they all had a professional approach to the presentations and were very clear. The knowledge of the companies they were studying was also strong.

“We have sponsored the project for a number of years now. It gives the students that interaction with local businesses and a chance to present in front of an external contact, with an outside opinion.”

She added that the winners impressed with the way they responded to questions and presented as a team.

Each member of the winning team received £100 from Mazars, and will also be presented with a certificate during their graduation ceremonies.

Daniel Frampton from the team said: “The competition was really good. Everyone was great so it was really good to be named as winner. The rest of the guys did extremely well.”

Ivy Lappin added: “It has been challenging but we have come through it, and I feel more confident about my presentation skills and teamwork now.”

BU students learn how to make mobile apps in free workshops

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Students at Bournemouth University have been learning how to create their own mobile phone applications in workshops run by a local company.

Bournemouth-based web and app development company 3 Sided Cube has been running the evening workshops at BU’s Media School for the past six weeks.

In the sessions, students from across the university have all been working on creating a BBC News app, learning the basics of iOS development so that they can hopefully go away and work on their own ideas.

Phil Caudell, senior iOS developer at 3 Sided Cube, has been leading the weekly workshops.

He said: “People come in here not knowing anything about it and by the end of it, they can have an app that they could sell and make money on.

“The iPhone market is so new and changing so quickly that I think that having companies come in can give real world experience that hopefully rubs off on students so they can get an idea of what is happening out there.”

He added that the workshops were mutually beneficial, as the company were looking to potentially take on the new student developers as interns and staff.

“We were looking to expand and take on new people and finding developers is hard as it is new market, so there are not many people out there,” he said.

“We thought, if we can’t find people, let’s train people up and see what comes out of it.

“They have done really well with it, and we are hoping to take some of them on as interns.

“We ran the workshops last year as well – we were so impressed by one of the students that we actually hired him as a result.”

Patrick Guffui, a final year Bsc (Hons) Computing student, was one of around 25 students who chose to attend the free workshops.

He said: “It’s great that we are learning something very focused and technical.

“I have learnt a lot, and have a better understanding of how the mobile development process works. It’s definitely something I am interested in pursuing as a career.”

The Rock ‘rocks’ with media appearances

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The community edition of The Rock, a newspaper created, edited and written by Bournemouth University students, has been a big hit with local and national media.

The student run newspaper, labelled by the BBC website as an edition printed ‘to improve relations with local residents’, has been widely praised in the media as it has been spoken about on Fire Radio, BBC Radio Solent and on the BBC’s main news pages.

Speaking to the BBC, Julia Denni, editor–in–chief and founder of the paper in her first year at University, said, “We really hope the newspaper will shed a new light that we are a part of the community, that it’s not all negative, and that we do a lot of great things. We want to work hand–in–hand with residents because we belong to the community too.”

Julia continued, “Gone are the days when student newspapers were full of gossip and adolescent humour.

“This is a proper newspaper with responsible journalism. It’s vital for students to be a part of the community and engage in the town where they live for up to three years.”

The newspaper continues to be written by BU students and distributed on Bournemouth University’s campuses.

To read the BBC news story in full you can visit the BBC website.

BU event provides insight into media reform post-Leveson

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Academics, media industry experts and journalists all joined together at Bournemouth University to discuss media reform through a post–Leveson lens.

The address, given by Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party, set the scene for the conference before other guest speakers, including Professor James Curran of Goldsmiths University, gave their views.

The event, called ‘Opportunities for Media Reform post–Leveson’, provided analysis of the current media climate and provoked discussion on the ways in which the sector needs to change and adapt so as to align itself with the Leveson Report while maintaining its core ethics.

Topics included discussion on the use of technology in media, the financial restrictions placed on media organisations and the failure of the British press to reform in the past. Each guest speaker spoke on a different facet of media reform to give thought provoking insight into what the Leveson Report could mean for the future of the British press.

As a part of her address, Natalie Bennett said, “We have got technological advances, issues with the local media and, of course, huge commercial pressures. But the risk is that all of those pressures are only going to make the dark side of the press worse, unless we take some action.”

Stephen Jukes, Dean of BU’s Media School and former journalist, opened the conference by saying, “I’m the first to admit that the ethical standards across the media have fallen to an all–time low. There are already a whole range of laws out there – I say reform them and use them.”

For more information about the event you can visit the conference website.

Dr Andrew Mayers talks about sleep and postnatal depression on Hot Radio

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Dr Andrew Mayers, senior lecturer in psychology at BU, was interviewed on Hot Radio about post-natal depression and people struggling to sleep.

In the 12 O’Clock Interview slot on the local radio station, Andrew talked to presenter Geoff Carter about post-natal depression, and the stigma still attached to it.

He said: “I think people are more aware of it than they were but there is still this stigma, fear and guilt. But it’s something that you shouldn’t feel guilty about and can be dealt with.”

“What we are hoping to do is train health visitors, GPs and mothers during the pregnancy period and afterwards about symptoms and what sort of problems might occur.”

He added that people should not be afraid to talk about the issue: “So many mothers tell me they didn’t report it as they were frightened their baby would be taken away, but that simply is not the case.”

Andrew also spoke about the research he has done into sleep patterns, and gave tips on how to get a good night’s rest.

“The impact poor sleep can have on our lives is certainly quite dramatic,” he said.

“I think one of the best things to do to ensure you get a good night’s sleep is routine and to avoid things that keep you awake at night – like mobile phones and too much activity shortly before going to bed.

“Have some sort of relaxation but also make sure the bedroom is a calm, cool, well-ventilated place to sleep.”

He also talked about the work he has been doing to tackle sleep problems in children, running workshops at Winton Primary School.

He said that if parents think their child might not be getting enough sleep, they should help them establish a routine, but also look at technology in their bedroom – such as computers or games consoles – that may be interfering with their sleep.

BU Law lecturer talks about 3D printing on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Dr Dinusha Mendis, Senior lecturer in law and co-director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) at BU, was on BBC Radio 5 Live, talking about the challenges which will be faced by intellectual property (IP) laws in the wake of 3D printing.

Dinusha, who has recently published a paper on the issue, was featured on the Outriders programme – which is dedicated to exploring the frontiers of the web.

She told presenter Jamillah Knowles: “In a nutshell, my paper looks at the intellectual property implications of 3D printing, and whether we can learn lessons from the past.

“When I refer to the past, I am referring to the lessons we have learned from file-sharing services, such as Napster and Pirate Bay, and the challenges to intellectual property law – in particular copyright law – and the response to those challenges by the entertainment industry.

She added: “This paper suggests that, rather than focus on stringent IP laws, the future lies in adopting new business models to adapt to this new technology.”

Dinusha said that, while printers capable of printing 3D shapes and models are currently quite expensive, prices are constantly coming down.

“Past experience has shown us that law is constantly playing a catch up game with technology,” she said.

“This has been evident in the manner that intellectual property law, and in particular, copyright law, has struggled to keep up with internet and online activities.

“The present IP law that we have in the UK was not designed to keep up with such technologies, and regulating 3D printing will be no different.”

“So, while 3D printing is set to open doors to new businesses, new jobs and new experiences for consumers, it is also going to create a lot of challenges for IP right-holders and manufacturers of industrial products.”

She added that while work has started on looking at laws in this area, “there is still a long way to go.”

You can listen to a podcast of the Outriders programme that Dr Dinusha Mendis appears on here.