Author Archives: presspr

Professor Phlegm is back!

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A children’s radio show created by Bournemouth University students and graduates will be back for a second series.

Professor Phlegm and the Lost Treasure Hunt will air on FunKids DAB & Online Radio, and was re-commissioned after a successful pilot and first series on the station last year.

The series was created by BU graduates Mog McIntyre, who completed a MA in Radio Production in 2010, Scott Payne and Arron Ferguson, who completed their BA Screen Writing for Film & Television course in 2011, and current BA Screen Writing for Film and Television student Sophie Petzal.

Mog, who produced and directed Professor Phlegm and the Lost Treasure Hunt, said: “It’s a huge honour to be asked to come back and make another series.

“Working with children’s programming provides an opportunity to be really creative, and FunKids Radio is a great platform to tell really exciting stories.”

The series follows curiosity shop owner Professor Penny Phlegm and a young boy called Devin Kimball, who travel to New York, battle sphinxes in Egypt – and even escape the afterlife – to collect treasures and stop druids taking over the world.

Mog added: “When you hear that the series you’ve made has been well received and you have listeners wanting more it makes it hugely worthwhile, and it gave me the absolute pleasure to be able to go back to work with a hugely talented team for a second time that has originated out of Bournemouth.”

Professor Phlegm and the Lost Treasure Hunt will air on Fun Kids DAB and Online Radio (www.funkidslive.com) every Saturday and Sunday at 4pm until Sunday 7th October.

The series will also be available as a podcast on iTunes.

BU stars at Olympic and Paralympic Games

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London’s affiliation with the Olympic and Paralympic Games came to an end on Sunday night with the emphatic closing of the Paralympic Games. But the legacy of these Games will continue as some of Bournemouth University’s staff members and students return from volunteering and working during the events.

The Games drew the world’s attention – as they eagerly watched and cheered the performances of their athletes. A selection of Bournemouth University students played an integral part in the media coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Picked in advance to help with the broadcasting of the Games, these students now have the chance to recall their experiences, memories and successes.

Rob Grieve was a camera assistant on the field of play for the ceremonies and athletics and studies Television Production at Bournemouth University. He sums up his experience of the events saying, “We followed Usain [Bolt] on his laps of honour after his 100m and 4x100m wins, and I did get to high-five him and Johan Blake, and also shake Blake’s hand on another occasion. I also got to say good luck to Mo Farah as we were filming his entrance into the stadium for the 10000m with Jess Ennis in the background on her lap of honour!”

Rob continued, “[I am] living the dream with a once in a lifetime experience and acknowledging how lucky I am to have been in such a privileged position and indulge myself in this superb opportunity. A summer I will never forget.”

Another student, Ugne Ciesiunaite, worked as an audio assistant for the equestrian events during the Olympic Games and studies Television Production at BU. She said, “I didn’t really expect to ever work at an Olympics, but because it came to Bournemouth University [when students were recruited to work at the Olympics] I thought it was an excellent opportunity that I could not have had anywhere else.”

BU student Ben Cornish, who also studied Television Production, was a camera operator in the Aquatics Centre for the Olympic Games and a camera assistant at the Paralympic Games. One of his responsibilities during the Olympic Games included operating the underwater periscope camera, used to film athletes while they are underwater.

Ben said, “So far I have seen all sorts, varying from athletes to Kate Middleton and David Cameron. One of my shots showed Kate Middleton and it was shown on the TV. In fact, I was watching television the other day and saw a programme about all the medals that had been won at the Olympics and during the Michael Phelps section I saw that they used my periscope camera footage, it’s great to see that my work is still being used.”

It has not just been students that have worked at the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a number of staff members also volunteered for positions at the events. Debbie Sadd is a lecturer in BU’s School of Tourism and worked as a Games Maker at the Olympics. She was tasked with looking after journalists and photographers in the basketball arena. Talking about her involvement in the Games, Debbie said, “I was gobsmacked with how well organised it was. Everyone was walking around with smiles on their faces – everyone was happy!”

Beth Shephard is a Projects Officer within the Student Academic Services (SAS) at BU and also worked as a Games Maker. Specifically she worked as a Games Maker as part of the Venue Entry Team (Security) at the Olympic Park.

“I had a fantastic time and can honestly say it will be something that I remember for the rest of my life. The best part of the experience was knowing that I was helping to ensure the spectators had the best possible experience of the Olympics. There was such a lovely atmosphere within the Olympic Park and it was great to be able to help visitors to their venues or taking photos for them and there was an incredible buzz of excitement across the park every single day, even at the start of a shift at 6.30am!”

With so many students and staff members involved it is impossible to highlight the hard work of all but our Olympic microsite gives more information about BU’s involvement at the Games – you can read about it at BU and the 2012 Olympics.

The post-London 2012 talk will be about the legacy that the Games has left on Britain, but at BU we already celebrating with our staff and students and the legacy they have helped to create.

BU Shortlisted for Two THE Awards

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Bournemouth University is delighted to announce two nominations for this year’s prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2012.

Bryce Dyer, Senior Lecturer in Product Design has been shortlisted in the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology’ category, while Dr Simon Thompson, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology & Neuropsychology was nominated and shortlisted in the category of ‘Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiative’.

During late 2011, Bournemouth University’s Bryce Dyer worked in conjunction with Pace Rehabilitation Ltd, to help develop a new cycling prosthetic leg design for an athlete who competed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Attempting to create a solution that is comfortable yet competitive in an activity as dynamic as cycling was a challenging task.

“The design process had an open, blank sheet approach to the problem. The final solution neither looks like a leg nor resembles a traditional prosthesis,” said Bryce Dyer, from the School of Design, Engineering and Computing.

The leg was completed and tested in early 2012 and used by Irish cyclist Colin Lynch to great effect when he won a gold medal at the Para Cycling World Championship in February. Lynch also used the prosthetic limb in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

He said earlier this year after his World Championship victory: “It was a privilege to work with Pace Rehabilitation and to have the expertise of Bryce Dyer in the design and production of this cycling leg. It was a massive leap forward from the first leg that Pace made for me last year. The final product shaved precious seconds off my previous personal best times and helped power me to my World Championship win.”

Dr Simon Thompson’s work focuses on the fact that only .03 per cent of the 18,000 students who graduate each year in psychology go on to become fully fledged clinical psychologists. This arises partly because of the high pre-requisites of training programmes. As well as 2:1 degree classification or higher, candidates need to demonstrate a good knowledge of clinical issues together with clinically relevant experience to be accepted into training. Some courses prefer additional postgraduate qualifications.

The Government has introduced “stepped care” which requires psychological therapists with more basic levels of training than clinical psychologists, including graduate mental health workers and cognitive behaviour therapists. This initiative is designed to overcome NHS waiting lists and offers a range of services from a short and simple appointment for therapy to more complex psychotherapy.

This climate of expanding roles in psychological therapy has led to Bournemouth University introducing a 10-month MSc Foundations of Clinical Psychology. This provides students with necessary knowledge and experience gained through an intensive placement and acts as a stepping stone for psychology graduates applying for clinical psychology training.

It also promotes generic level of understanding in psychological disorders benefit different roles for psychologists in health, graduate mental health workers, cognitive therapists, nurse therapists.

Unique to this programme, is that over 30 health experts from around Dorset and surrounding counties contribute to the programme. The NHS is one of the biggest employers; together with contributors from charity and private sector organisations, the programme engages students with these employers early on. They also provide the 15-day placement experience that allows students to tailor their direction of knowledge within clinical psychology enabling them to present a credible, valuable and impressive set of skills at interview for employment and further training.

The recently published shortlist from THE “singles out those who uphold, and exceed, the standard of excellence” and the winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony will be held on 29 November in Park Lane. To see the full list of nominations please go to the Times Higher Education Awards website.

BU students win plaudits in project for car manufacturer

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Ten Bournemouth University students have come out on top in a project for car manufacturer SEAT, in a bid to help raise awareness of their brand.

The BU team was made up of four students studying the Business School’s MBA and six studying on the Media School’s Postgraduate Media Production courses. Their strong mix of skills was the key to their success, with the Business School students taking the lead on the project management and the Media School students using their production expertise, whilst they all contributed creatively.

The project started back in January when ten universities visited SEAT’s UK Head Quarters in Milton Keynes and were immersed in the SEAT brand to get their ideas flowing. Each team set to work on creating a range of brand awareness concepts before picking their top 3 to pitch to SEAT. The Bournemouth University team made it through to the next round, which was halved down to five universities and were later shortlisted into the final two.

From the word go SEAT were excited about one of Bournemouth University’s concepts in particular and the team set to work on bringing it to life, after being awarded a £5,000 budget to work with. They decided to produce a giant artwork of the company’s logo on a large nine metre by eight metre sail canvas, decorated by the painted feet of the general public. The logo was carefully stencilled on to the hand-stitched canvas and laid out in Bournemouth Gardens on one of the first sunny days of the year. Hundreds of people by-passed the event and it turned into a real family affair with people of all ages dipping their toes into the multi coloured paints, eager to add their own personal touches to the creation. There was a real buzz to the event and a crowd gathered towards the end of the day as the stencil was removed, revealing the brightly coloured logo.

The making of the giant logo was filmed by the Media School students and some short video clips were edited which encapsulated the enjoyment of those involved in the day. The team were called back to Milton Keynes to present their concept to the SEAT panel and after showing the video, they were informed that their work would be used on the SEAT website and will feature on their YouTube channel as well.

SEAT were so impressed with the work the team undertook that they have decided to seal their relationship with Bournemouth University by running the project with groups of BU students every year. They also plan to hang the canvas in their main Head Quarters in Barcelona.

Congratulations to the whole team for their success on this project.

 

BU Graduate wins place on Virgin project

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Kate Jones, from Bournemouth is just one of ten talented young people to have reached the final in a unique initiative which has given her the opportunity of a lifetime – to be part of a team solely responsible for the management of a spectacular one–off event for Sir Richard Branson in London on the 7th September.

Kate studied at Bournemouth University and also worked within BU’s Students’ Union as the Vice President of Education.

The Project was launched at the start of the summer by Virgin Media Pioneers – the online community for aspiring entrepreneurs funded by Virgin Unite.

From thousands of entries, one hundred hopefuls were shortlisted to complete paid work placements with organisations including talent management agencies, event management companies and media organisations. During this time they were competing against each other to be chosen as part of the final ten and Kate has been selected based on her performance during her work placement.

The Project team will be ultimately responsible for every decision leading to the final spectacular in September, be it deciding on who should star in the event, marketing and PR or event direction. Kate will be responsible for marketing and promotion but will work with the whole team to ensure it is an event to remember.

Kate Jones said: “It is amazing to have been selected as one of the final ten in The Project. I’ll be responsible for marketing and promotion, so I’ll be making sure everyone knows about the fantastic event we’ll be organising. I can’t wait to get my teeth stuck in and help to create a really special event.”

Neil Berkett, chief executive officer of Virgin Media, said; “We’d like to congratulate all of the ten individuals that make up our amazing project team, they really wowed us with their enthusiasm, commitment, talent and dedication. They will be learning from the best and we know that this experience will provide them with the best start for a fantastic future career.”

Sir Richard Branson, Pioneer–at–Large, said; “Now that the final ten have been selected, the challenge will really begin! They will have to come together as a team and make important decisions to create a fantastic event in September. I’m looking forward to seeing the final show!”

Seen But Seldom Heard

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Innovative poetry project Seen But Seldom Heard gave its debut performance on Thursday night at Weymouth’s ICCI360 Arena. The poetry event featured inspiring performances from young people from the Victoria Education Centre, Royal Manor School and the Gryphon School; all compered by legendary poets Liv Torc and Johnny Fluffypunk.

Kick-starting the evening was original poetry from the Victoria Education Centre – a school for disabled teenagers. Poets Jagdev, Lauren, David, Evie and George communicated through a variety of mediums, including impressive projections on the Arena’s panoramic 360 screens. Through their poetry they expressed their experiences, challenges and dreams they have for the future. Dr Carrie Hodges, co-creator of the project, spoke about what was has been gained from the work:

“When we were talking to some of the young people in the rehearsals this week, they were saying that one of the most important things for them is that they have been able to make friends with others in the school that they would not have necessarily worked with before. It has given them new skills in talking about and expressing their experiences.”

The project was part of the Cultural Olympiad, coinciding with the Paralympics which was one of the themes the students focused on. Some of the poems echoed the Olympic Values of Friendship, Respect and Excellence. Students from Victoria Education Centre were encouraged to attend poetry workshops led by Liv Torc and Johnny Fluffypunk.

Reflecting on the journey, Liv Torc explained how she felt when seeing the students performing their own poetry on stage, “I feel so proud of them and so proud of the project, we have proved something really exciting with poetry. It has taught me that I love helping people who find it hard communicating, to communicate, and what a powerful gift that is.”

As well as the success of the poetry and the growth seen in all the young people involved, one of the lasting benefits to come out of this project is the continuing effect of poetry throughout the education system, and research into its potential uses in social care and therapy.

The Seen but Seldom Heard project will be performing at Bournemouth University and the Bridport Literary Festival later this year, with an anthology of the students’ work available to buy for £5.

Comment on Oscar Pistorius’s defeat

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Bryce Dyer’s research at Bournemouth University is investigating if any unfairness exists in Paralympic sprinting with athletes with below knee amputations and also the dynamic characteristics of such technology. Further details of the research can be found at the bottom of this page.

Emotions are still running high from the shock defeat of Oscar Pistorius in the T44 200m final at the Paralympics. I mentioned in a BBC radio interview last week that ignoring any controversy surrounding Pistorius’s inclusion in the Olympics he may find it hard to win his events at the Paralympics. That statement bore fruit as the world was stunned when Alan Oliveira won the 200m, coming from nowhere on the final bend.

With 100m to go Pistorius had a huge lead and looked certain to defend his title he won with relative ease four years ago. This time it was a different story and Pistorius then made a bigger mistake when hurling accusations on the finish line that Oliveira was using prosthetics that were too long. The governing body was quick to interject stating that the limbs of all the athletes were measured prior to the event and were passed as legal.

It would seem then that Pistorius complaint (retracted the following day) was purely one of sour grapes. When the emotion is removed, the reality is not as obvious as it seems. A quick rough and ready eyeball of the event highlights several factors. Pistorius had a great start, Oliveira a poor one. Pistorius made his advantage in the first 100m and Oliveira sat well out of the medals by that point.

The stride count of the two athletes demonstrates that Pistorius actually took fewer steps than Oliveira over the distance. That alone suggests the limbs were not too long at all. It suggests instead that Oliveira had a faster leg stride rate instead. The prescription of the prosthetic limb – its behaviour and how it responds in a race – has a lot to do with this. The athlete can have a prosthesis designed to respond any way they want and this may be a case of whereby each athlete chose to play to their strengths or to correct their weaknesses.

Pistorius seemed to opt for the fastest start he could get – Oliveira seemed to opt for the better finish or has ultimately found a prosthetic prescription that works for him. Either way, Oliveira did to Pistorius what Pistorius has done to so many competitors over the last eight years – start out sluggishly and then shut down huge margins in the remaining metres of the race. Provided the IPC classifiers did apply their rules correctly, Pistorius has no rights to complain.

In fact, in my opinion the bigger question would be whether the T44 athletes have a bigger case to claim unfairness than Pistorius ever could. They don’t get much choice in being able to change their prosthesis design as they are ‘limited’ by the performance of their biological limb. This is a question we’re currently researching at Bournemouth University.

The research team at Bournemouth University have identified a phenomenon called the ‘Dynamic Elastic Response to Impulse Synchronisation’. We are looking at whether this can help an athlete, (fundamentally made up of their mass and a prosthesis) to have a controlled exchange of energy between their mass and the composite prosthesis (such as the ‘blades’ used by athletes like Oscar Pistorius at the Paralympics). We’re examining whether this effect can be firmly identified and controlled so ultimately so that whether this can result in advantageous conditions to athletes when competing.

What this news story has highlighted was that if people didn’t believe it before – lower limb prosthesis is being used on the offensive in competitive sport. I watched yesterday as bladed prosthesis flew round the velodrome, long jumpers launched from their prosthetic leg (not their biological limb) and finally the sprinters started from their blocks using their prosthesis to drive from. The landscape is changing. Pistorius may have kicked the barn door down four years ago but it’s now a pack of athletes that are charging through, redefining how disability sport is viewed. I personally can’t wait to so the 100m and the 400m later this week!

Bryce Dyer’s research at Bournemouth University is investigating if any unfairness exists in Paralympic sprinting with athletes with below knee amputations and also the dynamic characteristics of such technology. It’s a challenging and emotive topic but one that will inform the sport and also give guidance to the sport in the future. As well as informing future Paralympic Committees, the research will apply to disability in sport in general. Should someone who’s lost both limbs compete against a runner missing just one limb, for example? And how should technology be categorised, when variations in quality of false limbs may create substantial differences among international athletes?

“Some 30 years ago, it was all about enabling disabled people to take part in sport,” says Dyer. “But now the quality of performances and the sums of money involved are so great, there’s much more at stake. We don’t want to restrict technology but we need to find a way to measure it.”

Bryce Dyer was also involved in designing the prosthetic limb for Irish Paralympic Cyclist, Colin Lynch.

Bryce spoke to Huw Edwards live on the BBC News Channel on this subject – you can view the clip on the BBC News website.

Powerlifting success for BU students

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Bournemouth University (BU) is celebrating the success of two students as the return from the World Powerlifting Championships in Poland. BU Student Owen Hubbard set a new British Record in the Bench Press event (220kg) and ‘total lifted’ 757.5kg, achieving eighth place overall and fourth in the Bench Press event, narrowly missing out on a medal.

Fellow BU student Lisa Hicks, who hails from Ferndown, also competed at the event and lifted well in squat and deadlift but missed her three bench presses.

Both train at the Bournemouth Barbell Club, based at BU and Oakmead College which has over 70 lifting members – including newly crowned World Junior Powerlifting Championship Gold medallist Steve Tyers (pictured above).

Steve is celebrating the event in Poland after achieving a Gold medal in the Deadlift – beating the Russian world champion and over 110 other competitors. Steve also received a Bronze in the Bench Press, which gave him a Bronze medal overall.

Achievements at such a high level are the result of the collaboration between different organisations, working together to get the Gold medal. Barry Squires, Acting Assistant Head of SportBU was delighted with the success and looks forward to the future, “It’s fantastic to see that one of our partnerships with Bournemouth Barbell is now reaping rewards, and medals, at the elite level. BU students who train with these partner clubs within our weightlifting facilities really strive for perfection in their chosen sport!”