Tag Archives: international

Student Showcases Research in Parliament

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Karolina-HospitalityKarolina Tarnauskaite, a BA (Hons) Level H International Hospitality Management student recently travelled to Westminster to show-case her dissertation research at the ‘Posters in Parliament’ event.

Posters in Parliament brings together some of the best undergraduate research from across the country. The event is part of the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR), a group of universities dedicated to encouraging a national culture of undergraduate research.

This year Karolina was one of 40 students to present their work. Karolina’s research topic ‘Spanish Tapas Concept in other cuisines in the UK Hospitality Industry’, explores peoples’ perceptions and attitudes toward Tapas style meal experiences.

Reflecting on her time at Westminster, Karolina said: “Posters in Parliament gave me the perfect opportunity to present my research to the wider society, and it was a very successful event.

“Not only was I able to present the issues that I have an interest in, but also to discuss these issues with people from different backgrounds with numerous attitudes and opinions. I would say it’s the biggest compliment to be chosen to present Undergraduate Research at Posters in Parliament.”

Karolina hopes that her findings could provide recommendations for those businesses who have implemented or are interested in the Tapas concept.

Bournemouth University International College

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BUIC-1Last week, BU joined with Kaplan, Legal & General Property and Watkin Jones Group Ltd to celebrate a major milestone with a topping out ceremony for the new college and student residence building at the Bournemouth University International College.

The building represents a commitment by BU and Kaplan of £110m in a new purpose-built “Live-Learn” facility which is being funded by Legal & General.  Teaching and study space is co-housed in the same building with a student refectory and accommodation with 392 beds in both group flats and studios.  With 16 floors, and views out to the Isle of Wight, and Old Harry, the Purbecks and the New Forest, this will be the highest building in Bournemouth.

Bournemouth University International College is an educational collaboration between Kaplan International and Bournemouth University.  The College supports international students to achieve their ambition of becoming Bournemouth University students by preparing them for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.  Successful completion of the College’s preparation courses with the grades required by the University guarantees students a place at the University.

Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University added: “This building is an exciting new development in our constant efforts to offer the best student experience possible and is a very tangible demonstration of how much we value our international students.

“The boost that they give to the local economy is huge, but that in turn is dwarfed by the importance of the global perspective that they bring, which is absolutely essential in developing the cultural awareness of the University and preparing all of our students for the global workplace.

“The University is particularly pleased to be able to continue to invest in our local area – developing world-class buildings and facilities to enable world-class performance”.

Rachel Woodward Carrick, College Director, said: “We are thrilled that Kaplan has chosen the Bournemouth University International College for its first ‘Live-Learn’ facility, which is a market-leading offering. Housing classrooms, study space, accommodation and social space together in one state-of-the-art building will give students a safe and convenient living and learning environment with more time to immerse themselves in their studies.”

The building will house a “Knowledge Hub” which will feature informal, flexible learning and study space for students, either in groups or individually, to use outside of teaching hours. A weekly programme of activities will complement students’ college work and residents can take advantage of drop-in sessions with a tutor for help with assignments, essays and projects. There will also be a number of social spaces, including a media room, games area and outdoor common room terrace on 12th floor.  And, while all flats will have kitchens, there will be a refectory featuring foods from around the world and themed dinners.

Global Horizons Funding – Summer Applications

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The last round of applications for Global Horizons 2014-15 funding is now open.

If you are planning to take part in an international activity commencing between 01 May and 31 August 2015 you should consider applying for funding. Global Horizons Funding covers activities such as a work placement, a summer school, a language course, active participation in a conference, volunteering, a field trip or an independent project.

Applications must be submitted to internationalgrants@bournemouth.ac.uk between 1 February and 15 March 2015.

Visit the Global Horizons page on the Student Portal for more information.

BU’s Study & Work Abroad team will be touring both the Talbot and Lansdowne campuses from Monday 9 – Thursday 12 February to promote funding opportunities for international experiences. Find out more >>

Support for BU Students

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bu-logoWhilst the world’s attention is focussing on a number of political events across the globe, BU is obviously concerned for how this is affecting students studying here who come from these regions.

If you would like to speak to someone about any worries or concerns you may have, you can contact your course leader, askBU, the University Chaplaincy and/or Counselling Service or the SUBU Advice team. Contact details for all university services are available on the Student portal or myBU for your tutors.

Work begins on Bournemouth University International College

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Work has begun on a new Bournemouth University International College, which will offer international students academic programmes to prepare them for degree courses at BU.

The Bournemouth University International College, located on Holdenhurst Road, will comprise of a four storey academic block and a 16 storey residential block and will welcome 600 international students every year.

The college will offer preparation programmes, which will give students the academic and English language skills to go on and study undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at Bournemouth University.

It will be run in partnership with Kaplan International Colleges, who collaborate with universities to prepare international students for studying degrees in the UK.

At a ground breaking ceremony held to mark the start of work on the building, BU Vice-Chancellor Professor John Vinney, said: “This literally is a ground breaking moment for Bournemouth University, as this new partnership with Kaplan is the start of a new opportunity for us that will help us to realise our global ambitions.

BUIC groundbreaking“The Bournemouth University International College is a tool for enabling more students from around the world to experience the education we have to offer, with such potential for talent from around the world to develop at BU.”

Linda Cowan, Managing Director of Kaplan International Colleges, added: “We have worked with Bournemouth University over a number of years and are excited by the opportunity to develop further our relationship with this significant investment in the university and the wider Bournemouth community.

“We will be delivering programmes on the university’s Lansdowne campus, and with BU’s strong reputation in areas like media and tourism – along with the new facilities that are being developed, integrating study, cultural and social space – we have a very strong offer for students from around the world.”

The construction work on the development will be carried out by Watkin Jones, and the building is due to be completed and open by September 2015.

Occupational therapy student shares story of South Africa placement

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An Occupational Therapy student has shared details of her work placement in South Africa.

Third year student Joan Kerr completed the eight week work placement in Hoedspruit, South Africa.

Joan obtained the role through the connections of one of her placement supervisors when choosing her self-selected placement, as developing her skills overseas had always been an ambition.

The position at a private practice involved shadowing for the first week until being assigned a caseload herself – this being the assessment, evaluation and treatment of two children who were referred for treatment from a local school.

All clients referred to the practice are between three and eight years old and can have a variety of concerns which need to be addressed.

With limited resources and time available, not to mention language barriers, keeping sessions fun and stimulating for the children was a challenge but something Joan embraced and encouraged further development of her skills while providing an excellent quality of care.

Joan said: “This placement really opened my eyes to the cultural differences that can be faced when working as an OT, such as the impact of poverty and wealth on treatment and how a language barrier can affect treatment.

“I learnt a lot and improved many of my existing skills such as communication, personal and people development and service improvement.”

She continues “I am very grateful to all involved for enabling me to have this opportunity, and I would definitely recommend taking up a placement abroad if the opportunity arises”.

Her full first-hand account of the placement is available via The World Federation of Occupational Therapists website and details the challenges and benefits of such a placement overseas.

Social work students and lecturers at international Socnet98 event

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Students and lecturers from the BA (Hons) Social Work degree travelled to Austria for an annual conference, looking at social work from an international perspective.

Eight students from their first and second year of study in BA Social Work, plus two BU lecturers, travelled to Linz in Austria to take part in the Socnet98 annual conference.

The conference has been running since 1998, and a European network of universities meet to discuss themes relating to Social Work from an international perspective, with students and lecturers invited to deliver seminars about either research their own university is involved or an issue which is important.

Taking place at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, the theme for this year was about Intercultural Competencies. Seminars and lectures were delivered by ten different nationalities (all in English) covering topics such as Working with Volunteers, Kinship Care, Developing Multicultural sensitivity and many more.

Included in the programme was the opportunity to create international networks between students, visit local charities and organisations working with people in the city of Linz and time to enjoy the city itself.

The World Café was a student-led afternoon where each university displayed information about what it had to offer, both regionally and internationally, plus local delicacies were shared with international friends. Bournemouth bought along the famous seaside rock, which was enjoyed by everyone.

The whole event was declared a great success by the head of the organising committee, Dagmar Strohmeier, and everyone was encouraged to attend next year.Next year’s venue is yet to be organised.

Project India coverage of Indian elections

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A project to report on and catalogue the Indian elections is underway at Bournemouth University.

Project India aims to give an alternate take on the 2014 Indian elections by focussing on voices not always picked up by mainstream media. Work is carried out by a team of students from Bournemouth University (BU), in collaboration with students and staff from other universities in India and the UK.

Stories are written and collated on the Project India website, and students are also encouraged to submit work to the project’s two media partners; rediff.com and WoNoBo.com, both based in India.

The project also seeks to research the traditional and new Medias used by politicians and voters during the elections, to provide in-depth analysis of the part that media has played in the historic election race.

This research will also look at the way politicians present themselves through media and how Indian citizens relate and react to the election through media and social media. Particular attention will be given to how the election is being covered in the margins, and how previously unheard voices in the media will come out through the elections.

Dr Ana Adi, Head of International Development at Bournemouth University and one of the coordinators of the project, said, “We had a wonderful experience with the US 2012 elections where students from Bournemouth University worked together to create coverage of the elections. Using the good practice acquired during the project, and considering our growing interest and number of connections in India, we found it timely to consider a similar project that enabled us to have an alternative look into the Indian Parliamentary Elections.”

Dr Adi continued, “Project India is a great example of international cooperation that brings together education, practice and research. We are proud that the project involves undergraduate and postgraduate students from various degrees, as well as researchers and practicing journalists.”

As a part of the project, students are encouraged to research the latest developments in the election and create unique and interesting multimedia content – often providing an alternative viewpoint of how the elections are affecting the country and how Indian citizens are responding to these political developments.

Stories written so far include a look at how Tibetans living in Delhi are voting in the elections for the first time and how talking about gay rights is still a taboo during the 2014 election race.

The other universities partnering with BU for the project are the University of Madras, Chennai; Amity University, Uttar Pradesh; University of Mumbai, Mumbai; and the University of Bedfordshire.

The project has already received significant interest from the UK and abroad, and is due to be covered by BBC World Service in the coming weeks.

For more information can be found on the Project India website or through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

The China UK Entrepreneurship Challenge 2014

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chinaukchallenge• Do you have an idea for a business venture involving the UK and China?
• Do you want a share of the £5,000 in cash prizes?
• Do you want expert advice and comments on your business idea?
• Do you want to build your international network of contacts?

Then join the China-UK Entrepreneurship Challenge 2014!

The China-UK Entrepreneurship Competition aims to encourage new business ventures between China and the United Kingdom and is intended to simulate the real-world process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from early-stage investors and venture capital firms. The competition is part of the PMI2 (Prime Minister Initiative II) Connect project, supported by British Council and the Confucius Institute programme funded by Hanban.

The competition is open to university teams – students and post docs – both in the UK and China. Teams will be selected to participate in this competition for:

• £5,000 cash prizes
• An investment opportunity of £250,000 for the best business plans

Initial registration, proposal submission and selection deadline is 5pm Monday 14 April 2014.

For more information, visit the China UK Challenge website.

If you have any queries, please contact the organisers directly. If you do enter, please contact Mark Ridolfo, as there may be funding available to support any travel required.

BU International Video Competition 2013

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If you are an international student studying here at BU we want to hear your story. Enter our first international video competition and tell us an interesting story about who you meet and what you experience during your first term at BU.

Where ever you’re from – whether it’s from Turkey or Thailand, Nigeria or Norway we want to know how your BU experience has affected you both personally and academically.

Choose from these categories:

A Day in your Life
Share your daily experience of study, accommodation, work or your social life as part of the BU community.

Culturally Connected
Document how you and your fellow BU students from across the world meet, share your cultural heritage and build new friendships.

Beyond BU
Bournemouth is a great place to live and study, we are lucky to be in the middle of some of the UK’s most stunning countryside. Take us with you as you discover what Bournemouth and the surrounding area has to offer.

Prizes:

  • Brand new IPad’s for each member of the overall winning team. The winning entry will be featured on the BU website and related social media outlets.
  • £50 Amazon voucher for the winning team in each category.

The Rules:

  • Use a digital camera, phone, or other device to film your short
  • Maximum running time for submissions is three minutes. Videos longer than three minutes will not be eligible for judging
  • Each team must have no more than four members
  • All submissions must be original and in compliance with all UK copyright laws
  • Participants may only enter one video for submission. All videos submitted will be considered for public viewing on Bournemouth University websites and related social media sites
  • By submitting the Contest Entry Form, participants agree to the terms and conditions that grant and assign all rights, title and interest in the video entered in the BU International Video Competition.

Video Submissions

Deadline for submissions is Friday 13 December 2013.
Format for entries: QuickTime (.mov), Windows Media Video (.wmv) or MPEG (.mpg).

You may submit entries by:

  • Sending the BU International video competition entry form to internationalrecruitment@bournemouth.ac.uk and then
  • Uploading your submission to your YouTube or Vimeo account. Or posting a DVD copy of your video submission to: Room 301 Melbury House, 1-3 Oxford Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8ES