Passion, pain and quantum physics!

At last I’ve got going on putting together the research brochure and web pages – research is an area of university life I feel passionate about.
Research is so important to universities and Bedfordshire did very well in the last research assessment exercise. We’re submitting our current research to the new Research Excellence Framework (REF) at the moment and I know folk here have been extremely busy on this. A new aspect that the REF takes into account is the impact of the research on ‘society’ eg how it advances medical care, improves life chances, influences government policy, protects the planet etc.
When I look around at our  ten Research Institutes here it’s not hard to see how our research improves lives- IDOP work is improving the lot of older patients suffering from diabetes;  IHR is changing attitudes to organ donation among ethnic minority groups;  IASR is working hard to understand the abuse and exploitation of children and young people, so that laws and government policies can be strengthened to tackle this serious problem; and colleagues in iBEST are working hard to understand the ravages that man is causing to the environment, especially our coral reefs.
I do hope I can do justice to Bedfordshire’s research- it touches us all!

Oh dear, I’m going on a bit, as usual, but I am someone with scientific training (biochemistry) and am a sucker for things scientific, especially anything new in the realms of quantum physics – inspired by the late, great, Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman – do read his autobiographies, they are hugely entertaining – and more recently by the ubiquitous Professor Brian Cox. (Photo courtesy of Paul Clarke). Amazing really, as I only just scraped a pass in my A level physics!
To keep the gender balance, one of my biggest scientific heroines is the brilliant Rosalind Franklin who never really got the credit she deserved for her work on DNA - that's starting to change and young women should be inspired by her, by Marie and Irena Curie, and indeed our own Bushra Ahmed, to reach great heights in scientific research.

Another of my passions, as you may remember, is rugby league – best forget my team’s performance in the season which has just ended – we now have the World Cup which started last weekend-sadly with losses for my national team, Wales (we stand little chance!), and Ireland and England, although Scotland came up with a superb, nail-biting win over the mighty Tongans on Tuesday. The Aussie and NZ teams are, as usual, strong but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Samoans might do well and cause an upset somewhere en route! Hope so!  Try and watch a match over the next few weeks-who knows, you might be converted!


 

Stepping out the office

by Michelle Ramsumair, Marketing Administrator

Starting work when it's dark enough outside to still sleep definitely tells me it's almost time for those delicious limited edition Costa hot beverages. The beautiful festival of lights is also approaching on the 03 November. For all those celebrating I wish you a very happy Diwali in advance. Next Halloween and Christmas!

Weeks are flying and it's almost time for my holiday, but more on that at a much later date. In the meantime the team are working hard in one of the busiest times of the year. We mostly remain in our office, but all our hard work can be be seen by those outside. Our second wave of the Winter Campaign is about to start so make sure to look out for us. We couldn't let you forget us after Clearing now could we?

As October open days pass we start preparing for 16 November open days at our Luton and Bedford campuses. It's always interesting and fun to meet nervous potential students and their encouraging parents. Reminds me of when my mum and I started looking at universities. I remained quiet and my mum would push me forward slightly saying 'You're the one applying not me, say something'. It's the best way to find out everything you want to know about where you will be spending some of the most important years of your life. Not to worry though, just remember everyone is in the same boat.

I recently attended a CASE Publications Forum in London. It's always great to escape the office for a day to network and see what more you can learn in the world of marketing. The importance of publications, working with agencies and story telling are the main areas we covered. I came away with many interesting points to feedback to the team, whether it was reassurance we are on the right track or learning something knew. It was definitely beneficial for all who attended.

Amongst the daily race we are running there has to be some fun right? So I've recently found a new hobby... snowboarding! Well I've done level 1 and level 2 this weekend. Not quite flying down mountains and doing tricks just yet but that's all in good time. All I can say is if your skiing or snowboarding next year...be careful on the slopes! I may be hurtling past you. So if you see someone screaming, zipping past you and they are still standing, that's not me. If you see someone screaming and rolling past you..bingo!

Wish me luck!

It's been a while...

by Rehanna Khan, Marketing Assistant

Hi Everyone

It's been a while, hasn't it? What have you been up to? It's been business as usual in the marketing department and no less busy.


Last week, we had the much anticipated 2015 prospectus pitches. Held on the grounds of the picturesque Putteridge Bury campus, we (a panel of six plus me) welcomed three agencies in all their powerpoint glory. It’s always interesting to see how each agency has interpreted the brief, what thought process has gone into the design and through what means they propose to achieve the end product. The agencies truly impressed with their bold designs and innovative concepts. What I found most fascinating was how each agency unanimously adopted the idea of storytelling. Each campaign concept seemed to follow a specific dialogue and sequence of images that depicted an overall theme of achieving aspirations by studying at Bedfordshire. We will be appointing an agency next week so keep your eyes peeled when we reveal who got it.

Currently, we are making preparations for our upcoming undergraduate open days. We have one tomorrow at our UCMK campus – there’s still time to register so book your place now. This will be followed by the 19 October open day at both Luton and Bedford campuses. You can register here. Open days are a great opportunity to get a real feel for a university, its environment, and facilities, and to talk to students and academics about your course of interest. If you are going through the process of choosing the right university and course, attend as many open days as you can and be sure to get all your questions answered. After all, wherever you choose to go, you’ll be dedicating thre
e years of your life to it, so it has to be worth it.

In other news, I have a new addiction – Game of Thrones – and I love every crude, bloody episode so far! I’m proud to say I watched the first series in one day flat and have now swiftly moved onto series 2 – it’s going to be a shock-fest I’m certain. How did I ever miss it on TV? God alone knows!


Next week I’ll be celebrating Eid-Al-Adha – the celebration preceding Hajj. Hajj - the great pilgrimage to Mecca - is a journey that every Muslim, with the means to, must make before they die. It is by far, the largest annual gathering of Muslims from around the world. I love watching the pilgrims on TV (airing live from Mecca) as they perform each rite and ritual. I hope to be one of those pilgrims one day.


Ciao for now.