Campus News
Be sustainable, get rewarded: new ‘Green Rewards’ app
February 23rd, 2021
Next week (1 – 7 March) is Sustainability Action Week, and we need the help of everyone at the University to achieve our environmental goals.
We want to make it easy – and rewarding – for people to take positive environmental actions which is why the University is launching Green Rewards for all staff and students, and all are invited to the launch webinar on Tuesday 2 March 2021 at 11am.
Green Rewards is a web platform and app where you can record the positive actions you are taking. In return, you will compete individually and as part of your team to earn ‘Green Points’ and our top earning individuals and teams will win prizes.
The launch webinar will show you how to take part in Green Rewards and you will have a chance to put your questions to the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University Sustainability Teams.
Even better – sign up to attend and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a zero-waste kit, worth £30!
We want to get everyone on board and show that our sustainable choices matter.
All staff and students at the University can get involved, and you can sign up for the Green Rewards launch now using the link below:
Find out more about Sustainability Action Week.
Tags: sustainability, Sustainability action week 2021
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Get involved in Sustainability Action Week 2021
February 23rd, 2021
Sustainability Action Week is taking place from Monday 1 March – Sunday 7 March. This week of activities and events will encourage staff and students to engage with environmental and social issues and make a positive change.
The University’s Sustainability Team has teamed up with UoN Student Union, Nottingham Trent University, NTU Student Union and Nottingham City Council to combine expertise to share advice and guidance for sustainable living and the positive actions we can all take.
We are now in the decade of action, words are no longer enough. That’s why this year we’re going further than ever before to show how we can all make a change, and make a difference.
New sustainability campaign launching Friday 5 March
We’re committed to our University being truly sustainable. We’re already doing a lot, but now’s the time to really step it up. So, a new campaign is being launched to bring together everything sustainability, and encourage and support staff and students alike to be more sustainable at the University.
We’re setting ambitious carbon reduction targets for the University, and we need everyone to join us in getting there. Whether you’re a student or member of staff you can make a difference. Even the smallest actions add up to big impacts. Every sustainable change we make takes us closer to our goal, and change is possible when we all work together.
Join us across our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) on Friday 5 March for the campaign launch.
We’re rewarding your sustainable actions
During Sustainability Action Week we’ll also be launching Green Rewards to show that your sustainable choices matter.
The online platform and mobile app will show you what actions you can take and what impact they have – in return you’ll earn Green Points and the chance to win vouchers for yourself and charity donations for your team.
Our launch webinar, taking place on Tuesday 2 March 2021 at 11am will show you how the platform works and give you a chance to put questions to our Sustainability Team.
Sign up to the launch and join Green Rewards to be entered into a prize draw to win a zero-waste kit worth £30!
Find ways to get involved in Sustainable Action Week at the Sustainability pages.
Tags: environmental sustainability, green, Sustainability week, sustainability week 2021
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Pride Mentoring: a dedicated LGBT+ mentoring community
February 22nd, 2021
As part of LGBT+ History Month, the University is launching the Pride Mentoring scheme.
The Mentoring Community, hosted by the University’s LGBTQ+ Staff Network, will facilitate peer-to-peer support between members drawing on their identity and workplace experiences and perspectives.
Find out more and sign-up on the Network’s SharePoint pages.
Being open and authentic in the workplace plays a huge role in an individual’s success, mental health, and wellbeing.
Through our new mentoring community, we, as a Network, seek to support our members to learn from one another about their experiences as part of our diverse family and navigate work life at the University.
This includes challenges related to the LGBTQ+ identity, for example
- being ‘out’ in the workplace;
- how you might express your identity;
- coming to terms with your LGBTQ+ identity;
- where to turn for support, to report hate crime and harassment;
- feelings of isolation and loneliness and
- signposting to policies relevant to the community, for example, changing names and gender on employee records.
Unlike other mentoring opportunities at the University, as an LGBTQ+ inclusive scheme, we seek to sensitively match mentees and mentors based on their sexual orientation and gender identity and their experience, goals and interests.
You can choose to join as a mentor, mentee or both.
Find out more and sign-up on the Network’s SharePoint pages.
Tags: LBGT+ History Month, LGBT+ community, Nottingham LGBT+ Network, Pride Mentoring
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New ‘Report Phishing’ feature to report emails
February 22nd, 2021
As part of continuous work to improve digital security at the University, we are enabling the Microsoft ‘Report Message’ feature within Outlook and Outlook on the web.
The ‘Report Message’ button will allow people to easily report ‘Phishing’ and ‘Junk’ emails. Microsoft uses these submissions to improve the effectiveness of email protection. This will also help our IT Security team with the detection of multiple phishing emails.
Note, once an email is reported you won’t receive confirmation of this.
The new feature will be introduced from Friday 26 February.
How does it work?
The ‘Report Message’ button has three options:
- Junk (Spam)
- Phishing
- Not Junk (Spam)
Reporting a message as Junk will move the email to your ‘Junk Email’ folder and reporting as Phishing will move the email to your ‘Deleted Items’ folder. When reporting, you will be asked:
“Do you want to send a copy of this message to Microsoft to help the research and improvement of email protection technologies?”
You will be given the option to ‘Report’ or ‘Don’t Report’ – please choose ‘Report’ to ensure the message is submitted to both Microsoft and the University IT Security team. Both options will move the email to the relevant folder as mentioned above.
What does it look like in Outlook?
From Friday 26 February, you will notice the new ‘Report Message’ button appear in all versions of Outlook. For details of how to report in each version, visit our SharePoint site.
How to spot phishing
For information on some tips to spotting phishing attempts and email scams, visit our information security website. Please remain vigilant and report suspected phishing emails using this new feature. Thank you for your support.
If you require advice and guidance with phishing emails, please contact the IT Service Desk or Smart Bar.
Tags: emails, Information Services, IT Security, phishing
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Join technicians sharing world-class research equipment at virtual roadshow
February 17th, 2021
Midlands Innovation TALENT is hosting its first technician-led, equipment-sharing virtual roadshow, bringing together colleagues from the region’s eight research-intensive universities, including the University of Nottingham, to collaborate, share best practice and discover the network’s state-of-the-art facilities.
It will include presentations and panel discussions, plus a chance to speak with knowledgeable staff about their facilities.
The roadshow takes place on Microsoft Teams at 1.30pm on Wednesday 24 February 2021.
Find more details and sign up here.
TALENT is part of Midlands Innovation and is the largest ever investment into technicians in higher education, whose specialist skills often go unrecognised despite the crucial role they play in the success of universities and the growth of the UK economy. There are around 2,100 skilled technicians working in HE across the Midlands, managing about 1,270 pieces of equipment.
This event will showcase research equipment, facilities, infrastructure and specialist services across Midlands Innovation institutions. These shared resources are managed by technicians and are a catalyst for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The roadshow will feature a webinar by the University of Birmingham’s Dr Andrea Mitchell on Enabling Technologies: Alternative approaches to enabling access and training, followed by a panel discussion on overcoming hurdles related to equipment sharing.
Attendees can also participate in discussions around Training During and Post Covid-19 and Human Participant Testing During and Post Covid-19.
The event will provide an opportunity to discuss current issues, share best practice and of course learn more about how technicians are leading the sharing of equipment across Midlands Innovation.
Simultaneously, the Technician Led Equipment Sharing fund will be open for a second round, and the event provides the opportunity to book a short meeting with facilities across MI to see if it could help accelerate your research.
You can also book a session with the following facilities:
Advanced Bioimaging RTP - University of Warwick
Analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy and Automated Mineralogy - University of Leicester
Centre for Mathmetical Cognition - Loughborough University
Electron Microscope Facility - University of Leicester
Flow Cytomery Facility - University of Nottingham
Mitochondrial Profiling Centre - University of Birmingham
Polymer Characterisation RTP - University of Warwick
Proteomics Research Technology Platform – University of Warwick
SLIM – University of Nottingham
Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre (WISB) - University of Warwick
X-Ray Diffraction RTP - University of Warwick
XPS Facility - University of Warwick
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New voluntary benefits and temporary initiatives available to staff
February 17th, 2021
In 2021 the HR team are introducing two new voluntary benefits schemes and two temporary initiatives to assist staff in managing the impact of Covid-19 and their wellbeing.
This includes:
• Two new voluntary benefits schemes which will bring additional choice to the current range of voluntary benefits
• Two temporary initiatives designed as short-term measures to assist staff in managing the impact of Covid-19 and their own wellbeing whilst also supporting the cost savings that the University has identified for 20/21.
Details of all the schemes are outlined below:
Voluntary Benefits – two new schemes will bring additional choice to our current range of voluntary benefits.
- Annual Leave Purchase – The Annual Leave Purchase scheme will be available from the Summer of 2021, more details of this scheme and how to apply will be available in the coming months.
- Car Leasing – The Car Leasing scheme will open in the Spring of 2021 and is an optional benefit enabling staff to lease a car through easy monthly payroll deductions. In line with our sustainability goals, we have partnered with Tusker to ensure that a range of vehicles, including electronic and ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV), are available and that vehicles must have an emission of less than 124g/km C02 to be eligible. For information prior to the scheme opening in spring 2021 to enable staff to consider the scheme should they wish to do so, an overview of the salary sacrifice details, and eligibility criteria, is available here.
Temporary initiatives – These two schemes were designed in partnership with our campus trade unions and are short-term measures to assist staff in managing the impact of Covid-19 and their own wellbeing whilst also supporting the cost savings that the University has identified for 20/21.
- Temporary Reduction in Hours Scheme – Staff can apply up until July 2021 to request to reduce their hours on a temporary basis. More details can be found here.
- Temporary Unpaid Leave Scheme – Staff can apply up until July 2021 to request to take a period of temporary unpaid leave without it creating a break in service. More details on this scheme can be found here.
For both schemes requests should be made to your line manager to enable operational impact to be appropriately considered.
These two temporary schemes are designed to provide additional options for staff who may feel that they would benefit from a temporary reduction in hours or a period of temporary unpaid leave to help manage their personal circumstances.
It is important to highlight that the launch of these schemes is not intended to change the approach and flexibility that managers have been applying for staff throughout the Covid-19 period.
The University continues to encourage staff and managers to adopt flexibility in working patterns/ working hours during the current lockdown, in particular for those staff with caring/childcare responsibilities.
Tags: benefits, Employee benefits, HR, voluntary benefits
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Nottingham law experts appointed to Lord Chancellor’s panel for Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid
February 9th, 2021
The Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland QC, has appointed Professor Sue Arrowsmith QC (Hon) and Dr Vicky Kemp, both of the University’s School of Law, to the Expert and Advisory Panel for the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.
The Panel has been set up to assist the Chair, Sir Christopher Bellamy QC, by advising on the analysis, findings and proposed recommendations arising out of the review when examining the long-term sustainability of the criminal legal aid system.
Professor Sue Arrowsmith is a leading expert on public procurement and the procurement of legal aid services is an important dimension of the Panel’s work. She was formerly Director of the Public Procurement Research Group and leader of the EU Asia Link project to establish procurement research centres globally. She is currently a member of the Government’s Thematic Trade Advisory Group and as a member of the Cabinet Office’s Procurement Transformation Advisory Committee (2019-2020) made a major contribution to the process leading up to the recent December 2020 Green Paper on procurement reform.
Dr Vicky Kemp has extensive experience of working in criminal legal aid, including as a paralegal providing police station legal advice, a policy advisor in the former Legal Aid Board and also as a principal researcher in the Legal Services Research Centre, the independent research unit of the Legal Services Commission. Having undertaken a number of research studies into criminal legal aid, she is currently working on a research project to examine the impact of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) on the detention and questioning of young suspects, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Dr Kemp said: “I am delighted to be a member of this Panel and I am looking forward to the challenges it presents, particularly in providing high quality legal advice and representation, through a diverse set of practitioners, is appropriately funded and responsive to the needs of people drawn into the criminal justice system.”
The Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland QC MP, said: “I am grateful to Sir Christopher Bellamy and his esteemed panel for undertaking this vital piece of work which will play a crucial role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the criminal legal aid market.”
Chair of the Review, Sir Christopher Bellamy, said: “I look forward to undertaking my role as the chair and am very grateful to the panel members who have agreed to advise me on the analysis, findings and any proposed recommendations of the review. Having a panel of experts with a range of backgrounds, skills and legal experience is vital in ensuring a thorough review of the criminal legal aid system.”
Other Panel members include Richard Atkinson, Kate Aubrey Johnson, Professor Chris Bones, Dr Natalie Byrom, Jo Cecil, Anita Charlesworth CBE, Professor Dame Hazel Genn DBE, QC (Hon), FBA, LLD, The Right Honourable Baroness Hallett DBE, Neil Hawes QC, Professor Stephen Mayson, Margaret Obi, Crispin Passmore, Professor Neil Rickman, Bill Waddington and Dr Kevin Wong.
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Vice-Chancellor’s Medal 2021 – nominations now open
February 8th, 2021
Following on from the success of previous years, a call for nominations for the 2021 Vice-Chancellor’s Medal is now underway.
The Medal is awarded for exceptional achievement by staff or students.
Any current member of staff or current student at any of the University’s campuses in China, Malaysia or the UK may be nominated for a Vice-Chancellor’s Medal within the broad criteria for the award set out below.
Criteria for the award of the Medal
- Exceptional achievement in a particular arena;
- Outstanding contribution to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion in University life;
- Notable endeavour which has made a difference to the University;
- A substantive contribution which has enhanced the reputation of the University of Nottingham;
- Activity which has had a noticeably positive impact for students, staff or the local community;
- An individual achievement or sustained achievement over a period of time.
For the 2021 round of Medal awards, nominations for staff and students who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in supporting the response to the pandemic in whatever arena will be particularly welcomed.
Additional examples of exceptional achievement by staff might include sporting success, leadership of a community project, exceptional service as a school governor, innovation in service delivery, notable curricular innovation or significant research impact of some kind.
Student exceptional achievement could include contributions to Hall or JCR, sporting club, student society, other Students’ Union activities or representation, volunteering in the community, as a student ambassador, student caller, fundraising, or some other activity within a School.
Note though these are just examples and not intended to limit the grounds on which someone might be proposed for an award.
Nomination and selection process
The nomination and selection process for this year is as follows:
- The deadline for nominations is 5pm on Friday 9 April 2021.
- Normally nomination is through Head of School/Department or The Students’ Union Development Officer but anyone else can propose.
- Nominations are considered once a year by a Panel, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, which includes the Development Officer of the Students’ Union in its membership.
- Those selected by the Panel to receive a Vice-Chancellor’s Medal are presented with a specially created medal and certificate at an appropriate University event during the academic year.
Nomination Process
Each nomination MUST include the following information and a brief form is enclosed for your use:
- Name, School/Department and email address of the nominee;
- A summary of the staff member or student’s employment or registration at the University;
- Confirmation of support from Head of School/Department and/or Students’ Union Development Officer (or another sabbatical officer) and name, position, email address and telephone number of proposer;
- The proposal for the award of the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal (indicating the nature of the achievement and why it should be recognised in this way). This section should be no less than 150 words or any more than 500 words but attachments may be added if helpful.
Nominations should be submitted to the Registrar via Helen McGinnis at helen.mcginnis@nottingham.ac.uk no later than 5pm on Friday 9 April 2021.
It is expected that only a small number of Vice-Chancellor’s Medals will be presented in any year making this a very special award for University of Nottingham staff and students. Resubmissions in subsequent years will be accepted.
Tags: vc medal, Vice-Chancellor's Medal, Vice-Chancellor's Medal 2021
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Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week
February 8th, 2021
Almost 200 apprentices and more than 30 partner employers are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week at the University this week.
The 14th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships, taking place across England, showcases the impact that apprenticeships can have on individuals, communities, local businesses and regional economies.
The University of Nottingham offers a range of specialist degree apprenticeship programmes which help develop future talent, diversify the student experience, and widen participation.
The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2021 is “Build the Future,” encouraging employers, colleges and universities to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge they need for a rewarding career, and how employers can train, retain, and achieve with apprenticeships.
To mark the week, the University’s Professional and Work-based Learning team has published a dedicated set of resources on Degree Apprenticeships to inform and support colleagues who wish to establish a degree apprenticeship programme in their area.
Staff are also invited to find out more about how they and their team members can benefit from a degree apprenticeship while still working at the University. Colleagues and prospective employers can register for a series of webinars taking place across the week examining apprenticeships in areas as diverse as bioinformatics, architecture, chemistry and technical roles.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West said:
“Degree apprenticeships at Nottingham combine the very best of our academic and technical education and provide an innovative platform for our students and staff to thrive, whether they are starting out on their chosen career, extending their skills in their current profession or changing career paths.
“I am delighted that the University has doubled the numbers of apprentices studying with us in 2020/21 which, during a year challenged by Covid-19, is testament to the quality of our programmes and the enthusiasm of our apprentices and teaching staff.
“Building on our pioneering approach in introducing the country’s first Masters-level degree apprenticeship for veterinary surgeons and an online programme for bioinformatics, this September the University will launch further degree apprenticeship programmes in Data Science and Electro-mechanical Engineering.
“I would invite all colleagues to join in the celebrations this week and find out more about what degree apprenticeships can offer for students in their subject areas, for teaching staff in the diversification of their programme portfolio, and for employers in developing their workforces.”
National Apprenticeship week is the natural time to announce that the University has recently appointed our 2nd Academic Director of Degree Apprenticeships: Dr. Emma Weston. Emma succeeds Professor Matt Dickinson who played a vital role in the early development of this work. Emma is Associate Professor of Food Sciences in the School of Biosciences. Emma brings significant industry experience to the role, having worked in various technical management roles, alongside expertise in professional skills development. Emma will oversee the Quality Assurance of our apprenticeship programmes, and ensure that all apprentices are supported to achieve their potential.
To mark National Apprenticeship Week, the University is also highlighting a number of apprenticeship success stories. You can read about apprentice and staff member Dr Sarah Storr’s experience of the Bioinformatics Scientist (MRes) Degree Apprenticeship here. You can also find out more about how partner employer Johnson Matthey and their apprentices are benefitting from the Laboratory Science Degree Apprenticeship here.
The University launched its degree apprenticeship offer in 2018 with its Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship. Programmes offering work-based training in a range of industries soon followed with the University’s degree apprenticeships offer expanding to include architecture, laboratory science and senior leadership. In January 2020, the University was able to extend its degree apprenticeship offer to support the regional economy where eligible small businesses can benefit from 95% government co-investment in training their apprentices.
To find out more about degree apprenticeships at the University visit nottingham.ac.uk/degree-apprenticeships or contact the Employer Engagement Team with any questions.
Tags: apprenticeship, National Apprenticeship Week, NAW 21
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Aardman launches campaign to tackle growing mental health concerns among young people
February 8th, 2021
Aardman, the award-winning independent studio, has joined forces with leading researchers and mental health charities on a campaign developed to encourage young people to become more aware of the factors that may be having a negative impact on their mental wellbeing.
Called ‘What’s Up With Everyone?’, the campaign sees the launch of a series of short films aimed at young people aged 17-24, and has been uniquely co-created with the young audience it sets out to support, ensuring it has an authentic voice and is genuinely representative of the challenges to mental wellbeing faced by the demographic.
The films, which launch across social media this week alongside a supporting website, introduce five characters, each of whom is contending with an issue related to loneliness, perfectionism, competitiveness, independence and social media – five of the most common issues negatively impacting young people, according to the campaign’s research.
The campaign was led by Professor of Health Humanities Paul Crawford at the University of Nottingham, with research teams at Nottingham University, Loughborough University, the London School of Economics and Politics; the Mental Health Foundation and mental wellbeing charity, Happy Space; and with young people’s mental health expert, Dr Dominique Thompson.
The partnership comes at a time when the pandemic has increased the focus on youth mental wellbeing, with reports that two thirds of young people have experienced worse mental health during the period of lockdown restrictions.
A recent NHS survey also showed that one in six children and young people had a probable mental health disorder in July 2020, compared to one in nine in 2017, whilst the Office for National Statistics (ONS) discovered that more than half of all students at University (57%) reported a worsening in their mental health and well-being since the beginning of the autumn term in September 2020
The collaborative project – informed by research commissioned and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) that involved Loughborough University’s Storytelling Academy – will develop and evaluate the impact of a series of animated stories aiming to increase young people’s mental health literacy.
Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Daniel Binns, Animation Director at Aardman Animations, said: “We set out to produce short films which young people could relate to, something that felt genuine and honest. We wanted to create content that could come up on someone’s social media and elicit the response ‘I know that feeling’. We want people watching them to see a little of themselves in the characters and their stories and that be the start of thinking about how they feel, or cope and how it could be better.
“What really sets this project apart is that it’s been co-created with young people at every step. Their input alongside those of our experts, has been invaluable and enlightening, enabling us to craft authentic and effective resources that can make a genuinely positive impact.”
Professor of Health Humanities, Paul Crawford, Principal Investigator of this collaborative research project, said: “These wonderful short animated stories should help all our young people to think about and explore solutions to the kind of mental health challenges that come with difficult life transitions such as heading off to university or college or starting in training or employment. The films and supporting online resources will be very welcome at this time, with all the disruption and anxieties in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.’
“As well as providing a much needed mental health resource, this campaign forms part of a wider research project that will also evaluate how effective these creative platforms are as a way of reaching the young people who need it, and ensuring help and guidance is easily accessible.’
Dr Dominique Thompson, Clinical Advisor for the project, said: “I have dedicated a lot of my life to working with young people and understanding their mental wellness in particular, which is why I’m delighted to be working closely with Aardman on this unique campaign. Through creating another avenue to help support the next generation of society, we hope that this campaign will really encourage young people to think about the world they live in and reflect on how they respond to it, so that they stay happy and healthy.”
Dr David Crepaz-Keay, Head of Applied Learning at the Mental Health Foundation, said “It has never been more important to encourage people to understand what they can do to support their own and each other’s mental health. These resources will enable students to be at the heart of conversations about mental health and how we protect and improve it for generations to come.”
To find out more about the campaign, please visit:
- Website: whatsupwitheveryone.com
- Facebook: /WhatsUpWithEveryone
- Instagram: @WhatsUpWithEveryone
- Twitter: @_WhatsUpWith
- TikTok: @WhatsUpWithEvery1
Tags: Aardman, mental health
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