Campus News
Green Flag success for University Park
July 21st, 2016
The University of Nottingham’s 120 hectare University Park campus has, for the 14th year running, been given national recognition for the quality of its landscaped green space.
Nottingham was the first university to be awarded a Green Flag by the Keep Britain Tidy charity back in 2003. The national award scheme measures a range of criteria including cleanliness, sustainability and conservation.
Andy Nolan, Director of Sustainability at The University of Nottingham said: “We’re thrilled that once again the hard work of everyone involved, both in the Green Flag submission and the continued upkeep, safety and sustainability of our grounds, has been recognised.
“To retain the flag for a 13th year is a real team effort between the staff, Friends of University Park and partnership working with organisations like Nottingham City Council and East Midlands in Bloom. The campus really is a beautiful space which provides a green haven for staff, students and local residents.”
A team of volunteers from Friends of University Park helped staff at the University select the green spaces to showcase and judging involves a combination of guided walks and unannounced ad hoc inspections.
David Pinney, on behalf of The Friends of University Park, said: “We are delighted that University Park will continue to fly the Green Flag. As the Steering Committee for the Friends of University Park, we enjoy welcoming members of the public to organised activities such as talks and guided walks about the rich environment we have on the fantastic Campus.
“These walks have included the autumn fungal foray, historic buildings, the contribution of Jesse Boot, medicinal plants and the geology. Our recent Picnic in the Park in the Millennium Garden was much enjoyed with the Newstead Brass Band and children’s activities such as face-painting, rocket-making and pond-dipping.”
Areas of the campus that impressed judges included Nottingham Lakeside Arts, the Old Botanic Garden, The Trent Building, The Highfields walled garden, The Millennium Garden, The Orchard Hotel, The Downs and Hugh Stewart House and sunken garden.
Plans for the Portland Terrace, Theatre Gardens and the Arboretum Strategy, as well the recently completed Sports Trail around the campus, were also part of the award submission.
Nearly 1,450 parks, gardens, allotments and cemeteries across the UK now fly the green flag.
The awards are judged every year by 800 volunteer expert judges.
Tags: award, green, Green Flag, sustainability, University Park
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Portland Hill road closure
July 18th, 2016
Due to final repairs taking place, the road on Portland Hill will be closed on Monday 25 July from 7:45am until 12pm.
During the works bus services will be unable to travel down Portland Hill or stop at East Drive bus stop on University Park. The nearest alternative bus stops are:
- 901, 902, 34 – Arts Centre or George Green Library
- 904 – Library Road (behind Portland Building on Cut Through Lane)
- L12, St Peter’s Court – corner of Science Road, by the Psychology Building
The bus stops can be accessed normally again after this time.
The Jubilee route (903) is unaffected by the road closure, so these buses will continue to use Portland Hill stop.
If you have any questions or problems please email estateshelpdesk@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: bus routes, bus stop, Portland Hill, road closure, travel
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Regular drivers wanted for study
July 18th, 2016
Researchers from the School of Psychology are looking for regular drivers to participate in a study taking place during August (Ethics approval number: 832).
Volunteers will be given the opportunity to drive in our Advanced Driving Simulator on two occasions. Feedback will be given on performance, and volunteers will also be asked to keep a record of their everyday driving for two weeks.
An inconvenience allowance will be provided for the time taken to participate.
For more information, or to take part, please contact Megan Barnard at lpxmpjon@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: drivers, driving simulator, School of Psychology
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The executive control network in bilinguals study
July 14th, 2016
This is an invitation for staff and students to take part in a neuroimaging experiment that investigates the executive control network in bilinguals.
The team conducting the study are looking for native English speakers that can read and speak Spanish freely.
By participating in this study you will complete computer based colour decision tasks during scanning sessions in an MRI machine.
All task instructions will be fully explained to you before you complete each task. You will be given the opportunity to practice the tasks beforehand.
The whole study will take approximately 90 minutes, and an allowance for your time will be provided.
For more information and to register your interest please email lpxap2@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: Bilinguals study, executive control network, MRI, spanish
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Nottingham student attends UK Government’s first ever Girls’ Education Forum
July 12th, 2016
Ruby Kellard, 20, from the University attended the UK Government’s first ever Girls’ Education Forum in London on Thursday 7 July. She joined government ministers from countries including Tanzania and Afghanistan, and pioneers in education and women’s rights including Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister and chair of the Global Partnership for Education.
At the Forum they worked on a plan to ensure that every girl, everywhere, receives a quality education, and announced that Britain will dedicate an extra £100 million to education programmes for 175,000 of the poorest and most marginalised girls around the world.
Ruby was invited to attend the forum after taking part in the Department for International Development (DFID) funded International Citizen Service (ICS) programme, which brings together 18-25 year olds from the UK and some of the world’s poorest countries to fight poverty in Africa, Asia and Central America.
Ruby volunteered in Zambia in 2015 to help deliver a curriculum of Sexual and Reproductive Health sessions in schools and youth groups.
She said: “It’s shocking that in present day so many girls still miss out on a decent education just because they’re born girls. During my project in Zambia I lived with a host family and my host-mother was a great – but rare – example of a mother pushing for her children to stay in education, she would proudly tell me how none of her girls had husbands and had all gone through university! But I found it hard to accept that her viewpoint was in the minority and so an event like this forum was great to show that real steps are being taken to end these stereotypes.
“I heard some of the world’s leading voices make commitments to girls’ education, and I’m proud that the UK is leading the way with an extra £100 million in funding.”
International Development Secretary, Justine Greening said: “The UK is leading the fight for gender equality and has already helped 5.3 million girls in developing countries receive a quality education. I am proud that the UK will now be helping a further 175,000 of the most vulnerable and marginalised girls in the world to get the education they need to have choice and control over their futures. Fantastic volunteers like Ruby Kellard are a vital part of this work.”
Tags: Afghanistan, education, Girls' Education Forum, government, Tanzania, volunteering
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Inaugural workshop to mark the opening of £2.7m science facility
July 12th, 2016
The University’s new Facility for Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation (DNP), Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), will officially open on Monday 18 July with an inaugural workshop featuring many world-leading experts in this novel technique.
The Facility is now home to the £2.7m state-of-the-art 600MHz/ 395GHz DNP MAS NMR Spectrometer, which is unique in the UK and will provide unprecedented sensitivity for solid-state NMR experiments in both materials science and life sciences applications.
The establishment of the new Facility, based in the Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, at the University follows a history of highly active research into magnetic resonance instrumentation and applications in both the School of Chemistry and the School of Physics and Astronomy. Nobel laureate, Professor Sir Peter Mansfield initially focused his research on solid state NMR before his discovery of spatially resolved MRI. Other Nottingham pioneers in magnetic resonance include Professor Ken Packer who used NMR to investigate porous materials and Professor Raymond Andrews who pioneers the use of MAS to improve the resolution of NMR spectra of solids.
This new Facility makes it possible to study the adsorption of molecules on surfaces and will allow researchers to gain insight into the molecular structure of membrane proteins in living cells. The unique instrument available at the Facility will open up a wide range of new interdisciplinary applications and will attract collaborations across the UK science community.
The Spectremeter and refurbishment of this Facility was funded by an award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to Dr Walter Köckenberger, School of Physics and Astronomy, Dr Jeremy Titman, School of Chemistry and Dr Boyan Bonev, School of Life Sciences.
The upcoming workshop is open to anyone interested in science at the University and will feature experts who will report on recent developments and novel applications of DNP MAS NMR. A detailed programme can be found on the Facility’s webpage, if you’d like to attend for the full day please register on the workshop webpage.
Tags: DNP MAS NMR, Enginners and Phsyical Sciences Research Council, science, Spectrometer
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Statement on the status of EU nationals in the UK
July 12th, 2016
There has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK, and UK nationals in the EU, as a result of the referendum. This is the latest information from GOV.UK
The decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU will be for the new Prime Minister. The UK remains a member of the EU throughout this process, and until Article 50 negotiations have concluded.
When we do leave the EU, we fully expect that the legal status of EU nationals living in the UK, and that of UK nationals in EU member states, will be properly protected.
The government recognises and values the important contribution made by EU and other non-UK citizens who work, study and live in the UK.
I have lived in the UK for more than 5 years. What does the vote to leave the EU mean for me?
- EU nationals who have lived continuously and lawfully in the UK for at least 5 years automatically have a permanent right to reside. This means that they have a right to live in the UK permanently, in accordance with EU law. There is no requirement to register for documentation to confirm this status.
- EU nationals who have lived continuously and lawfully in the UK for at least 6 years are eligible to apply for British citizenship if they would like to do so. The eligibility requirements can be found online.
What if I have lived in the UK for less than 5 years?
- EU nationals continue to have a right to reside in the UK in accordance with EU law. EU nationals do not need to register for any documentation in order to enjoy their free movement rights and responsibilities. For those that decide to apply for a registration certificate, there has been no change to government policy or processes. Applications will continue to be processed as usual.
- Non-EU family members of EU nationals must continue to apply for a family permit if they wish to enter the UK under EU law, and they do not have a residence card issued by a member state. There has been no change to government policy or processes, and applications will continue to be processed as usual.
- Extended family members of EU nationals must continue to apply for a registration certificate (if they are an EU national) or residence card (if they are a non-EU national) if they wish to reside in the UK. There has been no change to government policy or processes, and applications will continue to be processed as usual.
- Irish nationals enjoy separate rights, under various pieces of legislation, which allow Irish nationals residing in the UK to be treated in the same way as British nationals in most circumstances. There is no change to this position.
- Croatian nationals might continue to need to apply for a registration certificate to be allowed to work in the UK under the transitional arrangements that were put in place when Croatia joined the EU in 2013. The type of registration certificate that they might need will depend on whether they need permission to work in the UK, and what they will be doing. There has been no change to government policy or processes, and applications will continue to be processed as usual.
Does the government plan to remove EU nationals from the UK?
There has been no change to the right of EU nationals to reside in the UK and therefore no change to the circumstances in which someone could be removed from the UK.
As was the case before the referendum, EU nationals can only be removed from the UK if they are considered to pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to the public, if they are not lawfully resident or are abusing their free movement rights.
Find out more and keep up to date with any EU status updates by visiting GOV.UK
If you have any questions for the University in relation to the EU referendum, please email eu-support@nottingham.ac.uk
Tags: Brexit, EU, EU referendum, European Union, higher education, politics, referendum, UK, voting
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FA, Premier League and the University partner up
July 12th, 2016
The University’s investment in sport in recent times is easy to see if you take the opportunity to see the new development of the David Ross Sports Village on University Park or the new astroturf surfaces at Jubilee Campus and Highfield Playing Fields.
In June 2015, Greg Smith, formerly Head Groundsman at Notts County, joined the University and set to work in improving our grass surfaces. Significant investment has gone in to the £30,000 football and rugby pitches to improve drainage, grass cover and the overall quality of the facilities.
To ensure our artificial surfaces are also maintained to the highest standards, we’ve recently taken delivery of a small Kubota tractor to look after five artificial surfaces on University Park, Jubilee Campus and Highfields Playing Fields. The tractor is designed to clean and brush the surfaces to ensure they perform well, last longer and protect those using the surfaces.
The purchase is in partnership with the Nottinghamshire FA and the Premier League who have part-funded it to support the use of artificial surfaces by local community teams who use our facilities when the University’s own teams aren’t using it. These can be relatively junior teams, but we have also enjoyed hosting both Notts County Ladies and Mansfield Town in the past year too.
On Wednesday 29 June, six members of Uni Grounds Staff with outside partners attended a training course on management and maintenance of artificial surfaces. This is to ensure that expertise is spread across our staff and is part of a long-term link with FA and Institute of Groundsmen.
Tags: Astroturf, David Ross Sports Village, Mansfield Town, Nottinghamshire FA, Notts County, sport, Tractor
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New £5.6m Research Centre to accelerate engine development
July 11th, 2016
The new Gas Turbine and Transmissions Research Centre was officially opened by Rolls Royce’s Group Director of Engineering and Technology, at Innovation Park, Jubilee Campus on Monday 4 July 2016.
The £5.6m Research Centre (G2TRC) will house the UK’s first three-shaft test rig which will provide unique national testing facilities for the design and development of safer, greener aerospace engines. Based in the Energy Technologies Building, G2TRC is also home to the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in Gas Turbine Transmission Systems, which was first established in 1997.
The Centre’s Director, Professor Hervé Morvan, said: “The centre is all about enabling optimal engine heat management and cooling, reducing transmissions power losses and improving engine efficiency, developing and testing technologies to allow future engine core architectures and supporting right-first time design. These issues are central to the greening of air transport and the competitiveness of the sector.”
Over the decades, the UTC has worked closely with senior engineers at Rolls Royce, focusing on complex oil flow and transmissions projects to advance engine models. In practise, the Nottingham’s UTC has supported the design and development of engines such as the Trent 900, 1000 and XWB.
The new Centre and testing facility marks the next phase in a close collaboration, to overcome increasingly advanced technical challenges and bring to market innovative and more efficient engines.
Work on new engines
At the opening event, Chris Barkey, Group Director of Engineering and Technology at Rolls Royce, said: “Our organisations have shared a culture and foundation in engineering excellence and a 20-year relationship embedded through the transmissions topic.
“Work on the next-generation of engines, with ambitious projects such as the 25 per cent more efficient UltraFan design, also bring hard transmission challenges which the UTC’s research can help to solve.”
With access to a multiple shaft test bed, researchers at the Centre will, for example, be able to carry out unique experimental studies on a range of engine configurations, including full blown engine modules.
G2TRC and the above facility will also allow academics to validate numerical models, take them through gated reviews and transfer them to industry for use in design.
“The development, validation and demonstration of numerical tools will help companies like Rolls-Royce reduce multiple design iterations and testing, supporting its right-first-time objectives,” said Professor Hervé Morvan.
Additional research
Other research areas for the Centre include sump design; heat transfer; behaviour of bearings; thermomechanical properties of high-performance alloys; fretting and wearing at the interface of transmission systems, and mechanical fatigue of materials.
The facility will also be used for research and commercial testing for other sectors, including energy, rail, marine and automotive.
The G2TRC new facility was built following a successful funding bid to the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute, made with significant support by Rolls-Royce. The investment will also pay for a 1,000-core high-performance computer and more staff.
The Centre now has around 50 people, including academic researchers, engineers, technicians, programme managers, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Undergraduates also have the opportunity to take part in research, developing their skills and working on real industry challenges.
The Centre is up and running with all researchers and PhD students and technical staff in place. The existing rigs in the test facility are being made ready to run in their new locations with major new rigs, including the three-shaft facility, which is under construction now.
Tags: accelerate engine development, Gas Turbine and Transmission Centre, research, Rolls-Royce
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Call for applications for Cafe Connect 2016
July 11th, 2016
Would you like to engage the public in your research activities in a welcoming, relaxed environment in the heart of the community? Following on from the success of our pilot Pop-up Research Café events in August last year, we are running a Café Connect event in partnership with Nottingham Contemporary on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 October 2016.
You can delve into all aspects of the research life-cycle from Patient Public Involvement, to data gathering to dissemination and demonstrations.
Applications from all faculties across the University are welcomed as long as the activity is broadly health-related as the project is funded by a People Award from the Welcome Trust.
Please email anne.roberts@nottingham.ac.uk for an application form. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 31 August 2016.
Visit the INTERACT website for more information.
Tags: Cafe Connect, INTERACT, Pop-up research cafe, research lifecycle, Welcome Trust
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