science wire

Innovative composer appeals for iPad and iPhone owners to join him in music collaboration
Owners of Apple iPads and iPhones are invited to be part of an open ‘iOrchestra’ next week and perform a large-scale composition by a University composer.

Durham University receives national award for staff volunteering scheme

Stem cell awareness

King’s India Institute launch
King's College London held the official inauguration ceremony yesterday for its new India Institute, which is aiming to become the leading international centre for the study of contemporary India.

Professor is made Fellow of the Computer History Museum

Research into young people's behaviour online at inaugural lecture
One of the country’s leading experts on social responsibility in computing is set to deliver a keynote lecture this month into how young people behave online.

Press review of the year 2011

Seven Imperial researchers receive prestigious Fellowships
By Colin Smith Seven researchers from Imperial College London have this month been awarded prestigious fellowships totalling more than £6 million, designed to help them to develop their potential as the next generation of world-leading scientists and engineers.

Prince Charles and Durham expert in Christmas Day documentary on composer of ‘Jerusalem’
Prince Charles and Durham expert in Christmas Day documentary on composer of ‘Jerusalem' A Durham music expert will star alongside Prince Charles in a Christmas Day programme about the composer of some of Britain's best known anthems.

Award success for chemical engineers
19 Dec 2011 Two University of Manchester academics have received awards for the quality of their research into sustainable chemical engineering.

First Fictions debut features an Ian Rankin premiere

Recognition for endangered species studies
As the climate changes, what factors allow some species to survive while others perish? Professor Mike Bruford, of the School of Biosciences, has been at the forefront of the international drive to solve this increasingly urgent question.

Boost for endangered species study
As the climate changes, what factors allow some species to survive while others perish? Professor Mike Bruford, of the School of Biosciences, has been at the forefront of the international drive to solve this increasingly urgent question.

Ho Ho Ho with Plymouth University!
Under the brief 'explore, dream, discover’ linking to the 150th anniversary of the University’s School of Navigation roots, Kerryn Husk’s winning design was chosen by Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Purcell and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor David Coslett.

The man with the golden brain
What's the point of a brain? A fundamental question that has led Professor Daniel Wolpert to some remarkable conclusions about how and why the brain controls and predicts movement.

Bridge the Gap raises £45,000 for local charities

Achievement in health innovation
University scientists have been recognised for innovation in health and social care with awards presented by the First Minister of Wales.

President welcomes first Alan Gilbert Memorial Scholar to Manchester

Bright sparks awarded top marks for Cambridge Chemistry Challenge

University wins Times Higher Award

University wins Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its Nuclear work

Guide dog researcher awarded another accolade
A young researcher who specialises in the study of guide dog behaviour has been recognised for her talent, knowledge and expertise.

Scientist is 'Woman of the Future'

Funny fellows
Half a dozen Cambridge academics are about to take the plunge and attempt to communicate their research through the medium of stand-up comedy.

’Natural home for life writing’ launched in Oxford

Graduate wins international award

Cambridge Chefs get a taste of culinary success

Adventures in science writing
For many scientists writing about science either in their spare time or as a career can seem attractive: but what does it take to be a successful science writer?

Teaching excellence rewarded

How will we remember them?
As we approach Remembrance Day, a Cambridge University project that looks at the role of memorials in conflict-torn communities is drawing to a close.

Frances Ashcroft wins top women in science award
Professor Frances Ashcroft has won the top award in the L'ORéAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards for 2012.

Prestigious award for zero-carbon home research
Researchers involved in a unique research facility of zero carbon homes have won a prestigious award for their work on low carbon housing design.

University chosen as part of London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Route
The University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire East has been selected to take part in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay as a host location for people to welcome the Olympic Flame.

Alice’s Wonderland inspires science’s Wondermind
Psychologists, inspired by Lewis Carroll's enduring stories of Alice in Wonderland, have developed an interactive website to help children learn about science and the human brain.

Shortlisted for inequality work
Cardiff Social Scientist Professor Teresa Rees CBE AcSS is on the first-ever shortlist for Research Fortnight's Achiever of the Year Award.

Bonuses and risk not linked, says research
New research into the causes of the credit crisis has cast doubt on the alleged link between bonus payments and risk exposures in the UK financial sector.

University launches President’s Doctoral Scholar Award

A haunted honeymoon tale for Halloween
An award-winning novelist and University of Nottingham lecturer has used her own honeymoon as the inspiration for a new horror novel which has been published in time for Halloween.

Durham University’s research and development strengths win award from world leading company

University honours Linda Norgrove

Leeds £1.5 million Investigator Award for hepatitis C virus research
Professor Mark Harris, from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, has been appointed as a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, with £1.5 million funding to pursue his research goals.

Meera Syal named Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor

Accident app to reduce motorist stress and combat insurance fraud
PA 315/11 A new smartphone app that will help to guide stressed motorists through the trauma of a car accident, while potentially saving millions of pounds in fraudulent insurance claims has been recognised for its innovation.

Accident app to reduce motorist stress and combat fraud
PA 315/11 A new smartphone app that will help to guide stressed motorists through the trauma of a car accident, while potentially saving millions of pounds in fraudulent insurance claims has been recognised for its innovation.

Profs and Politicians Pair Up

Nerve cell scientist’s major award
Professor Alun Davies, a nerve cell expert at the School of Biosciences, has received his second major honour of the year.

Improving GP care for teens educational DVD receives award recognition
PA 284/11 An educational DVD that will help medical students and trainee GPs to improve their consultations with teenage patients has been recognised at an awards ceremony that showcases innovation in the NHS.

2011 King’s Awards celebrated

A sign of things to come
To celebrate GSK's scientific contribution to the London 2012 Games, British Olympic Gold medallist Rebecca Romero has unveiled the biggest 2012 logo on the side of GSK's headquarters in London.

Imperial staff celebrate going through the promotions

Flood risk event streams research results online
PA 261/11 Today, live via the web from the Royal Society in London, flood risk managers and their professional partners, together with members of the public affected by flooding, can hear result

Drawing ’integral’ to science learning
More should be done to encourage students to use their drawing skills in science education, researchers at The University of Nottingham say. In a paper being published in Science this week, academics say that although producing visualisations is key to scientific thinking, pupils are often not encouraged to create their own drawings to develop and demonstrate their understanding.

Principal’s Hong Kong visit

Common-law Marriage is myth created by 1970s press
The myth that co-habiting couples have the same legal rights as those who are married can be traced back to misleading press reports in the 1970s, according to research from the University of Warwick.

Imperial strengthens research links with Malaysian university

Scientists’ £3.9m project to develop gene therapy to prevent heart bypass graft failure
A team of scientists, cardiologists and heart surgeons from the University of Glasgow and the Golden Jubilee National Hospital has been awarded £3.9m for a study into how to prevent the failure of heart bypass grafts. The award was made by the Medical Research Council and British Heart Foundation (BHF) to a team at the University's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences led by Professor Andrew Baker.

Bollywood blockbuster filmed on campus
PA244/11 A spectacular, time-travelling Bollywood movie is being filmed this month at The University of Nottingham with the historic buildings of University Park and the ultra-modern Jubilee campus as its backdrop.