University of Essex in the press...

Friday 18

New leader for UCS
University Campus Suffolk has appointed a new Provost. Professor Mike Saks from the University of Lincoln will take up the post in the first half of next year. Read the full article here.
Ipswich Evening Star

In the capital today
Professor Diane Elson, Department of Sociology, is giving a lecture in India at the Institute of Economic Growth: International conference on 'Economic Crisis and Unpaid Work: A Gender Analysis'.
The Hindu Online

Thursday 17

Horror at Racist Graffiti at University
An anti-Semitic phrase, used in speeches by Adolf Hitler, was found by an Essex University student outside the north campus launderette in Wivenhoe Park, Colchester. Sarah Mills, a University Spokesman said: "Racist behaviour on campus is extremely rare. As soon as the university was made aware of this graffiti, it was removed."
Gazette

The Week in Higher Education
Derek Walcott has been named Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex. The Nobel Laureate will give a series of lectures at Essex's campus in Colchester.
THE

High Court will order mother to bring abducted daughter home
The father of missing Pearl Gavaghan Da Massa faces a protracted battle to bring his daughter home – if and when the American authorities can find her. The five-year-old has been made a ward of court in Britain, which empowers a judge at the High Court to act on her behalf. Carolyn Hamilton, Director of the Children's Legal Centre, a charity promoting children's rights, said that if the mother and child are found in the United States, an application will be made through the High Court in London under British civil abduction laws. It would order them to return to Britain to be dealt with by the courts here. The US State Department would then enforce the application on behalf of the British authorities.
The Telegraph

You're still number one Olly
Chief Reporter John Perfect joined a throng of Olly fans at the X Factor final broadcast at the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at the University of Essex.
Essex Chronicle

Still home for our Olly
Imagine our disappointment, along with hundreds of fans when X Factor decamped Olly and his followers to Colchester for both the 'homecoming' appearance last Wednesday at Charter Hall and the weekend live link with supporters at the University of Essex. We won't let Colchester steal our Olly. Keep reading The Chronicle for all the latest as Olly's no-doubt stellar career unfolds.
Essex Chronicle Comment Column

Wednesday 16

10 point Obesity plan
University of Essex researchers claim to have come up with a 10 point plan that would deal with the problem of obesity and save the UK millions of pounds in the process. They've sent their report to the Government and it highlights ten things they should do to get all of us outdoors and exercising more. The experts say if just one per cent of the population moved to a healthier lifestyle from a young age, it would save more than a thousand lives a year.
Heart 102.6

2.6 million adults experience social exclusion
Research for the Cabinet Office by Dr Eldin Fahmy from the Centre for the Study of Poverty and Social Justice in the School for Policy Studies indicates that 16 per cent of working-age adults without children over the age of 25 – or 2.6 million people – experience multiple forms of social exclusion at any one point in time. Using data drawn from the General Household Survey and the British Household Panel Survey, the research explored different forms of disadvantage and how vulnerability to them varies within the population and during the course of a person’s life.
University of Bristol

Tuesday 15

Colchester Roman circus appeal gets boost
The University of Essex has donated £5,000 to the Roman Circus Appeal. Dr Tony Rich, registrar and secretary at the university, said: “This is a one-off opportunity to protect a vital part of Colchester’s Roman heritage. Read the full article here.
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Hold on Gordon – March is too soon
Labour's poll numbers show the feelgood factor improving, but too slowly for an early election. Brown should wait until May. Read Professor Paul Whiteley's comments here.
The Guardian

Olly Murs future still looks bright for Witham singing star after X Factor second place
X Factor star Olly Murs is set for a successful career despite losing the final. More than 400 fans provided their support at a special outside broadcast at the University of Essex during the television show at the weekend.
Essex Chronicle

Obituary: Anna Mendelssohn
Essex Literature graduate Anna Mendelssohn has died. Read the full obituary here.
Guardian

Monday 14

Library plan on shelf
Plans for a new library at the Farringdon car park site in Southend have been delayed because of a lack of funding. The building, which was expected to be built by 2015, may even now be scaled back. South East Essex College, the University of Essex and Southend Council aim to develop a new central library for the town and extra teaching space at the car park site, off Elmer Avenue. The Learning and Skills Council announced £11 million earmarked for the plan would be held back.
Echo

Olly misses out
It's thought one in every three people in Britain were watching Joe beat Essex boy Olly Murs in last night's X Factor. Joe McElderry was crowned the winner after more than 10 million votes were cast. Around 500 fans watched the final from the University of Essex, but were left disappointed when the result was announced.
Ten-17 FM.com

Sorry Olly...But
Supporters of Olly Murs crammed into the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at the University of Essex on Saturday and Sunday night to show their support for the 25-year old from Witham. Film crews captured the crowds and TV presenter Michael Underwood spoke to pals, ex-bandmates and the University's Flames Cheerleading Squad which had come up with a special chant for the occasion.
Gazette
Halstead Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Olly Misses Out on X Factor Crown
Witham's Olly Murs has finished runner up in the X Factor. Joe McElderry was crowned the winner after more than 10 million votes were cast. Around 500 fans watched the final from the University of Essex in Colchester, but were left disappointed when the result was announced.
Heart Radio

Mystery donor gives £10k to save circus
A mystery benefactor has pledged £10,000 to try to save Colchester's Roman Circus. The University of Essex has donated £5,000. Dr Tony Rich, Registrar and Secretary said: "This is a one-off opportunity to protect a vital part of Colchester's Roman Heritage. The University is pleased to support such an important project, which involves protecting a fundamental part of Colchester's heritage. It will also allow important further research and development of our knowledge of the town's history and leave open the potential for developing an important visitor attraction."
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Nobel Prize winner is appointed University's Professor of Poetry
A poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature has been appointed as a Professor at the University of Essex. Dr Maria Cristina Fumagalli, a senior lecturer in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies said working with the 1992 Nobel Laureate would be of huge benefit to students. She said: " I think he is the best living poet we have in the English language."
Gazette

Gold award presented to students' union
Essex University's Students' Union has been awarded the highest employment accolade possible - the Investors in People Gold Award. Fewer than one in 1,000 organisations recognised by Investors in People receive the gold standard.
Gazette
Echo

Cheerleading initiative
Student are set to try their hands at cheerleading as part of a new health initiative. Youngsters in Clacton are to be given a demonstration by the Essex Flames Cheerleading Squad in January.
Gazette

PR Firm picks up six awards at ceremony
Public Relations specialists from across the East of England have been recognised at the 2009 PRide Awards. The University of Essex received silver in the Best Publication category.
East Anglian Daily Times

Sunday 13

Walcott finally wins his Poetry Professorship
Professor Walcott, who is often described as the greatest West Indian writer and intellectual, will arrive in April for student workshops and a public reading at the University of Essex, which gave him an honorary degree in September 2008. The partnership may seem an unlikely one, but the University, which was known in the 1960s for protests by radical left-wing students, is home to experts on Professor Walcott's work and other Caribbean literature. He said yesterday: "I am delighted to be Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex. When I was awarded my honorary doctorate last year I was impressed by the warm atmosphere and intellectual drive of the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, which is home to formidable scholars and committed Caribbeanists.
The Independent
Statesman (Calcutta, India)

I married for money
So why is marriage becoming such a battleground in the forthcoming election?  Last week Cameron was chastised by Gingerbread, the single parents' charity, for championing marriage. This, by implication, it suggested, made lone parent families feel like second-class citizens. The genesis of their passion for marriage is Iain Duncan Smith's work at his Centre for Social Justice, investigating family breakdown in our inner cities. "Married couples are far less likely to break up than couples who live together without getting married," he says. "This is true even when allowance is made for the influence of such factors as income, age and education ... data from the British Household Panel Survey ... shows that 8% of married parents and 43% of unmarried parents had split before their child's fifth birthday."
Sunday Times (South Africa)

The Metamorphosis Of Award-Winning Like-Minds
University of Essex Politics Graduate Jiffe Williams and Deola Asabia are two of a kind. They are co-founders of Metamorphosis Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation and MN Environmental Services. Since meeting each other, they have stuck together in business. Just recently, they were proud recipients of Carcier Women Initiative Award, a yearly international business plan competition held in France. Their presentation emerged the best from the African continent. Read the article here.
The Guardian, Nigeria

Friday 11

Derek Walcott appointed Professor of Poetry - at Essex
Nobel laureate Derek Walcott turns his back on Oxford University to take up a poetry professorship at the University of Essex.  Read the article here.
The Guardian

10 Point Plan
Researchers at the University of Essex reckon that if just 1% of the population were healthier from a young age, it'd save nearly £1.5 billion and more than a thousand lives a year. They've come up with a ten-point plan to get children outdoors and exercising more.They're giving the report to the Government, calling on them to build "green exercise" into all aspects of public policy at a national level. Read the article here.
Ten-17 FM

‘Smoke and Mirrors' Claim over Disabled Allowances
Handing over the several billions in Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) to local councils, will mean those benefits will be lost forever -- leaving millions of disabled over 65s substantially worse off. A report in November 2008 by the Institute for Social and Economic Research warned that taking DLA and AA from claimants and making it part of a ‘personal budget’ administered by social services will leave millions of disabled people worse off and with less independence. Read the article here.
The Stirrer

Nobel winner appointed Uni's Professor of Poetry
Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott has been appointed as the new Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex. The 79-year old Caribbean poet will visit the University will visit the university in April, when he will deliver student workshops and give a public reading.
Essex County Standard

Radical plans to get people healthy
Experts from the University of Essex have said thousands of lives could be saved and billions of pounds cut from health spending if a radical plan to tackle obesity is introduced. They have produced a 10-point plan to put society back in touch with nature by including "green exercise" into all aspects of public policy at a national level.
East Anglian Daily Times

'We need to do more to save Earth than just planting trees'
Carbon offsetting is hindering attempts to tackle climate change, according to Dr Steffen Böhm from the University's Business School. He will be travelling to the United Nations  Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next week and hopes to convince businesses they should be reducing the amount of energy they use instead of using carbon offset techniques, such as planting trees.
Gazette

Hadrian, Constantine, Claudius will salute you
A donation of £5,000 has been made by the University of Essex towards the consortium who are trying to buy the disused Sergeant's Mess in the former Calvary Barracks. He said "this is a one-off opportunity to protect a vital part of Colchester's Roman Heritage which us under threat of being lost for generations to come".
Essex County Standard

Uni screens X Factor finals
Relatives and friends of Olly Murs will join fans in Colchester to watch the X Factor star's grand final on TV. The University of Essex has agreed a request from ITV bosses to show Saturday and Sunday's X Factor climax on a big screen at the 1,000 seat Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall.
Gazette

Award for zoo chief
Dr Dominique Tropeano, Director of Colchester Zoo has been given an award in recognition of his outstanding achievement and long service to the zoo community. The award comes only a few months after he received an OBE in the Queen's Honours list as well as receiving a doctorate from the University of Essex in 2007.
Essex County Standard

UK's science community rallies round climate data
UK science community has 'utmost confidence' in global warming data Acting on behalf of 1,700 members of the UK Science Community, the Met Office has today responded to the ongoing questioning of core climate science and methods. The Met Office has co-ordinated a united statement, gathering over 1,700 signatures in just four days including academics from the University of Essex.
Click Green

Lois is carer of the year
A 57-year-old Hertfordshire woman has been named carer of the year by brain injury association Headway. Lois Harden, 57, of Potters Heath, was honoured for helping her 27-year-old son, Adam, fight back from devastating injuries inflicted in a hit-and-run car crash.Adam, a former marine biology student at the University of Essex in Colchester, was knocked down in Stevenage in March 2002.
Gainsborough Standard

Roni sizes up Sub Zero
Roni Size will be serving up a large portion of drum and bass at Essex University's Sub Zero tomorrow. He will be joined by long-term collaborator, Dynamite MC and Unix.
Gazette

Thursday 10

A man of theories in the flesh
For several decades, Ernesto Laclau has been one of the world's leading political theorists. His innovative work as Emeritus Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Essex has sometimes been misrepresented by enemies and fair-weather friends alike. Laclau's work is famous in Britain and his native Argentina, where his book On Populist Reason is now a best-seller. Read the article about Ernesto Laclau here.
Morning Star

Why the daughter of jailed activist continues his fight
Wai Hnin knows she will never see her father - a political prisoner in Burma - again. Her ardent campaigning to highlight his plight and human rights abuses in the country only serve to guarantee he will die behind bars. Wai visited the University of Essex as part of a programme of events for Human Rights Day, which marks the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Read the article here.
Gazette
Halstead Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Appointments
Former University of Essex Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Geoffrey Crossick has been named the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of London.
THE

Wednesday 9

University miss the chance to close gap
University of Essex missed a chance to close the gap on the premier division leaders as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Alresfrod Colne Rangers. Hatfield Peverel, meanwhile, fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Dedham Old Boys.
Gazette

College wins competition to boost numbers ... then fails to clinch the funds
One of the country’s newest and biggest colleges won a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) competition to provide additional student numbers in Essex but was then denied capital funding to turn it into a reality, it emerged this week. The Government this week approved the merger of Thurrock & Basildon College and South East Essex College to create South East Essex College of Further and Higher Education. The new college, which comes into being on January 1, has 20,000 students and a turnover of about 60 million. The former South East Essex College bid for and won approval from the LSC to be lead partner in the Thurrock Learning Campus project to increase opportunities for local students and had submitted a bid for capital funding on the back of this. But the college was not among the 13 projects to receive funding to start work this year. Read the article in full here.
Times Higher Education

Tuesday 8

Get kids back in touch with nature and save society millions
A team of experts from the University of Essex has come up with a ten point plan to put children back in touch with nature, tackle the growing problem of obesity and save society millions of pounds. In a new report called Nature, Childhood, Health and Life Pathways, Professor Jules Pretty and colleagues from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Society (iCES) and Centre for Sports and Exercise Science identify ten priorities for action to improve the well-being of both children and adults and call on the Government to build “green exercise” into all aspects of public policy at a national level. Read the full article here.
www.ourkidz.com.au
 

Movers and shakers
A leading regional academic, Professor Colin Riordan, is to become a board member of the East of England Development Agency(EEDA).
Professor Riordan, who will represent the education sector, brings extensive experience in higher education to the EEDA board, whose role is to improve the economy of the East of England. He takes up his appointment this month and will serve on EEDA's board for three years. Professor Riordan has been vice chancellor of the University of Essex since 2007. Read the full article here.
East Anglian Daily Times
 

Hopes for new campus building still alive
THURROCK learning Campus and its partners are “optimistic” that plans for its multi-million pound new home will go ahead. The campus was rocked by news that funding it had applied for through the Learning and Skills Council for the £80million building had been put on hold in September. However, with lead partner South East Essex College's borrowing capacity and the realisation of some assets, the campus hopes to be able to generate a funding package in excess of £60m. Read the full article here.
Thurrock Gazette
 

Monday 7

Still the most class-ridden country under the sun
In modern Britain, class still matters and Cameron – who is keen on being seen as déclassé – knows how much and yet doesn't. Britain today is more unequal than most developed countries. A study by the University of Essex showed hardly any social mobility and 90 per cent of 18- to 24-year- olds feeling fixed in their place. Read the article here.
The Independent

Carbon markets are a sham
As world leaders gather at Copenhagen to discuss climate change, this Amdavadi has put it out loud and clear how the same leaders have failed to combat the problem so far.
Siddhartha Dabhi, 22, who is doing research at the University of Essex, and Dr Steffen Böhm, a Reader from the University, have compiled a book, Upsetting the Offset: The Political Economy of Carbon Markets'. The book argues that the measures to reduce carbon emissions following the Kyoto Protocol, have only made matters worse. Read the article here.
The Times of India

Commons Speaker praises university course
The Speaker of the House of Commons said his time at the University of Essex helped him think more carefully about other people's views. John Bercow returned to the Colchester campus, where he studied for a degree in Government, to discuss the role of Parliament with Professor Anthony King.
Gazette

Speaker returns to old University
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow went "home" to the University of Essex - from where he graduated in 1985. During his visit, the Speaker joined with one of his Professors, Anthony King, to hold a public "in conversation with" session on his careers and the challenges he faces as 'clean-up' speaker.
East Anglian Daily Times

Shake-up of our rubbish
Proposals to shake up how rubbish is collected in Colchester have hit the internet now Colchester Council has set up a page on Facebook and videos on YouTube. Council staff will be running exhibitions at the University of Essex on Monday along with other locations during the week.
Gazette

Join Climate Change talk
Carbon offsetting is the subject of a free talk being given by Climate change expert Dr Steffen Böhm from the University of Essex at Colchester Town Hall on Wednesday.
Gazette

Saturday 5

The Tamil Dilemma
The Zurich conference, held at the instance of the Swiss Foreign Ministry and the University of Essex, UK, did bring them all together under the same roof for a considerable length of time, outside of Sri Lankan Parliament, where again not all of them have representation. Read the article here.
Daily Mirror, Wijeya

NMC Statement Re Basildon And Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, Dickon Weir-Hughes said: "The NMC is responsible for the quality assurance of nursing and midwifery education and for ensuring that supervisors of midwives and the local supervising authority are meeting requirements. We need reassuring that Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is providing a quality learning environment for nursing and midwifery students and a safe clinical environment for patients and the public. We have discussed the situation with both Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Essex and will be undertaking an inspection examining the learning and clinical environments at the Trust and to assure ourselves that supervisors of midwives and the local supervising authority are meeting requirements. The inspection will be conducted on 11 and 12 December".
Medical News Today

New scheme for Southend homes
Southend Council has launched a new initiative to protect vulnerable people living in houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs). A new cross-boundary protocol has been developed by the council, in partnership with Southend Local Safeguarding Children Board and the Vulnerable Adults Board. The protocol aims to strengthen arrangements for safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults across local authorities in the Eastern Region. More than 60 people attended the recent launch, which included representatives from Essex Police, the University of Essex, key staff from councils across the Eastern Region and landlords of HMO properties.
Yellow Advertiser

Award for respiratory service
Services helping people with severe breathing problems in Essex have been held up as an example of excellence by the country’s top professionals. The ‘South East Essex Model for Integrated COPD Care’, which brings together Southend University Hospital, NHS South East Essex, general practitioners, the local branch of the Breathe Easy charity and the University of Essex, has been given a special commendation award by a top professional body. Read the article here.
Yellow Advertiser
 

Friday 4

Two vice-chancellor appointments announced
Professor Geoffrey Crossick, Warden of Goldsmiths, University of London, is to lead the University of London from September 2010. Professor Crossick, who has been Warden of Goldsmiths since 2005, is a historian specialising in the social and urban history of Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. His academic career includes periods at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, the University of Hull and the University of Essex.
THE

Colchester Zoo director wins award
The Director of Colchester Zoo has received a prestigious award for his work. Dr Dominique Tropeano, got the award from BIAZA, in recognition of his outstanding achievement and long service to the zoo community. The award comes months after he received an OBE in the Queen’s Honours list, as well as a doctorate from the University of Essex.
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Academic leading light appointed to EEDA board
An academic leading light from the region, Professor Colin Riordan, is to become a board member of the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). Representing the education sector, Professor Riordan brings extensive experience in higher education to the EEDA board, whose role is to improve the economy of the East of England. He takes up his appointment on 14 December 2009 and will serve on EEDA’s board for three years.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Essex since 2007, Professor Riordan has been instrumental in driving forward the University’s ambitious growth plans. These include setting up the Essex Business School, the new university facilities at Southend, which EEDA has also funded, as well as re-launching the Knowledge Gateway Research Park. An expert in German language and culture, he was previously Pro Vice Chancellor at Newcastle University and Head of the School of Modern Languages.
Business Weekly

Why a bailout for Dubai may be tough
A Reader in Finance from the University of Essex writes about the situation in Dubai and concludes that: 'As far as the long-term effects are concerned, the effect on the capital markets of the rest of world will not be significant, other than a minor contagion-related fear that will make costs of insuring sovereign debt of emerging markets higher, leading to some short-term tremors'.
Financial Express

Is there any point in going green?
Steffen Böhm and Siddhartha Dabbi from the University of Essex do not believe carbon offsetting has delivered the reductions in greenhouse gases it promised and say that it may have increased problems for eco-systems in developing countries. The pair will discuss their research at a talk in Colchester next week.
Essex County Standard

Unmasked
The Aztecs are coming and as fast as the building of their empire will take place at the Lakeside Theatre at the University of Essex this weekend, it will then be destroyed. It's all part of a one-off special performance by one of Mexico's most important modern-day artists, Felipe Ehrenberg.
Essex County Standard
Gazette

Uni man joins agency board
University of Essex Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Riordan is to become a board member of the East of England Development Agency.  He will represent the Education Sector and will provide the EEDA Board with knowledge from his extensive experience in higher education. He takes up his appointment on 14 December and will serve for three years.
Essex County Standard

Thursday 3

Mighty Manley grabs winner
East London's men's team made tough work of earning the victory over a University of Essex side at Mile End. The home side dominated possession in the first half, but spurned numerous chances and headed into the break with a slender 1-0 lead thanks to a close-range finish from Dan Hyden, after excellent work from James Cook. The second half continued in the same fashion, but the University side began to create chances at the opposite end, converting with 20 minutes remaining to level.
Barking and Dagenham Post Series
Newham Recorder Series

New boys University are already favourites
Division four new boys University of Essex are already hot favourites after the first round of handicap matches in the Colchester Table Tennis League. The University team easily accounted for promotion rivals H20 Rowhedge G 9-0 without dropping a set.
Gazette

Wednesday 2

Keep the taxman out of marriage
This week, the Family and Parenting Institute published a report bringing together evidence about the likely form of the family into the future. More of us are co-habiting, fewer of us getting married and the traditional division of roles within the family is being challenged. All the evidence from studies such as those by Iain Duncan Smith's Centre for Social Justice or the University of Essex's Institute for Social and Economic Research shows how married couples are more likely to stay together for their children than cohabitees, for the simple reason that cohabitation is easy to opt out of at the first difficulty.
London Evening Standard

Students and staff at Derby College benefit from super fast broadband and communications network
Students and staff at Derby College are now experiencing the benefits of owning their own dark fibre network thanks to a recent network installation by fibre optic specialists, H2O Networks. In addition to Derby College, Haydock-based, H2O Networks’ customers in the education sector include University of Aberdeen, Napier University, University of Bath and University of Essex.
IT Backbones

Student nurses green light
Checks have already been carried out to see if student nurses should be allowed to carry on working in Colchester’s hospitals. Yesterday the Gazette revealed the nurses’ professional body could order student nurses and midwives off the wards because of concerns about the local hospital trust’s care standards…Every year, about 100 nursing students from Essex University go to work on placements in hospitals across the county. Dr Geraldine Davis, head of nursing at the university, said student nurses spent half their courses working in hospitals, getting vital hands-on experience.
Gazette

Guest slot for popular folk singer Elaine
Colchester Folk Club’s Elaine Barker will be making a huest appearance at Wivenhoe Folk Club tomorrow…If that wasn’t enough, Elaine has built up a successful partnership with Adrian Many. A prolific songwriter, Adrian now teaches creative writing at Essex University.
Gazette

Businesses that carbon offset are not helping reduce emissions, say academics
Two academics from the University of Essex are claiming that carbon offsetting has failed to deliver promised reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG) and that businesses and other organisations signing up to the practice may be doing more harm to the planet than good. Dr Steffen Böhm and Siddhartha Dabhi of the University-based Essex Business School, have published a book, ‘Upsetting the Offset: The Political Economy of Carbon Markets’. The book– which collates contributions from more than 30 leading experts – argues that the measures put in place to reduce carbon emissions following the Kyoto Protocol Treaty on climate change have only made matters worse. In a statement, Dr Böhm and Dabhi, said: “Carbon offsetting and carbon markets haven’t really delivered the reductions of greenhouse gas emissions they claimed and in many ways have just made the problem worse.” Read the article in full here
GreenWiseBusiness.co.uk
Greenbang.com

Tuesday 1

Essex at forefront of hi-tech trading
The County of Essex is on course to become the European Centre for "high-frequency trading", the multi-billion pound process by which financial stocks and shares are purchased in seconds with a £40 million data construction centre under construction by the New York Stock Exchange in Basildon. Meanwhile at the University of Essex, the UK's only degree level course in high-frequency trading has entered its third year. In addition to the one-year Master's degree, there is also a heavily-subscribed summer school on the subject.
Gazette

Bunny is not funny at uni
A club night that encourages young women to dress up as glamour girls has been branded sexist by students. The themed club night is being organised by Flirt! Events Promoters.
Gazette

Hospitals warned student nurses might be pulled off their wards
Student nurses and midwives from both Anglia Ruskin and Essex universities could be taken out of Colchester's hospitals because of concerns about care standards. The Nursing and Midwifery Council has said that they will be discussing the situation with the universities as they have the authority to remove students is the learning environments prove detrimental to their education.
Gazette

Will your child ditch GCSEs for diploma?
Diplomas are coming to Tendring's secondary schools from next September at GCSE and A-level. They aim to take students out of the classroom and give them a practical grounding in the world of work, mixing academic studies with work experience. Universities have said they will accept diplomas for degree courses, with Nigel South, one of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor's at the University of Essex supporting the course.
Gazette

November

Monday 30

Board appointments bring fresh experience to East of England Development Agency
Rosie Winterton, Minister for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination, today announced one new appointment to the Board of EEDA. Professor Colin Riordan representing the Education Sector will take up his three year appointment on 14 December 2009 until 13 December 2012. Rosie Winterton said "I am very pleased to be able to make this appointment to the Board of EEDA. “Colin brings a real wealth of experience and leadership to the role and the contribution he can make will be extremely valuable to the RDA’s work supporting growth in the region as the UK moves towards economic recovery.”
News Distribution Service for Government and the Public Sector

Ten ideas to save the planet: wind, waves and sun
Wind turbines, tidal barrages and solar power are crucial in harnessing renewable energy. But which holds the greatest prospect in reducing emissions and preventing climate change? We ask the experts. Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex agrees solar PV could be the future in gathering UK renewable energy. "Put PV panels on every household and business roofs in the UK to create a distributed energy generation network," he said.
Channel4.com

BMI impacts contraception choice
Women with a body mass index (BMI) over 25 kg/m2 are more likely to use procedural contraception methods than women with normal BMIs, indicate study findings. “Understanding the relationship between weight and contraceptive behaviours is important for the development of health promotion programs to improve pregnancy outcome and decrease obesity,” say Amisha Schraudenbach (University of Texas, San Antonio) and Stephanie McFall (University of Essex). Read the article here.
MedWire News

Promoting mature debate on the EU
An event aimed at finding more effective ways of engaging with young people on the European Union has recently taken place. The event, which took place in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was organised by the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) to launch the Communication European Citizenship project. The project aims to find better ways to talk about the EU with young people. Professor Albert Weale, University of Essex was one of the guest speakers.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Lessons out in the university of life
A growing number of University of Essex students are volunteering to work in schools, community centres and hospitals to gain vital work experience to put on their CVs. There are more than 300 students who have signed up to a dozen or so projects under the Student Union's V-Team initiative. Read the article here.
Gazette
Halstead Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Speaker returns
The Speaker of the House of Commons will take a trip down memory lane when he visits his old university. John Bercow, an Essex graduate, is returning to Colchester to meet his former tutor Anthony King for a public seminar.
Gazette

Studies from University of Essex further understanding of Social Science
Susan McPherson from the School of Health and Human Sciences has had a study published in Health and Medicine Week which looks at how would construct 'depression' when asked to talk about those anomalous patients for whom the medical frontline treatment did not appear to be effective.
Health and Medicine Week

Saturday 28

Carbon offsets have led to a ‘lost decade’ of fossil fuel addiction
Carbon offset schemes not only haven’t helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions to any degree, they might actually be encouraging companies to keep polluting and worsening the future climate situation. That’s the warning from Steffen Böhm and Siddhartha Dabhi, two researchers from the University of Essex who have compiled a new book, “Upsetting the Offset: The Political Economy of Carbon Markets.” Launched in advance of next month’s scheduled climate talks in Copenhagen, the book features contributions from more than 30 experts in the business. Read the article here.
GreenBang.com
Science Daily
Cambridge Evening News

Baker's flight of genius
The brilliant Essex writer and naturalist, J A Baker simply slipped off the radar after writing two books: The Peregrine  and The Hill of Summer and an academic researcher at the University of Essex, Dr James Canton, is attempting to track down information about the elusive author and is asking for members of the public to send him any information.
East Anglian Daily Times

Hung Parliament: A Nightmare Political Scenario
The worrying situation is spelt out by Anthony King, Professor of Government at the University of Essex. “We will be in untrodden territory here because we have multi-party Westminster politics in a way we have never had before. The sheer arithmetical probability of a stalemate is greater than at any time in the past 100 years.” Read the article here.
Daily Express