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University of Essex in the press...

Below are examples of recent University press and broadcast coverage. Please note that all websites are external and will take you out of the Communications website.

Members of the University community can receive an electronic daily alert with links to press coverage by contacting Sandy Hart in Information Systems Services (e-mail sandy@essex.ac.uk) and asking to be subscribed to presscuttings@essex.ac.uk.

An archive of recent coverage is available online. A full archive of media coverage is also held in the Communications Office.

Broadcast Digest

Video clips on-line

BBC Look East
After Prince Charles' comments about the Ivor Crewe Lecture hall, viewers picked their favourite and least favourite buildings from around the region.
View the clip here (and select 'Viewers pick best building')

ITV Local
Ask the Expert - AI
Professor Huosheng Hu from the Department of Computing and Electronic Systems explains how robots can help people.
View the clip here

ITV Local
Ask the Expert - AI
Dr Simon Lucas from the Department of Computing and Electronic Systems explains why and how he is making computer programmes play games
View the clip here

BBC Look East
Cleaning mix almost fatal
Professor Chris Cooper, Department of  Biological Sciences
View the clip here

BBC Look East
Coast access plan criticized
Professor Jules Pretty, Department of Biological Sciences
View the clip here

ITV Anglia News
Pasco Q Kevlin, Manager, Lakeside Theatre
Talking about the Lakeside Theatre and future productions
View the clip here

The University of Essex in the Press

February 2008

Friday 29

Kano heads for university gig
Rapper Kano will be performing his dance act at Essex University in the next couple of weeks.  A former member of London's NASTY Crew, Kano's solo career is proving a great success and is now on the same label as The Streets.  He will be playing live at the university's Sub Zero venue tomorrow as part of the Masquerade Ball.  For more information, or to book tickets, go to essexstudent.com.
Evening Gazette

Murray hunts speed record
An Essex biker is hoping to become the fastest man on two wheels when he attempts to set a new land speed record in America. Murray, a sports psychologist at Essex University, has to reach 215mph on the six-mile track twice to join the famous 200 mph club.
Essex County Standard

Learn a language to build a company
Businesses need more workers who can speak a foreign language, it has been claimed. About 60 per cent of British trade is with non-English speaking countries. But the number of students coming out of school and university with a language qualification has dropped in recent years. Essex University admitted the number of students studying languages at degree level has been falling for the last 20 years, mainly because school children no longer have to take a language at GCSE. The number of students graduating with a modern foreign languages degree or a combined degree at the university fell from 37 in 2005/06 to 22 in 2006/07.
Essex County Standard

Research proves how modern art can spark headaches
Boffins have discovered why modern art turns some people's heads - and other people's stomachs. Psychologists at Essex University have spent more than three years trying to figure out why contemporary art gives people headaches. Psychology Professor Arnold Wilkins designed a mathematical formula to work out if images are pleasing to the eye - or more likes to make your head hurt. He found that uncomfortable images feature too much contract in areas where the viewer's brain is more sensitive. A spokesman said: "This has led to the suggestion that overloading the visual system can cause headaches and seizures".
Evening Gazette

£3.5m grant to find out how we tick
A Research Centre at Essex University will receive a grant of about £3.5million over the next five years. From 2009, a team will carry out research into understanding everyday lives.  Professor Pudney explained the research would cover a whole range of topics, which would help to shape Government policy. They will spend about five years looking at individual families and how their lives are changing and the impact that Government policy has on their lives.
Evening Gazette

Finding a new pitch
Rapper Kano will be just one of a number of dance acts rounding off the spring term at Essex University in the next couple of weeks. Starting off his young career as a promising footballer with the likes of Chelsea and West Ham, Kano's love for music soon took over from his love of the beautiful game. He will be playing live at the University's Sub Zero venue tomorrow as part of the Masquerade Ball and kicks off the rundown to the end of term.
Essex County Standard

Colombian artists put us in picture
Contemporary photography from Colombia is the subject of a new exhibition taking place at the Essex University art gallery. Once More With Feeling, a major international exhibition of photography and video work brings together the work of five Colombian artists whose photography references themes such as humour, identity and memory.
Essex County Standard

Summit Environmental Corporation News
The directors of Summit Environmental Corporation elected John Brooks and Dr. Mohsen Amiran as directors and in addition, Mr. Brooks was appointed President of the company and Dr. Amiran was appointed Executive Vice President of the company.  Dr. Amiran, 57, of Oak Creek, WI received his undergraduate degree in Organic Chemistry from Areya Mehr University in Tehran, Iran and his Ph.D. from the University of Essex in England. Early in his career, at the Shah of Iran's request, he organized a new technical university in Tehran to do research and development for both military and civilian causes. The operation grew into perhaps the largest research facility in the Middle East. His work on solvents for cleaning oil spills and other environmentally safe cleaning solvents was so highly regarded that the Shah of Iran presented him with three awards, including a gold medal, the country's highest honor. When the Islamic revolution took place, the new regime destroyed Dr. Amiran's laboratory and burned his equipment and research records. Eventually, Ayatollah Khomeini, the new leader, stepped in and asked Dr. Amiran to become an advisor and help industry and the military to get back on their feet. After a short time, Dr. Amiran escaped with his wife and son to London and then to the United States. He became a professor at Northwestern University. Later he founded BioGenesis Enterprises, Inc. of Springfield, Virginia, where he again began working on environment-saving fire suppressants and cleaning agents. Read the entire article here.
Digital News Direct
Ticker-Tech.com -
PR News Wire
Calibre Macro World

Thursday 28

225mph rider's need for speed
An Essex biker hopes to become the fastese man on two wheels when he attempts to set a new land speed record in the States. Lecturer Murray Griffin, 51, aims to hit top speeds of up to 225mph during Bonneville Speed Week late this year.
Evening Gazette

Comic clouds over a sea of humanity
Moor up at the Harbour at Essex University tonight. Set in an unnamed harbour town, The Harbour is Limbik Theatre Company's bold new show, which puts a contemporary spin on old stories of the sea - colliding a cast of characters all searching for shelter in a world past redemption,
Evening Gazette

Factors associated with uptake of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) and use of single antige
Read a report with some data submitted by the UK Data Archive, based at the University of Essex. Read the whole article here.
British Medical Journal on-line

Sports academic has heart set on new record
An Essex academic is hoping for a place in history - as one of the fastest motorcyclists. University of Essex sports psychologist Dr Murray Griffin will be swapping is mortar board for a crash helmet when he attempts to break the land speed record in his motorcycle class. Dr Griffin and his support team will be travelling to the Bonneville salt flats in the US to compete in the annual Bonneville Speed Week in August. In order to beat the record, Dr Griffin, 51, will need to reach an average speed of 215 mph over two attempts. The current record is 206.663mph.
East Anglian Daily Times

Wednesday 27

President talks right
A Top human rights specialist is to give a talk at Essex University next month. UN Human Rights Council president Alfonso de Alba Gongora will present the lecture on March 7 at 5pm to marked the 25th anniversary of the university's human rights centre.
Evening Gazette

Tuesday 26

ESRC supports new research into Population Change and Climate Change
Today sees the latest new funding announcement by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), including funding for two new research centres and continuing support for another. These will make a significant contribution to the ESRC’s commitment to support high quality work with major economic and policy impacts in these important areas of research.
The two new research centres receiving funding are:
Funding in the region of £3.5million over the next five years has also been agreed for the Research Centre on Micro Social Change (MiSoC), directed by Professor Stephen Pudney, at the University of Essex. This research focuses on developing an understanding of people’s everyday lives and social change, including family and social ties; working lives inequalities and opportunities as well as advances in research methods. Read the entire article here.
Innovations Report
Medical News Today (see their report here)

Thoughts control cursor
Read an article about how Essex University researchers are developing a system that could give people complete freedom to move a cursor around a screen using thought alone.
The Engineer Online

Jazz to classical: Basquiat strings it together
Basquiat Strings, an ensemble whose repertoire ranges from jazz to classical music, have been nominated for the Mercury Music Award.  They are playing at Essex University tonight.  Doors will open at 8pm. Tickets - at £10 and £6 for concessions - are available from the box office on 01206 873261.
Evening Gazette

Speak the lingo of growing business
Businesses need more workers who can speak a foreign language, it has been claimed.  Essex University admitted the number of students studying languages at degree level has been falling for the last 20 years, mainly because school children no longer have to take a language at GCSE.  The Essex Chambers of Commerce said more needs to be done to encourage young people to take languages.
Evening Gazette

Careers help for pupils
Pupils at Sir Charles Lucas Arts College found out about future careers from representatives of employers from around Essex, including Elaine Saunders from Essex University, who spoke about sport.  The aim was to represent pupils with role models who could motivate and inspire them.
Evening Gazette

Uni holds talks on law
Essex University is holding a series of law talks starting tomorrow.  Organised by the law department and the Suffolk and Essex Law Society, the events will take place over the coming months. For more information, call Gail Chapman on 01206 873484.
Evening Gazette

Monday 25

Pupils get a taste of Islamic way of life
Schoolchildren have briefly put aside the ABC of the Latin alphabet to learn a whole new range of letters. During the trip to Essex university, the year five pupils from Broomgrove Junior School, Wivenhoe, visited an exhibition on the Islamic religion and way of life. Organised by the university's Islamic Society as part of it s second annual Islamic conference, the display included the Koran, clothes pictures and posters.
Evening Gazette

Olympic hope for venues
An Earls Colne club has been put forward as a possible Olympic venue. Braintree Council has put forward nine sites in the district that would potentially be used a training campus for athletes competing in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The London 2012 Organising Committee is due to announce next Friday, which facilities will be included in its official training camp guide. Contenders include Essex Golf and County Club in Earls Colne, High Woods Country Park in Colchester, Colchester Garrison and Essex University.
Evening Gazette

Otters make a remarkable comeback
Read an article about how the otter population in Essex  is now 'healthy and stable' according to Essex Wildlife Trust surveys. Surveying for otters began back in 1996 by Essex University and then by The Essex Biodiversity Project but last year was the first time it was carried out by the Essex Wildlife Trust.
East Anglian Daily Times

Saturday 23

'Dustbin' could land architectural award
Essex's most famous 'dustbin' has been short-listed by an organisation whose patron is none other than the Prince of Wales.  The £6 million Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at Essex University came under criticism when Prince Charles made a speech there last weekend.  The joke triggered laughter and applause from many troops and families listening to the Prince, but it looks as though the university could have the last laugh after the lecture hall was short-listed for a national award.
East Anglian Daily Times

Top plant award will help career grow
A student from Essex has been awarded a prestigious scholarship.  Robert Farthing, a student at Writtle College, near Chelmsford, has been given the Floranova Ornamental Horticulture Research Scholarship and a cheque for £1,500.  Chosen by the David Colegrave Foundation, it is given to those with a particular interest in the development of ornamental plants.
East Anglian Daily Times

Friday 22

Eye test urged for poor readers
An eye test to identify children with a condition which could affect their reading ability should be funded by the government, says an academic. "Visual stress" is thought to affect one child in every classroom in the UK, but it goes largely undetected. These pupils could benefit from tinted contact lenses, says Professor Arnold Wilkins of the University of Essex. He wants the government to fund special tests to diagnose the condition to stop these children being held back.
Read the whole article here.
BBC

Prince's 'dustbin' is on award shortlist
The Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall, which was described by Prince Charles as looking like a 'dust bin' has now been short-listed for a top national award.  The flagship 1,000 seat university lecture hall at Essex University has made it on to the shortlist for the Civic Trust Awards 2008, which also includes two iconic London buildings that have been revamped, and four other schemes from East Anglia.  The awards, set to be held on March 12 in Newcastle, will see 30 accolades handed out in a bid to encourage projects which are culturally, socially or economically beneficial and make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the environment.
Gazette

Tribute paid to estate's Samaritans
Valerie Quinlivan, who teaches languages at Essex University, has paid tribute to good Samaritans who came to her aid when she was helping her disabled brother-in-law.  There were 2 separate incidents on the Greenstead estate in which people helped her and she was touched by their kindness and courtesy. Mrs Quinlivan said: "I just want to say thank you.  So many say bad things about Greenstead but it is not all bad".
Gazette

Prince’s ‘dustbin’ is on award shortlist
A building described by the Prince of Wales as looking like a "dustbin" has now been short-listed for a top national award. The flagship 1,000-seat university lecture hall at Essex University has made it on to the shortlist for the Civic Trust Awards 2008, which also includes two iconic London buildings that have been revamped, and four other schemes from East Anglia.
The awards, set to be held on March 12 in Newcastle, will see 30 accolades handed out in a bid to encourage projects which are culturally, socially or economically beneficial, and make an outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the environment.
The other East Anglian schemes shortlisted are The Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, Provisions Market Refurbishment, Norwich, and the RSPB Environment and Education Centre, Thurrock.
Evening Gazette

'I wish you good luck and all a safe return'
The Prince of Wales wished "good fortune and a safe return" to hundreds of Colchester-based soldiers about to start a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Prince Charles met soldiers and their relatives at a special regimental family day in Colchester last Saturday at Essex University.
Essex County Standard

When is a dustbin not a dustbin?
Essex University's new £4.5 million lecture theatre looks like a king-sized "dustbin", according to Prince Charles. The flagship 1,000-seater hall was described as a "real space-age building" and "absolutely amazing" when it was built. A University spokesman described the prince's quip as a "throwaway line" and said modern architecture was "subjective".
Essex County Standard

Temple remains in field
Foundations of a Roman temple have been successfully located on a school playing field. A geophysical survey was carried out at Colchester Royal Grammar School in Lexden Road, Colchester during the half-term holiday. Dr Peter Jones, director of science at the school said he hoped future work would be carried out to confirm the outline of a Roman road, which is believed to also be on the field. The school was approached by Tim Dennis of Essex University who wished to do a private geophysical survey of the site and the survey was completed in partnership with the Colchester Archaeological Trust and the Colchester Sixth Form College, which has an archaeology department.
Essex County Standard
Evening Gazette

Avant garde jazz at Colchester
There is a rare opportunity to see one of Britain's most avant garde jazz groups jamming at Lakeside Theatre at the University of Essex in Colchester on Tuesday February 26. Basquiat Strings, an unconventionally classically-trained strings quintet, will be performing with trailblazing session drummer Seb Rochford at 8pm.
Go!

Thursday 21

Frinton aces lead the way
The North Essex Squash Academy Championships proved a great success, with over 25 youngsters in action at the University of Essex.  The under-13 boys' title was won by James Tucker and the under-13 girls' round-robin.  The under-11 girls' was won by Ellie Brown and the under-11 boys' was won by Tim Thomson.  The under-15 and under-17 girls' and boys' championships are being held in March.
Gazette

Lens plea from uni professor
Children who struggle with reading should be given coloured lenses funded by the Government an Essex University professor has said. Professor Arnold Wilkin said his research has shown children with visual stress could benefit from coloured lenses or coloured plastic sheets placed over text. Speaking at the Institute of Optometry in London yesterday, the professor urged the Government to fund this kind of help.
Evening Gazette

Frinton aces lead the way
Frinton stars were among the honours at the North Essex Squash Academy Championships. The event was for under-11 and under-13 boys and girls and proved a great success, with over 5 youngsters in action at the University of Essex. Academy director Chris Vine said: "It was particularly pleasing to see so many young, local players playing to such a good standard and this year we had a large number of girls. Squash does not seem to be a first choice for young female players so it was most encouraging as the county needs more women playing regularly for Essex and in the various national competitions".
Evening Gazette

Royal salute for our boys
The Prince of Wales saluted troops and assured them he had faith in their soldiering skills as they head off to war. Prince Charles met members of the battalion and their relatives at a special regimental family day on Saturday at Essex University, Colchester.
During his visit Prince Charles rubbished a new £4.5 million university lecture hall. He said the new extension at Essex University looked like a king-sized dustbin.
Essex Chronicle

Breast cancer breakthrough
Breast cancer sufferers could benefit from the first major piece of research by the Proteomics Unit at the University of Essex. A team of scientists at the unit, lead by Dr Metodi Metodiev, has uncovered protein biomarkers which could lead to improved diagnosis of tumour types and more effective treatment.
Each year more than 42,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer. Research has highlighted several risk factors associated with the disease, but better markers are needed for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy"
Essex Chronicle

On the trail of the witch trials
Caryl Churchill's play of the Essex Witch Trials continues its run at the Lakeside Theatre at Essex University tonight. Director Sally Waters is a third-year drama student at the university, and this new production will form part of her final mark. She said: "I was horrified to see what an important part the town (Bury St Edmunds) played in staging the trials of more than a hundred women. Colchester Castle was also used to imprison, torture and execute hundreds of innocent women, some as young as 15".
Evening Gazette

Employers assist school careers help
Students at a Colchester school found out about potential future careers straight from the horse's mouth. Representatives of employers around Essex chatted to Year 11 students at Sir Charles Lucas Art College to help them find out which career would be best suited for them. Among the speakers was Elaine Saunders from Essex University who spoke about sport.
Evening Gazette

Senior Service
The thirst for knowledge does not end at 65, and many academics find that retirement affords them the freedom to be more productive than ever.
Tony King, professor of British Government at the University of Essex, for example, has twice renewed his contract for three years since he reach 67 and still has what amounts to a full-time role, lecturing to first-year students, holding weekly two-hour study groups and carrying out research. He has recently published a major overview of the British constitution and continues to work on a book about US politics. He is also involved, with his former vice-chancellor Ivor Crewe, in the study.t of a topic that grows larger almost daily, policy failures in British politics.
Times Higher Education

Also on Sunday, the Prince of Wales was reported to have enhanced his reputation as a defender of traditional architecture by describing the University of Essex's Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall as "a dustbin". The Sunday Telegraph reported a university spokeswoman saying that because the theatre was built for lectures, "it doesn't need windows and so on".
Times Higher Education

Care Farming Pays a Double Dividend of Helping the Vulnerable and Boosting Farms
New research from the University of Essex confirms a positive relationship between exposure to nature and an individual's health that could be extended for the greater good.
The study, commissioned by the National Care Farming Initiative UK, which is based at Harper Adams University College in Shropshire, showed that care or social farming could benefit health and social services, schools and the treatment of offenders, as well as ensuring the future of a farm.
Time spent on care farm activities enhances moods and improves self-esteem. Those taking part reported significantly reduced feelings of anger, confusion, depression, fatigue and tension and increased vigour that helped them to feel more active and energetic.  Read the entire article here.
Red Orbit

Wednesday 20

Too few lectures and huge debts are leading thousands to quit... at a massive cost to the taxpayer
According to a hard-hitting report published this week, the Government has spent nearly 800million of public money since 2000 trying to persuade students to complete their studies. The result? A less than one percentage point improvement in the drop-out rate.
Add to that bill the 450 million these early leavers cost the nation in wasted tuition fees and subsidised loans and is it any wonder that questions are being asked as to whether this colossal sum couldn't be spent more wisely.
Anthony King, professor of government at Essex University, has taught at British universities for four decades. 'I am seriously worried that students in many subjects are not being taught enough. The main reason is that there are not enough teachers,' he says. 'The staff-to-student ratio has deteriorated enormously over the past 20 years to the point where a lot of universities have reduced the amount of work undergraduates are required to do and reduced the number of classes offered. 'Some universities are scarcely teaching their students at all. The amount of contact time they have and the number of lectures they are required to attend each week have reached vanishing point.' But surely university isn't about spoon-feeding students; it's about occasional guidance and self-enlightenment. 'That is rubbish,' he says. 'Students were never in a position to teach themselves and as the number has gone up enormously, the proportion of students able to teach themselves has declined. 'Courses that used to have two lectures a week now have one and the amount of time teachers can devote to individual students has markedly decreased. 'When I first came to my university, students took five courses in my department and were expected to write five essays for each, a total of 25. 'Today, the number of courses has been reduced to four and the number of essays to three, which means the number of essays they have to write each year has been reduced by more than 50 per cent. 'That is not because anyone wants to do it or because we have got lazy, it is because we can't cope.' Prof King is particularly concerned that this decline in contact time has not been recognised. Universities are in competition with one another for students, so they are reluctant to admit the extent of the cutbacks. Read the entire article here.
The Daily Mail

Pupils learn to be leaders
Learning new skills was the name of the game at a major Youth Sports Trust event in Colchester. More than 70 teenage pupils from across Essex met up at Essex University for a day of activities, run by students based at the Wivenhoe campus. Using tops and organisational skills picked up during their visit, they will not go on to arrange sport or dance festivals at primary schools in their local areas.
Evening Gazette

Seasiders miss chance to move up
Clacton missed the opportunity to jump up four places in the league to fifth spot when they failed to score against second-from-bottom Essex University. Essex won the match 1-0.
Evening Gazette

French Connection
Pretty's lawyer Matthew Cameron gave a lecture to law students at the University of Essex about the differences in property and succession law in Britain and France. 
East Anglian Daily Times

Tuesday 19

Are there more uni students?
Despite there being a general rise in university applications, things are much the same as last year in Essex.  However Rachel Earle of Essex University's admissions department says that the new decrease from six to five choices for students when applying makes it difficult to say for definite if it is better or worse than last year, and that next year it will be easier to tell if there has been a decline in applications.  There had been fears that the introduction of new financial packages to students would see applications fall but across England this has not been the case. 
Evening Gazette

After Northern Rock
The government's proposals for preventing another banking crisis are inadequate and will not work without major surgery
After the nationalisation of Northern Rock, with a possible burden on taxpayers of £100bn, attention needs to shift to the government's proposals (pdf) for avoidance of a similar crisis. These proposals are inadequate and will not succeed in averting the next crisis. Read Professor Prem Sikka's entire article here.
The Guardian

Care farming pays a double dividend of helping the vulnerable and boosting farms
New research from the University of Essex confirms a positive relationship between exposure to nature and an individual's health that could be extended for the greater good.
The Western Mail

Monday 18

Prince 'bins' Uni's pride
Prince Charles claims Essex University's £4.5 million lecture theatre looks like a king-sized "dustbin". The flagship 1,000 seat-hall was described as a "real space-age building" and "absolutely amazing" when it was built. The distinctive kidney bean shaped lecture theatre features gleaming stainless steel walls. The Prince of Wales seems less impressed with the futuristic design when he visited the Wivenhoe Park campus.
Evening Gazette

'Thank God there are people like you'
The Prince of Wales received a standing ovation after speaking of his "enormous pride" for the hundreds of Colchester based troops about to start a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Prince Charles met soldiers and their relatives at a special regimental family day in Colchester, on Saturday, at Essex University. Families travelled across the country to see their loved ones before they fly out.
Evening Gazette

Prince Charles labels building 'a dustbin'
The Prince of Wales has once again ruffled feathers in the architectural community by branding a building by Patel Taylor a "dustbin". Speaking to an audience of paratroopers about to leave for Afghanistan, he said: "I understand around 1,700 of you are crammed in what looks like a dustbin from the outside." He was referring to the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall, a £6 million building at Essex University's Colchester campus, which was opened in 2006. It features a distinctive elliptical drum clad in stainless steel. Read the whole article and comments by the architect, Pankaj Patel  here.
bd- The Architect's website

Prince of Wales rubbishes lecture hall design by Patel Taylor
Prince Charles launches another attack on architects calling the Ivor Crewe lecture theatre at the University of Essex a dustbin
The Prince of Wales has returned again to architectural commentary, this time by likening a £6m building by architect Patel Taylor to a ‘dustbin’.
The steel-clad Ivor Crewe lecture theatre was built as an extension to the University of Essex in 2006. It is one of the largest lecture theatres in the UK. Read the entire article here.
Building

Prince meets the Paras - Pep talk before tour of duty
The Prince of Wales was in Colchester on Saturday to meet the soldiers preparing for battle in Afghanistan.
Prince Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, met members of the second battalion and their families at Essex University.
East Anglian Daily Times

Royal seal of disapproval
A £6million flagship building at Essex University has been given the Royal stamp of disapproval - after the Prince of Wales branded it a "dustbin".
Prince Charles made plain his views on the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall when he visited the building to make a speech to soldiers from Colchester Garrison and their families. He told his audience on Saturday: "I understand about 1,700 of you are crammed in what looks like a dustbin from the outside". His joke triggered laughter and applause from many troops - and families - listening to the Prince in the round, stainless steel construction which is set in the side of a hill.
An Essex University spokeswoman said: "The Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall is regarded as a flagship building.  It's probably the most striking modern building on campus. But I don't think we want to make too much of what the Prince said. It was just a throwaway remark". Read the story here.
East Anglian Daily Times

This story was also covered in:

The Birmingham Post
The Mail on Sunday
BBC - see here
The Daily Telegraph - see here
The Scotsman - see here
Scotland on Sunday - see here
The Times - see here
Daily Mail - see here
WebIndia 123 - see here
People UK
Ipswich Evening Star - see here
Yahoo India - see here
ZeeNews - see here
Scarborough Evening News
Buxton Advertiser
Bognor Regis Observer
Worksop today
Yorkshire Post
The Sun - see here
Buckingham Today
Bexhill Observer
Breibart.com - see here
Inside Higher Ed - see here

Global warming sceptics justified
Being well known as a "global warming" sceptic, I am frequently accused of being "off my trolley" since the weather has been so warm in recent years, the swallows arrived early, butterflies are about in February, and fishermen have made a fortune catching anchovies in December! Let us be clear, when we discuss global warming we are considering average temperatures all over the world. The hottest year in recent times is generally agreed as 1998. Since then, the average world's temperature according to Essex University's climatology department, has settled down below 1998's high and is now more or less static. Read the whole article here.
Western Morning News

Wednesday 13

Can organic farming end world hunger?
Research Confirms Organic Farming Produces Higher Yields. But a spate of new research has shown that organic farming actually yields better results than modern techniques when evaluated more holistically. A series of peer-reviewed papers published by the international journal, Nature, showed that organic methods for growing rice, corn and wheat all produced significantly higher yields—and at less the cost—than monoculture farms. And research at England’s Essex University has shown that farmers in India, Kenya, Brazil, Guatemala and Honduras have doubled or tripled their yields by switching to organic agriculture. Cuban farmers, who cannot access fertilizers and pesticides due to the U.S. embargo, have also realized greater yields by taking up organic farming. Read the whole article here.
About.com

Breast cancer biomarkers uncovered
Read an article about how breast cancer sufferers should benefit from the first major piece of research by the University of Essex’s Proteomics Unit.
Innovations Report Germany

University labs switch on dark fibre net
Read an article about 'Janet', the British government-funded computer network aimed at the education and research sector which has launched a dedicated fibre network designed to help researchers working on future networking technologies.
Techworld
Gridtoday

Tuesday 12

Prince set to visit Paras
Prince Charles is to meet the families of Colchester paratroopers preparing to go to Afghanistan by attending a regimental family day at Essex University's Wivenhoe Park campus on Saturday.  The event has been organised for families of soldiers from Colchester-based 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, to find out more about the unit's deployment to Afghanistan.
Evening Gazette

University invests in young talent for 2012 Olympics
Talented young athletes in Colchester aspiring towards the 2012 Olympics are being given a boost by Essex University's sports bursary scheme, which was launched at a reception at the Wivenhoe Park Campus.  Eight students have been given up to £2,500 each and support services to help them to combine their academic and sporting achievements.
Evening Gazette

Oliver's idea wins him £150 cheque
A nationwide tour has visited Essex University in a bid to uncover the entrepreneurial talents and innovative ideas of young people. The Wivenhoe campus played host to the Ideas Igloo Roadshow on Friday where innovators hoped to inspire people in their teens and 20s top generate ideas and make them happen.  The judges' overall winner was Olivier Bratby, 20, whose enterprise idea was Delays Direct, a text messaging service aiming to inform people of late-running transport services such as tubes, trains or buses. Mr Bratby, who is studying economics and spanish won £150 to help develop his idea and a place at the national finals in London in April.
East Anglian Daily Times

Monday 11

Preventing conflicts
Prem Sikka, a professor of the University of Essex and a member of the Association for Accountancy and Business Affairs, has said that independent regulators, investigators and ombudsmen need to be brought in to prevent potential conflicts of interest. Read the entire article here.
Crain's, Manchester Business

It promised to replace the wireless, but is digital radio a technological white elephant?
Digital radio, we were told, would finally drag the dear old wireless into the 21st century. This great technological revolution would give us more stations and more choice.  Hiss and crackle would be a thing of the past as digital would deliver crystal-clear sound quality.
Revealingly, a paper written a few years ago by David Robinson, an electronic engineers at Essex University, and submitted to broadcasting regulator Ofcom, analysed the sound quality of digital broadcasts and found 98 per cent of them inferior to those of conventional radio transmissions, an extraordinary damning finding.  Read the whole article here.
The Daily Mail

Sunday 10

The holy grail of data: it's Domesday online
'Not even one ox, nor one cow, nor one pig was left out.' But what William the Conqueror didn't have in the Domesday Book was an easy way of searching its reams of data. It has taken more than 900 years, but at last the internet has provided a solution. An academic at Hull University has produced the world's first complete, freely available online version. Professor John Palmer, whose work on the Domesday Book stretches back 25 years, has transformed its handwritten parchment pages into a database with searchable indexes, a detailed commentary and the ability to organise all its statistics in a tabulated format. The Domesday Book is available online via Essex University's Arts and Humanities Data Service at esds.ac.uk/findingdata.
Read the entire article here.
The Guardian

Saturday 9

Benn under fire over his 'private' patch of Essex
He is the Environment Secretary who has promised to open up England's coastline to walkers. But Hilary Benn today finds himself embroiled in a row with ramblers after it emerged that there is no coastal footpath in front of his historic family home. Ramblers can walk along the foreshore at low tide, but they have criticised Mr Benn over the absence of sea wall that includes the estuary frontage at Stansgate Abbey Farm, the country home of his father, Tony.  Professor Jules Pretty's, of the Department of Biological Sciences, who is writing a book about walking the East Anglian coast comments.
The Daily Telegraph

Engineering Course Popular With Locals
Engineering is still one of the most popular degree courses pursued by Bruneians compared to other field of studies. Delon Hon, the general manager of James Hon Marketing & Management, pointed this out at the second annual Study in UK (United Kingdom) exhibition.
Making an appearance at the exhibition were 11 higher institutions from the United Kingdom that included universities such as Keele University, University of Bristol, Essex University and University of Surrey.
One student who had just graduated from the University of Essex in Business Management, said that it was somewhat a local culture to study overseas regardless of what areas of study the students were interested in.
Read the whole article here.
BruneiDirect.com

Friday 8

Pupils taste life as a lawyer
Youngsters were caught up in courtroom drama as they got a taste of life as a lawyer. Teams from schools across the county battled it out in the Essex Street Law competition hosted by Essex University by students and partners from international legal firm Eversheds. Essex University was one of the first to get involved with the competition which was since been taken up by institutions across the country. Budding legal eagles from Colchester Royal Grammar School won the competition.
Evening Gazette

Uni to hold conference
The second annual Islamic conference is set to be held at the University of Essex on February 23. The event is organised by the University of Essex Islamic Society. This year's theme is A Journey into Islamic Values.  It will take place at the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at the Wivenhoe Park campus from 9am.
Evening Gazette

New uni notches up sucess on two fronts
Essex Sociology graduate Dr Liz Beaty is returning to Cumbria to help lead the newly-formed university and will join the University of Cumbria's senior management team on March 1. She will be the university's director of strategic academic practice and partnership, with responsibility for teaching and learning, participation and progression. Dr Beaty will help forge partnerships with other high education establishments and further education colleges in the UK and will chair the university's learning, teaching and assessment committee.
Cumberland News

Traffic lights part of research park scheme
Traffic lights will be installed on Colchester's Clingoe Hill as part of plans for a multi-million pound research park. It means pedestrians and cyclists coming to and from Essex University will be able to cross the road safely without using the underpass, which regularly floods.
Essex County Standard

University launches bursary backing for student talent
Young talented athletes are able to benefit from a comprehensive new programme of support thanks to new sports bursary schemes at the University of Essex launched this week. The 2008 Sports Bursary Scheme offers support to students who are elite athletes competing on a national or international stage, helping them to combine their academic and sporting achievements.
East Anglian Daily Times

The award goes to...
Another part of success for Colchester's sports men and women was celebrated at a gala night of awards. High-achievers and unsung heroes from the borough's clubs and teams gathered at Colchester Town Hall for the annual Sport Colchester Sports Personality Awards. The University of Essex Football Team received a commendation.
Essex County Standard

Work with universities, firms advised
Essex business must consider working with universities if they want to move forward, according to a business support group. Simon Daniels, business development manager for i10, explained that while it's not a solution for all businesses, many could benefit for higher profits by working in partnership with higher education institutions.
Essex University works closely with i10, and regularly helps business with facilities such as the iLab, which aims to stimulate creative team, thinking in colourful and flexible meeting rooms.
Essex County Standard

Golden Wonder
It’s the gold roof on Rafael Viñoly’s Colchester visual arts centre that will wow the visitors – but the real marvel was getting it up without touching the topsoil.
The £16.5m Colchester visual arts facility – or Firstsite, as it will be known – is a single-storey, semi-circular structure that resembles a giant golden banana. The shape was influenced by its surroundings, says Rob Seymour, the project architect. “There is a crescent of trees on the site, and that is the geometry Rafael responded to.” The new building is for local contemporary arts organisation Firstsite, and will be used for a variety of purposes, including hosting a collection of Latin American art belonging to the University of Essex. Read the whole article here.
Building

Thursday 5

Talent is rewarded
The cream of Colchester district's sporting talent packed into the Moot Hall for the annual Colchester Sports Personality Awards. And it was sails and oars all the way as the three main trophies were snapped up by water sports experts.
The University of Essex football team received a commendation.
Evening Gazette

Wednesday 6

Revealing Town's Rich History
Colchester's rich archaeological heritage is the topic for this year's University of Essex Annual Burrows Lecture.  Held in association with the Essex Book Festival, the lecture will be given by Philip Crummy, director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust.  The talk entitled 'Always finding something: Highlights of archaeology in Colchester' will be held in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at 7pm on 26 March.
East Anglian Daily Times

Target Practice: There are calls to cut the benefits paid to older and disabled people and move the cash to social services departments to pay for their care.  But could it work?
Article by Richard Berthoud, from the Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Essex and Ruth Hancock, who is Professor of the Economics of Health and Welfare, University of East Anglia.  Read the article here.
The Guardian

Tuesday 5

Saskia sails to sporting success
Excelling on the world stage and selection for the British sailing team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games earned Mersea's Saskia Clark recognition from her home town with a double honour at the Sport Colchester, in association with the Gazette and Colchester Borough Council, 2007 Colchester Sports Personality awards.
The University of Essex University Football Team received a commendation.
Evening Gazette
 

David’s world adventure
David Coates, one of Meteor Water-Ski Club’s rising young stars, recently joined the Irish Wakeboarding team to compete in the World Wakeboarding Championships in Qatar. Once David finished his A-levels at Grosvenor Grammar School he left his native shores to study Psychology at the University of Essex.
With cable parks, which are open all year, a few hours drive from the university he still tries to get out training for a few hours each week. Following his success in Qatar in November 2007 he now leaves for Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday 8th February to compete in the European, African and Middle Eastern Championships with the Irish team. Read the whole article here.
DownDemocrat

Why small is vital for the future of our economy
Michael Sherer, Finance Professor in the School of Accounting, Finance and Management comments about North Essex' expanding population. Read the whole article here.
Evening Gazette

Businesses urged to work with universities
Essex businesses must consider working with universities if they want to move forward, according to a business support group.  Essex University works closely with i10, and regularly helps businesses with facilities such as the iLab, which aims to stimulate creative thinking.
ThisisEssex.co.uk

Monday 4

Traffic lights go-ahead for research park
Traffic lights will be installed on Colchester's Clingoe Hill as part of plans for a multi--million pound research park. It means pedestrians and cyclists coming to and from Essex University will be able to cross the road safely without using the underpass, which regularly floods.
University chiefs already had permission for a roundabout to link the hill with a new access road to the research park, which is set to be built between Boundary Road and the Colchester to Clacton railway line.
Evening Gazette

Lecture on Town's History
Colchester's claim to fame at Britain's first Roman town has earned it a place in the spotlight at this year's Essex Book Festival. The town's rich archaeological heritage has made it the subject of the prestigious Burrows lecture at Essex University. Philip Crummy has been director of Colchester Archaeological Trust for 37 years and he will talk about his most interesting and exciting discoveries, including the remains of Britain's only known Roman chariot racetrack.
Evening Gazette

Rallying cry to join charity quest
Women across north Essex were today being urged to join Cancer Research UK's Race for Life 2008. The launch for this year's two Colchester events took place today -  and the charity is hoping more than 4,000 women will take part. The Race for Life at the University of Essex will take place on July 27 at 11am.
Evening Gazette

Masquerade is theme
Essex student, Jenny Corder, a Cleburne native, earned a degree in communications arts at Austin College and a master’s degree at the University of Essex in Colchester while living in the United Kingdom for six years. She is finishing her thesis on ancient Greek and Indian theater for a doctorate from Essex. She recently returned to Cleburne to become head of the drama department at Hill College. One of her areas of expertise is masks. She will discuss masks and the masquerade at the Valentine Gallery. Read the whole article here.
Cleburne Times Review

Post-PKK operations: Will Turkey change its attitude toward Iran and Syria?
Read an article written by H. Akın Ünver who is a research assistant and Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Young Scholar at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a PhD candidate in the Department of Government, University of Essex.
Turkish Daily News
Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Saturday 2

Divine Justice Will Come –Bola Ige’s Daughter
Read an article about Funso Adegbola, a lawyer, educationist and the eldest child of former Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, late Chief Bola Ige who was a Law student at the University in 1983.
Thisdayonline
Calibre Macro World

Friday 1

Teenage Mum fulfils her dream
A mother and her daughter, who she left school to have at the age of 15, have graduated within months of each other. Fiona Sturrock went back to Queen Elizabeth High School, this time to take three higher education foundation courses – in English, biology and health studies – through its community education programme. Then, in 2004, she enrolled on Northumbria University’s degree course in midwifery. She graduated just weeks after her daughter, Michelle gained her degree, in maths, from Colchester University, in Essex. Read the whole story here.
The Hexham Courant

Lecture on history of digs
Colchester's archaeologist supremo Philip Crummy is set to deliver a prestigious lecture. Mr Crummy, who is director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust, is to present this year's University of Essex Burrows Lecture. The event will be in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at 7pm on March 26.
Essex County Standard

Cycle trail a disgrace, say users
Mud-splattered cyclists have hit our over the state of the Wivenhoe Trail. Cyclist Dilly Meyer uses the route to get from her home in Wivenhoe to her job at Essex University. But she said the trail, once described by presenter Bill Oddie as the best part of the national cycle way, was a disgrace.
Essex County Standard
Evening Gazette

Playremains ready to repay faith
North Essex theatre group, Playremains, are back with a newly-commissioned work by the Lakeside Theatre. Following shows at the Headgate Theatre, the Essex University theatre has taken the fledgling company under its wing to produce this technically visual production. Entitled The Artisan, the piece is about the artist of the title who emerges from her self-imposed exile after years of public scrutiny and a suicide attempt.
Essex County Standard
Evening Gazette

Maths success for year 11 pupils
A class of 27 year 11 students at an Essex comprehensive school wowed their teachers this week after they all scored A*s in their GCSE maths exam.
The Sandon School students are all part of an accelerated learning programme and sat the exam in November. Students have also participated in the UK Mathematics Trust competitions, and four students represented the school at a year 10 team mathematics challenge at the University of Essex last summer. Read the entire article here.
SecEd

January 2008

Thursday 31

Your personal best, all year
As the new Year loses a little more of its shine, many of us will already have abandoned the resolutions around smoking or thriftiness that have already proved too hard to keep.  Read Dr Martin Sellen's ideas to get fitter.
The Independent

Islamic topic at University
A Conference on Islam will be held to mark Islamic Awareness Week.  The Essex University Islamic Society is organising the event at the Ivor Crewe lecture hall at the Wivenhoe Park campus in Colchester. A diverse range of speakers will attend the event on February 23, starting at 9am. This is the second annual conference and the theme will be A Journey into Islamic Values.
Evening Gazette

Foreign students deal discussed
INTO a private company offering university preparatory courses for overseas students, is in talks with the University of Essex about a joint venture.
Times Higher Education

Parenting puts an end to domestic bliss
It is a familiar scene played out in busy households across the country. Colin Elliot is frantically getting his youngest daughter ready for school when he realizes she has lost one of her shoes, her lunchbox is missing and last night's homework has disappeared. He has five minutes to get her out of the house and it looks like Meera is going to miss the school bell. At this point, thousands of other harassed parents may be asking themselves the same question - "Is it all worth it?" Sadly, the answer is a resounding "No" according to research which suggests having children brings no increase in "life satisfaction" in men, and only makes women happier once the youngsters start school. But Mr Elliot, a university lecturer in Edinburgh, takes issue with the study on parental happiness and says, despite the daily trials of helping to bring up three young daughters, the happiness quotient is high. Read the entire article, based on the research undertaken by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex.
Articledashboard.com

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 last updated on Tuesday March 04, 2008.