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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 the Information Systems Services Systems group (e-mail sgq@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

January

27 January

BBC Radio Jersey
Professor Dick Hobbs, Department of Sociology
Re: His Dark Side of the Olympics project.

26 January

BBC Essex
Professor Dick Hobbs, Department of Sociology
Re: the darker side of the 2012 Olympics

30 January

GM crops ‘could feed the world’
A new Government-commissioned report warned that there were major failings in a global food system that damages the environment and leaves one billion people hungry. Without action to tackle the problems with agriculture and production, the pressure on food supplies will increase in the face of a rising world population, competition for land, water and energy and the effects of climate change. Professor Jules Pretty, of the University of Essex, said following the “green revolution” which massively boosted agricultural production in the 20th century – there needed to be the “greenest revolution” to improve agriculture without harming nature.
Times of Malta

29 January

Building site set for Bard’s classic play
Student protests, attacks on authority and rows over property are all things you might expect to read about in the papers but they are also the themes working their way into a production of Shakespeare’s classic play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by students on the MFA in Acting (International) course at East 15 Acting School. Read the story here.
Echo
Basildon and Wickford Recorder
Southend Standard
Thurrock Gazette

Campaign to target IT gender balance
East Anglia-based IT skills partnership IDEA Ltd is launching a campaign to encourage more women to seek careers in the information technology sector. IDEA is a joint venture between BT, Cisco, University College London, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, University Campus Suffolk and Suffolk New College. Read the article here.
East Anglian Daily Times

Enforce purdah now, Sir Peter, or face politics of the madhouse
Alan Cochrane writes about University of Essex graduate, Sir Peter Housden, who became the most senior official at the Scottish Executive last May. He suggests Sir Peter declares a period of absolute political purdah for Scottish civil servants during which they cannot go near anything of a blatant political nature before the elections on 5 May.
The Telegraph

Over 12 institutions to attend Study in the UK exhibition
Students interested in studying abroad, specifically in the United Kingdom are invited to attend the 'Study in the UK Exhibition'. The University of Essex is one of the 12 institutions attending the exhibition.
Borneo Bulletin
Deccan Herald
BruDirect

28 January

HEFCE: Online learning "central part" of future
England's higher education funding body has called on universities to make online learning "a central part" of their future plans. In a report published yesterday, HEFCE's Online Learning Task Force argued that those institutions that embrace online learning be able to develop “responsive, engaging and interactive education that is both high quality and cost effective". It also includes a number of case studies, including Kaplan's work to provide online degrees for the University of Essex; and the University of Liverpool's online MSc, delivered by Laureate.
Education Investor

Beattie Communications Opens in Essex
Beattie Communications, the UK’s largest independent PR and integrated marketing agency, is to launch in Essex. The new Essex marketing office will be spearheaded by Southend local and University of Essex graduate, Louise Toms. Read the article here.
allmedia

East 15 Acting School Present: SANCTUARY
East 15's Graduating BA Community Theatre students present SANCTUARY, a brand new devised, verbatim play created with the local Islamic Community as well as other local groups and people of Southend, giving an insight into Southend's diversity.
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Only Camilla's leg will tell who is Colchester man...or woman
Colcestrians are keen to find out if they are descendents of the town's Roman residents. Professor Mike Wilson from the Department of Biological Sciences says that the University holds the data and DNA sequences taken some from leg bones and that it would be "entirely possible" to run comparisons between the sequences found then and that of Colchester donors today.
Essex County Standard

Economic prosperity 'reduces scandal outrage
The British public may be more tolerant of political misbehaviour in good times rather than bad, a study has claimed. Research published in the January issue of Parliamentary Affairs, undertaken by Nicholas Allen of Royal Holloway and Sarah Birch of the University of Essex suggested that the state of the economy appears to influence perceptions of wrongdoing. Read the article here.
Politics.co.uk
Yahoo!

Jill Jones obituary
Read The Guardian's obituary for Jill Jones, an Essex graduate and formerly negotiating secretary at the University and College Union. 
The Guardian

How can health and housing help each other?
Dr Caroline Barratt is one of the experts taking part in a live Q&A on 31 January. Caroline is a project manager for the Mental Health and Housing Partnership (MHP), a collaborative project between the University of Essex and Tendring District Council aimed at developing inter-agency working practices to better support vulnerable adults living in houses of multiple occupation in the private rental sector.
The Guardian

Go green and stay healthy
Nature as a therapy will be the subject of the next in the series of talks at the Café Scientifique, a cafe series run by scientists from the University of Essex.
Essex County Standard

Star Skip still pulling strings
Three members of Colchester world music group Quire will have the special chance of performing with blues guitarist Skip  "Little  Axe" MacDonald when he performs at the Lakeside Theatre at the University of Essex this weekend.
Essex County Standard

Footballer fined for headbutt
A man has been fined for head butting a University of Essex footballer during a game between the University and his Marks Tey side.
Gazette

Mark the Chinese new year
The Colchester Chinese Culture Society, the University of Essex Chinese Students' Association and the London Chinese Dance School with be seeing in the year of the rabbit at Charter Hall on Sunday.
Essex County Standard

27 January

Globalpark confirms Research Conference Speaker line-up
Globalpark has announced the final speaker line-up for its Mobile Research Conference, being held from 18 - 19 April 2011 in central London. One of the keynote speakers will be Peter Lynn, Professor of Survey Methodology at the University of Essex and he will provide practical guidance on how to demonstrate the advantages of quality mobile research to clients.
Mobile Marketing Magazine

The shrinking welcome mat: Mooted visa reform cools prospective students' view of UK
A survey of overseas students indicates that their view of the UK has already been damaged by plans for a visa crackdown, while more universities may decide to look at establishing overseas campuses to beat the restrictions. Minutes from a recent University of Essex council meeting note that the "changes to immigration policy could result in international student numbers being reduced by almost a half". The minutes add: "To secure international student numbers might require the development of an overseas base, as a launch pad for bringing students into the UK."  Read the article here.
THE

Convert to be key speaker
High profile Muslim convert Lauren Booth will be speaking in Colchester next month at the fifth University of Essex Islamic Society Conference. She will speak about her conversion last year during an event aiming to bridge the gulf between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette

Demonstration in London
More than 100 Colchester students and residents will travel to London on Saturday for a demonstration over education and public sector cuts. Two coaches will leave the University of Essex to join the protest at noon in the capital.
Gazette

Commemorative trails
Professor Marina Warner, Professor of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex is one of the contributors in Grant Gee's feature-length film Patience (After Sebald) taking place at Snape Maltings.
THE

Lift-off for social enterprise school
Supporters from across the private and public sectors celebrated the launch of the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Suffolk. It forms part of the Eastern Enterprise Hub, based within University Campus Suffolk's James Hehir building.
East Anglian Daily Times

British report calls for greater use of online learning to meet growing demand
British universities and colleges must make online learning a priority to meet growing student demand and remain competitive in an increasingly international higher-education landscape, a new report warns. The report highlights several examples of innovative online learning strategies at British institutions, including the University of Essex and the for-profit Kaplan Open Learning to offer online courses in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. Read the article here.
Chronicle of Higher Education
Career College Central

26 January

Professor to study impact of Olympics on communities
An academic from the University of Essex is taking part in a study into the impact the London Olympics will have on local communities. Professor Dick Hobbs is one of three sociologists looking at its effects on crime, policing and social cohesion. Read the article here.
BBC

University of Essex Holocaust Memorial Week: The Life and Death Orchestra presents This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen
As part of the University of Essex's Holocaust Memorial Week, the widely praised Life and Death Orchestra will be performing at the Lakeside Theatre. A fluid group of musicians, the score is based on poems by Holocaust survivors, including Paul Celan, Tadeusz Borowski and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel and other internationally acclaimed writers. The performance treads a fine line between the horrors of genocide and the optimism of the human spirit.
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Enterprise is what Lee’s talking about
A PAST winner of hit TV series The Apprentice was in Ipswich yesterday to fire up the business dynamism of a new generation of social entrepreneurs. Lee McQueen was the star attraction at The Social Entrepreneur – Social Enterprise Explained, an event organised by students from University Campus Suffolk on the eve of today’s launch of the Suffolk School for Social Entrepreneurs in the James Hehir building on Ipswich Waterfront.
East Anglian Daily Times

Not everyone can be Branson or Gates
Student visiting the UK Education exhibition yesterday in Brunei were able to find out more about degrees on offer at in the Essex Business School at the University of Essex. Tim Gutsell, Director of the International Office at the University of Essex said the university has various entrepreneurship programmes tailor-made for Bruneians who want have a business career in the public and private sector as well as set up their own businesses. Read the article here.
The Brunei Times

Quire Singers perform with blues and rap guitar legend
Three members of Colchester world music group, Quire, have been invited to perform with blues guitarist Skip "Little Axe" MacDonald at a gig this weekend at the University of Essex, Lakeside Theatre.
Gazette

25 January

Globalpark Announces Final Speaker Line-up - Mobile Research Conference 2011 
Peter Lynn, Professor of Survey Methodology at the University of Essex is announced as a keynote speaker at the Mobile Research Conference happening on 18-19 April 2011 in Central London. Read the article here.
Digital Producer
KFVS-TV
WTOL-TV
Dallas Business Chronicle
Boston Business Journal
Pacific Business News
Sacramento Business Journal

2010 suggests big AV boost for Lib Dems
Last year's coalition negotiations would have been fundamentally changed had the election taken place under the alternative vote system, according to new research. The researchers, from the University of Essex and University of Texas at Dallas, simulated AV results by using British election data collected immediately after the May 6th poll.
Politics.co.uk
Yahoo!

Adoption: 'We don't need white couples'
A study last year by the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex revealed that ten per cent of children are now of mixed or multiple heritage, and are six times more likely to be mixed-race than adults. Adoption authorities should be minded that it will soon be increasingly difficult - never mind ethically dubious - to define people by their degree of “whiteness”. Read the article here.
Daily Telegraph

Shining a green light on ecotherapy
A survey commissioned from the University of Essex by Mind found that participants experienced increased feelings of self-esteem when walking outdoors whereas walking in a shopping centre tended to decrease them. The survey also found that green exercise particularly benefited people experiencing mental distress by significantly lowering stress, depression and fatigue while improving physical health and providing a valuable social connection when taken as part of a group.
Irish Times

Food prices could double without GM foods, scientists warn
Professor Jules Pretty, of the University of Essex, said feeding the world will mean employing a range of different measures, from organic farming using animal waste to drought resistant GM plants. He said that - following the "green revolution", which massively boosted agricultural production in the 20th century, there needed to be the "greenest revolution" to improve agriculture without harming nature. "Both organic methods and GM are going to be important. We need to get beyond these binary options," he said, calling for a "both/and" approach to farming methods rather than an "either/or". Read the whole article here.
The Telegraph
Irish Times
The Independent
Truth about Trade
SciDev.net
MSN UK
Farmers Guardian
EFE Mundo
EFE Economia
MSN Latino
Cinco Dias
ABC.es
Dinero

Artradis Hedge Fund to Shut; Diggle Plans New Firm
Artradis Fund Management Pte, whose hedge funds made $2.7 billion in profits for investors as markets see-sawed in 2007 and 2008, is closing down after it lost money from wagers on price swings in the last two years. Stephen Diggle and University of Essex graduate, Richard Magides founded Artradis in 2001.
Bloomberg Business Week

Thomson Reuters harnesses storytelling in Knowledge Effect Corporate Branding Campaign
Thomson Reuters’ bread-and-butter is the intelligence information industry, so The Knowledge Effect aims to better communicate the full range of products and services the brand offers, adding real examples to show the impact on users.  One of the examples is Professor Huosheng Hu from the University of Essex and the robotic fish. View the video clip here.
brandchannel
Business Insider

22 January

Metamorphosis of beauty queens
Nike Oshinowo-Soleye:
Oshinowo was raised in Ibadan and England, where she attended boarding school. Although she had intended to become an air hostess, she studied Politics at the University of Essex. Now in her 40s, Oshinowo, who is fluent in five languages including Japanese and French, is hailed as a style icon in her homeland.
Zimbo
Daily Sun

Take note, William and Kate: A class course in wedded bliss
As ‘commoner’ Kate Middleton prepares to marry into the royal family, Anna Moore asks what it takes to sustain a successful relationship that spans the social divide…
We can find partners with the click of a mouse, search from Moscow to Maputo, yet studies from the US and Germany have found that, on the whole, like still attracts like. In the UK too, the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) has found little evidence of social mobility through marriage.
MailOnline

A trip to the dark side
TWO North East academics are part of a team which will study the seamy side of the 2012 Olympics.
While the London Olympics promises to bring millions of pounds into the economy and attract worldwide visitors, the Games will also be a magnet for prostitutes, thieves, conmen, drug pushers and gangsters, warns Professor Dick Hobbs, now at Essex University but formerly a criminologist at Durham.
The team will investigate the emergence of Olympic-related crime and the everyday demands and pressures caused by activities such as theft, business fraud, drugs, violence as well as night-time economy crime such as the sex trade.
Newcastle Journal
Journal Live
Gazette

Eight UK Universities Here To Meet Prospective Students
A total of eight education institutions from United Kingdom will be coming to Brunei next week to meet prospective students.
The eight institutes are seven British universities and a British college which are University of Bristol, University of Birmingham, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, Keele University, University of Plymouth, University of Glamorgan and Hull College.
BruDirect

Under the Milky Way
Still waters run deep for Alison Booth, who explores the themes of post-war migration and racism in rural Australia in her latest novel IF THERE. Booth, who is working at the University of Essex, is back home in Canberra during the northern hemisphere's academic holidays.
Herald Sun (Australia)
Courier Mail(Australia)

21 January

Researchers create Ghostbot fish that can swim in all directions
Researchers at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science have made a robotic fish that can swim in all directions.
The Science Museum in London has had a robotic fish swimming in their tanks since 2005. The fishbot, which resembles a carp, was produced by researchers from the University of Essex. They are working on a way to get the fishbot to monitor ocean pollution, instead of sending human divers down to collect samples.
Mobile Magazine

Tributes to Richard Whittington, who has died at 62
Legendary Soho maitre d’ Elena Salvoni remembered him as “always quite on-edge, especially if he had to wait for his food”.
But he could also be caring and thoughtful, according to food writer Dan Lepard, and in the last years of his life he wrote letters to many of his friends, perhaps in an attempt to atone for angry outbursts in the past.
Born in Bury St Edmunds in 1948, Whittington moved to take up a job as a reporter on the Birmingham Post after a year at Essex University studying American literature.
West End Extra
The Times

Online games started lengthy ago
When did the internet game scene 1st begin? Well not inside the early 1990s when well known America started to get Web connectivity in their homes at an amazingly slow dial up speed. Truly, Web games began nearly 40 years ago in the late 1960s reported by most games fanatics.
Some other great game developments happened at an academic institution along the pond, in England, at Essex University, through the entire 1970s and into the 1980s. The most popular gaming phenomenon that came out of Essex was a Multi User Dungeon (Mud).
MyContentBuilder

Holocaust Memories
The University of Essex marks Holocaust Memorial Week with a programme of shows, talks and films at the Lakeside Theatre next week. The focus of the week will be the pink triangle, or badge of shame, worn by homosexual inmates of the Nazi concentration campus.
Essex County Standard
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Judge makes an example of vile bus yob
A man has been jailed for launching a tirade of racist abuse at a female bus passenger. The University of Essex student boarded the bus at the Hythe's Tesco store and was subjected to racial and sexual abuse on her journey to Wivenhoe despite the intervention of other passengers.
Gazette

U's and uni team up for revamp of centre
Football fans and University students have chosen to give a new lease of life to Greenstead's community centre after choosing it as their Big Project for 2011.
Gazette

Have a chortle with Holly
New comedy face on the block, Holly Walsh, is the big name launching the University of Essex's new season of comedy nights starting tomorrow.
Essex County Standard

Teach-in
A teach-in is planned at the University of Essex on Wednesday in opposition to the cuts. University of Essex student Nathan Bolton said more events were planned for Colchester.
Essex County Standard

Proud of protests
Daniel Swain, a post-graduate student at the University of Essex, who attended the protests said he was proud of students in Colchester for taking a stand.
Essex County Standard

If you're good enough, you're old enough
Mini graduates have been receiving their degrees in the first graduation of the Colchester Children's University - a national organisation which provides young people with learning activities and experiences outside normal school hours. The ceremony was held in the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall at the University of Essex.
Essex County Standard
Gazette

Green to help get student party started
The students are back and so are the club nights. With Wivenhoe Park campus back in full swing, there's plenty to look forward to this term at Sub-Zero, the University of Essex nightclub and one of the big acts coming to the University is Professor Green.
Gazette

Peter and the Wolf
The classic musical tale of an adventurous boy and his animal friends is being told at the Lakeside Theatre on Sunday by the acclaimed Sea Legs Puppet Company.
Gazette

Go Girls: Click to join Race for Life
For the first time, all three races in Colchester will take place over one weekend after regional organisers made the decision not to return to the University of Essex.
Gazette

Meeting on uni gateway
A public meeting will be held about the University of Essex's Knowledge Gateway project. University staff will give information and answer questions at the meeting on 28 January at the Nottage Maritime Institute, Wivenhoe.
Gazette

Prof Cam's talk
A leading health economist is coming to the University of Essex next month to talk about the world of microfinance and the way it can be used to tackle inequalities in healthcare.
Gazette

20 January

Community quizzed for blitz on streets
A Colchester community will be asked what the authorities should do to improve its streets. For the first time, police, council staff, other public sector workers and University of Essex students will knock on doors and hand out questionnaires in the St Anne’s ward. The aim is to find out priorities for the latest Community Day of Action, planned for March 2, and the following three months.
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette

Community quizzed for blitz on streets
A Colchester community will be asked what the authorities should do to improve its streets. For the first time, police, council staff, other public sector workers and University of Essex students will knock on doors and hand out questionnaires in the St Anne’s ward. The aim is to find out priorities for the latest Community Day of Action, planned for March 2, and the following three months.
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette

News International group pensions manager Rosie Kumik
News International group pensions manager Rosie Kumik, who passed away on Friday 7 January, was an “invaluable and “inspiring” person, colleagues said today. She graduated from the University of Essex with an honours degree in linguistics before starting her career in corporate pensions at NatWest Insurance Services.
Professional Pensions

Only children: happier or sadder?
According to recent research, the happiness levels reported by children tends to decrease in proportion to the number of siblings. SThe study was carried out by  Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex.
Famiglia Cristiana.it

NO, CO, H₂S, go!
Researchers at the University of Essex will focus on three gases: nitric oxide, hydrogen sulphide and carbon monoxide and look at how they could be used to control blood flow and blood pressure as well as being key components of the immune system's fight against disease.
THE

System 'shutdown'? Protesters see chance as UCU ballots over strike action
Higher Education's biggest union is to ballot for national strikes over jobs, pay and pensions as student activists claim that action could lead to the 'shutdown' of the sector. Read comments made by Mark Bergfeld, a spokesman for the EAN and a master's student at the University of Essex, here.
THE

Council: Can't you protest in Castle Park? Students: No, we will block High St again
University of Essex student, Nathan Bolton, said more events were planned for Colchester town centre, including a protest planned by the Colchester Against the Cuts Campaign group on 3 March despite concerns from town leaders that their actions are causing considerable disorder and disruption.
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette

Islam meeting
The Islamic society at the University of Essex is inviting people to their fifth international conference at the University on Saturday 12 February. The theme of the conference this year is: "Islam, Fear or not to Fear".
Chronicle

Work for disabled
A seminar aimed at busting myths about employing disabled people will take place at the University of Essex on Friday. Experts taking part include Dr Bob Watt from the School of Law.
Gazette

Holocaust uni events
A week of events leading up to National Holocaust Memorial Day is taking place at the University of Essex. Holocaust survivor Dora Love will open a photographic exhibition in the Lakeside Theatre on Monday.
Gazette
Essex Chronicle

Nobel laureate wants to help Cyprus economy
Cypriot Nobel Laureate Professor Christophoros Pissarides has offered his economic expertise to the government, he said yesterday in his first public appearance since returning to the island. Pissarides, who has taken up a position at the University of Cyprus, told a news conference that he approached Finance Minister Charilaos Stavrakis around ten days ago offering his help, which was accepted, he said. Pissarides gained a BA in Economics in 1970 and MA in Economics in 1971 at the University of Essex.
Cyprus Mail
Daily News Egypt

Bahrain: Encouraging entrepreneurship
In a sign of its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship, the country hosted the 10th International Entrepreneurship Forum on January 10-11, the first time the annual event was held in the Gulf. The forum was organised by Tamkeen, an independent authority tasked with investing in Bahraini employability and job creation, in partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, the UK's University of Essex and the OECD.
Zawya.com
Gulfbase

Brierfield woman in semi-finals of Miss Universe
Layla Griffiths has made the regional heat of one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the world - after forgetting she had entered. Layla is an ambassador of the Holocaust Educational Trust after she was nominated by her Burnley College history lecturers for her dedication and interest in the subject. She is currently in her gap year from education and concentrating on her modelling career but is hoping to study a history and politics degree at the University of Essex in September.
Burnley Express
Pendle Today

Temporary Hegemonic Zones
Dr Stevphen Shukaitis, from the Essex Business School attended a congress for Neue Slowenische Kunst's imaginary state and writes about his experience. Read the article here.
InfoShop

19 January

No easy answer
Why has the number of people claiming incapacity benefit soared? A new study undermines some common theories. Read comments made by Professor Richard Berthoud from the Institute for Social and Economic Research here.
The Guardian

18 January

English Speaking Union
The Colchester and north-east Essex branch of the English Speaking Union is hosting a schools public speaking competition on Thursday 27 January at the University of Essex.
Gazette

Researchers' Work from University of Essex, Department of Biological Sciences Focuses on Microbial Ecology
Dr Boyd McKew and colleagues from the Department of Biological Science have published the results of their research on the 'Resistance and resilience of benthic biofilm communities from a temperate saltmarsh to desiccation and rewetting' in the Isme Journal
Life Science Weekly
Science Letter

17 January

A face which hides horror of Holocaust
The Gazette interview University of Essex honorary graduate, Dora Love and profiles the events taking place at the University next week to mark Holocaust Memorial Week. Read the feature here.
Gazette
Halstead Gazette
Echo
Southend Standard

Police: Take your stuff with you
Burglars stole a flat screen television and several laptop computers after breaking into a house while the five University of Essex students were out.
Gazette

Fans' frustration over mediation secrecy
Contract details between Wivenhoe Town Football Club and the Wivenhoe and District Sporting Facilities Trust will be kept secret after a dispute was resolved. A recent Trust meeting was held at the University of Essex but some people were still unhappy at the lack of transparency.
Gazette

£50,000 coral research facility opens
A new £50,000 aquarium has opened at Essex University to help with research into the growth of corals under controlled laboratory conditions. The new tropical research facility forms part of the University’s Coral Reef Research Unit and doubles up as a coral husbandry facility, enabling the unit to propagate their own corals. The main system is unique in that it contains distinct experimental chambers, allowing different environments to be created in separate areas of the system.
Practical Fishkeeping

Study Results from University of Essex Broaden Understanding of Visual Cognition
Dr William Matthews and colleagues from the Department of Psychology have published their study on 'Exploring the memory advantage for moving scenes' in the journal Visual Cognition.
Pain and Central Nervous System Week

Study Findings from University of Bristol, Medical Department Provide New Insights into Tobacco Research
Researchers from the University of Bristol have published a study in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research using  British Household Panel Survey data.
Health and Medicine Week
Mental Health Weekly Digest

16 January

Essex Artists Exhibition at Epping Forest District Museum
Beyond the Frame is a ‘Museums in Essex' project involving five museums paired with 5 contemporary Essex artists. The artists have worked to create new pieces of art inspired by those they have seen in the museums collections, focussing on watercolours, prints, drawings and posters. The collections vary in style and age but all reflect the rich heritage of Essex, its people and places. One of the commissioned artists is Karen Murphy and her gallery was the University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art. Read the article here.
AboutMyArea

15 January

Calm down, dear How to get inner peace in ten minutes
As little as five minutes in a green space can relieve depression, stress and low self-esteem, according to research from the University of Essex. According to the National Trust, Britain's happiest people spend a lot of time outdoors.
The Times

Workshops and show beat drum for Balinese art
The intricate art of gamelan drumming is coming to Southend for a special show and workshop this weekend. Tomorrow Lila Cita, the UK’s premiere Balinese gamelan ensemble, will be joined by Balinese dance troop, Lila Bhawa, to christen East 15 Acting School’s own gamelan drum at Clifftown Studios. Read the article here.
Gazette

14 January

Billionaire solution to the financial crisis
Austin Mitchell and Professor Prem Sikka argue that no more than 1,000 people need to be inconvenienced in tackling the national debt. Read the article here.
Tribune Magazine

£162m savings could cost hundreds of jobs
Major employers in Colchester are reviewing their staffing levels in an effort to balance the books. The University of Essex is one major employer in the town and is offering voluntary severance to staff if the position will not be replaced or where significant savings can be made.
Essex County Standard

Robber knifes student in town graveyard attack
A University of Essex student has been left shaken following an attempted robbery in  the graveyard of the former St Mary's Church, now Colchester Arts Centre.
Essex County Standard
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette

Holocaust discussions
Thought-provoking discussions on issues surrounding the Holocaust will start in Colchester next Monday. Each Monday for the next five weeks, the Minories Cafe will host speakers, including Holocaust survivor Dora Love and Professor Rainer Schulze.
Gazette
Essex County Standard

Mr Archaeology up for UK award
Colchester's archaeology guru Philip Crummy has been nominated for a national award. He was presented with an honorary degree in 2008 by the University of Essex for his work.
Essex County Standard

Toxic gas: is it good for you?
The University of Essex has been given more than £200,000 to investigate the effects of toxic gases produced by cigaretttes, power plants and car engines on the body. The project will look at how they may be able to help blood pressure and boost the immune system.
Essex County Standard
Essex Chronicle

Find out what's happening at university
A meeting is to be held to inform Wivenhoe residents about work being carried out at the University of Essex's Knowledge Gateway. The Knowledge Gateway is the new home for social and scientific research and business space in Colchester, and will have the university's flagship Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution at its heart.
Essex County Standard

Town's youngest graduates are top of the class
At a ceremony to be held at the University of Essex, 40 children and young people, all pupils at schools in the area, will become the first students to graduate from the town's Children's University.
Essex County Standard

Pick of the Week
Sea/Woman - a great way to kick off what is possibly the best Lakeside season to date. The show is a new piece of physical theatre which has been created from a collaboration between UK's Athletes of the Heart, along with DAH Teater in Serbia and Norway's Teatret Om.
Essex County Standard

13 January

Opoku Manu is sacked
The President Of Ghana has appointed Mr. Peter A. Wiredu, a deputy Commissioner of Police, as acting Commissioner for the Ghana Immigration Service. Dr. Peter Wiredu holds a LLB honours from the University of Ghana, Legon, a LLM from the University of Essex in UK and PhD from the University of London. He was called to the Ghana Bar in 1981. He has also served in the various capacities in the Ghana Police Service, including the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI).
The Mail
Accra Daily Mail
Modern Ghana
AllAfrica.com
Poten and Partners

Southend town centre car park to shut tomorrow
The Elmer Approach car park, next to Farringdon multi-storey, is due to shut tomorrow. However, it is expected to reopen when the demolition of the old multi-storey is complete in May. The closure of both car parks will allow preparation work to take place for the multi-million pound Elmer Square development, which will include a library and extra facilities for South Essex College and the University of Essex.
Echo
Southend Standard

What the student union leaders say ...
President of Essex University Students' Union Kishor Krishnamoorthi said: "The new funding system which will be introduced for 2012 undergraduate entrants is quite simply a step backwards for the higher education system of the country. Charging students between £6,000 and £9,000 per year just in tuition fees in addition to rent, living expenses, etc will mean that a student could graduate with a debt of up to £45,000. This fee rise is meant to cover the 79 per cent cut to higher education funding which effectively privatises universities and I honestly don't think that the education sector should be one where universities need to compete for survival. Universities have been and should be a platform to disseminate knowledge and enrich the minds of individuals. The sudden increase in fees will no doubt see a fall in student numbers in the higher education sector and the demise of smaller universities which will not be able to compete with the older Oxbridge institutions in this new market for education."
Essex Chronicle

'I was going to defer but now I can't'
Dan Fincham, 19, from Coggeshall, applied to university this year to avoid the top-up fees in 2012. He applied to physiotherapy courses at six universities including Anglia Ruskin and the University of Essex . He said: "I was going to defer a couple of years but I decided not to because I didn't want to pay the top-up fees.
Essex Chronicle

On the march
In the plush lobbies of Big Four firms across London, there is chaos as young activists protesting against tax avoidance blow whistles, chant and glue their hands to the office windows.  "The Big Four firms are now on the radar of lots of people," said Prem Sikka, Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and a long-standing critic of the Big Four firms and the tax avoidance industry. "The firms are at the heart of the global tax avoidance industry. The NGO (non-governmental organisation) community is already onto the Big Four firms and I think it's only a matter of time before you see demonstrations outside their offices."
Accountancy Age

On the move: Serhiy Chorny, Baker & McKenzie
Serhiy Chorny has been appointed co-managing partner in Ukraine for Baker & McKenzie, a leading international law firm. Before becoming co-managing partner, Chorny was head of the groups banking, finance and capital markets practice in Ukraine.  Chorny received his first law degree from Kyiv State University, and also gained a Master of Laws from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
KPNews.com

The 10th International Entrepreneurship Forum concludes in of the Kingdom of Bahrain
The "Tenth International Forum on Entrepreneurship" announced at the closing ceremony that Russia would be the  next venue for the 11th IEF. The 10th IEF was organized in partnership with the Research Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD (OECD).
Zawya.com
AME Info

Microsoft’s Chris Pirie Named Chair-Elect to the ASTD Board of Directors
Chris Pirie, General Manager within Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing and Services Group Readiness (SMGSR) organization, will serve as the 2011 chair-elect on the Board of Directors for the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). Mr. Pirie moved to the United States in 1991 and has a degree in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Essex. Read the article here.
Red Orbit

The coral reefs of England
A £50,000 aquarium at the University of Essex heralds an exciting new era in coral research.
Times Higher Education

Applications to universities rise before fee hike
Applications to the University of Essex have risen by 14 per cent.
Essex Chronicle

Dancing fever is hotting up
A new dance class starts on Sunday at Clifftown Studios. Experienced flamenco teacher Sandra La Espuelita will be joined by flamenco guitarist Migel De La Toree to teach basic dance techniques.
Echo

Obituary: Kevin Boyle
Obituary for Professor Kevin Boyle of the Human Rights Centre who dies over Christmas. Read the full obituary here.
Times Higher Education

Next Director of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences appointed
Essex Honorary Graduate Professor John Toland has been appointed Director of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at Cambridge University.
Cambridge News

I’m unpopular over cuts, says councillor
One of Colchester's leading councillors Tina Dopson has admitted the funding cuts she is overseeing at the Town Hall have made her unpopular. But Mrs Dopson said one of her biggest achievements was helping to set up Colchester Academy, formerly Sir Charles Lucas Arts College, and forging links with Colchester Institute, Essex University and the local primary care trust.
Colchester Gazette

Women in stab attack
A teenager was stabbed in the arm during a botched robbery attempt. The 19-year-old female Essex University student was attacked in broad daylight on a graveyard path near Colchester Arts Centre, off Church Walk.The attacker grabbed her by the throat and demanded money at knifepoint, but the student did not have any. The woman was taken to hospital for treatment.
Colchester Gazette

12 January

Firms braced for tax protests
Prem Sikka from Essex Business School is interviewed on the risk of public protests at big firms as public spending cuts bite and public anger grows over companies avoiding billions in tax. Read the article here
Accountancy Age

Microsoft's Chris Pirie named Chair-elect to the ASTD Board of Directors
Essex alumnus Chris Pirie will be come Chair to the ASTD Board of Directors in 2012.
Benzinga.com
PRWeb
AllVoiuces

Sessions for postgrads
Four open evenings are being held at Essex University for people interested in studying there as postgraduates.
Colchester Gazette

11 January

Essex coral reefs, malaria in the UK, and Antartica
As the UK winter continues to bite, Sue Nelson tries to escape it all by going to visit a coral reef. Unfortunately for Sue, the coral reef is not in some sunny clime. Instead, it's an indoor coral reef at the brand new Coral Reef Research Unit at the University of Essex.
Planet Earth - online

Companion to the Literature and Culture of the American South (Book review)
From slave narratives to the Civil War, and from country music to Southern sport, this Companion [By Professor Richard Gray, Department of Literature] is the definitive guide to the literature and culture of the American South.
www.arnnet.com/au/books

Leadership skills are praised
Bahrain is one of the most exciting countries in the region in providing leadership skills and business environment, according to a leading speaker at the forum. "I would like to express my gratitude to the Bahrain government and Tamkeen for hosting this forum which is considered the first of its kind in the Gulf," said Professor of Business Enterprise and Innovation and Centre for Entre-preneurship Research director at the University of Essex Jay Mitra. The forum has been organised by Tamkeen in partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, Essex Business School, University of Essex, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Gulf Daily News
Zawya.com
Bahrain News Agency

10 January

Architects appointed for student centre
London-based Patel Taylor have won the contract to design the new centre and library extension - a project costing £21 million.
Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette

Meeting to discuss university's gateway
A public meeting is to be held at the end of the month for residents in Wivenhoe and surrounding areas to update them on work to create the University of Essex's Knowledge Gateway. Members of University staff will give a presentation about the work and answer questions.
Gazette

£200k boost for research
The University of Essex has received a grant from the Leverhulme Trust to investigate the effects of toxic gases produced by cigarettes, power plants and care engines on the body. The project will look at whether they could be used to help blood pressure and boost the immune system to fight diseases.
Gazette
Brentwood Gazette

Richard Whittington
Food writer Richard Whittington, died on January 3. He spent a year at the University of Essex in the late 60s, where he read American literature, and then he left to begin a career in journalism. Read the obituary here.
Daily Telegraph

More than 100,000 white British women, average age 27 years have chosen to become Muslim
According to a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University who is undertaking a PhD at the University of Essex, the Muslim community has increased significantly in the last decade. Read the article here.
allvoices
Antara News
Republika

9 January

Tuition fee rise could boost our college
While students have strongly opposed fees soaring to up to £9,000 a year, the controversial Commons vote could play into the hands of South Essex College. The college has just celebrated a year since South East Essex College and Thurrock and Basildon College merged, to become South Essex College. Jan Hodges, college principal and chief executive, said higher university tuition fees mean more people may choose to study locally. She said: “We are offering good quality degrees validated by the University of Essex and it is very attractive to people. The increase is not a good thing, but it might be something we capitalise on. Read the article here.
Echo
Brentwoos Weekly News
Southend Standard
Basildon and Wickford Recorder

8 January

New era for coral research
An exciting new era of research has begun at the University of Essex’s (UK) Coral Reef Research Unit. Its new tropical research aquarium facility is now up and running, and will greatly enhance the diversity of research undertaken at the University. The £50,000 aquarium doubles up as a research facility and a coral husbandry facility, taking away the need to buy coral for experiments and enabling the research unit to address key research questions under controlled laboratory conditions.
World Fishing online

The world through language
What language can tell us about how we think. Read comments made by Professor Debi Roberson from the Department of Psychology.
ScienceLine

7 January

Essex professors investigate whether toxic gases can be good for your health
Scientists will be finding out whether a little of something bad could actually be good for you. the University of Essex has been given more than £200,000 to investigate the effects of toxic gases produced by cigarettes, power plants and car engines on the body.
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

£21m centre 'will be focus of student life'
London-based architects Patel Taylor has won the contract to design the new student centre and library extension. The new student centre which is due to open in late 2013, will include an integrated learning centre, a new 24-hour reading room, a students' union media centre and a one-stop shop for student services.
Essex County Standard

Aquarium helps reef research
A new £50,000 aquarium has opened in the department of Biological Sciences which will help research into reefs thousands of miles away.
Essex County Standard

The marathon of the turtle from Africa to Brazil in 6 months
British scientists have been monitoring the incredible journey that turtles make to mate. The unprecedented research by British scientists at the University of Essex has identified a group of 25 female turtles, including one who called Tika on the coast of Gabon. Now organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Society's Ocean Giants will use the data collected by scientists from Essex University to ask the countries on the route of the turtles to take measures to preserve the species.
La Repubblica
Gazzetta dello Sport

Demand grows for places at university
Applications for places at the University of Essex have risen by 14 per cent with more expected before the January 15 deadline.
Essex County Standard

Laptop thefts on campus
Students are being warned to keep their windows closed following a spare of laptop computer thefts at the University of Essex.
Essex County Standard

Business issues to be probed at forum
The 10th International Entrepreneurship Forum, Bahrain 2011, is being held on Monday and Tuesday at the Isa Cultural Hall in Juffair under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa. It is being hosted by Tamkeen in partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, University of Essex and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The key theme of the forum will be 'Creating Social, Economic, Cultural, and Personal Value', with the agenda comprising plenary sessions, parallel panel discussions and contribution by prominent academics, renowned researchers, policymakers, chief executives and consultants of leading, public and private institutions from all over the world.
Gulf Daily News
AME info
Trade Arabia

Divorce makes men the richer sex
Divorce makes men,particularly fathers, significantly richer, however, ex-wives are plunged into poverty, according to a new research carried out by Professor Stephen Jenkins, a director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research and chair of the Council of the International Association for Research on Income and Wealth. In stark contrast, women suffer severe financial penalties - regardless of whether she has children. The survey, Marital Splits and Income Changes over the Longer Term, which is the first to track the changing wealth levels in Britain associated with a marriage breakdown, revealed that the average woman's income falls by more than a fifth and remains low for many years.
Mid Day online

Councils fail homeless teenagers
Councils are flouting government guidance designed to protect vulnerable homeless 16 and 17-year-olds, a major investigation by Inside Housing has revealed. During the first 10 months of last year, only 27 per cent of the 6,677 housing applicants in this group had their support needs assessed, according to our survey of 99 councils. Carolyn Hamilton, Director of the Children’s Legal Centre, described the findings as very worrying. ‘It is extremely rare for this vulnerable group…simply to need a roof over their heads,’ she added. Read the article here.
Inside Housing online
CommunityCare.co.uk

6 January

Fighting corners
Politicians tend to be blamed when policy goes wrong but while the professional standing of senior civil servants is less secure they are also less likely to thrust themselves into situations where professional norms contradict ministerial whim. Studies of policy failure in British central government tend to blame the politicians. One such study is due from Professor Anthony King from the University of Essex later this year, but he is not going to name officials – perhaps for the good reason that, ex-post, it's hard to identify whose hands were on the tiller when the ship went down. Read the article here.
Public

Secretary-general of ePURE questions NGOs stance on biofuels
In the summer, Sarah Pilgrim and Mark Harvey, two researchers of the University of Essex in England, published the results of their research titled "Battles over Biofuels in Europe: NGOs and the Politics of Markets". Their most significant conclusion is that the development of NGO policy on biofuels has been driven more by narrow political opportunities for influence than by broader and more coherent policy responses to global climate change or economic development, or indeed rigorous assessment of the scientific evidence. Read the article here.
Renewable Energy Magazine
Checkbiotech

University sees calls for places
Applications for places at the University of Essex have risen 14 per cent on last year and as of yesterday, the number of applications was soaring and another spike was expected before the 15 January deadline, putting the demand for the university far above the national trend.
Gazette
Chelmsford Weekly News
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Halstead Gazette
Clacton, Frinton and Walton Gazette

Students are told to lock up
Detectives have renewed a warning to students after a laptop computer was stolen from a flat at the University of Essex's Wivenhoe campus. Colchester CID urged students to make sure they keep windows locked when out of their ground-floor rooms.
Gazette

You'll be flocking to the 2011 treats
The Lakeside Theatre at the University of Essex will be marking Holocaust Week with a programme of events and the Theatre will also be featuring Skip "Little Axe" McDonald on 29 January and Beachy Head, a mix of 3D animation and live theatre on 24 February.
Gazette

Man denies sex charges
A man is to face trial over an alleged sex assault at the University of Essex in December 2009. He will face trial on 4 April and is currently on bail.
Gazette
Essex County Standard

People
Richard Lister has been appointed deputy provost (professional services) of University Campus Suffolk. He was previously director of planning and resources and executive director at the institution.
THE

Ripped off on the job
Thousands of employees have been laid off during this recession and replaced with self-employed casuals. They get no holiday, sick or redundancy pay, they won't get Jobseekers' Allowance if laid off or even a full state pension, and their bosses escape paying their national insurance. Turning your staff self-employed, warns HM Revenue and Customs, "is not a matter of choice" - depending on the job, they either should be employed or not. Employment expert Professor Mark Harvey from the University of Essex said: "Legitimate companies are forced into employing workers illegally because their competitors are already doing so. This costs the Treasury over pounds 1billion every year."
Daily Mirror

HMV stores set to escape national cull
Music chain HMV - which has several branches in the region - today announced it is to close 60 of its 400 stores after reporting dismal sales figures. HMV, which also owns the Waterstone’s chain of book shops, warned that profits for the year to April were set to be near the bottom of the current range of City forecasts, of between £46million and £60m. Waterstone’s has two stores in Bury St Edmunds, two in Colchester (one in the town centre and the other on the University of Essex campus), and one each in Ipswich, Lowestoft and Chelmsford.
East Anglian Daily Times
Ipswich Evening Star

Lost images of 'human exhibits' in Britain discovered
A University of Leicester researcher has discovered two photographic images, presumed lost, of native Americans brought to Britain by Roger Casement a century ago. Dr Lesley Wylie, Lecturer in Latin American Studies in the School of Modern Languages, University of Leicester, made the discovery during her research for a book on the Putumayo, a border region in the Amazon. Her book forms part of the AHRC-funded research project, American Tropics: Towards A Literary Geography, based at the University of Essex. The photographs were found among a photographic collection relating to the period of the rubber boom in the Putumayo held by the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Phys.Org

5 January

Trust staff shed the festive pounds in Great Outdoors
Over 40 National Trust Staff based at the trust headquarters have joined an outdoor gym group there, in a bid to lose the weight they have piled on over Christmas. All participants will be following a 31-day plan, which will involve getting outdoors at lunchtimes for power walks, jogs or runs, plus other exercises, including star jumps. The challenge builds on recent research by the University of Essex, which shows that exercising in a natural environment boosts people's physical and mental health more than going to indoor gyms, even in winter. Read the article here.
Eastbourne Gazette and Herald Series
Swindon Advertiser
Westmorland Gazette
Caravanclub.co.uk

Uni's £50k fish tank to research coral reefs
A new £50,000 aquarium has opened at Essex University to help research into coral reefs.
Gazette
East Anglian Daily Times
Business Weekly

4 January

Obituary: Professor Kevin Boyle, barrister and human rights lawyer
Professor Kevin Boyle, an internationally respected human rights lawyer and Emeritus Professor at the University, has died. Read the full obituary here.
The Scotsman
The Guardian
RTE News
Belfast Telegraph
The Irish Times
Many other tributes in newspapers

Do not disturb! Bats halt work on uni's hotel
Bats have delayed work on a £10million hotel. Wivenhoe House is being converted into a luxury hotel and training school.
Gazette
Essex County Standard
Harwich and Manningtree Gazette
Halstead Gazette

3 January

Two-thirds of people in the South West support scrapping the first-past-the-post system in favour of alternative vote
Research has found that 56 per cent of people nationally backed the alternative vote (AV). Research by the University of Essex found that some lib dem MPS would still hold their seats of the AV had been used at the last election.
ThisisDevon

2 January

Mayor announces single new promotion agency for London
Essex graduate Danny Lopez, currently a group director at the London Development Agency, will be spearheaded a new promotion agency for London bringing together the existing agencies for tourism, inward investment and international students.
Media Newswire

December 2010

31 December

Professor campaigned for peace
Professor Kevin Boyle, a director at the University of Essex's Human Rights Centre, who campaigned for peave in Northern Ireland has died.
Essex County Standard

Outdoor gym is best for fitness
Dr Jo Barton, an exercise expert at the University of Essex is urging people to use outdoor gyms to lose weight and boost self-esteem.
Essex County Standard

Bats outstay welcome at site of £10m hotel school
Luxury-loving bats have delayed work on a £10million hotel school development. The bats were found in the 1980s extension of the building which is due to be demolished and cannot be disturbed as they are in hibernation. They are expected to move to their new home in the spring.
Essex County Standard

Essex University's Dr Cecilia Cassinger reveals retailers' tricks
As the January sales starts, Dr Cecilia Cassinger, of Essex Business School, comments on the psychology of the shopper. Read the full article here.
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Gazette
Halstead Gazette

Plenty of theatrical treats for young and old alike
The New Year sees a cutting edge theatre programme at the Lakeside Theatre.
Essex County Standard

Students plan another fees protest
Student protesters are set to take to the streets for the fourth time in less than two months. Pupils from colleges and schools will be joined by counterparts from the University of Essex in Colchester town centre.
Essex County Standard

Iraqi role for university man
A former University of Essex graduate has been appointed Iraq's foreign minister. Hoshyar Zebari, who completed a masters in the department of Sociology in 1980 has been reappointed to the role under a newly-formed administration.
Essex County Standard

Student facing trial for rape bid
A student has appeared in court charged with the attempted rape of a fellow student at the University of Essex. He will now appear at Chelmsford Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on 14 January.
Essex County Standard

29 December

Joy as airport bus service gets a temporary reprieve
The X22 bus which ferries people between Stansted airport and the  north of the county, including a stop at the University of Essex's Colchester Campus, has been temporarily saved a fortnight before it as due to be scrapped.
Essex County Standard
Halstead Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Bus and Coach Professional

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 last updated on Tuesday June 22, 2010.