University of Essex in the press...

Video clips on-line

Parliament Live
University of Essex report on care farming was discussed as part of an adjournment debate on Care farming and disadvantaged groups by Mr Mark Todd in Parliament on 24th November.
Discussion starts at 7hrs 11 and finishes at about 7hrs 45.

BBC
Flagship University Building open
Teaching has begun in the new flagship building for the recently created university in Suffolk. University Campus Suffolk (UCS), in Ipswich, was established by the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex last year. View the clip here.

ITV Local
Professor Jules Pretty, Biological Sciences, comments on how visiting to a farm can benefit a person’s wellbeing. View the clip here

ITV Local
Professor Michael Sherer, Department of Accounting, Finance and Management,  comments on rising fuel prices as part of Anglia TV's Feeling the Pinch series. View the clip here

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

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

March 2009

Tuesday 31

Mall walking vs. trail hiking which is better for you?
Focusing on people affected by depression, researchers from the University of Essex compared the benefits of hiking a trail through the woods and around a lake in a nature park to walking in an indoor shopping centre. The researchers found that the hikers realized far greater benefits than the mall walkers. Read more here.
Examiner.com

Monday 30

Researchers from University of Essex provide details of new studies and findings
"We report an approach for multiplex analysis of cancer biomarkers based on the measurement of diagnostic peptides in whole tissue protein digests," scientists writing in the journal Proteomics Clinical Applications report. "Label-free quantitation with MS3 multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was developed to afford accurate analysis of prospective marker peptides in a panel of breast tumours. This approach provides an economical and robust alternative to stable isotope-based methods," wrote G Metodiva and colleagues, University of Essex.
Gastroenterology Week
Proteomics Weekly
Biotech Week

Microbes in mud flat clean up oil spill chemicals
Micro-organisms occurring naturally in coastal mudflats have an essential role to play in cleaning up pollution by breaking down petrochemical residues. Research by Dr Efe Aganbi and colleagues from the University of Essex, presented at the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Harrogate, reveals essential differences in the speed of degradation of the chemicals depending on whether or not oxygen is present. Read the full article on Science Daily here.
Science Daily
EurekAlert
Science Blog

Sunday 29

Now electoral roll row engulfs Tony McNulty
Scandal-hit Employment Minister Tony McNulty has been challenged over whether he has broken electoral roll laws by declaring his address as his parents' London home just two months ago - the house for which he admits he wrongly claimed Commons expenses. Dr Bob Watt, head of the University of Essex's law school and an expert in election law said: 'Providing false information to an electoral registration officer is a serious offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983.' Read the full article here.
Mail on Sunday

Saturday 28

School meals: Playground bunfight
The Local Authority Caterers Association (Laca) warned last week that strict rules governing school meals inspired by Jamie Oliver's healthy-eating campaign could drive children to buy junk food. Oliver launched the national Feed Me Better campaign to improve school meals in 2005 after working in a south London school kitchen. Research from the Institute for Social and Economic Research found that pupils aged 11 in Greenwich, the borough where Oliver delivered healthy meals, achieved better exam results. Read the full article here.
The Times

Friday 27

Celebrating region's top buildings
University Campus Suffolk's iconic waterfront Building in Ipswich is in the running for two more awards. In addition to being shortlisted for the RIBA Awards for the eastern region, it is among the entries in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' East of England awards for 2009 in both the Sustainability and Regeneration categories.
East Anglian Daily Times

Change in the air at special school
Market Field School in Elmstead Market has drawn up plans for a new block at the school to accommodate a rapidly growing pupil roll. Headteacher Gary Smith said that the extension would help the school move in the right direction and that they would like to 'forge departmental links with the University of Essex and become a true centre of excellence'.
Essex County Standard

Shortage of start-up office space
New business are having to look outside Colchester due to a lack of start-up units in the town. All 36 offices have been snapped up in the town's only incubation centre. Other incubation centres have been planned in Colchester, including the Essex University Research Park.
Essex County Standard

Gateway to finding capital funding
The Haven Gateway Partnership Board will meet soon to discuss where funding money may be allocated across Colchester, Ipswich and Felixstowe. One of the projects mentioned by the Chief Executive is the University of Essex's plans for a research park and business incubation centre.
Essex County Standard

Protection: Don’t get caught up in the downward spiral
According to an article in the recent fun-packed edition of Proceedings of the Royal Society, psychologists claim to have identified an optimism gene: ‘We’ve shown for the first time that a genetic variation is linked with a tendency to look on the bright side of life,’ says Elaine Fox of the University of Essex. ‘This is a key mechanism underlying resilience to general life stress.’  Read the whole article here.
CityWire
 

Thursday 26

Scratch crew moves up
Crews from all over the UK and Europe descended on the Thames on Saturday for the four-mile 374 yard Head of the River time trial over the Boat Race course.
Sudbury members in other boats were Paul Hamblett, guesting for Bedford Star, who finished in 91st place, and Antony Moule, who coxed the University of Essex to a creditable 339th place out of 420 entrants.
Suffolk Free Press

Clean-up will go swimmingly
A robotic fish that can analyse and monitor pollution in ports will be developed by researchers at the University of Essex.
Times Higher Education

Economic and Social research Council Award
The ESRC has awarded a £1.5million funding to the University of Essex to carry out the latest British Election Study, the UK's leading analysis of political science research.
Times Higher Education

Wednesday 25

Young people 'can make a difference'
A conference at the University of Essex which heard from  speakers including the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence and MP David Blunkett has been hailed a success.
East Anglian Daily Times

Blunkett gives lesson in citizenship
Former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke to sixth formers about how they can make a difference to society. Mr Blunkett, a leading figure in the debate about citizenship, was speaking at a conference at the University of Essex.
Gazette

Tuesday 24

Software partners in line for award
An innovative computer software program developed by a Suffolk company has been short listed for a prestigious regional award. The new product which it has created over the last two years in partnership with the University of Essex, is set to be available commercially within months. Professor Hani Hagras of the University of Essex has stated that: 'The software has had a positive impact in terms of human recourses.'
East Anglian Daily Times

Comic Kane praises school team for their quiz prowess
Comedian Russell Kane congratulated Colbayns High School sixth form, when students came second in Essex University's social science challenge quiz.
Gazette

Boffin opens brain centre
A professor from Harvard University will officially open the new Centre for Brain Science at the University of Essex.
Gazette

Monday 23

Credit crunch seminar
People are invited to a seminar, organised by the University of Essex and Essex Chambers of Trade, in Southend to explore the impact of the credit crunch and consider its economic and social implications.
Echo

Paras box to glory
A team of novice boxers from the town's 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment have punched their way in to the final of the Army Major Units Boxing Championship. The team of 18 have been training full-time and have received nutritional advice from Essex University sports scientists.
Gazette

Sunday 22

Fish and microchips: robot carp sniffs out pollution
No, it’s not a Titan Terror Fish – the undersea enemy of Captain Troy Tempest in the vintage sci-fi puppet show, Stingray. This mechanical carp has a more benign purpose: to swim through coastal and inland waters and monitor pollution.
The 5ft long, battery-powered fish has been developed by the robotics team at the University of Essex. Its shape is not intended to allow it to blend in with the local sealife. Professor Huosheng Hu of the university’s School of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering decided that rather than construct a mini-submarine, he would borrow from nature. Read the whole article here.
The Sunday Times

This story appeared in over 100 publications over the weekend

The banker, his socialite wife and the billion pound tax question
Revelations in The Sunday Times last week have thrown a spotlight on a top Barclays banker and the secretive world of tax avoidance.  Read Professor Prem Sikka's comments here.
The Sunday Times
 

Saturday 21

New buildings in running for awards
One of the Suffolk finalists short listed in the annual Royal Institute of British Architects Awards is the University Campus Suffolk Waterfront building in Ipswich.
East Anglian Daily Times
BBC

Friday 20

Fishy robots to look out for pollution
It may sound a fishy but boffins at Essex University have netted a share of £2.5 million to develop robotic fish capable of analysing pollution.
East Anglian Daily Times

Recycling contest can be family affair
The Colchester Engineering Society is organising the Family Recycling Challenge on April and representatives from Essex University will help judge the entries. Six to fifteen year olds need to get together with their parents and turn unwanted materials into something of an artistic, scientific or engineering nature, either with or without power.
Essex County Standard

Students get tech awards
Two Essex University students have scooped engineering and technology awards. Entrants had to give a presentation and answer questions in the southern heat of the Institution of Engineering and Technology's Present Around the World competition.
Gazette

University - politics can be fun
Studying subjects like politics, sociology and economics can be fun - that is Essex University's message to north Essex pupils. The Wivenhoe campus hosted a social science challenge with a difference for 60 teenagers from local schools and sixth-form departments.
Essex County Standard

Double delight for Greens
There was double joy for the Green family at the North Essex Squash Academy Championships as brothers Charlie and Kieran collected the under-11 and under-13 boys' titles.  The championships were held at Essex University and proved to be a great success.
Essex County Standard

Double whammy in Castle Park is a life-saving bonus
Nearly 3,000 women have signed up to save lives. They will be lining up at Colchester's Castle Park on 17 May and Essex University on 26 July to take part in the Cancer Research UK Race for Life.
Gazette

Single Living to Rise 10 Per Cent by 2019
Nearly two million more single households will emerge by the end of the next decade, driven by young adults' increasing desire to live alone. Analysis commissioned by Lloyds TSB Insurance and using some date from the British Household Panel Survey, reveals that the number of single households almost doubled between 1971 and 2001. This growth stalled during the noughties, partly due to rising house prices, but is likely to recover over the next decade as homes become more affordable for young professionals. Read the whole article here.
Canadian Business
Associated Press Financial News
MarketWatch
StreetInsider
Globe Investor
Market Wire
PR Inside

Thursday 19

Pay packets of excellence
The THE covered Vice-Chancellor's and Academic's salaries today.  In 2007-08, academic pay rose more rapidly than the national average. Many universities now have turnovers to match those of major businesses, and new figures show that academics are being remunerated comparably with or even better than professionals in the private sector. Read the whole article here.
THE

Robotic fish are latest weapon in fight against water pollution
Robotic fish, developed by UK scientists, are to be released into the sea for the first time to detect pollution. The five fish are being built by Professor Huosheng Hu and his robotics team at the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex. He hopes to release them into the water by the end of next year. Read the whole article here.
The Telegraph

The chosen few
The University of Essex has been shortlisted in the category of Outstanding University Fundraising Team. Read the article here.
THE

The Water Cooler
What rights do children have at the police station? A updated guide from the Children's Legal Centre has set out all the rights of children and young people from the moment they are detained by police, and through questioning and interview. The guide, by Dominic Bascombe, also discusses the role of an appropriate adult; how long a child can be detained; how any interview should be recorded; and when a child can take part in an identification parade.
The Times

Crisis boosts postgrad numbers
The recession is being credited with driving a 50% increase in the number of applications for full-time postgraduate courses at the University of Essex.
THE

Physicists to be honoured
Two physicists from Essex - Professor Brian Ridley and Professor Rodney Loudon - are to be honoured at a special conference to mark their contribution to the field.
Gazette

Wednesday 18

University's RoboCod to help police sea pollution
A team at Essex University, led by Professor Huosheng Hu from the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, has been awarded £500,000 of European Union funding.  The team will develop its lifelike robotic fish to be used in ports to search and analyse chemicals in the water.
Gazette
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...as well as 18 other local/regional news outlets

Clingoe Hill closed for road improvements
Work to improve one of Colchester's major access roads, where two Essex University students have been killed while crossing the road, starts tonight.
Gazette

Doctor on trail of reclusive author
Dr. James Canton of Essex University has started to research J.A. Baker, author of 'The Peregrine', while developing a postgraduate course in nature writing at the Colchester campus.
Gazette

The Quaker whose school gave hope to poor children
Rosalind Kaye came across the Halstead Industrial School record in the University of Essex archives, and was so fascinated by the records that she went on to research her recently published book, called 'The Spirit of a Real Home'
Gazette

Tuesday 17

Distancing regulator from regulated
A public debate on effective regulation is long overdue, and would put an end to the constant pandering to private interests. Read Professor Prem Sikka's article here.
The Guardian

Memorial fund to be boosted by marathon effort
Amanda Godber, a former student at the University of Essex is taking part in the London Marathon in memory of a student who died while on safari in Africa.
East Anglian Daily Times

Not too late for uni
The deadline for university applications has passed, but Rachel Earle, Head of Admissions at the University of Essex, explains why options are still open.
Essex Life

Monday 16

Researching writer's life
Dr James Canton from Essex University has been researching J A Baker and his 1967 work The Peregrine whilst developing a new course on writing about the environment and is seeking information about the author.
East Anglian Daily Times

Researchers from University of Essex detail findings in applied physiology
Professor Ralph Beneke and colleagues published their study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology on Carbohydrate and fat metabolism related to blood lactate in boys and male adolescents.
NewsRX.com

Saturday 14

Ghost towns, the Specials and me
Read Phil Jupitus' article on the Specials in which he talks about watching the Specials live on BBC two's Rock Goes to College which was filmed during their first big UK tour at the University of Essex, in Colchester.
Times Online

Friday 13

Camilla makes room to host royal sleepovers
The Duchess of Cornwall has submitted plans to extend her country mansion to create accommodation for her grandchildren. With his interest in all things architectural it's not clear yet whether Charles will have had any say in whether the extension of the house will be traditional or modern. Prince Charles is well disposed to the former and caused a major row when he described the new British Library as looking like the "assembly hall of a secret police academy" and a modernist addition to the University of Essex as looking like a dustbin.
Evening Standard

1994 Group Calls For National Debate On Research And Investment Needed To Meet Global Challenges
UK universities' world-class, innovative research means that they are ideally placed to play a central role in meeting today's global challenges - for example, climate change, the global recession, and international terrorism. The 1994 Group, representing 18 of the UK's leading, most research-intensive universities which includes the University of Essex, is today calling for national a debate on what expertise is needed to meet these global challenges. Read the article here.
Medical News Today

Alison Steadman: 'I hear the character in my head'
Candice Marie, Pam, Mrs Bennet and the immortal Beverly – all great roles that only Alison Steadman could have created. But her latest on stage is the toughest yet. Read The Independent's interview with East 15 graduate, Alison Steadman.
The Independent

Future of affordable housing in spotlight
Professor Michael Sherer, director of the Business School at the University of Essex was a panel member at a major housing conference looking at the impact of the economic crisis on the future of affordable housing.
East Anglian Daily Times

Lottery boost to help poor abroad
Legal eagles in Colchester have scooped a slice of £12 million Lotto cash to help poverty-stricken youngsters overseas.  The Children's Legal Centre at Essex University has been awarded more than £320,000 from the Big Lottery Fund's international programme.
Essex County Standard

Foundation to benefit from marathon run
A former Essex University student is about to put herself through the rigours of the London Marathon to raise money for the Catherine Bullen Foundation, set-up to help hundreds of children in Namibia.
Essex County Standard

Godfather of D&B visits uni
Andy C, one of the most important DJs in the Drum and Bass revolution is coming to Essex University this weekend.
Essex County Standard

Finding the undiscovered on our coast
In the summer of 2007 Professor Jules Pretty walked the entire length of the East Anglian coastline, meeting its people and documenting their stories, an account of which will form his new book, The Luminous Coast. Professor Pretty will give a preview at the Annual Burrows lecture at the University of Essex next week.
Essex County Standard

Thursday 12

We need people-centred banks
Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money are being used to save the banks, but the public is seeing little return. Read Professor Prem Sikka's article here.
The Guardian

Suing councils forces positive change claims report
Suing your local authority improves its performance according to new research from the University of Essex. The researchers say the findings challenge assertions that the UK is becoming overly litigious and that it interferes with local government’s ability to act in the public interest. Read the whole article here.
Business Weekly

Jones’ effort is all in vain
East London suffered some dismal results at the weekend, with all but one of their teams losing.  The men's side lost 3-1 at University of Essex on Saturday, despite taking an early lead through an excellent finish from Chris Jones and dominating much of the possession.
Barking and Dagenham Recorder

Aston University Aston University to connect to 350km fibre optic research network
Aston University will be increasing its research into reliable, high speed internet networks for the future, with a GBP2.7m government grant connecting the Institution to one of the largest fibre-optic research test beds in Europe. The Birmingham based University is set to link to the Janet Aurora network, a 350km dedicated fibre system, which interconnects Aston's Photonics team with research groups at the Universities of Cambridge, Essex, University of Central London and Southampton.
M2 Presswire

Popular kids cash in later
The University of Essex's Institute of Social and Economic Research looked at the link between popularity in high school and wage-earning 35 years later. "Shifting somebody from the bottom fifth to the top fifth of the school popularity distribution - in other words, turning a social reject into a star - would be predicted to yield him a 10 percent wage advantage," the report said.
The Courier-Mail

Ex-Or helps university meet sustainability goals
Lighting management specialists Ex-Or are helping the University of Essex not only to make significant energy-cost savings but also to meet one of its core objectives, environmental sustainability. Ex-Or, part of Honeywell, has supplied and installed LightSpot detectors in all corridors and kitchens within the 700-bed student accommodation complex in Colchester. Read the whole article here.
Buildingtalk.com

Open University
On the 18 March an open day will be held at the University of Essex. It is taking place at Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall from 1pm-2.30pm, at which point the attendees can talk to staff and be given tours. From 2.30pm there will be a number of talks on how to apply for study, life as a postgraduate and funding.
East Anglian Daily Times

Wednesday 11

Sixth formers helped to make a big difference
Making a difference 2009, the brainchild of Colchester Sixth Form College, will see the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP and Doreen Lawrence speak to hundreds of sixth formers.  Staged with Essex University's Human Rights Centre, at the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall on March 24, 800 students will afterwards take part in a citizenship debate before voting on the motion: 'This house believes young people are powerless to make a difference'
Gazette
Essex County Standard

Further reductions to cut-price bus tickets
Colchester 2020, which includes Essex University, the borough council, Colchester Institute and health services, has struck a deal with First Bus to offer staff and students reduced prices on 12-journey tickets.
Gazette

In tune for women
Students at Essex University are to mark International Women's Day with a range of activities, including a live music extravaganza.
East Anglian Daily Times

We'll fight U's plan for training centre
Campaigners turned out in force to oppose plans for Colchester United - who currently train largely at Essex University - to establish five training pitches on the Vine Farm field in Tiptree.
Gazette
Essex County Standard

Tuesday 10

Know losses before nationalization
Prem Sikka says it's time for a new strategy on bank bailouts. Read his article here.
Chartist