University of Essex in the press...

September 2008

Tuesday 30

Uni and hospital in joint research
Exciting new projects could be introduced as part of a collaboration between doctors at Colchester General Hospital and Essex University. A group of clinicians and academics met to discuss future ideas, which could include using exercise therapy, robot technology and other research.
Evening Gazette

Student's work to help future Olympic athletes
A graduate student from Essex University will soon be working on a project for Olympic athletes. Catherine Hesford will split her time between the British Olympic Association and the Wivenhoe campus helping to create a device to measure the amount of oxygen in athletes' muscles.
Evening Gazette

Robots, the bizarre and the beautiful
The future is a foreign country, and nowhere is it more foreign that the designs thrown up by a surge in robotics research. The feverish imagination and creativity of European robot scientists has led to dozens of robot designs, some bizarre, some beautiful, but all are inspired. Biomimetics, or mimicking biological systems, is a very popular approach in European robotics and has led to a host of unusual designs. Take, for example, the Robot Fish developed by researchers in the UK’s University of Essex. It looks like a real carp and is often mistaken for one. The fish can move 20 inches a second and, at slower speeds, has a battery that will last five hours. The researchers built three fish as an attraction for the London Aquarium, where they have proved a very popular feature. Read the whole article here.
PhysOrg.com

Top jazz music at River Festival
The Roman River Music Festival is back and better than ever. Since establishing itself a few years ago, the classical and jazz-led weekend has been a firm favourite with local music lovers. The main classical concert will be in the Lakeside Theatre at the University of Essex.
Evening Gazette

Monday 29

A literary legend at university
The new season at Essex University's Lakeside Theatre kicks off with a literary legend. Celebrated Caribbean poet, playwright, essayist, and visual artist Derek Walcott was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1992 and is to receive an honourary doctorate from the university this weekend.  He will also be in conversation with Professor Marina Warner and Dr Cristina Fumagelli from the University's department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies.
Evening Gazette
Harwich and Manningtree Standard

Researchers at University of Essex target fatigue
Dr Dominic Micklewright and colleagues from the Centre for Sports and Exercise Science  have published a report on developing a practical and reliable squash specific incremental test for estimating maximal oxygen uptake which was measured using breath-by-breath online gas analysis among 11 male and 10 female squash players during a maximal incremental running treadmill protocol.
NewsRX.net
 

Friday 26

£30m uni complex gets council backing
Councillors have backed plans to demolish a multi-storey car park to make way for a new library, college and university complex. Southend Council’s cabinet met in private to approve the new “education quarter” on the site of the Farringdon car park, in the town centre.  The ambitious new development would include a new central library to replace the ageing building in Victoria Avenue and more teaching space for the college and university.  South East Essex College has been awarded about £30million from the Government for its new building because it needs to expand to cope with a huge influx of new students.
Echo

Doom and gloom in the auld toun
Professor Prem Sikka from the University of Essex told the economy committee that the finance industry in Britain had been under-regulated for 30 years. That's why we've stumbled from one financial scandal to another. Read the whole article here.
BBC
 

Uni 'dustbin' listed for new award
The building once famously labelled a 'dustbin' by Prince Charles has been shortlisted for another award. The shortlist for the biennial Colchester 2020 and RIBA Architectural Awards, a competition to find Colchester's best new buildings, has been announced with 11 venues picked out covering five different categories.
Essex County Standard

It's red-hot at Sub Zero
Don't let the students have all the fun this autumn. While hundreds of Essex University students are preparing for the new term, you can prepare to see some of the best bands around at their campus.
Essex County Standard

Truth about troops and mental health
They say an army marches on its stomach - but soldiers' psychological well-being is just as important to an effective operation. Ensuring troops enjoy good emotional health is the role of the Department of Community Mental Health at the new Colchester Garrison. Its work, and others like it nationwide and abroad, has come under the spotlight recently, following an Essex University study into the effects of a military career on the lives of those who choose to leave.
Essex County Standard

Uni backs axe for little-used words
A leading Essex University language expert has backed a decision by dictionary publishers to leave out little-used words.
Essex County Standard

Wind turbine at university
A new wind turbine is being built which should provide enough energy to power half a university building.
Essex County Standard

It's not an ill wind
A new landmark has sprung up at Essex University's campus in Colchester with the installation of a wind turbine.
Gazette

Sub Zero sounds
Just when you thought things were dying down on the music front after the festival season, Essex University comes good with one of their most impressive term line-ups to date.
Essex Chronicle
 

Thursday 25

Health Research team meet up
An "internationally important" research team is meeting to discuss its next projects. The team, which is made up of scientists from Essex University and staff from Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, will meet today. They are proposing to look at viruses and bacteria, keeping hearts healthy and avoiding health risks.
Evening Gazette

Holyrood hears of finance scandals
The financial sector is "mired in scandals" and needs tougher regulation, it is claimed.
Accounting professor Prem Sikka yesterday insisted it was "amazing" how little regulation had improved in 30 years. He told MSPs the financial world had also developed a "shadow banking system" of which derivatives- "essentially clever bets" - are a major part. He said the value of these derivatives in December last year was placed at EUR1.14quadrillion. Prof Sikka, from the University of Essex, added: "That's with 15 noughts. "The US GDP is about EUR14-15trillion a year, so that gives you a scale of the issues we are facing. This world is not really regulated at all."
Daily Record
The Times

Britain urged to ignore US pleas for bail-out support
There is no need for a US-style bail-out of UK banks despite calls for other countries to fall in behind the initiative, one of the leaders of Britain's banking industry cautioned yesterday. Prem Sikka, professor of Accounting at the University of Essex, who also spoke to the Holyrood committee, criticised the role of government and regulators in the current banking crisis and called for a more consensus government that cannot "ignore dissenting voices. It simply won't due to say we need to regulate. Regulation is an important point but what have we done? We have effectively handed regulation to economic elites who bring the corporate view," Sikka told the committee. Read the whole article here.
The Scotsman

Wednesday 24

Births outside Marriage - a real cause for concern
Unless trends change, in just eight years time most babies in Britain will be born outside marriage. If the rate of increase remains as it has been since 2000, my maths shows that by 2016 more than 50% of UK babies will be born outside wedlock. Does this matter? Well, today the Economic and Social Research Council pulled together some of the key findings from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) - a huge study of 10,000 British adults interviewed every year since 1991. In an article entitled 'Births outside marriage: the real story', Professor John Ermisch from the Institute for Social and Economic Research, assesses the evidence and concludes that "the rise in births outside marriage is a real cause for concern". Read the whole article here.
BBC


Salmond's £100m HBOS rescue package 'palpable nonsense'
Alex Salmond was attacked yesterday over his claims that if Scotland were independent he would have ordered a Scottish central bank to pump £100million into HBOS to prevent its takeover by Lloyds TSB. The First Minister's comments, reported at the weekend, were described as “palpable nonsense” by Tavish Scott, leader of the Lib Dems. Professor Sikka, of the University of Essex, said that a “shadow banking system” had been developed made up largely of derivatives, which were “essentially clever bets”. The value of these derivatives was put at $1.14 quadrillion dollars, according to the professor, who added: “That's with 15 noughts”. “The US GDP is about $14trillion to $15 trillion a year, so that gives you a scale of the issues we are facing. This world is not really regulated at all.” Read the whole article here.
The Times

The Watson Gordon Lecture: Picasso's 'Toys for Adults' - Cubism as Surrealism
Picasso's 1913 work 'Head' is an extraordinary work on paper, now residing in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland. Its first owner, head of the Surrealist movement André Breton, saw in it an anachronistic embodiment of Surrealism. Neil Cox, Professor of Art History and Theory at the University of Essex, examines a range of Picasso's related works to find out why.
The List

Colchester: Any ideas? First i-Lab will sort them
A Colchester school is believed to be the first in the country to install an i-Lab.
Colchester County High School for Girls bought the facility with £20,000 of grants from the Jack Petchey Foundation, based in Ilford. Mrs Ward said the pupils had the idea after seeing a similar facility at Essex University and set about organising fundraising for the room. Read the whole article here.
Harwich and Manningtree Standard
Essex County Standard

Shell STEP scheme winners
University of Essex undergraduate Ian Pack has scooped a prestigious award for the work he carried out at Colchester Business Enterprise Agency (Colbea) under the Shell Step scheme. Mr Pack, who is reading computer science, joined Colbea in June to build a website and database for a new service that will provide a resource to social enterprise businesses. He has been working closely with Colbea's Jane Green, the project's manager.
East Anglian Daily Times

Haart
Graduate Natalia Rhoden has won a place on a management training scheme with Colchester letting agency haart.Ms Rhoden, 22, graduated from Sheffield University with a 2:1 in international business with Spanish and is one of just three people nationally to be chosen for the scheme.Former Colchester Grammar School pupil Kabir Gulabkhan, 21, a biomedical sciences graduate from the University of Essex, has started work at sister company Felicity J Lord's Shad Thames office in London.
East Anglian Daily Times

Charlie's dustbin is one of the best
The building once famously labelled a 'dustbin' by Prince Charles is in, but the long-awaited Visual Arts Facility is not. The shortlist for the biennial Colchester 2020 and RIBA Architectural Awards, a competition to find Colchester's best new buildings, has been announced with 11 venues picked out, covering five different categories.
Evening Gazette

Wind of change blows into Uni
A new wind turbine which should provide enough energy to power half a university building is being set up this week. Essex University will start building the small nine-metre turbine on the new School of Health and Human Sciences building tomorrow.
Evening Gazette

Teachers speak right language
Teachers from across north Essex attended a special conference on languages at Essex University.
Evening Gazette

Students settle in at campus town
Freshers at University Campus Suffolk have been celebrating in style this week at the start of the term that will see the first students making use of the new flagship building on the docks.
East Anglian Daily Times

Alzheimer's Research Trust funding for Essex
The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex has received over £27,000 from the Alzheimer's Research Trust. Dr Jody Mason, a lecturer within the Department, will use this grant to undertake research regarding dementia patients. Read the whole article here.
Innovations Report

Married parents twice as likely to stay together as couples in live-in relationships
Parents in live-in relationships are twice as likely to split up as married couples, according to research into the "concerning" number of children born outside wedlock. Read the whole article here.
The Telegraph

Tuesday 23

Help to go green
A scheme to help innovative north Essex businesses develop green technology  has been launched. The low-carbon voucher scheme gives businesses a £1,000 voucher that will pay for two days' worth of consultancy with one of 11 universities in the east of England, including Essex University.
Evening Gazette

Helping people eat again
A charity that helps people with eating disorders is celebrating the success of its launch. Community Organisation for Problem Eaters (Cope) hosted a conference at Essex University, to raise awareness of where to get help for people with eating disorders. Dr Peter Martin from the School of Health and Human Sciences addressed the conference.
Evening Gazette

Don't be niddering over wielding axe
A leading Essex University language expert has backed a decision by dictionary publishers to leave out little-used words. Collins plan to get rid of 24 terms which it says are so obscure they are not worth keeping. Professor Peter Patrick agrees with this provided no cuts are made to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Evening Gazette

Essex Nets
Dr Edward Codling of the University of Essex has received over £85,000 worth of funding towards a project developing alternative approaches to fisheries management and assessment. Dr Codling, jointly appointed between the University's Departments of Mathematical Sciences and Biological Sciences, was successful in the National Environment Research Council's new investigators competition, open to new academics that are within two years of their first appointment. His grant will involve collaboration with Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science in Lowestoft, the Irish Marine Institute, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas.  Read the whole article here.
The Fish Site
Innovations Report

Arab stance on Iraq violence in press
Al-Sharq al-Awsat, a London-based and Saudi-financed newspaper, published an article by Ma'moun Findi, an Egyptian liberal writer, in which he wrote about his recent meeting with the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, in Washington. In an article entitled 'Hoshyar' the author praised the Iraqi official for his ability to represent his country worldwide and his tolerance. A Kurd originally from Aqrah, a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Zebari holds a masters degree in sociology from the University of Essex, England and studied political science in Jordan. He was the foreign spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the 1990s and represented the party to both the United Kingdom and the United States. He was appointed Foreign Minister of Iraq in 2003 by the Iraqi Governing Council and held the post for the Iraqi Interim Government, Iraqi Transitional Government and the first permanent government.
Aswat al-Iraq
Calibre MacroWorld
 

Monday 22

University of Essex Awarded EU Marie Curie Fellowships to Study Injected Spin Lasers
This inter-disciplinary project is aimed at understanding the dynamics of spin lasers and covers advanced physics concepts such as chaos and instabilities, as well as optoelectronic components and sub-systems used in telecommunications engineering. EU Marie Curie Fellowships support the training and mobility of researchers, whilst promoting excellence in European research. Read the whole article here.
AtoZ Nanotechnology

Aid offer
Parents of children and young people with disabilities are being offered free legal advice. The Children's Legal Centre is holding an information day at Market Field School in Elmstead Market, on issues like education and child law.
Evening Gazette

Sunday 21

The Sunday Times University Guide
The University of Essex has moved up the league tables, ranked as 39th this year. Look at the full guide online here. Essex also appears in the top ten (8th) for teaching and in the top twenty (13th) for most students from overseas.
The Sunday Times

Prem Sikka says the travails of the US mortgage market reveal the gross shortcomings of free-market economics
Read the whole article here.
Tribune

Every silver lining has a cloud and even if shares may be over the worst, our finances aren't
The main message that macro-economists gave Gordon Brown was that he should have gone for an election last autumn, for the world economy could only get worse. Microeconomists also have some messages for politicians, however, and in particular from some work published this week from the Institute for Social and Economic Research. The British Household Panel Survey has tracked the lives of 10,000 individuals in 5,000 households since 1991. The advantage of a ‘panel survey’ is that, by interviewing the same people year after year, researchers can show how individuals’ circumstances or opinions change over time. Now apply this to politics.
Devon Sunday Independent
The Independent

Saturday 20

Fortunes of Scottish Economy under scrutiny as business leaders hold round-table with Parliamentary
The global economic downturn and its impact on Scotland will be discussed at a meeting of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee on Wednesday 24 September. Representatives from the construction, house-building, property, banking and financial services sectors will gather for a round-table discussion on the current economic climate in Scotland and consider ways to improve conditions in the future. Professor Prem Sikka from the Essex Business School will be attending the meeting.
Press Association

Poll analysis: Prime Minister contemplates a political wasteland
Only a year ago Gordon Brown was master of all he surveyed. Read Professor Anthony King's article here.
The Telegraph

Entrepreneurs of the future!
Students from across south Essex have been honoured in a national competition which looks for the entrepreneurs of the future. The Shell Step undergraduate placement programme sends students into the workplace to gain valuable experience and rewards those who excel. Other south Essex award winners included Essex University student Caroline White, 22, from Hadleigh, who was commended for website development and database design at Purple Line, in Greenstead. Read the whole article here.
Echo
 

Friday 19

Neo-con policies have failed says Prem Sikka
Read the whole article here.
Compass

Innu investigation
The British Academy has given the University of Essex's Dr Colin Samson £7,000 for a project on the indigenous people of Northern Labrador. Dr Samson, from the Department of Sociology, will look at a clandestine operation 60 years ago when 100 Innu were transported to an Inuit settlement, Nutak, 400km north of their lands. However, after two winters and the death of several of their number, those surviving walked back to their homeland. Read the whole article here.
Innovations Report

Post-secondary education in UK topic of Monday open house
Students interested in pursuing or furthering their post-secondary education in the United Kingdom can attend an upcoming open house on the topic.
Burlington-based Barclay & Knap Educational Services is hosting a free event for students interested in an international education, and their parents, at its first-ever Study in the UK open house.  The open house will give students and parents the opportunity to meet with representatives from 12 universities including the University of Essex. Read the whole article here.
Burlington Post, Canada

Treatment for tinnitus
Researchers at the University of Essex have received a three-year studentship from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to investigate the relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear.
The award, worth over £69,000, has been given to the Hearing Research Laboratory based within the University's Department of Psychology. The research will be undertaken by Christine Tan, an audiologist, and supervised by Professor Ray Meddis from the Department, with co-supervisor Mr Don McFerran, a Consultant ENT Surgeon at Essex County Hospital.
Read the whole article here.
Innovations Report
BizCommunity.com

Venue Essex
Venue Essex is the one stop service for conference and event facilities at the University of Essex in Colchester and Southend. Located an hour from London and within easy reach of the beautiful Essex countryside, including ‘Constable Country’, the University of Essex in Colchester can host residential and non residential events for up to 1000 delegates. Venue Essex has a wide range of venue options including Wivenhoe House, iLabs, Conference Colchester and the Southend Business Hub. Read the whole article here.
Government Business

Alzhemier's Research Trust funding for Essex
The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex has received over £27,000 from the Alzheimer's Research Trust. Dr Jody Mason, a lecturer within the Department, will use this grant to undertake research regarding dementia patients. Read the full article here.
Innovations Report

Accounting for the auditors
As huge corporations tumble, what of the auditing firms paid millions to provide them with clean bills of health? Read Professor Prem Sikka's article here.
The Guardian

Colchester: take the workplace bike challenge!
Colchester residents are being urged to get on their bikes to take part in the Colchester Workplace Cycle Challenge. Businesses will be competing to see who can get the highest percentage of staff to cycle to work. So far 15 organisations are involved, including Essex Police, the University of Essex, the Defence Support Group, Hiscox Insurance and the Essex Wildlife Trust.
Essex County Standard

Researchers to look at relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear
Researchers at the University of Essex have received a three-year studentship from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to investigate the relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear. The award, worth over £69,000, has been given to the Hearing Research Laboratory based within the University's Department of Psychology. The research will be undertaken by Christine Tan, an audiologist, and supervised by Professor Ray Meddis from the Department, with co-supervisor Mr Don McFerran, a Consultant ENT Surgeon at Essex County Hospital. Read the full article here.
BizCommunity.com

At last...a deal
An agreement has finally been reached over Colchester's art gallery. After months of negotiations, Colchester Council and contractor Banner Holdings have reached a deal over firstsite:newsite - and work could restart on the gallery next week. The cost of the building work will come within the budget of £14.2 million - but more money will need to be found to complete the inside of the gallery. Discussions will now be held with funders Essex County Council, Arts Council England East, Firstsite, The East of England Development Agency and Essex University to find the money to finish the project.
Essex County Standard

Thursday 18

Graduates take a bow
Graduates of Writtle College received their degree certificates from gardener, broadcaster and author Alan Titchmarsh during two ceremonies at Chelmsford Catherdral. During the third ceremony, awards were presented by University of Essex Professor Nigel South, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Regional Development.
Essex Chronicle

Sporting chances to mark handover
Youngsters in Essex were given the opportunity to try their hand at a variety of sports yesterday at an event to celebrate the handover of the Paralympics from Beijing to London. More than 50 pupils from five north Essex Schools attending the Colchester 202 mini assembly event at the University of Essex which has been identified as a potential training camp for Paralympic teams for the 2012 games.
East Anglian Daily Times
Evening Gazette

Golden opportunities
As the Olympic flame departs Beijing 2008 and the world's attention shifts to London 2012, UK universities are looking forward to sharing the spotlight. Read David Williams' comments about working with local partnerships to offer facilities for athletes to train at.
THE

Heady issues prove food for thought at annual festival
For years we have seen butter mountains, wine lakes and a surplus - or dirth - of cereals. For its part in food production, Suffolk has seen its dairy production all but disappear and cereal crops are not doing much better - especially after the summer we have just had. It seems a gloomy picture which, according to the Aldeburgh Food and Drink festival keynote speakers - Professor Jules Pretty and Tory MP John Gummer will address.
East Anglian Daily Times

An Automatic choice for fans
Don't let the students have fun this autumn. While hundreds of Essex University students are preparing for the new term, you can prepare to see some of the best bands around at their campus. Giving you a headstart on the students, the line-up for the university's Sub Zero venue has just been released and, as in previous terms, there are a number of acts that should be at the top of your must-see list.
Evening Gazette

Wednesday 17

Face to face with Simon Thompson
Read an interview with East 15 graduate, Simon Thompson, who is now an expressive arts teacher at Paston College and who last month directed his first professional production at Sheringham Little Theatre. Entitled Snakes and Ladders and written by Eric Chappell of Rising Damp fame, the play went down a treat with north Norfolk theatre-goers.
North Norfolk News
 

Tuesday 16

Foreign policy phobias to be topic of lecture
Four national "phobias" shaping politics in European states today will be examined during Western Michigan University's 2008 George Klein lecture. University of Essex graduate, Dr. Ray Taras, now professor of international relations and director of the world literature program at Tulane University will give the  lecture. Read the whole article here.
WMU News

Big issue of the 'problem' children
An education lawyer claims scores of "problem" children in Essex are missing out on school. Julia Thomas, legal practice manager for the Children's Legal Centre said that more than 100 youngsters with special educational needs in Essex are unofficially absent from school. She told Colchester's CAB AGM that mainstream schools are finding it difficult to cope with youngsters with behavioural and social problems or learning difficulties due to lack of resources and are resorting to unofficial exclusion.
Evening Gazette

Students 'dig' these savings
The credit crunch is forcing more than a quarter of young people starting university this year to live with their parents to save money.
Twenty-seven per cent of new students have chosen a university near their homes, says a Lloyds TSB report.  And one third of the 130,000 young people who will stay with their parents while they study say they could not afford to attend uni otherwise. Alex Arnott reckons she could save up to £5,000 by living with her parents in Colchester, while studying drama at Essex University. Alex, 18 will continue working part-time at Top Shop while studying. Read the full article here.
The Sun

Monday 15

Taking liberties (and tax dollars)
Financial institutions have long devised ways of avoiding tax. Now they're relying on taxpayers to bail them out. Read Professor Prem Sikka's article here.
The Guardian

All happy to feel at home on the Hythe
History and the environment were the themes of a popular fun day at Colchester's port. About 800 people turned out to the event at The Hythe on Saturday - topping last year's attendance. The Hythe Heritage fun day was organised by a number of local organisations, including Essex University.
Evening Gazette

Sunday 14

Do recessions foster divorce?
A recent British survey conducted among financial analysts, stockbrokers and hedge-fund managers by law firm Mishcon de Reya suggests the downturn will prompt an upsurge in divorces among high earners in London's financial centre.
A third of current inquiries to lawyers by those deciding to break the knot, claims Sandra Davis, who commissioned the study, are linked to the credit crunch.
"A flagging economy clearly leads to an increase in misery," says Stephen Jenkins, director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research. "Whether or not it causes a rise in the divorce rate is a moot point."
Toronto Star

Saturday 13

An unlikely rebel
Siobhain McDonagh, who has broken ranks to call for a Labour leadership contest, looks on paper an unlikely rebel. The 48-year-old only became a junior minister in the Whips' Office last year, a decade after entering Parliament in the 1997 landslide.
After graduating from Essex University in 1981, she held a series of administrative jobs in the capital, including clerical officer for the Department of Health and Social Security, a similar role at the Homeless Persons Unit, an adviser at the Housing Aid Centre and then development coordinator with Battersea Churches Housing Trust.
The Press Association
The Telegraph
The Independent

Friday 12

Laptop offer at uni
Students who choose to say local for their degrees will be offered a free laptop. The scheme, funded by the university, will start in 2009 for undergraduates resident in Essex, Suffolk and certain London boroughs, who place Essex as their first choice and meet the academic conditions.  Essex University will be setting out the scheme at this year's open day on 20 September.
Evening Gazette

Uni boiler engineer is burned as gas ignites
An engineer suffered flash burns to his face and arms after a fire in a nursery school's boiler. The 30-year-old man was servicing the boiler at Essex University's day nursery yesterday, when residual gas in the pipes caught alight. The Nursery's children and staff were evacuated while fire crews checked over the building and contractors examined the boiler before the gas supply was restored.
Evening Gazette

Thursday 11

Colchester: hope for Government cash for town swimming pools
Pool improvements and free swimming could be heading to north Essex in a new fitness drive.  Colchester Council has confirmed it will be bidding for Government money to offer free swimming for the over-60s and make improvements at Colchester Leisure World. Tendring Council has already confirmed it would be applying for the cash. Both councils are expressing their interest in offering free swimming for the under 16s. Capital funding is only available for refurbishing current pools and will not be available to push forward a project for a new facility at Essex University.
Evening Gazette

Harman announces new National Equality Panel
Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, today announced the setting up of the new National Equality Panel. The National Equality Panel will be independent and consist of academic experts in inequality. It will be chaired by leading academic Professor John Hills and will provide the Government with an authoritative analysis of inequality in Britain by the end of 2009.  Professor Stephen Jenkins from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex is also a panel member.
24dash.com
Press Association
M2 Presswire
MacroWorld Investor
Calibre MacroWorld


Students to get sex disease self-test kits
Students will be given a chlamydia self-testing kit when they start their university life. Essex University has teamed up with the North East Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) to include the kits in welcome packs handed out to all 3,500 students joining this autumn.
Evening Gazette

Wednesday 10

Guy and Madge: solid as a Rocknrolla
Madonna and Guy are staying together, apparently. The new Conservatives would heartily approve. David Cameron and his Chancellor of the Exchequer should worry less about telling people to grin and bear it and focus more on ways to massage the economy back in to shape and maintain a level of high employment. According to a survey published by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, being unemployed increased the risk of couples splitting up in the following year by 33% when the man loses his job, and by 83% when the woman does. Read the whole article here.
The Guardian

Social networking site for entrepreneurs to be built by Public Zone
Web company Public Zone have won the opportunity to build Smarta – an online social networking, advice and information site aimed solely at entrepreneurs.
Public Zone’s previous successes include award-winning digital and print products for public sector, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations and projects, such as Capital Radio (Help a London Child), BT, UK Commission for Employment and Skills, Institute of Social and Economic Research, and Exeter College Oxford. Read the whole article here.
netimperative
 

Tuesday 9

Murray mania goes global as the stars come out for Murray
The stars were out for Andy Murray last night as the Scot battled it out in his first Grand Slam final.  Dr Murray Griffin, lecturer in sports science at Essex University, warned it may take more success before Murray is a hit both sides of the Border. He said: "Even if he wins he may not be taken into the hearts of the nation. He doesn't ingratiate himself with the public because he is just not socially skilled in that way. Thirty years ago it would not have mattered - but now we have a cult of celebrity and it's not just about being a champion, it's about being an icon."
Express
Daily Star Manchester

Chlamydia kits given to students
The tests will given out to all new students at the University of Essex
Self-testing kits for chlamydia are to be included in welcome packs distributed to new university students. Freshers at the University of Essex will receive the kits, aimed at tackling the UK's most common sexually-transmitted disease. Read the full story here.
BBC

East Anglian Business
After graduating, University of Essex graduate Fredrik Johansson travelled and studied all over the world and worked in London in the Sloane Square office of Hamptons International.  He has now been appointed as residential lettings manager for Colchester lettings agency Boydens.
East Anglian Daily Times

Monday 8

Follow the money
Until we tackle global economic inequities that drive people to leave their homes, immigration will continue unchecked. Read Professor Prem Sikka's article here.
The Guardian

Married couples who lose their jobs more likely to divorce
Married couples who lose their jobs are more likely to get divorced within a year than those who remain employed, according to an academic study.
The report found that being unemployed increased the risk of couples splitting up in the following year by 33 per cent when the man loses his job, and by 83 per cent when the woman does. It concludes that women worry about the state of the family's finances and so relationships will suffer when one of them becomes unemployed. The Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, which published the study, said: "The results suggest that the costs of becoming unemployed are not simply financial. They can also be emotional, as marriages break down and couples split up." Read the whole article here.
Daily Telegraph
WebIndia 123
The Post Chronicle
United Press International - Chile

Migraine
The problem  of light flicker and migraines was first highlighted after 16 people had seizures and severe headaches after watching a fast-food TV advert. Professor Arnold Wilkins from the University of Essex Psychology department was involved in setting up the programme-making guidelines. He has been researching migraine triggers for ten years and his department is also  looking into seeing if coloured glasses can help people suffering from migraines and headaches.
Evening Gazette

Saturday 6

The soap opera down at the university site
Martin Newell's account of visiting the University of Essex to use the Launderette and his thoughts on the six big towers which remain an important landmark to him and tell him that he's nearly home...
East Anglian Daily Times

Why we must never call in 'just a headache'
Migraine is a very real and distressing medical condition. So much so that researchers at the University of Essex are undertaking a major new research project aimed at helping improve treatment. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, aims to examine the potential of a new optical technique which could be used to assess treatment for migraines.
East Anglian Daily Times

Why studying for an online degree may be a better option
The rising cost of going to university is becoming a deterrent for some prospective students. The debt incurred from borrowing to pay course fees, accommodation, food, travel text books and equipment takes years to pay back and can seem like a hefty fine for obtaining a qualification. Traditional degree routes are not always the best option for everyone who wants to enter higher education. UK universities such as the University of Essex have started to partner up with online universities to offer more flexible university courses for those people who do not feel that a traditional university environment would meet their needs. A quality resource is Kaplan Distance Learning. Read the whole article here.
Article Codex
 

Friday 5

University plans for church revealed
Plans to convert a former church in Southend into a drama and concert venue will be exhibited on Monday. The architect's plans for the new Clifftown Studios will be on display from 4pm-6pm in the Students' Union at the Gateway Building in Luker Road, Southend.
Echo

Thursday 4

Alison Steadman in Enjoy at Brighton
Read an article about former East 15 student and Honorary Graduate Alison Steadman's new play.
Shoreham Herald
Worthing Herald
Littlehampton Gazette

Rising star earns college place
A young Woodbridge triathlete, Will Meadows,  has been awarded a two year scholarship to one of the countries top sporting schools, known best for its swimming excellence.  Meadows has also received support from the University of Essex, receiving coaching from world class trainer Dave Parry. “Dave is a great coach who supports my training well”, said Will, “he gives me good advice on which competitions to enter, and the bursary I receive has helped me with my training plans.” Read the whole article here.
Evening Star

Wednesday 3

Students in loans mix up
A student's dream of going to university is in jeopardy because of an administrative nightmare with the company that organises loans. Louise Rigg, of Keble Park South, in Bishopthorpe, has won a place at East 15 Acting School which is affiliated to the University of Essex, to study for a BA honours in technical theatre. Louise leaves on Saturday, but Student Finance Direct has still not arranged the loan she needs to be able to pay her tuition fees and her rent and to buy food. In total, she needs about £8,000 – £3,145 for tuition fees and the rest for living expenses. But if the loan is not in place, she will not be able to pay her course fees and will be asked to leave. Read the whole article here.
The York Press
Only Finance.com

Uni in the dark about state of Palace Hotel scheme
The University of Essex could still be involved in the future of the restored Palace Hotel in Southend, but bosses say they have been left in the dark about what's happening at the landmark building. Read the full article here.
Echo

National PR award shortlist
Several PR firms and communications departments in Suffolk and north Essex are among the finalists in the Anglia Pride Awards 2008…The University of Essex is a finalist in the Best Newspaper or Magazine category for its Wyvern publication.
East Anglian Daily Times Business

Tuesday 2

Graduates look far and wide for work
Two physiotherapy graduates will undertake an overseas placement in a bid to boost their employability. The two student who have completed an MSc in Physiotherapy at Essex University are taking voluntary overseas placements in India  to build up their skills and confidence.
Evening Gazette
Essex County Standard

Weather Eye: is Edinburgh really our most miserable city?
The least happy place in Britain has been named as Edinburgh. In a recent study the city came bottom out of 273 locations across the country. Researchers at Sheffield and Manchester universities based their findings on more than 5,000 responses from the annual British Household Panel Survey, and included climate factors such as hours of sunshine and air pollution. So, could Edinburgh’s climate make it a miserable place to live in? As Robert Louis Stevenson observed: “She is liable to be beaten upon by all the winds that blow, to be drenched with rain, to be buried in cold sea fogs.”  Read the whole article here.
The Times

 

Monday 1

Domestic Goddesses
Since the mushrooming of Cath Kidston's homeware and clothing empire and the publication of Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess recipe book in 2000, the 1950s aesthetic has proved to have enduring appeal.
According to a 2008 study by the British Institute for Social and Economic Research, for instance, men do four to five hours of housework a week, compared with 12 hours for married women and live-in partners (single women do seven hours a week). And when it comes to cooking and washing-up, 2005 figures from the British Office of National Statistics show that women spend double the amount of time in the kitchen that men do. But it is this frisson of the taboo that appeals to a new generation of young women, who seem to love the novelty of baking and dressing up in aprons.  Read the whole article here.
Cooma-Monaro Express
Canberra Times