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 Holly Ward in the Communications Office (e-mail hollyb@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.

The University of Essex in the Press

April 2012

Monday 30 April

BBC Essex Drivetime show
Dom King and David Williams, talking about frisbee golf as part of British Universities week

Leicester Economics Professor appointed head of national bank
It was announced yesterday that Professor Panicos Demetriades, from the Department of Economics at the University of Leicester, has been appointed as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus (equivalent to the Governor of the Bank England). Born in Cyprus, Panicos studied Economics at the University of Essex and took his PhD at Cambridge where he won the Stephenson Prize in Economics. He spent five years working for the Central Bank before an academic career that took him to Keele University, South Bank University and, since 2000, Leicester.
University of Leicester

Software 'hearing dummies' customize hearing aids
A Professor at the University of Essex says "today's hearing aids don't help to separate sounds--they just amplify them," said Ray Meddis, who has led work on a new kind of hearing aid. "They often make everything too noisy for the wearer, especially in social situations like parties, and some wearers still can't make out what people are saying to them. They find the whole experience so uncomfortable that they end up taking their hearing aids out." Meddis and his team at Essex have been working on a new kind of aid they say could revolutionize what is now an antiquated approach to treating hearing impairments. The key, they say, is to use unique computer models (what they call "hearing dummies") that treat the root causes, not just the symptoms, of the user's unique condition.
CNET

ELTALKING: A quick word for stressed manager
We need to talk' is a phrase that is guaranteed to create anxiety _ even if you are the manager instigating the dialogue. To help managers start up and handle difficult conversations' a Cambridge-based company is launching eltalking, a series of short, punchy film clips streamed to a mobile or PC. Judith Elliott, Managing Director of elconsulting, has developed the innovative concept following feedback from 30 of her clients across both the public and private sectors. Judith has considerable experience of e-learning and piloted the concept to John Lewis over two decades ago, however, after considerable research with the University of Essex it was decided to use standalone film clips. These are streamed to a smart phone, PC or laptop and make eltalking accessible to organisations of all sizes.
www.personnelzone.com

Exciting new summer shows at the Lakeside
When Lakeside's artistic director, Pasco Kevlin, left the Essex University theatre earlier this year, he made sure it was in good shape. Which is why the new director, Iain Tidbury, already had a packed new season waiting for him when he started last week. It helps that the opening show of the summer term just happens to be a play by Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott.
Gazette

My new congregation is 10,000 Olympians!
Catering for the 10,000 athletes from 165 countries descending on London for this summer's Olympic Games is a daunting prospect. While a team of chefs will feed and water the competitors, former University Anglican chaplain Thomas Yap will cater for their spiritual side. Mr Yap has been selected as one of the Anglican chaplains who will be on hand in and around the Olympic village in July and August. He will be part of a multi-faith team who will give services to their following. Mr Yap may also be called to calm the nerves and mental anguish of an athlete on the eve of the biggest moment of their career.
Gazette
Braintree and Witham Times

Thanks for Physio help
Essex University has supported a hospice after physiotherapy students were offered specialist training. The paediatric physiotherapy team, at Anglican Community Enterprise, met master’s students in overview sessions about what they do and the key conditions they treat. As a gesture of thanks, the University donated £250 to East Anglia Children's Hospice.
Gazette

Plea for funding to help build tide warning sign
Scientists behind an electronic tide warning are appealing for funding. Mersea residents challenged Essex University professors to develop a system which would warn motorists when high tides covered the route to main-land Colchester. The team, lead by Professor David Crawford, head of business partnerships at the research and enterprise office said: "Before we do any further work, we are looking for funding to turn our ideas into reality. The university will consider providing some funding itself to take this project forward and to develop a prototype. If businesses or any other local organisations would be interested in supporting this project, and be willing to match our internal funding, then we would be delighted to hear from them."
Gazette

Sales reps patronise us
Vicky Samways, 24, from Colchester, knows her stuff when it comes to technology and doesn't want to be patronised by advertisers. She is a computer science and electronic engineering graduate at the University of Essex and now works in the web development team on campus. Vicky says: "I am knowledgeable about technology and know exactly what I want from a product. I think more should be done to target women consumers in a way that isn't pink and glittery and patronising to women." Having recently brought a flat in the town, Vicky has enjoyed filling it with a range of gadgets. She says: "I think women homeowners who are earning their own money know the technology they want and want to be considered by advertisers."
Gazette

Report urges breastfeeding facility
Mothers offered facilities to breastfeed or express milk in the office often return to work earlier after having a child. Mothers offered facilities to breastfeed or express milk in the office return to work earlier after having a child, according to research. A study of 3,000 mothers found that those who could breastfeed at work were 8% more likely to have returned to their job before their child was six months old. The effect was only seen among better educated women, said the report by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Essex University.
MSN UK

Churchill to provide more than 13000 pieces of tableware for Wivenhoe House
Churchill, one of Britain's leading suppliers of tableware to the hospitality industry, will be supplying the entire range of glassware, china and cutlery. Wivenhoe House in Colchester, which opens this summer, will offer a fine-dining restaurant and modern brasserie, with more than 2,500 pieces required for the restaurant alone. Churchill, established in the Potteries since 1795, will be supplying a total of 13,050 items, including 5,682 ceramic pieces, 2,388 glasses and 4,404 items of cutlery. Read the article here.
caterersearch.com

Friday 27 April

University’s business school plans approved
Plans for a multi-million pound business school at Essex University have been approved. Members of Colchester Council's planning committee voted unanimously in favour of the plans. Essex Business School, the largest faculty on the Wivenhoe Campus, has outgrown its current home leading to the application.
Gazette

Scientists Call for Rethink on Consumption, Population
In a report published on Thursday by the London-based Royal Society, an international group of 23 scientists chaired by Nobel laureate Sir John Sulston called for a rebalancing of consumption in favour of poor countries coupled with increased efforts to control population growth to lift the estimated 1.3 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day out of poverty. The scientists also supported growing calls for a revision in how we measure economic growth. "We are extremely wedded to the idea that GDP increases are a good thing," said Jules Pretty, Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex and another of the authors. He argued that GDP measures many of the ‘bads' in terms of the well-being of the planet as well as the ‘goods', adding: "There is an urgent need for policy change."
New York Times
plus 43 other media outlets

Kids’ University offers bitesize lectures
Youngsters in Colchester will get a chance to sample university life at a free one day event. Essex University is running a Kids’ Uni to get primary school children enthused about what they might learn if they go into higher education in the future. The event at Firstsite on May 26 will include mini lectures on diverse topics including the future of energy and interpreting pictures in the Firstsite auditorium. There will also be activity stalls and interactive workshops suitable for children aged between seven and 11. It is hoped the event will also promote the university to residents as a place to work and study. For more information visit the Kids' Uni website.
Gazette

Questions about questions: Murdoch's performance at the Leveson Inquiry
Despite the occasional chink in his armour, Murdoch’s performance at the Leveson inquiry (which resumes hearings on May 7) went off without great drama – revelations, and the beat-up of competitors notwithstanding. So I think our addiction to legal drama has something to answer for. As is the case with most Hollywood-induced effects, reality does not bear out the logic of television. As Dr Elisabeth Carter, from the University of Essex, illustrated in her 2010 study, questioning-induced confessions are exceptionally rare in police interviews. British Police officers tend to use statements of fact, or the minimisation of potential consequences, instead of questions in order to successfully elicit confessions – debunking the illusion that officers “grill” suspects until a confession is forthcoming. Dr Carter highlighted the way in which questions, especially closed questions, had little use in directly leading to confessions. Read the article here.
The Conversation

Prof Derek puts on his play Pantomime in the spring
It's quite a thrill to get the chance to chat to one of the world's greatest poets. That's what I did last week when I got to speak to Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott about his forthcoming directorial debut in the UK with a performance of his play, Pantomime. The Professor of Poetry at Essex University has flown over from St Lucia to oversee the performances, although as part of his post at the Wivenhoe Park campus, he will undertake a series of work-shops and talks. He says: "This is my second year of coming over to work at Essex University and I have to say I'm very much enjoying it. I was introduced to the university by Marina Warner, who I have known for years. I do about two weeks of classes with the students and it's always very interesting for me finding out what they are thinking." As well as the workshops, this year Professor Walcott, who is now in his 80s, has decided to direct his play.
Gazette

Reassuringly expensive
Headhunters cannot expect academics to help them fill senior roles without remuneration, argues former vice-chancellor at the University of Essex, Ron Johnston. Read the article here.
Times Higher Education

Thursday 26 April

Pier review
A history course on Southend's growth from a small fishing hamlet to a busy seaside resort has been launched by the Centre for Regional History at the University of Essex.
Times Higher Education

Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey
The University of Essex has been placed 51st in the 2011 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey. Over 14,000 full-time undergraduates took part in the survey.
Times Higher Education

World needs to stabilise population and cut consumption, says Royal Society
World population needs to be stabilised quickly and high consumption in rich countries rapidly reduced to avoid "a downward spiral of economic and environmental ills", warns a major report from the Royal Society. But the sheer number of people on earth is not as important as their inequality and how much they consume, said Jules Pretty, one of the working group of 22 who produced the report. Read his comments here.
The Guardian
BBC News online
New York Times
Africa Leader
Yahoo!
and featured in over 30 other news outlets around the world

Google search data can predict stock market movement, say UEA and Essex University researchers
Investors can predict market movements by looking at the frequency of Google keyword searches according to research from the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. Dr Nikolaos Vlastakis, from Essex Business School, said: “We derived two new measures for information demand – one for the individual company and one for the whole market – and discovered that both have a strong association with stock return volatility and trading volume.
Royston Crow Series

Ritz launch for hotel school
The University of Essex's new Edge Hotel School has been given a stylish launch at the Ritz. The school will offer foundation and BA courses in hotel and culinary management in the Grade II listed building.
Colchester Gazette

Funding needed for Strood warning signs
Mersea residents challenged University of Essex Professors to develop a system that would warn motorists when high tides covered the route to mainland Colchester. The team, lead by Professor David Crawford, head of business partnerships at the research and enterprise office, developed electronic signs that counted down until water levels made it unsafe to drive through, in March this year but says the project now needs money to help develop a prototype and take the scheme forward.
Essex County Standard
Colchester Gazette

Essex presents...history on film
The East Anglian Film Archive is now based in a purpose-built office in Norwich but was set up in 1976 by the Manningtree film maker and historian, David Cleveland, while her was working at the University of Essex in the audio visual department.
Colchester Gazette

Study for hotel degrees
The UK's first hotel school to provide degree-level studies in a fully operational hotel is coming to Essex. Wivenhoe House is a grade II listed building and will not only offer a place to stay, but will earn University of Essex students a degree.
Essex Chronicle

Academy of Social Sciences
Miriam Glucksmann from the Department of Sociology has been conferred the award of academician from the Academy of Social Sciences.
Times Higher Education

Wednesday 25 April

Derek Walcott on BBC Radio 4's Front Row
Essex’s Professor of Poetry Derek Walcott speaks to Mark Lawson about his production of Pantomime at the Lakeside Theatre next week. Full interview (starts after 21 minutes, 33 seconds).

Google search data can predict stock market movement, say UEA and Essex University researchers
Investors can predict market movements by looking at the frequency of Google keyword searches according to research from the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. Researchers analysed Google search frequency data for keywords related to 30 of the largest stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange, including Coca Cola, McDonalds, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Exxon Mobil. Dr Nikolaos Vlastakis, from Essex Business School, said: “We derived two new measures for information demand, one for the individual company and one for the whole market, and discovered that both have a strong association with stock return volatility and trading volume.” Read the article here.
East Anglian Daily Times

Should politicians know the price of a pint of milk?
A Tory MP has described David Cameron and George Osborne as "two posh boys who don't know the price of milk". But why is knowing the price of milk so important? Anthony King, professor of British government at the University of Essex, says he understands why milk is a "shorthand - or a way of expressing succinctly that a politician may be out of touch". But he argues there are numerous reasons why it would be perfectly feasible for politicians not to know the price of it."It could be down to division of labour within a household, or people not paying attention to the price because they know they can afford it."I don't know the price of milk, but all that tells me is my income is large enough not to worry about it, whereas I do know the price of petrol," he says.
LondonWired

The appeal of video games
People spend 3 billion hours a week playing video games but little is known scientifically about why they are actually fun in the first place. But new research led by scientists at the University of Essex sheds some light on the appeal of video games and why millions of people around the world find playing them so much fun. The study investigated the idea that many people enjoy playing video games because it gives them the chance to "try on" characteristics which they would like to have as their ideal self. The research is part of ongoing work by Dr Andy Przybylski, a visiting research fellow at Essex, into how video games affect people by trying to understand what draws so many people to such a wide variety of games. Read the article here.

Health24
University of Essex students to bear Olympic torch
Two students at the University of Essex have been chosen as Olympic torchbearers. Sports science undergraduate Kat Parnell from Ipswich and aspiring Paralympian Scott Moorhouse will both be involved in carrying the Olympic torch in the run up to the summer Games. Kat, 21, is a sports and sports science assistant at the Universities sports centre and Human Performance Unit, and will be carrying the torch on July 5 after she was nominated by her sister, Stephanie. Scott, Colchester's Male Sport Personality of the Year, is currently training with Team GB in LA, and will be carrying the torch in Haringey on July 25. Currently ranked number two in the world for the F42 javelin category, he has deferred the final year of his studies to concentrate on bagging a place on the podium.
Harlow Star Series

Drug free games? Sorry, no chance!
Everyone hopes for a clean Olympics, but it's a fight that can't be won, warns Essex uni professor. The British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drug cheats looks set to be overturned. The Gazette speaks to Professor Chris Cooper, of the University of Essex, about his new book - Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat which explores the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport. Prof Cooper points out six of the eight finalists had taken substances which, at one time or another, had been banned. Prof Cooper said drug use was endemic in some sports, with performance enhancers particularly prevalent in the Tour De France. So too is the use of steroids, blood boosts and stimulants, including amphetamines. Prof Cooper believes the sport is getting cleaner, adding: "The advent of new testing regimes, such as biological passports, is reducing the amount of cheating."
The Gazette

Nine scholarships up for grabs at Wivenhoe hotel school
Scholarships totalling more than £25,000 are on offer to students at the Wivenhoe House Hotel. The Edge Hotel School, on Colchester Road, will be the first of its kind in the UK where students learn in a fully operational commercial hotel. Nine students will be awarded a £3,000 scholarship to attend the hotel, thanks to the Savoy Educational Trust. Read the article here.
The Gazette

The Edge Hotel School: Essex hotel to be run by students
The Edge Hotel School – the UK’s first hotel school to provide degree-level studies entirely within a fully operational commercial hotel – is set to enrol its first set of students to the newly refurbished Wivenhoe House hotel and restaurant later this year. Students will be ‘learning while doing’, working across every area of the hotel and fine-dining restaurant. They will have the option of earning a one-year foundation degree or a two-year BA Honours degree – both awarded by the neighbouring University of Essex.
Bighospitality.com

Tuesday 24 April

Tony Coxon
Read The Guardian's obituary for Professor Tony Coxon, the first director of the ESRC Research Centre, now the Institute for Social and Economic Research, at the University of Essex, where he led the development of the highly influential British Household Panel Survey.
The Guardian

Honour
The Director of Colchester's St Helena Hospice, Rosy Stamp, was awarded an honorary fellowship at the University of Essex by the Chancellor, Lord Phillips of Sudbury.
Colchester Gazette

Students' call to promote special day, by George!
Members of the University of Essex Conservative Future Society called on Colchester Council to do more to celebrate England's patron saint. A petition will be presented to a full meeting of Colchester Council.
Colchester Gazette

Join Olympics hopefuls for sporting time at uni
Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls will display their talents at the University of Essex next week. Onlookers will be able to take part in events such as boxing and wheelchair basketball at the Colchester campus.
Colchester Gazette

Professor named on 'Happy List'
Professor David Gill, Professor of Archaeological Heritage and Head of the Division of Humanities at University Campus Suffolk has been included in the Independent on Sunday's Happy List 2012. This list names 100 outstanding unsung individuals whose efforts make Britain a happier place.
East Anglian Daily Times

UK universities - creating wealth for our future
Professor David Weir from University Campus Suffolk puts an opposing view to the argument put by Patrick Phillips, owner of Kentwell Hall, that there are too many UK universities.
East Anglian Daily Times

Helping students cope with stress of exams
Jo Wilson, Deputy Director of Student Support at the University of Essex offers advice on revising and preparation for exams.
Colchester Gazette

Free talk on learning languages through games
A talk on how children develop language skills through games is being held next month. Dr Sonja Eisenbeiss from the University of Essex's department of language and linguistics will speak at the Cafe Scientifique event. Cafe Scientifique is a regular discussion forum aimed at bringing the public and academics together, and Colchester events are sponsored by the university.
Halstead Gazette
Essex County Standard
Colchester Gazette

'Allergic' to Wi-Fi? Move to West Virginia
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity has been the subject of some controversy. The symptoms may feel very real, but a 2007 study led by Elaine Fox of the U.K.'s University of Essex showed that short-term exposure to a typical GSM base station-like signal did not affect well-being or physiological functions in sensitive or control individuals.
CNET News

Obituary for Leila Berg
The author and editor Leila Berg, who has died aged 94, was a passionate advocate for the empowerment of children, particularly through literature. Her later years were spent in Wivenhoe, Essex. She was delighted to discover that the Children's Legal Centre (in whose creation she had been instrumental in its early days) was then housed at the nearby University of Essex. She was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Essex in 1999.
The Guardian

Monday 23 April

Squeezing ordinary people's finances always leads to disaster
Britain's rate of wealth transference from employees and the state to corporations is unmatched in any developed country Read Professor Prem Sikka's article here.
The Guardian
Sri Lankan News
Argentina Star
Pakistan News

Alterra announces promotions and enhances global reinsurance operations
Matthew Petzold has served as Active Underwriter with Syndicate 1400 since its formation in 1999, and as Underwriting Director of Alterra at Lloyd's since 2006. He has been a Director of the Company, since 1999. He was an underwriter with Copenhagen Re UK from 1975 to 1998, and was appointed Managing Director in 1996. Matthew is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and has a degree in Computing Science from the University of Essex.
Market Watch
Insurance Net News
Individual.com

Edge Hotel School could be “a milestone in education” says shadow minister
The soon-to-be-launched Edge Hotel School, where students have the opportunity to do their training within a real hotel environment, could be "a milestone in education", according to the shadow minister for further education, skills and regional growth, Gordon Marsden. Read the article here.
Caterer and Hotelkeeper
Caterersearch

University kids' day
The University of Essex is running Kids Uni at Firstsite on 26 May to get primary school children enthused about higher education.
Colchester Gazette
Essex County Standard

Olympic theme for universities campaign event
The University of Essex is limbering up for an Olympic-themed nationwide Universities Week which starts on Monday 20 April. This year's campaign will look at the contribution that universities make to the Olympic movement, the sports industry and society as a whole.
East Anglian Daily Times
Essex County Standard

Protest as yacht club's cafe is shut just day after opening
Up the Creek, part of the Brightlingsea Watersports and Yacht Club, was closed by club directors after its first day of trading on 7 April. The Brightlingsea Watersports and Yacht Club is based at the University of Essex Sailing Club and was formed by a joint charitable trust between the club and the University.
Colchester Gazette
Essex County Standard
Braintree and Witham Times

Students set for clean-up
Students at the University of Essex will go litter picking in communities around the campus on Wednesday. The event has been organised by the volunteer team at the Students' Union and supported by Rotaract.
Colchester Gazette

Inspirational Rosy given fellowship
Rosy Stamp, director of St Helen Hospice has been awarded an honorary fellowship from the University of Essex.
East Anglian Daily Times

Organic Food and Farming FAQs "Organic food is just too expensive. How can I justify the extra cost?"
Chemical farming has many hidden costs, which we pay for through our taxes and utility bills. For example, removing pesticides from drinking water costs water companies around £120 million per year. A recent study, by Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex, shows that food actually costs about three times more than the price you see on the supermarket shelf. Organic food appears to cost more, but as the farming method significantly reduces some of these hidden costs, we will pay less for our food overall. At the moment, the market for organic food is just getting off the ground, but as it grows, prices are expected to fall. However organic farmers need higher incomes to compensate for their current higher costs and the prices we pay now are also an incentive for farmers to consider organic farming.
Sustain Web

Sunday 22 April

Doctoral Research Fellowship on the Effectiveness of Non-Violence
The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) is announcing a PhD fellowship financed as part of a Grant from the Research Council of Norway for a project on “Effective Non-Violence? Resistance Strategies and Political Outcomes” led by Kristian Skrede Gleditsch of the University of Essex & PRIO. The project seeks to understand the conditions that foster the use of non-violent as opposed to violent tactics, focusing on the interaction between specific characteristics of different organizations, their constituencies, the state, and external actors
PRIO

Saturday 21 April

Art exhibitions to win support for Cuban 5 set to open in UK
An art exhibition "Beyond the Frame" to win support for a campaign to free five Cuban revolutionaries framed up and convicted on conspiracy charges by the U.S. government is coming to London. Cuban artists and members of the families of Guerrero and Fernando Gonzallez will participate in events related to the exhibition. The artists have been invited to the University of Essex on 25 April.
The Militant

Now going will get tougher for Tommy
Tommy Martin faces a tough test in the first national round of the Junior ABA Championships in Camberley after an impressive win in the Eastern Counties finals. The St Ives fighter takes on Tony Staniford from host club Turners ABC at under-63kg having stopped Essex University ABC's Aaron Stenner at March.
Cambridge News online

Friday 20 April

Savoy aids hotel school
Nine students will be awarded a £3,000 scholarship to attend the Edge Hotel School, thanks to the Savoy Educational Trust. The Edge Hotel School will be the first of its kind in the UK where students learn in a full-operational, commercial hotel.
Colchester Gazette
Halstead Gazette
Essex County Standard
Eat Out Magazine
Craft Guild of Chefs
CatererSearch
Cost Sector Catering

Multi-storey at university hits obstacle
Plans for a £21 million research and training centre to relocate Essex Business School at the University of Essex should approved. However, Essex County Council planners say a multi-storey car park on the site should not be allowed.
Essex County Standard

Smashing! Hotel School signs deal
The University of Essex's Edge Hotel School, based at Wivenhoe House has announced its first industry partnership. It is being supplied with glassware, china and cutlery by the Churchill company.
Essex County Standard

Students to hold a Uni spring clean
Students from the University of Essex will go litter picking in communities around the campus on Wednesday. The event has been organised by the volunteer team at the Students' Union and supported by Rotaract.
Essex County Standard

Jaw break ends final hopes
University of Essex boxer Aaron Spenner's hopes of Eastern Counties Junior ABA Final success were ended after he suffered a suspected broken jaw.
Essex County Standard

Marianne Mollmann
Marianne Mollman is senior policy advisor with Amnesty International's head-quarters in London. Prior to working with Amnesty International, Ms. Mollmann worked on women's rights for over eight years with Human Rights Watch in New York. Ms. Mollmann holds an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from Essex University and speaks fluent Spanish, French, and Danish.
Huffington Post

Jan Jaroslav Pinkava
Dr. Jan Jaroslav Pinkava is the director and writer of the Pixar Oscar-winning 1997 short film Geri's Game and the originator and co-director of Pixar's Oscar-winning 2007 film Ratatouille. He is the third-born of four children of the Czech polymath Václav Pinkava alias Jan Křesadlo. The family emigrated to Britain in 1969, where he obtained British citizenship. He attended Colchester Royal Grammar School from 1974 to 1982 showing interest and talent in the arts, music, drama and sculpture. One of his juvenile sculptures 'Big Cat' was acquired by Essex University and put on permanent display outside the library.
Hollywood Previews

Thursday 19 April

Work in the voluntary sector still more satisfying than in other sectors
It is often asserted that people working in the voluntary sector are happier with their jobs than those working in private companies, or the public sector. This has been put down to factors such as better working conditions or more flexible hours. But it has also been attributed to those working in the sector feeling better about their jobs - that they are worthwhile, fit their values, or provide a much-need service to vulnerable groups. The research uses data from 17 years of the British Household Panel survey.
eGov Monitor

Uni's £21m research plan
Plans for a £21million research and training centre next to the its Knowledge Gateway research park at the University of Essex should be approved. However, Colchester Council planners say a multi-storey car park on the site should not be allowed.
Colchester Gazette

Accolade for hospice director
Rosy Stamp, the director of Colchester's St Helena Hospice will receive an honorary fellowship from the University of Essex today.
Colchester Gazette

Spenner's hopes are dashed by jaw blow
Essex University boxer Aaron Spenner's hopes of Eastern Counties Junior ABA final success were ended after he suffered a badly bruised jaw and he was forced to retire.
Colchester Gazette

The Surreal World of Salvador Dalí Genius or madman?
When Dawn Ades from the University of Essex, a leading Dalí scholar, began specializing in his work 30 years ago, her colleagues were aghast. “They thought I was wasting my time,” she says. “He had a reputation that was hard to salvage. I have had to work very hard to make it clear how serious he really was.”
Smithsonian.com

Wednesday 18 April

The psychological joys of spring
Psychologists have begun to take the relatively new field of ecopsychology — the study of psychology and ecology — seriously. The University of Essex has found that hospital patients with rural views had significantly lower blood pressures than those without.
Psychologies

Economic markets need 'warning system' to avert crashes
Edward Tsang, Director of the Centre for Computational Finance and Economic Agents at the University of Essex writes an article for the New Scientist.
New Scientist

Waha Nui
Replacing the retired Ben Moffat as WCC Drama Professor is Nicolas Logue, straight from teaching world theatre at the East 15 Acting School. His background is Asian theater and martial arts for stage combat.
MidWeek

It’s time to sack all those expensive City analysts — investors can predict market movements by looking at the frequency of Google keyword searches
That’s according to a report by academics at the University of Essex and the University of East Anglia. The researchers analysed Google search frequency data for keywords related to 30 of the largest stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq and found a “strong association” between Google searches and stock return volatility and trading volume.
London Evening Standard

Haitian women on the border: the inequality of informality
Professor Maria Cristina Fumagalli contributes to a feature discussing the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti and argues the Dominican military greatly benefit from informal border crossings as they can demand money from Haitians trying to travel into the Republic.
Media Global News

Tuesday 17 April

Europe the top educational destination for Georgian Students
Europe is the top destination for Georgian students going abroad to study. University ratings, tuition fees and possibility to combine studies with part-time work, are the main criteria when choosing a foreign university. One of the Universities that the Centre for International Education frequently sends students to is the University of Essex.
Financial

Monday 16 April

Teacher's Cuba dance
Tracy Collier, head of movement at East 15 travelled to the other side of the world to perform at a theatre opening in memory of popular singer Kirsty MacColl.
Echo

Airport boosts interest in Pru block
Interest in opening a 119-bedroom hotel in the heart of Southend has increased on the back of the town’s airport expansion. Plans to convert the empty Prudential Insurance building, just off the High Street, have been languishing since the economy ground to a halt three years ago. But enquiries about the Sixties building, which has a £7.2million price tag, have reportedly shot up after Southend Airport’s £100million expansion and the start of work on a new £27million library nearby. Southend Council hopes to build new business parks around the airport and encourage more firms to move to the town as a result. It has also ploughed £12.5million into a new library on the site of the Farringdon car park, which is next to the old Prudential building. The University of Essex and South Essex College will contribute the remainder of the money for the development, which also includes a new public square.
Southend Standard
Echo

Leading figures from Britain celebrate 10th anniversary of the defeat of US-backed coup in Venezuela
Prominent support has come from a range of writers, cultural figures, trade union leaders and additional parliamentarians in a statement initiated by the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign and set to be launched shortly, to mark the day the Venezuelan people defeated the coup. The statement stresses that there is an ongoing threat from the US to the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their own affairs. Prominent academic signatories include Professor Ernesto Laclau (Professor of Political Theory at the University of Essex).
venezuelanalysis.com

Love vintage? You'll love fashion fair
Katie Kennedy is organising a Vintage Fair in Culver Square, Colchester this month and says that from fairs organised at the University of Essex, there seems to be a real interest in retro fashions.
Colchester Gazette

Lifts your Mood
Just five minutes exercising in a “green space” boosts your mood, according to an Essex University study.
The Sun

Saturday 14 April

International Centre for Prison Studies
The International Centre for Prison Studies assists governments and other relevant agencies to develop appropriate policies on prisons and the use of imprisonment. ICPS has an academic partnership with the University of Essex. The Centre makes the results of its academic research and projects widely available to groups and individuals, both nationally and internationally. These include policy makers, practitioners and administrators, the media and the general public. Such dissemination will help to increase an understanding of the purpose of prison and what can be expected of it.
Corrections Connection

Kenneth Freeman considers the importance of Employee well-being
Positive emotion can be influenced by obvious management behaviours- praise and recognition, for example. But it can also be affected by the physical environment. Five minutes exposure to nature is enough to make a difference (although the more, the better), according to research carried out at the University of Essex in the UK.
Personnelzone.com

Marriage Study
The latest research on happiness isn't so jolly: Great Britain's Understanding Society finds that happiness in marriage declines with age. Older couples are less content than their younger counterparts, while young, childless couples are the happiest of them all.
Your Tango

Friday 13 April

Voluntary sector job satisfaction beats public and private sectors, says poll
Voluntary sector workers are more satisfied with their jobs than those working in the public and private sectors, according to new research. But it also shows job satisfaction in the sector has fallen in the last 15 years. Analysis by the Third Sector Research Centre of data collected over the past 17 years for the British Household Panel Survey, which asks individuals how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with their jobs, found that voluntary sector workers scored a higher level of satisfaction across a range of questions, including the hours they work, the nature of the work and job security.
Third Sector

Women cycling
Cycling in the countryside will bring extra advantages as it counts as ‘green exercise'. "Green exercise improves self-esteem and mood, reduces stress and blood pressure, boosts immunity and improves concentration," says Dr Jo Barton, lecturer in sports science and green exercise at the University of Essex. "We feel de-stressed and connected when immersed in nature."
Allaboutyou.com

Red light chaos
Motorists on their way home faced long delays after traffic lights at a busy junction became stuck on red. Queues built on all routes around the St Andrew's Avenue access road for the University of Essex on Clingoe Hill after 5pm. Engineers were made aware of the problem.
Essex County Standard
Colchester Gazette

Story of a mansion
University of Essex Historian, Professor James Raven will tell the story behind a demolished mansion at Marks Hall on 3 May.
Essex County Standard

University trio beaten at Brentwood School
University of Essex boxers experienced a tough day at the Brentwood Show as all three of their top boxers were beaten after facing tough opponents.
Essex County Standard

Tableware on the way
The University of Essex's Edge Hotel School is being supplied with glassware, chine and cutlery by the Churchill company and the deal will equip Wivenhoe House with 5,682 pieces of china, 2,388 glasses and 4,404 items of cutlery.
Colchester Gazette

Art Exchange exhibition
An exhibition focusing on the body will being at the University of Essex on Wednesday 25 April.
Colchester Gazette

Lily signs up to teach sex lessons in Africa
University of Essex graduate Lily Nimmons is leaving her job to teach youngsters in South Africa about safe sex. Lily was inspired after studying South Africa as part of her history degree and she will spend three months in Eastern Cape as a volunteer with the Restless Development.
Colchester Gazette

The Real Integrity Test
If you lie, commit adultery, take drugs, break the speed limit, drink and drive, and willingly handle stolen goods, you're in good company. Or at least company. According to research from the University of Essex in England, British people have become markedly less honest in the last decade. Coupled with this decline in morality is a growing acceptance of dishonest behavior.
Christianitymagazine.co.uk

Escaping virtual reality
New research led by scientists at the University of Essex, however, points out another side of gaming: instead of encouraging violent behavior, it can even encourage strategic thinking and self-building. According to research by Dr Andy Przybylski, gaming is a platform for trying on different characteristics which gamers want to adopt as an ideal self. Read the article here.
Rappler

Thursday 12 April

Uni hosts mock trial
Bosses of companies that cause environmental damage have been judged at a mock trial held by the Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution at the University of Essex.
Colchester Gazette

Telescopes posts on CNET
'Allergic' to Wi-Fi? Move to West Virginia. Some people believe electromagnetic radiation makes them sick. The BBC chatted with a couple of these refugees from technology and they described symptoms ranging from physical pain to fatigue. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity has been the subject of some controversy. The symptoms may feel very real, but a 2007 study led by Elaine Fox of the U.K.'s University of Essex showed that short-term exposure to a typical GSM base station-like signal did not affect well-being or physiological functions in sensitive or control individuals.
CNET news.com

Wednesday 11 April

It is time the dilettante PM got a grip
Professor Anthony King from the Department of Government analyses the way David Cameron has approached recent crises. Read the full article here.
Financial Times

Players cross swords for classic Three Musketeers
It’s all for one and one for all in Brightlingsea this week as the Seaview Players ready themselves for their first show of the year. They are performing the Alexandre Dumas swashbuckling classic, the Three Musketeers. Darryl Crawley, the Players’ new chairman, said: “The show has a young cast, with lots of drama students from Essex University which is exciting. We also have a set made entirely of wood and fabric, which is a fun challenge to say the least – and, of course, lots of sword fighting.”
Gazette

Tuesday 10 April

Researchers at uni show console helps prevent falls
Researchers at the University of Essex found that the Nintendo Wii Fit can prove an effective method of helping improve the mobility of elderly people who are recurrent fallers. The research, published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, found that recurrent fallers not only found the Wii fun to use, but they improved their flexibility and functional mobility after using it, compared to patients who did not. This project was the first of its kind to establish the effectiveness of the Wii by incorporating it into an established clinical physiotherapy programme.
Gazette

Sunday 8 April

The psychological joys of spring
The positive psychological effects of good weather have been well documented, so when the sun’s out, it’s best to take yourself outside for at least 30 minutes and bask. Many psychologists have now begun to take the relatively new field of ecopsychology — the study of psychology and ecology — seriously, including the University of Essex which has found that hospital patients with rural views had significantly lower blood pressures than those without.
Psychologies Online

Saturday 7 April

Justice strikes a blow for the law of nature
A 'courtroom' drama with a difference has been played out at Essex University with 'punishment' being meted out for the crime of ecocide - the destruction of ecosystems. A mock sentencing was held at the university's Institute for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (IDCR). It has shown for the first-time how international law could force chief executives of corporations to make amends for ecocide - the destruction of ecosystems. Essex University IDCR director, Professor Todd Landman said: "This event shows how the process of restorative justice can serve as a model for resolving conflicts between multinational corporations and a wide range of victims." The event also included a talk by renowned environmental photographer Garth Lenz and presentations from University of Essex academics on the political, legal, business and psychological dimensions of environmentalism.
East Anglian Daily Times

Think Tank in child poverty warning
Child poverty is likely to increase because the rich are increasingly marrying within their own ranks, a think-tank warned. Only 16% of women now in their early 30s are married into a higher social class, less than half the 38% among those born in 1958 who did so, a study by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found. The study was based on analysis of Understanding Society by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), the British Cohort Study and the National Child Development Study.
thisislondon.co.uk
and 306 other media outlets

Outdoor workouts burn more calories and boost endorphins
According to the University of Essex, outdoor exercise burns up to a fifth more calories because of environmental factors like wind, cold and heat as well as having to adjust to the varied terrain. An uphill bike or hike in the wind or varied terrain takes more effort than a simulated jog on a treadmill. Exercising outdoors requires use of more muscles to stabilize and balance in the environment. It also incorporates more core muscles. All of these factors add up to a greater calorie burn and it simply feels great!
Cross Timbers Gazette

Friday 6 April

The distracted parent
An article informed by recent research at the University, found that children’s strength had declined severely in the last 10 years possibly due to the reduction in physical activity, found that technology has limited our ability to communicate face-to-face. More and more parents are distracted by technology, resulting in fragmented families and weaker family bonds.
Parenting Orange County

Study examines the roots of homophobia
Acceptance of gays and lesbians has never been higher, but anti-gay bias still exists. A new study involving Dr Netta Weinstein of the University’s Department of Psychology who was an author, suggests intense hostility toward homosexuals may be linked to a repressed same-sex attraction, combined with an authoritarian upbringing.
Times Online
and 108 other media outlets

Thursday 5 April

They want to ride their bicycles
Cycling to school has already been linked with improving children's fitness levels, but new research carried out by Gavin Sandercock from the University of Essex has sound a link between their health and the use of bikes for fun.
Times Higher Education

The Impact of MediaCityUK conference returns
Caroline Norbury, chief executive of Creative England is one of the speakers at this year's MediaCityUK conference. Caroline is a member of BAFTA and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She studied for her first degree in Government at the University of Essex and has an MA in Cultural Leadership from City University, London.
howdo

The benefits of walking
Making these connections with our surroundings can lift our spirits. An Essex University research team has shown that ‘green exercise’ – walking in a natural environment – markedly reduces stress levels, and enhances mood and self-esteem. So take the chance to reconnect with nature whenever you can.
Psychologies

Wednesday 4 April

Mercer Appoints David Hilborn as the Houston Office Leader and Human Capital Market Business Leader for its Central Market
Mr Hilborn will have responsibility for executing Mercer’s business strategy, managing operations, directing a number of Mercer’s largest global and domestic client relationships, and overseeing results for both the Houston office and the Human Capital business in the Central market. Mr. Hilborn is a University of Essex graduate and also has a Master’s degree in organizational development from George Washington University.
KTVT-TV.com

Whalley receives Killam Award
Western Economics professor John Whalley has added a top Canadian research honour to his portfolio - the 2012 Killam Prize. The Killam Program presents five $100,000 awards annually to outstanding Canadian scholars working in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering in recognition of career achievements. Whalley’s interest in applying abstract mathematical concepts to global issues stems from his time at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom and Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
UWO Western News

Playing Nintendo just got medical backing (the perfect excuse?)
Researchers at the University of Essex have found that playing Nintendo Wii Fit can help improve the mobility of elderly people prone to falling The research, published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, found that Wii improved flexibility and mobility in recurrent fallers _ and kept them entertained. The project, run with Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, monitored patients taking part in a seven-week falls prevention exercise group at Colchester General Hospital _ the aim being to improve strength and balance, and help recurrent fallers fall less and know how to get back up. Recurrent fallers currently cost the NHS nearly £1.7 billion every year.
Herts and Essex Observer

Tuesday 3 April

Olympians heading to town
Athletes from Venezuela are set to use Colchester including the University of Essex as their base during the London Olympic Games.
East Anglian Daily Times

Library in exhibition
The Albert Sloman Library is included in the Victoria and Albert Museum's British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age exhibition, which runs until August 12.
Gazette

Youth awards threat as police axe cash
Essex graduate Darryl Crawley expresses his disappointment over the Essex Young People of the Year Awards possibly being scrapped after the police withdrew funding. Darryl, a finalist in last year's awards, said: "It would be a huge loss. Too much is made of the negative impact youngsters have on society, so to lose one of the only opportunities to celebrate some of their hard work would be unfair."
Gazette

Students have made a mess of our street
Students have been blamed for leaving piles of rubbish in a Colchester street. Residents say students leaving for the Easter break have dumped a load of bin bags in Hatcher Crescent which have been ripped apart by foxes. The University said it works closely with the Students’ Union to encourage students to be good neighbours.
Gazette
Essex County Standard

Monday 2 April

'There is no right to an abortion...there is a right to life'
Father Paul Keane, Parish Priest of St Sabina's, Brightlingsea and St Monica's, Wivenhoe and Catholic Chaplain at the University of Essex offers his opinion in the abortion debate.
Colchester Gazette

Sunday 1 April

Boardroom pay: investors urged to step up and accept their responsibility
As Prem Sikka, Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex, has shown, the proportion of stock owned by individuals fell from 47% in 1969 to 10% in 2008, while the percentage in foreign hands has risen from 7% to 42%. Many shareholders today – overseas hedge funds, for instance – invest only for the short term and pay scant attention to corporate behaviour. Read the article here.
The Guardian
Therapeutic Daily

The Optimist’s Secret
Why do some people see life as something to be embraced, while others see it as something to be endured? The answer may lie in our genes, suggests research by a team at the University of Essex in England. In a study of 100 people, who were asked to choose from images with positive, negative, or neutral connotations, the researchers found that a specific genetic variation in our DNA may be at least partly responsible for our outlook on life.
All4Women.co.za

Further Information:

About the University

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Guide to room numbering

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