Annual Review 2008-09
Research of excellence
2008-09 marked a significant year for the University's research profile. Not
only did Essex achieve record research income for a second consecutive year
(with the total rising from £15.7 million to £18.2 million), its research
quality in economics, political science and psychology was recognised in the
Centre for Higher Education Development European Excellence Rankings.
Most importantly, Essex launched four Global Challenges: major
multi-disciplinary projects addressing issues of worldwide significance with
the potential for international collaboration.
The focus of Essex's research is studies that have impact and the
potential to influence the way we live. Grants awarded during 2008-09
include:
- €4.4 million to the Institute for Social and Economic Research for
its EUROMOD project which helps calculate the effects of taxes and benefits
on households across Europe;
- £115,000 to Biological Sciences to fund the
development of a potentially life-saving blood substitute;
- £2.5 million to
Computer Science and Electronic Engineering to use intelligent robotic fish
to analyse and monitor pollution levels in global ports;
- and over £470,000
to art historians for a study of post-war Latin American art
Findings too are equally impressive:
Global impact on software development
Researchers in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
developed new technology with the potential to revolutionise the practice of
software development and maintenance.
Their Two-Tier Programming (TTP) Toolkit could have a major impact on the
commercial sector as it has the potential to be used by up to 50 per cent of
programmers globally. Trials showed that programmers who used it performed
76 per cent faster in maintenance tasks.
Looking on the bright side: it's in the genes
Scientists in the Department of Psychology showed that those who always
see the glass half full have a genetically driven tendency to do so.
Their research identified a genetic variation linked to a tendency to
selectively avoid negative images and to pay attention to positive
information.
The findings represent a breakthrough in understanding why some people
are highly resilient to stress, while others are susceptible to the negative
impact of stressful life events.
'Blind' patient sees colour
A researcher from the Department of Psychology succeeded in inducing the
experience of colour in the blind part of a partially sighted patient's
visual field.
Using a magnetic coil to stimulate the brain of a patient with reduced
field of vision on his right side, Dr Juha Silvanto demonstrated that it is
possible to experience visual sensations of colour in an area of blindness
caused by a cortical brain lesion.
Breast cancer breakthrough
Researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences made a significant
breakthrough in the study of breast cancer which could lead to new
treatments for the disease.
The project, which was headline news in top oncology journal Clinical
Cancer Research, proved that a particular protein, CTCF, plays an
important role in breast cancer development and showed how therapies could
be developed to normalise tumour cells.
Books by Essex academics
Books authored and edited by Essex academics in 2008-09 include:
Representing the Unrepresentable is the first volume of a new
multi-disciplinary journal, spearheaded by the Department of History,
exploring the Holocaust.
The End of Stigma? Changes in the Social Experience of Long-Term
Illness, by Gill Green of Health and Human Sciences, investigates the
roots of contemporary experiences of stigma, throwing new light on the
phenomenon by examining various long-term conditions.
Charles Darwin's Notebooks from the Voyage of the Beagle,
co-authored by the UK Data Archive's Gordon Chancellor, is the first full
edition of the Beagle notebooks which record geological and general
observations from the five-year voyage.
The Secret Battle, by Dr Michael Roper of Sociology, explores the
history of family relationships in wartime by focusing on what home meant to
British soldiers during World War I and how it helped them cope with trench
warfare.
Confronting Myths and Misunderstandings, by Andrew Fagan of the Human
Rights Centre, analyses theoretical and practical aspects of human rights
and tackles a number of enduring myths.