Music festival showcases University’s top musical talent28 May 2013A free music festival showcasing Bristol’s most gifted young musicians gets underway on Sunday [2 June]. The Bristol University Music Festival returns for its fifth year and features jazz, classical and musical theatre during the four-day event.
Study finds implementing new ways of charitable giving could see donations triple28 May 2013Charities could benefit from an additional £40 million per year if a new intervention designed to automatically enroll donors to a scheme that increases their donations by three per cent a year is implemented. This is just one of the findings from a new report, published today by the Cabinet Office, which aimed to explore new and innovative ways of increasing charitable giving.
AHRC-funded project turns spotlight on Latin Americans in Bristol24 May 2013A University of Bristol initiative to promote knowledge and understanding of the diversity of Latin American culture within Bristol concludes this week with the launch of a website about its work over the past three months.
Launch of new Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research – 22 July24 May 2013A public launch of the new Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research will take place on 22 July 2013 from 6 to 8 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm for prompt 6 pm start) in the Great Hall, Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ.
Bristol students turn castoffs into vital charity funds23 May 2013Students at the University of Bristol will be part of a huge scheme to convert unwanted items into £50,000 of vital income for local charities. The University’s Sustainability team has joined forces with the Students’ Union (UBU) to launch this year’s ‘Big GIVE’ which covers 21 university-owned halls and UNITE properties, collecting items from over 5,000 students to support 20 local charities.
Molecular modelling to help create better, safer drugs23 May 2013How our bodies break down the common drugs ibuprofen, diclofenac and warfarin is the subject of a new study from the University of Bristol, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The research should ultimately help predict how new drugs will be metabolized in the body, potentially helping avoid adverse drug reactions in future.
Student social entrepreneurs win top honours23 May 2013A group of social entrepreneurs from the University of Bristol has won top honours for its work to help students start their own businesses. The Bristol Social Enterprise Society was praised by the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) for the variety of events and funding opportunities it has organised to incentivise its peers.
Cat owners need better information about when to neuter their cat22 May 2013A new study from the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences ‘Bristol Cats' study cohort has shown that 85 per cent of pet cats are not neutered by the recommended age possibly due to cat owners needing better information about when to neuter their cat.
Unkempt, weedy land unintentionally boosts wildlife22 May 2013Parts of the farm landscape that look overgrown and ‘scruffy’ are more important in supporting wildlife than they first appear, according to new research published today in Ecology Letters.
Iodine deficiency during pregnancy adversely affects children’s mental development22 May 2013A study of around 1,000 UK mothers and their children, published in The Lancet, has revealed that iodine deficiency in pregnancy may have an adverse effect on children’s mental development. The research raises concerns that the iodine status of pregnant women is a public-health issue that needs to be addressed.
Great George to chime for anniversary of University’s Royal Charter22 May 2013Great George, the nine-and-a-half-ton bell in the tower of the University of Bristol’s Wills Memorial Building, will ring for five minutes at 1.30pm today [Wednesday, 22 May] to mark the anniversary of the University’s Royal Charter.
Unexpected Effects of Ocean Acidification on Deep-sea Organisms22 May 2013About 55.5 million years ago, geologically rapid emission of a large volume of greenhouse gases at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (PETM) led to global warming of about 5oC, severe ocean acidification, and widespread extinction of microscopic organisms living on the deep-sea floor (foraminifera). A study of survivors of the extinction provides unique insight into the response of deep-sea calcifiers to past episodes which resemble the potential future consequences of fossil fuel CO2 emissions. The organisms, contrary to expectations from experiments, actually increased the thickness of their shells during ocean acidification, with organisms living buried within the sediment able to survive better than forms living on the sediment surface. The research, by scientists from the University of Bristol (UK) and Yale University (USA), is reported in this week's early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.
Snap happy and healthy: photography winners in the spotlight21 May 2013The winners of an inaugural competition to capture the essence of health and wellbeing on camera have been revealed, with staff and students at the University of Bristol exercising their photographic skills to produce some colourful and thought-provoking images.
Blooming marvellous! Meadow project wins Bristol Genius Award21 May 2013A project to plant flower meadows across the city has won the Mayor’s Bristol Genius Award for its efforts to transform the urban environment for pollinating insects, while making Bristol more attractive for residents and visitors. Mayor George Ferguson announced the winner at last night’s Festival of Ideas awards evening, marking the second year in a row that a project at the University of Bristol has scooped top honours.
Masked donors: new study reveals why people make large donations anonymously21 May 2013New research that studied why people choose to make large donations to charity anonymously has found that it may act as a signal to other donors of the charity’s quality. The findings, published today, also show that anonymous gifts rather than public ones induce larger donations from subsequent donors.
Pilot awards to amplify impact21 May 2013Eleven research teams in eight of the University's Schools have received grants totalling £170,000 to accelerate the impact of their research. These awards were made through pilot funding schemes from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Prize-winning Brazilian author comes to Bristol21 May 2013Adriana Lisboa, one of Latin America's most important young writers, comes to Bristol on Thursday 23rd May as part of an event 'Perspectives on Brazilian Culture' hosted by the University of Bristol.
Remembering Exhibitions at the RWA21 May 2013Remembering Exhibitions, an exhibition curated by students from the University of Bristol's MA in History of Art: Histories and Interpretations opens at the Royal West of England Academy this week.
New £23m research unit will use advances in genetics to help reduce risk of disease20 May 2013A new £23million research unit is announced today, that will exploit the latest advances in genetics to improve understanding of how changes to lifestyle or environment, as well as pharmacological interventions, can reduce the risk of disease. The Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), jointly funded by the Medical Research Council and the University of Bristol, will launch on 1 June 2013.
Fossil brain teaser20 May 2013A new study conducted at the University of Bristol and published online today in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology sheds light on how the brain and inner ear developed in dinosaurs.
University of Bristol awarded Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship to host philosopher Luce Irigaray20 May 2013The University of Bristol has been awarded a Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship to host philosopher Luce Irigaray (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France). Professor Irigaray will collaborate with Dr Maria Fannin in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol over a period of two years (2013-2014).
University research project shortlisted for Mayor's Bristol Genius Award17 May 2013An ambitious scientific project which aims to transform Bristol’s urban environment for pollinating insects, while making Bristol more attractive for residents and visitors, has been shortlisted for this year's Bristol Genius Award.
Bristol digs Berkeley online17 May 2013The University of Bristol's annual archaeological excavations at Berkeley Castle continue this week. For the first time in the dig's nine year history, regular updates of the archaeology students' progress will be posted on Twitter, Facebook, the Bristol Dig Berkeley blog and other social media.
Professor Wooley invited to address mathematical congress17 May 2013Trevor Wooley, Professor of Mathematics, has been invited to give a 45-minute address at the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians in Seoul, South Korea.
Get fit to fight cancer17 May 2013Staff and students who want to improve their fitness and raise money for charity have the chance to run the Bristol Half Marathon for the University Cancer Research Fund.
Bristol manager becomes 500th volunteer to take the plunge16 May 2013A manager from the University of Bristol’s Human Resources team has become the 500th person to volunteer at the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, which will be held in Bristol and Bath in August.
Historic atlases paint picture of a changing world16 May 2013Hundreds of beautiful images from a collection of very rare and extremely valuable atlases dating from 1574 to the 1970s have been made available online for the first time, thanks to a project at the University of Bristol.
Mobile technology turns magazine into music mixer16 May 2013The boundaries of traditional print media are being pushed thanks to an interactive magazine which allows readers to mix their own music. Paper meets high-tech mobile technology in the latest issue of Discover More, the University of Bristol magazine for sixth form pupils. The latest issue is being distributed from today [16 May].
Wider use for virtual laboratories15 May 2013Dynamic Laboratory Manuals, the innovative, web-based teaching aids, developed by Bristol’s ChemLabs and eBiolabs, have now been rolled out across the Faculty of and to the Faculties of Science, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Dentistry.
Minister marks starts of NCC expansion work15 May 2013Construction on the second phase of the National Composites Centre (NCC), a world leading research and technology hub owned by the University of Bristol, got underway yesterday with a turf cutting ceremony attended by the Business Minister Michael Fallon.
Discover the secrets of the garden15 May 2013The University of Bristol Botanic Garden will be transformed into a living science lab this Sunday [19 May] for Fascination of Plants Day.
Father absence in early childhood linked to depression in adolescent girls15 May 2013New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol shows that girls whose fathers were absent during the first five years of life were more likely to develop depressive symptoms in adolescence than girls whose fathers left when they were aged five to ten years or than boys in both age groups (0-5 and 5-10), even after a range of factors was taken into account.
Planting the seeds of history14 May 2013Colourful gardens, with exotic plants brought to Bristol from around the world, are springing up around the city as part of an exciting heritage project. A total of 16 schools and community groups have been working hard to cultivate their own living history of the city, with plants identified as having been brought to Bristol in the ballast holds of sailing vessels when Bristol was a major European port.
Cooling ocean temperature could buy more time for coral reefs14 May 2013Limiting the amount of warming experienced by the world's oceans in the future could buy some time for tropical coral reefs, say researchers from the University of Bristol.
New partnership to target environmental issues13 May 2013The University of Bristol has today [13 May] announced it will be working in partnership with a Government research agency to help ensure vital research into the environment, food security and animal welfare is communicated and utilised by policy makers. Research staff and students linked to the Cabot Institute will join forces with the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), whose role is to provide robust evidence, rigorous analysis and professional advice to Government, international organisations and the private sector.
