News in 2013

Scientists have developed a new type of nanoparticle with potential applications in chemistry, biology and medicine. The findings, published in Science and led by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Bristol, could potentially be used to deliver bioactive molecules, such as drugs, to cells and eventually diseased tissues in the body.

Conference targets women with complex and multiple needs

Findings from a two-year study that looked at the experiences of women in the homeless service system will be presented at a national conference, hosted by academics at the University of Bristol, next week [24 April].

University of Bristol holds its first graduation celebration in China

More than 200 students from across China will take part in the first graduation celebration of its kind when the University of Bristol brings a traditional British ceremony to Beijing.

New study reveals the true cost of kinship care

A major study published today [15 April] by leading children’s grant-giving charity, Buttle UK and the University of Bristol provides the most comprehensive picture to date of informal kinship care — children cared for informally by relatives and friends because their parents are no longer able to look after them.

Help shape Bristol’s future

12 April 2013

The University of Bristol is recruiting new lay members to join to the University Council and several of its committees.

Disappearing nannies force parents to accept their duties

12 April 2013

Large helpers (nannies) in a cichlid fish allow the dominant male and female to reduce their personal contribution to their offspring and territory, according to new research published today in Functional Ecology.

Update on capital programme

11 April 2013

Deputy Vice-Chancellor David Clarke provides staff and students with an update on capital building projects across the University.

National media coverage on news that donations to universities has hit record high

11 April 2013

Professor Eric Thomas, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bristol and Tania Rawlinson, Director of Campaigns and Alumni Relations at the University and Chair of the Ross Group - a network of higher education fund-raisers, have commented to national media on the results of a fundraising survey in the UK higher education sector.

Make a date with Google Calendar

11 April 2013

The second phase of the Google implementation will be taking place this week with the aim that all staff and postgraduate research students will use Google Calendar from Monday 15 April. This will replace the Oracle Calendar service.

Dr Tasker receives Petplan Charitable Trust Research Award

Dr Séverine Tasker from the Bristol Veterinary School has become the 2013 recipient of the Petplan Charitable Trust Research Award, which recognises a person, or team, who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of veterinary research.

Findings reveal what factors contribute to outstanding fundraising programmes

The findings from a year-long study that sought to identify what factors contribute to outstanding fundraising appeals are published this week. The Clayton Burnett-commissioned research, led by academics at the University of Bristol and Indiana University in the US, analysed the leadership, communication and structures behind some of the UK’s most successful fundraising programmes.

Student to embark on 3,200 mile cycle challenge across the US

A University of Bristol student will embark on the challenge of a lifetime when he cycles across North America next month, pushing himself to the limit as he clocks up over 3,000 miles and crosses three mountain ranges in 50 days. Self-confessed ‘bike nut’ Marcus Farnfield, a third year Chemistry student, aims to cycle from Vancouver in Canada to Washington DC on the east coast of the US.

Reliability of neuroscience research questioned

New research has questioned the reliability of neuroscience studies, saying that conclusions could be misleading due to small sample sizes. A team led by academics from the University of Bristol reviewed 48 articles on neuroscience meta-analysis which were published in 2011 and concluded that most had an average power of around 20 per cent – a finding which means the chance of the average study discovering the effect being investigated is only one in five.

Professor Guy Nason awarded EPSRC Established Career Fellowship

8 April 2013

Professor Guy Nason in the School of Mathematics has been awarded a prestigious Established Career Fellowship by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Further potential insight into the complex neuropathology of Down’s syndrome

7 April 2013

Researchers at the University of Bristol have revealed new insight into the function of a key protein attributed to impaired learning and memory in Down’s syndrome. The findings, published online in Nature Cell Biology, offer further molecular insight into how the reduced level of this key protein termed ‘sorting nexin-27’ [SNX27] may contribute to learning and memory problems associated with Down’s syndrome.

Students flee from Bristol to Vienna in 36 hours

5 April 2013

An intrepid team of students from the University of Bristol ‘escaped’ 872 miles to Vienna as part of the Jailbreak challenge, which has raised over £7,000 for charity. Wilf Middleton and Leon Luithlen travelled through England, Belgium, Germany and Austria in 36 hours without spending any money to emerge victorious in the RAG event, organised by the University’s Students’ Union (UBU).

Bristol researcher comments on proposals to ban pesticides to save bees

5 April 2013

Dr Heather Whitney, from the School of Biological Sciences, has been interviewed by BBC News about the call for pesticides to be banned in light of declining bee numbers.

Kind-hearted students transform outlook for residential home

3 April 2013

Students from the University of Bristol have transformed the outlook for residents at a Clifton care home, painting an eye-catching mural to brighten up an otherwise boring wall. Staff at Carlton Mansions, on Apsley Road, already had a good relationship with student volunteers and decided to ask the University of Bristol Students’ Union (UBU) for their help in creating a fun scene.

Gmail has arrived

3 April 2013

Over the Easter weekend email for staff and postgraduate research students at the University of Bristol moved to Gmail.

Sonic lasso catches cells

3 April 2013

Academics in the University of Bristol’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the University of Dundee's Institute for Medical Science and Technology have demonstrated for the first time that a “sonic lasso” can be used to grip microscopic objects, such as cells, and move them about.

Breadline Britain – special broadcast ITV [28 March]

The first results from the largest and most authoritative study of poverty and deprivation ever conducted in the UK will be broadcast on ITV at 7.30pm on Thursday 28 March in a special Tonight programme on ‘Breadline Britain’.

Largest study into poverty reveals extent of deprivation in the UK

Today 33 per cent of the UK population suffers from multiple deprivation — it was 14 per cent in 1983, and over 30 million people (almost half the population) are suffering some degree of financial insecurity. These are just some of the stark findings from the largest and most authoritative study of poverty and deprivation ever conducted in the UK.

Neuroscientist Jen wins pupils’ votes as science meets the X Factor

A neuroscientist from the University of Bristol has emerged victorious in a competition which gives science lessons an X Factor makeover. Jen Todd Jones, a PhD student in the School of Experimental Psychology, won the science world’s equivalent of the popular music talent show by answering over 200 questions from inquisitive pupils as part of ‘I’m a Scientist: In the Zone’, an online education event part-funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Scientists identify brain’s ‘molecular memory switch’

Scientists have identified a key molecule responsible for triggering the chemical processes in our brain linked to our formation of memories. The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Neural Circuits, reveal a new target for therapeutic interventions to reverse the devastating effects of memory loss.

Engineering students find all the fun of the Faire

A team of students from the Faculty of Engineering took part in Bristol's first Mini Maker Faire at the MShed last weekend [23 March].

Driftwood foal trots into the Botanic Garden for Easter

The University of Bristol Botanic Garden Easter sculpture exhibition will take place from Good Friday [29 March] to Easter Monday [April 1].

Women, the Arts and Globalization

The first anthology to specifically explore the relationships between transnational feminism and women's art practices across a range of contemporary media, co-edited by Dr Dorothy Rowe in the Department of History of Art, is published this month.

How do we know what colour dinosaur feathers were?

How do we know what colour dinosaur feathers were? Paleontologists are one step closer to solving this long-standing mystery thanks to recreating the fossilisation process to see what effect high pressure and temperatures have on the colour of feathers.

Seeing happiness in ambiguous facial expressions reduces aggressive behaviour