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What I wish I knew in first year: a second year student's perspective

Hi, I’m Nidhi, a second-year Chemical Engineering student, and I’d love to share a bit about my Loughborough experience so far. Whether you’re coming straight from sixth form, returning to study after a break, or joining us from abroad, I hope this gives you a real insight into what life here is like – and a few honest tips I wish I’d known in my first year!

When I first arrived, I had that mix of excitement and nerves that I think most students feel. Starting a new chapter – especially one that involves moving away from home or coming back into education – can feel like a huge step. But now, two years into my course, I can confidently say it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made.

First year adjustments

That first year is really about adjusting. It takes time to figure out what works best for you and that’s totally okay. For me, one of the biggest things that helped was organising my week. I like to block out time in my calendar – not just for lectures and assignments, but for the everyday stuff like food shopping, laundry and downtime. It sounds simple but having everything laid out really helped me manage stress, stay on track and avoid last-minute panics. Plus, there’s something very satisfying about ticking things off your list at the end of the week.

Making friends might feel overwhelming at first, but you settle into it. Whether that’s through your course, your halls of residence, or a society, having people around you makes a massive difference. I was lucky to find a great group of friends on my course, which really helped when it came to revising together or working on assignments. But it’s also been just as important having friends outside of Chemical Engineering to help me relax and take a break from work.

Everyone learns differently, so figuring out a study method that suits you is key. First year is a great time to try out different techniques and see what sticks. Alongside that, finding a space on campus where I could study well made a big difference. Loughborough has loads of great study spots – from the library to West Park Teaching Hub, STEMLab, or even some quiet cafés in town. Having that “study zone” helped me focus better and build a routine I could stick to during busier times like exam season.

Making the most of my lecturers and personal tutor has also been really important for me. They’re not just here to teach – they genuinely want to help. Whether it’s academic support or just checking in on how you’re doing, those one-to-one meetings are a great chance to ask questions or chat about how things are going. I’ve found those connections so helpful, especially during more intense parts of the year where I just needed someone to talk to or for some advice.

Extracurricular activities

I would say don’t be afraid to try new things and get involved. One of the most valuable things I’ve done is becoming a School Representative for the department, which has given me a chance to work with senior lecturers and share feedback from students, allowing me to make a meaningful impact. I also got to help plan the annual Chemical Engineering dinner, which ended up being a huge success and loads of fun to organise!

Outside of academic life, there are so many opportunities to get stuck into. I’ve taken part in volunteering through LSU Action – the student volunteering group here – and it’s been incredibly rewarding. I’ve helped out on local projects and even volunteered in a nursery, which was such a lovely experience. There are so many action projects you can join depending on your interests, whether it’s working with children, helping the environment, or supporting local charities.

Also being part of societies has also made my time at university even more enjoyable. I’ve been a member of WES Loughborough (Women’s Engineering Society) for the past two years, and this year I took on the role of Professional Liaison Officer. It’s been such a rewarding experience – not just connecting with other female engineers across different years and courses, but also planning and hosting events such as networking dinners. It really pushed me outside my comfort zone, but in the best way. Attending cultural society events at Loughborough, especially those organised by the Hindu Society, has also been a great way to celebrate different traditions whilst being away from home.

Advice to help you manage your time

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since starting is how to prioritise and manage my time. There’s always something happening – assignments, social plans, events – and learning to say “no” sometimes is important for your wellbeing.

Chemical Engineering can get pretty intense, so finding ways to switch off is essential. In my first year, I tried all sorts of things like kickboxing, yoga and even craft workshops! The LSU always has something going on, and it’s a great place to unwind, meet new people, or just chill out in between lectures. Another thing I’ve loved is making the most of being in the Midlands. It’s easy to take short trips to nearby cities like Nottingham, Leicester, or Birmingham, especially visiting the Christmas markets – it’s such a nice way to get off campus for a bit and explore somewhere new without having to spend loads of money.

Finally, if there’s one thing I’d say to anyone starting out, it’s that you don’t need to have it all figured out right away. Adjusting to university life and the demands of your course takes time, and that’s completely normal. Loughborough has such a supportive environment, and there are so many chances to try new things, meet new people and grow. Stay open-minded, stay organised and enjoy each step – it really does go by quicker than you’d expect!

Life as an Applied Sports Performance Analysis Master’s Student

Hi, I’m Dan, and as someone who is about to finish my Master’s in Performance Analysis, I feel well placed to discuss what to look out for in a year here on the course at Loughborough.

Whether you’re coming out of an undergraduate degree, already experienced within sport, have spent time away from education, or are working in another sector altogether, it is a fantastic opportunity to study an applied, emerging subject such as performance analysis in sport.

Far from easy, but highly rewarding and perfectly placed to set up a career in sports analysis, the course at Loughborough is likely to be a full-on year. It is set to challenge you in numerous ways, in how you can balance academic work and a part time placement, how to network and connect with people in new environments, and in how you make the most out of the many opportunities afforded to you.

I will present some (hopefully) useful insight into what to expect for the year and some of the opportunities or experiences to look forward to. Furthermore, I will discuss some tips to maximise the value and experience of the year that helped myself and the others who have thoroughly enjoyed their time on the course as well. Whilst it is true that everyone has a unique perspective and opportunities throughout the year, due to the flexibility of where to live, placement opportunities, and more, I will walk through some key aspects to explore the beginning, middle, and end of the year.

The Beginning – Starting Strong

The transition into beginning the course is a key time, where it is imperative to make strong first impressions and start positive routines that you wish to maintain when things get more hectic.

Starting your placement, it is important to get stuck in and involved, to learn quickly and embed yourself within the environment that you will spend the year on. I would not underestimate the importance of casual conversations and attending work socials to make connections with those in your environment early on, which will then make the year a lot smoother when it gets more congested with deadlines and university work. Get things in order quickly but make the right choices when it comes to living and travelling arrangements. And vitally, do not overcommit to the placement, as you will have to balance this part time alongside a significant amount of helpful but time-consuming academic work. If you set expectations to work every day of the week at the beginning, this will not be sustainable in the long term and may then result in difficult conversations with the placement provider!

As for the university side of things, it is important to stay on top of any admin or preparation to begin the academic year in September. There is not tons to keep on top of, but maintaining good organisation will ensure a seamless transition into term time. This will mean you can focus on getting involved, maximizing the in-person teaching sessions, and getting to know others on the course. A master’s presents the opportunity to surround yourself with many like minded people, all with similar interests and relatability.

The Middle – Smashing it Out

After starting, you will be in the routine of coming in for weekly lectures and sessions to expand your knowledge on analysis in sport, as well as wider areas of working in elite sport and highly applied, tailored sessions to the work that you undertake on placement. Here, a key tip is to review content as you go so that it stays fresh in the mind, and so that you can apply it within your placement environment. Also, with coursework now something to contend with, start early and factor in time to work on this within your weekly workflow. Otherwise, having to cram in coursework last minute alongside a placement can make either your grade quality or work quality suffer – either way, this is definitely something to avoid!

As for being a student, it is important to make the most of what Loughborough has to offer. In this time period, get the most out of the best University campus and sporting pedigree, such as with social sport on campus, enjoying the nightlife, or taking advantage of the plethora of volunteering opportunities using the CVA (Coach Volunteering Academy). Keeping an eye out for opportunities and enjoying yourself as you go is key throughout the year, so that you don’t leave it too late to make the most of your time.

The End – Looking to the Future

In the back-end of the Master’s course, it is important not to lose sight of the outcome of the course, which is to earn yourself a highly prestigious Master’s qualification. This means that, despite a lot to think about and consider when finishing your placement, you must plan well and ensure that you are on top of coursework, and especially starting early with your large research project, which is worth around 30% of your entire grade. Communicate early with your supervisor and placement providers to ensure that you know what to focus the project on, and that you can tick away at it over time so that it is a less daunting prospect to complete the whole thing over the summer.

Furthermore, as you finish the year of teaching with others, it is important to finish well. Loughborough is incredibly good for connections with employers and providing opportunities to develop your CV, cover letter writing, and interview skills to aid your employability, so make the most of those support networks on campus. And therefore, with the other people on the course, you could be looking at many potential connections in future within the sporting industry, highlighting the importance to making those connections and positive final impressions.

Overall, this should ensure you maximise the incredible opportunities available by studying at Loughborough on the Applied Sports Performance Analysis course. Through preparing thoroughly, balancing your time, socialising, and keeping in mind both the end-goal of obtaining a Master’s degree and developing your own employability, this represents an abundant, exciting, and highly useful stepping stone within your career and general life – if you wish to take on the challenge.

Five Minutes With: Lily Patey

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

Loughborough Sport Commercial Marketing Officer, and I have been here for just over a year, having previously been a student for 4 years, with a placement in the same job for a year.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

A typical day can vary. Some days it can be as simple as coming in and getting through emails, progressing projects, and having catch-up meetings. However, other days can see me out and about on campus, filming with our Sponsors and Partners for marketing campaigns, capturing social content for Loughborough Sport socials channels or meeting groups on campus for commercial purposes.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

I really enjoy working on Freshers every year. I run the Loughborough Sport Membership campaign from a marketing aspect, working collaboratively with different teams across the University to run the campaign for the Students. The 2024 Freshers campaign was lots of fun, with Sport Fest being a new event and Sport Bazaar being more popular than ever. We also sold out Big Match tickets the fastest we ever have, which, for me, showcased that we have an event students are interested in and one that adds to their experience in their first few weeks of term.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I worked BUCS Big Wednesday. I was part of the ground team, which captured and posted live content throughout the day as our teams won medals in front of a home crowd. It was amazing to see so much Loughborough success and support all day.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Adventurous – If we are not looking to constantly try something new, we will always be stuck. Working in marketing, we understand just how fast the work of social media is evolving, and so if we are going to reach our desired audiences, we have to keep up with trends and not be worried about failing or trying something new.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I work as Head of Media for Loughborough Students FC as a volunteer throughout the season. Going to training and game days, and working with members of our media team to produce the best content we can is something I really enjoy.

What is your favourite quote?

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” Mae West

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

What is gender anyway?

by Cerys Organ

Dr Victoria Browne’s part B module, ‘Gender and Global Politics’, was illuminating in that it pushed my understanding of social constructions to consider not only gender but also the sex dichotomy as aspects of the patriarchal production of ‘essential’ and ‘natural’ binaries. This topic has become prominent throughout the last few years with the rise of the self-defined Gender Critical (GC) movement, otherwise known as Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) feminism, and recent discourse surrounding the UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. This blog presents my personal viewpoint on sex, gender, and the implications of gender-critical debate.

Sex and gender are seemingly simple concepts, with the former describing the biological category based on reproductive functions and anatomy, and the latter being the social constructions and norms associated with sex. However, sex is a gendered concept itself, and we cannot look to biology to ground social claims about the male-female distinction. While there are numerous tests for sexually dimorphic traits, such as chromosomes, reproductive organs, proportions of sex hormones, and secondary sex characteristics, some people may have inconsistent results, i.e., not all female or not all male. The male-female dichotomy ignores and invalidates intersex people, whose existence demonstrates that sex is better understood as a spectrum rather than a binary.

Butler, a prominent feminist philosopher, argues that feminist critique must understand how categories of gender and sex are constructed and inhibited by patriarchal power structures. Gender is a performance of sex, which manifests in numerous ways in our day-to-day lives. For example, one sex often dominates in many occupational fields; women are much more likely than men to pursue a career centred around care, such as nursing or teaching. This can be linked to the perception of women as gentler than men, more nurturing, and maternal, which derives from socio-cultural interpretations of motherhood as a biological function.

Taking sex categories and their culturally associated gender norms as biologically and universally true rationalises and legitimises systems of oppression as inevitable consequences of our bodies, which simultaneously reproduces and is a result of institutionalised misogyny. This circular process of reinforcement makes sex-based assumptions and practices so ingrained and normalised that gender norms appear to be a product of nature or common-sense.

The terms ‘women’ and ‘men’ denote a common identity that explicitly corresponds to biological sex. However, gender is not always constituted the same way across different historical and geographical contexts, due to the intersections of ethnic, religious, and class-related influences. The category of ‘woman’ in particular transcends any one definition, due to the lack of a consistent biologically-rooted or culturally-universal identity. Just as oppression is not monolithic and shared across time and space, neither is womanhood.

Women-only spaces are a point of contention for GC feminists/TERFs, such as gendered public bathrooms or sports competitions. They argue that making women-only spaces trans-inclusive enables predatory men to infiltrate and exploit spaces that are intended to keep males out for safety, privacy, and dignity reasons. On the surface, this seems like a legitimate concern, but this is precisely why the movement is so dangerous, as it is not supported by credible evidence. Whilst categorising sex and gender has proven useful in both our everyday language, and in that it gives women political visibility, an uncritical and dogmatic use of gendered terms such as ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in a political/legal context can and has led to an exclusionary, essentialising, and self-defeating movement of misunderstanding at its most innocent, and hatred at its most sinister.

Characteristics such as race, ability, sexuality, class, etc., are inextricable from ‘womanliness’ and intersect to uniquely oppress people within these biological or social categories. Abusive rhetoric about boxing Olympian gold-medallist Imane Khelif’s gender, as well as Serena Williams’ experience with ‘transvestigation’, exemplify that women of colour disproportionately face allegations of being transgender or not ‘woman’ enough. The racialised element to gender politics, with Western gender norms being rigidly Euro-centric and based on heterosexual white ideals of the feminine, exposes women of colour to scrutiny despite their personal identification or anatomy.

Exclusionary practices undermine core feminist goals, and the UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman has practical and worrying implications. For example, the politicisation of bathrooms has increased the risk of butch-presenting women being othered for their appearance, and women arrested by British Transport Police may be strip-searched by male officers if the officers suspect that they are transgender. Manufactured fear around trans people and the political support for such sensationalised threats exposes all women to potential discrimination and assault. GC feminists/TERFs end up defining an identity based on the exclusion of those who fail to conform to normative prerequisites, which sustains the domination of one worldview to determine who is valid and who is not, opening us up to socio-political regression for women as a marginalised group.

About me:

I am entering my final year of the International Relations BA at Loughborough University. Throughout the course, I have found myself consistently gravitating towards critical feminist frameworks to understand global politics. This year, I hope to centre my dissertation around feminist and postcolonial issues in Gaza, and then go on to extend this research in postgraduate study.

Recommended further reading:

Butler, J. (1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, New York: Routledge

• Carayol, T. (2024) ‘I am a woman’: Imane Khelif hits back in gender row after claiming gold, The Guardian [online], 10 August. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/10/i-am-a-woman-imane-khelif-hits-back-in-gender-row-after-claiming-gold (Accessed 30 March 2025).
• Karni, A. (2025) House Passes Bill to Bar Trans Athletes From Female School Sports Teams, The New York Times [online] 14 January. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/us/politics/house-trans-athletes.html (Accessed 13 February 2025).
• Litchfield, C., Kavanagh, E., Osborne, J., and Jones, I. (2018) ‘S’ocial media and the politics of gender, race, and identity: the case of Serena Williams, European Journal for Sport and Society 15(2), pp.154-170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2018.1452870
• Nicholson, L. (1994) ‘Interpreting Gender’, Signs 20(1), pp.79-105. Online: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3174928
• Serano, J. (2022) ‘Transgender People and “Biological Sex” Myths’, Medium [online] 17 July. Available at: https://juliaserano.medium.com/transgender-people-and-biological-sex-myths-c2a9bcdb4f4a (Accessed 19 June 2025).
• Syal, R. (2025) ‘British Transport Police amends strip-searching policy after supreme court gender ruling’, Guardian [online] 17 April. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/17/trans-women-uk-railways-strip-searched-male-officers (Accessed 19 June 2025).
• Tudor, A. (2023) ‘The anti-feminism of anti-trans feminism’, European Journal of Women’s Studies 30(2), pp.290-302. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13505068231164217
• The Supreme Court (2025) For Women Scotland Ldt (Appellant) v. The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) [online]. Available at: https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_2024_0042_judgment_aea6c48cee.pdf

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

From International Relations in Mexico to Sports Management at Loughborough

Hello! I’m Adriana, and as I write this, I’m two months away from finishing my Master’s in Sport Management, Politics and International Development at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University. For me, it’s an honour and a privilege to say that I am part of the No.1 University in the world for sport-related subjects, and the journey has been a wonderful experience.

I studied a bachelor’s degree in international relations in Mexico with a minor in Strategic Communications. During my undergraduate studies, I completed a specialization certificate in Sport Management during an exchange semester in Barcelona.

My love of sport started at a young age, practicing gymnastics and football during my early childhood. I remember watching the 2008 Olympic Games on TV for the first time, I loved watching all the athletes and different sports – it’s been a passion of mine ever since.

In my last year of high school, I became interested in activism, human rights and diplomacy, and it wasn’t until I had the chance to study sport in more depth that I realized how connected these worlds are. That’s when I knew I wanted to specialize in this area, even if it’s not always seen as the most obvious link or a typical career path for someone with an International Relations background.

After graduating, I spent a year working at the non-governmental organization I co- founded at the university, dedicated to menstrual rights in Mexico, while also looking for master’s programs that could combine both of my interests, social science and sports. That’s where I found Loughborough, which became the obvious choice due to its high reputation.

At first, I was nervous about applying, unsure if I would be accepted, but I trusted the years of preparation and effort I had invested in. I completed the entire admission process on my own, expressing my passion for this field and highlighting my strengths and experiences. The truth is that the university provided excellent guidance and service. Anything I needed was easy to find online. It felt like they had a webpage for every possible question, and when I couldn’t find something, email communication was clear and felt personalized.

Once I received my offer, uncertainty came, but it was only the beginning of the most exciting journey in my academic life.

Accommodation and Social Life

I decided to live off-campus based on YouTube videos and student blog reviews, and I can confidently say it was a great choice. My accommodation is very close to both the campus and the town centre, and my flat mates, eight people from diverse countries like South Korea, China, India, and England, became not only my first friends here but also an incredible support network.

Everyone is in the same boat at the beginning: we don’t know anyone, many of us are far from home, and for some, it’s their first time in the UK. So, attending induction events, joining social activities, and getting involved in your student community is really helpful to meet new people. I decided to become one of the course representatives, acting as a point of contact between students and faculty to voice feedback and promote improvements. It helped me connect with my academic community and support the programme’s continued excellence. It also helped me build closer relationships with professors. It came with added responsibilities but also great memories like a fun pub night with professors and students that I’ll never forget.

It helped me a lot to FaceTime my friends back home now and then and to stay active in Loughborough, especially through recreational and social sports, the Friday women football matches have been a highlight. I also joined the Latin American and Spanish- speaking students’ society, and we’ve had some really fun times, like the Latin parties that are organized occasionally.

My classmates also come from incredibly diverse backgrounds, making this journey even more enjoyable. One of the things that’s brought us together is food. From time to time, we organize dinners where we each share a little bit of our country’s cuisine. We’ve had Korean Night, Mexican Night, Chinese Night, and many more. Socializing outside the classroom has also been very fun, as we get to exchange perspectives and strengthen our friendships. In fact, that’s one of the most valuable things I’ll take away from this experience. The people I’ve met are incredible; they challenge me every day. Working together on assignments has taught me new working cultures, helped me adapt, and pushed me to grow.

It’s essential to maintain balance between your social life, academics, and sport. The key is planning and organization. At first, the semester may seem light, with just one or two assignments per module, but when deadlines approach, you may regret not starting earlier. I recommend keeping a planner and setting daily priorities to manage your workload better. It’s much easier to dedicate one hour per day to reviewing content and attending classes than to try to catch up on 40 hours of lectures and a 2,500-word paper all in one week.

Advice and tips about the course and department

My top tip is to get to know your course and the university before you arrive so you can take full advantage once you’re here. The university has excellent webpages where you can learn about your professors, the research they’ve conducted, campus services, activities, facilities, and much more. Once you’re here, attend welcome events and check the announcements and LEARN platforms regularly to make the most of everything Loughborough offers.

The professors are very open and helpful when it comes to questions about assessments. Don’t hesitate to approach them, they’ll support you through the process. It may feel overwhelming but take advantage of the incredible support network here at Loughborough. The writing center, the maths centre, and other specialized help services are great resources.

Also, check your emails! Even if it seems tedious, you’ll find interesting activities in the newsletters and it’s better to hear about them in time than to regret missing them. Who knows, maybe your own event or initiative could be featured there too!

The best place to study depends on you. For me, it was always my room, as my accommodation was very comfortable. The library is also a great place, with floors for group work and individual study. I also liked working at the Students’ Union, especially because of the food options – bubble tea was my personal favorite, haha!

Studying sport is a world in itself. There are so many sports, clubs, and opportunities, so my best tip is to keep up with your class readings, including the recommended ones. This area is incredibly broad, and reading will help you discover topics you didn’t even know existed. We all have our favourite topics or sports, but I recommend keeping an open mind to new things and there’s no better place to do that than Loughborough, especially given the world-class sports facilities on campus.

I also encourage you to try a new sport, one you’ve never done before. This pushes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to make the most of your time in Loughborough. For example, during induction week, there’s an event called the “Sports Bazaar,” where all the sports clubs introduce themselves. Thanks to that, I found out that I could become a certified ocean diver during my time here, something I never imagined doing during a master’s. It was a unique experience, and I doubt many other universities offer such opportunities so accessibly. I also returned to gymnastics, a sport I had left when I was very young, and I discovered new ones like netball. I’d never heard of it before coming to the UK, but this year I volunteered at almost every home match for Netball Lightning, and now I’m a fan!

Another amazing opportunity at Loughborough is the Coach & Volunteer Academy (CVA), where you can gain experience and develop skills through incredible sport-related opportunities. Thanks to the CVA, I completed courses in Sport Event Management, Media Marketing and Communications, and earned certifications in First Aid and Safeguarding & Protecting Children, all great additions to my CV. I’ll also apply these skills this summer as part of the Volunteer Zambia project as the Media, Marketing and Communications Officer to document all the hard work of this fantastic initiative with over 20 years of history, where we use our knowledge to support sport development.

The best is yet to come!

Copyright Uncovered: The Academic Protocol

Welcome one and all to a new academic year! I thought we could start this academic year with a quick introduction to copyright law and how that applies to UK Higher Education.

This blog post will look at copyright law in the UK, how it applies to Higher Education, how it applies during teaching, research, Phd theses and of course how it applies to learning, using the library and of course AI.

Shall we?!

Copyright: The British Directive

Copyright is a legal right that gives the creator of an original work control over how their work is used by others. It allows them to permit or restrict copying, distribution, performance, or adaptation of their work. Importantly, copyright protects the expression of ideas—not the ideas themselves—and applies regardless of artistic merit, as long as the work is original and created by a human author.

Copyright is one of several types of Intellectual Property (IP) rights, alongside patents, trademarks, and design rights. Intellectual Property (IP) refers to legal rights that protect your original ideas and creations, giving you the ability to control how they are used by others. These rights are designed to help you safeguard, commercialise, and benefit from your innovations—whether you’re developing new technologies, creating artistic works, or building a brand.

There are several types of formal IP rights:

• Patents – Protect technical inventions and innovative solutions across all industries.
• Copyright – Covers original creative works such as literature, music, software, and art.
• Trademarks – Identify and protect distinctive signs, logos, or names that represent a business or product.
• Designs – Safeguard the visual appearance or aesthetics of a product.

In addition to these formal rights, businesses and individuals may also protect sensitive information—such as formulas, processes, or strategies—by keeping it confidential as a trade secret.

The EU but also other trade partners, also have another type of IP, which is Geographical Indication. A Geographical Indication (GI) is a type of intellectual property that identifies a product as originating from a specific location—such as a region, town, or country—where its unique qualities, reputation, or characteristics are closely linked to that place.

To qualify as a GI, the product must clearly come from the named location, and its distinctiveness must be essentially due to its geographical origin. This connection between the product and its place of production is what gives the GI its value and authenticity.

Examples include foods, beverages, and crafts that are deeply tied to local traditions, climate, or expertise—think of Stilton cheese, Melton Mowbray pork pies, or Scotch whisky.

Understanding IP is especially important in academic and entrepreneurial settings, where ideas and creativity are central to research, teaching, and innovation.

While studying or working at the University, it’s essential to understand the UK copyright framework, governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Automatic protection: Copyright is granted as soon as a work is created—no registration is needed.
• Duration: In most cases, copyright lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years.
• Public domain: Once copyright expires, works enter the public domain and can be freely used.
• Exceptions: UK law includes specific exceptions that allow limited use of copyrighted material without permission—these should be carefully reviewed before use.
• Permission: If you’re unsure whether your intended use is permitted, it’s best to contact the copyright holder for permission.

The Academic Initiative: Copyright Unleashed

While at University you will be faced with a multitude of copyright cases, as staff and as a student. Let’s have a closer look at the different ways copyright applies at the University.

First and foremost, it applies on all the material you wish to use for teaching, research and conferences. It also applies in student assignments. As mentioned above, material is protected by copyright if it is original and created by a human being. During the day-to-day activities at the University, different materials and media are used, in different ways. This is possible due to the exceptions which exist within the law, so that educational establishments can do their work without infringing. However, the stipulations of the exceptions need to be followed to the letter for that exception to be admissible in court. Why do I say that? Because it isn’t uncommon for Universities to be taken to court if rights holders believe infringement has been done.

Have a look at the below table for the relevant exceptions which apply in an educational setting: 

Fair dealing is a UK copyright exception allowing limited use of copyrighted material without permission. However, determining what constitutes fair dealing is complex and decided on a case-by-case basis by courts.

Key factors considered include:

• Market impact: Whether your use substitutes for the original work, potentially harming the copyright owner’s income.
• Amount used: Whether the portion taken is reasonable and necessary. Generally, only part of a work can be used.
• Nature of the use: The specific context and purpose of the use will influence the assessment.

It’s important to note that fair dealing rules vary by country. Do not rely on the concept of “fair use” as it’s a US-specific exception.

For a more detailed guide on fair dealing, please refer to Fair dealing: A quick guide.

The University also subscribes to different licences that allow you to use copyright material, under certain circumstances.

You can freely use copyright material under Creative Commons license, please make sure that you follow the terms of the respective licence.

If there is no licence to allow you to use copyright material in your teaching, you will need to do one of the following:

• Ask for permission from the copyright holder;
• Determine if your activity is covered by a copyright exception.

Project Copyright: The Academic Dossier

As lecturers, you play a crucial role in ensuring ethical and compliant use of educational materials in your teaching and learning activities:

• Copyright ownership in educational materials: In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, the copyright and/or database right in material produced by staff members in the course of their duties rests with the University. This includes, but is not limited to, teaching material, internal reports, policies, etc. Performance rights and moral rights exist independently of copyright and these rights are not affected.
• Fair dealing and other copyright exceptions: Familiarize yourself with fair dealing provisions and other copyright exceptions that may allow for the use of copyrighted materials without permission in educational settings.
• Strategies for integrating copyrighted materials into lesson plans: Integrate copyrighted materials responsibly, ensuring that your use aligns with fair dealing principles and does not undermine the potential market for the original work.
• Copyright and open educational resources (OER): Explore and utilize OER, which are freely available educational materials that are licensed for open use, sharing, and adaptation.
• Copyright awareness and training: Encourage copyright awareness among your students and signpost students to the copyright pages, as well as advise them to attend copyright training sessions.

Copyright: Campus Intelligence Division

If you are drawn to investigate things aka research things, there are even more copyright issues to be aware of:

• Copyright ownership in research outputs: Generally, the copyright in research outputs, such as journal articles, book chapters, and data sets, belongs to the author(s) of the work.
• Copyright management in collaborative research projects: In collaborative research, copyright ownership may be shared among the collaborators, and agreements should be in place to clarify copyright ownership and usage rights.
• Copyright considerations when sharing data and findings: When sharing research data or findings, be mindful of any copyright restrictions that may apply.
• Ethical use of copyrighted materials in research: Always cite copyrighted materials appropriately and adhere to fair dealing guidelines when incorporating them into your research.
• Open Access and copyright: Explore and utilize open access publishing options to make your research outputs freely accessible to a wider audience. Essential guide to Open Access by Publishers’ Licensing Services is a good guide to understanding why open access is important.

Also be aware that once you sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA) with the publisher, your copyright will transfer to the publisher, and you will have been allocated certain rights. Make sure you read your CTA carefully.

The Thesis Files: Infinity Clause

As an early career researcher, same rules apply in regards to using copyrighted material.

• Copyright ownership in research outputs: Generally, the copyright in research outputs, such as theses or dissertations, belongs to the author(s) of the work.
• Copyright considerations when sharing data and findings: When sharing research data or findings, be mindful of any copyright restrictions that may apply. If your thesis was funded, your funders might request you to share your data. Get in touch with the Open Research Manager for Data and Methods for more information.
• Ethical use of copyrighted materials in research: Always cite copyrighted materials appropriately and adhere to fair dealing guidelines when incorporating them into your research. If you use AI tolls, please follow the guidance for the use of Gen AI in assessments. You can find more guidelines on AI use, on AI guidelines at Loughborough website.
• Open Access and copyright: Explore and utilize open access publishing options to make your research outputs freely accessible to a wider audience. Essential guide to Open Access by Publishers’ Licensing Services is a good guide to understanding why open access is important.

Support for research at the University can be found on the Research and Innovation website, information on research ethics and integrity holds information that researchers need with regards to the ethics process and application for ethics can be found at Loughborough University Ethics ONline (LEON). Please also familiarise yourself with Loughborough University’s Code of Practice. 

For finding useful resources for your thesis, you can explore our Sourcing material section. 

Copyright in Libraries: Guardians of the Stacks

As students, you will also deal with copyrighted material on a daily basis. Be it the material that you find on LEARN or be it any material that you use from the library. The Library pays for licences that enable you to access online materials, like ebooks and journal articles. As a student you can download and print a limited amount of these materials. You are limited to printing one chapter of a book or two journal articles from a journal issue. Please do keep to these restrictions.

You are not allowed by law, to share these resources with anyone outside the University who does not have access to these resources, unless the articles, chapters or books are shared under a Creative Commons license.  

As students engaged in writing essays, reports and design, you are likely to encounter copyrighted materials in various forms. Understanding copyright considerations in use for assignments is crucial for ensuring ethical and compliant practices:

• Copyright ownership in assignments: Students following taught programmes of study will normally retain ownership of Intellectual Property where they can demonstrate that they have developed it in the course of their studies or through use of University facilities.
• Copyright consideration in assessments and assignments: There are exceptions within copyright law which will allow you to use copyrighted material for the purpose of quotation, criticism and review. You will need to deal fairly with the material you use. You can find out more about exceptions, in the copyright basics section on our copyright website.
• Ethical use of copyrighted materials in assignments: Always cite copyrighted materials appropriately and adhere to fair dealing guidelines when incorporating them into your assignment. If using AI tolls in your assignments, please follow the University’s guidelines for Generative AI use in assessments.
• Copyright material for design and decoration purposes: Using copyright material for decoration purposes will not cover you under the exceptions. For decoration or design purposes please use material which is in the public domain (copyright has expired or has been relinquished) or material which is under a Creative Commons license. You can find such material in our Sourcing materials section.

Copyright: Age of Machines

Digital technologies have transformed how we create, share, and engage with cultural and academic content—placing users at the heart of the creative process. But while access has expanded, it’s important to remember: content online isn’t free to use just because it’s easy to find. Someone owns it.

Owning a physical copy of a book, film, CD, or song doesn’t automatically grant the right to copy or distribute it. Copyright law exists to strike a balance—rewarding creators for their work while allowing users certain freedoms through exceptions and limitations.

In academia, this balance is especially important. Every researcher, student, and lecturer is both a creator and a user. Understanding copyright helps ensure that we all benefit from a system that protects originality while supporting fair access and ethical use.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now part of everyday life—from voice assistants to personalised recommendations. It’s reshaping industries and how we create and consume content.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E produce text, images, music, and more using deep learning. These systems are trained on vast datasets, but it’s often unclear whether the material used is freely available or protected by copyright.

This raises important questions: Can AI-generated content infringe on human authorship? Is it plagiarism if sources aren’t credited? And what happens when AI “hallucinates”—producing false or fictional outputs?

As AI continues to evolve, understanding its impact on copyright is essential for ethical research, teaching, and creative work.

The University subscribes to Microsoft 365 Copilot. This licence ensures that the University’s data is handled securely within Microsoft’s trusted environment, offering protections around privacy, compliance, and data governance that are not guaranteed with public or free AI tools. More information on data protection and AI guidelines can be found on IT services websites. 

Guidance for students

If you have used Generative AI tools in the development of your work, you must clearly acknowledge this when submitting it for assessment. This applies whether the tools were used for background research, independent study, or to generate content that you later modified and incorporated into your submission. Failure to disclose the use of AI tools will be considered academic misconduct under University policy.

Guidance for staff

To offer a forward-thinking academic experience, universities should help students build skills for future employment—including the ethical and discipline-appropriate use of Generative AI. Developing AI literacy alongside core academic skills like citation and critical thinking is vital, both because employers expect it and because students often arrive with prior exposure but limited understanding of responsible use.

For more information, please see the Generative Artificial Intelligence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment guidance for staff. 

Copyright: The Endgame & Beyond

As you could probably tell, copyright in Higher Education is not easy to navigate. There are a multitude of traps that are laid along the way which even the most seasoned copyright hero or anti-hero can fall foul off.

However, do not despair, on our Copyright webpages there is an array of information for you, no matter how difficult the copyright case you are working on, is.

We also have a multitude of blog posts, which dig deep in certain areas of copyright, from using images, showing films and creating and using art.  

There are also a multitude of self-guided training resources to help with a better understanding of copyright.

And last, but by no means least, a selection of books, journals and other resources available on the Copyright Reading List (sign in required).

We hope this quick (only 3000 words) introduction to copyright law and how it affects you while studying or working at the University has helped remove some of unknowns when it comes to re-use of third-party copyright material.

Avengers, assemble.

© Marvel. Editorial use only

Spoiler alert – if you have not yet watched Thunderbolts* The New Avengers, stop reading! As you might have noticed, the titles of this blog post have been somewhat inspired by the Avengers films. The reason why, is simple. I love the Avengers but also because the credit scene in the aforementioned film, mentions copyright. Now technically, what they say is wrong, at least in our Universe, that is not to say that in the Avengers Universe it isn’t possible to copyright a name.

In our Universe you a name can only be trademarked, not copyrighted. Also, changing the s in a z, so Avengerz will not do much. It will not be given protection due to the similarity to Avengers and most likely the courts will consider that it would confuse the customer base, or the people needing rescue.

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice.

Loughborough London’s Institute for Creative Futures Welcomes new students

There’s something about September and October in London, the city comes alive and feels sharper. As autumn settles in with cooler temperatures and longer nights, London’s creative energy takes centre stage. This is when the capital shines as one of the world’s great hubs of imagination and innovation. London isn’t just a cultural capital for the UK; it is a powerhouse of the global creative economy. One in six jobs here belongs to the creative sector, with 816,000 Londoners driving industries that shape the future of creative work. Culture and creativity add an extraordinary £52 billion to the city’s economy every year, powered by world-class education, thriving creative hubs, and funding ecosystems that draw talent from every corner of the globe.

Graduates of the Institute for Creative Futures contribute to the global creative economy. We will hear from some of them at the first of Loughborough University London’s 10 year anniversary events next month, where our alumni will give advice and share their experiences with current students.

Our students are given many opportunities to engage, as graduates before them have, with London’s vibrant innovation, cultural and creative environment at our base in Here East, and our neighbouring world leading cultural organisations on London’s new East Bank.

In their first week alone, along with inductions to their postgrad programmes, spanning design innovation, communication, media and creative industries, they are invited to take part in many activites organised by academics and researchers in the Institute as well as Loughborough London’s award-winning Future Space team who support student’s with their career development during their studies and beyond.

Providing an insight into the world class research our faculty conduct, our newly arrived students are invited to join a workshop led by Professor Burce Celik sharing findings from her Arts and Humanities Research Project, Colonialism and Infrastructure: Rethinking Our Communicative Pasts. We also have a visiting Brazilian designer, researcher and activist with us during the week, Dr Bibiana Serpa. She will be running a workshop for staff and students titled Unlearning Research: A Dialogic Introduction to Critical and Decolonial Methodologies. Bibiana will introduce us to the (Anti)Dialogic Cards, a tool developed by Latin American researchers to reflect on dominant knowledge systems, question our own assumptions, and explore alternative approaches to research.

From our Future Space team, a range of activities are planned for students during induction week, including introducing the range of collaborations with industry partners in our curriculum, through our Collaborate activities. There is also a Collaborative Sprint with IBM, where new students can work together in teams to take on a real challenge set by IBM and receive feedback from them. As they progress through their studies, our students have access to many more career enhancing extra curricular activities, such as the Future Space Inspiring Success programme, micro internships, Monday Mentoring and Personal Best London.

In the Institute for Creative Futures we pride ourselves in offering the highest quality education across our programmes, delivered by leading academics and supported by our sector-leading Future Space team. We welcome our new students and wish them well with their studies – we look forward to seeing the creative futures they will help to craft.

Written by Professor Jo Tacchi

Director, Institute for Creative Futures

Five Minutes With: Penny Litchfield

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a PhD researcher in Communication and Media, and I have been at Loughborough for nearly 4 years. My research explores the different practices people use to share memories of a national social injustice. I specifically explore how YouTube ‘vlog’ videos, quilt making and music allow people to participate in the movement of justice for Grenfell Tower.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

My day usually involves reading lots of books and writing! The projects I work on have varied throughout the years, but right now I am preparing for my viva (PhD defence exam), writing a publication and working for a research assistant role.

In the morning, I’ll prepare for my viva, which usually involves reading through my thesis and answering different practice questions. After this, I’ll work on a publication. Right now, I am writing a book chapter about the qualitative research methods we can use in social justice research. I love writing, but it can be a bit tricky at times, so once I feel myself slipping into a philosophical rabbit hole, I know it’s time to have a break. I like to have a walk around campus to see all of the gorgeous flowers and hear the birds sing – it’s a trusty remedy for writer’s block!

Once I feel refreshed, I’ll work for my research assistant role. The School of Social Sciences and Humanities was recently re-awarded a bronze Athena Swan award for gender equity and my role helps with implementing action plans. The focus is on the joys of gender diversity and it’s delightful to help make inclusive spaces for our trans, nonbinary and intersex staff and students.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

Gosh, there have been so many! Back in 2022, two colleagues and I co-hosted the first Queer East Midlands film festival, for LGBTQIA+ History Month. This event celebrated the joys, challenges and mundane aspects of being part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It was a wonderful community initiative and we had people all across the world submit their films, which was truly heart-warming!

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Submitting my PhD was a feeling like no other! Towards the final days, the ‘to do’ list felt like it was never going to end (I sometimes still dream it hasn’t). Once I pressed submit, I walked to EHB and sat outside with a cup of tea, overcome with happiness, relief and shock. I am the first in my family to attend University, so it was a special moment for all of us! I hope that I’ll never forget that feeling.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

It’s great to work for a University that champions many values that I am also committed to. ‘Responsibility’ particularly resonates with me – change happens when we reflect on our own actions, care for those around us and recognise how we are, collectively, working together.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I LOOOOVE fiber art! In my time at Loughborough, I have hosted many sewing workshops in partnership with LU Arts and the PhD SSN. It’s so much fun to teach people to sew and to help guide their creations – sewing spaces always allow for good natter and putting the world to rights, which I enjoy just as much!
In my own time, you’ll probably find me sitting at my sewing machine. I love the cosiness of sewing and the transformative quality it has. I am currently making a vest to wear for my PhD defence exam. I’m making it in the same way you would make a memory quilt: cutting up old clothes that have special memories attached to them and sewing it back together to create nice patterns. I picked up the quilting bug after working with the Grenfell Memorial Quilting group for my PhD research. They make amazing memory quilts for protest and their practice has stuck closely with me since!

What is your favourite quote?

A couple of months ago, I was listening to Mary Burke’s BBC Radio 4 show “Who Cares?”. In episode 5, she read an excerpt from the poem “Joy Chose You” by Donna Ashworth: “Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of an imperfect life. That’s how joy works. You cannot truly invite her, you can only be ready when she appears and hug her with meaning.”

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

Your First Month as an IDIA Student in London

Starting your postgraduate studies at IDIA is an exciting and sometimes overwhelming experience. London is a fast-paced global city, but it will soon feel like home. To help you settle in, we asked outgoing and former students for their advice, with special thanks to Imannur Gul, the IDIA Student Rep, for her input. Below is a practical guide to your first month, with tips on travel, money, study, and where to explore. 

Practical information for London

If you are moving to London, then having some practical tips can go a long way in helping you settle! Here are some great tips that can help you get used to our capital city

Travel:

In your first month, get both a 16–25 Railcard and a Student Oyster Card. Once you have them, ask a staff member at a train station to link the two. Doing this will give you a 30% discount on Oyster journeys within London, plus cheaper train tickets across the UK. Railcards also offer discounts on long-distance travel, so you can explore cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, or Manchester more affordably. Always check online for additional student discounts before buying. 

You can find more information on travel advice on our Welcome Guide available through LEARN.

City guides 

London Block by Block is highly recommended, it divides the city into boroughs and helps you explore neighbourhoods at your own pace. 

Money and discounts 

Student discount platforms: Create accounts on UNiDAYS and Student Beans. Both offer significant discounts at cafés, bookshops, clothing retailers, and more. Tesco Clubcard: Essential if you’re shopping at the Tesco near campus, which is great for meal deals and everyday savings. 

Housing, welfare and health 

• Finding accommodation in London: If you need help finding accommodation in London our Student Advice team offer a free contract checking service to help you understand your rights and responsibilities when renting. It is highly recommended that you seek advice from them before you sign any contract or pay any money to a private landlord or letting agent. You can email them at advice@lboro.ac.uk or call: +44 (0)1509 222765 for an appointment.

• Welfare support: University services are available for mental health, academic stress, or financial concerns. Don’t hesitate to book an appointment here.

• Health: Register with a local GP (doctor’s practice) as soon as possible. The NHS provides free healthcare for students in the UK, though prescriptions are usually paid. For urgent issues, you can use NHS 111 online or by phone. If you need more information finding a GP please visit our students support page.

Shopping 

• For your accommodation: Use IKEA’s online delivery service for affordable and quick furniture or household essentials. Argos and Wilko (though closing some branches) are also practical for basics. 

• Groceries: London is expensive, but Lidl, Aldi, and Sainsbury’s Local are budget-friendly options. Amazon Fresh frequently offers discount codes worth checking. 

• Food markets: Don’t miss London’s food culture. Markets such as Borough Market, Broadway Market, and Mercato Mayfair are vibrant places to eat, meet friends, and experience global cuisines. 

I hope you found this information helpful but if you need further support please do not hesitate to reach out to our Student Services team at LondonStudentServices@lboro.ac.uk

Capturing Creativity 2025 - webinar series

We are delighted to announce another Capturing Creativity seminar series which will take place during October 2025, organised and hosted by Bath Spa University and Loughborough University. 

The seminars are likely to be of interest to librarians, REF support staff, and practice researchers in the UK and beyond.  The aim of the series is to promote best practice around capturing and showcasing creative practice research via university research repositories, and the submission of this research to the REF. 

The seven seminars in the 2025 event are as follows, with full details of each event available via the booking links below.  

Monday 6th October 2025, 14:00 – 15:00 BST 

• Introducing the Enact Practice Research Data Service
• Speaker: Jenny Evans, University of Westminster 
• Click here to book this event

Thursday 9th October 2025, 15:00 – 17:00 BST  

• Two presentations: 
• (1)    Pathways to Practice Research: Developing Projects and Pedagogies in Contemporary and Experimental Music
• Speakers: Mira Benjamin, Lauren Redhead, Scott McLaughlin, Pete Furniss
• (2)    Practice Research Diaries: a project report
• Speakers: Claire Knowles, Scott McLaughlin and Rachel Proudfoot
• Click here to book this event

Wednesday 15th October 2025, 11:00 – 12:00 BST 

• Beyond the Screen and the Page: articulating creative practice as research
• Speaker: Roy Hanney, Southampton Solent University
• Click here to book this event

Friday 17th October 2025, 10:00 – 12:00 BST  

•  Two presentations:
• (1)    The importance of context: integrating creative outputs into research assessment and REF preparation
• Speakers: Hannah Wilson and Catherine Maffioletti 
• (2)    The Practice Research Narrative Guide: an Open Access tool for articulating creative and practice research
• Speakers: Michael Duncan and Moya Fox
• Click here to book this event 

Tuesday 28th October 2025, 14:00 – 15:30 GMT  

•  The Future of Practice Research Symposium held at MMU, 9th June 2025
• Speakers: Paul Micklethwaite, Kristina Niedderer, Daniel Morrell, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Click here to book this event

 Thursday 30th October 2025, 15:00 – 16:00 GMT 

•  Organic Metal: Two worlds collide – documenting and showcasing a cross-genre collaboration
• Speaker: Dr. Mark Mynett, University of Huddersfield
• Click here to book this event

 Friday 31st October 2025, 11:00 – 12:00 GMT 

•  Capturing Creativity 2025 Friday Fika – an opportunity for colleagues to meet and talk informally about issues around supporting practice research.  Event will not be recorded. 
• Click here to book this event

 We look forward to welcoming as many visitors as possible to these online events.   

 As in previous years, events will be recorded and slides and recordings, etc. will be made available via BathSPAdata, Bath Spa University’s research data repository, following the event. 

Previous event recording collections can be found via the below links: 

• Drake, Claire (2023). Capturing Creativity, 2023 – Conference 18th September 2023. BathSPAdata. Collection. https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.c.6842109 
• Drake, Claire (2024). Capturing Creativity Week 2024 – Conference event slides and recordings. BathSPAdata. Collection. https://doi.org/10.17870/bathspa.c.7469703.v2 

If you have any queries about the events, please contact Claire Drake via repositories@bathspa.ac.uk 

September Copyright Reads

We have finally arrived in September and by the time you read this blog post I will be enjoying a well deserved break at Longleat Forest, Center Parcs appreciating the Giant Redwoods.

I think that was enough holiday envy. As it is custom now for the monthly copyright reads, I will unveil the Romanian calendar name for September which is vinicer. Etymology is rather obscure, however, it is thought to have to do with wines and winery. September, late September, would usually be the time that we would harvest the grapes and make homemade wine. Not great taste, but the must (grape juice) would be amazing. Getting that first mug (yes, you read that right) of must meant that autumn is finally here.

Anyway, enough with the getting lost on memory lane. We have some great reads for you this month. Of course we continue looking at AI in its various forms and its various ways it continues to have an impact on copyright works, indigenous art, and somewhat disturbing cat AI slop videos. We also look at copyright and knitting, science, Baby Shark song issues, and James Bond trademark legal fight. We also share the research done on copyright anxiety in the UK and Canada. A must read for all copyright geeks. Shall we??!

Who actually benefits from an AI licensing regime?

AI Slop: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [Video]

The Productivity Commission is floating AI copyright exemptions – with worrying implications for Australian authors and publishers

Judge sends ChatGPT-using lawyer to AI school with $5,500 fine after he’s caught creating imaginary caselaw: ‘Any lawyer unaware that using generative AI platforms to do legal research is playing with fire is living in a cloud’

Those Fascist Social Media Posts by DHS Have a Copyright Problem

Technological Aspects of Generative AI in the Context of Copyright

Artificial Intelligence and Academic Professions

So, what’s it really like to live with a heat pump?

“Wir brauchen eine gemeinsame Kraftanstrengung” [Article in German, discussing paper mills and reporting of false claims]

Wikimedia Foundation Challenges UK Online Safety Act Regulations

How Indigenous engineers are using AI to preserve their culture

AI industry horrified to face largest copyright class action ever certified

Is Upcycling the New IP Infringement?

Columbia Sportswear sues Columbia University for trademark infringement

How Copyright Licensing Powers Collaboration & Innovation in the Energy Industry

Anthropic Faces Billions in Copyright Damages for 7 Million Pirated Works in Bartz v. Anthropic AI Training Decision

Human factor in European museums’ intellectual property management through sociocultural, legal, political and economic determinants

Reaching teachers and learners through reuse of cultural heritage

Copyright notice: knitting and sewing patterns

Beyond the Technology: how is generative AI supporting creativity?

BioNTech settles Covid-19 patent dispute with CureVac

Former TSMC staff arrested for alleged theft of chipmaker’s technology

Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action

From royal hatters to top tailors: James Bond lawyers line up trademark fight team

Baby Shark song not plagiarised – South Korean top court

Copyright Anxiety and Legal Chill in Higher Education: A Comparison of Canada and the United Kingdom (UK)

Resources on Copyright and AI: Updated FAQ and Position Paper on “Lawful Access” and Fair Use

VIDEO: Calls to protect Indigenous intellectual property from AI

We hope you enjoyed this month’s copyright reads! Why not subscribe to our monthly digest?

Here’s to fresh notebooks, new beginnings, and endless possibilities—wishing everyone a brilliant start to the academic year!

Ideas from IDIA: Suggested Readings 

What books would our staff, post-docs, and PhD students recommend for our current and prospective students to read about politics and international relations? 

Professor Helen Drake 

Stanley Hoffmann, ‘Heroic Leadership: The Case of Modern France’ in Lewis J. Edinger (ed.) Political Leadership in Industrialized Societies: Studies in Comparative Analysis. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1967). 

Stanley Hoffmann has been an inspiration and a role model for me from the very beginning of my studies in international relations, and this is one of his most cited pieces. Hoffmann’s life experience taught him that boundaries and borders are arbitrary and permeable, and he brought this to his scholarship, bringing whatever academic tools he could to the study of the realities and messes of world politics. He made the marriage of theory and empirical research seem particularly effortless. He also had a soft spot for Charles de Gaulle, and this piece on ‘heroic leadership’ is one I return to again and again when thinking and writing about diplomacy and leadership today. Oh, and he was nice and generous to other scholars and his students. That matters. 

Dr Aidan McGarry 

Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (New York: Grove Press, 1961).

It’s one of the most important books of the 20th century and is vital reading today. It explains how colonised people fight for freedom, and the political, social, and psychological impact of colonisation. If you want to understand issues like Black Lives Matter and contemporary racism, then this is essential reading into structures of oppression and how they can be dismantled. 

Dr Tim Oliver 

Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991 (London: Abacus, 1994). 

This is one of those required readings from a university course that stays with you for the rest of your life. Hobsbawm’s breathtaking (if not entirely perfect) review of the world from the start of the First World War to the end of the Cold War puts our current world into perspective by showing how much we have been shaped by that short, bloody but transformative century. It is the final book in a widely acclaimed series on world history since 1789. 

Dr Tatevik Mnatsakanyan 

Arlene Tickner and David Blaney, Claiming the International (London: Routledge, 2013) and Thinking International Relations Differently (London: Routledge, 2012). 

I would recommend these as two of the most inspiring collections exemplifying the movement to diversify, and pluralise, the otherwise conventional Western-dominated disciplines of International Relations and Diplomacy. The volumes bring together alternative voices and, ways of writing and theorising, that open up the world and bring the world in, through uncovering alternative histories. In so doing, authors from across the world explore alternative ways of thinking about “the international”, “security”, “sovereignty”, and “politics”. Contributions range from indigenous women’s pluralising of sovereignty to Arab scholars’ take on globalisation. 

Dr Nicola Chelotti 

Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow (London: Penguin, 2011).

This book on behavioural psychology and decision-making is by the Nobel Prize winner, Daniel Kahneman. It is an accessible text that summarises and further develops a series of important articles that Kahneman wrote together with Tversky in the 1970s and 1980s. The book analyses how humans make decisions – and incidentally how people make wrong judgments due to biases and heuristics. It argues that we have two systems of thinking – System 1 (thinking fast) and System 2 (thinking slow) – and that we use both systems to understand the world, and to make our choices. 

Dr Cristian Nitoiu 

Georg Sørensen, Rethinking the New World Order (London: Macmillan, 2016).

Few books have managed to provide a clear understanding of the concept of the world order. This is one of the recent attempts to theorise the world order through a wide range of Western and non-Western perspectives. It is an important guide to understanding changes in the world order in the context of the rise of China. 

Professor Phil Budden 

James Martin, The Meaning of the 21st Century (Eden Project Books, 2006). 

Not only must we avoid the mistakes of the 20th Century, but – argues Martin – we must reckon with a series of challenges that will come to a head by the middle of the 21st Century, if we are to make it through that ‘canyon’. Some have already come, like challenge 10: a planet-wide pandemic (p230). That means we must not only address these issues now, but we must be training the next generation of leaders in various sectors who will have to navigate us through the mid-century perfect storm. Depending on how we do, Martin posits four ‘world scenarios’ for 2050 (chapter 18). 

Dr Dorina Baltag 

Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy (Simon and Schuster, 1994) 

When you are born and raised during the Soviet Union (and from 1991 the independent Republic of Moldova), you are taught to understand world affairs in the key of Realpolitik, and the 1994 book Diplomacy, written by Henry Kissinger, a former US National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, is your academic initiation. It walks you through a history of IR and the art of diplomacy of the 20th century, showing the balance of power in Europe. Although today I no longer examine global affairs through the prism of the school of realism in international affairs, this book remains the departure point for Diplomatic Studies. 

Alicja Prochniak 

Jan Melissen, The New Public Diplomacy, Soft Power in International Relations (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).

The New Public Diplomacy can be mentioned amongst one of the most frequently cited titles on public diplomacy. The book was written and edited by well-known and widely respected academics in this subject area. This book presents an extensive debate about public diplomacy and evaluates its role in foreign policy. 

Sean Calvin 

Robert Jervis, Why Intelligence Fails: Lessons from the Iranian Revolution and the Iraq War (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2011).

This book can be regarded as a sort of Haynes manual for understanding intelligence failures. It provides a well-written political and psychological case study analysis of two major intelligence failures. The failure to recognise the fragility of the Shah in Iran and the process failures leading to the assumption that Iraq had WMDs. This book offers a good introduction to understanding the processes, pressures, and pitfalls in formulating intelligence assessments. Despite being written in 2011, it is still relevant today. The section on Iraq can be used to cross-reference the redacted SIS intelligence assessment and the CIA National Intelligence estimate of Saddam Hussein, both of which are available online. 

Ruairi Cousins 

Katy Hayward and Catherine O’Donnell (eds., Political Discourse and Conflict Resolution: Debating peace in Northern Ireland (Abingdon: Routledge, 2012).

This book explores the role of political discourse in conflict transformation, drawing specialist contributions from established scholars in the field of Northern Irish politics. It provides a unique and detailed insight into how political discourse shapes and influences the political terrain in Northern Ireland. A must-read for those interested in gaining an understanding of the importance of discourse in a region emerging from conflict, and how localised diplomacy plays a crucial role in securing an end to violence. 

Viktoriia Startseva 

Yuval Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (London: Jonathan Cape, 2018). 

This book can be seen as a summary of Harari’s two previous books, one based on the distant past experience of humanity named Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) and the other the author’s vision on the potential distant future, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016). In this book, Harari looks at the current technological, political, social, and existential issues that the human race has to deal with to face its potential future threats. This piece of work will be useful for those interested in futuristic ideas in IR Theories and for those who aim to form their own holistic views on international relations through the lens of the past, present, and future of humankind. 

Five Minutes With: Marcus Briggs

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

Club Development Coordinator – I have been here 20 months

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

During the term time, my normal day will usually consist of some meetings with the club committees I personally mentor, 1 mentor 11 sports at Loughborough in total. These meetings are usually centred around the club’s development and how i can help the committee to grow their sport and continue to improve the sporting experience for their members. Some days I will attend a training session or competition of the clubs as I find this really helps to build the relationship with the committee rather than just always having meetings with them. It’s also great to see the committee members thriving in their own environment. I’ll also often have meetings with other teams in Loughborough Sport, whether that is with our performance support team in increasing the accessibility of their support to non-performance sports or the Coaching & Officiating team on the different CPD courses we can offer to the army of volunteer coaches we have at Loughborough. Outside of meetings with students, i’ll often be planning and preparing for some of our busiest periods in the year, whether that’s trials and tasters, committee elections or committee training.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite project has been coordinating and developing the programme of committee training that we offer to over 300 committee members as they take on the responsibility of leading their club for the next year. Being able to support them and provide them with the key skills for their role is incredibly rewarding. Having done this for 2 years now, being able to develop and evolve the training programme we offer to our students has been incredibly exciting

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Without a doubt it has to be our annual AU Colours awards evening. I am very fortunate to be responsible for organising the event that celebrates the achievements of our highest achieving athletes and volunteers. It truly is an evening of pride where staff and students come together to acknowledge all of the amazing efforts put in across the Athletic Union community. For me specifically, seeing so many of the club committee members that I have mentored over the year receive their club colours, is a huge moment of pride for me.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

In my role I resonate mostly with creaI resonate the most with creative, my role gives me a lot of freedom to be creative and innovate new ways to engage our AU clubs and committee members. Whether that has been putting together a marketing campaign for committee elections to boost recruitment, rebranding our performance support to having club’s apply for their own bespoke workshops or introducing a new scheme where all clubs will be marked on their efforts around club development to incentivise them to keep striving forward with their club.

Working with the clubs that I mentor also allows me to encourage them to use their creativity in any way to develop their club. Whether that may be through fundraising ideas, building their workforce in coaches and officials, or improving the club environment, it is truly fantastic to see the creativity and enthusiasm they bring to their clubs.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I actually play competitive dodgeball. I started playing at University and when I graduated I found that in England there is a massive league structure. A few years on and I now play in the English Premier League for Bedford Mighty Eagles and this summer will be going to Limerick to compete in the European Championships, my fourth competition representing Wales and my first as the men’s captain.

What is your favourite quote?

Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

Webinars and whatnots – August 2025

Upcoming:

Times Higher Education webinar – the evolving role of the university library: aligning digital transformation with open research, Tues. 2 Sept. 2025, 3-4pm

Paul Richards (UKRI, Open Research Strategy Lead) – Developing UKRI’s research data policy, Wed. 17 Sept. 2025, 11:10-11:30am

Previous months’ Webinars and whatnots:

• July 2025
• June 2025
• May 2025 – Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• December 2024
• November 2024

Staff Picks – August 2025

Resources from the Loughborough University Research Repository picked by the Open Research Team in the Library.

Clarke, Benjamin; Tomlinson, Katherine; Karunakaran, Amitha; Candan, Ahranee; Slatter, Janet; Slatter, Tom; et al. (2024). Effectiveness of chalk as a friction modifier for finger contact with rocks. Loughborough University. Poster. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.27258000 [I am always arguing with my friend that chalk isn’t always useful for climbing and used this to try and persuade him it was more complicated than he made out. I don’t think he is convinced, regardless…]

Torrens, George; Allott, Keith; Wilkinson, Laura (2018). Rita Malangeni skill share detail – Crafts abilities Network. Loughborough University. Media. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.7384904 [ASMR – watching someone crochet is just lovely, and this is extra impressive as Rita does it one-handed!]

Read, Sara; French, Jade (2025). Curating the health humanities: perspectives from literary studies. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/29900126 [I found the article to be engaging and was an interesting insight into how multi-disciplinary study was used to create more layered engagement and depth to enhance and communicate research work]

Zhang, Shiyu; Njoku, C.C.; Whittow, W.G.; Vardaxoglou, J.C. (2015). Novel 3D printed synthetic dielectric substrates-data. Loughborough University. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.2000997 [This was the first dataset I processed when we launched the repository.]

Firth, Steven; Kane, Tom; Dimitriou, Vanda; Hassan, Tarek; Fouchal, Farid; Coleman, Michael; et al. (2017). REFIT Smart Home dataset. Loughborough University. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.2070091 [This was the first dataset at Lboro that really reassured me that a dataset could be an output in its own right.]

Resources picked by other researchers – contact RDM [at] lboro.acuk if you’d like to nominate something

Robles, Jessica; Xie, Yarong (2024). Managing blame for racism in broadcast media. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/26363584

Five Minutes With: Azmeary Ferdoush

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Lecturer in Human Geography and commenced my role at Loughborough University in September 2024.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

It is difficult to picture a “typical” day, as each day brings its own unique rhythm—and that, in many ways, is the beauty of academic life. A standard day might involve responding to student queries, meeting with them when needed, preparing and delivering lectures, advancing my own research projects, writing academic or popular articles, collaborating with colleagues, and working on grant applications. An “atypical” day, by contrast, might include travel for fieldwork, attending conferences, or participating in training sessions. Whether typical or not, I enjoy everyday of my work and look forward to it with the same enthusiasm.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

One of the most rewarding projects I have undertaken to date is my recently completed research, funded by the Research Council of Finland. This project examined the experiences of different categories of protection seekers arriving within the state boundaries of Finland and Bangladesh, with a particular focus on how the dimension of waiting—and time more broadly—is deployed by state systems either in support of or against these individuals.

What was especially revealing in this comparative study is that, despite their significant differences as sovereign states, Finland and Bangladesh exhibit striking similarities in how they govern protection seekers.

This demonstrates what has been one of the major themes of my research career: the modern state system’s use of sovereign power to arbitrarily categorize and treat people-on-the-move. In so doing, it often supplants its power of killing with the power of making wait but with extreme consequences.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Although I have been at Loughborough for less than a year, seeing my Part C dissertation students graduate has been one of my proudest moments here to date.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

For me, collaboration is essential to the success of any institution—and Loughborough University excels in this regard, not only professionally but also personally. Since joining, I have experienced a deeply collaborative culture, both within my department and across the wider university. What stands out is the ethos that underpins this culture: it fosters authenticity, allowing me to be myself while meaningfully contributing to shared goals within a supportive and inclusive academic community.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I love being in nature! Whenever the opportunity arises, I enjoy walking the trails around Loughborough with my toddler—picking berries, observing the changing colors of the seasons, listening to birdsong, and, above all, unwinding amidst the calm.

What is your favourite quote?

“The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas” Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The German Ideology.

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

From Idea to Creation: Understanding Copyright in Artistic Practice in Higher Education

Art can take many shapes and forms, from paintings to sculptures to photographs, architecture or artistic craftmanship. Now the law, the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA), defines artistic works as graphic works, photographs, sculptures or collage, a work of architecture or a work of artistic craftmanship. Shall we dig a bit deeper into the fascinating world of art and copyright?!

Graphic work

Graphic work can be anything from a painting, drawing, diagram, graph, map, chart or plan, an engraving, etching, lithograph, woodcut or a typeface. All these types of works are covered by copyright, irrespective of artistic merit, as long as they can be appreciated by the eye. This does include very bad drawings by a child, as long as they are original and artistic. Now, I am sure my mother thought my art is worthy of being put on the wall, and I am rather mortified to share it with you, but at least it gives you an idea. It also shows that these were some of my more accomplished drawings when I was a child, also I was 4 so do give me a break.

© Cristina Rusu

Now, if you ask me, a banana taped to a wall with duct-tape is less an artwork, more well, a banana taped to a wall. But then again, I do prefer the old masters, impressionists and pre-Raphaelites. I love Vermeer, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Rembrandt, Waterhouse and so many more. My favourite pastime when visiting new cities is visiting their museums. I know, my life is rather boring, but I grew up with art around me. My mother played violin in the orchestra, and I grew up around classical music and her love of art. We had a selection of books around the house about artists, and she started drawing and painting again before she passed.

Let’s return to art though. We all see art differently and different type of art moves us.

© Cristina Rusu

Now art can also beget art. Let’s take for example the painting by Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott, which is inspired by the poem of the same name by Lord Tennyson. Artistic works can also be comprised fully of text, like a poem in the shape of a cat. Now this will be considered both a literary work as well as an artistic work.

By John William Waterhouse – Google Arts & Culture — RQHFwa4u2LTw0g Tate Images (http://www.tate-images.com/results.asp?image=N01543&wwwflag=3&imagepos=2) – Colour edit by uploader (+0.6 exposure, -5 contrast, -5 white balance), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34325115

What you might not have known, is that the Courts have found that a person’s signature qualifies as graphic artistic work, however it will have to be a little bit distinctive and personal rather than just cursive writing, so the more artistic and illegible the better.   

A map is classed as an artistic work and the written elements on a map form a visually significant part. Now maps are difficult to ascertain, in terms of copyright protection and duration. Maps copyright protection lasts in general for 70 years after publication. Crown copyright in the case of maps lasts for only 50 years. In the UK, you might have seen many Ordnance Survey maps. Now, you might have heard that sometimes maps will include fake streets, towns, villages or other such markers. This is true, some maps will include “map traps” to make sure that their maps are not plagiarised. So be careful, if you do not want to end up like the AA. If you want to know more about how to use maps safely, why not have a look at our Sourcing materials section, Other resources.

An ad or a poster would also be considered artistic work, if it is primarily graphic and the text is for decoration only. If it is primarily consisting of text, then of course it will be considered a literary work. It gets interesting when it becomes a compilation, consisting of different elements but none substantial enough to qualify alone.

affisch – Museum of Ethnography, Sweden – CC BY.

Technical information on engineering and architectural drawings does not fall under artistic works. The information might be important, however it is not ‘visually significant’. An engraving or similar is not just the print taken from the plate but also the plate itself.

Fan art

I am sure we all enjoy drawing our favourite characters from our favourite series, films or even computer games. However, drawing fan art can be a copyright infringement can of worms. You might ask yourself why? As well as point out to me that it is everywhere and everyone does it. Well, depending on use, it is still infringement.

As I mentioned above, an original piece of work created by a person, will get automatic protection under copyright. The copyright owner will have certain rights to their work: to make money, to copy and distribute it, to create derivate works, to make it available to the public. Using copyright works usually requires permission. I say usually because in Higher Education there are several exceptions that can be used to use copyright works. However, the requirements need to be met each time. Otherwise, it will be an infringement.

Back to fan art. Fan art is using someone else’s IP to create something new or re-imagine it in a different way. A different background, a change of clothes, making Disney’s Pocahontas look more like anime, or look more realistic. You get the idea.

Now in general, and this is not a fast rule, especially with the rise of AI generated images, most copyright holders tolerate fan art, as long as it is non-commercial, it is for your own amusement, or educational purposes. If you are monetizing your fan art without permission and your sales interfere with the copyright holders own revenue, you might find yourself in court, like this Sydney woman.

© Cristina Rusu

Photograph

The Act defines a photograph as a recording of light or other radiation (including X-rays and heat) on any medium on which an image is produced or from which an image might be produced and is not part of a film. This of course includes any type of digital photograph, be it that it was made by a DSLR camera or by an iPhone, or similar. A print made from that original photograph is only a copy, but that does not mean that it is not protected by copyright. You can find more about photographs and images and how to use them, in our blog post Finding and Using Images Ethically: A Guide for Researchers.

Gorse detail, Isle of Wight, 2025, © Cristina Rusu

Photographs are protected in the UK irrespective of artistic merit so long they are original, however, in most European countries, the courts have applied more stringent tests to a photograph. For example, a photograph might not be regarded as original if the photographer did not create or set the mood (think paparazzi photos) or if the appearance of the image was determined by technical requirements (like photo of your teeth at a dentist). These types of photographs have either lower protection or none at all. A photo-litograph is considered a variety of a photograph.

Taking photographs of artworks, is a different matter altogether, especially re-using these in a commercial sense. Artworks that are in the public domain, represent no problem, however, there are restrictions by museums, especially when it comes to artworks from private owners. There is a possibility of two copyright protection: one for the artwork, and one for the photograph and only if it has enough originality. However, care should be taken with works in Italy. An interesting case has been that of the Italian Government v Ravensburger and the sale of the later of a puzzle of Da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”. While Ravensburger won the case, it cannot sell the puzzle in Italy.  

Sculpture, collage and architecture

A sculpture is defined as a three-dimensional work created by the hands of an artist, including a medal or a seal. Protection is the same as for all artworks and it will be relinquished to the public domain 70 years after the artist’s death, unless it is Italian artwork of course. I will talk a bit later about authorship and copyright duration.

A collage must be formed of items stuck to the surface of something, rather than a myriad of loose objects strewn around. Collages can be another can of worms, as is fan art. In general, because collages can contain other copyrighted works and in general again, permission should be sought before using those elements. However, if the elements used are so small that they are unrecognisable, then they may be incorporated into the collage.

Kollaaž by Neeme, Gunnar (autor) – Art Museum of Estonia, Estonia – CC0.

Buildings are themselves an artistic work and have been protected in the UK since around 1912. You can draw a building, photograph or film a building or broadcast an image of the building. These acts do not infringe on copyright. However, if you copy the building as a whole or build another one identical to it, you would be infringing.  

Works of artistic craftmanship

Unfortunately, artistic craftmanship has not been defined by the Act. However, we can safely say that it probably refers to a work which required skill and craftmanship to create, which has an artistic appeal, and gives emotional and intellectual satisfaction. We can consider stained glass, bookbinding, or needlework.

Stained Glass in Rutland building, © Design and Print Services, Loughborough University

AI generated content

Considering AI generated content and copyright is complicated. Currently, in the UK there is no legislation that will protect AI generated content. In general terms, it is most likely to be considered the public domain, however, some AI tools will give copyright to the end-user. One thing to consider is that a lot of AI content is most likely infringed. Always read the terms and conditions of the AI tool you use, and stay away from creating images that could infringe someone else’s IP, for example, prompting the AI to create images similar to artists works which are still under copyright.

AI generated image of me, using Image Playground on iOS, © Cristina Rusu

Exhibition of art

In the UK, exhibiting artwork is not considered a restricted act and as such will not constitute infringement. However, if the artwork is exhibited in a commercial context, and there are reproductions of said artwork for sale, that will be considered a restricted act, especially if the artwork is still in copyright.

Upplandsmuseets utställning i Gustavianum, Uppsala by Sandberg, Paul – Upplands Museum, Sweden – CC0.

Author and copyright ownership

It does not necessarily mean that the author is also the copyright holder of the work. We can consider the author of artistic work the person who is responsible for the actual design of the work. When it comes to authors of photographs, that can be a bit more complex.

In terms of copyright ownership, generally the author will also be the copyright holder. If a work is created with others and the different parts cannot be separated, it is a joint ownership.

For commissioned work, it depends on the contract. If there are no other stipulations, the author will remain the copyright owner, however, sometimes, companies will request that copyright be assigned to them.

In the UK, if you are an employee creating something as part of your employment, as long as there is no other clause, ownership of copyright will automatically go to the employer. You will not loose your moral right to be named as author, but you will not own the copyright to the material.

Copyright duration

In general, copyright expires 70 years after the author’s death, no matter if the work is published or unpublished. There are some exceptions to this rule for older works. This term applies to the UK only. Copyright is territorial, meaning that different countries have different rules and duration of copyright. A work being out of copyright in one country, does not mean that it is out of work in another one. Also remember that just because copyright has expired, if the work is protected by other IPs, such as trademark, the works will still be protected as long as trademark is renewed.

Exceptions to the law for Higher Education

Whilst at University, you will be covered by certain exceptions to allow you to do certain restricted acts by copyright. If the requirements are not met, you will have to ask for permission.

Have a look at the below table for the relevant exceptions which apply in an educational setting: 

You might have seen the term “fair use” used extensively and it has also permeated into the UK lingo, however, in the UK the term used is “fair dealing” and it is much more specific than the American one of “fair use”.

Fair dealing is a UK copyright exception allowing limited use of copyrighted material without permission. However, determining what constitutes fair dealing is complex and decided on a case-by-case basis by the courts.

Key factors considered include:

• Market impact: Whether your use substitutes for the original work, potentially harming the copyright owner’s income.
• Amount used: Whether the portion taken is reasonable and necessary. Generally, only part of a work can be used.
• Nature of the use: The specific context and purpose of the use will influence the assessment.

You can find more information on copyright basics on our webpages and we also do have a self-guided training section to help you navigate the intricacies of copyright in Higher Education.

Other resources

There are many resources available to help you navigate the thorny issue of copyright in the artistic space. While in Higher Education you can rely on some exceptions to use artistic works, however, outside of those exceptions, you will most likely be required to ask for permission.

Here are some resources that can support the navigational tightrope of copyright and artistic works:

Designs and Artists Copyright Society

Exceptions to copyright: Guidance for creators and copyright owners

Art UK

Blog post on IP and art

Reading list curated about all things copyright (log in required, Loughborough staff and students only)

A Question of Ownership – Ideas Roadshow Behind The Lens

Conclusion

The world of art is one of beauty but it can also be a maze of copyright considerations. In general, be mindful of the IP of others, and respectful of other people’s creation. If in doubt, always ask for permission.

If you enjoyed our blog post please subscribe to our digest. Also, why not visit a museum of your choice this weekend?! You can also visit some museums virtually.

Kunstgalerie by Anton Perko (Künstler_in) – 1879 – Albertina, Austria – Public Domain.

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice.

My Loughborough University London Journey

By Amadou Bakayoko, MSc Diplomacy and International Relations, Class of 2024-2025

When I arrived in London in September 2024 to start my master’s program at Loughborough University London, I came as a mature student with years of experience in the Humanitarian sector, with a lot of questions related to the education system, life in the UK and how I would fit in this system. But I also knew that this was an amazing opportunity for me to learn, grow and broaden my horizons given my particular situation as an experienced professional and a Chevening Scholarship awardee.

The least I can say is that I have been surprised by the friendliness and the level of professionalism of the staff, everything is done for students to be in the right environment to make the most of their studies. I remember the induction programme, that included a walk through Hackney Wick, and I still remember my excitement seeing the beautiful canal, the street art on the walls, the boats, the restaurants and the story of Here East, the 2012 Olympic legacy site that hosts several companies and Loughborough University London.

Why I chose my course and Loughborough University London

For me, selecting a master’s degree in International Sustainable Development was a very personal choice in addition to an academic one because of the fact that I wanted to improve my theoretical understanding of development and gain practical experiences from other places. The UK was a good place for that given the good education system, the fact that there are students from different countries and backgrounds and the UK is one of the leading countries shaping the development landscape globally.

The International Sustainable Development course at Loughborough University London caught my eye right away because of the richness of its content and the long experience of lecturers, many of whom have real life project experiences in the development sector. The fact that the campus was in London was also a key factor as I would be able to connect with organisations more easily and improve my chances to advance both professionally and academically.

My first class and first feelings

My first module, ‘Resilient and Sustainable Development‘, was a powerful entry into my new academic life. I had to get used to new ways of learning, highly interactive, discussion-based, critical and I really loved it for simple reasons. I found real satisfaction in reading intensively to be ready for class discussions and talk about real life projects and more importantly I could relate so much on my previous works and connect the dots in the broader system of development, how it functions and what are the key dynamics shaping it. I was simply relearning and understanding development from a holistic point of view. I have been equally impressed by the teaching quality for all the other modules with access to amazing contents, lecturers always available for students, impressive guest lectures etc.

Discovering other aspects of the learning journey

I very quickly discovered that learning at Loughborough University London wasn’t just confined to lectures. In fact, through the Institute’s membership I visited Chatham House, a place I had long heard of and admired from afar. The first event I attended, a trip organised by the International Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) staff, was a talk about Climate Change with Mr Todd Sterner, a former US climate negotiator. It was a thought-provoking session for me and I attended many other discussions on global issues at Chatham House. Thanks to this first step, I attended many more events on important issues at universities, companies and other places across London.

I also joined Future Space’s ‘Monday Mentoring’, where I was paired with an alumnus from Brazil. We talked about finding balance, handling academic pressures, maximizing my time here, and preparing for the future. This helped me a lot in keeping focused and broadening my network.

Christmas Break and January start

Christmas was a special moment in London, from the lights, the festive atmosphere to the Christmas markets, every moment felt magic! In January, with the arrival of new students in the school’s January intake, we had more students, enriching class discussions, and the opportunity to make friendship with students coming from all over the world. The group work and presentations on many modules connected us more and I was pleased to learn in an environment where differences are celebrated.

Other Extra Curricular activities

Through the Future Space and Handshake, I took part in webinars with companies like Procter & Gamble, HSBC, and Johnson & Johnson. This inspired me to start thinking about my next steps and how I might use my skills and interests in various settings. Thanks to Future Space, I was invited to talks about my experiences as an international student with Professor Sam Grogan, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience. I spoke about how I got here and how important this opportunity is to me.

I also visited the Brazilian and Turkish embassies where we heard from the ambassadors about their diplomatic policies and positions on global issues. Throughout the year, I participated in several Loughborough University London events, including:

• ‘Inside the Profession‘ where we heard from Loughborough University London alumni about how to be prepared for our future careers.
• ‘Careers in Geopolitics‘ with Gatehouse Advisory Partners
• ‘Waging Peace‘ event with seasoned UN official Erik Solheim

The above events and many more helped me to understand that there are many opportunities out there and in many sectors for me to explore.

More Than a degree, a capacity-building journey

In my academic programme, each module included activities in the form of group projects, presentations, essays, policy analyses, and reflective writing. In fact, each task contributed to my growth because through each activity I was discovering or rediscovering the importance of research, problem solving, teamwork, critical thinking, meeting deadlines, academic excellence  and, importantly, being the best  version of myself in this journey. I have been able to understand how crucial it is to continue working for more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive futures in the world and in particular in my country and also the role I can play as an actor striving for a true and lasting development in my country and beyond.

For those willing to explore and understand development and its implications globally, International Sustainable Development at Loughborough University London is, in my view, one of the best options available in the UK.

A big thank you to Amadou Bakayoko for writing this blog!

Considering postgraduate study? Explore our website to discover more about postgraduate degrees and how to apply!

A reflection on my 10 (ish) years at Loughborough 

By Dr Gareth Cole, Open Research and Discovery Lead

As I enter my last week at Loughborough I wanted to reflect on what has changed both within Loughborough and the wider sector in the decade I have been here. 

First, some numbers… I have been here just over ten years. I’ve had four line managers, two permanent positions and one acting up position. I’ve line-managed eight staff (sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone…). I’ve attended 25,000,000 meetings (an estimate but…) and sent (according to Outlook) 32,153 emails. More seriously, our Research Repository has just passed 50m downloads and is approaching 73m views. We have 59,383 items in our repository, of which “only” 25,377 are journal articles. 3,592 are figures, 1,343 are datasets, 396 are media. This shows the change in type of output over the past ten years. 

What I’ve hoped we’ve accomplished as a wider Library staff in that time is to embed the concept (if not always the reality!) of openness in the work of an increased number of academics and researchers (as well as professional services staff). 

Open is no longer a niche area in the sector; it is now a core aspect of our sector’s work and my type of role, whatever each university calls it(!) (Open Research Lead, Scholarly Communications Manager, Open Research Manager etc.) is now established at many UK universities. Senior managers appreciate the work we do as a sector and open was, in my opinion, one of the first areas to really try to change (and improve?) Research Culture before we called it Research Culture. Research Data Management was a thing before governments told us to delete old photos; and open was always about equality, diversity and inclusiveness. If you want to know what the future looks like, see what folk working in “open” were doing and saying five years ago (although I might be a bit biased here…)!! 

One of my main tasks when I started at Loughborough was to launch and advocate for our data repository. Working with others, we have gone from very few (not zero to be fair) items and outputs which weren’t text based to a position where at least 7% of the outputs in the repository are non-textual. This sounds low but the work it has taken us to move the dial that much (as a university and as a sector) has been immense and I don’t think we should take lightly quite what a difference it has made. Here’s hoping the next 7% increase doesn’t take as much work! I passionately believe that datasets, images, videos, data, sources (whatever you want to call this “stuff”) should be seen as an equal of any textual output. 

Open access may also have moved slower than many of us would have liked but in the ten years I’ve been at Loughborough, we’ve gone from zero Read and Publish (or Transitional) Agreements through lots (the technical term for the number we have…), through to a time where Jisc are now trying to negotiate the next-gen deals with a move away from volume based models. We can and must do more but let’s not forget how much we have accomplished. Moving academia is like turning an oil tanker, pulling an aircraft carrier, tied to an oil rig but we are doing it, and it is making a difference. 

Challenges remain…so-called Longform (I personally hate the phrase!) outputs and how we can move to a sustainable, fair, and equal way to make them open; general funding considerations; the challenge of innovative models; recognising non-textual outputs as equal outputs to textual and many more. 

However, none of these are insurmountable and the future is definitely open. I leave Loughborough’s open work in exceptionally safe hands and to my immediate team, a massive thank you for your help, support, understanding, and positive attitude (even when I kept saying “no”!). I continue my journey and adventures in this space as Exeter’s Open Research Manager.

My Loughborough University London Journey

By Imannur Gül, MSc Diplomacy and International Relations, Class of 2024-2025

After nine months of studying in London, I am back sitting in my cozy place in Berlin Tiergarten, drinking my beloved German  coffee that I truly missed, and thinking about the incredible and unforgettable time I had in London. I wish I could go back and tell the younger Imannur, who was always overthinking how to organize and plan her life, that many of the things she aimed for would actually come true!

Studying in London was one of my greatest goals. Finding a master’s program in Diplomacy, the field I had always aspired to, felt like the perfect match. When I discovered that Loughborough University, ranked among the top ten in the UK, had a London campus offering a Master’s in Diplomacy, I was over the moon. And then came another wonderful surprise: I was awarded a renewed scholarship from my home university. All of this was a true honour for me.

Now, after nine months, I am back in my hometown and amazed at how fast time has flown. I still remember my first day in London and our first class, when we all introduced ourselves to the lecturer. I was thrilled to meet people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. I already knew that the UK would be the best place for such an experience. Diplomacy means to me, learning from one another, respecting and engaging with people from different cultures and building networks. Loughborough London gave me the opportunity to do exactly that.

I met so many kind and inspiring people and was impressed by the respectful coexistence of diverse cultures and religions in London, something that can no longer be taken for granted in many parts of the world. Furthermore, I also appreciated the support of our lecturers. They genuinely listened to our concerns, treated us as equals, and consistently made an effort to assist us whenever we encountered difficulties.

I had the honour of serving as the Course Representative for our Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs. I thoroughly enjoyed this role and hope I fulfilled it to the best of my abilities. It was not just a title; I attended meetings with university staff, tried to connect students from our department and organised different events for them. Our campus was open 24/7, which gave us the freedom to find a place to study or simply relax at any time. We also had a wide range of course options to choose from, which was very important to me. One of my favourite courses was the negotiation module. If I had the chance, I would take that class again. For me, a Master’s degree means focusing on an area that will shape my professional future, and my lecturers allowed me to do that.

Most of the time, I was free to choose my own essay topic and go deeper into my areas of interest. I had studied at several universities before, but it was the first time I received answers from lecturers so quickly and could easily arrange meetings with them. I felt valued not just as a student but as a true part of the Loughborough community.

Besides all the seminars, I used my time in the UK to visit other beautiful cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Bath (my favourite), Bristol (another favourite), Oxford, and Cambridge. I tried to understand British culture, observe the differences between regions, and experience everyday life in the UK. I think I did quite well. Now that I’m back in Berlin, I still catch myself looking to the right before crossing the street—old habits from the UK die hard. I’m also trying to get used to seeing the driver on the left side of the car again and remembering to stand on the right side of the escalator.

However, it’s now time to focus on writing my dissertation and completing my studies with a good result. London will always have a special place in my heart. I will always remember the amazing time I had, the people I met, and the memories we created—with a big smile on my face.

I’m excited for our graduation and can’t wait to see everyone again. Who knows—maybe one day I’ll find myself in London once more, sitting in my favourite area, Marylebone and reminiscing with friends about our unforgettable time there. With that in mind, I would especially like to thank my dear friends Soraya, Amadou, and Venthan for the wonderful and truly special time we shared in London.

A big thank you to Immanur Gül for writing this blog! To learn more about her experience at Loughborough University London, you can read her alumni profile.

Managing anxiety in the workplace

Image: Courtesy of Getty Images

Anxiety is often described as a feeling of fear or unease, and many people experience it at different points in their lives.

It can be caused by many different situations and life experiences and sometimes there is no obvious trigger for it.

When anxiety becomes overwhelming, persistent, or interferes with daily life, it may be part of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder are among the most common mental health conditions in the UK.

If you’re experiencing any of the following, you’re not alone. These are common signs of anxiety:

• Physical symptoms: Faster, irregular or more noticeable heartbeat, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, headaches, chest pains, loss of appetite, sweating, breathlessness, feeling hot, shaking.
• Mental symptoms: Feeling tense or nervous, worrying, feeling tearful, not being able to sleep, difficulty concentrating, fear of the worst happening, obsessive thoughts.
• Behavioural changes: Not being able to enjoy your leisure time, difficulty looking after yourself, struggling to form or maintain relationships, avoiding places and situations, compulsive behaviour such as constantly checking things.

Whether it revolves around work or is unrelated, anxiety in the workplace is very common and can significantly impact both mental wellbeing and job performance.

Strategies for coping with anxiety at work

• Try to pinpoint your triggers by noting down moments when you feel anxious during the day. Identifying specific situations that trigger your anxiety can help you develop the best strategy for handling them in the future.
• Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Use tools like to-do lists, calendars, or project management apps such as Notion to stay organised. Prioritising tasks can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
• Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life, avoid checking emails after hours and take regular breaks during the day.
• In moments of stress or anxiety, deep breathing can help calm your nervous system. Box breathing is a simple relaxation technique that can help you reset your breath and return it to its normal rhythm.
• Create a comfort kit to give you relief during the day. Your kit could include fidget toys, a playlist of music that helps you feel relaxed, your favourite scent or photos of people or places that have positive memories attached to them.

Remember that seeking help is a strength, not a weakness. If anxiety is affecting your work, consider speaking with your manager or HR representative. If anxiety becomes persistent or overwhelming, you might consider talking to your GP, a therapist or counsellor.

Guidance for managers supporting a team member who is struggling with anxiety

• Encourage openness by letting your team know it’s okay to talk about mental health without fear of judgment or repercussions.
• Be aware of changes in behaviour such as withdrawal from team activities, missed deadlines or decreased productivity, increased irritability or emotional responses, and physical symptoms like fatigue or frequent sick days.
• Approach conversations with care and confidentiality and avoid making assumptions or offering unsolicited advice.
• Anxiety can often stem from uncertainty so be clear about roles and responsibilities, deadlines, priorities, and feedback.
• Schedule one-to-one meetings to build trust and stay connected with your team. Use these check-ins to ask how they’re doing, not just to talk about work.

The University is offering training for managers who would like to learn how to recognise when a staff member is struggling and how you can support them professionally as their line manager. Sign up for the course via my.HR.

If you have any concerns about a member of your team, you may wish to contact the Employee Assistance Programme which offers management guidance.

Support available for staff

The Employee Assistance Programme is available to provide support to you if you need it. If you would find comfort in the Chaplaincy, you can contact them on 01509 223741 or by emailing chaplaincy@lboro.ac.uk. 

The following organisations offer specialised services that could help you cope with anxiety:

• Anxiety Care UK
• Anxiety UK
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• Hub of Hope
• NHS talking therapies self-referral
• No More Panic
• No Panic

Keep an eye on our events tab on the internal homepage for upcoming wellbeing webinars. The next webinar on the topic of ‘How to Develop Healthy Habits’ will take place on 10 September 2025.

The IP Strikes Back: Lucasfilm, Disney, and the Power of Copyright in a Galaxy, Far, Far Away

Disclaimer: This blog post is for information only. We do not endorse any of the merchandise and we are not affiliated or receive any commission from any companies presented in this blog post.

With the new lawsuit brought by Disney and Universal against Midjourney, the Emmy snub regarding Andor, and the many new and exciting movies and series coming in a cinema / streaming platform near you, we decided to have a look at the Galaxy, Far, Far Away and the IP Empire it created.

The Power of Intellectual Property in Entertainment

Think about your favourite film or character in the Star Wars franchise. Now imagine it being tightly wrapped up in Intellectual Property (IP) protection. For its own good, mind you. Now you might disagree with the amount of protection given to the Star Wars franchise, but what if I told you there would be no Star Wars franchise, or any other franchises out there without the tight protection of IP.

When it comes to the entertainment industry and protection of IP, one of the first protections applied is copyright. It safeguards films, TV series, songs, screenplays, set design, and so much more. You can read more about copyright in films, in our previous blog post, Popcorn and Permissions: Understanding Film Licensing for UK Higher Education Screenings. As an example, copyright law makes sure that a film is protected from unauthorized distribution and duplication, basically protection against piracy. That doesn’t mean piracy does not happen, but it does mean that those who pirate can be held responsible and their sites shut down.

Other IP protection within the entertainment industry are trademarks, patents, design rights and of course performers rights. Let’s have a quick look at those:

• Trademarks – trademark registration makes sure that certain products and services will be associated with that specific brand. Star Wars is a registered trademark, as such most consumers will associate anything with the Star Wars name to the Star Wars brand, like Star Wars Rogue One. Also to note here, that Star Wars Rogue One is also a registered trademark. Sometimes, characters and character names can be trademarked. While Cassian Andor is not a trademarked name, Han Solo is.    
• Patents – protect innovations and other ‘creations of the mind’. For example, did you know that Lucasfilm registered its very first design patents for a toy figurine based on Boba Fett in 1982?! However, not just characters are patented from a galaxy far, far away, but also things like three-dimensional motion capture.
• Design rights – protect the visual appearance of a product. Here we can look at set designs, costumes, blasters, X-wings and TIE fighters.
• Performer’s rights – are non-property rights and property rights, relating to live and recorded performances, and moral rights. Some similar rights are given to companies with exclusive recording contract with the performer. This type of rights exists for performances made in, or by subjects or residents of the UK, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar or one of the British Overseas Territories. Same applies to any member state of the EEA. For performers and performances made in other countries, the level of protection depends on whether the country is a signatory of different treaties or if the country is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Examples here can be Genevieve O’Reilly’s performance as Mon Mothma or Diego Luna’s performance as Cassian Andor.

Lucasfilm’s Legacy and IP Strategy

In 1971, filmmaker George Lucas founded Lucasfilm and incorporated it as Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1977. Lucas also founded the Star Wars Corporation, Inc. as a subsidiary to control the various legal and financial aspects of Star Wars, like copyright and sequel and merchandising rights. In subsequent years, the subsidiary was absorbed into various Lucasfilm divisions.

To protect the IP spawning from a Galaxy, Far, Far Away, many things, from characters, planets, space tech devices, and vehicles, be it flying ones or terrestrial ones, have been registered as a trademark by Lucasfilm Ltd. Other trademarks include but are not limited to:

• Characters – Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader, etc.;
• Species – “Wookie” or “Ewok”;
• Phrases such as “May the Force be with you” or “May the 4^th be with you” and “May the Fourth be with you”;
• Generic terms – bounty hunter. We are also a bit confused about the last one, generic terms are usually not trademarked, but it seems the Force is strong with this one.

All in all, Lucasfilm has over 205 patents, 1,077 individual trademark applications and 3,489 registered copyright (in the US you can register copyright, not required in the UK).

Registering all this IP is not only to continue to protect the Empire but also to be able to create a plethora of merchandise, from toys, video games, comic books, clothing and furniture. I mean who doesn’t want a Millenium Falcon rolling desk chair?!

Disney’s Acquisition and Expansion

Disney acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. in 2012, after George Lucas announced his intention to retire. Under the deal, Disney acquired the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, as well as Lucasfilm’s operating businesses in live-action film production, consumer products, video games, animation, visual effects, and audio post-production.

Disney continued the expansion of the Star Wars universe, with some standalone films, like Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Rogue One has seen a resurgence after the last episode of Andor Season 2. I must admit, the first thing I said after we watched the last episode of Andor was, “We are watching Rogue One this weekend”.  

After the mixed response of Solo at the box office, there was a slowdown in release of new Star Wars films, and Disney concentrated more on developing content for their Disney+ streaming service, launching shows like The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew.

And so, the expansion of the IP Empire continues, with more new characters for action figures, toys and LEGO.  

Case Studies and Controversies

Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC et al v. Brown

Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, a subsidiary of Disney, took Michael Brown to court in 2016 over trademark infringement of the Jedi logo, as well as false designation of origin, federal trademark dilution, cybersquatting and many other claims under Californian state laws. Michael Brown operated a business called New York Jedi, the Lightsaber Academy and Thrills and Skills. The Academy would teach people the way of the Jedi, and how to wield a lightsaber.

Lucasfilm Ltd. v. High Frontier

In 1985, Lucasfilm took the Ronald Reagan administration to court following their use of the term “Star Wars” in relation to the development of a space-based laser that would shoot down incoming ballistic missiles launched from the Soviet Union(yes, you did read that right). In the media, the plan was referred to as “Star Wars”. Lucasfilm took the company working with the Reagan administration, High Frontier, to court over trademark infringement. Unfortunately, it lost the case as the judge concluded the term “Star Wars” was used as a parody.

Lucasfilm Ltd. v. Ainsworth

In 2004, Lucasfilm took Andrew Ainsworth, a prop designer from the UK, who originally designed and manufactured the stormtrooper helmets and armour used in the 1977 film “Star Wars: A New Hope”. He started selling replicas in the UK and globally which caused Lucasfilm to sue for copyright infringement. This case is interesting in highlighting the territoriality of copyright. While the US court sided with Lucasfilm, in the UK, Ainsworth successfully argued that the suits are utilitarian in nature as such copyright does not apply (copyright does not apply to objects which are utilitarian, or have a purpose, like chairs). Meaning simply, that he can continue to sell the replicas anywhere in the world, except the US.

The Future of IP in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

With more films and series coming near you from the Galaxy Far, Far Away, we are sure that there will be more characters and designs to love and protect. Disney, and Lucasfilm, have a good knowledge of how to protect their IP and create new characters to love and protect. Oh, and did I mention all the cool and cute merch?!

Whether you are a fan or just discovering the beautiful and terrifying worlds, of a Galaxy Far, Far Away, you will not be disappointed by the sheer imagination, the amazing set designs, the fantastic costume designs, the performances of the actors, be it that they are recognizable as humans or are just very funny droids (K-2SO played by Alan Tudyk). And as boring as it all sounds, and as frustrating as it can sometimes feel, all of these are rightfully protected by a vast array of IP rights. What does the future hold for a Galaxy Far, Far Away?! Well, as Master Yoda said so wisely, in The Empire Strikes Back, “Difficult to see; always in motion is the future”.

Welcome to the Rebellion! (Cassian Andor, in Andor, ep.9, Season 2)

Small businesses and fans often unknowingly infringe on Disney and Lucasfilm’s IP, and there are many voices that bemoan the way Disney and its subsidiaries protect their IP. However, when films like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey are created, can you really hold it against them?! As one critic of Blood and Honey put it: Makes you wish the Supreme Court would repeal its public domain copyright laws. Another critic made their view very clear as well, stating: There aren’t any copyright issues with the material but [Rhys Frake-Waterfield] has no right to do what he did with it.

So, what is there to do?! In more general terms, respect other people’s IP (especially if it is still protected, but also maybe just a little bit, if it isn’t) quoting Yoda, from the Empire Strikes Back: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC have worked hard for the world in Star Wars, and it is their right to protect it, tooth and nail. Don’t believe me? Watch a Making of Andor Season 2 to see the amount of work that has gone into creating the Star Wars universe in Andor.  Whatever you think of Disney and its subsidiaries, one thing is for sure, their IP strategy is on point.

If you like movies, why not log in to your Libby account and enjoy our vast array of magazines presenting all new films and series!

Or why not have a read of all the Star Wars magazines?!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post, and if so, why not subscribe to our monthly digest?!

May the Force be with you!

The information contained in this blog post should be taken as recommended advice or guidance but should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, please seek proper legal advice.

Monster Moonshine String Bridge 5/26

Ewin VanGorder

Anti quark mass  values and Sporadic Higman Simms Group with Relation also to Higgs and W Boson masses with Banyon Tree and Open Forest Exegesis Towards Branching values and Black Box  Strong Force  Color Confinement.

The antiquark value to metric of 2.2 is in reciprocal .4545 and this number  squared is .206 and tripled is .618 the golden section module… The Sporadic series at the Higman Simms Group is value 19352 e.g. permutations of ‘atomic” primes…and .022 is the seventh term of a spiral of .618 forms from the parent square root of five at reciprocal form…half .022 is .011 and this is the reciprocal of.1056 the area between the square root of five twice applied in a square field. The two terms of 2.2 per anti quarks and .022 of the Sporadic dovetail nicely.. as .o22 times 100 is 2.2 and moreover 2.2 divide half as 1.1 is the now famous magic quantum number in thin material conductivity while 1.1 is also very much the structure of Euler’s number where the reciprocals summed of the square roots of seven and eight added to the reciprocal of E are then 1.1 mirroring in 2.71828459 the palindrome of .82 and .28 if given decimal horizons thus 1.1….

As the quarks are color confined might their relation to antiquarks be like that of a Josephson junction ie computers on each other affect their space if we consider the Banyon tree or Black hole as closed systems in relation to an open forest or hologram inflected horizon? In effect I structured the drawing to give center real number space as branching over quadrant in a similar system of proxemic while relating to the structures which generate the square root of two in terms of .708 and those of .707 as initiating different eigenvalues with an eye towards finding saddleback structure linking Exceptional points and Diabolic points ie the difference between moment and velocity staged differently to singularities than that of eigenvectors and eigenvalues… A relation exists in the drawing to the Higgs and W bosons compared as their interaction is the meromorphic domain of observables while the monodramy or changes in independent variables I note in the division of the reciprocal values where the Higgs yields .0079 and the W .0124 the latter being the sixth turn of the golden section related to the parent square root of five divided half.. their ratio as .6433 creates a palette of harmonics in terms of square and square roots ie… .6433 to negative two is .802 times seven Is 5.6 or ten time .56 where that squared is pi and .618 golden section is square root of ten added that of eleven thus ten times the reciprocal of pi plus three times unity plus the reciprocal of pi and 11 divided ten is 1.1…the structure we see in E…..or quantum “magic” number…(its recursive structure is the element in common)…..6433 to neg 3 is 2.6854 and .6584 =1.46 or ten times .146  the fourth turn of the golden section spiral….6433 to neg 4 I .9463 times 8 is 9.73 where then .73 times two is 1.46….6433 to neg five is .972 and times 8 is  7.7764 where .7764 = 1.288 and .288 times two is ..578 or square root of three in reciprocal….6433 to third power is .2662 and this to neg third is .718 which squared is .518 in reciprocal 1.927 which composes of .65 unity plus reciprocal of three times the golden section plus .6336 the half ratio of the square root of the golden section in reciprocal and .64 as 1.56 where .56 squared is pi and .56 is 1.7854 where .7854 times four is Pi…

Summing the most harmonically useful I get the term 2.818 which in reciprocal is .3548 and this to negative fourth is .0156 or 64 the generative 8 matrix.

Moonshine String Bridge  Series 4/26

Edwin VanGorder

Saddleback Points between Exceptional and Diabolic Points as Quark Sea Gain and Loss to Holographic Black Hole Analogical Transpose via Black Box Confinement of Quantum Color through the Interference Cave…

The drawing continues the Phi Nomen phenomenon as it were (golden section) as embedding pi relative the “atomic “ primes of the Sporadic and the Monster Moonshine hypothesis linking string theory harmonics then to Sporadic groups as brought to attention by their mutual 26 categories which specifically relate to the (j)- function in particular which allow modular extensions in complex space relevant also to my drawing hypothesis that a saddleback point can be created linking what are called Exceptional points and Diabolical points as expression respectively of eigenvector melding or coalescing via gain and loss to eigen value and momentum to velocity (latterly)   and which reviews to a consideration of matrix to linear construct in which rows implicate multiples and basis motion while columns motivate vectors to a contrasting division approach relating the reciprocal nature of the dynamic.

The particular relationship of Fischer 1, Weak Thea(Weinberg Angle) and the Bottom quark relate a tensor form which I hypothesize structures the first form of matter as Plasma, in which quarks and gluons were not bound as becoming subject to fields which then did bind by also limiting quark production or “quarkonia” and so  relates to the idea of cosmic voids which in a sense map this and per the article https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf781

Testing the local void hypothesis using baryon acoustic oscillation measurements over the last 20 yr

And relating it to Relate this  to Primordial Soup was Full of Flavors

https://physics.aps.org/featured-article-pdf/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.142301

it then seems to me that baryonic osculation relate to string oscillations as effect of quenching and that in the color confinement these are incident in the same way as Black Hole radiation if we give this number line cosmogenesis the analogon of its toy world lines , sheet and tube it would be string theory configurations which would be the necessary computer ansatz. 

Turning then to the numbers of consideration:

Fischer Group1 of Sporadic of 64561751634400 as in reciprocal 1.5489 and this approx. 1.5393 or unity plus three times the golden section module .618 and in reciprocal approx. .65…

The Bottom Quark at 9180 mass to it’s metric is in reciprocal .0001089 and naively normalized as 3.1089 is in reciprocal .3216 and this doubled approx. .64 which is in reciprocal 1.56  and .64 times three is 1.927 in reciprocal .518 of which 1.927then can be seen   equals .65 (as in the Fischer 1) and .64 plus .6336 the latter unity plus the square root of three and is also  the  half ratio of the reciprocal of .788  being  the square root of the golden section. Interestingly then the use of a complete elliptical integral in which .64 is primed as .64 times the square root of unity minus .64 e.g. the complement the result of this “nome”is  the reciprocal of the square root of six and this plus the reciprocal of the square root of seven will equal .788 or the square root of the golden section which itself is the sum of the reciprocal of the square root of ten as being ten times the reciprocal of pi then added to the square root of eleven as proposed which is three times unity plus the reciprocal of Pi thus in sum .618 which we may place in relation to the Weinberg angle .231 which times seven is 1.618 the golden section proper. So we see then the sums of the square roots of six and seven in relation to the square roots of ten and eleven.

In the drawing I use a parallel to the Dirac four tensor by using the numbers .518, .6336,.65,.64 … I find it also constructive to consider the square root of .788 which is .888 a number whose complement is .112 or per the 8.927 to metric of the the vacuum electric charge. .888 itself is 1.126126… and .126 squared is .0156 or 64 thus ten times our familiar .64 and is extensively mirrored and modelled in the Planck… and recently figures  per 126 as the dimension of interest in the Kervaire Invariant https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.10879

(relating to exotic spheres in which the inverse mapping of adjacent surfaces in context of sphere builds a kind of mobius bridge of the k dimensional… and by implication the structuring of diabatic to adiabatic to black box considerations as we have broached in color confinement as a black body…

In terms of the drawing this relates to my improvising an analogon to the saddleback point by presenting it as a bundle form split on orthogonal corners of composition and so passing and diverging at center various scales can compose to centers in a mirroring, but where the squares are replaced by circles then the splitting of the ray becomes involved in an exotic sphere mobius potential over next to next leading order presentations…

section…  we noted that Through the use of a complete elliptical integral .64 times the square root of unity minus .64 squared will produce .3782 the square root of seven and .788 will equal the square root of seven plus the square root of six and .788 the square root of the golden section as itself the sum of the square root of ten as ten times the reciprocal of pi then added to square root of eleven as in reciprocal three times unity plus the reciprocal of pi sum to .618 the golden section module and we review that weak thea the Weinberg angle at .231 is times seven the 1.618 golden section term proper… we then have seen the square roots of six and seven related to those of ten and eleven and .518 the square root of .718 (figuring in Eulers 2.718281828450) added .788 or square root of golden section sum as 1.236 or half ratio of the square root of five the parent form of Golden Section.

Van’s number is my creation of a kind of  s numerical plasma of golden section derivatives between .0019 and .0091 in which the binding quality of Pi embedded in Harmonics and Harmonics in Primes is a clue toward “color quality” of vibrational damping we see proposed in Eulers number as relating via its structure of  the reciprocal of the square root of seven plus the reciprocal of the square root of eight plus the reciprocal of E equals 1.1 which  numbers palindrome addition of .81 plus .82 also equals as taken to decimal ( noting that .81 as 1.234567 vies the cardinality quoted into most Algebras and seemingly related to the square root of two times four as square root of  eight) horizons. .1828 is the complement in that number to the Palindrome .8172 relative  2.718 and .8172 in reciprocal and doubled is square root of six… 1.1 then is the magic number of thin material physics enabling the damping quality towards super conduction and relation to Dirac cones. Three approaches, multiplication by 1.1, complete elliptical integrals , and random association between the elements of Van’s number propose the drawings number line cosmogenesis analogon to red , blue, green… In addition to the use of Van’s number there is also Van’s Triangles a  pair of triangular matrices preparing the spread between a section of the number e.g. between .0073 and .7003 which gives an interesting variation on Exceptional point while relating to the complement of the reciprocal value of C speed of light. The general interest is category theory or the complete list of isomorphisms, e.g auto morphism, meromorphism, diffeomorphism, symplectomorphism, homeomorphism as prompts to possibilities in spectral transform probabilities range of next to next to leading zeros relative ontology of mapping to and onto ie direct and indirect elements of fuzzy number bridging… Finally the grid used as a harmonic Hermitian golden section bridge implicates the structure of 126 and .126 as mentioned in the squaring of .126 from term .888 as root of the root of the golden section is squared .0156 and thus 64 or 8 square matrix in the linear reciprocal… Van’s Grid then will subdivide the golden section harmonic surface to.0156 intervals 64 times  approx. as manifold. This comes from a structure where a central .1056 area as the interval between twice the square root of five in unity is paired to structure over relating the golden section spiral to both the number proper and also its parent the square root of five thus 1.618->.618->.382->.236->.146->.09 on one tract and from .4472 or reciprocal of square root of five on the other tract then .4472->.2764( with reciprocal 3.618 relating to 2.764 as .3618 giving a glimmer of relation of golden section to square root of eleven and ten in reciprocals summed)_>.1056->.0652-.0404->.0248 and half ratio .0124->.0156->.0073->.0064->.0046… out of this then the .1056 of the grid center has .0652 on each flank thus .236 followed by .146 and the pattern repeated by creating from edges .236 with .1056 centered creates the Hermitian Golden Section Palindrome Quincunx Grid where all value subdivide to packets of the .0156 value ..note .236 time three as .708 gives a value of the square root of two parallel .707 and thus a bra-ket.

From the Vice-Chancellor – July 2025

In my last newsletter of this academic year: a review of the University strategy; funding under the Prosperity Partnerships programme; UNESCO day at the University; the summer graduation ceremonies; and a look back at the year.

Reviewing our University strategy

Each year we review the University strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together, to assess whether it remains relevant and appropriate. A summary of the broad conclusions from this year’s review, which was undertaken in consultation with the University Executive Board and the Professional Services Leadership Teams, was considered at University Council earlier this month.

Three overarching priority areas have emerged from our discussions to date.

• We must enhance the Loughborough Student Experience and maintain our leading UK ranking, to support our student recruitment.   
• We must grow our research power for REF29, which will put us in the best possible place for research income generation and impact.    
• And we must protect our sport USP (unique selling point) to raise Loughborough University’s global profile and give us a competitive edge over other institutions.

Further discussions are taking place to develop a three-to-five-year delivery plan that will be considered by Council in October and Senate thereafter.   

As I imagine you are already aware, there are a number of significant challenges facing the UK higher education sector at this time, including rising costs, stagnant undergraduate home student fees and fewer international students. Loughborough University is not immune to these pressures and so we have reviewed the trajectory and deliverability of our strategy in the context of these challenges.   

Given the sectoral challenges, it is important that we are able both to secure our financial sustainability and preserve our distinctive strengths. I believe that Loughborough is better placed than many others to do both of these things, but we cannot afford to be complacent.

Put simply, the funding assumptions that underpinned our strategy when it was approved in 2022 have not materialised. So, we must be realistic about the resources we have available and the timescales we need to deliver the key performance indicators (KPIs) in the core plans. Our strategy remains the right direction of travel for the University but we cannot continue to deliver everything at the pace and intensity we originally planned. We will have to be prepared to take difficult decisions to focus our efforts on a smaller number of priorities and this means that some KPIs will have to be delivered over a longer period than originally planned.   Given the work underway to develop the plan, and the exceptional commitment shown by staff across our two campuses, I am confident that we can face the coming academic year with optimism. Our student experience and the pedigree we have in sport set us apart from others in the sector, and we must take full advantage of that. We will also continue to grow our research and innovation prowess for REF29. This increased focus will enable us to concentrate on growing our income, maximise appropriate new opportunities as they arise, and make sure we’re operating as efficiently as we can. By making these choices about what to prioritise, focusing our efforts and being sensible with both our time and resources, we will have a bright future.

Funding received for new research centre

I was delighted to hear this month that we have been awarded funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as part of its Prosperity Partnerships programme, to establish the Centre for the Decarbonisation of Heavy-duty Power Systems.

The Centre will be led by Professor Adrian Spencer from the School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering, in partnership with Perkins Engines, and will focus on reducing, and ultimately eliminating, greenhouse gas emissions from the heavy-duty vehicle sector.

It will look at the use of alternative fuels including hydrogen and synthetic e-fuels such as methanol and ethanol. It aims to optimise engine efficiency for alternative fuels, while reducing emissions, and enhancing material durability and performance, aligning strongly with our Climate Change and Net Zero strategic theme. The EPSRC has invested £41million in this latest round of projects, matched by a further £56 million from business and academia. Each of the projects funded under the Prosperity Partnership scheme is co-created and co-delivered with UK business partners, bringing together world-class expertise from businesses and academia to turn research into practical solutions that can make a difference in people’s lives – a fundamental objective of our Partnerships strategic aim.

UNESCO day held at the University

At the start of July the University hosted an event to celebrate UNESCO’s global mission, bringing together researchers, staff, students and policymakers from the University, UNESCO, the UK National Commission for UNESCO (the central hub for UNESCO-related matters in this country) and the UK Government. 

The event was organised by the University’s Institute of Advanced Studies and showcased the work of the three UNESCO Chairs based at Loughborough. Loughborough now holds more UNESCO Chairs than any other UK university: Professor Mike Wilson, who was appointed in June as UNESCO’s first ever Chair in Storytelling Education for Sustainability; Professor Qiuhua Liang who is the UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Research; and Professor Richard Giulianotti, who is UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education for Development.   UNESCO Chairs provide expert insight that helps to shape UNESCO’s strategy and influence global policy development. The diversity of our UNESCO Chairs is testament to the quality and vibrancy of our research culture at the University and contributes to our strategic aim to foster collaborative research and international networks.

Achievements recognised with Honorary Doctorates and University Medals

Earlier this month we welcomed thousands of our 2025 graduates, their families and friends to the University for our summer degree congregations. It’s always wonderful to see the campus so alive with celebration. I know that the ceremonies are the culmination of a lot of hard work by many teams across the University. Thank you for everything you do to make them so special for all those involved. 

The graduation ceremonies are also an opportunity for us to honour the achievements of people who have made a significant contribution to the University or to fields the University has links with. 

This summer we presented Honorary Doctorates of the University to seven individuals whose achievements align with our strategic aims, themes and values. 

On Tuesday we recognised Thomas Heatherwick CBE, one of the UK’s most prolific designers, whose work is characterised by its originality and inventiveness; Carol Leeming MBE, the Leicester-based, multi-award-winning artist and advocate for equity; and Loughborough alumnus Colin McFarlane, an actor, narrator and director who has used his platform and profile to promote men’s health awareness. 

The following day we awarded Jason Wilsher-Mills MBE with his honorary degree. Jason is a world-renowned artist and storyteller, and an influential disability activist. On Thursday we honoured Pia Sinha, the first Asian woman to become a prison governor in England and Wales and now Director of the Prison Reform Trust. 

We also recognised two Paralympic champions, Emma Wiggs MBE and Jessica-Jane Applegate MBE, in recognition of their outstanding sporting achievement and significant contributions to disability sport. Emma is a three-time Paralympic gold medallist in Paracanoe and a passionate campaigner to improve sport for disabled athletes. Swimmer Jessica-Jane made history by winning gold at the London 2012 Paralympics in a Games record time and is a powerful voice for neurodiversity. 

At the ceremonies we also awarded University Medals to seven members of the University community in recognition of their exceptional service, dedication and leadership across the University and beyond. 

Anne Cato, Loughborough Students’ Union Action Coordinator, has played a pivotal role in establishing LSU Action as one of the most active and wide-ranging student volunteering programmes in the country. Professor George Havenith from the School of Design and Creative Arts, and Professor Marsha Meskimmon, former Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies, have both helped to elevate Loughborough’s research profile. 

Graham Herring from the Research and Innovation Office is a tireless volunteer with the University’s and local community football clubs. Will Relf has cared for our outdoor sports grounds for more than 20 years. Alumnus Mark Sismey-Durrant has served as Pro Chancellor of the University, President of the Alumni Association and chaired various University committees; and Jane Snape from IT Services has helped to ensure that we remain at the digital forefront of higher education during her dedicated 34 years of service at the University. 

Congratulations to them all on their awards.

A look back at the academic year

Towards the end of each academic year we hold the Senate and Council dinner, which provides an opportunity for us to reflect on our achievements over the past 12 months. You can read the summary of some the highlights from the past year that I mentioned in my speech at the event. 

Since I gave my speech, I’m delighted to say that Loughborough has again won the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) title, for a 44th consecutive year. Congratulations to all our student athletes and the coaches, support staff and volunteers who support them. 

While the summer may afford some of us a little time to breathe, I know that many of you are currently working incredibly hard for Confirmation and Clearing. Thank you in advance for all your work at this particularly demanding time of year.   Whatever you are doing over the coming weeks, I hope are able to enjoy the summer. 

Wimbledon win

Loughborough-linked duo Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash made history at Wimbledon by becoming the first all-British pair to win the men’s doubles title for 89 years. Their Wimbledon victory followed titles at Queen’s Club Championship and the Eastbourne Open.

Jet engine research

Loughborough University is joining forces with leading academics from Oxford University, Imperial College London, and King’s College London to develop hydrogen-powered jet engines. The £9.5 million project, backed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to transform aviation by achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Conference on campus

Last week we welcomed more than 500 visitors to campus for the TUCO Summer Conference. TUCO is the leading professional membership body for in-house caterers in higher and further education and the public sector. I was honoured to give the welcoming address at the event, joining high profile speakers such as the former government communications director, Alastair Campbell, and the maître d’hotel, Fred Sirieix. Using our campus to host events such as this not only allows us to showcase the University but crucially also provides opportunities to diversify our income streams.

Five Minutes With: Peggy Alexopoulou

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a University teacher in International Business, Strategy and Innovation and have been here since 2022. I also worked at the London campus for about four years. Since 2023, I have been an Athena SWAN champion for the Business School.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

My days can differ greatly depending on the semester and the modules been taught as well as other responsibilities. I usually start my day with teaching, followed by in-person and/or Teams meetings with students or colleagues. I prefer to focus on my research in the afternoon once all meetings and teaching preparations are completed.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite project has been working on the first-ever Athena SWAN submission for the Business School. Collaborating with many colleagues over nearly two years towards a common purpose and shared vision, greater gender equality and inclusive working practices, has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. It has been an amazing journey, full of learning, collaboration, and ultimately success.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I am proud that the Business School received its first Athena SWAN Bronze award as well as when my students achieve their goals and succeed in reaching their aspirations.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

All the university values resonate with me. I believe that collaboration fosters authenticity, which in turn inspires creativity, ambition and a strong sense of responsibility-for ourselves others and our environment.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I enjoy spending time with my family and walking with my dog, Lassie. I love the outdoors and am constantly searching for stunning beaches to explore.

What is your favourite quote?

Be kind.

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

Realising Opportunities, Realising Potential: My Loughborough Journey

Realising Opportunities (RO) is a 2-year programme ran by a unique collaboration of research intensive universities to support talented students from underrepresented backgrounds on their journey into Higher Education.
The programme provides support through a series of events and information, advice and guidance with a focus on developing skills and supporting student progression on to research intensive universities.

Graduating from Loughborough University has been one of the most rewarding and emotional milestones in my life so far. As I reflect on this journey, I’m reminded that the path here was never one I walked alone. The Realising Opportunities (RO) programme played a part in opening the door to university, but also in laying a foundation that carried me through the years that followed.

I joined RO in Year 13, and it was through this programme that I was introduced to Loughborough. It didn’t just help me get into university, it gave me a sense of belief and belonging at a time I really needed it. From application support to mentoring, RO gave me the tools to succeed but more than that, it gave me people (big shoutout to the SCL team). A community that saw potential in me, opened doors I wouldn’t have walked through on my own, and constantly cheered me on.  And even now, after graduation, I know they’re still in my corner.

One of the most unexpected gifts RO gave me was the opportunity to share my story. I was invited to speak to students at my sixth form multiple times, something I never thought I’d have the confidence to do. Those moments helped me develop my public speaking skills but also reminded me that my journey had value. I got to encourage others who were in the exact same position I had been before.

Starting university can feel overwhelming, but because of the support I received through RO, I arrived at Loughborough with confidence, clarity and a sense of belonging. That support made all the difference. My time at Loughborough challenged me in the best ways, stretching me academically, personally and professionally. There were moments of joy, moments of pressure and many lessons learned along the way, but I always felt covered by something greater than just my own effort.

Now, stepping into the next chapter, I feel a deep sense of peace and gratitude. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, but even more thankful for the people, for RO and moments that shaped me along the way. The journey hasn’t just been about ticking boxes, it’s been about growth, character and walking through doors I once thought were beyond my reach.

To any student beginning their journey, I’d say: find the people and places that remind you of who you are and who you’re becoming. Realising Opportunities was one of those places for me, a space that reminded me I wasn’t alone and that the aspirations placed on my heart were worth pursuing.

Loughborough has been more than a university. It’s been a season of becoming and I’m so excited for what comes next. 

August Copyright Reads

We are now finding ourselves in August, named in the Romanian calendar, gustar from the verb a gusta meaning to taste, as many of the fruits of Summer are now ripe to harvest.

August by Leandro da Ponte gen. Leandro Bassano (Künstler/in) – Fine Arts Museum Vienna, Austria – CC BY-NC-SA.

As usual, we’re diving headfirst into the fascinating and sometimes chaotic world of artificial intelligence. This time, we’re exploring how AI bots are swarming libraries and cultural heritage sites, and slowing down the sites. We also take a closer look at how students in higher education are responding to AI tools in their learning environments—spoiler: it’s not all smooth sailing.

And then there’s Spotify, stirring up debate by releasing AI-generated music featuring the voices of deceased artists.

But we’re not stopping there.

We’re also zooming out to look at nature and sustainability, with a copyright lens—because let’s face it, that’s our bread and butter. From the surprising intersection of hair care and intellectual property, to the legal showdown between Lululemon and Costco over alleged copycat products.

Add to that the creative upcycling of fashion brands and a dash of Trump-related copyright drama, and you’ve got a blog post that’s anything but boring.

Punching in and off we go!

Lululemon vs Costco: the fashion copycat fight

EU’s AI code of practice for companies to focus on copyright, safety

A mid-year review of AI and copyright posts

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects

We must break the link between publisher revenue and article volume

Greece is creating two new national marine parks to meet 2030 ocean protection targets early

Science and Democracy Under Siege

Solidarity in Action: Labor, AI, and the Future of Libraries | ALA Annual 2025

Does Using In-Copyright Works as Training Data Infringe?

Trump Loses Copyright Fight Over Woodward Interview Recordings

The 8 Most Common Types of AI Hallucinations in Case Law

 Generative AI and copyright: why you can’t afford to sit this out

President Trump: It’s Not Doable for AI Companies to Pay for All Copyrighted Input

EUIPO Guidelines

Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission

In the Bag: Singapore High Court awards statutory damages of S$200,000 against seller of “upcycled” Louis Vuitton products

New curls on the block: how IP continues to shape hair innovation

Creative and AI sectors kick-off next steps in finding solutions to AI and copyright

University students feel ‘anxious, confused and distrustful’ about AI in the classroom and among their peers

Oxford University Press reports turnover of £796m

Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams

What is Shadow AI?

Revisiting copyright infringement in AI inputs and outputs

AI Bots Swarm Library, Cultural Heritage Sites, Causing Slowdowns and Crashes

How GenAI music is hacking the system – and getting paid

Upcycling under EU copyright law: from infringement risks to protectability requirements

Troubling or trusted: Citizens’ sentiment on big tech in public sector AI

Fotografie, Liestal, Sichtern, Pause im Schatten des Heuwagens by Strübin, Theodor – Archaeology and Museum Baselland, Switzerland – CC BY-SA.

The copyright world is anything but boring at the moment. With so much happening in and around it, it is difficult to keep on top of all the changes and issues coming to the fore. AI is still pretty much the one causing a lot of issues, and keeping on top with all the changes is a must. I am sure for next month we will have some more goodies for you in the world of copyright and beyond. Until then, enjoy the last of the Summer days!

Harvest by Ring, L.A. – 1885 – National Gallery of Denmark, Denmark – Public Domain.

Advice from Dean's Dissertation Winner

Phoebe Williams, winner of the 2023/24 Dean’s Dissertation Prize at Loughborough University London, talks about what inspired her research, how she stayed motivated, and the ups and downs of writing a dissertation. From her love of football to exploring kindness in sport, Phoebe shares what helped her turn her idea into an award-winning project.

Were there any challenges you faced during the process, and how did you overcome them?

Writing a dissertation at any level is hard work and it can be incredibly stressful, the whole process can seem quite overbearing. I made sure I took a lot of breaks throughout my research to avoid burn out, prioritised what makes me happy and utilised the support of those around me.

What kind of support did you receive from the university that helped you succeed in your dissertation journey?

I could not have succeeded in my dissertation journey if it wasn’t for the help of my academic supervisor, Professor Tony Ghaye whose guidance, knowledge and feedback were instrumental at every stage. The wider university support was also instrumental.

The lectures provided on research methods, academic writing, and dissertation planning gave me a clear structure and practical tools to manage my time effectively and stay on track. Altogether, the supportive learning environment, the lecturers at the university and resources made a huge difference in helping me complete my dissertation to a high standard.

What would you say to someone considering studying at Loughborough University London?

If anyone is considering studying at Loughborough University London, I would 100% recommend it. The university is globally recognised for what it offers, and the lectures are some of the most talented individuals in their field. Not only did I learn so much and come away inspired, but I also made friends and memories for life. The learning environment is supportive, and you’re surrounded by passionate likeminded individuals. The campus itself is also gorgeous and there are so many nice places around to eat. Going to Loughborough University London was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Phoebe’s prize-winning dissertation is now available to read on the Loughborough University repository. Explore her research on kindness in professional women’s football 👉 Read the dissertation.

Webinars and whatnots – July 2025

Catch up on recorded webinars:

PLOS: Open 2.0-Achieving the Impossible; Diamond Open Access in Europe

Open Repositories Conference 2025: keynote now available

Previous months’ Webinars and whatnots:

• June 2025
• May 2025 – Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• December 2024
• November 2024

Five Minutes With: Catherine Armstrong

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am Professor of Modern History, Director of People and Culture and Wellbeing Champion for the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Co-Chair of the Age Appreciation Staff Network. I have been at Loughborough for just over 11 years.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

Every day is different, and that’s what I love about the job. As a historian, I hope that my day includes some work towards my next monograph on the earliest historians of slavery in the African American community, which will be published by Cambridge University Press. However, I may also be involved in various staff development activities, supporting line managers in my School to deliver training aimed at, for example, completing probation or preparing for promotion. I often sit on recruitment panels for new staff members or internal leadership positions. My day might also include activities for the Age Appreciation Staff Network, such as planning a social event for members or devising new ways to promote the network.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

There are too many to mention! The recent projects I am most proud of are my AHRC-funded research project to create a Trans Archiving Network, which works with the trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse community in the East Midlands to share good practice and understand the ethical challenges of gathering an archive of stories about trans experiences. To be supported by Loughborough to do this work at a time when the trans community are facing such prejudice is a sign of the University’s genuine commitment to its EDI values.

The Age Appreciation Staff Network recently received funding from EDI Services to undertake a project raising awareness of the impact in the workplace of age-related health conditions. We have designed a training module and posters informing and upskilling managers, which will be rolled out across the University soon. I am also working with senior leaders in my School on a project to tackle some of the challenges our academic staff face with balancing, recording and managing workload. The staff survey has shown that this is a key concern, affecting colleagues’ work-life balance and general wellbeing, and so it’s important to keep this high on our agenda.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Only a few weeks ago, I got a phone call on a Friday afternoon from my Dean confirming that my application for promotion to Professor had been successful. I have progressed from Lecturer to Professor at Loughborough, and I am thrilled and honoured that my hard work has been rewarded with this recognition.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

I am proud to work for an organisation with values that align so closely with my own. For me, Loughborough is epitomised by ‘collaboration’. Every day I come to work, I marvel at what a privilege it is to work with such a wonderful bunch of colleagues. Everything that I have achieved here has been possible with the support of my peers and mentors. And because the organisation is willing to build teams of diverse voices, not an echo chamber, it makes all of our working lives richer and fuller.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I used to be a keen runner, but injury forced me to mostly retire from that sport. For the last two and a half years, I have been training and competing in powerlifting and strongman competitions. Weight training has completely changed my mindset, giving me new body confidence and mental strength. It has helped me to cope with some of the problems of the menopause, and is vital for maintaining bone density and strength into older age. But mostly it’s tremendous fun! I would recommend it to anyone. Give it a go!

What is your favourite quote?

If serving is beneath you, leading is beyond you.

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

Staff Picks – July 2025

Resources from the Loughborough University Research Repository picked by the Open Research Team in the Library.

Dhiri, Tanika (2024). Sustainability. Loughborough University. Collection. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.c.6936021 [This collection comprises of research material aligned to Sustainability, produced by Loughborough University academics, researchers and doctoral students.]

Cristina, Plamadeala; Tileaga, Cristian (2024). The rhetoric of ideological transgression: History and psychological language in the archives of the Securitate. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/28806863 [The Securitate was a rather frightening thing in Communism Romania, even after the fall of Communism, my mother was especially terrified of “them” and “them” coming during the night and disappearing us. I think drawing attention to such behaviours, taking into account what is currently happening in the US is important. Maybe we can learn from it. And being Romanian, I will always promote other Romanians doing great research work 🙂]

Selby, Andrew; Minichiello, Mario (2023). Artificial intelligence in editorial illustration: an insight into proximity and plausibility; emotion, empathy and ethics. Loughborough University. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/24155727 [Having a background in the Arts, I found this conference contribution a fascinating insight into how AI is disrupting the creative process and experience.]

Geospatial metadata - new feature in the Research Repository

A new metadata field has been added to items created* in our Research Repository: geospatial metadata. This feature allows researchers to geolocate where the research took place, providing another dimension to understanding the item and potentially increasing its reuse.

• Read more on how to make use of this feature.
• Contact RDM@lboro.ac.uk if you’d like a quick demo.

* This feature is not available for items submitted via LUPIN. If you would like to add geospatial metadata to your publications, please contact RDM@lboro.ac.uk

Navigating chemical engineering and finding my place at Loughborough 

Moving from Malaysia to the UK to study Chemical Engineering at Loughborough felt like a big leap. I still remember landing with a suitcase full of hopes (and snacks) and wondering what this new chapter would be like. As nerve-wracking as it was, I quickly realised I didn’t need to worry, everyone here was so friendly and welcoming. It really made all the difference. 

Chemical Engineering is known for being a tough course, and I won’t sugarcoat it, there were definitely moments that felt overwhelming. But once I found my rhythm, and especially once I got to know people on my course, everything felt a lot more manageable. Having friends to study with, ask questions, and sometimes just vent to during late-night revision sessions helped so much. If you’re on track and have a solid support system, you’ll be okay. 

Outside of studying 

Something that helped me de-stress was getting involved outside of lectures. Becoming a student ambassador has been one of the highlights of my time here. I’ve had the chance to meet so many people, share my story, and feel like I’m giving back to the Loughborough community. It’s honestly so fulfilling and fun, you forget it’s even a job sometimes.I also started going to the gym regularly, which became a little escape for me. Whether it was a short workout or a run, it really helped me unwind. Balancing studies with things you enjoy makes a huge difference.  

Careers support 

Another big part of my journey was applying for placements. It was definitely one of the more challenging parts of my degree so far, writing countless applications, attending assessment centres, visiting employer events on campus… it can be exhausting. But I’m really glad I stuck with it. The Careers Network at Loughborough was incredibly helpful, especially with preparing for interviews. They ran mock interviews, CV clinics, and were always happy to give personalised feedback. My biggest advice is to start early and stay consistent, even when rejections come through (because they will). In the end, all the effort paid off, I secured a placement as a Hydrogen/Gas Engineer with Bosch, and I couldn’t be more excited to step into the industry. 

Final thoughts 

Looking back, I’m just really grateful. Loughborough became a second home. I’ve grown a lot, academically, personally, and emotionally. If you’re a future student reading this, especially if you’re coming from far away like I did, just know, it’s okay to be nervous, but you’ll find your people. Ask for help, take breaks, join that club, go to that event. You’ll build memories here that’ll stay with you long after graduation. 

Developing institutional resilience, humility and hope: : A response to The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech Act) 2023, and Supreme Court ruling on definition of sex in Equality Act 2010) 

Please read this communication alongside a communication about Freedom of Speech by Sam McGinty, Loughborough University’s General Counsel (and Director of Legal Services). 

Self-care warning: Throughout this communication there is reference to the legislative and regulatory changes that have happened because of the Kathleen Stock/ University of Sussex case, The Supreme Court Ruling and the introduction of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, (August 1^st, 2025).  

Developing institutional resilience 

The Office for Students (OfS) began an investigation into the case of a Professor Kathleen Stock of the University of Sussex who had resigned her post in 2021 after protests which escalated to her receiving harassment, calls for her to be sacked and death threats due to expressing her gender critical views. OfS found that the University of Sussex had failed to meet its legal duty, according to the Equality Act 2010, to take all reasonable steps to prevent harassment of its employees and that the university had breached its E1 condition of registration to uphold academic freedom and freedom of speech. 

The resultant fine issued to Sussex of over half a million pounds (currently under appeal) is unprecedented, sent shockwaves through the Higher Education Sector and has had a profound effect on how we now understand  what constitutes protected beliefs, thus deepening the tension between two equally valid protected characteristics; those who hold protected beliefs and those whose identify as trans or non-binary.  

This development coincides with the Supreme Court Ruling (April 2025) which clarified the position in law (Equality Act 2010), as ‘sex’ referring exclusively to biological sex and not a person’s legal gender. The ruling was welcomed by some as it is perceived to be restoring sex-based rights while simultaneously causing deep anxiety for others as it is experienced as an immutable step towards an erosion of human rights and civil liberties. 

The introduction of The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023) is anticipated to sometimes deepen tension even further as it broadens the range of what is acceptable to say or express, if experienced as at odds with protecting marginalised groups from potentially discriminatory opinions and conduct. While at other times, the act will provide protection for marginalised groups to share their lived experiences, the impact of discrimination, protest against injustice and publicly demand societal change.     

How can the University, which is still at a stage of embedding an EDI governance culture and instilling good EDI practice, show resilience amid these impactful legislative and socio- political changes? Often the term ‘the university’ is used as a shorthand for university leadership. In EDI terms this tends to mean those with the most power to either promote or inhibit changes that progress equity. Being more specific, ‘the University’ refers to the people responsible for administering those powers. ‘The University’ also has responsibilities to ensure compliance with legal and statutory obligations (please see Sam McGinty’s communication which breaks down university responsibilities under Freedom of Speech). A prime responsibility is to enable an environment where a plurality of diverse perspectives can be expressed and heard in an environment that promotes mutual respect. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 has reinforced this role.  

EDI at Loughborough developed largely from the ground up, often through the discretionary effort of staff and students in self-governing networks and associations who worked with EDI champions in senior leadership. This change came through a combination of diplomacy, advocacy, allyship and community activism. An environment was created in which members of the Loughborough University community have felt increasingly empowered to voice challenges to the status quo and speak their ‘truth to power’. To Loughborough’s great credit, increasingly those voices have been heard and validated.  Characterising this period, it was not always clear what institutional role individuals had in EDI progression. There was activism from people whose substantive posts were not directly related to EDI, from all grades and job families. Strongly held personal passions for increased equity and inclusion blurred with professional roles in a way that was sometimes unclear but often powerful and impactful.  

We recognised in the EDI Core Plan (June 2024) that this situation had to change if EDI progression was to be sustainable and said,  

Effective leadership and governance are essential if we are to achieve our EDI aspirations. Without these elements we run the risk of chaotic and transitory change, a lack of cohesion in our activities and disengagement of stakeholders. 

An unrecognised consequence of the blurred lines between community activism, advocacy, allyship and role of ‘the University’ is now emerging as there are increasing expectations that ‘the University’ can declare partisan support for particular positions when there are legally permissible contrary views. Recent changes to the interpretation of the law make it increasingly hard to fulfil this expectation. Added to which, having an established EDI governance structure means that we now have sections of the community whose formal role it is to represent ‘the University’ by ensuring compliance with its public sector (and other legal) duties to mitigate against risk of non-compliance and facilitate an environment that can sustain a plurality of views and opinions in a relatively safe way. There is a clearer distinction between those who use their voices to challenge, question and hold the university (and external parties) to account in advocacy of protected characteristics and those whose primary role is to protect, enable and facilitate those voices with impartiality. It will always be the case that some of us, depending on the context, have a role that does both. These changes and redefinitions of role have not been articulated explicitly and can therefore be experienced as confusing and, for some, demoralising if thought to be a dilution of anti- discriminatory practice.  

Institutional resilience a needs demonstration of the University’s commitment to anti-discrimination remains steadfast while acknowledging that these changes to the legal and political landscape mean that we must find ways to navigate sometimes contradictory duties. For example, it is the University’s role to facilitate voices that some may find offensive while simultaneously preventing a ‘chilling’ impact that prevents or deters the expression of other voices. Our challenge is to remain anti-discriminatory even though   the interpretation of what is acceptable free speech   has been re interpreted by the (Higher Education) Freedom of Speech Act 2023.  

‘Impartial’ versus ‘neutral’ 

In legal terms the law requires ‘the University’ to take a ‘neutral’ position to secure freedom of speech. I struggle with this language when put in the context of a developing EDI community like Loughborough’s because ‘neutral’ implies that ‘the University’ has no vested interest in the impact carrying out its duties.  

On a human level I believe it is more accurate to say that in practice ‘the University’ takes an ‘impartial’ position that aims to consider all lawful perspectives rather than none. There are benefits to this impartiality. This position enables empowering spaces to be created for perspective taking, mediation, facilitation and respectful challenge (from opposing perspectives) thus creating the conditions for a deeper understanding of other people’s perspectives. This is at the core of a thriving academic environment and one that aspires to inclusion at all levels of its operation. It also aligns with the expectations of Parliament and the Office for Students in implementing the Act. 

On an institutional level, a position of neutrality does not preclude pressure for change from the wider community. Issues such as, decolonisation of curricula, introducing sexual harassment reporting systems, divestment of fossil fuels, improved disability and mental health support systems are all examples of causes which may have come to bear because of the pressure from students and staff on ‘the University ‘Effectively  influencing change through diplomacy, evidence gathering, demonstrating, lobbying, advocacy and activism remain crucial to keep ‘the University’ accountable. To achieve its aim to be an anti – discriminatory institution, ‘the University’ must be receptive to consideration of these challenges, however it is not the role of ‘the University’ to be the activists. 

To remain resilient, we need to stay in line with the commitments we made in the EDI core plan, despite the challenging legal and political landscape.  Those commitments were to: 

Create a culture in which respectful, constructive challenge becomes accepted as an essential and legitimate tool for progress, including challenge that comes in alternative forms or are outside of the cultural norms of the institution. Which supports an environment in  which a plurality of views can be respectfully challenged and critiqued in a respectful way, adhering to the requirements of The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech Act) 2023 to promote freedom of speech and academic freedom and meet the requirements of The Equality Act 2010 to give due regard to the elimination of discrimination, foster positive relationships and advance equality of opportunity. 

These EDI commitments have not changed and ‘the University’ is clear that promoting   freedom of speech is not the same as allowing hate speech or acts of hate. There remains an expectation that members of our Loughborough and Loughborough University London communities will continue to show one another respect.  

Humility 

Loughborough University does not exist as a single entity; it is made up of people who are part of a community. In my experience many of the individuals who make up ‘the University’ do care about the experience of fellow students and staff. The challenge now is expressing that care in such a way that it is felt by all sections of the community without running the risk of alienating or ‘chilling’ others. This is new territory and Loughborough, like other UK universities, are learning how to do this in a changing legal and regulatory environment. Important ways in which we can better demonstrate that care is through our active engagement with members of the LU community and through our communications. 

In the EDI core plan, we committed to:  

Create an environment in which the University community is appropriately consulted or informed, as relevant, in decision-making processes resulting in greater transparency and inclusivity, trust and belonging. 

I humbly acknowledge that we didn’t do justice to this commitment when issuing communications in response to the Supreme Court Ruling. In our concern to answer the call to get information out regarding the operational response, with limited guidance from Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and under increased external pressure from regulatory bodies to be ‘neutral’, we missed the need to centrally address the human impact of these changes and crucially we missed opportunities to consult with those most impacted and.   

Although our communications stated that we are still committed to EDI and that people’s rights remained protected, the tone was factual, and this was experienced as uncaring. I am sorry for the resultant distress this has caused. Had we consulted more effectively with representatives across the university community the content of the messages wouldn’t have been any different, out of necessity, but the tone would have been more inclusive, and this may have mitigated against some of the angst that followed.  I recognise that the impact has been made worse by the current socio-political environment in which we see EDI activity being discredited and cancelled.  

I appreciate that, without making it explicit, it would be unlikely that everyone would have realised the sudden need for ‘the University’ to have a rapid change in approach when communicating and even less likely that there would be universal trust that those changes did not mean an erosion of commitment to EDI.  

Universities have had to very quickly respond to this changed environment, but we should always try and take everyone with us. We cannot progress in EDI work without resilience, humility, and hope. We are going to use those qualities to learn and improve our responses to what has become a very changeable socio-political environment, beginning here by providing transparent explanations and leaving as little to assumption or speculation as possible.    

Hope 

See a summary of our proposed Next Steps, based on our original commitments and recent learning about how to improve our university response. The intention being to offer hope and reassurance to those who have lost trust in Loughborough University’s EDI commitments and to offer continued assurance to those who haven’t. 

We have a plan, which we will continue to develop in consultation with representatives across staff and student networks and associations We will continue to update you on progress. 

Veronica Moore 
Executive Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

A message from the Director of Legal Services: Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023

The below was originally emailed to the University’s EDI Community mailing list on 21 July 2025.

I am writing to you in my capacity as the University’s General Counsel and the following I share through the lens of the University’s lawyer. This email to the EDI Community is about compliance and ensuring colleagues are aware of the impending changes to the law, so we can all think about what this change means in practice. The content of this is provided as an objective reflection of the law and with the aim of providing clarity about the changes in principle and practical application. I’d ask you to read this in the above context. I am, however, very aware that these changes have a direct, and in some instances significant, impact on the lived experience of members of our university community. 

Freedom of Expression 

Many of you know that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 is coming into force on 1 August 2025. While the legislation has been pared back since first passing, the core principles of the Act remain: where speech is lawful, it will be permitted. The University has a legal duty to secure and promote Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom (via whatever medium of expression). 

This seems an unremarkable pair of statements until you start to apply it in practice. Last month, the Office for Students (OfS) published its Regulatory Advice 24: Guidance on Freedom of Speech which sets out in much more detail what the Regulator expects of institutions. It contains a large number of examples to illustrate the approach – I have included a precis of three of their examples, but you may like to peruse the full set in the guidance: 

Example 35: the student handbook states “misgendering is never acceptable. You must always address or refer to a person using their preferred pronouns.” The blanket ban on misgendering is likely to be a breach of the duty to secure freedom of speech and academic freedom. There may be circumstances where repeated and deliberate misgendering of an individual could be harassment. There may be circumstances where deliberate use of a dispreferred pronoun is appropriate, e.g. for clarity in a research paper when referring to particular participants.  

Example 31: a member of staff writes to the local paper lawfully expressing pro-life views. Students start a petition to have them fired. The university investigates and fires the staff member on the grounds that there are students who feel unsafe because of their continued employment. This is likely to have been a breach of the university’s free speech duties, because there was nothing to suggest that the speech was unlawful or that it breached any regulations at the university. Claims that the continued employment of the staff member makes others feel unsafe are not, by themselves, enough to make the speech unlawful. The university should now reinstate the staff member.  

Example 10: verbal or physical threats of violence are investigated quickly, students affected receive support and interim protective measures are put in place pending an investigation. Action is taken to identify perpetrators and disciplinary measures taken on conclusion of an investigation. This would comply with the OfS’s expectations on reasonable steps a university should take to secure free speech. 

Preparing for compliance 

In readiness for compliance with the Act, the University has developed some materials: 

• Freedom of Expression Code of Practice – this is a requirement of the Act and contains information in relation to our institutional commitment to Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. It was adopted by Council in 2023. It also links out to the pre-existing Statement on Academic Freedom and the External Speakers Policy. 

• Policy on Public Statements on behalf of the University – this captures the University’s need (in relation to securing freedom of speech for all and to avoid a chilling effect) to adopt an impartial position on matters which are not settled. In practice, this means that e.g. the University would not take a “side” on an international conflict but might look to condemn violence and look to support effected members of our community. It was adopted by Council in March 2025. 

• Guidance in relation to Protests – all forms of lawful expression are protected, not just speech itself.  

There is work being undertaken to check these documents against the more recently stated expectations of the OfS and so may be subject to change in the short to medium term. A small task and finish / working group has been set up, which I am leading, to pull together all the strands of work that speak to our ability to be compliant. This involves looking at relevant training, resources, policies, guidance and processes, for staff and students. EDI Services will continue to take the lead for matters of belonging and inclusion at Loughborough and we are working closely together in this context. 

Conclusion 

In the eyes of the law and the OfS, finding something offensive or upsetting is not a criterion for being unlawful. Lawful speech cannot be restricted at an institutional level – restricting free expression on the basis that it is offensive (without it constituting unlawful harassment or discrimination) would place the university at risk of breaching the legislation. The law requires that universities are spaces where different, sometimes competing, views and beliefs can be shared, without fear of censorship or adverse consequences. We also have a responsibility to ensure that people do not self-censor in an environment where an orthodoxy of views prevail, thereby having a chilling effect on their free speech (for example, expressing a dominant narrative that it’s unacceptable for people to support a particular political party, or practise a certain religion, might induce people to avoid expressing a counter-view). 

The exercise of Freedom of Speech is something which has the potential to make some people feel very confident and others to feel unsafe. I recognise that and there are colleagues, particularly in EDI Services, who we are working with to ensure that this is considered in our approach. Please also see Veronica Moore, Executive Director of EDI Services’ post on the EDI Blog. The reality we recognise is that those within our community who belong to minoritised groups are both (i) more likely to be the subject of someone else’s free speech which may feel challenging to experience; and (ii) are less likely to have a platform to exercise their own free speech than others.   

The University remains committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all of our staff and students. The changes do not lessen our desire to tackle bullying, harassment and hate, which remain unacceptable at our University. 

As we work through the review following the guidance and make any necessary changes, you can expect to hear more on the topic. There will be University wide communications later this month. 

With best wishes,

Sam McGinty
Director of Legal Services and General Counsel

Field Notes from Malawi: Lessons Beyond the Classroom

by Ely Justiniani Pérez and Anna Kama Ligęzowska

When we boarded the plane to Blantyre, Malawi, we carried with us a journal and a lot of expectations shaped by lectures, readings, and policy papers. We were told this trip was about “learning from the Global South,” but what that really meant didn’t sink in until our feet hit the ground. It was all part of the module Learning from the Global South: Field Trip , a two-week intensive experience organised in collaboration with the University of Malawi (UNIMA). Throughout each experience, we took notes, and every evening we were expected to reflect in our journals on those same notes and on everything we had done and seen, our opinions, what had struck us the most… Surprisingly, our journals would turn out very different by the end of the trip, even though we all followed the same itinerary. But we came from different academic backgrounds and interests, and in Malawi, there were enough themes and lessons to feed each of our curiosities.

Our journey

Our journey began in Zomba. There, we were welcomed onto the UNIMA campus. These first days were a whirlwind of introductions to lecturers, students, and the development challenges and approaches we would be exploring. One of our first visits was to YONECO, a local NGO that supports women and youth through radio programming, helplines, and community projects. They showed us a small studio from which they broadcast to almost the entire country. There, they explained how they sustain their programmes through advertising, navigating ethical dilemmas like having to reject sponsorship from tobacco and alcohol companies, despite the large sums they offer. Their programmes are aimed at young people, so promoting any kind of drug use goes against their mission.

The core of our trip unfolded in a rural village called Mpunga, where we spent three days learning and unlearning stereotypical perceptions one might have about life in a village like this in an African country or anywhere else in the Global South. We discovered that many villages are led by women, that some have internal systems of economic support among residents, and we were able to witness aspects of their culture, such as the use of songs to welcome and farewell visitors, to play, and even to create a more peaceful environment for engaging with guests like us.

The main purpose of our days in Mpunga was to learn about Theatre for Development (TFD) as a method for encouraging social change interactively and engagingly. We were told that this is a widely used method across Africa, and in Malawi in particular, we saw how TFD sparks the interest of communities and enables them to highlight problems and propose solutions—either through acting or as spectators—in an enjoyable and meaningful way.

In between, we took time to breathe. A hike to Williams Falls, a visit in Liwonde National Park – reminders that landscapes hold memory, too, and that nature and development are deeply intertwined.

Our reflections

After the trip, we had several opportunities to reflect on everything we had seen and experienced. One of the aspects we valued most was that the programme had been designed not only for us, but also with local students in mind, allowing them to benefit from the experience and learn alongside us. Perhaps best of all, the programme gave each of us the freedom to shape the journey around our own interests:

• Development students focused on issues like education or climate change
• Peace-building students reflected on how these learnings could be applied in refugee camps or reconciliation processes
• Media students explored how streaming platforms might help preserve and promote local songs as part of Malawi’s sonic heritage.

Dr Jessica Noske Turner, the lead organiser of this experience, and Dr Anzé Zadel not only guided our learning and answered our questions—they gave us the freedom to be creative and to explore the themes that truly inspired us. If there is one thing, we all agreed on—despite how different our field notes and travel journals turned out—it is that this was one of the most enriching academic experiences we’ve ever had. One of those rare moments that will remain etched in the pages of our lives.

Core Numerical Deficits in Severe Developmental Dyscalculia 

Dr Francesco Sella is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Mathematical Cognition in the Department of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University. His research examines the cognitive foundations of numerical development and how these processes relate to learning difficulties, such as dyscalculia. Edited by Dr Bethany Woollacott.

In this blog post, Francesco Sella explores new insights from his research on severe developmental dyscalculia (full paper linked at the end of this blogpost). This research shows that children with this learning disability struggle when processing symbolic (e.g., 9) and non-symbolic (e.g., collections of dots) numerosities. Children with developmental dyscalculia might also exhibit deficits in domain-general cognitive skills – i.e., issues with processing information in general, not just in mathematics. However, our findings suggest the presence of impairments in numerical processing. These findings are useful because they could help inform early diagnosis efforts in educational and clinical settings.

Introduction

Developmental dyscalculia affects approximately 5-6% of the population and presents as a specific difficulty with numbers. It is often observed in conjunction with other disorders, such as dyslexia². One of the major challenges is that children with developmental dyscalculia often experience a variety of challenges whilst learning. In many studies, children show difficulties in numerical tasks and broader domain-general cognitive functions (i.e., processing information in general), particularly visuospatial working memory³ – where we temporarily store and manipulate visual and spatial information. The variation in the challenges that children with developmental dyscalculia face makes it difficult to pinpoint whether dyscalculia is primarily about number processing or more general cognitive impairments.

Our study

To understand the nature of numerical difficulties in developmental dyscalculia, we tested two groups of children: one group with severe dyscalculia and a control group. Both were referred to the same neuropsychiatric unit for learning assessment, ensuring similar backgrounds. Importantly, all children had average general cognitive skills and visuospatial memory. What set them apart was their mathematical ability.

Each child completed a range of short, computer-based tasks designed to tap into both symbolic (number-based) and non-symbolic (quantity-based) numerical processing. Here is a quick overview of what those tasks looked like:

Symbolic Tasks

• Digit Comparison. Children saw two digits on the screen (e.g., 4 and 7) and had to quickly choose which one was the numerically larger. This task measures how easily children can access the numerical magnitude of numerical symbols.
• Number Order. Children viewed a sequence of three digits (e.g., 2-3-4) and judged whether the numbers were in ascending order. This taps into their understanding of number sequences and ordinality.
• Number Line. A horizontal line labelled 0 at one end and 1,000 at the other was displayed on the screen. Children were shown a number (like 450) and asked to click where they thought it belonged on the line⁴. This assesses how well children map numbers onto the visual line, reflecting their symbolic knowledge of numerical intervals.

Non-symbolic Tasks

• Match-to-Sample. In this task, children were briefly shown a set of dots, followed by a second set, and asked whether the two sets contained the same number of dots⁵. Because the arrays were shown one after the other, children had to mentally hold the first set in memory and compare it to the second.
  The match-to-sample task included both small and large numerosities. Comparing small numerosities (like 1, 2, or 3 dots) is thought to rely on what’s called the object tracking system—our brain’s ability to represent and keep track of a few individual items at once. This is closely linked to a process known as subitising, where we instantly “see” how many items there are without counting. In contrast, comparing larger numerosities (like 5, 6, or 7 dots) engages a different system—the approximate number system, which helps us estimate and compare quantities without needing precise counting.
  By including both small and large quantities, this task allowed us to explore whether children with dyscalculia show specific weaknesses in one or both of these fundamental number processing systems.
• Panamath. Here, two sets of coloured dots appeared on the screen at the same time, and children had to choose which set contained more dots⁶. This task is designed to test the approximate number system—our brain’s intuitive sense of quantity—while also controlling for non-numerical visual factors like dot size.

So, what did we find?

Children with dyscalculia were significantly slower in performing symbolic tasks, such as digit comparison and number order judgment, and made more errors in number-line estimation.

In the match-to-sample task, children with dyscalculia showed less accuracy, especially with larger quantities, and were slower even for small sets. Conversely, no differences were observed in the Panamath task.

Just two simple tasks—comparing digits and matching dot sets—were sufficient to reliably distinguish between children with and without dyscalculia.

What does this mean?

Children with severe developmental dyscalculia showed clear difficulties in both symbolic and non-symbolic numerical processing. They were slower and made more errors in tasks involving digits, number sequences, and dot comparisons—suggesting challenges in the basic processing of numerical information.

Notably, two tasks stood out as particularly effective in distinguishing children with and without dyscalculia: digit comparison and match-to-sample. These are simple, quick tasks that could potentially be used in schools or clinics to help spot numerical difficulties early.

Crucially, we observed these differences despite the fact that both groups of children had similar levels of general cognitive ability and visuospatial memory. This is important. It suggests that the difficulties seen in dyscalculia are not simply due to broader learning or memory problems, but rather reflect specific weaknesses in how numerical information is processed.

Disclaimer: A ChatGPT model was used to support the writing of this blogpost. For more information, contact b.woollacott@lboro.ac.uk

References

1.         Decarli, G., Sella, F., Lanfranchi, S., Gerotto, G., Gerola, S., Cossu, G. & Zorzi, M. (2023) Severe Developmental Dyscalculia Is Characterized by Core Deficits in Both Symbolic and Non-symbolic Number Sense. Psychological Science, 34, 8–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221097947

2.         Morsanyi, K., van Bers, B. M. C. W., McCormack, T. & McGourty, J. (2018). The prevalence of specific learning disorder in mathematics and comorbidity with other developmental disorders in primary school-age children. British Journal of Psychology, 109, 917–940. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12322

3.         Szűcs, D., Devine, A., Soltesz, F., Nobes, A. & Gabriel, F. (2013) Developmental dyscalculia is related to visuo-spatial memory and inhibition impairment. Cortex , 49, 2674–2688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2013.06.007

4.         Siegler, R. S. & Opfer, J. E. (2003). The development of numerical estimation: evidence for multiple representations of numerical quantity. Psychological Science, 14, 237–243. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.02438

5.         Sella, F., Lanfranchi, S. & Zorzi, M. (2013). Enumeration skills in Down syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34, 3798–3806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2013.07.038

6.         Halberda, J., Ly, R., Wilmer, J. B., Naiman, D. Q. & Germine, L. (2012). Number sense across the lifespan as revealed by a massive Internet-based sample. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, 11116–11120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1200196109

Postgraduate life isn’t as tricky as you think 

Undergraduate to postgraduate. Bachelor’s to master’s. It might be a daunting process as you approach the end of your academic journey but while it might seem like a huge catapult into the ‘real world’, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s simply an extension of everything you’ve already done in your life up to that point. 

Before starting my master’s degree in Applied Sports Performance Analysis at Loughborough, it hit me that I was just a year away from becoming a fully-fledged adult (academically speaking of course). Workload and expectation was going to ramp up, no more safety nets just go, go, go. I then got to Loughborough – saw the campus, started my course, engaged with my peers and quickly realised that while it might seem hectic before starting, there’s countless ways to make yourself feel at home and on track with your career aspirations.  

Opportunities in Loughborough 

The first thing I realised was how many opportunities you have at the university to meet new people, play sports and get involved with various extracurriculars and societies. Everything is on campus! You could have a lecture in the morning, take a bus to the library to get some work done, have lunch at the Student’s Union then play Padel and get ready for a society event that night! I was undergoing a placement at the same time as my studies and therefore lived off campus (an hour away in Northampton), so anytime I came for my lectures I planned out a whole day of activities, which were all easily accessible.  

I was a big fan of sports but from my undergraduate degree, I realised how important societies and their events can be for student life. There’s no doubt that you want to make friends within your course (for those last-minute submissions), but meeting people outside of your degree helps a lot in times of stress. It gives you a way of tapping out from your academic world and also shows you that other people in different fields might also be dealing with similar worries or problems, giving you a different perspective – you’re not alone.  

On the topic of academics, the opportunities aren’t just limited to socialising; there’s lots of interesting things you can do to improve your CV and further your career as well. The volunteering for sports game days, organising events, photography or interview chances as well as the numerous certifications and masterclasses you can attend would look really nice to future employers as a sign of personal initiative, so I would definitely recommend them! Due to my placement and living arrangements, I unfortunately couldn’t participate in those as much as I would have liked in my one year at Loughborough. 

Skills to Succeed 

I’m not going to pretend like there’s a whole host of new skills you need to succeed in a master’s that are different to what you would have gained in your undergraduate. The pool of attributes stays the same: organisation, time management, balance, communication etc… The only slight difference is the extent to which you have to sharpen these tools.  

A master’s is much more individual than an undergraduate. In my course, I only had one day of lectures a week – a 9-5 every Wednesday. I had no exams, purely coursework. Keeping track of your workload and obligations is crucial as there are less people around to walk you through it. I personally found timetables (on an app or paper as you please) and to-do lists extremely useful. Both of those combined give you an understanding of what you need to prioritise which is the most important word for a master’s – priorities. If you get given a small task to do, check it off as soon as you get the chance to. Send that short but important email when you can. Go pick up that book for your dissertation when if you have the time. Quickly review your lecture notes if you need to.  

The little things that might not seem important? They eventually build up so I suggest checking them off as they come. This then allows you to chip away at more important tasks like big assignments so that you don’t have piles and piles of work to break through.  

As I have progressed through academia and, eventually, work life, the main thing that has stood out to me is that with all the resources we have available to us now, knowledge is being redefined. Rather than knowing information outright, you have to now know where to find that information instead. Think about it. A master’s is within a specialised aspect of an already specific field – it’s impossible to expect yourself to know everything there is about it before or after you complete the degree. Instead, knowing about research journals, books and authors, conferences, ChatGPT (for research purposes only…) will go a long way in helping you find success as you become more independent.  

Academics and work is only as enjoyable as the fun you have outside it. If you’re not enjoying your social life, you’ll struggle to enjoy your degree as well unfortunately.  

Get involved in extracurricular activities. 

Find and surround yourself with people you enjoy spending time with.  

Stay positive about your career opportunities.  

Be confident in the work you submit. 

Genuinely, there’s no time like university and a master’s degree is a rare world where you feel important within your field while simultaneously not feeling the pressure of living in it just yet. Enjoy the opportunities that come your way. Learn from your lecturers and advisors who have extensive work experience. Appreciate and spend as much time as you can with the people around you.  

A master’s degree isn’t a final chapter – like with anything in life it’s just another stepping stone.  

July Copyright Reads

We are already in the middle of July, and what a scorcher it has been so far. In Romania we call the month of July cuptor, meaning oven, as it is often the hottest month of the year. Romanians would enjoy an outing to the seaside during the hot month.

Aurora – Plaja by Florin Șuler (photographer) – National Heritage Institute, Bucharest, Romania – CC BY-SA.

Things are also heating up in the world of copyright and AI. Industry heavyweights Universal and Disney have taken legal action against Midjourney, accusing the AI image generator of copyright infringement—a case that could set important precedents for creative technologies.

We’re also diving into the growing issue of counterfeit food and beverages, and the serious risks they pose to consumers and brands alike.

One of the most fascinating developments this month comes from Denmark, where the government is proposing a bold move: granting individuals copyright over their facial features to help combat the rise of deepfakes. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the U.S. Copyright Office continues to operate without a permanent leader, raising questions about oversight in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

And because we like to keep things fresh, we’re spotlighting a few stories outside the copyright sphere. Mattel has introduced the first Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes—an important step for representation. Plus, we take a look at a new AI model designed specifically for the public good, showing how technology can be a force for positive change.

Disney Files Landmark Case Against AI Image Generator [Video]

New KR21 Study – “Barriers and Enablers for Open Science in Copyright Law”

Relive Europeana 2025 – access the recordings now!

The “What’s on your table?” campaign tackles counterfeit food and beverages

Intellectual Property crime prioritised under the new EMPACT cycle 2026-2029

In a first-of-its-kind decision, an AI company wins a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by authors

Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features

Meta wins AI copyright case in blow to authors

The copyright war between the AI industry and creatives

Why university libraries should not overlook research staff

Can academics use AI to write journal papers? What the guidelines say

Beijing court hands AI copyright violators up to 18 months in prison

Copyright 101: An introductory guide to copyright

Facebook is asking to use Meta AI on photos in your camera roll you haven’t yet shared

Beyond AI and copyright

No One Is in Charge at the US Copyright Office

Rubik’s cube design can’t be trademarked, says EU court

Big Studios’ Copyright Suit Over AI Is About Money, Power, Not Art

How AI is breaking traditional remuneration models

Recommended Licenses and Tools for Cultural Heritage Content

Meet the first Barbie with type 1 diabetes

Training and deploying AI models around the world: the territorial issues at stake in Getty Images v. Stability AI

The General-Purpose AI Code of Practice

Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart confirms territoriality of Italian Cultural Heritage Code

Popular rock band says Homeland Security used its song without permission: ‘Go f… yourselves’

Nintendo and Universal are planning a Donkey Kong movie

Ilaiyaraaja vs Sony Music copyright dispute: SC to hear plea on July 18

Donkey Kong | Copyright filing hints at Universal movie plans

A language model built for the public good

An AI-generated band got 1m plays on Spotify. Now music insiders say listeners should be warned

Summer Landscape by Edvard Bergh – 1873 – Nationalmuseum Sweden, Sweden – Public Domain.

As technology continues to evolve at lightning speed, the intersection of innovation, law, and social impact becomes more complex—and more fascinating. From legal battles over AI-generated content to groundbreaking moves in digital identity protection, this month’s stories remind us that the future is being shaped not just by algorithms, but by the choices we make around them. Whether it’s a Barbie breaking new ground in representation or an AI model built for the public good, these developments show that progress is about more than just tech—it’s about people. Stay tuned, because next month promises even more to explore.

And while the Summer still is summery, why not enjoy a nice stroll in nature.

Summer Stroll ; Summer Promenade by Guérin, Charles-François-Prosper – Finnish National Gallery, Finland – CC0.

From ship to dream university: my story in Loughborough 

Hi! My name is Vlad, I am a first year student of mathematics at the University of Loughborough. My journey here was not straight at all, it went through serious life changes, work at sea, deliberate decision to leave the past direction and, eventually, moving to another country. But it was those steps that I got me to where I feel truly in my place. 

To Loughborough: sea, thoughts and new vector 

Until 2022, I studied at the marine university in Odessa, Ukraine. However, with the onset of crisis and instability in the country I had to leave my home, family and look for an opportunity to support myself. I got a job at sea – it was the only way at that time. 

However, as I was far from the shore and alone in the ocean, I began to wonder more and more whether this was really the life I wanted. Gradually, I realised that it wasn’t. And then a period of important rethinking began. I remembered that all my life I had been interested in three things – mathematics, sports and discipline – and I realised that I wanted to dedicate myself to it. 

New start in the UK 

In October 2022 I moved to the UK. Everything was unusual: different culture, language, rhythm of life. I got a job in the office of the oldest brewery – Shepherd Neame – a stable job, but inside it felt empty. In the evenings I often wondered what I really wanted to do, and again and again my thoughts came back to mathematics.  

Soon I started researching universities – and was accepted in Loughborough. 

But the road did not get easier: I was denied a student loan, and I was on the verge of giving up my dream. 

And then the main thing happened. I received a Sanctuary Scholarship, which covered my tuition costs. At the moment when everything seemed to fall apart, I was given a helping hand. This support opened the door to a completely new life. 

First lectures: like opening a magic book 

From the very beginning of my studies, I felt like I was where I needed to be. The modules were interesting, topics – complex, but incredibly exciting. Mathematics was no longer just a discipline – it became something that I really enjoy. 

Special inspiration I received from my lecturers  Alexey Bolsinov and Evgeny Ferapontov. Their courses “Linear algebra” and “Mathematical thinking” have shown me the real beauty of Mathematics.

I am also grateful to Ilia Roustemoglou, with whom I work as the School Representative of Mathematics department. Ilia’s attention to detail and work with students is an example of true academic leadership. 

How I adapted to learning 

The transition to the British system was not easy. The main thing I understood is that everything is based on personal responsibility. It’s not just about listening, but really trying to understand and apply what you have learned. 

If I don’t understand a topic – I look for where exactly I am stuck. This helps to ask the question and get real help – whether it is from a lecturer or at the MLSC. This is how I learn: brick by brick. After all, you can’t understand integrals without mastering with derivatives. 

Campus and growth outside of lectures 

Loughborough has become not only a place of study for me, but also a space for development.  

I am involved in student life as: 

1. Maths School Representative 
2. Telford Enterprise Representative 
3. Scholarship Ambassador 
4. Enactus Team Treasurer 

These roles have taught me a lot. Of course, I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve learned more from them than from the victories. It’s like Maths: you try things, you make mistakes, you find a way, and then you move on. The important thing is not to be afraid to take a step. 

Adapting to life in England 

Unexpectedly, the most difficult thing was not the learning process, but the everyday adaptation. Everything was new: how transport works, how people communicate, how to get to the doctor. 

To cope, I came up with a “game approach”. I imagined that I was a new character in an unfamiliar world. This “world” had to be explored by discovering rules, completing quests and “pumping up skills”. This approach turned stress into interest – and helped me to love my new surroundings. 

Three tips for prospective student 

1. Build a plan. Many modules are connected with each other. If you plan out in advance in which order and what to study you can make your task much easier. It’s like a puzzle: in the beginning nothing is clear, but then get that “aha!” moment and everything comes together. 
2. Separate home and study. For me, home is a place of relaxation. I study in the library, without my phone, with notes. It helps me to stay disciplined and not burn out. 
3. Plan your life. Use Notion, a notepad, a calendar app – anything. Most importantly, do not keep everything in your head. The organisation frees up a resource for creativity and deep work.

Final word 

I am grateful to my lecturers for their hard work, patience and support. Without them I would not be here. 

If you are just thinking about applying, know that Loughborough can be your new beginning. It’s not just a place to study – it’s a place that supports and inspires you. 

Be honest with yourself. Find something you’re truly interested in. And don’t be afraid to take risks. Don’t try ‘a little’, but go full steam ahead. That’s how dreams become reality. 

Beyond the Lab: My IAS Fellowship Experience at Loughborough University

My time as a Residential Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), Loughborough University, was a rewarding opportunity to step beyond institutional boundaries and engage with a vibrant, interdisciplinary academic community. From the outset, I was warmly welcomed by the IAS team, whose exceptional hospitality and professionalism created a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment. I came into the fellowship eager to explore new ideas and build academic connections, and what I gained went well beyond my expectations.

In my IAS Research Seminar, “Creating a Research Culture in Young Institutions: Strategies for Growth, Collaboration, and Innovation”, I reflected on the challenges faced by emerging universities, particularly in meeting academic accreditation standards while research infrastructure and faculty development are still evolving. I shared strategies for aligning research efforts with accreditation goals to foster sustainable excellence and innovation. I also had the opportunity to lead a workshop for postgraduate researchers titled “Thriving in Graduate School: Success Strategies, Cultural Navigation, and Global Opportunities.” This session focused on practical, often overlooked skills such as building academic confidence, adapting across cultures, and navigating international research environments. A particularly enriching part of my fellowship was collaborating with Dr. George Weaver from the Department of Chemistry. Working with his team enabled valuable scientific exchange in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. I was impressed by the department’s outstanding laboratory management and high safety standards, which reflect a deep commitment to responsible research. The well-structured lab environment fostered both efficiency and professionalism, and our collaboration has laid a strong foundation for continued partnership.

Finally, I extend my sincere thanks to the IAS team for their exceptional support, warm hospitality, and thoughtfully curated programme. Loughborough itself, both the city and the campus, offered a welcoming and inspiring setting. The green, well-designed campus and the charm of the surrounding town created an ideal environment for reflection, learning, and connection. I return to Saudi Arabia with renewed energy, valuable insights, and a strong motivation to build on the relationships and ideas that emerged during this remarkable experience.

Dr Maali D. Alshammari

Doctoral Leaders blog: Reflections of our journey of becoming IAS Doctoral Leaders

As the IAS Doctoral Leaders for 2024/2025, we (Will, Yajie, and Esther) are excited to share our reflections on what has been an inspiring and enriching journey with the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University. In this blog, we delve into our motivations for joining the Doctoral Leader programme, highlight key experiences and takeaways from our time at the IAS, and offer some words of encouragement to fellow postgraduate researchers. We hope our insights shed light on the value of engaging with interdisciplinary research communities and inspire others to get involved.

Inspirations for becoming doctoral leaders:

Will: My inspirations for becoming a doctoral leader was to gain knowledge in a wide range of inter-disciplinary research and how research crosses borders on a global scale. I aim to foster an international academic career and being a doctoral leader gives real insight into the rewards and challenges associated with being an international academic. The team at the IAS also really drew me in, meeting the passionate and supportive staff fosters a great environment to grow personally and professionally and drew me into applying to be a doctoral leader.

Yajie: A key motivation for pursuing the Doctoral Leader role was my enthusiasm for engaging with scholars from a wide range of academic and cultural backgrounds. As someone whose research bridges creative practice and well-being, I value opportunities to explore ideas beyond my own field. I was especially motivated by the chance to learn from visiting fellows from around the world and to gain insights into their varied research approaches and academic journeys. I also saw this as a valuable opportunity to expand my academic network and grow both personally and professionally.

Esther: My decision to join the IAS Doctoral Leader – Postgraduate Internship Programme was driven by a desire to engage more actively in interdisciplinary dialogue and to support the incredible work the Institute does in facilitating high-level research exchange. I saw this opportunity not just to grow my network and experience, but also as a platform to contribute meaningfully to a vibrant and global research community.

Reflections on our time at the IAS:

Will: Working with the team at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at Loughborough University has been an inspiring and enriching experience. The IAS fosters a collaborative and forward-thinking environment where diverse ideas are welcomed and nurtured. Being part of such a dynamic team means engaging with world-leading researchers, supporting interdisciplinary dialogue, and contributing to projects that have real global impact. The supportive culture encourages innovation, creativity, and critical thinking. It’s a space where everyone’s contributions are valued, and where academic curiosity thrives. Working with the IAS team has been truly a pleasure and has deepened my understanding of leadership, collaboration, and the power of shared knowledge.

Yajie: I feel privileged to be a Doctoral Leader at IAS. My time in this role has been a truly rewarding and incredible. I feel honoured to support IAS in hosting leading international academics during their time at Loughborough, and assist in organising IAS events, including seminars, talks, PGR workshops, and coffee mornings. Additionally, it has been extremely enriching to connect with academics from various disciplines across the university and worldwide. This opportunity has not only broadened my perspective on multi-disciplinary research but has also helped me enhance my skills in academic networking and collaboration, which are experiences that I believe will significantly benefit my academic journey.

My role as a Doctoral Leader has not only been an incredibly rewarding experience but has also fostered a range of transferable skills that have enriched both my personal and professional development. From networking and communication to teamwork, these experiences have deepened my academic interests and provided valuable insights through various events and activities. It is a unique opportunity that I will look back on with pride as part of my PhD journey.

Esther: When I first came across the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at Loughborough University, what stood out to me was its clear commitment to fostering meaningful international research collaboration across disciplines. This immediately resonated with me as a doctoral researcher keen on expanding both my academic horizons and professional skills.

As a doctoral leader, my experience has been nothing short of transformative. I have had the opportunity of working collaboratively with a team of dedicated IAS staff and fellow doctoral leaders, supporting both residential and open programme fellows from various parts of the world. This role has offered me a front-row seat to diverse research perspectives and a deeper appreciation of how global challenges are being addressed across disciplines.

A highlight of my time at IAS was participating in the inaugural Africa Research Summit at Loughborough University. During this summit, I had the opportunity to work closely with esteemed IAS Visiting Fellows such as Dr Janet Febisola Adeyemi (Women in Mining Nigeria) and Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe (University of Ghana). Their insights on sustainability, climate, and gender equity within African contexts left a lasting impression on me, both intellectually and personally.

Beyond the Summit, I have supported and engaged with an impressive roster of IAS Fellows including Dr Andrey Ivanov, Dr Giulia Borriello, Dr Maali D. Alshammari, Dr Tanja D. Hendriks, Professor Jefferey A. Nittrouer, Professor Peng Zhang, and Professor Renato de Oliveira Moraes. Each brought a wealth of experience and scholarly depth, which enriched the academic environment at the university and offered valuable mentoring moments for doctoral researchers via the post graduate research (PGR) workshop sessions.

Importance of the IAS:

Will: Interdisciplinary research fosters innovation by blending methods, theories, and insights across fields, leading to richer, more impactful outcomes. At the IAS, I’ve seen firsthand how bringing together researchers from different disciplines sparks new ideas and unexpected collaborations. It’s a powerful reminder that the future of research lies not in isolation, but in connection and shared purpose.

Yajie: I have truly appreciated the flexibility of my role at IAS and thoroughly enjoyed being part of a team that is approachable, welcoming, and supportive. The collaborative spirit within the team creates a positive and inspiring environment where new ideas are encouraged and innovation thrives. I feel lucky to work with such a lovely team, who has made my experience even more enjoyable.

Esther: What makes the IAS truly special is its openness, not just to ideas, but to people. Whether through roundtables, spotlight series, or seminars, the Institute cultivates a welcoming and stimulating space for inquiry. Its partnership with LUSARG and CARA further underscores a compassionate commitment to supporting at-risk academics globally, something I am incredibly proud to be associated with.

Encouragement to current Loughborough PGR students:

Will:  The opportunities for the postgraduate community at the IAS are huge! Whether it be attending a seminar to gain a richer understanding of research and innovation at the forefront of your own research area, meeting world-leading academics at one of our coffee mornings or engaging in thought-provoking discussions at dedicated PGR-sessions with one of our residential fellows, the openings are endless. The opportunities are not just limited to learning and future collaborations are initiated in the IAS, so why not come along to one of our events and see the opportunities on offer!

Yajie: I would highly recommend it to any PGRs who are passionate about academic communities and eager to engage with the diverse and vibrant research culture at Loughborough. IAS offers a unique platform for connecting with leading academics in various research area and expanding academic network. Engaging with IAS activities not only broadens your perspective but also opens doors for collaboration and professional growth.

Esther: To fellow doctoral researchers considering engagement with IAS: I encourage you to get involved. It is a space where your curiosity is welcomed, your skills are sharpened, and you get opportunity to network with top researchers from different parts of the world.

In conclusion, our journey as IAS Doctoral Leaders has been a transformative chapter in our PhD experience: one marked by collaboration, curiosity, and connection. Through our time at the Institute of Advanced Studies, we’ve not only developed vital skills in leadership and interdisciplinary engagement but also built meaningful relationships across academic cultures and continents. The IAS stands as a unique space that values dialogue, fosters innovation, and amplifies the voices of researchers at every stage of their careers. As we reflect on our experiences, we are proud to have contributed to this vibrant community and encourage fellow PGRs to explore the many enriching opportunities the IAS has to offer.

Engineering Dance and Drama: a constellation of diversity, creativity and authenticity 

As part of the University’s efforts to progress Equity, Diversity and Inclusion priorities at Loughborough, EDI Services invites Schools, Professional Services, individuals and Staff Networks to bid for funding to carry out activities aligned to our strategic objectives. More information about EDI Services funding can be found on the EDI Services webpage.  

Last year, University Teacher Dr Chukwuma Ogbonnaya and other colleagues from Wolfson School successfully received funding to host an event for Engineering staff and students. In this blog post, Chukwuma tells us more about the success of this initiative and the impact it had on members of our University community.  

My idea to implement an Engineering Dance and Drama event was proposed as “a culmination of diversity, inclusion, creativity and relaxation”. It was contextualised within the University’s EDI Core Plan to “…create a culturally vibrant student community that benefits from the inclusion of students from across the globe …” and to operationalise welcoming, inclusive and vibrant communities under the International Engagement and Impact Core Plan. I wanted to bring staff and postgraduate research students together from across our three engineering Schools to enjoy UK, Nigerian, Indian and Chinese cultures –through music, dance, drama and food.  

After we were successfully awarded funding, a team of Wolfson colleagues met to design the event (I would like to extend special thanks to Professor Paul Conway, Professor Jenny Harding, Grace Jacobs, Bhav Mistry, and the extended Wolfson team).  

We decided the theme of the event should be STEAM: Adding Arts to STEM. This would reflect the intersections between STEM fields with the arts. After deciding a date to host the event (6 June 2025) and the initial format, we approached we Professor Chris Goodier and Dr Elizabeth Ratcliffe who offered their support and obtained approval from the Deans of the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering and the School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering, respectively. We also welcomed other members of our University to join our team, including LU Arts and the University Choir. This was very helpful and remains a pivotal moment for me in implementing the inaugural Engineering Dance and Drama event.  

Celebrating the success of the event 

Originally, we set a target of 50 staff and 20 Doctoral Researchers from across the three engineering schools to attend the event. Another measure of success would be realised if more than 50% of the participants stated that they would be likely to attend another Engineering Dance and Drama event.  

I’m delighted to say 143 members of staff registered for the event, and the verbal feedback received on the day was all positive. A feedback form was circulated after the event and all the respondents stated they would be interested in attending the event again next year.  

I would like to take a moment to give a special shout out to my colleagues Grace Jacobs and Bhav Mistry – they did a fantastic job resourcing what we needed for the event and coordinating it to the finest details. For example, they ensured that the tablecloths, bounties and sweets matched the colours of the national flags of the UK, Nigeria, India and China.  

I also want to say thank you to Tandrima Bhattacharjee, who did a fantastic job as the host of the event and also as our storyteller arranging performances starting from Africa (which is believed to be the cradle of humanity to India, China, and then the UK). The henna art design by Sareeta offered at the event was a special touch, and the food and drinks provided by Burleigh Court Conference Centre and Hotel helped to emphasise the significant cultural importance of the event.  Thank you, Olivia Wallace, for capturing the moments and to all the performers. 

It was brilliant to see an idea come through from imagination to reality and to take memories with me. Together as engineering Schools, we hope and look forward to expanding the event in the future to include other Schools and student societies across the University so we can celebrate diverse and authentic cultural heritage even more, helping to enhance Loughborough’s reputation for a vibrant and inclusive community. 

Balancing Course and Placement: MSc in Applied Sport Performance Analysis

Having already spent four years at Loughborough University for my undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science, it felt like a natural progression to stay for my MSc in Applied Sport Performance Analysis. Loughborough had already become home. I knew the level of support I could rely on here, which was important to me, especially as I was about to take on the unique challenges of postgraduate study.

Why I Chose This Course:

One of the standout features of the MSc is the applied nature of the programme. You’re not just learning theory, you’re actively working as an analyst in a sport environment throughout the year. This real-world experience is crucial in a competitive job market like sport performance analysis. It’s what drew me to this course, and it’s been one of the most rewarding aspects.

That said, the idea of balancing coursework with placement commitments was intimidating at first. However, everyone on the course is in the same boat, and that creates a real sense of community. We have our lectures together on one day each week, which helps with planning and makes space for conversations, idea-sharing, and mutual support.

Supportive Lecturers & A Close-Knit Environment

One of the biggest differences I noticed between undergrad and postgrad study is the level of engagement with lecturers. Our MSc cohort is smaller, so lecturers make the effort to get to know us personally, where we’re placed, what we’re working on, and how we’re managing. They regularly check in, which might sound like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference, especially when you’re juggling a lot.

There’s definitely a step up academically too. Every coursework project feels like it requires the level of effort and detail of an undergraduate dissertation (though I don’t say that to scare anyone!). The benefit is that you get to properly explore topics that interest you, and then apply that learning directly within your placement. You’re given the freedom to take your coursework in a direction that suits your own interests, which wasn’t always possible at undergraduate level.

Learning to Manage It All

At the beginning of the year, I struggled with managing my time. Even though I’d taken on lots of voluntary roles during my undergrad, balancing a full placement alongside MSc-level coursework was a different kind of challenge. I had a couple of honest conversations with my tutor, and they really helped me reframe things.

During undergrad, I’d submit coursework early and always felt ahead. With postgrad, I had to accept that sometimes it’s okay to be working right up to the deadline, as long as the work is still to a high standard. I began taking one day off each week just to focus on coursework, which helped reduce pressure and allowed me to feel in control, especially at peak times.

One of my challenges was learning when to prioritise. I loved my placement and wanted to spend all my time contributing to the teams I was working with. But I came to realise that there are points in the year when coursework needs to come first. That balance, and learning how to communicate it to others, was a key takeaway for me.

Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

We also had access to guest lectures from industry experts, including software companies, field specialists, and recent graduates now working in full-time analyst roles. These sessions were incredibly helpful in shaping my understanding of the career path ahead and how I could carve my own journey within it.

My favourite study space is the NCSEM student study area, it’s close to my lectures, usually quiet, but still social enough not to feel isolating. There’s even a kitchen, which is a bonus for long study days!

While this year has been very placement- and coursework-heavy, during my undergrad, I was actively involved in Loughborough’s CVA (Coaching and Volunteering Academy). I held various roles, from coaching and analysis to being on the AU Exec Committee. That involvement played a huge part in shaping who I am now. Without those experiences, I wouldn’t be on this MSc, nor would I have secured the placement I’m currently in.

The support for student analysts at Loughborough is second to none. From networking opportunities to hands-on projects, I genuinely don’t think I could have had a better environment for learning and growth and I would not have wanted to study and develop anywhere else.

Final Reflections & Tips

What do you wish you’d known before starting?
I wish I’d known that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed at first. There’s this pressure, especially coming from undergrad, to keep the same habits and performance levels. But postgrad life is different. It’s more demanding, yes, but also more flexible. I learned that done well and on time is better than done early and stressed. Trust the process, you figure it out as you go.

Your biggest piece of advice for someone starting this course?
Build connections with your peers early. You’ll be navigating coursework, placements, and job prep together, and having that support system will make everything feel more manageable. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to your lecturers, they want to help and they do make time for you.

How has Loughborough helped you grow?
Personally, I’ve become more resilient and better at managing pressure. Professionally, I’ve developed real, applicable skills that I’m already using in live sport environments. I’m more confident, more capable, and more certain of the path I want to take in performance analysis.

Five Minutes With: Chris Lee

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Frontend Web Developer and I have been at Loughborough since January 2022.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

My typical day involves answering emails, building websites and updating old things. It doesn’t sound much, but I love solving problems and making things that solve those problems. I don’t think I ever consciously thought “I want to be a web developer”, but I’ve always enjoyed making stuff, and the best days are when I can focus, slip into flow, and make something functional and efficient to help students and staff.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

Each year, I work on the end-of-year show website for the students in the School of Design and Creative Arts (SDCA). The SDCA Degree Show website is a great chance to see what the students are working on. I really appreciate the enthusiasm the students bring to designing and laying out their work on the site.

In recent years, I have overhauled the way students can upload their work to make it easier to design and lay out a page that suits the individual, while being easy to use and not requiring any additional skills or knowledge.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Living in Loughborough, school and college are intertwined with the University. My school’s sports day was hosted at the University, I had a maths masterclass with a lecturer when I was studying GCSEs, and I had additional maths tuition with a lecturer at the University. Spending so much time around the University, I’m proud to now be a part of it.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Since the beginning of the year, I have made a conscious effort to live authentically. This stems from deep reflection on the choices I make each day and has led me to make strides in cutting out ultra-processed foods and adopting a plant-based diet.

In my daily life, I’ve actively sought to take more responsibility for my choices, which led me to jump at the opportunity to attend a Carbon Literacy course through the University. I was able to learn a lot about my carbon footprint and the climate crisis, and I am now certified carbon literate.

I am typically quite shy but when I saw the chance to attend the Sustainability Launch Event, I thought it would be a great way to try something new and be adventurous.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

Every Saturday morning at 9am, I’ll be at the Derby Road Playing Fields just about to run a 5k parkrun. Most weekends I like to do it habitually, but some weeks I’ll say “let’s go for it” and I’ll try to blast it for a personal best.

I recently convinced my twin girls (aged four) to walk it with me. Coming in at 1:00:10, I’m surprised I was even that quick, carrying one of them on my shoulders!

There are already a few people from the University who do the parkrun. If you’re shy about going on your own, come see us. Walk or run, I would definitely recommend taking advantage of the summer sun.

What is your favourite quote?

“When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo.

I like how this can be applied to my work. The problem might not originate with the leaves themselves, but be indicative of a deeper issue at the root level. I might get asked to do something without the full context, but if I can understand the problem, I may be able to offer advice or potentially a better solution.

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

My vibrant journey as an international student at Loughborough University

[IMAGE: Derrick 2]

Hey there! I’m Derrick, an international student from India who just finished my Master’s in Analytical Chemistry at Loughborough University. Reflecting on my time here, it’s been an incredible mix of challenging academics, new friendships, and unforgettable experiences. Now, as I prepare to start my PhD here in October, I want to share my story to help future students make the most of their Loughborough journey—both inside and outside the classroom.

Adjusting to life in the UK

Moving from India to the UK was a big step, but Loughborough made it smooth. I chose a shared house over university accommodation—it was cheaper and helped me bond with amazing people from different backgrounds. Some of my best memories are from late-night kitchen chats and weekend trips with my housemates.

Financially, I took on a part-time retail job to cover expenses. Balancing work and studies wasn’t always easy, but it taught me time management (and how to make a great cup of coffee). If you’re worried about money, check out the University’s Student Services—there are plenty of student-friendly roles and other helpful resources.

Study smart, play hard

I stuck to a simple rule: don’t study where you sleep. The STEM Lab and Library became my go-to spots for productivity, especially during exams with their 24/7 access. Home was strictly for relaxing, cooking and fun. This separation kept me focused and maintained a healthy work-life balance.

Building a social life

The people at Loughborough made my experience unforgettable. I joined the Asian Society and attended university events, which helped me meet people with similar interests. Weekends often meant pub trips or nights out at the Students’ Union with friends. When I needed alone time, I’d go hiking or take solo trips—nothing beats fresh air and a good view to clear your mind.

My advice? Say yes to new experiences, whether it’s a society event, a spontaneous trip, or trying a new hobby. Those moments turn into your best memories.

What’s next?

After falling in love with research during my Master’s, I’m excited to start my PhD at Loughborough this October. I’m still working part-time, saving up, and counting down the days until I’m back in the lab.

And don’t let the lab coat fool you—I’m the guy who’ll celebrate finishing exams by leading the charge to the pub for some well-earned pints. After all, what’s science without a little balance and a good time?

Final Tips for Future Students

1. Embrace the chaos—uni life is a mix of deadlines, laughter, and occasional madness. Enjoy it.
2. Work hard, play harder—don’t forget to have fun. Join societies, explore, or just relax with friends.
3. Ask for help—whether it’s academic support or just someone to talk to, Loughborough’s well-being community is there to help.

Looking back, choosing Loughborough was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It pushed me academically, introduced me to lifelong friends, and gave me memories I’ll cherish forever. To anyone starting their journey here—get ready for an adventure that’s challenging, rewarding, and absolutely unforgettable. And if you ever see me around campus, don’t hesitate to say hello and grab my attention.

Cheers,
Derrick

Annual Senate and Council Dinner 2025

Over the course of the 2024/25 academic year we have made further good progress against the aims and themes of our strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together. Year on year, the word ‘together’ becomes ever more important. Loughborough has a real team ethos that pervades our approach to everything we do. It’s the beating heart of the way in which we work and the key to much of our achievement. By working together, with each other and with organisations around the world, we can achieve so much more.

This was underlined in the spring by the award of £16m of funding for the Forging Ahead initiative. Forging Ahead is led by Loughborough and will bring together a coalition of 15 Midlands university partners to reshape the region’s innovation ecosystems, unlock our collective research strengths and turn them into commercial success stories.

The Midlands has huge potential. It has a strong university knowledge base. It has growing investment initiatives, such as Midlands Mindforge, which is a patient capital investment company launched by the Midlands Innovation universities. And it is home to 11% of the UK’s high-growth companies.  

But a lack of historic investment has meant that the region hasn’t always been able to attract and retain the leadership talent that is critical for scaling innovative businesses. With almost 40% of Midlands university spinouts founded outside the region, we’ve been an exporter of high-value jobs and R&D-driven enterprises. 

Initiatives such as Forging Ahead will begin to turn that tide. As will our further investment in Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.

This year we unveiled our ambitious vision for the next phase of the Park’s development. Over the coming years LUSEP will become a vibrant park, housing a mix of advanced manufacturing, office accommodation, and research and development facilities. It will support new business ventures, be a space to nurture our own University spinouts and student start-ups, and a place for collaborative partnerships with global companies and organisations.

LUSEP is already home to more than 90 organisations, and a workforce of more than 2500. When fully developed it will be one of the biggest science and enterprise parks of its kind, employing as many as 7500 people.

The Park is an important part of the University’s economic impact. A recent analysis valued our total gross economic impact on the UK economy at £2.6 billionper annum and the number of jobs directly and indirectly supported by our activities at more than 35,000.

These are big numbers that clearly show our position as an economic powerhouse bringing substantial positive benefits to the region.

That’s an ethos also echoed by the Co-laboratory programme which began this year. Co-laboratory is a community research initiative under the Universities Partnership umbrella, which involves Loughborough, Leicester and De Montfort universities and the county’s local authorities. The project will offer 27 fully-funded PhD studentships to students from non-traditional academic backgrounds who will shape and participate in research that will directly impact those in the communities around us.

Much of Loughborough’s research makes a real difference to people’s lives. For example, work this year by the University’s Design Ergonomics Research Group has strengthened the legislation around the direct vision standard for heavy goods vehicles. The new standard will require significant changes to HGV designs to improve the ability of drivers to see cyclists and pedestrians directly, instead of relying on mirrors. An EU impact assessment estimates that these changes will save over 500 lives per year across Europe.

The Loughborough Aftrak project is also having a positive impact globally. The team is working to provide rural communities across Africa with access to clean, green electricity to increase crop yields and the incomes of smallholder farmers. After a successful initial trial in Malawi, the team is now planning to undertake a more extensive field trial. Ultimately their aim is to roll the project out throughout Malawi and into neighbouring countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. 

Aftrak also spotlights the collective effort required to foster sustainability practices and make meaningful change. The climate crisis is one of the most pressing challenges facing us all today. We must work together to change what we do and how we do it, whether that’s our teaching and research, our sports activity, or the way we manage our campuses.

That premise is central to our new Sustainability Strategy, which underpins the delivery of our research, education and operational practices under the Climate Change and Net Zero strategic theme.

There is much to do, but we have started making progress.

• This year we were awarded a £1.1m grant to establish the Wolfson X-Lab Extreme, which will be pivotal in advancing our clean energy research. The Lab will house a specialist piece of kit that can replicate the effects of heat and mechanical force on metal processing. It’s the first of its kind anywhere in the UK and Europe.
• In March we joined the University of Nottingham in opening the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre to deliver innovation in transport technology, green hydrogen production, and power solutions for industry.
• And on our campus we have partnered with Carbon Jacked to launch the Climate Cup, which will see our sports clubs compete to be the most sustainable.

We also now have a sustainable approach to our food and drink offering on campus. We’re working with local suppliers to reduce our carbon footprint and support the local economy.

While good food and exercise are some of the key components for our wellbeing, research and education to date has not allowed us to fully understand the unique challenges that women in particular face in living an active and healthy life. Our pioneering Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub will seek to address this. It was launched in March by Stephanie Peacock, the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth, and has garnered support from high profile athletes such as former England footballer Karen Carney, our University Ambassador for Sport, Health and Wellbeing, and Olympic champion Dame Denise Lewis, who is now the President of UK Athletics.

The Hub will bring together academics with industry partners, national governing bodies and athletes to break down the barriers that women face to being active. It will drive positive change at every level of the women’s sporting ecosystem, from participation to elite performance.

Of course, I can’t mention elite sport without reference to our athletes’ fantastic performance at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. They brought home a total of 35 medals across both games. If Loughborough were a country, we would have finished in the top 20 of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games medal tables. This success now means that Loughborough athletes have won a staggering 186 medalsat the Olympics and Paralympics.

We must also celebrate the coaches, practitioners and support staff across the University who help our students, alumni and Loughborough-based athletes to achieve their Olympic and Paralympic goals, as well as those who ensure our sports facilities remain in peak condition for our athletes. Their dedication, day in day out, is truly outstanding. 

While some of our athletes were making headlines on the international stage, others were setting new records at BUCS. Last summer the Loughborough team retained the Championship title for the 43^rd consecutive year, with a points total of almost 9,500 – a new sector-leading score.

And our 2025 season is in flying form. It was given a boost by BUCS Big Wednesday on campus in March when around 2000 athletes, coaches and support staff contested finals across 16 different sports. We secured 14 of the 20 possible pieces of silverware, with victories in sports from basketball to volleyball. Without wishing to put too much pressure our students, I’m hoping for more good news later this month when the 2025 championship results are announced!

An important part of hosting events and running so many teams are the efforts of the student volunteers from our Coach and Volunteer Academy. So far this year they have contributed more than 100,000 hours of volunteering – a truly amazing effort and an essential part of our success.

But it’s not only our Loughborough teams who enjoy sporting success. In March, Physics student Zara Lachlan rowed the 3600 nautical-mile journey from Europe to South America, spending 97 days, 9 hours and 20 minutes crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In doing so, she has made history as the first female to row this crossing solo and unsupported, the youngest person to complete this crossing in any boat, and the youngest female to go from any mainland to mainland across the Atlantic Ocean in any boat. A phenomenal achievement, I’m sure you agree.

Wherever I go in the University, I see the dedication of our students and staff to be their very best. Throughout the whole organisation there is a positivity, a can-do approach and a drive to make a difference. Dr Manuela Pacella is a great example.

This year Manuela became the first person from Loughborough to join the prestigious Global Young Academy. The Academy is an international network of around 200 scientists who are united by scientific excellence and their commitment to engage society in their work. Manuela’s research in advanced manufacturing technologies and advanced materials has had a global impact in the automotive, aerospace, and biomedical fields. 

And for the third consecutive year, Loughborough academics were chosen to become members of the UK Young Academy of early career researchers. Together, the Academy members find innovative solutions to the challenges facing societies both now and in the future. This year’s appointment of Dr Haitao He and Dr David Maidment brings the total number of Loughborough members of the UK Young Academy to eight – more than any other institution.

Our new Research Academy will help to underpin projects such as these. It will enable us to create a more connected and supported research community, who will push boundaries and deliver work with global impact. The Academy will drive the transformative culture change required for us to become a global research powerhouse, and its establishment has been made possible thanks to the incredibly generous philanthropic gift from alumnus Chris Gill.

At Loughborough we’re proud to offer a nurturing environment that supports both our staff and students on their journey to success. This year the first two of our sector-leading DigiLab Hubs were opened and are now being used to the full by Schools in their teaching. The DigiLabs Hubs enable our students to develop the skills and knowledge to become future fit for a world of work where digital skills, data analytics, virtual and augmented reality play a key part. Feedback from the students has been terrific, with many calling them a game-changer in their preparations for the rapidly evolving digital job market.

Ensuring that our students are well placed for the world of work is at the heart of our education and student experience goals – and Loughborough’s graduates continue to perform well. In the most recent graduate data, 89% of Loughborough graduates were in employment or undertaking higher-level study within 15 months of graduating, placing us in the ten of UK universities. And within five years, Loughborough students were earning almost a fifth above the average median value of salaries for the sector as a whole, placing Loughborough in the top 20 of universities.

A key part of this great employability outcome, is our comprehensive placement programme. Around two thirds of our students go on placements, with more than 1,250 organisations worldwide. This is more than any other UK university.

Despite these many positives, there are many challenges in the world that impact us as a university.

The significant unrest in the world at the moment means there are many students and academics around the globe who face discrimination, persecution, violence and conflict.

As a member of the Council for At-Risk Academics, Loughborough offers sanctuary to those who need urgent help to escape, and support to academics who choose to continue working in their home countries despite serious dangers. This year we were formally recognised as a University of Sanctuary, joining a network of UK institutions that support refugees and people seeking asylum. Through our membership we have committed to initiatives such as the provision of Loughborough University Sanctuary Scholarships, the expansion of our collaboration with the Loughborough Town of Sanctuary partnership and broadening our involvement with the Council for At Risk Academics.

We also face threats to freedom of expression, cuts to funding, and challenges to our very raison d’etre. Right now, the world feels like a very uncertain place.

Over the last year we’ve had to make some difficult decisions in order to save costs. As we move ahead, we will continue to seek further efficiencies and maximise new opportunities where they arise.

Fortunately, however, we do so from a position of relative strength.

We continue to be highly ranked in the league tables that are so important to our student recruitment. Just last month, we celebrated a decade in the top ten of the Complete University Guide, a feat shared only by the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, St Andrews, Durham and Imperial.

Loughborough was also named in the top quartile of the new Inspire HE Rankings, which is based on data from staff engagement surveys. This recognises our commitment to create an exceptional employee experience and to be one of the best employers in the sector. 

And at Loughborough, we’re growing our academic community. We have appointed professorial staff to deliver our new masters programme in Law, which will commence this autumn. Loughborough Law will allow us to capitalise on one of the largest educational markets globally.

We’re also seeking talent from around the world to build, join and shape the research teams that will tackle the most pressing challenges of our time. By complementing and enhancing the excellent work our staff are already doing, and working together, we will strengthen the University still further to ensure its long-term success.

Of course, these are only a few of our successes and developments from the last 12 months. But I hope you feel proud of everything we’ve achieved and, perhaps most importantly of all, I hope it has inspired you for the next phase of our journey towards Creating Better Futures, Together.

Is there a place for AI in research assessment?

Co-authored by Professor Elizabeth Gadd and Professor Nick Jennings

This article was originally published by The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in July 2025.

AI is reshaping research, from drafting proposals and academic CVs to automating parts of peer review and assessment. With efforts to reform research assessment in motion, Elizabeth Gadd and Nick Jennings explore how AI is both exacerbating the need for reform and offering potential for delivering reformed assessment mechanisms. They suggest that AI-augmented assessment models, where technology supports – but never replaces – human judgement, might offer a way forward.

As the world rushes to apply AI to their work practices, its use is becoming apparent in both the production of research “products” for assessment (outputs, proposals, CVs) and the actual assessment of those products and their producers. This all comes at a time when the research sector is seeking to reform the way it assesses research, both to mitigate some of the problematic outcomes of publication-dominant forms of assessment (such as the rise in paper mills, authorship sales, citation cartels, and a lack of incentives to engage with open research practices) and to prioritise peer review over solely quantitative forms of assessment.

Where assessment reform and AI tools meet

There are two main issues that arise at the intersection of assessment reform and AI. The first is the extent to which our current assessment regime is driving the misuse of Generative AI to produce highly prized outputs that look scholarly but aren’t. And the second is the extent to which AI might legitimately be used in research assessment going forward.

“The [current] system rewards publication in and of itself above the content and quality of the research, to the point that it is now rewarding mere approximations of publications.“

On the first issue, we are on well-trodden ground. The narrow, publication-dominant methods of assessment used to evaluate research and researchers are driving many poor behaviours. One such behaviour is the pursuit of questionable research practices – such as publication and citation bias. Worse again is research misconduct – such as fabrication, falsification and plagiarism. The system rewards publication in and of itself above the content and quality of the research, to the point that it is now rewarding mere approximations of publications. It should therefore come as no surprise that bad actors will be financially motivated to use any means at their disposal to produce publications, including AI.

In this case, our main problem is not AI, but rather publication-dominant research assessment. We can address this problem by broadening the range of contributions we value and taking a more qualitative approach to assessment.  By doing this, we will at least disincentivise polluting the so-called “scholarly record” (curated, peer-reviewed content) with fakes and frauds.

AI in research outputs versus assessment

Assuming we were successful in disincentivising the use of AI in generating value-less publications in any reformed assessment regime, the question remains as to whether it may be incentivised for other aspects. This is because broadening how we value research and moving to more qualitative (read “narrative”) forms of assessment, it will lead to more work, not less, for both assessors and the assessed. And if there is one thing we know GenAI is good at, it’s generating narratives at speed. GenAI might even help to level the playing field for those for whom the assessment language is not their first, making papers clearer and easier to read. Most guidelines state that if the right safety precautions are followed – if the human retains editorial control, and is transparent about their use of AI, and doesn’t enter sensitive information into a Large Language Model – it’s perfectly legitimate to submit the resulting content for assessment.

“Many researchers believe they’ve been on the receiving end of a new, over-thorough, less aggressive Reviewer Two, which is probably an AI.“

Where the guidelines are more cautious is around the use of AI to do the assessing. The European Research Area guidelines on the responsible use of AI in research are clear that we should “refrain from using GenAI tools in peer reviews and evaluations”.  But that’s not to say that researchers aren’t experimenting. Mike Thelwall’s team has shown weak success in using Chat GPT to replicate human peer review scores, and many researchers believe they’ve been on the receiving end of a new, over-thorough, less aggressive Reviewer Two, which is probably an AI.

But given human peer review is already a highly contested exercise (when does Reviewer One agree with Reviewer Two?) we must ask the question: if ChatGPT can’t replicate human peer review scores, does it say more about the AI or the human? We have to question whether the human scores are the correct ones and whether we are doing machine learning a disservice by expecting it simply to replicate human scores, only faster. One might argue that the real power of AI is in seeing what we can’t see; finding patterns we cannot; and identifying potential that we cannot.

The dual value of peer review

Perhaps we must first ask, is the scholarly process itself purely about generating and (through research assessment) verifying new discoveries? Or is there something valuable in the act of discovery and verification: the acquisition and deployment of skills, knowledge, and understanding, which is fundamental to being human?

We have to ask if the process of collaborating with other humans in the pursuit of new knowledge is just about this new knowledge, or whether the business of building connections and interfacing with others essential to human wellbeing, to civil society, and to geopolitical security.

“The recognition of fellow humans – through peer review and assessment – is more than just a verification of our results and our contributions, and instead something critical to our welfare and motivation.“

The recognition of fellow humans – through peer review and assessment – is more than just a verification of our results and our contributions, and instead something critical to our welfare and motivation: An acknowledgement that, human-to-human, I see you and I value you. Would any researcher be happy knowing their contribution had been assessed by automation alone?

It comes down to whether we value only the outcome or the process. And if we continuously outsource that process to technology, and generate outcomes that might provide answers, but that we don’t actually understand or trust, we risk losing all human connection to the research process. The skills, knowledge, and understanding we accumulate through performing assessments are surely critical to research and researcher development.

Proceeding with the right amount of caution

There is no justification for condemning AI outright.  It is being used (and its accuracy then verified by humans) to solve many of society’s previously unsolved problems. However, when it comes to matters of judgement, where humans may not agree on the “right answer” – or even that there is a right answer – we need to be far more cautious about the role of AI. Research assessment is in this category.

“Human judgement first, and technology in support; or AI-augmented human assessment.“

There are many parallels between the role of metrics and the role of AI in research assessment. There is significant agreement that metrics shouldn’t be making our assessments for us without human oversight. And assessment reformers are clear that referring to appropriate indicators can often lead to a better assessment, but human judgement should take priority.  This logic offers us a blueprint for approaching AI: human judgement first, and technology in support; or AI-augmented human assessment.

By forbidding the use of AI in assessment altogether, the ERA guidelines took an understandably cautious initial response. However, properly contained, the judicious involvement of AI in assessment can be our friend, not our enemy. It largely comes down to the type of research assessment we are talking about, and the role we allow AI to play. The use of AI to provide a first draft of written submissions, or to summarise, identify inconsistencies, or provide a view on the content of those submissions could lead to fairer, more robust, qualitative evaluations.  However, we should not rely on AI to do the imaginative work of assessment reform and rethink what “quality” looks like, nor should we outsource human decision-making to AI altogether. As we look to reform research assessment, we should simply be open to the possibilities offered by new technologies to support human judgements.

Navigating uni as a neurodivergent student

A little about me

Hi 🙂 I’m Frances (they / them). It’s nice to meet you all… virtually… (that’s me in the photo). I’ve just finished my final year at Loughborough University in Graphic Design with a year in industry.

When I was 18, I got a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). At this point I was in my foundation year, and we had just come out of our second Covid lockdown. I was staying at home and doing all of my classes online. Now, I am in the studio every day and about to graduate.

Making friends and hall life

When I first arrived at Loughborough University, making friends was one of the most challenging aspects for me to navigate after coming out of lockdown and not having much social contact in that time.

In my first year I stayed in halls, which was the best decision I made to help me make friends. Although it was difficult, it was an easy way to meet people, socialise and get my own space away from home. I didn’t stay in a quiet room, even though they were available, to challenge myself to have the ‘uni lifestyle’. It meant I met people that were so different from me, and the accommodation had quiet hours at night-time anyway. At times it was really challenging living in halls – I would sometimes have sensory overloads, have difficulty with routines and struggled with loneliness.

To combat all of this, I was able to find times in the day where my flatmates were most likely not going to be there, and times where they most likely were. I also got a part-time job that helped me create a routine and to take advantage of the on-campus work spaces.

Societies are also a great way of meeting people who are similar to you. After all these years, I wish I had joined one to help me meet people in the beginning. Everyone I knew that was part of a society was always able to meet people like themselves, and make friends a lot easier I found. Loughborough also have a great disability team, where I’ve always seen events on for neurodivergent students to meet each other in low stress and more relaxing environments.

Being in lectures

I remember when I first started classes here, lectures were the scariest part of learning. The idea of a massive classroom full of people with typing keyboards and whispering, was an actual nightmare. The thing that helped the most was wearing earplugs and sitting closer to the front. This meant I was able to concentrate easier without people distracting me in front, and my earplugs would tune out any unwanted noise. I would highly recommend loop earplugs for this – they are actually incredible!

When taking notes, do it your way – this is what I’ve learnt over my time at Loughborough. Using one document for individual modules is so much easier to flip through your information. You could also try using Google Docs (a newfound love of mine) where you can use tabs and separate pages for individual notes and classes under one module. This always helped me to take the stress of going back and finding old lecture notes as they were always in the same place, and I could skim read through it just in case.

It’s going to be difficult

Being at uni and being neurodivergent is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be for everyone. There are struggles we face that neurotypical people don’t even think about.

The most important advice I think I can give to somebody neurodivergent going to uni, is to trust in the people around you. Even though moving away to a different place is scary, you will still have the people back home, they’re only a phone call away. You will also meet so many incredible people at uni – for me, I didn’t find my crowd until halfway through my placement year (3^rd year) and I wouldn’t change a thing.  The people you meet all the way through your 3 or 4-year experience will be there for you, and you will create a beautiful support system.

Don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask for support from your friends, peers, teachers, and family. They all want to see you succeed; I promise. Make the most out of the support at the uni and DSA (Disabled Students Allowance), it changed my life.

Life as a History student at Loughborough University

Hi, I’m Corinne, a final year History student and life as a history student at Loughborough has been an invaluable experience for me. I was the second in my family to attend university, and was a little bit nervous to step into a different environment. Upon reflection, my confidence has developed and I have become an outgoing individual as a result of the specific course structure and the academic support I received.

Transitioning to university

Transitioning from college to university can be daunting, but extremely rewarding. Experiencing this myself, I would recommend reading into the course you are considering. By doing this you can have some background knowledge on a few modules and feel more prepared to take on university study. I will say however that module leaders do not expect you to know all of the content as this is the purpose of lectures and seminars.

As you may know the course enables students to flourish through independent study. From first year all the way through to third you will have lectures and seminars, but also be expected to do extra reading outside of these periods. I would recommend allocating some time each day of the week to readings and coursework. As well I used to plan my week, using a schedule, on a Sunday and create ‘to-do lists’ to keep on top of all my work.

Returning to study

Returning to study after a long summer holiday or even between years at university can be challenging. My advice to you is to not put too much pressure on yourself to get straight back into the hours on hours of work. Split it up, and find a place to study that motivates you – whether that is the Library, the Students’ Union or the Morag Bell Building (International Relations, Politics and History departmental building). And don’t forget to celebrate the small wins. It is important to keep up with your studies, but it is equally important to have some downtime and socialise with your friends.

Getting involved in your course

As well as studying, you can get involved in your department by helping out as a Student Ambassador. Throughout the year the university holds Open Days and Offer Holder/Visit Days, I thoroughly enjoyed these opportunities as it helped me grow my confidence and encouraged me to make new friends on my course.

General tips on student life

Moving to university can be exciting, but also comes with the fear of having to make new friends. That was one of my biggest worries, and I can confidently say I am finishing my final year with multiple friendship groups who have made my university experience ten times more fun.

I would recommend getting involved in the Intra Murial Sports (IMS) or the Athletics Union (AU) Sports as these offer a wide range of individual and team sports where you can meet new people. Your accommodation frequently enter teams into the IMS leagues, such as netball, football, rugby, wheelchair basketball etc which enables you to also have fun with your flatmates. I played in the Butler Court IMS Netball Team in my first year and made friends in other blocks. They encouraged me to leave my room when I was nervous to experience the university night life. This I can say was extremely enjoyable.

Additionally, picking your accommodation can equally help you make new friends as they hold a variety of activities throughout the year. These can be on or off campus. I attended balls where you can get dressed up with your flatmates and/or course mates to enjoy a wonderful evening at an exciting venue.

Moving abroad

Before moving to university, I lived in Dubai. At first it was terrifying to be living over 3,000 miles from my family. However, within the first few days of university I made life-long friends on my course and in my accommodation. These individuals helped me assimilate into my new life and enjoy all three years of my degree. As well, I scheduled weekly zoom calls with my family back home and whenever I was feeling homesick, I would get out of my room and meet up with some friends.

Support networks

The support networks at Loughborough University are also incredible. Offering mental health resources, career services, and disability support, this university truly cares for the physical and mental well-being of all its students.

Concluding thoughts

Studying history at Loughborough has allowed me to create memories like no other and truly enjoy my university experience. I believe that regardless of the course you choose, the whole experience is down to how much you get out of your comfort zone, and try new things. Me, three years ago, never would have believed the number of friends I have or the confidence I now possess. I am truly thankful I chose this university and said ‘yes’ to the activities that I never would have previously.

Life @ Lough: Lauren’s top tips for making sure you get the most out of your university experience!

Hey, I’m Lauren. I’m a UK student currently studying MA Graphic Design and Visualisation. I know, little me can’t believe it either!

As a student balancing studying, working and of course partying, sounds tricky. That’s why I am going to give you a little insight into my tips and tricks of not just surviving university but having the best time while you study here at Loughborough!

Firstly, if you are fresh out of graduating from your degree, I just want to say congratulations! You made the right call joining Loughborough for your masters, I am sure you are going to have the best time. Remember, your time at university is more than just studying, it’s about becoming who you want to be. This, for some, can feel a little daunting but trust me, it is a lot of fun. You’re not on your own. You’re making these first steps into adulthood with course mates, flat mates and anyone else you meet on the way.

If you find yourself a little lost and struggling to meet new people, we have a whole bunch of exciting societies and clubs to get involved with – from anime and creative writing to fighting robots and hiking – many of my friends were made this way.

My course

I chose to pursue a master’s degree after deciding to combine my previous degree in production design with graphics, and I quickly learnt that there was such a wide range of creative backgrounds in my class. I didn’t study my undergraduate degree at Loughborough, so I was a little worried about fitting in. However, I have never met such a positive, welcoming and inspiring group of people.

My first little bit of advice is the more ‘you’ you are, the better your journey will be. The University staff, specifically School of Design and Creative Arts (SDCA) staff, are always here to help and encourage you to be yourself! As a university, Loughborough has the most incredible opportunities so make use of them!

As an SDCA student, I can safely say there is so much to get involved with, from competitions like Christmas card designs, collaborations with the wider community and exciting trips to places like the London Design Museum and the Birmingham Design Festival. With these opportunities comes networking, which can be crucial when looking for work experience or post graduate jobs.

If you choose to work while studying

As a student who has a part-time job as well as a heavy workload for my course, I encourage you to make sure you are transparent with your employer about how often you are available for shifts. At the end of the day, you are here to study, so your priority must be that, and every reasonable employer understands this. I know first-hand that sometimes, working is needed for being able to afford essentials (and having fun). However, not giving yourself any time to relax can lead to burn out. The University recommends working no more than 15 hours a week. Hospitality, if you can deal with late nights, is a good option, as many contracts are flexible and zero-hours.

However, if you find yourself struggling to balance things, our wellbeing team and learning staff are fantastic at giving advice and help.

Now, onto the fun bit

With studying hard, comes partying hard. It is important to let your hair down occasionally, especially when you have just handed in your assignments! I fully recommend a night out at the Student’s Union (SU) – Wednesday nights are Hey Ewe. I’m not much of a clubber but as soon as Love Story starts, I am on that dance floor.

If you prefer quieter events, we have quiz nights at JC’s, craft events like sip and paints, as well as many others to keep an eye out for those. Don’t forget about the local town which includes a cinema, lots of cosy pubs with the Organ Grinder offering board game nights, and surrounding open spaces like Queens Park or Beacon Hill, where you can find highland cows and lovely picnic spaces. If you enjoy day trips, Loughborough is only ten minutes away from Leicester, where you can find the Space Centre, or thirty minutes away from Nottingham, where you can find every shop under the sun.

Finally, remember, your time at university will fly by! Studying is important of course, but university is more than that. It’s about having fun, it’s about becoming independent, and it’s about becoming who you want to be. So, go out there, take every opportunity and go and experience the start of this exciting chapter. I’m nearly at the end of my time here at Loughborough but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

DRN2025 Drawing Negation Recordings

Recordings for the three Drawing Negation events – Emergence, Absence & Political Space are now available here: https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/collections/DRN2025_Symposia/7848605

Parents’ fear of maths linked to lower achievement in children – new research

This blogpost is written by Dr Kinga Morsanyi, a Reader in Mathematical Cognition at the Centre for Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough University, and Professor Carlo Tomasetto, a Professor in Developmental and Educational Psychology at the Università di Bologna. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can read the original article here. Uploaded and typeset by Dr Bethany Woollacott.

Introduction

Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension and fear when dealing with numbers or performing calculations. It is a common form of academic anxiety: according to an OECD report, around 40% of students feel nervous, helpless or anxious in everyday situations involving mathematics, such as solving problems or doing maths homework.

We know that mathematics anxiety is present from the first years of primary school, and it interferes with both mathematics performance and mathematics learning. However, the origins of mathematics anxiety are less clear.

Our new research, conducted in collaboration between the universities of Bologna, Trieste and Macerata in Italy and Loughborough University in the UK, addressed the question of whether parents may play a role in the development of children’s maths anxiety.

We wanted to find out if having a parent who struggled with maths anxiety would make it more likely that their child also felt anxious when doing maths.

The influence – or not – of anxiety

We followed 126 children from Italy from the age of three until eight, assessing their maths skills and level of maths anxiety several times along the way. We also measured their parents’ mathematics anxiety at the start of the study.

We found that, actually, having a parent with higher levels of maths anxiety did not make it more likely that their children would also have maths anxiety. This is different to what research has shown about general anxiety: growing up with a parent who suffers from anxiety is linked with a higher chance of developing anxiety.

What we did find was that the children of parents with maths anxiety did less well in maths.

Throughout the preschool years, children’s early numeracy skills were lower if their parents were more anxious about maths. And children with lower maths skills in their early years still had lower maths attainment when they were eight.

These findings are surprising, as one may expect the strong influence of school education on children’s maths skills to override any parental influence.

We also found that the relationship between parental maths anxiety and children’s mathematics development was still present when parents’ level of education was taken into account. This means that children’s lower maths achievement couldn’t be explained by their parents having a lower level of educational achievement themselves.

These findings add more nuance to the broader question of how beneficial parents taking a role in their children’s maths development is.

For literacy – learning to read and write – the evidence is unanimous: parents getting involved in shared literacy activities with their children is beneficial. If parents spend more time engaging in reading books together, telling stories or talking with their children, this has a direct positive impact on children’s outcomes.

When it comes to maths, though, the picture is more mixed. Research does show that the more parents and children engage in shared maths activities, such as counting, playing board games or measuring ingredients for cooking, the more children progress in their early numeracy. But the effect is small, and individual studies may show contradictory results.

And sometimes, parents helping their children with maths may actually be linked with their children doing worse in maths. Previous research, conducted in the United States, found that when parents were anxious about maths, their children learnt less maths, and had higher maths anxiety by the end of the school year if parents were helping them with their homework.

Learning to overcome negative feelings

Our new study adds another piece to this puzzle by further showing that parents may sometimes have a negative influence on their child’s maths development, even before children go to school.

It is important to keep in mind that parental influence is just one of several factors that relate to children’s early mathematics development. Even within the same family, siblings may show big differences in their mathematics skills and confidence. Issues with mathematics may also arise due to other factors, such as dyscalculia, a mathematical learning disability.

Nevertheless, our results suggest that, all other things being equal, parents’ feelings about mathematics play a role in children’s mathematics development.

For parents concerned about their maths anxiety, it is never too late to increase your confidence in maths and to learn functional numeracy skills. You can explore adult numeracy classes or take advantage of free online resources to help boost your confidence.

You can also embrace – and help your child adopt – a growth mindset, where you recognise that making mistakes in maths is not only okay, but an important part of the learning process.

Even just speaking more positively about maths is a good start. Parents who show interest, enthusiasm and encouragement when their children engage with maths can make a big difference.

Life as a Postgrad at Loughborough: My Tips for Making the Most of It

Starting my postgraduate studies at Loughborough, studying MSc Applied Sport Performance Analysis, was definitely a step into the unknown. I’d done my undergrad somewhere else, so I wasn’t sure what to expect – new environment, new people, and a totally different routine. But I can honestly say it’s been a brilliant experience, and I’ve picked up a lot along the way that might help anyone thinking about joining the course or just starting out. Here are a few tips from my own experience.

Get to Know Your Course and the People on It

One of the things I noticed straight away is just how many different people are on the course – everyone comes from different backgrounds, and no two placements are the same. That actually turns out to be a huge positive. There’s always something new to learn from the people around you, whether it’s their previous experience, where they’ve come from, or the kind of work they’re doing now.

I’ve found it really useful to make an effort to chat to different people, even outside of group work. You’d be surprised how often someone else’s perspective will give you a new way of approaching something in your own assignment or placement.

The lecturers are also really approachable – if you’re unsure about something, or just need a bit of direction, they’re always happy to help or point you towards someone who can. We also get to hear from industry professionals and guest speakers quite regularly, which is a great way to learn how what we’re studying applies in real-life roles. One thing I’ve learned: don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s honestly one of the best ways to get more out of the course.

Balancing It All – Routine Helps

Managing your time as a postgrad is definitely a bit of a juggling act. Between uni work, placement tasks, and trying to keep up with some kind of social life, things can get a bit hectic. What’s helped me the most is having some kind of routine – it doesn’t need to be super strict, but even just planning out blocks of time across the week really helps me stay on top of things.

Some days I’ll set a morning aside for uni work, spend the afternoon on placement tasks, and then keep my evenings free to catch up with mates or just relax. Having some kind of balance like that helps keep me going – especially during the busier weeks when deadlines are all creeping up at once.

From Undergrad to Postgrad – The Step Up

Coming from a different uni, I definitely noticed the shift from undergrad to postgrad. There’s more responsibility, and with a placement involved too, managing your time becomes even more important. I found the best way to stay on track is to keep everything organised in a planner or digital calendar – deadlines, placement meetings, lectures, everything. Seeing what’s coming up each week makes it way easier to plan ahead (and avoid the panic of last-minute assignment stress).

Staying on Top of Assignments

Let’s be honest – the workload at postgrad level can build up quickly if you’re not careful. What’s worked for me is breaking assignments down into smaller bits and doing a little at a time. Even if it’s just 30 minutes here or there, it adds up and makes things way more manageable.

I also set reminders for deadlines a week or two in advance, so I’ve got time to polish things, rather than rushing everything the night before. It’s easy to fall into the “I’ll do it later” trap, but doing small chunks regularly really helps avoid that.

Find the Right Study Spots

I try to keep my workspace separate from where I relax – working in the same place I chill out just doesn’t work for me. My go-to spots on campus are the Students’ Union and the library. Both have a good vibe and help me focus without distractions.

When the weather’s good, the outdoor spaces around campus are great for a change of scenery too – perfect for reading or just taking a break. Sometimes even just moving to a new spot makes studying feel a bit less like a chore.

Final Thoughts

Postgrad life at Loughborough can be busy, but it’s also really rewarding. You’ll meet loads of new people, work in interesting environments, and learn so much – not just about your subject, but about managing your time, working with others, and preparing for life after uni.

My biggest advice is to stay curious, stay organised, and don’t be afraid to talk to people – your course mates, your lecturers, or anyone else in your network. Everyone’s here to support each other, and that sense of community really does make a difference.

From the Vice-Chancellor – June 2025

In my June newsletter: the new Research Academy, a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant for international research, two new Deans appointed, a new strategic partnership signed with Army Sport, and a new Government scheme to support safer partnerships and research. 

New venture to drive forward research and innovation

I am delighted to announce that, thanks to the generosity of Loughborough alumnus Chris Gill, we are now in a position to establish the Loughborough University Research Academy. Chris’s donation, which is the largest ever philanthropic gift to Loughborough University, will enable us to drive the transformative culture change required for the University to become a global research powerhouse. 

The Academy will allow us to create a more connected and supported research community, where those at all stages and in a variety of roles can be creative, curious and collaborative to push boundaries and deliver work with global impact. Dr Kathryn North has been appointed as the Research Academy’s inaugural Director.  

The development of the Academy is an exciting proposition and will help to position Loughborough as a vibrant and ambitious place in which to undertake research and innovation that make a real difference to the world. My thanks go to all those at the University who helped to make this a reality, including Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, colleagues in the Research and Innovation Office and the Philanthropy, Alumni and Supporter Engagement team within Marketing and Advancement. I look forward to seeing the Research Academy take shape. 

The creation of the Research Academy is one of this year’s priorities in the Research and Innovation Core Plan, which is an ambitious vision for our research and innovation endeavours. To support the delivery of the plan we have recently appointed two Associate Pro Vice-Chancellors – Professor Karen Coopman, from the School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering, and Professor Ksenia Chmutina, from the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering. Professor Chmutina will lead the areas of impact and internationalisation, and Professor Coopman will have responsibility for excellence and focus. 

I am sure you will join me in congratulating Dr North, Professor Chmutina and Professor Coopman on their appointments. 

Prestigious grant awarded for international research project

This month it was announced that Professor Thomas Tufte, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at Loughborough University London, had been awarded €2.4m in European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant funding to launch a major international research project to explore how young people across the Global South navigate uncertainty and push for change. 

The ERC Advanced Grant is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and gives world-leading researchers the freedom to pursue bold, curiosity-driven ideas that could lead to major scientific and societal breakthroughs.  

Professor Tufte leads the REACT project – ‘Reimagining Activism, Communication and Trajectories of Participation in the Global South’. Over the next five years, REACT will examine how 18- to 30-year-olds in 20 countries respond to rising inequality, unemployment and socio-economic exclusion. The project will employ more than 20 researchers across the Global South and survey 12,000 young people, with in-depth studies in five cities across Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, India, and South Africa. REACT aims to amplify youth voices, stimulate cultural exchange, and uncover pathways toward more inclusive societies.  

This prestigious award from the European Research Council is a clear recognition of the world-leading research taking place at Loughborough. Professor Tufte’s REACT project exemplifies the kind of bold, globally engaged scholarship we champion: work that addresses urgent social challenges and gives a voice to those too often overlooked, representing the ethos of our Vibrant and Inclusive Communities strategic theme.

Two new Deans appointed

Last week we announced the appointment of two new Deans, following rigorous international searches. Professor Rajkumar Roy will take up the role of Dean of the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, while Professor Moataz Attallah has been appointed as Dean of the School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering. 

Professor Roy joins Loughborough from City St George’s, University of London, where he is currently Executive Dean of the School of Science and Technology. He previously held a range of senior positions at Cranfield University, including Director of Manufacturing and Professor of Competitive Design. An internationally recognised expert in through-life engineering, Professor Roy is renowned for developing its scientific foundations. At Cranfield, he established the Centre for Design (C4D), an interdisciplinary hub uniting art-based product design, computer science, engineering, materials science, and management to develop innovative, socially impactful solutions.  

Professor Attallah is currently the Professor of Advanced Materials Processing and Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer at School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham. Professor Attallah is an internationally recognised leader in the field of advanced manufacturing, with particular expertise in additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy, and materials for extreme environments. His research group (AMPLab) has received multiple awards from DSTL and Safran Group on the research on metal 3D printing of jet engine components.  

Professor Roy will join us on 1 August and Professor Attallah will start his new role at Loughborough on 1 September. I am sure you will all join me in welcoming them both to the University. 

New partnership agreement signed with Army Sport

I was delighted to sign a new strategic partnership with Army Sport earlier this month, which will enhance high-performance sporting opportunities for Army personnel. The agreement will provide Army sport teams with access to our facilities and professional services and allow them to compete against our Loughborough teams. 

There will also be opportunities for Army Sport, and the wider Army, to leverage cutting-edge research, collaborative coach development and knowledge sharing on all aspects of high-performance leadership. The partnership will bring direct student engagement with the Army’s career opportunities. 

Multi-faceted strategic partnership agreements such as this cut across several of our strategic aims, from Sporting Excellence and Opportunity to Research and Innovation. I look forward to seeing the partnership develop and to watching the Loughborough sports teams beat their Army counterparts, of course! 

Government launches its Foreign Influence Registration Scheme

Towards the end of 2023, we launched our Safer Partnerships and Trusted Research campaign, which highlights the role all colleagues must play in ensuring we deliver the University strategy safely and responsibly.  

Tomorrow, on 1 July, the Government will bring into force the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which aims to increase the transparency of activity taking place in the UK at the instruction of a foreign state or foreign state-controlled organisation.  

This scheme is part of a suite of legislation impacting higher education and requires the University to register all activities directed by a foreign power that seek to influence political and public life in the United Kingdom, or any activities directed by foreign powers specified in the legislation. The Government has specified Iran and the Russian Federation as foreign powers. 

This means that from 1 July all new agreements, whether formal or informal, with a foreign power to carry out political influence activities in the UK, or any activities on behalf of the government or government-controlled entities of Iran or Russia, must be registered in ten calendar days. 

A Foreign Influence Registration Scheme guidance page has been created on the Safer Partnerships and Trusted Research website to support colleagues who believe they may be impacted by this legislation.  

The development of substantive partnerships with universities and institutions around the world is one of the ways in which we can grow our global influence and the impact of our work, but we need to be confident about those we collaborate with and their motivations for working with us. We cannot afford to be dismissive of national security concerns and threats to international collaboration and I’d encourage you to revisit the information on our website regularly to remind yourself what you need to consider when working with others. 

A decade in the top ten

Loughborough has been ranked 7th in the Complete University Guide 2026, marking a decade in the top ten – a feat shared only by the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, St Andrews, Durham and Imperial. Loughborough also remains the highest ranked university in the Midlands, underlining its position as one of the best universities in the country.

REF Roadshows

Throughout June, Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, led a series of REF (Research Excellence Framework) events to provide an insight into our preparations for the REF 2029 submission. If you were unable to attend but would like to know more about REF and its importance to the University, a recording is now available online.

LEN celebration evening

This month the University held its Loughborough Enterprise Network (LEN) celebration evening to recognise the achievements of students, graduates and staff, and the local business community. Congratulations to all the winners. LEN supports students and graduates (in the curriculum and through Careers Network) and staff (through LUinc. and the Research and Innovation Office) with entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialisation.

CRCC hosts international symposium 'Reactionary politics, women and feminist critique'

The Centre for Research in Communication hosted the international, two-day symposium ‘Reactionary politics, women, and feminist critique’ on May 21 and 22. It was co-organized with the Department for Media, Communications and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, and sponsored by the European Journal of Cultural Studies.

The event focused on forms of media culture that are primarily addressed to women – seeking to theorise the role of feminised popular and digital culture in a context of resurgent reactionary politics.

The keynote was given by the preeminent scholar of feminist media and cultural studies, Professor Angela McRobbie (Goldsmiths). Her talk was entitled ‘Top Girls No More? Feminism After Neoliberalism and the New Far Right’.

Jilly Kay, Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media at Loughborough, gave the opening address entitled ‘The rise of the femosphere: feminism and reactionary digital culture in nihilistic times’.

The symposium covered topics such as the tradwife phenomenon in different cultural contexts; transnational networks of trans exclusionary feminisms; anti-feminist Christian influencers; AI and far-right dystopias; and ‘divine feminine’ influencers. Papers were given by a mixture of world-leading and early career scholars based in the Czech Republic, Brazil, US, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Spain, and the UK.

Across the two days, the talks included ‘Tradwives, rage and feminism’ by Sarah Banet-Weiser (University of Pennsylvania); ‘Remediated Body and Gender: The Rise of Trans Exclusion in Self-identifying Radical Feminists in South Korea’ by Woori Han (University of Exeter); ‘“I am not a feminist”: understanding the appeal of anti-feminist influencers in the wellness space’ by Stephanie Baker (City St George’s, University of London) and Rosalind Gill (Goldsmiths, University of London); and Jazmin Duarte Sckell (Freie Universität Berlin, online): ‘Anti-feminist ideas from female influencers in Latin America’.

A number of papers were given by Loughborough University staff and students, including Iliana Depounti: ‘Media studies approach to genAI chatbots in a reactionary context: Continuities and change in female Replika users’ romancing and self-help’; Elizabeth Peel: “’Gender Debate” Discourse: Polarising, bigoted and validating’; and ‘Heteropessimism on TikTok: #BoySober and the feminised reactionary digital ecology’ by Jilly Kay, co-presented with Briony Hannell (Manchester University).

Panels were also chaired by Loughborough colleagues Surya Monro (Sociology), Victoria Browne (Philosophy), and from Communication and Media, Yuval Katz, Alex Maher, Jessica Robles, and Cara Xu.

Across the two days, there were nearly 100 online attendees and 50 in-person.

The symposium brought together scholars working on the emergent area of reactionary digital culture that is addressed to women, a topic that is currently under-theorised and yet increasingly urgent to understand. It helped to forge important new connections and develop more transnational understandings of the perplexing new political formations and alliances that are taking shape within ‘feminised’ digital culture. As such it helped to establish a potentially new field of scholarly inquiry, and ignite a new set of debates around feminism and media culture.  A journal special issue featuring many of the papers from the symposium is set to follow.

Staff Picks - June 2025

Albert, Saul; vom Lehn, Dirk (2022). Non-lexical vocalizations help novices learn joint embodied actions. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/21518139 [A study of novice learners, rather than experts, and how people sort of muddle through things, communicating with gestures, nonsense words, and it was sort of a celebration of ordinariness. Strangely affecting.]

Clarke, Benjamin; Tomlinson, Katherine; Karunakaran, Amitha; Candan, Ahranee; Slatter, Janet; Slatter, Tom; et al. (2024). The effectiveness of chalk as a friction modifier for finger pad contact with rocks of varying roughness. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/26335153 [As a rock climber, it was a pleasant surprise to come across such a research paper, and I was curious to read what the research outcomes were. Interesting read for anyone who likes to hug and haul themselves up and across rocks.]

Forrester, Derek Michael (2016). Media files for “Arrays of coupled chemical oscillators”, article published in Scientific Reports in 2015. Loughborough University. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.2060739 [The candles are rather hypnotic!]

Lee-Smith, Matthew; Wilson, Garrath (2025). A sofa in a canal. Loughborough University. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.29064128 [Just great!]

Loughborough University; Appleton, Katie (2023). Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) – Loughborough University. Loughborough University. Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/c.6455233 [This collection comprises of research material aligned to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) topics, and produced by Loughborough University academics, researchers and doctoral students]

Living, learning, and layering up – Bangkok to UK master’s adventure

Why I chose MSc Financial Mathematics

Hi! I am Kant, before coming to Loughborough, I completed my undergraduate degree in Actuarial Science and worked for a few years in the insurance industry as a data analyst. During that time, I realized I wanted to deepen my understanding of financial models and gain skills that would allow me to work internationally, especially in investment and quantitative roles. That is what led me to pursue an MSc in Financial Mathematics.

Loughborough stood out because of its strong academic reputation, supportive environment, and the chance to study in the UK, a country that balances tradition and innovation in education. It felt like the right place to grow, both professionally and personally.

Moving from Thailand to the UK – Weather differences, cultural adjustments, and food

Moving from Thailand to the UK was a big shift, especially when it came to the weather. I went from sunny, tropical days to grey skies, chilly wind, and needing to check the forecast before going anywhere. It took some time to adjust, especially during the darker winter months, but layering up and having a warm drink nearby helped.

Culturally, things felt more reserved compared to back home, but people are polite and helpful once you start engaging with them. The university environment is also very international, so I never felt out of place.

For the food, honestly, I did not really get into British food much. I found myself cooking Thai dishes almost every day. From stir-fries and curries to simple rice and omelettes, it became my daily comfort. It helped me deal with homesickness and made life feel a bit more normal. Luckily, there is an Asian supermarket in town where I could buy Thai ingredients, like jasmine rice, fish sauce, and even chili paste. That place became my go-to spot!

Learning at university – Study techniques, adjusting after working, and participating in events

Transitioning from full-time work back into student life was a challenge, but also incredibly rewarding. When you are used to 9-to-5 routines, suddenly managing your own time again can feel both freeing and overwhelming. I found it helpful to plan my weeks like I did at work—scheduling lectures, assignments, and revision blocks into my calendar. That helped keep me disciplined while still leaving room for rest and spontaneous meetups.

Loughborough offers great academic support. I regularly joined careers sessions and employer events run by the School of Science, which helped me understand how to apply my learning in real-world roles. There were also coding workshops, which were particularly useful for brushing up on Python and R—skills that are vital in this field.

4. Day-to-day life – Making friends, leisure activities, study spots, and accommodation

My day-to-day life in Loughborough strikes a good balance between study, sports, and social time. One of the highlights for me has been playing football, something I have always enjoyed. I regularly join friendly matches, and I have even taken part in friendly tournaments with other Thai societies across the UK. It is not just about football; it is also a great way to stay connected with other Thai students and feel a bit more at home.

Most of my close friends here are also Thai, and we often meet up after classes, whether it is for dinner, a short trip out of town, or just a relaxed movie night. Sometimes we go for a round of golf or simply hang out and chat. These little moments really help break up the study pressure and make everything more enjoyable.

When it comes to studying, I usually prefer staying in my room. I live off-campus, which has been a good fit for me. It is quiet, comfortable, and gives me the privacy I need to concentrate. I tend to do most of my reading and assignments there. But when I feel like a change of scene, I will sometimes head to the library or postgraduate study zones on campus, which are great when you need to focus without distractions.

5. Conclusion – Reflections on studying at Loughborough and advice for future students

Looking back, studying at Loughborough has been more than just an academic journey, it has been a year of growth, exploration, and self-discovery. I have learned technical skills that are directly useful in the finance world, but I have also learned how to adapt, connect, and thrive in a new environment.

For future students, especially those coming from abroad or returning to study after working, give yourself time. It is okay to feel overwhelmed at first. Just start build a study routine, stay curious, and make the most of the resources here. And most importantly, enjoy every moment here. Loughborough is not just a place to study, but a place to grow.

Webinars and whatnots – June 2025

Catch up on recorded webinars:

• Open Research Conversation: Open data, indigenous data sovereignty and the CARE principles
• Should Reproducibility be the Aim for Qualitative Research?

Previous months’ Webinars and whatnots:

• May 2025 – Midlands Innovation Open Research Week 2025
• April 2025
• March 2025
• February 2025
• January 2025
• December 2024
• November 2024

Day in the life with: Rich Fenn-Griffin

Join Rich Fenn-Griffin, Assistant Gardens Manager, for a day in the life as he guides us through a Bee Survey, a Woodland Walk and a tour of the Loughborough University grounds.

Timestamps:

• 0:04 Introduction
• 0:20 How I got into gardening?
• 0:43 Behind the scenes of resources
• 1:36 Bee Survey
• 4:43 Woodland Walk

Following on from our Five Minutes With series, we are launching a new feature to celebrate staff who work behind the scenes and not behind screens. This series will showcase our offline staff members roles and offer a glimpse into their working days.

If you would like to feature in a ‘Day in the life with’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

Why It’s So Hard to Measure Maths Skills in Toddlers—and Why It Matters

This blogpost is written by Dr Hanna Weiers and Professor Camilla Gilmore. Dr Hanna Weiers is a Postdoctoral Research Associate for the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning (CEML). Hanna is interested in how children begin to learn and understand mathematical concepts, and how this develops over time. Professor Camilla Gilmore is Professor of Mathematical Cognition and Director of CEML. Camilla’s research focuses on understanding how mathematical thinking develops in children and the factors that influence mathematical learning. This blogpost is edited by Dr Bethany Woollacott.

In this blog post, Hanna and Camilla draw on their recently published literature review exploring the surprising gap in our understanding of how mathematical abilities develop in very young children – specifically two-year-olds. This post reveals the practical and conceptual challenges of assessing maths skills at this age, highlights what researchers have tried so far, and offers three key takeaways for improving our understanding of early mathematics development and how to support it.

Introduction: The Missing Year in Maths Research

By the age of two, toddlers are already navigating complex ideas about their world – they can stack blocks, follow instructions, and even start to count. Yet, despite decades of research into how children learn maths, there’s a curious blind spot in the field: toddlerhood.

Why is this important? Because this is the age when foundational mathematical thinking begins to emerge. But, if researchers can’t accurately assess those early skills, we risk misunderstanding how mathematical learning emerges. This blog post unpacks why this “toddler gap” exists, what it means for developmental science, and how we might begin to close it.

Why Study Mathematics in 2-Year-Olds?

Most studies on early mathematical development either focus on infants under 12 months or preschoolers aged three and up. Two-year-olds often get left out. This is not because they’re not doing anything interesting – on the contrary – they’re right at the point where they are beginning to understand crucial concepts like quantity, comparison, and order.

So, why are toddlers often left out?

Toddlers are tricky research participants. They’re too active for baby-focused methods like eye-tracking or preferential looking, and they’re too young for the verbal instructions and task compliance needed for preschool measures.

However, as we mentioned above, understanding what mathematical knowledge looks like at age two is key to developing realistic theories of early learning; therefore, despite the challenges of testing this age group, it’s important to develop methods which can effectively assess two-year-old’s mathematical knowledge.

A Review of Existing Methods

Although the research is scarce, there have been attempts to measure two-year olds’ mathematical learning in the existing literature. Therefore, we reviewed studies which measured basic mathematics skills in two-year-olds, aiming to identify and evaluate which tasks have been used. In the following, we highlight some of the methods we found in our review:

1. Non-symbolic tasks, e.g., comparing which group has more dots.

Such tasks are often too language-dependent. For example, toddlers might not understand the word “more,” leading to misleading results.

2. Counting tasks, e.g., reciting numbers or counting objects.

If toddlers fail on these tasks it is difficult to infer whether this is a competence or performance issue, i.e., does the toddler lack key mathematical knowledge or are they just reluctant or unable to demonstrate it?

3. Cardinality and one-to-one correspondence tasks, e.g., producing or naming sets.

For these tasks, we found evidence of the jingle-jangle fallacy: researchers may use the same task to measure different constructs or different tasks to measure the same construct. For example, asking children to count objects is used by some researchers to assess counting skills, but by others to assess one-to-one correspondence. On the other hand, cardinality understanding may be assessed by either a task in which children create a set of items or by a task in which children select which of two cards have a certain number of items, yet these are likely to draw on different types of understanding and skills.

4. Spontaneous focusing tasks, e.g., do toddlers spontaneously pay attention to numbers and quantities without being prompted to do so?

A challenge with these tasks is capturing spontaneous behaviour and attention to numerosity rather than numerical skill.

5. Arithmetic tasks, e.g., adding or taking away objects from a set.

These have not been used very much with this age group because toddlers are still at the very early stages of development. Some tasks are too language heavy, and others are similar to tasks measuring one-to-one correspondence and cardinality (Bullet point 3. above).

6. Standardised tests, e.g., broader cognitive assessments with specific mathematics items.

These aren’t often tailored to this age and are unable to provide sensitive measures of numerical understanding.

Overall, although most of these methods work well for older children, we found that they just don’t translate to two-year-olds. Their motor skills, attention span, and language abilities are still developing – and that affects how they perform on tasks, regardless of their actual mathematical thinking.

Conclusion: We Need Better Tools

Our review makes one thing clear: there are limited tools available for measuring mathematical skills in toddlers. Current tasks may either oversimplify and miss what’s happening, or they demand too much and misrepresent children’s abilities. If we want to truly understand how mathematical thinking begins, we need tools designed for toddlers, not adapted from other age groups.

Our current work aims to address this gap, we have developed new interactive activities to assess children’s early conceptions of number and are using these in studies with two-year-olds.

Three Key Takeaways

1. Task Failure Isn’t Always a Skill Failure

A toddler who fails to pick the larger dot array in a non-symbolic task (Bullet point 1 above) might not misunderstand quantity – they might just not know the word “more.” Separating performance issues from true conceptual gaps is essential.

So, failure at a task doesn’t always mean failure of understanding – it might just be a failure of communication or attention.

2. We Must Design Toddler-Friendly Tasks

Too many tasks assume attention spans or verbal comprehension beyond what’s realistic for two-year-olds. More reliable insights might be offered by new approaches which are play-based, interactive and use engaging methods.

We shouldn’t just scale down tasks from older age groups – we need to reimagine them entirely for toddlers.

3. Early Measurement Matters for Early Support

If we can better identify emerging numerical understanding at age two, we could better support children before they fall behind. That means earlier intervention, better learning environments, and more equitable outcomes in the long-term.

Writing Wales Back In: The Role of Welsh Women in the Suffrage Movement

By Megan Davies

I’ve just completed my final year as a BA History student at Loughborough University. This September, I’ll be moving to London to begin a Law conversion course, building on the analytical, research, and communication skills I’ve developed over the past three years. My time at Loughborough has been an incredible and formative experience, and I will miss it dearly.

‘Welsh Suffragettes at the Coronation Procession’, 1911.

Photograph courtesy of the London Museum. Printed ephemera collection, Object ID: 2003.46/44. Online: Welsh Suffragettes at the Coronation Procession | London Museum

When the time came to choose a dissertation topic, I knew mine had to be rooted in my Welsh identity. With the dissertation spanning the entire final year of my degree, I wanted a project that I could both take pride in and remain genuinely invested in throughout. Exploring a subject that combined my passion for Welsh history and women’s political advancement felt like a perfect fit.

The Welsh nation is renowned for its red dragons, powerful singing traditions, confusing language and rugby prowess (although not so much recently). But the heart of these cultural landmarks is passion. The ‘land of my fathers’ is a small but proud nation, mighty in spirit and heart, making it truly unique. From the final Welsh rebellion against English rule led by the last native Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr, in 1415, to modern devolution efforts, Wales has long expressed itself through a strong sense of national identity that has shaped its cultural and political landscapes.

Yet, despite this distinctiveness, Wales has often been overlooked, overshadowed, and absorbed into dominant English narratives. British history tends overwhelmingly to concentrate on England, meaning the distinctiveness of Welsh history is left out. This has helped create the mistaken idea that ‘England’ and ‘Britain’ are the same. This has especially been the case regarding the contribution of Welsh women to the suffrage movement.

The problem here is threefold. First, histories of suffrage in Britain overwhelmingly focus on England. Second, when Wales does feature, the discussion tends to be limited to southern urban centres like Cardiff or Swansea, which are typically regarded as more anglicised. And third, the voices and experiences of smaller industrial towns, which make up a significant portion of Wales, are largely ignored. These gaps lead to a limited understanding of how Welsh culture, class, and identity shaped suffrage activity.

Take, for example, the difference between Cardiff and my hometown, Merthyr Tydfil. Both played important roles in the Welsh Suffrage Movement, yet their approaches and motivations were shaped by distinct local contexts.

Merthyr Tydfil has been characterised by its industrial landscape for centuries, at its peak during the Industrial Revolution, becoming known as the iron capital of Wales. Political activism in Merthyr often intersected with labour struggles, and my archival research found that suffrage efforts aligned closely with working-class causes. As a result, campaigns were largely grassroots, with a noticeable amount of cooperation between men and women, whilst also being tied to broader demands for workers’ rights.

Cardiff, on the other hand, was wealthier and home to a significant affluent population. While it maintained a strong working-class population, Cardiff’s suffrage movement was more often led by upper-class women, for upper-class women. Aims included professional mobility and access to political spaces traditionally reserved for men within their class, rather than a drive for universal suffrage. Campaigns in Cardiff were shaped by different priorities, focusing less on female political advancement and more on professional mobility for the upper class.

Despite regional differences, patriotism served as a unifying force among suffragists across Wales. Welsh women often utilised national identity in their activism, using symbols of Welsh culture to strengthen their message. This highlights the intersection of politics and national pride. No matter where they were in Wales, women rallied together under Welsh iconography.

One particularly relevant example of this was the use of traditional Welsh dress in public demonstrations, as seen in the image accompanying this blog. With origins in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the dress featured a tall hat, shawl, and striped flannel petticoat, becoming a symbol of Welsh identity. It was frequently worn by suffrage campaigners to blend heritage with modernity, linking the struggle for women’s rights to Welsh nationalism. Today, the same dress continues to be worn across the country on Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant (or Saint David’s Day), a testament to its lasting cultural significance.

My dissertation sought to challenge the marginalisation of Wales within British history by centring Wales and particularly Welsh women in the narrative. In doing so, I aimed to underscore the significance of regional context in historical scholarship and to highlight the ongoing need to resist the Anglicisation of British history. Welshness was a defining force in shaping the Welsh suffrage movement in spite of class and geographical differences, and therefore warrants examination both in its own right and within wider historical, regional, and political frameworks.

To find out more, I recommend:

Listen:

• BBC Radio Wales. The People of Wales. Programme 13: To Hell and Back. 1999. Audio, 3:07. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/welsh-history-and-its-sources/content-section-3.12.2

Read:

• Beddoe, Deirdre. The Text of the Eighteenth Annual Lecture of the Welsh Political Archive at the National Library of Wales. Lecture, Y Drwm, National Library of Wales, November 5, 2004. https://www.library.wales/fileadmin/docs_gwefan/new_structure/catalogues/about_our_collections/archives/welsh_pol_archive/lecture/dar_awg_deirdre_beddoe_2004.pdf
• Jenkins, Beth. “Suffrage Organizers, Grassroots Activism and the Campaign in Wales.” In The Politics of Women’s Suffrage, edited by Alexandra Hughes-Johnson and Lyndsey Jenkins. London: University of London Press, 2021. https://read.uolpress.co.uk/read/the-politics-of-women-s-suffrage/section/18654636-2cc7-4e8d-baf2-d66326fbb000#book-part-005.
• Smith, Joanne. “From Suffrage to Citizenship: The Cardiff and District Women Citizens Association in Comparative Perspective, 1921–1939.” Llafur 11, no. 4 (2015): 26–41 https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/615935/   
• Wales. “Welsh National Dress.” Last modified December 20, 2022. https://www.wales.com/about/history-and-heritage/welsh-traditions-myths-and-legends/welsh-national-dress.

June Copyright Reads

Grab your favourite iced latte and settle in, because it’s time for our “June Copyright Reads”! This month, we’re serving up a fresh batch of the most intriguing, mind-bending, and occasionally hilarious developments from the copyright universe.

If you thought intellectual property was just stuffy old textbooks, think again! With AI shaking up everything from how books get written to whether a President can boss around the Copyright Office (spoiler: it’s complicated!), this isn’t your grandma’s legal roundup. So, whether you’re a seasoned legal eagle, a budding creative, or just someone who enjoys a good head-scratcher with their summer reading, get ready to dive into the cases, controversies, and clever solutions shaping the future of creativity. Let’s dig in!

Secondary Publishing Rights Adopted in Slovenian Legislation

Perlmutter v. Trump: Does the President Control the Copyright Office?

Understanding CC Licenses and AI Training: A Legal Primer

How an AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers

Readers Annoyed When Fantasy Novel Accidentally Leaves AI Prompt in Published Version, Showing Request to Copy Another Writer’s Style

Anthropic’s new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline

EUIPO releases study on generative artificial intelligence and copyright

Cross-Border Enforcement of Copyright: A Special Emphasis on Court Decisions and Arbitral Awards

Realising potential, supporting users: IFLA Statement on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

Will the Humanities Survive Artificial Intelligence?

Midlands Innovation Open Research Week Recordings

New species of dinosaur discovered that ‘rewrites’ T.rex family tree

Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement

Is India’s Copyright Act Ready for AI-Related Challenges?

London AI firm says Getty copyright case poses ‘overt threat’ to industry

Copyright and Generative AI

Trump’s war on knowledge requires re-inventing academic publishing as diamond open access

Share your views about AI and digital cultural heritage

Google Wins Copyright Dismissal in Textbook Piracy Case

Taylor Swift buys back the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums

Ford Mustang ‘Eleanor’ from Gone in 60 Seconds Can’t Be Copyrighted

How much information do LLMs really memorize? Now we know, thanks to Meta, Google, Nvidia and Cornell

How AI and copyright turned into a political nightmare for Labour

Future Knowledge – Podcasts

It’s too expensive to fight every AI copyright battle, Getty CEO says

AI’s Napster Moment May Be Next

Barbie-maker Mattel partners with OpenAI to make AI child’s play

As the days stretch longer and the sun shines brighter, we hope these reads spark some interesting conversations. Happy summer holidays, and may your break be filled with inspiring ideas and well-deserved relaxation!

Stay cool, Copycats!

This Week at Loughborough | 23 Jun

General

MSc Supply Chain Management Discovery Day

23 June, 2pm-5pm, Loughborough Business School BE.0.63

Receive a comprehensive overview of the MSc Supply Chain Management programme, explore its unique features, and engage with experts from both Loughborough University and MIT.

The Pendulum Is Always Going to Swing (exhibition)

27-28 June, Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Fine Art Gallery

In her debut solo exhibition, Lily Rees explores the layered temporality of artmaking: how textiles, images, and materials act as vessels of memory and presence.

Thriving in Loughborough over the summer

As lectures end, friends disperse and campus quietens down, summer in Loughborough can feel lonely. But those warm, slower paced weeks can also be a time for growth and reconnecting with yourself. Here’s how to make the most of it!

Prioritise your wellbeing

Loughborough University’s Student Services run self-care and wellbeing sessions over the summer. Whether you’re facing sleepless nights, low motivation or loneliness, these sessions offer practical tools and quick chats with wellbeing advisers.

• Self-compassion and Care: 25 June, 9.30am (Online)
• Lifting Mood and Motivation: 25 June and 23 July, 2.30pm (Online)
• Challenging Imposter Syndrome: 1 July, 9.30am (Graduate House, Training Room)
• Self Care Workshop: 9 July, 10.30am (Bridgeman Building, BRI 2.12)
• Managing Anxiety: 22 July, 2.30pm (Bridgeman Building, BRI 2.12)
• Weekly Wellbeing Drop‑ins on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at 10am-12pm at Bridgeman Building.

Stay connected

Loneliness doesn’t always mean being alone, it’s feeling disconnected. You can combat this it by:

• Staying in touch with friends and family regularly.
• Joining one of the gyms on campus: Holywell or Powerbase.
• Using social media to find creative ways to connect with others or start new hobbies, such as colouring, running, crocheting and painting.

Find inspiration and fill your days

Simple daily summer habits can boost your mood and add structure to your time.

• Journaling: reflect on your year and set goals for the year to come.
• Social media is a great way to find things to do by yourself.

Explore locally

Some of the top spots in and around Loughborough to explore over summer are listed below:

Cafés and coffee shops:

• Baobab Café is a vegan‑friendly, cosy café in the centre of Loughborough, perfect for writing journals or scrolling on TikTok.
• Bom Bom Patisserie is known for their delicious cookies and friendly study spaces.
• Public and Plants is a coffee shop and bakery in town with aesthetic interiors.

Nature and outdoor spaces:

• Queens Park is ideal for solo reading, picnics and people watching.
• Beacon Hill Country Park is close by for trails, picnic areas and stunning views on clear days.
• The Outwoods and Jubilee Wood offers peaceful forest walks, bird‑song, and fresh air just behind the campus.
• The Paddock is our largest grassy area on campus, where you can turn up anytime to chill out.

Tips for your mental health

1. Create a light weekly schedule, such as going to a wellbeing event, an outdoor space and coffee shop.
2. Keep digital social routines – share TikToks, memes and chat with friends.
3. Balance indoor and outdoor time, aiming for fresh air daily.
4. Set small creative goals, such as watch a nature video then reflect in a journal.
5. Reach out when needed: use drop‑ins or wellbeing resources if you’re struggling

Staying on campus this summer doesn’t have to mean feeling stuck. With a bit of daily structure, creativity, and connection, you can build a fulfilling summer.

Kicking Off a Career in Sport: Vipul Londhe’s Journey to 30 Under 30

Vipul Londhe, a 2023 Loughborough London alumni in Sport Marketing, has been recognised in the International Sports Convention (ISC) 30 Under Thirty Awards for his work and contribution to the sports industry. He shares insights into his journey, challenges, and what success means to him today.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the sports industry, and how has your journey evolved?

Growing up in India, cricket wasn’t just a sport—it was part of our cultural fabric. Like many kids, I dreamed of playing professionally. But in the early 2000s, football began to gain serious traction in India. What started as a passing interest quickly became a deep passion. I played, I coached, and I immersed myself in the game. Eventually, I realised that while I might not make it as a professional athlete, there was a whole world off the pitch that fascinated me just as much.

How did your time at Loughborough London help prepare you for a career in the sports industry?

A major milestone was moving to the UK to pursue my master’s at Loughborough University London. It was a dream come true and gave me the academic foundation and industry exposure I needed. Since then, I’ve worked in sports marketing agencies, led commercial operations for a women’s football club, and now head partnerships and sales at Lucid.

What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?

Breaking into the sports industry is challenging enough—but doing it internationally adds another layer of complexity. One of the biggest hurdles I faced was the lack of transparency. There’s no clear playbook for how to get your foot in the door, especially in a market like the UK where networks and insider knowledge often matter more than qualifications.

Mentorship was also a game-changer. I actively sought out people who could offer not just contacts, but real guidance—people who could challenge my thinking and help me grow.

What does this recognition represent for you on a personal level, especially considering the risks and sacrifices you’ve made along the way?

On a personal level, it’s incredibly meaningful. I come from a background where academic achievement was prioritised, but taking risks wasn’t always encouraged. Choosing to leave that comfort zone, move to a new country, and pursue a dream without a safety net was a huge leap. There were sacrifices—being away from family and friends, facing uncertainty—but I stayed focused on the bigger picture.

Professionally, the impact has been transformative. It’s opened doors, expanded my network, and brought me into conversations I once only dreamed of. It’s also given me a platform to influence how sport is marketed, monetised, and experienced. More than anything, it’s a reminder that consistency, purpose, and integrity do pay off—even if the results take time to show.

How does mentorship and community-building fit into your vision for the future of the industry?

Outside of my day job, Future in Sports remains a big part of my mission. I want to continue mentoring and supporting professionals trying to break into the UK sports industry. Having walked that path myself, I know how isolating and confusing it can be. Through mentorship, insights, and community-building, we’re making that journey more accessible for the next generation.

Ultimately, my ambition is twofold: to lead with impact and to leave the industry better than I found it. I don’t just want to be part of the game—I want to help change it.

A big congratulations to Vipul for his achievement!

To learn more about Vipul’s experience at Loughborough University London, you can read his alumni profile here.

Popcorn and Permissions: Understanding Film Licensing for UK Higher Education Screenings

Setting the scene

Have you ever wanted to screen a film on campus? Did you watch a very good documentary and want to share it with a wider audience? Are you part of a film club at the University and want to set up film festivals? You have come to the right place. Continue reading to make sure that you are on the right side of the law.

The Basics of Copyright for Films

Copyright applies automatically in the UK to any type of original work, if it is created by a “natural person”. There is no need for registering works. Copyright is part of the Intellectual Property family, together with trademarks, design rights, patents, etc. Think of it this way, copyright protects anything from a long novel, a small watercolour, a list, a recording of a song and most importantly films, or even a broadcast of a football match.

Copyright owners have exclusive right to prevent or allow others from:

• Copying the work;
• Distributing the work, whether free or for sale;
• Renting or lending the work;
• Performing or showing the work in public;
• Making and adaptation;
• Putting it on the internet.

Let’s have a closer look at films and how copyright applies to them. Films are a recording of a story or event, captured by using different devices, phones, tablets or cameras. If we dig even deeper, we can define film as a series of moving pictures, which are set in a sequence, and tells a story.

They also tend to be a bit more complicated due to their nature of having multiple different types within. Let me explain what I mean. A film may include a soundtrack, which can be protected as a separate work due to it existing as a separate sound recording.  

The film will need to exist as a recording to be eligible for copyright protection. For example, a sequence of moving images generated by a computer which are not fixed as a recording will not benefit from copyright protection.

Other copyrights which subsist in films are the rights of performers, both actors as well as musicians.

Now let’s move on and see who the authors of a film are. Again, due to the nature of films, there can be multiple authors:

• Musical score (soundtrack) would be the composers. If the music has lyrics then the author of those lyrics would be sometimes the same ones composing the music, or someone else entirely;
• We have the screenplay writers, who own rights to the screenplay and dialogue;
• The designers of the set, costumes and other visual aspects of the film;
• And the performers, again the actors and musicians, will have their own rights.

However, in general terms, the author of the film, will be either the director or producer of the film.

Why You Can’t Just Show Any Film, Anywhere

As previously mentioned, the copyright owner is the one who allows the performing or showing of a film to the public, distribution and lending. Yes, University staff and students are the public. There are differences between the types of screenings.

Public vs Private Screenings

Showing a movie to the public, which includes University staff and students, is considered copyright infringement, unless the relevant rights and licences have been acquired. However, if you wish to watch a film with your friends in the dorm, that is another matter altogether. That is considered a private screening, and the only license you will require is a TV licence.

The “For Profit” vs. “Non-Profit” Misconception

Many people think that even if they do not charge for entrance, they can screen a film. That is not correct. If you screen a movie, you will need a licence. If you decide to charge for the tickets, you might need a premise licence, but not always. Now, that we know that let’s have a look at film licensing.

The Key to Legal Screenings: Film Licensing

A film licence is pretty much what it says, it is a licence that allows the legal screening of a film. It is basically a permission given by the copyright owner to screen the film in public, while paying a fee.

Licensing films for non-theatrical screenings (which is what we do at the University), can be difficult and complicated at times. However, most films are available through three major film distributors:

• British Film Institute (BFI) – releases new independent or classical re-releases of films in the UK.
• FilmbankMedia – they have both independent films as well as Hollywood blockbusters, they offer options for licensing to help choose the right one.
  • Single Title Screening – as the name suggests, it is issued on a title-by-title basis and allows you to screen films from Filmbank’s catalogue.
  • Public Video Screening Licence (PVSL) – is an annual licence for premises where films will be shown regularly to a non-paying audience for background / ambient use. You can screen an unlimited number of films from PVSL participating studios and distributors.
• Motion Picture Licensing Company (MPLC) – same as FilmbankMedia, offer a range of films from major studios.
  • Single Title MPLC Movie Licence – as the name suggests, it is issued on a title-by-title basis and allows you to screen films from MPLC catalogue, in either commercial (paid audience) or non-commercial (free of charge) environments, using your own DVD or download file purchased from any legitimate outlet.
  • MPLC Blanket Licence – another annual licence which covers unlimited showings of films throughout the year from the producers, film studios and distributors that MPLC represent. Please be aware that London Campus currently holds a MPLC Blanket Licence. Only films distributed by MPLC can be shown on London Campus, for other films you will need to get separate permissions and licences.

Other film distributors

Sometimes, the film you want to screen will not be available from the above distributors, in cases such as those, you will need to contact the distributor directly and negotiate a licence or request permission to screen. Please be aware that there will be most likely a fee to be paid.

Remember: even if a film is available to buy or rent for home use, it doesn’t necessarily mean public screening rights are available, as the rights holders may only hold home entertainment, not public screening rights. Clearing rights for public screenings can sometimes be a complex procedure, involving liaising directly with a film’s producer or international sales agent. This is also true for universities and educational use, which we will discuss soon.

Licensing for music in films

Another licence which you need to make sure you have when screening films, is a licence to screen films which contain music. For information, contact the venue in which you want to screen your film.

Films from streaming platforms

There is a misconception circulating that because the content is available, and someone pays for a subscription, we can show it to the public or claim educational use. This is incorrect. These services, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video etc. are subscriptions which offer home entertainment only and not non-theatrical screening.

Non-original content streamed by these platforms, may potentially be found distributed by either FilmbankMedia or MPLC, and independent features on the platforms could be potentially available to book directly from the independent distributors or producers.  

However, films and shows created by Netflix or Amazon etc. are generally exclusive to the platform, although some Netflix original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings. If you decide that you would like to show an original film made by a subscription platform, you might need to get in contact with them and request permission. Please be advised that most likely there will be a licence fee involved.

Showing TV broadcasts that include film

Back in 2016, the law changed a little bit. Now, some of the companies that give permission for showing films in public think that if you want to show regular TV (like your normal shows or even movies that are on TV) to other people outside your home, you might need extra permission called a “broadcast” license. This would be on top of your regular TV license.

It’s a bit like needing a special ticket just for showing TV in public, even if you already have a ticket to watch it at home.

If you’re not sure what you need, the best thing to do is ask the copyright holders, or the TV channel itself for permission. They can tell you exactly what you need to be allowed to show their material to other people. For more information, please see the Intellectual Property Office website.

Screening films online

If you want to stream a film online—whether through your own website or a third-party platform—you must obtain permission from the copyright holder. This type of streaming is not covered by standard home viewing rights.

Contact the relevant film distributor for permission, as well as to supply you with a hi-res digital file and any subtitles to screen from.

Teaching and Educational Purposes

When it comes to showing films for educational purposes, ie. as part of the coursework and module. This type of screening movie will fall under a few exceptions to copyright:

• Illustration for instruction (Section 32) – you can show a film or other video to your students for the purposes of illustration of instruction, the use needs to be fair and sufficient acknowledgement needs to be done.
• Educational performance (Section 34) – showing a film to students and staff of the University as part of their coursework and for purposes of instruction is not a public performance and is not considered infringement. However, this exception is restricted to students and staff at the University and only during normal teaching sessions.
• Recording of broadcasts (Section 35) – this section allows you (within the educational establishment) to record TV and radio broadcasts and make them available to students. You can also use Box of Broadcasts online (sign in required) for this purpose.  

For more information on using Audiovisual works in film education, please see Learning On Screen’s Code of Fair Practice. It has a vast array of information and case studies. There are also great resources and curated playlists.

Issues and Challenges with Film Licensing in Higher Education

Any screening outside of regular teaching will require a license which raises a few issues:

• Cost – licences can be prohibitive;
• Complexity – navigating the different bodies and different licensing types can be difficult;
• Timing – getting a licence can take time;
• Limited availability – not all films are available for non-theatrical screening;
• Understanding of the terms – the licence is very specific, so always read the terms and conditions carefully to make sure the licence does what you want it to do.

Top tips for getting it right

1. Plan ahead – I guess this one is pretty on the nose, but it has to be said. If you decide to screen a movie last minute, you might find yourself struggling. Always make sure you give yourself at least a few months, especially if the film you wish to screen is an independent film which might not be distributed in the UK for whatever reason and you require extensive permission seeking as well as licensing payments.
2. Identify the purpose of the screening – what is the reason for your screening? If you want to charge for tickets, that will determine what licence you can get. Be clear on your purpose.
3. Contact the right licensing body – while there are 3 main distributors in the UK, there are smaller distributors of films so make sure you check who distributes your film before you get a licence.
4. Keep records – Get and keep permission in writing. This will minimise any potential issues with rights holders. It is also needed as Room Bookings will ask to see permissions or licenses. This is to minimise any copyright infringement.
5. Seek advice – if you are unsure, contact your friendly copyright officer.

Conclusion: Screening films responsibly

As you can see screening films (outside of regular teaching hours) can be a bit of a minefield of permission seeking and licensing. However, with the right tools, great planning, and a healthy budget it can be done.

We wish you all enjoyable viewing!

Museums, Modules and Micro-Internships: My Life as a Master’s Student in London

What do you wish you knew before moving to London as a master’s student?

Although the transport system in London is very efficient, it runs on a strict timetable. If you’re not at your stop on time, you risk missing your bus or train. Transport for London (TfL) regularly carries out maintenance work, which can lead to partial closures, delays, or route changes on the Tube, Overground, and even buses. If you don’t check ahead, you might find yourself stranded or rerouted unexpectedly. Always check TfL status updates or use the TfL Go app before leaving, especially for early morning or late-night journeys.

What are 5 essential items you need to pack when you move to London? And are there any items you wish you had not packed?

Five essential items to pack when moving to London are:

1. Local food items (if allowed): Pack a few familiar food items, as they may be hard to find and, even when available, can be expensive.
2. Comfy shoes: You’ll need comfortable shoes for everyday commuting. A big part of London’s transport system involves walking.
3. USB charger cables: Most buses and trains have charging ports, but many only support USB-A. If you don’t have one, make sure to get one.
4. Thick clothing: It gets really cold, especially in winter. A hoodie, jacket, and gloves are essential travel items.
5. An item that reminds you of home: Whether it’s a photo, scrapbook, old journal, or anything sentimental, it can help ease the transition to a new environment.

I wish I hadn’t packed so many fashion items, as I quickly adapted to London’s style, which is largely influenced by the weather. Carrying all those extra clothes just became unnecessary baggage.

What are your favourite weekend activities to do in London as a master’s student?

I love visiting the museums, mostly because they are historic and free to enter. I also enjoy exploring different restaurants to try new meals from various cultures.

What has been your favourite part of your course/academic year so far?

The best part of my course is how the modules are structured into blocks, which makes it easier to engage with one module at a time. I also appreciate how the assessments are designed in a very practical way.

What kind of academic support is available at the University?

At the University, you’re assigned a personal tutor who can guide you with any academic concerns. You can also access support for writing, referencing, or research by booking sessions with the academic librarians.

How can Future Space help with your employability?

Future Space can help with your employability by offering micro-internships, job fairs, and opportunities to work on real-world challenges through collaborative projects. They also post opportunities and professional events on the Handshake app.

A big thank you to our student ambassador Onisotoyin Oba for writing this blog!

Navigating life as a new parent

Image: Courtesy of Getty Images

The early months after welcoming a baby can be an emotional time and you may experience a wide range of feelings from joy and pride to sadness and frustration.

Many parents and carers find it hard to talk about difficult feelings after having a baby because they feel under pressure to be happy.

Remember that you’re not alone if you are feeling low. According to the NHS, more than 1 in 10 mothers experience post-natal depression. It can also affect fathers and partners.

Looking after yourself

Making sure you take time for yourself is important. Make use of your support network and spend some time doing activities that you find relaxing and enjoyable whether that’s popping out to meet a friend for coffee, reading a book or taking a short walk outdoors.

It’s also important to try and sleep whenever you can. When your baby is finally napping, catch up on some sleep or even simply rest your eyes.

Abbie Loney, Assistant Head of Future Students & Marketing Operations (Market Insight) at the University and Co-Chair of the Working Parents and Carers Network, shared her thoughts on becoming a new parent: “The new baby stage can be all-consuming, and it can be easy to lose yourself. For me, having my work has been crucial to having an identity outside of being a mum. Having something for yourself, be that through work, hobbies or other friendship groups is really important.”

Staying connected

Parenthood can feel isolating, especially in the early days. Reaching out to other parents, joining a support group, or simply texting a friend can make a big difference. Sharing the highs and lows with others helps normalise the experience and builds a sense of community.

Support groups at the University and in the local area include:

• Working Parents and Carers Staff Network – a supportive community for working parents and carers at the University.
• Family Help – a service at Leicestershire County Council which provides help when you are experiencing difficulties that can’t be supported by other services alone, such as schools or GPs.
• Home-Start – a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support to help families with young children through challenging times.

Abbie shared her experience with support groups: “A lot of people suggested I go to baby groups and meet other new mums as they can be brilliant support networks and social opportunities for you and your child. Lots of people I know had this experience. Perhaps I didn’t find my tribe at the ones I sampled but that didn’t really work for me.

“It’s only in more recent years that I feel able to say that aloud, I felt it was an expectation that all new mums should enjoy the baby groups so there must be something odd about me if I don’t. My advice would be to try things but if they don’t work for you, accept it and do things that you know make you feel good.”

Further help and support

If you are worried about the way you are feeling, please talk to your midwife, health visitor or doctor. They will point you in the right direction for all the support that you need, without judgment.

Abbie reflected: “So many people say ‘enjoy every moment… soak it up…. they grow up so quickly….’ and all of that is very true and good advice. On the flip side, it can make you feel like you are getting it wrong or that you’re not having the motherhood experience that others do when things are tough.

“The reality is that there will be moments, sometimes days, where you are not enjoying things, even though you love your children without question. As well as being joyful, parenting can be hard and it’s okay to feel that.”

You can find more advice and tips online for coping with emotional changes, stress and anxiety when caring for a baby:

• NHS: Start for Life
• NSPCC: Support for parents
• Dad Pad
• Mental health before, during and after pregnancy
• Looking after your mental health for dads and partners
• Information and support for parents affected by perinatal mental illness
• Mental health and pregnancy
• Services and support for parents

Keep an eye on our events page for upcoming wellbeing webinars. The next webinar on the topic of ‘Embracing Life as a New Parent’ will take place on 9 July 2025.

This Week at Loughborough | 16 June

General

Creative Health Series: Draw with Nature

18 June 2025, 12pm – 2pm, Martin Hall

Come and immerse yourselves in a mindful workshop and get hands on with natural materials. You can explore botanical drawings using a variety of materials and inks made by natural dyes. You will also get introduced to modifiers on natural dyed textiles to expand colour palette. No prior experience is necessary, and all materials are provided.

Wellness Wednesdays Student Drop-in

18 June 2025, 2pm – 5pm, University Chaplaincy

Join the Chaplaincy team this exam period for Wellness Wednesdays, a study free zone where students can take time to pause and care for their wellbeing. A range of activities will be available including mindful colouring, jigsaws and games. You can also bring your favourite book to read or simply come for some conversation and a break.

School of Design and Creative Arts Degree Show 2025

16 – 18 June 2025, 10am – 5pm, Various Locations

Students from the School of Design and Creative Arts (SDCA) will showcase their final projects in a physical exhibition on campus from 14-18 June. The Degree Show promises to be a fantastic showcase of the hard work, innovation, and creativity of our graduating students.

Refugee Week Screening: A short film

19 June 2025, 5pm, Martin Hall

Come along for a screening of short films to commemorate the theme of Refugee Week 2025: ‘Community as a Superpower’. From emergency responders in El Salvador to the healing comfort of familiar tastes and smells, these short films celebrate the many ways we build and sustain community in the face of displacement and adversity.

Summer Showcase for Doctoral Researchers

20 June 2025, 9:30am – 4pm, West Park Teaching Hub

This event, organised by Enhanced Academic Practice (Organisational Development) on behalf of the Doctoral College, brings together doctoral researchers from across Loughborough University to share their work and connect in a vibrant and supportive environment.

REACH African Caribbean Celebratory Event 2025

20 June 2025, 4pm – 10pm, Village Bar

Loughborough University’s REACH Staff Network warmly invites students, staff, family, friends, and the wider community to help celebrate their third African/Caribbean event. Come along to the Village Bar, where you will be treated to delicious and authentic African and Caribbean food and drink, and entertainment.

Tourism as Memory-Making: Russian Tourism in the Shadow of Empire: new book by Alena Pfoser

CRCC member Alena Pfoser has recently published a book entitled “Tourism as Memory-Making: Russian Tourism in the Shadow of Empire” in Palgrave Macmillan’s Memory Studies Series. This Open Access book provides the first investigation of the cultural politics of Russian tourism to cities that used to be part of the Soviet Union and the Russian empire and are now located in the independent nation-states neighbouring Russia. Until recently these cities used to be among Russians favourite destinations –because of their geographical proximity as well as personal and family connections and a general cultural familiarity due to a shared history and set of cultural references. At the same time, the political, economic and social changes since the break-up of the Soviet Union have unsettled Russians’ relations to these places that once were considered part of their own land. Histories of repression, deportations and other forms of political violence have publicly resurfaced. The material heritage has been reshaped to emphasise national victimhood alongside the ancient roots of the nation and new national heroes. Moreover, cities have been integrated into global tourism markets, expanding their visitor base to tourists from other parts of the world.

The book explores these post-imperial tensions through a focus on the production and contestation of cultural memories in guided city tours and in tourists’ perceptions. It asks: What cultural memories are co-produced in direct encounters between tour guides and tourists? How do Russian tourists relate to destinations through their memory practices?  What consequences does memory-making in tourism has for identities and international relations in the post-Soviet region? The book is based on comparative ethnographic research in three cities, Tallinn, Kyiv and Almaty in summer 2019 and additional interview research in 2020 and 2021. Funded by an ESRC New Investigator Grant (2019-2022), Alena and her project team mapped the tourism offer in these cities, observed guided walking tours, spoke to tour guides and tourism managers and interviewed tourists.

The book also uses the case of Russian tourism to develop a new conceptual approach for studying tourism memories. Despite the significance of tourism for producing cultural memories, tourism has been largely disregarded within the field of memory studies. The limited consideration of tourism in memory scholarship is not only reflected in the number of contributions on the topic but also in a thematic and conceptual limitation of existing work. Specifically, a narrow focus on (difficult) heritage sites, ‘commodification anxiety’ (Macdonald, 2013) and a conception of tourists as either consumers or learners has limited the area of inquiry. Against this backdrop, this book provides a novel conceptual framework for memory-making in tourism based on four propositions: 1) an emphasis on memory-making as a process, 2) a transnational approach that situates memory-making in a wider political context, 3) a consideration of the diverse cultural forms that memory-making takes, 4) a focus on the (geo)political implications of memory-making in tourism.

Based on the analysis of guided walking tours and tourist interviews, the book provides a detailed analysis of three modes of remembering that it identifies as dominant ways of relating to the past in Russian tourism: imperial nostalgia, the production and consumption of national pasts and memory diplomacy.

While there was no nostalgia industry targeting Russian tourists in any of the cities, tour guides regularly buttressed nostalgia by mobilising shared cultural frameworks and histories. For many tourists encounters with post-Soviet cities and their heritage stimulated nostalgic reflections, even though the book reveals significant differences and ways of relating to locals in tourists’ nostalgic memories. Alongside imperial nostalgia, national(ised) pasts – in the form of ancient and medieval heritage, culinary heritage and more recent post-Soviet pasts – also play an important role in Russian tourism. In contrast to antagonistic national memories that have marked a difference to Russia and the Soviet pasts, national pasts in tourism are largely removed of contentious issues, focusing on distant pasts or on positive moments such as diversity and progress, to make them easily palatable for tourists. Finally, the book also discusses how tour guides and tourists relate to difficult pasts that have been the subject of memory conflicts. These topics are usually difficult to talk about but the book also shows that walking tours can also generate dialogue and exchange, opening up entrenched versions of the pasts.

Overall, the book makes the case for taking tourism seriously as it provides important insights into the production of cultural memories today. The book also adds a novel angle in the study of memory politics in the post-Soviet region, focusing on mundane and direct encounters between people and provides important insights into the diversity of post-imperial remembering in Russia that continue to matter today.  

If users cannot come and see our stain glass collection, the stain glass collection must "go" to them...  (IAW 2025) 

By Camille Moret, University Archivist.

LUA is actively engaging with this year’s International Archive Week theme #ArchivesAreAccessible: Archives for Everyone. 

We have been conducting activities to further access to our collections for our users and beyond, as well as taking a step back to reflect on the nature of HE archives, and what it means in terms of both access and accessibility. Today, we are showcasing our work to provide digital surrogates to yet another collection of historical artefacts. 

Loughborough University holds a collection of more than 100 stain glass panels, scattered around a campus that is essentially private land. With the long-standing history of Handicrafts education, the Arts & Craft Movement, and of Loughborough as a traditional cradle of Making, it seemed a shame to withhold access not only to our communities but also the general public.  

We did a photographic survey of the entire collection, including those panels that were still in storage or that had been walled up, and used online platform AtoM (Artefactual) as both a cataloguing tool and a virtual visit space. History students from Aston University in Birmingham have been engaging with the collection to provide some interpretation, learn about research and heraldry, which showcases another way of enhancing accessibility, and a form of collaborative cataloguing ubiquitous with access.  

Inspired by the arches at DMU heritage centre, we might consider expanding in this area with virtual reality, to allow visitors to have a more authentic experience of our stain glass collection.  

Archiving and Preserving My PhD Thesis: Reflections for Further Research

By Holly Turpin

Loughborough University is one of the partners working on Open Book Futures (OBF). OBF builds upon the work of the COPIM project (2019–2023) and aims to initiate a step-change in the ambition, scope and impact of community-led Open Access book publishing. Specifically, Loughborough University is part of Work Package 7 (WP7), Archiving and Preservation, which is developing guidance and easy to use tools to help scholar-led open access presses and library repositories to digitally preserve open access monographs and their associated content (e.g. video, audio files etc.) for long term access. 

One of the main areas of activity of WP7 for the Open Book Futures project is focussed on the archiving and preservation of PhD theses, an activity in which university repositories typically play an important role. For OBF, archiving and preserving PhD theses means not only safely storing the final version of the thesis and its associated content in a digital format, but also ensuring that PhD theses are openly accessible to be discovered and read by any reader with internet access.

Recently completing my PhD at Loughborough University has coincided with me starting a post as a Research Associate for WP7, Archiving and Preservation, based at Loughborough University. It seemed fitting, therefore, to reflect on the challenges I faced when the time came to submit my own thesis to the University repository so that it could be archived and digitally preserved. The purpose of these reflections is to kick-start a strand of research within WP7 that focuses on the doctoral researcher experience regarding the digital preservation of PhD theses. This builds on preliminary work within WP7 that scoped out the perspective of university repository managers, who are key stakeholders in the digital preservation of UK PhD theses, within the British Isles. This earlier scoping work has been summarised by my predecessor Miranda Barnes in the blog post titled Scoping PhD Theses: Some initial reflections.

For context, my PhD thesis is titled ‘Understanding Homelessness in Loughborough Through Co-Created Immersive Digital Storytelling’. As part of this research, I co-created 360-degree films with participants with experiences of homelessness in Loughborough. These films include voiceover narrations from the participants and 360-degree video footage of different locations in Loughborough. The films can be viewed either using video players compatible with 360 or through virtual reality headsets. From an archiving and preservation perspective my thesis falls into the category of emergent digital formats an area that the British Library, partners on the Open Book Futures project, have been leading on.

One key consideration that I had for archiving and preserving my thesis was the complexities that would arise from the ‘born digital’ nature of this content. ‘Born digital’[1] content refers to content that is digitally created, such as the 360-degree films in my research, as opposed to when analogue materials become digital when they are digitally archived. Another key consideration for me was the archiving and preservation of research and research outputs that concern a sensitive topic such as homelessness.

Digital Thesis submission processes & policies

In the initial scoping work, it became clear that there was variation in the way in which digital PhD thesis submissions were handled across different universities. This included differences in terms of which support services acquire the thesis and which support the doctoral researchers with their digital submission. Generally, the thesis is processed through a doctoral college or academic registry when a student submits the thesis for examination, before the submitted file is passed to the library for deposit into the university research repository.

At Loughborough University a Doctoral Researcher’s thesis is processed through the doctoral college when submitted for examination. When the Doctoral Researcher has passed their examination, and when any required corrections to the thesis have been approved by the internal examiner, this is confirmed by the doctoral college. The doctoral college then refers the Doctoral Researcher to online guidance on ‘completing your studies’ and directs them to submit the final version of their PhD thesis, as approved by their Examiners, in electronic format in the University’s Research Repository. After this, thesis records are made available online in the Research Repository once the Doctoral College Office have undertaken their necessary processes and notified the Library that they have added the author’s name to their official pass list.

Whilst the submission process did not present a significant challenge for me, it has caused me to reflect on how rooted the process is in the final stages of the PhD journey, the viva process, and future dissemination plans. As my thesis contains multi-media objects, I did deposit these in Loughborough University’s Research Repository ahead of submitting my thesis to be examined, however the formatting and accessibility of these media objects (the 360-degree films) is not something I had considered in detail prior to this point.

The late stage in the Doctoral Researcher journey that these considerations came to my attention is a recurring theme in these reflections, as is the conclusion that I wish I had more knowledge of the processes and requirements of archiving and preserving before I had started creating research outputs, such as the 360-degree videos.

Electronic-only submission

At Loughborough University doctoral researchers are only required to submit their theses electronically as opposed to submitting a physical manuscript. Whilst most universities also moved to electronic-only submission in 2020, due to the in-person restrictions introduced by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the initial discussions some universities’ raised concerns that without a preservation policy, not having a physical copy of the thesis runs the risk of losing this knowledge if electronic copies are not securely archived.

In the context of emergent format theses like mine, that contain multiple media objects, without electronic submission several of my outputs would not be archived. For me, this would pose greater risk of the knowledge being lost, as the archiving of these media objects would fall solely to me. This responsibility also emphasises that as most doctoral researchers leave the university after depositing their thesis and lose their university email address, there is no lasting point of contact between the author and institution archiving and preserving their materials. This hasn’t been the case for me, however, generally this would further the risk of complex digital content being irretrievable.

Practice-based Theses

As mentioned previously, a certain amount of my thesis research is practice-based, falling into the category of an Art thesis. Despite having created some immersive media in previous academic roles, including 360-degree film and augmented reality, I was not an expert in the medium prior to beginning my PhD studies. Completing a PhD is designed to help you become an expert in your chosen field, but as practice-based research often falls outside of disciplinary boundaries, the route to this expertise can be less clear. For instance, the expertise of your support team and PhD supervisors is often more research based than it is technical. This means that there is often no obvious contact for doctoral researchers dealing with more complex technical issues relating to file formats and digital platforms they should be using, particularly when using newer more experimental mediums.

Given that a 360-degree video can be viewed using a virtual reality headset, it can also be categorised as experiential work. The preservation of experiences, or intangible qualities of an experience, is not only technically complex, but also theoretically complex. The increasingly hybrid nature of creative performance and audiences was explored in depth by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s joint research project Boundless Creativity, which examined the role of innovation in shaping cultural experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Understandably, experiential work is often considered by the creator with an immediate and specific audience in mind, as opposed to how it may be experienced by unknown future audiences. When it came to experiencing the 360-degree video in virtual reality in my research, this meant I was much more focussed on preparing it for exhibition at a venue accessible to my participants in Loughborough than I was on preserving the experiential qualities of these outputs.

File Formats

In the initial scoping work, universities discussed there being a split between doctoral researchers interested in only doing the bare minimum required in terms of a digital submission, and those who were ‘anxious’ depositors e.g. asking lots of questions before submitting their thesis files to the repository. In both cases, I think this is indicative of the impact of the large amount of project management, administrative tasks and responsibility that comes with doing a PhD, which is a largely independent project. This again relates to my earlier point about the issue with archiving and preservation being a consideration on in the final stages of producing a PhD thesis, as opposed to being an ongoing consideration from the very start of the journey. By the time it comes to depositing thesis files a Doctoral Researcher will have been through what is undoubtably a highly pressured and stressful stage in the PhD process and at this stage may not be in best placed to be making decisions and doing work that could have a significant effect on their future dissemination plans.

Proprietary file formats, where the file format is owned and controlled by a specific company or individual with specifications not publicly available, were another issue raised in Miranda’s initial discussions with universities. Repository staff at one university spoke of how arts and English-language researchers used the widest diversity of proprietary formats, often using software under a free trial or limited access basis. In the case of a medium such as 360-degree film this is a challenge, as each brand of 360-degree camera tends to have their own file types and editing platforms. For my own PhD thesis I was able to convert my 360-degree films into mp4 files, which retained all their 360-degree qualities. However, the issue for me has been less around proprietary file formats and more around the digital platform that is used to launch/view the files, as several video players do not recognise 360-degree files. In the long term, I am concerned that despite these files being a recognised format in their basic video form, video players of the future will altogether stop recognising their 360-degree qualities. This risks the 360-degree qualities of the videos being lost in their long-term preservation, in a way that is hard to anticipate or account for.

For my work, this is where knowledge around metadata and different metadata standards is important. When there is no guarantee of the future stability and accessibility of digital files generated using proprietary software, it is perhaps more important that such files are accurately described and recorded, for both the knowledge and context of future readers, but also for the possibility of recognising these formats in future contexts.

Rights, copyright, and licencing

As discussed in the original Scoping PhD Theses blog post, student concerns about rights, copyright and licencing come late in the process after their materials have been created.

As someone who has taught filmmaking to both undergraduate and master’s students as part of the Storytelling Academy at Loughborough University, I have some existing knowledge around copyright and licencing. From my experiences teaching, I know that students struggle to grasp these issues and often create work using copyrighted images they don’t have the licence for. In the context of submitting this work for assessment, this may have a minor impact on marking but otherwise there are no serious repercussions. Although PhD students are aware that their research is intended not just for examination, but to contribute knowledge to the wider community, I think the mentality of creating work for a selected few – which comes from previous experience of university assessments – is hard to overcome.

Further to this, doctoral researchers often start creating research outputs at an early stage in their journey, before they can realistically be fully expected to recognise and understand potential copyright and licencing issues, without prior knowledge. In my thesis the earliest point at which I created an output, which is now included in my thesis, was a 360-degree film I created at the beginning of my second year of studies. This film formed the basis for all further outputs and therefore would have benefited from being created under more thorough archiving and preservation guidance.

Embargoes

Embargoes, where work is made private as opposed to the open access default of PhD theses, again relate to how a PhD student’s motivations and level of awareness impact the preservability of what they create. In my PhD there are several examples of autoethnography, where I share some of my own experiences in relation to homelessness. Although I carefully considered what was appropriate to share and what was appropriate to keep confidential, due to the open access nature of PhD theses, it was difficult for me to fully consider what the longer-term implications might be of sharing this information in the public domain.

During my PhD studies I was part of the HOME Centre for Doctoral Training at Loughborough University also researching homelessness. As discussed in Miranda’s original blog post, where there are concerns of political safety and censorship, the Doctoral Researcher will request to embargo this work. The length of this embargo is typically between 1 and 3 years. In the case of homelessness, conducting research on this issue does not necessarily pose an immediate threat to researchers, however this can be hard to predict particularly with the rising level of online abuse faced by researchers in the digital age[2]. An issue such as this in most cases is not reason enough for a Doctoral Researcher to request for their thesis to be embargoed. It does however contribute to the levels of anxiety a Doctoral Researcher may feel around archiving and preserving their thesis and this thesis being open access. Although this doesn’t necessarily pose a direct challenge to the archiving and preservation of PhD theses in itself, it contributes to the need for guidance and awareness around open research and open access publishing earlier on in the PhD process, to help alleviate this anxiety.

In terms of the practical outputs of my PhD research and what qualifies as material that needs to be embargoed, this is something that I wish I had more knowledge about at the beginning of my PhD. Several of the 360-degree films I created have been embargoed due to confidentiality and GDPR. This is because they are filmed in public areas with people in them. Although the individuals in these films are largely in crowds and not obviously directly identifiable, meaning these films would generally be viewable in both broadcast and social media contexts, these restrictions are much greater when something is being made publicly accessible for future audiences in the context of research. Although thinking about the long-term digital preservation and open access requirements would not have necessarily changed the material I created, if I had a better awareness of this before creating these outputs, I may have been able to make decisions to mitigate these restrictions.

Longevity, preservation and future access

An issue mentioned in Miranda’s original blogpost on the preservation of PhD theses is that of link and reference rot, which refers to when the site a reference is hosted on changes or is removed over time. Having recently consolidated the references in my own thesis, this has certainly been an issue. Although I have been able to find Digital Objective Identifiers (DOIs) for a large amount of my references, which are more secure, not all references in my thesis are published literature with a persistent identifier. Again, sourcing references is something that PhD students start doing at a very early stage in their research and therefore would benefit from early guidance on this issue.

In the initial conversations with universities, it was concluded that universities themselves are concerned about preservation, but the students do not have these concerns on their radar. I would argue that although this may be the case, students do have the potential to be concerned. The issue is the immediacy of this concern, amongst all the other things PhD students need to be concerned about.

Next steps and opportunities

In the initial discussions with universities, they suggested several helpful developments such as best-practice guidance for students and academic staff, working groups for those involved in archiving and preservation of PhD theses to discuss issues, migration guidance for when institutions change repository systems and a more in-depth consideration of the role of metadata.

From my perspective, I think another useful next step would be to hear more from doctoral researchers from a variety of different disciplines and those creating practice-based outputs, to fully understand at what point and through which means they would benefit from guidance on open access publishing and digital preservation. By understanding not only when doctoral researchers develop concerns about the archiving and preservation process, but also the exact points at which they should be concerned, would provide opportunities to ensure that students can preserve the future access of their work.

This year on the Open Book Futures project, Work Package 7 will be conducting further research into the archiving and preservation of PhD theses, speaking more to doctoral researchers, universities and repository staff. If you are interested in discussing any of the issues raised in this blogpost, please get in touch.

This post is also published on the blog of the Digital Preservation Coalition (https://www.dpconline.org/blog).

[1] Metz, R. (2025, May 12). Born Digital. Rafi Metz. WWW.BORNDIGITAL.COM

[2] Hodson, J. et al. (2023, 29 Nov). Online abuse: What can researchers do? Sage Research Methods Community. Online abuse: What can researchers do? — Sage Research Methods Community

Five Minutes With: Grace Baird

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am the Student Support Manager for the Loughborough University London campus and I have worked for the University for 5 years. My role involves management of London Student Experience and London Student Services ensuring that from the moment students join us to when they graduate, they feel supported and have an outstanding experience studying at our London campus. I also lead on the activities and projects which focus on embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into our student lifecycle.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

There is no typical day in my role and I am fortunate enough I get to work in a job that I love but also continues to challenge me and keep me on my toes!

An example of a day I had recently in my role involved arriving to our London campus and being greeted by my lovely colleagues and starting my morning by catching up on emails and completing my duties as the supervisor of London student attendance. I then had an array of meetings throughout my day which included:

• Meeting with our London Sport Student Ambassador to discuss upcoming sport activities
• Meeting with staff and students to discuss how we develop areas of the London student experience offer to ensure we are always improving and listening to student feedback
• Co-ordinating the planning for our London September 2025 Induction and making sure this Induction will be our most exciting one yet!

I then finished off my day working on an EDI project I am leading on all about embedding EDI into the student lifecycle, and tidying everything up all ready to go again tomorrow!

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite project is one I am currently working on which focuses on gaining insight into student understanding of EDI topics and embed EDI into the student lifestyle. EDI is a topic very close to my heart and one I have a strong professional and personal interest in. Our London campus is rich in diversity and culture and it is fascinating to learn from our students to cultivate an inclusive and respectful environment here in London.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

The proudest moment for me each year is seeing our students graduate; having worked closely with and supported so many of them during their time studying with us, it is incredibly heartwarming to see them walking across the stage to collect their degree and know you had some part (big or small) in helping them achieve this.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

The University value that resonates with me the most is being Authentic. Everyday I come to work as my authentic self and help to foster an environment within my team where we can all be honest, support each other and respect one another.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, particularly my 3 little cousins who remind me of the simple joys in life and how happiness often comes from the smallest moments. I am also a big animal lover and one of my favourite times of the day is to come home work to a big cuddle with my cat Freddie and my black Labrador Finn. Finally, I am a huge Taylor Swift fan and my day would not be complete without listening to her songs!

What is your favourite quote?

Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Never be so clever, you forget to be kind – Taylor Swift

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

Can Four-Year-Olds Understand Money? What We Learned from Arlo’s Adventures.

This blogpost was written by Dr Iro Xenidou-Dervou and Professor Tim Jay. Iro is a Reader in Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough University. Drawing on cognitive developmental psychology, her work explores how children develop mathematical and financial literacy skills. Timis Professor of Psychology of Education at University of Nottingham. His work uses design research methods to improve learning in formal and informal contexts. Edited by Dr Bethany Woollacott.

In this blog post, Iro and Tim discuss financial literacy for children as young as four years old. Based on a large-scale validation of a comic-strip-based assessment called Arlo’s Adventures, this post outlines how researchers tested the tool’s reliability and scalability (link to project page at the end of this blogpost). It also highlights how children’s early numeracy skills relate to early financial literacy skills and why parental confidence doesn’t always align with children’s actual knowledge.

Introduction

Imagine asking a four- or five-year-old where money comes from or what it means to save. You might get a surprising answer such as “From the card machine” or “You just tap your watch!”. These responses may seem amusing, but they reveal something deeper: children are absorbing ideas about money earlier than we might think.

Until recently, we lacked reliable ways to measure what young children actually know and understand about money and finance. Without such tools, it is difficult to design or evaluate financial literacy programmes aimed at the early years. This blog post explores our journey to fill that gap, using a story-based tool called “Arlo’s Adventures” to assess the financial literacy of children as young as four.

Why was this research needed?

Financial literacy plays a crucial role in lifelong well-being; however, research suggests that adults have consistently low levels of financial literacy, both in the UK and worldwide¹. Research also tells us that early experiences, i.e., how and when children begin to think about money, are foundational to financial habits formed later in life^2,3.

Yet, before Arlo’s Adventures, there was no validated method to assess financial literacy in children under six. This left a critical gap in our ability to design and evaluate programmes aimed at enhancing the early development of financial skills.

Testing the efficacy of Arlo’s Adventures

Arlo’s Adventures tells the story of an alien, Arlo, who crash-lands on Earth and must earn, save, and spend money to repair their spaceship⁴. The story unfolds through comic strips, which interviewers use as prompts to ask children specific questions about their knowledge and personal experiences with money.

Children are asked questions such as:

• “Where does money come from?”
• “Have you ever saved money for something?”
• “Have you seen someone pay with a phone or watch?”

In this project, we wanted to test whether Arlo’s Adventures validly assesses young children’s financial literacy and if it could reliably be used at scale. To achieve this, we administered Arlo’s adventures to 382 children across the UK, from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. We also assessed their numeracy skills to understand the relationship between numeracy and financial literacy skills in the early years.

Presenting the Key Findings

Our results revealed that:

• There was large variation in children’s financial literacy scores within each age group, pointing towards the potential for developing appropriate activities and interventions that could help narrow these early gaps and support all children in building strong financial foundations.
• It’s feasible to assess financial literacy in 4–6-year-olds through engaging interviews. In-person, one-on-one interviews using the Arlo comic format were highly successful, with strong inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.959) indicating consistency in how children’s answers were scored.
• Numeracy matters – but it’s not the whole story. Children’s numeracy skills explained about 31% of the variation in financial literacy scores, showing that while the two are related, they are not the same construct.

Further, when analysing children’s responses to Arlo’s Adventures’ questions, we identified a five-factor model of early financial literacy. In other words, we found that children’s responses grouped into five distinct key aspects of financial literacy:

1. Transaction Methods – Knowledge about paying with cash, cards, or digital devices.
2. Getting and Using Money – Experiences of earning or deciding how to use money.
3. Saving – Understanding the idea of saving and safe places to store money.
4. Where Money Comes From – Understanding that money comes from jobs or allowances.
5. Spending – Making decisions about whether and how to spend money.

Children’s understanding was spread across these factors and varied by age, with older children demonstrating better financial literacy skills. Still, the variation within age groups was substantial.

Importantly, children’s financial understanding often did not align with what their parents believed about their skills, a finding which could have important implications for family-based financial literacy efforts.

Educational Impact: Three Key Points for researchers, teachers and parents.

1. Early financial literacy is measurable and meaningful. This research shows it is possible – and useful – to assess financial literacy in the early years. Tools like Arlo’s Adventures can help teachers and researchers evaluate how and when financial understanding begins.
2. Numeracy helps, but financial literacy is its own skill. While numerical skills play an important role, children’s financial literacy also depends on other factors. This means that financial literacy should be addressed explicitly and not be assumed as merely a by-product of mathematics learning.
3. Parents need better tools and guidance. Since parents often misjudge their children’s financial knowledge and understanding, interventions aimed solely at children may fall short. Resources that help parents understand, model, and talk about money more effectively could increase impact.

Conclusion

Arlo’s Adventures is more than just a story about a stranded alien – it’s a new way of understanding how financial literacy begins. Our findings show that even very young children can think critically about money, and that it’s both possible and important to assess these skills early.

In schools and homes, early financial literacy needs more attention. With validated tools now available, researchers and educators are better equipped to give children a strong start in understanding the money world around them.

References

[1]. OECD (2020). OECD/INFE 2020 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy. Paris: OECD. www.oecd.org/financial/education/launchoftheoecdinfeglobalfinancialliteracysurveyreport.htm

[2]. OECD. (2017). PISA 2015 Results (Volume IV): Students’ Financial Literacy. OECD Publishing.

[3]. Agnew, S. (2018). Financial literacy and financial well-being: A review of the evidence and policy implications. Journal of Economic Surveys, 32(3), 1–27.

[4] Jay, T., Rashid, S., Xenidou-Dervou, I., & Moeller, K. (2022). Measuring financial literacy of children aged 4 to 6 years: design and small-scale testing. Money and Pensions Service. https://maps.org.uk/en/publications/research/2022/measuring-financial literacy-of-children-aged-4-to-6-years-design-and-small-scale-test.

20 years of the Loughborough University Research Repository

The repository began its life at Loughborough University back in June 2005. It was set up by the University Library as a pilot project with the aim of preserving and showcasing the university’s research output. The following year, in June 2006, the Institutional Repository was formally launched by the Library as an established university service.

Until 2019 the repository was known as the Institutional Repository and was housed on the open-source repository platform, DSpace. During the summer of 2019 the repository moved to the figshare platform, merging with the data repository and becoming the “Research Repository”.

Growth was challenging in the early days of the Institutional Repository as knowledge and understanding of repositories and open access was limited. However, with time, and with the involvement and support of the university community, we are now nearing almost 60,000 items in the repository.

The first research paper to be deposited in the repository was: STUBBINGS, R. and FRANKLIN, G. 2004. A critical analysis of the INFORMS project at Loughborough University. JeLit, 1(1), 31-41, available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2134/172

Loughborough academics and researchers can deposit their publications (journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, official reports etc) to the repository via the university’s LUPIN system.

Other research files, such as data, can be deposited via the repository (figshare).

Using outreach as a MPLP* opportunity 

By Camille Moret, University Archivist.

*MPLP is a cataloguing approach by American archivist Marc Green in the early 21st Century and stands for More Product, Less Process. It advocates for minimal processing of archival collections with views to provide access to them as quickly as possible. 

As an institution with a rich and complex history of splits and mergers, it comes at no surprise that LUA holds school archives. The LCS fonds is a well-known and defined unit that lent itself well to some experimenting, as we face challenges of re-cataloguing / retro conversion, standards migration, and as we are sometimes getting “bogged down” by conservation (rehousing) imperatives. We decided to use the LCS fonds to quickly convert our paper-based MAD-standardised finding aid into AtoM, a web-based, multifaceted database that rely on the most current archival description standard, going for the bare minimum of mandatory inputting. We only extracted material that required very specific rehousing (textiles, some artefacts), but did not go any further, especially with photographic material. We did not re-mark or concatenate half-empty boxes (from the extractions), nor did we index in depth. 

This meant that we were able to present our catalogue entries within 3 days, and an additional day of work allowed us to take pictures of some items in the collection, write a blog post and other social media post for a small one-week media campaign, just in time for School Archives Day on 12 March 2025. 

Takeaways from that experiment are that we can know select and process certain collections exactly that way, leaving more materialistic (conservation, rehousing) tasks to later, which allows us to strategize, budget and staff them in a more project-based way. In terms of outreach, we now know we can literally deliver More Product with Less Processing, which for an archive service running on barely 1 FTE is a great achievement. 

Re-Defining Terrorism: new book by Itoiz Rodrigo Jusué

In Re-Defining Terrorism: Imaginaries of Radicalisation and Counter-Radicalisation, CRCC member Itoiz Rodrigo Jusué delivers a timely and thought-provoking exploration of how counter-radicalisation has emerged as a powerful force shaping contemporary political and cultural life. The book breaks new ground in the study of counter-radicalisation and extremism prevention strategies – an area that remains relatively new and rapidly evolving in both the UK and globally.

Drawing on a rich body of qualitative data, the book offers a comprehensive and innovative analysis of how counter-radicalisation discourses and practices have developed, providing an original and in-depth exploration of the agenda and its far-reaching societal effects. It compellingly demonstrates how the language and narratives of (counter)radicalisation have permeated popular culture, creating new ways of understanding and addressing terrorism and political violence in the UK and beyond.

Re-Defining Terrorism conceptualises (counter)radicalisation as a new technology of government – a dispositif – that actively shapes mentalities, behaviours, and identities, producing new ways of thinking about risk and security. Each chapter addresses a different aspect of this dynamic. The opening chapter lays the conceptual foundation, introducing readers to the (counter)radicalisation dispositif and detailing its emergence as a framework for regulating conduct and shaping subjectivities. Through detailed analysis, Chapter 2 explores how (counter)radicalisation constructs new social imaginaries of risk and terror, and how perceptions of who or what constitutes a threat have been reconfigured – with discriminative consequences for particular individuals and communities. Chapter 3 delves into the gendered dimensions of counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation, critically examining how the (counter)radicalisation apparatus has reshaped understandings of feminism and women’s roles in political violence.

Examining the emergence of ‘self-radicalisation’ discourses, Chapter 4 examines how the (counter)radicalisation dispositif has introduced new ways to understand the relationship between the media and terrorism, and how it has legitimised illiberal approaches to media regulation. In its final chapter, Re-Defining Terrorism critically considers how counter-radicalisation policies and practices have filtered into everyday life, assigning new security roles and responsibilities to the general public. The book concludes with a reflection on the relationship between counter-radicalisation strategies and the normalisation of illiberal measures, while emphasising the urgent need to develop non-violent approaches to political violence and conflict.

Re-Defining Terrorism will appeal to a wide range of readers, from policymakers and practitioners to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Its interdisciplinary scope makes it especially relevant for those studying (counter)terrorism and security, media and communication, cultural studies, gender, social policy, and peace and conflict studies.

When the state defines womanhood, we all lose: LUCU responds to UK Supreme Court Ruling

By LUCU Committee

The LUCU Committee is deeply concerned about the impact of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling that the protected characteristic of Sex within the Equality Act 2010 refers to ‘biological’ sex as recorded at birth, and not lived gender. The ruling stipulates that this even applies to individuals who have obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate, which effectively excludes transgender individuals from protection against sexism they might suffer in their lived gender. 

As a small and vulnerable community, trans people are being used as an easy first target in a wider backlash against progressive ground gained internationally for women and LGBTQIA+ people. Ironically, although the campaign was led by women, the outcome problematically pits cis women against trans women, and lesbian, gay and bisexual people against trans people, who should, we believe, be natural allies in the fights against sexism, misogyny and homophobia.

The legal challenge which led to this ruling did not arise in a vacuum, but was the result of a series of legal challenges brought by the campaign group For Women Scotland (FWS) and funded by author JK Rowling. By insisting ‘biology is destiny’, these arguments not only deny the legitimacy of trans experiences, and trans women in particular, but also hold the potential to be used to reverse the hard-won gains of all women for gender equality and push narrow, outdated and gender-stereotypes on both men and women. It is clear to us that both misogynist and transmisogynist cultural forces and campaign groups are connected and growing in strength and confidence, and we must work together to resist them. 

Returning to the detail of the Supreme Court ruling, this interpretation generates several further problems in and of itself, not least because it over-simplifies the concept of sex, which in reality exists on a spectrum, and further erases the existence of people who are intersex, a community already severely marginalised in law and cultural awareness. Moreover, the gender policing of trans women simultaneously further marginalises trans men while harming, rather than protecting, lesbians and masculine-presenting women.

‘Nothing about us without us’ is a familiar refrain and key principle of meaningful equalities work, yet this judgement included no testimony from trans people. The Good Law Project believe that the ruling violates the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and is asking the High Court for a declaration of incompatibility.[1]

Compounding the problems of this judgement, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has seen a wave of resignations and criticism over its increasingly transphobic positions in recent years, has released interim guidance which seeks to dramatically expand the implications of the judgement.  In documents released and interviews given by EHRC Chair Kishwer Falkner, proclamations have been made about excluding trans people from facilities such as toilets and changing rooms: not only those aligning with their lived gender, on the basis that they are a different sex from those for whom the facility is intended, but also those aligned with their ‘birth sex’, because their transition likely means that they do not present as the sex for which the facility is intended either.

This risks locking transgender people out of all available facilities. Falkner has claimed that trans people should instead use their ‘power of advocacy’ to ask for facilities including a ‘third space’ for toilets – ironically a move which, even if it were feasible, would force all trans people to use mixed sex facilities. She has also suggested that the judgement excludes trans athletes from participating in sports in alignment with their lived gender, a view echoed and welcomed by Loughborough University Chancellor Seb Coe, in his role as President of World Athletics. 

It is critically important to emphasise that many of these, and other, supposed implications of the Supreme Court judgement circulating online and in the media are highly speculative at best. The Good Law Project has produced its own response, giving clarity over what the judgement in fact does and does not mean, and urging organisations not to make hasty policy changes that further marginalise people who are trans and potentially violate their rights. 

Loughborough UCU maintains unwavering support for the rights of women to safety and security in a world which is still deeply misogynistic and where violence against women and girls remains endemic.  We do not believe, however, that the long list of dangers to women includes trans rights.  It is cis male violence against women that is and has always been the biggest threat to women’s safety, most commonly within intimate partner relationships.

Contending that trans women regularly and systematically gain access into women’s spaces by deception is a strawman argument used to drum up fear that we wholly reject. There are certainly complexities raised by the very real need to provide safe spaces and charitable services for all women, but again, these small logistical challenges are given much greater prominence than the real threat which is the drastic underfunding and under-provision of these services. And we categorically disagree that this complexity gives anyone the right or the rationale to invalidate trans people’s experiences of gender, and importantly, to police their access to public spaces, such as toilets.

We see the targeting of the trans community, under the guise of defending women, as a cynically deployed, racially charged, divide-and-rule tactic which allows the real issues, such as partner violence, rape culture, sexual assault, and structural misogyny, including in institutions such as the police, to go unchallenged. The claim that this issue is about women’s safety is therefore disingenuous; if campaigners and legislators honestly cared about women, they would be tackling the myriad root causes of violence against them, rather than throwing trans women under the bus.

In collaboration with the LGBT+ Staff Network, LUCU are in conversation with University management as we seek to assure trans members of our community that their access to the broad range of facilities and services within the university will not be affected.

National UCU is prepared to challenge any legal interpretations or implementations that infringe upon the rights of our trans and non-binary colleagues. Reaffirming our dedication to equality, inclusion and respect for all, UCU stands firmly with trans and non-binary members, and all women, in the continued fight for civil rights, equality, and an end to gender-based violence.

[1] A similar legal campaign is what forced the UK government to implement the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and give legal recognition to the lived gender of trans individuals.

Caring About Equality

Student carers can experience significant inequalities at every stage of their education journey, impacting their grades, future opportunities, and social connections with peers.  Their choices at university can be limited by their caring responsibilities. They also miss out on opportunities in their careers and personal lives. These inequalities can put student carers at a greater risk of poor mental and physical health, social isolation, financial hardship and poverty.

Juggling education and caring responsibilities can impact their attendance and reduce the amount of time they can dedicate to learning, impacting their grades and performance. For some student carers, the unpredictable nature of being a carer can make it hard to plan their work, revise for exams and to meet deadlines.

Despite the challenges, student carers often demonstrate exceptional resilience, empathy, time-management, and problem-solving skills – qualities that enrich our University community and will serve them well in their future careers.

Universities have a crucial role to play in identifying young people and adults with caring responsibilities.  We need to recognise the impact caring can have on their studies, as well as their personal lives. We can then take action to ensure carers get the support and guidance they need to allow them to fulfil their aspirations and potential.

As staff we can play a part in reducing inequalities by raising awareness and supporting this group of students. If you are aware of any students with caring responsibilities who may benefit from further support, please direct them to Student Wellbeing’s Student Wellbeing referral form .

You can also:

• Bear in mind that student carers may have less support to lean on. Listen to them and consider how we can enable them to achieve their studies despite their additional responsibilities outside of University.
• Ask if they are aware of support via Student Wellbeing and whether they would consider this. Alternatively external support can be accessed via VASL and the Loughborough Wellbeing Centre.
• If you’d like to speak to someone about any queries you might have regarding a student with caring responsibilities, you can contact studentwellbeing@lboro.ac.uk.

3-D modelling of the University Charter

By Camille Moret, University Archivist.

LUA is actively engaging with this year’s International Archive Week theme #ArchivesAreAccessible: Archives for Everyone. 

We have been conducting activities to further access to our collections for our users and beyond, as well as taking a step back to reflect on the nature of HE archives, and what it means in terms of both access and accessibility. Today, we are showcasing our work to create a 3D model of the University Charter. 

In 1966, Loughborough College, previously a Technology Institute, became Loughborough University, by Royal Charter. For a long while, the Charter was proudly displayed in various areas of campus, before being “retired” to the University Archive, slightly worse off for the wear. As the 60th anniversary of the Charter looms, this begs the question…  

What do we have to show for it? 

The Charter is an unwieldy, heavy, albeit extremely precious artefact from our collections. Its contents are well known and as far as its informational value is concerned, we can make it readily available and other “vessels” exist (statutes and amendment amongst others). But our stakeholders want to “see” and “touch”, they want “the real deal”. The Charter’s auratic dimension and its power to authenticate our identity as a University are intrinsically meshed.  

It is likely that the Charter will be on display for some of 2026, and that has conservation impacts that we cannot ignore. Our stakeholders from the London campus and overseas, alumni and former staff communities, will want to be part of the celebration as well. Questions as to how, when, where must be answered. All these problems might be solved by a digital surrogate, and we have chosen to explore what 3-D modelisation can afford us in terms of not just providing informational contents but fulfilling aspects of material culture consumption as well.  

In March 2025, several dozens of photographs were taken and software like Blender were used to create a 3-D model of the Charter and its seal. At this stage, we do not know yet how effective and relevant this will be in terms of access, but it seemed a good idea to use the Charter and upcoming anniversary as a sandbox to explore technological opportunities to improve accessibility of multidimensional material – especially artefacts – that are not readily “legible”, or at least not in the traditional sense. 

Next in this pilot will be our 1948 Olympic torch, as a highly demanded albeit equally precious and rare holding of LUA. 

This Week at Loughborough | 9 June

General

Wellness Wednesdays Student Drop-in

11 June 2025, 2pm – 5pm, University Chaplaincy

Join the Chaplaincy team this exam period for Wellness Wednesdays, a study free zone where students can take time to pause and care for their wellbeing. A range of activities will be available including mindful colouring, jigsaws and games. You can also bring your favourite book to read or simply come for some conversation and a break.

School of Design and Creative Arts Degree Show 2025

14 – 18 June 2025

Students from the School of Design and Creative Arts (SDCA) will showcase their final projects in a physical exhibition on campus. The Degree Show promises to be a fantastic showcase of the hard work, innovation, and creativity of our graduating students.

International Week 2025: #ArchivesAreAccessible 

By Camille Moret, University Archivist.

Every year, the international council on Archives (ICA) celebrates archives for an entire week, culminating (or this year, starting) with International Archives Day, on the 9^th of June. This time, the theme is #ArchivesAreAccessible: Archives for Everyone. It is about how archivists, records managers, and institutions are making significant strides in increasing the accessibility of archival materials. From digitization projects to user-friendly online archives, the global archival community is working together to create a future where access to historical records is equitable and far-reaching. 

Those of us who know Loughborough University Archive (LUA) are aware that this is a very small service with an even smaller team that however has the privilege to be nestled within the Open Research team. So, while this year’s celebration is no cause for announcing significant strides, we can still say that we are trying very hard to make more content accessible in many more innovative ways than we used to do. 

We have been collaborating with our own Open Research Manager for Data and Methods, Lara Skelly, on two projects. One is a pairing of the Open Research repository with the archives catalogue on AtoM so that users can access our newly digitalised collection of historical College Publications. The other is an attempt at 3D modelisation of material that are not readily accessible or even legible, aka not your traditional written record. We have started with the University Charter, seal and all; and we are hoping it can be made available online in time for the Anniversary of our becoming a University in 1966. 

Another thing that has kept us busy for the first half of 2025 is the online cataloguing of the historical Loughborough College fonds, up to current archival standards. The original finding aids had a more librarian and/or museum studies approach when provenance (who created the record) and original order (which activities and functions generated the record) are the usual keys to an archives catalogue. We have been cross-referencing artificial collections and breaking format silos to bring together the historical records of Loughborough College (1902-1952, so half of what makes us the University now). This online catalogue will help users find what they need without them having to “know” that this is what they are looking for. Hopefully, our new take on it will facilitate serendipitous research and, with the addition of proxies or links to the Repository, it will support more immediate access. 

We were pleased to see the work of one of our most dedicated researchers come to fruition this Spring: the book Where history begins. Loughborough’s journey through sport by Eric Macintyre MBE just came out. Spanning the entire existence of the College and University, it draws on archival resources as well as oral history and what we could call collaborative memorialisation of the institution that is sports at Loughborough. We are hoping to get an online version on the Open Research Repository soon, so that it is accessible beyond our communities of staff and alumni. 

Finally, we have been thinking about how to transform our work to offer digital surrogates of the University stain glass panel collection into something that will look (and feel!) more like virtual reality. More of that, soon! 

Digital Detox: Focusing in a distracted world

Exam season can feel like the ultimate test of your concentration and mental stamina but in today’s world, staying focused isn’t just about motivation. It’s also about managing the digital distractions pulling at you every minute. From constant notifications to the temptation of social media doom scrolling, our devices can easily become a barrier to effective studying.

A digital detox doesn’t mean giving up your phone or social media entirely, it’s about creating healthy boundaries that help your brain focus when it matters most. Remember, the goal is progress, not perfection. Small changes can make a big difference in reclaiming your focus this exam season.

This Week at Loughborough | 2 June

General

Campus Pride March 2025

4 June 2025, 1pm – 2:30pm, Hazelrigg Fountain

Starting outside the Students’ Union, you can hear from leaders of Loughborough LGBT+ Staff Network and LSU LGBTQ+ Students’ Association, before setting off on a march around campus. Follow the rainbow bus as you march, dance, and chant your way around campus. Feel free to dress in rainbow and trans flag colours, bring flags and banners. There will be flags and face paints to share too.

Wellness Wednesdays Student Drop-in

4 June 2025, 2pm – 5pm, University Chaplaincy

Join the Chaplaincy team this exam period for Wellness Wednesdays, a study free zone where students can take time to pause and care for their wellbeing. A range of activities will be available including mindful colouring, jigsaws and games. You can also bring your favourite book to read or simply come for some conversation and a break.

World Environment Day: Caring for our Earth. A Roundtable Conversation

5 June 2025, 12:30pm – 2pm, University Chaplaincy

Join the Chaplaincy on World Environment Day for a roundtable conversation with Rich Fenn-Griffin (Assistant Gardens Manager and Biodiversity Lead), Safra Razeek (Muslim Chaplain), Jesse Prevatt (LSU Landscaping and Gardening Society) and Nilesh Shukla (Hindu Chaplain).

World Environment Day is the United Nations’ Day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. The theme for 2025 focuses on ending plastic pollution globally. The roundtable will explore the University’s strategic theme of climate change and net zero, including how the University might contribute towards it in practice, and the barriers to participation they need to overcome.

National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire

5 June 2025, 5pm, Cope Auditorium

Gillian Anderson (Sex Education), Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), and Ben Foster (Lone Survivor) lead the cast in Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. From visionary director Benedict Andrews, this acclaimed production was filmed live during a sold-out run at the Young Vic Theatre in 2014.

NT Live screenings are a collaboration between LU Arts and Flix, student-run cinema. Flix run the screenings on the night on our behalf.

From the Vice-Chancellor – May 2025

In my May newsletter: Funding for our Forging Ahead initiative, recognition as a University of Sanctuary, shaping our Education and Student Experience, Sustainability Strategy launched, and the new EDI leads roles.

‘Forging ahead’ to revolutionise the translation of research into real-world impact 

I was delighted by this month’s announcement from the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Lord Vallance, confirming Research England funding for Forging Ahead, which will be led by Loughborough University and the Midlands Innovation partnership, and involve a coalition of 15 Midlands university partners. The collaborative programme will reshape how knowledge exchange, business creation and investment attraction are delivered across the Midlands, unlocking the region’s research and innovation strengths and turning them into commercial success stories.  

 
The initiative has been awarded £9.9 million from Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, with an additional £6.1 million in matched support from the partner universities and regional stakeholders.  

Forging Ahead will be delivered over five years in two phases: the first will focus on initiatives to nurture entrepreneurial talent, grow investment readiness and embed a culture of innovation within and beyond universities; the second phase will deliver targeted interventions to accelerate innovation in strategically important sectors, including Advanced Manufacturing, Creative and Digital, Health and Med Tech, and Net Zero.  

The Midlands has huge potential. It has a strong university knowledge base, growing investment initiatives, such as Midlands Mindforge, a patient capital investment company launched by the Midlands Innovation universities, and is home to 11% of the UK’s high-growth companies.  

But in 2020 the Midlands only received a 5% share of total investment into these high-growth companies. This funding disparity is even more pronounced in university spinouts. Since 2010, Midlands universities have spun out 169 companies, accounting for 14.5% of the UK total. Yet, in their first seven years, these Midlands ventures attract just 15p for every £1 raised by their counterparts in the Golden Triangle of London, Oxford, and Cambridge.  

This persistent disparity undermines the region’s ability to attract and retain the leadership talent critical for scaling innovative businesses. As a result, nearly 40% of Midlands university spinouts are founded outside the region, effectively turning the Midlands into an exporter of high-value jobs and R&D-driven enterprises.  Forging Ahead, which supports both our research and innovation and our partnership strategic aims, will be an important stepping stone in enabling the Midlands’ universities to reshape the region’s innovation ecosystems and, crucially, level up the funding platform.

University recognised as a University of Sanctuary

I am delighted to announce that Loughborough has officially been recognised as a University of Sanctuary, joining a network of UK universities that support refugees and people seeking asylum. Our membership recognises our commitment to creating a culture of safety, inclusion and support for those seeking sanctuary, which is central to our strategic focus on fostering Vibrant and Inclusive Communities. 

University of Sanctuary status is awarded by the charity City of Sanctuary. As a University of Sanctuary, we have committed to a range of initiatives, such as the provision of Sanctuary Scholarships and ongoing engagement with CARA (the Council for At-Risk Academics), through which we provide a safe environment for scholars to continue their research and academic work.  

Our Loughborough University Sanctuary Scholarships are built on our previous offering, introduced in 2022, to support students who were displaced or fleeing from Ukraine. Last year we awarded one undergraduate and two postgraduate taught Sanctuary Scholarships to students from Ukraine and Nigeria. In 2025, in addition to a further three scholarships we will also be offering a stipend to cover living costs, following a successful fundraising campaign by the University’s PASE (Philanthropy, Alumni and Supporter Engagement) team.  

We have been involved in CARA for a number of years, offering a lifeline for those who need urgent help to escape discrimination, persecution, violence or conflict. CARA also supports academics who choose to continue working in their home countries despite serious dangers, and higher education institutions whose work is threatened or compromised. At Loughborough, for example, we have twinned with Beketov National University in Ukraine as part of a Universities UK International initiative to enable campuses to stay open, academics to continue their teaching and research, and students to carry on their studies.   My thanks go to all those at the University, particularly Professor Malcolm Cook and members of the Loughborough University Students and Academics At Risk Group (LUSARG), who have been instrumental in our obtaining University of Sanctuary status. 

Staff help to shape our future Education and Student Experience

Our six strategic core plans are now firmly embedded in the planning and delivery of our University strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together. Each plan will guide the activity we all undertake over the coming years to ensure we remain on track to achieve our strategic aims. 

This month Professor Sam Grogan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, held two interactive events, one on each campus, to enable staff to play a pivotal role in transforming the education and wider experience we offer to students at the University.  

Harnessing our Digilabs hologram technology, a ‘virtual’ Sam opened the event, reflecting in his opening address not only on the challenges we currently face as a sector, but also the exciting opportunities open to us to reshape the way in which we deliver our education and student experience. 

Attendees were asked to consider six broad themes: the shape of our curriculum; our approach to student development; the future of our teaching, learning, assessment and feedback; how Loughborough graduates can be distinctive; maximising tech in our learning and teaching; and how we enhance the international student experience.  Loughborough is already renowned, and highly rated, for its education and student experience, but if we are to retain our position, and indeed work towards our ambition to be the university of choice for students around the world, we must be both adventurous and creative in our thinking, unafraid to challenge the norm and do things differently. I look forward to hearing more about your innovative thoughts, ideas and suggestions from the two sessions.

University’s Sustainability Strategy launched

On 9 May we launched the University’s Sustainability Strategy, which will underpin the delivery of our Climate Change and Net Zero strategic theme.

Our new strategy focuses on the collective effort required to foster a culture of sustainability across every aspect of campus life and make meaningful change. It has five key pillars: our campuses and operations; sport; research and innovation; education; and events and partnerships, with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which we signed up to in 2019, embedded in the goals and objectives for each pillar. The strategy will guide our delivery of a range of sustainability commitments, notably: the reduction in Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2035 and Scope 3 by 2045. 

The event enabled us to reflect on some of the work we’re already undertaking, examples of which are included in this online feature. For instance, we have joined the University of Nottingham in opening the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre (ZCIC) to deliver innovation in transport technology, green hydrogen production, and power solutions for industry. We have partnered with Carbon Jacked to launch the Climate Cup, which will see our sports clubs compete to be the most sustainable. And through our Sustainable Food and Beverage Policy, we’re cutting down on food waste and working with local suppliers to reduce our carbon footprint and support the local economy.   I have said before, the climate crisis is one of the most pressing challenges facing us all today. We must work together to change what we do and how we do it, whether that’s our teaching and research, our sports activity, the way we manage our campuses, and the partnerships we forge with companies and organisations. We must minimise our impact on the environment, and each of us has a crucial part to play.

EDI leads for Schools and Professional Services

Earlier this year we announced our plan to create EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) leadership structures in Schools and Professional Services, with the appointment of Associate Deans for EDI within Schools and EDI Principals to lead in our Professional Services. The leads will convene committee structures in their areas, and oversee the development and implementation of school or service level action plans that are informed by the objectives in our EDI core plan. 

These new roles are part of the broader governance changes we have made to underline our commitment to developing anti-discriminatory practice, including the formation of an EDI Governance Committee as a sub-committee of Council and Senate and an EDI Board to bring together leads from Schools, Professional Services, networks, unions and student groups. 

The appointments to these roles will be formally approved at Senate next month and will be announced after that.  The world is a challenging and changing place, but here at Loughborough our commitment to EDI and our core plan remains strong. I look forward to working with the new leads as we continue to drive forward our work on EDI.

Sports Industry Award

Loughborough was named Educational Institute of the Year at the FEVO Sports Industry Awards 2025, in recognition of our ongoing outstanding contribution to sporting excellence and academia. Many congratulations to the academics, athletes, coaches, support staff, partners and leadership team who have contributed to this prestigious award.

Mental Health Awareness Week

This year’s events, held earlier this month, celebrated the power and importance of community, with Loughborough Sport running ‘More Than Sport’ to showcase the powerful role sport can play in supporting mental wellbeing and Student Services highlighting the benefits of community connections.

Partnerships with Ghana

Ghana’s Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment visited Loughborough this month to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that will strengthen the partnership between the University and Ghana’s Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment.

Finding My Place Through Sport at Loughborough: A Northern Irish Student’s Journey

As a second-year Sport Management student from Northern Ireland, moving to Loughborough was both exciting and overwhelming. Leaving home, family and everything familiar behind brought challenges, especially when adjusting to a new style of learning. University is a step up in independence, there’s no teacher chasing you for homework or checking you’re on track. With a coursework-heavy degree, I quickly realised that managing my time well would be crucial. What helped me most in adapting and finding my place was getting involved in sport beyond lectures.

Before arriving, I knew Loughborough’s reputation for elite sport, which was inspiring but also intimidating. I didn’t come with any national titles and wasn’t a performance athlete. At the same time, I was trying to get used to self-directed learning, where you’re responsible for keeping on top of deadlines and reading. I found it useful to check module specifications at the start of each semester, jot down key deadlines in a calendar and set small weekly goals. Breaking the workload down this way made things far more manageable, and sport gave me the balance I needed.

One of the most rewarding things I’ve done is join the CVA (Coach and Volunteer Academy) Sport Mad programme. Volunteering in local schools delivering sports sessions was a fantastic way to apply what I’d learned in lectures. I built confidence and developed leadership and communication skills, qualities that are vital for a future in sport management. Balancing volunteering with my academic work taught me how to prioritise my time, especially when coursework deadlines were approaching.

I also took on the role of Social Secretary for the Train and Gain Society in my first year. Alongside organising events and welcoming new members, I was juggling regular assignments and learning how to structure my independent study. Having that responsibility outside of my course gave me motivation to stay on top of uni work so I could enjoy the social side without stress. It also reminded me that university isn’t just about academic success, building relationships and being part of a community are also important.

Playing netball for IMS (representing your accommodation hall) added another fun and activity to my week. With lectures, group projects and reports filling my schedule, having something to look forward to that wasn’t academic helped me stay balanced. Being in a team also taught me the value of collaboration, which came in handy during group coursework tasks.

What I’ve come to appreciate is how well Loughborough blends high-quality academics with inclusive sporting opportunities. While elite performance sport is rightly celebrated, there’s also space for everyone to get involved, no matter your ability. Sport has been a massive part of my uni journey, not just for wellbeing but for growth in confidence and skills.

To any prospective student, I’d say this: get involved early, stay organised and take every opportunity. The balance between study and sport helped me find my place, and it could help you too.

State of Open Data: 2025 survey now open

State of Open Data 2025: Survey now open

Have your say on research data sharing.

Springer Nature, Digital Science and Figshare would like to invite researchers to participate in our survey on sharing data and open data.

2025 marks 10 years of the State of Open Data survey and our analysis of researchers’ attitudes towards and experiences of open data and data sharing.

This is your chance to take part in the largest global survey of its kind, and help shape the future of research data sharing.

Take the survey

DRN Online Exhibition Drawing Experience: Call for Drawings

Continuing the 2025 Drawing Research Network events, the Drawing Research Group at Loughborough University are pleased to invite submissions for an online exhibition of drawing, curated by Deborah Harty, Isabel Herrera-González and Fan Ye. The exhibition will investigate the question, how can lived experience be translated into drawing? We invite responses to the question from anyone engaged in drawing in the expanded field.

Drawing can be said to be an intimate or near-universal language, the making of traces – traces left by our bodies through movement. Drawing can be a record of time. When we look at a drawing, we can recall the time that the artist has solidified in the work through the traces left. Drawing is also an action that contains the artist’s choices: the choice to respond to art history, the choice of materials, the choice of the act of drawing itself, and of course the choice of the content of expression. It has the potential to communicate tacit knowledge and reach across cultural and linguistic barriers. And so, we ask, how can drawing function as a form oftranslation for sensorial or embodied experience?

Please submit up to 3 drawings or a single audio/video file in response to the question using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfS_8RGLsOvHMpYpDPIiBB1B4Xfx_80jT2qLxfWpX3pVdWzXQ/viewform?usp=header

Full information and details including acceptable file types are clearly shown on the submission form.

Deadline for submission: 26^th June 2025.

Biographies:

Deborah Harty is an artist-researcher and senior lecturer at Loughborough University. She is co-director of the Drawing Research Network and the online journal TRACEY drawing and visualisation research with Russ Marshall. Harty also acts as the Chair of the Drawing Research Group at Loughborough University. Her current practice research investigates the premise that drawing is phenomenology.

Isabel Herrera-González (1996) is a doctoral student and teacher at the Department of Drawing at the University of Seville, Spain. As a member of the Research Group HUM1025: Creation, Graphic Art, Aesthetics, and Gender, her research focuses on contemporary drawing and feminism at an international level.

Fan Ye is a Lecturer at Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, her main research and practice focus on expanding the expressive dimensions of ink art through traditional Chinese painting materials.

Five Minutes With: Fran Bonner

What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I’m the Head of Major Sports Events at Loughborough Sport and have been working at the university since June 2022.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

No two days are the same, and that’s what I love about working at Loughborough Sport. I work in the Business Development & Events Team, and we’re involved in everything from planning and running our own events, linked to our performance sport programmes, to helping external partners bring their events to campus, such as the School Games National Finals and BUCS Big Wednesday.

We deliver around 200 events each academic year, ranging from school camps to major tournaments. Most days involve a mix of project meetings, working with other departments, and supporting the team.

Right now a lot of my focus is on Lightning Netball and delivering a great experience for our home matches both on campus and at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, as part of the Netball Superleague. We’re midway through the season and have really invested in the match day offer —with improved sports presentation and a new fan zone to bring in more supporters. I would encourage Loughborough staff and students to come and experience it for themselves – it’s a lot of fun!

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

My favourite project (although also the most stressful) has been working on the Loughborough Sport Sponsor Dinner delivered in December 2022 at the BT Sports Studios in London. It was the first big event I was involved in, having joined the department earlier that year, and the pressure was on to deliver something incredible to 300 of our sport partners and industry contacts. It was a star-studded evening with many of Loughborough’s talented athletes and alumni, entertainment and a charity auction. From an event operations perspective, working with a broadcast production team was fascinating and I loved all the attention to detail to make it a one-of-a-kind evening for our guests.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

One of my proudest moments at Loughborough is any time the Business Development & Events team comes together to deliver a large-scale event. One example of this is the Loughborough International Athletics which is a 1-day competition featuring both track and field events with teams competing from across the country. That moment at the end of the day when we regroup for a celebration and a team photo is something I always look forward to – it might sound cheesy, but it gives me a real sense of pride in what we’ve accomplished together.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

Creative. I enjoy projects that involve creative thinking—whether that’s developing new ways to present sports or enhancing the spectator experience. Creativity also plays a big role in problem-solving, which is a daily part of my job. While I don’t always have the perfect solution immediately, I really value the creativity that comes from talking through ideas with colleagues. There’s generally always a solution.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I’ve been a governor at my local infant school for the past five years, and for two of those years, I chaired the Resources Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the school’s finances. This role has given me the opportunity to contribute to an important part of my local community, while also helping me develop greater confidence in strategic-level thinking. One of the most rewarding aspects has been the school visits, where we engage directly with teachers and children — those moments really bring the role to life and remind me why the work is so meaningful (and the children do come out with some very comical one-liners!).

What is your favourite quote?

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk

DRN2025 Drawing Negation: Political Space

Online Event: Wednesday 18th June 2025

Tickets: https://buytickets.at/drawingresearchgroup/1720020

Chair: Rachel Gadsden-Hayton

Presenters:
Matt Johnson
Claire Anscomb
Cao Zhehao

This panel brings together artist-researchers exploring aspects of political space within the theme of drawing negation.

Matt Johnson is interested in the contradictions of negation in image making practice, setting up a ‘This doesn’t mean that, but I’m also not going to tell you what it does mean’ moment of connection. The intriguing duality of the signifying regimes of redaction is presented in the book ‘The Commissar Vanishes’ by David King (1997, Edinburgh) which was a collection of historic photographs of victims of Stalinist purges. The images of faces sometimes artistically, sometimes brutally overmarked, redacted or painted out. The marks on the photograph signifies the agency of the protagonist as much as the historical context. The crude censoring of the faces of Stalin’s real and perceived enemies validates them as historic actors and it’s from this visual marker of their activism that Johnson takes as his cue. If a thing is redacted then it is important. These marks transposed to wider printmaking practice seem to impart a mystery. By censoring something, or by using the physical conditions of censorship, Johnson suggests you can also bring attention to it and suggest a subversive nature to the signal, content or character to the subject. The modalities of negation and redaction also stutter the smooth flow of official language. The dynamic of an argument, thoughts in motion, the urgency of process interrupted, overwriting an image or text offers a physical counterpoint to its modality as well as its function. Redaction and negation, stutter and interruption have become a significant part of Johnson’s recent practice.

Claire Anscomb suggests that negation is a pervasive feature of public sculpture, which is rooted in acts of drawing and often fails to reflect the diversity of individuals that make up a society. Anscomb asks, how can further negation through new acts of drawing transform this situation? The proposed presentation will tackle this question by examining a series of drawings about sexist statuary on a Parisian opera house and a case where public sculpture of the first woman to receive a PhD, Elena Piscopia, has been denied.

By drawing in a mode termed “selective realism”, inspired by drawing in epistemically oriented practices, certain details are negated or gestured at with economic lines to direct visual attention and reveal the presupposition embedded in these sculptures that male chauvinism is permissible. To further compel viewers to become active, politically transformative agents who could play a role in countering this content, this series evolved into a phygital one, at the intersection of physical and digital, with a virtual statue of Piscopia created from graphite drawings, that viewers must choose where to locate.

It will be proposed that drawing is well placed to counter the oppressive speech acts that public sculpture may express. As the monotone drawn and simplified digital surfaces of the virtual statue stand in stark contrast to the real environments in which it is placed, they spotlight the relative lack of corresponding physical pieces, but it will be argued that this also highlights the new possibilities for acts of drawing to reimagine our aesthetic and political landscapes.

Cao Zhehao’s research question “Cross-cultural Research of Liu Bai in drawing and hand-drawn animation practice in social and political contexts” explores the concept of Liu Bai as an aesthetic element in contemporary drawing and hand-drawn animation. This research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combing drawing, animation studies, and political theory to investigate how Liu Bai transcends aspect of aesthetic and reflects social and political dynamics in different cultural backgrounds.

Liu Bai is a core element in Chinese painting, emphasising the expressive power of absence, or what is left unsaid. It influences viewers on how to perceive and fill in blank space. Zhehao will extend research on Liu Bai to include hand-drawn animation, time and movement will give a new field to this research. This research will examine how Liu Bai can be used to convey ideas of power, resistance and memory in different cultural contexts.

Through the case studies of Chen Shaoxiong, Sun Xun, and William Kentridge, this cross-cultural comparison will focus on exploring how they use blank space to criticise political ideologies, historical narratives and social realities. These artists created in different political environments, such as post-apartheid South Africa and contemporary China, using the absence in their works to provoke audience reflection. The theoretical framework of this research draws on the views of thinkers such as Ernst Gombrich, Jacques Ranciere, Wang Guowei, and Zong Baihua. Their ideas about aesthetics and politics will guide my analysis of the relationship between Liu Bai and politics.

Drawing Negation Recordings now available at:
Emergence: https://blog.lboro.ac.uk/tracey/drn2025-drawing-negation-emergence-recording/

Biographies:

Matt Johnson is an image maker and senior lecturer in Graphic Design and Illustration at Liverpool School of Art and Design at LJMU and Programme Leader of the MA in GD&I. Matt has worked for a wide range of international clients in graphic design and illustration as well as lecturing and giving talks and practical workshops nationally and internationally on many aspects of art, design and visual culture.
mutanten.co.uk

Claire Anscomb is a philosopher and artist. She was the 2021-22 British Society of Aesthetics Postdoctoral Fellow in the Philosophy Department at the University of Liverpool. Since September 2022, she has been a Lecturer in Fine Art at De Montfort University.
www.claireanscomb.com

Cao Zhehao is an artist and hand-drawn animation maker. Zhehao is currently undertaking PhD research at University for the Creative Arts, London.
https://http336776750.wordpress.com/

Experiences to issues to actions: Developing as a reflective mathematics teacher.

This blog post is written by Chris Shore, Senior Enterprise Fellow and PhD student at Loughborough University. Chris is also a tutor and module leader on the Outstanding Mathematics PGCE at Loughborough University (webpage linked at the bottom of this blogpost). Edited by Dr Bethany Woollacott.

How do you sustain a long career in any profession, especially one as demanding as secondary school teaching? We believe that one way to do this is by developing as a reflective teacher, so that each year is different from the last. In fact, the joke often goes that the best teacher experiences 20 different years in school rather than just one year repeated 20 times!

This belief in reflective practice is embedded in the Mathematics Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) here at Loughborough, such that our university-based modules are called ‘The reflective mathematics teacher’ and ‘Developing as a reflective mathematics teacher’. This short blog post will outline some views of reflective practice and discuss a model we use in our work with student (pre-service) teachers.

What is reflective practice?

Firstly, reflective practice is more than thinking deeply about the knowledge base of your particular discipline. Donald Schön¹, one of the significant thinkers about reflective practice noted:

So, thinking about your domain of knowledge (the hard high ground) is a useful practice to develop, and one of the key ways that we learn new ideas and skills. But on its own, it may not be sufficient to make progress in your chosen field.

Secondly, it is different from merely noting anecdotes from within your working day (the swampy lowland). Again, this may be a good thing to do, especially if they are amusing, but it is unlikely to lead to developing expertise in your career. Instead, it is the bringing together of these two: the integration of your professional knowledge base and your experiences of practice.

Models of reflective practice

There are almost as many models of reflective practice as there are reflective practitioners! For example, Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle² lists four stages to effective reflection:

1. concrete experience,
2. reflective observation,
3. abstract conceptualisation,
4. and active experimentation.

Whereas, Gibb’s Reflective Cycle³ features six:

1. description,
2. feelings,
3. evaluation,
4. analysis,
5. conclusion,
6. and action plan.

Schön⁴ suggested two types of reflective practice:

1. reflection-in-action
2. and reflection-on-action.

Reflection-in-action is an immediate act of reflection during an activity or task. Reflection-on-action is a post-hoc practice, involving reviewing professional decisions and then analysing any resulting actions.

Experiences, issues, actions

It is this reflection-on-action that we embed as a central practice on the mathematics PGCE; we use a model that we call Experience → Issues → Actions, broadly based on a professional development programme called Develop your Teaching⁵.

Experience

The idea is that student teachers pick a significant experience to reflect upon as they encounter different aspects of the PGCE. This could be from taught university sessions, school lessons that they are observing, or lessons that they are planning and teaching. By significant experience, we mean something that stood out for them and something that they could describe such that someone else could recognise it. Significant does not necessarily mean earth-shattering or a hinge event which turned the whole lesson. It could be any single instance: positive or negative. For example, it could be an interaction with a pupil or a sequence of events from a lesson, it could be a question asked or an answer given, a decision made or an explanation given. It could be a big event (e.g., teaching trigonometry for 2 weeks to a year 10 class) but it is most likely to be a small event (e.g., the numbers chosen for a trigonometry worked example).

Issue

Whatever experience is identified, the student teacher should consider what issue is raised by the experience. Again, an issue is not necessarily negative: it might be something which highlights an area or skill that they would like to get better at, but it also could be something positive arising from the experience (e.g., noticing how a teacher uses a school’s reward system to encourage pupil motivation). Sometimes, different issues might be raised from one shared experience. For example, in one PGCE cohort, we all observed a teacher in a local school explain upper and lower bounds to his year 8 class. From that observation, one student teacher realised that this area of the year 8 curriculum felt unfamiliar to them, therefore identifying a gap in their own subject knowledge as an issue. Another student teacher identified a different issue, noticing the teacher’s pedagogical choice of mathematical representation during the explanation. Two different issues were raised by different student teachers from having the same experience, and this is one of the things that makes this model of reflection powerful.

Action

Finally, from these issues, the student teachers should formulate a concrete set of actions. In the example above, the student teacher who identified their lack of subject knowledge as an issue might choose to work on a mathematical task or textbook exercises around the topic area. The student teacher who identified the issue about mathematical representations could choose to work with their placement mentor on how different representations afford different opportunities for learning, or plan lessons trialling different representations to understand how pupils respond to each one. Each issue could result in multiple different actions.

Here is another example which describes two student teacher’s reflections after encountering the same experience whilst they were teaching at their placement schools. These reflections are normally written in more detail (eg a paragraph), but they are summarised here to give an example.

As you can see, the same type of incident was experienced by different teachers in different schools, and they were able to draw out their own relevant issues and formulate some actions. This model of ‘experience to issues to actions’ is cyclical in nature as classroom problems are encountered, dealt with, and re-encountered. The goal is bridging the gap between the high ground of educational theory with the swampy lowlands of classroom practice, such that the student teacher can progress and flourish in the workplace. As Sellars⁶ notes:

If you are interested in becoming a mathematics teacher, use the links below to email Tom or Chris, or apply on our website.

References

[1] Schön, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.

[2] Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.

[3] Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit.

[4] Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York, Basic Books.

[5] The Mathematical Association (1991). Develop your teaching: A professional development pack for mathematics – and other – teachers. Oxford: Stanley Thornes.

[6] Sellars, M. (2017) Reflective practice for teachers. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

“Peace Is More Than the Absence of War”: A Look into Feminist Peace Work with Dr Sophia Close

Reflections from an Inside the Profession Event at the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, by Anna Ligęzowska

As part of our Peace and Conflict Transformation module taught by Dr. Tatevik Mnatsakanyan and offered through the MSc Security, Peacebuilding, and Diplomacy programme at the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) we had the privilege of participating in a powerful and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Sophia Close.

Dr Close represents the UK section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), one of the world’s oldest and most active feminist peace organisations. She brings over 20 years of experience in policy, research, and programming, having worked with the United Nations, governments, and NGOs. Her work focuses on gender-transformative peacebuilding, inclusive mediation, governance, and Indigenous self-determination. In addition to serving as WILPF UK’s Treasurer and Board Director, she also works as an independent consultant.

This talk was part of IDIA’s Inside the Profession series, which connects students with seasoned experts in peacebuilding and diplomacy. These sessions not only explore real-world peace and security issues but also offer valuable insights into building a career in the field.

WILPF: A legacy of feminist peace activism

WILPF was founded in 1915, during the First World War, by women’s rights and peace activists—including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jane Addams. From the beginning, WILPF has stood by a simple but powerful idea: “Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of justice.” For them, peace is inseparable from social justice and women’s rights.

Today, WILPF continues to campaign against militarism, nuclear weapons, and fascism, while promoting peace through a feminist lens. The organisation holds consultative status at the United Nations and engages with disarmament policy through initiatives like Reaching Critical Will.

The gendered nature of conflict

In preparation for Dr Close’s visit, we attended a lecture by Dr Mnatsakanyan on Gender and Conflict Transformation. We explored how patriarchal structures not only create inequality but also sustain and legitimise violence. Although the UN only formally recognised the gender dimensions of conflict in 2000 with Security Council Resolution 1325, WILPF had been advocating for gender inclusion in peacebuilding processes decades earlier. In fact, it was the first women’s peace organisation to gain permanent consultative status at the UN.

Research now clearly shows that peace processes are more likely to succeed—and lead to longer-lasting outcomes—when women are meaningfully involved. Yet, women still face systemic exclusion and structural violence during and after conflict. WILPF tackles this on multiple levels: by influencing global policy, and by supporting grassroots women peacebuilders in conflict-affected areas.

WILPF’s approach is grounded in five core principles:

• Promoting peaceful conflict resolution
• Opposing militarism and war
• Advancing women’s rights and gender equality
• Challenging the root causes of violence, including patriarchy, capitalism, and racism
• Supporting democratic participation in peace processes.

The “Local Turn” in Peacebuilding

Throughout the Peace and Conflict Transformation module, we also examined the “local turn” in peacebuilding—the idea that peace must be built from the ground up, not just declared by elites or outsiders. This perspective values local voices, lived experiences, and community-driven efforts. WILPF strongly aligns with this approach, actively supporting grassroots women peacebuilders and ensuring their perspectives shape peace processes.

Learning from a Leader

Dr Close’s visit left a lasting impact. Her deep expertise, combined with her candid reflections on current global challenges and their impact on women and peace work, gave us a clearer picture of what feminist peacebuilding looks like in practice. She also generously shared career advice—practical, honest, and inspiring—for those of us interested in working in peace and diplomacy.

The session sparked thoughtful discussion and a wide range of questions, making it one of the most engaging moments of our module.

On behalf of everyone in the Peace and Conflict Transformation course, I’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Dr Sophia Close for her time and for sharing her invaluable experience with us.

May Copyright Reads

Welcome to the May Copyright Reads! As spring truly blossoms and the days grow longer, May brings with it a fresh crop of intriguing and often challenging developments in the world of copyright and intellectual property.

This month, even the legendary Elton John has weighed in, angrily condemning the UK government’s proposed AI copyright plans, calling them “criminal” and accusing them of “theft.”

From the ironic twists of anti-piracy campaigns to the seismic shifts AI is bringing to intellectual property, and from the quiet battles for academic freedom to the surprising environmental impact of our digital age, these links unravel a tapestry of current events and critical discussions.

Dive in to explore the latest in copyright, censorship, artificial intelligence, and the ever-evolving landscape of information and innovation.

“You wouldn’t steal a car” anti-piracy campaign may have used pirated fonts

Sydney woman who sold a cartoon cat T-shirt told to pay US$100,000 in Grumpy Cat copyright case

Spain hits first weekday of 100% renewable power on national grid

Council of Europe adopts new guidelines on AI and cultural policy

New report “Unfair licensing practices: the library experience” is out

The Importance of Copyright Exceptions for Teachers and Learners

Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden amid more worker purges

Man burns 100 Beachwood Public Library books on Jewish, African American, LGBTQ+ education: report

Defending Academic Freedom in an Age of Censorship: Why Open Access Matters More Than Ever

How Google Scholar transformed research

The resilience of open science in times of crisis

If you teach with digital content, you might be breaking copyright laws and not even know it

In our time – Copyright

Guidance on AI Image Generation: learnings from our pilot

EUIPO releases study on generative artificial intelligence and copyright

Copyright Law and AI: Time to Revisit Copyright Registration?

Elon Musk’s apparent power play at the Copyright Office completely backfired

Ministers reconsider changes to UK copyright law ahead of vote

What Monolinguals Should Understand About Bilingualism in the Workplace

What is visual arts copyright?

Copy + Paste + Steal: Artists Battle For Copyright vs Generative AI | Undercover Asia | Full Episode

Guest Post — Classification as Colonization: The Hidden Politics of Library Catalogs

ChatGPT Turned Into a Studio Ghibli Machine. How Is That Legal?

Ariana Grande and Travis Scott Fortnite concerts at the heart of patent lawsuit headed to trial

How AI Demand Is Draining Local Water Supplies

Government defeated for third time in Lords over copyright protection against AI | The Independent

‘Criminal’: Elton John condemns UK’s AI copyright plans | Reuters

The hidden copyright dangers in your VLE and how to fix them

Update on AI and Copyright in the UK

Who Owns the Output? Generative AI, Copyright Chaos, and the Legal Storm Ahead

Who Owns the Songs When the Band Breaks Up? A Copyright Guide for Musicians

‘Thank you for the copyright’: ABBA legend warns against diluted rights in EU AI code

As you can see, the world of copyright is anything but static. We hope these reads offer you valuable insights and spark further thought on the complex interplay between creativity, technology, and law.

Is Artificial Intelligence a threat to your job?

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology improves, we’ll find ever more creative ways to harness it to improve the way we live, work and play. But we need to progress in a responsible way.

Advances in AI could have a significant impact on society, boosting productivity and global growth. But alongside the opportunities, many are aware of the possible threats, particularly the potentially negative impact on jobs. 

If we’re to remain on the front foot, education systems and employers worldwide will need to adapt to ensure that people in the workforce have the skills they need to make the most of the potential benefits advances in AI will bring. 

“As AI technology improves, we’ll find ever more creative ways to harness it to improve the way we live, work and play. But we need to progress in a responsible way and keep asking crucial questions – what are the risks, what benefits might it bring, and what might be the long-term impact?”

Media Freedom Poll highlights concerns over Elon Musk’s influence in Central Europe

Dr Vaclav Stetka – CRCC’s member and Reader in Comparative Political Communication –presented the key findings of the 2025 Media Freedom Poll on 12 May in Bratislava (Slovakia), at an event featuring representatives of several news organizations from Central Europe.

First launched in 2022 by the Committee for Editorial Independence, of which Vaclav Stetka is a member, the Media Freedom Poll (MFP) serves as a comprehensive annual barometer of public attitudes towards media freedom and regulation in four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. In addition to perceptions of the current state and importance of media independence, plurality, and editorial autonomy in each country, the poll also tracks public opinion on global digital platforms, regulation of social media content, and external threats to domestic information environments. The data for this year’s MFP were collected in April 2025 through a representative survey (N=4112, aged 18+) conducted by the polling company Median.

Among other findings, the survey shows that a significant majority of people across the four Central European countries support some form of regulation of problematic content on social media. Nearly 90% of respondents agree that platforms should take action against hate speech, cyberbullying, or content promoting self-harm, while 67% support action against the spread of disinformation. In a notable shift in public perception of external threats to the information environment, more people now consider the U.S. a threat (59%) than China (58%), with the largest increase in concern observed among the youngest generation (ages 18–24), where concern rose by 26 percentage points. Additionally, 56% of respondents expressed concerns over Elon Musk’s influence on domestic public opinion, with particularly high levels of concern among voters of non-populist parties. Full results are available on the MFP’s designated website, https://mediafreedompoll.com/.

The public launch of the 2025 findings was hosted by the Slovak daily SME, whose editor-in-chief Beata Balogová also took part in the panel discussion. Other panelists included journalists Márton Gergely (HVG), Veronika Munk (Dennik N), Michał Olszewski (Gazeta Wyborcza) and Martin Ehl (Hospodarske noviny); Pavol Szalai and Alexander Dworzak (Reporters without Borders), Misha Glenny (Rector of the Institute for Humanities, Vienna), Alexandra Borchardt and Tessa Szyszkowitz (Committee for Editorial Independence). Just like in previous years, the launch of the 2025 Media Freedom Poll has been covered by regional as well as international media, including Gazeta Wyborcza, Falter, IntelliNews, Aktuality.sk, Dennik N, Hospodarske noviny and others.

This Week at Loughborough | 19 May

General

Pint of Science

19 May – 21 May 2025, 4pm – 7pm, Various Locations

Quench your thirst for knowledge and come along to a series of local science talks led by doctoral researchers and academics from across the University. 

Arts Scholars’ Showcase

20 May 2025, 12:30pm, Martin Hall Theatre

Come along for this year’s Arts Scholars’ Showcase, which features the four scholarship winners for 2024/25. This year’s winners come from a variety of subject areas and backgrounds with a mix of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Their art forms include music, dance and photography.

Ecological Creativity: A Restorative Workshop

21 May 2025, 1pm – 2pm, LSU

Create your own eye pillow with restorative materials and discover how artists can bring ecology and ecological issues into their work. Bring along an old piece of soft or cotton clothing to cut out and make it from or simply turn up – all materials will be provided. No prior experience is needed.

Sustainable Leadership Workshop

21 May 2025, 1pm – 4pm, Martin Hall

We all have an impact to play when it comes to sustainability, and with the average person working 80,000 hours of their life, our career is a great place to make a difference. In this interactive session, the Sustainability team will explore how to apply our unique skillset, interests and experiences to enter a purpose-led green job and embed sustainability into every sector.

University Choir Spring Concert

21 May 2025, 7:30pm – 9pm, Cope Auditorium

This year’s Spring Concert has a nature theme and will open with a performance of Twelve Trees, with music by Katy Lavinia Cooper and words written and compiled by Catriona Downie. Inspired by trees native to the British Isles, the twelve pieces that make up this work, delve into the history, folk lore and traditional music of these lands. Twelve Trees was commissioned to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Sing for Pleasure and was premiered last August. It is full of folk inspired tunes so, while being new, it’s also very attractive to listen to. The choir has really enjoyed the challenges of learning and performing this piece.

Stage Society – ‘The Addams Family Musical‘

23 May 2025, 7pm, Cope Auditorium

Stage Society has its final production this semester.

DRN2025 Drawing Negation: Emergence Recording

The first in a series of DRN events exploring the theme of Drawing Negation. With speakers Kelly Cumberland, Birgitta Hosea and Garry Barker. The session was chaired by Lucy Brennan-Shiel.

Access the recording here: https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/media/DRN2025_Drawing_Negation_Emergence/29024660?file=54422066

Performance on curriculum-based mathematics assessment in developmental dyscalculia: the effects of content domain and question format

This blogpost was written by Dr. Alison Roulstone. Alison is a qualified primary teacher/SENCO and early career researcher in the field of Mathematics Education. Alison is primarily interested in how we can improve identification and raise awareness of developmental dyscalculia amongst education practitioners in the early years of schooling, both in the UK and worldwide. This blogpost is edited by Dr Kinga Morsanyi, Dr Julia Bahnmüller and Dr Bethany Woollacott.

In this blog post, Alison and her colleagues, Kinga Morsanyi and Julia Bahnmüller, discuss their recently published paper which investigated typical and atypical performance in curriculum-based mathematics assessments, shedding light on developmental dyscalculia and the effects of curriculum content domains and question format (paper linked at the end of this blogpost).

These insights offer practical guidance for education professionals, researchers and policymakers alike, raising important questions about the identification and diagnosis of developmental dyscalculia and how we can help neurodivergent learners achieve the best possible outcomes in mathematics.

Introduction

Imagine living in a world where numbers and most mathematical concepts make little sense —this is the reality for approximately 6% of the global population with developmental dyscalculia.

This specific learning difficulty affects a person’s ability to develop mathematical skills that are appropriate for their age and level of education. Often emerging in early childhood, developmental dyscalculia causes severe difficulties in understanding and developing mathematical skills.  This means that, despite having adequate intellectual capabilities, individuals with dyscalculia often find it challenging to meet national numeracy standards¹.

Although dyscalculia has a similar prevalence to dyslexia and ADHD – impacting at least one child in every classroom of 30 – it remains under-identified and frequently overlooked, both in the UK and worldwide². This lack of awareness highlights the need for greater recognition and support for individuals with dyscalculia.

So, what are the characteristics of developmental dyscalculia?

Traditionally, developmental dyscalculia is known to affect numerical processing and arithmetic skills – few researchers have explored its relationship with other areas of the mathematics curriculum (e.g., understanding shape, measuring, and data handling). Nevertheless, current diagnostic guidance suggests that children and young people with dyscalculia may encounter a diverse range of challenges in learning mathematics¹.

These challenges may involve difficulties in understanding the concept of numbers, their magnitude, and number relationships; trouble memorising and recalling basic number facts; problems with performing basic arithmetic operations; and challenges with applying logical reasoning to solve mathematical problems¹.

For teaching and learning, it is vital to track progress and achievement using curriculum-based mathematics assessments because it provides a measure of how well children are mastering mathematical concepts in the mathematics curriculum for their year group. This enables education practitioners to identify gaps in understanding, allowing them to tailor instruction to address specific needs and ensure children meet their end-of-year learning objectives.

Mathematics assessments typically use a wide range of question formats and approaches, some of which might be particularly problematic for children with dyscalculia. For example, questions might be multiple-choice or might require learners to construct a response, aiming to evaluate students’ procedural and conceptual understanding in diverse ways.

In our recent paper, we compared the performance of children with and without dyscalculia using a curriculum-based mathematics assessment, examining the effects of content domain and question format. We investigated the following research questions:

a) Does dyscalculia impact performance equally across different content domains in mathematics, or does it affect performance more strongly in arithmetic and numerical processing?

b) How does question format (i.e., multiple choice vs. constructed response) affect performance during curriculum-based mathematics assessments in children with and without dyscalculia?

Through these questions, we sought to understand how we might improve the design and administration of curriculum-based mathematics assessments, aiming to ensure that children with dyscalculia achieve the best possible outcomes. We also wanted to understand which question format might be a helpful diagnostic tool to identify children at risk.

The present study

To address the questions above, we compared the performance of two groups of children aged between 8 and 11 years old (from years 5, 6 , and 7 in Northern Ireland) on a curriculum-based mathematics assessment. Twenty children with dyscalculia participated alongside a group of carefully matched peers (i.e., children of the same age, in the same classes, with similar reading and general cognitive skills, and age-appropriate mathematical skills).  

We measured performance across six areas of mathematics:

• Counting and understanding number;
• Knowing and using number facts;
• Calculating;
• Understanding shape;
• Measuring;
• and Handling data.

We compared children’s performance across these six areas to investigate whether the mathematics skills of children with dyscalculia were equally affected in all areas of the curriculum. We also compared children’s responses and performance on multiple-choice questions versus constructed response questions, investigating whether question format impacted on performance.

Key Findings

Our findings revealed that, compared to their peers, children with dyscalculia obtained significantly lower scores across all areas of the mathematics curriculum. Additionally, children with dyscalculia experienced similar challenges in all areas of the curriculum. This suggests that performance in curriculum areas other than arithmetic and numerical processing may be equally informative in supporting the identification of children with dyscalculia.

There was a smaller difference in performance between children with and without dyscalculia for multiple-choice questions compared to open-ended, constructed response questions. This suggests that using multiple-choice questions may help children with dyscalculia to give their best performance and show their true potential. By contrast, constructed response questions showed a larger group difference in performance. This greater sensitivity to identifying learners at risk of dyscalculia could be useful in diagnostic settings.

Next steps

Regarding future research, it would be beneficial to replicate these findings with larger and more diverse samples, as well as with children from different age groups (for example, by looking at the performance of younger children for the purposes of early identification), and with tasks from other age-appropriate curriculum domains.

Our study revealed that children with dyscalculia performed comparatively better on multiple-choice questions than constructed response questions when evaluated against their peers. However, since multiple-choice questions typically feature prominent distractors, and individuals with dyscalculia often exhibit hypersensitivity to interference³ (e.g., De Visscher & Noel, 2013) and inhibition challenges⁴ (e.g., Szucs et al., 2013), it is essential to understand the potential benefits of additional cues or scaffolding on multiple-choice questions. For example, is it helpful to ask students to choose TWO items from a list rather than tick ALL the correct answers? There are various ways in which cues and scaffolding can be used so it is important to understand when they are advantageous – and when they are not.

Additionally, understanding the types of distractors that have the greatest impact on dyscalculic learners in comparison to their peers could be explored through analysing incorrect response patterns on multiple-choice tests or using eye-gaze tracking, while tasks are being performed in real time⁵. Eye-tracking studies allow researchers to study where and how long people look at the materials presented. By tracking where the eyes focus and how long they stay on certain spots, researchers can understand what catches a person’s attention. This information might reveal interesting insights about how children with and without dyscalculia solve mathematics tasks, and what strategies they use.

Conclusion

Supporting children with dyscalculia begins with understanding that every individual faces a diverse set of challenges when learning mathematics, and those with dyscalculia need tailored approaches to achieve the best possible outcomes. These findings suggest that performance on all aspects of the primary mathematics curriculum may be equally relevant for early identification. Adding evidence to this limited research area, we find that children with dyscalculia experience a diverse range of challenges that extend beyond numerical processing, affecting memorisation, general order processing, logical reasoning and spatial relationships.

As such, we suggest support should not only focus on numerical processing and arithmetic skills. Future research might investigate the potential benefits of implementing reasonable adjustments for children with dyscalculia, e.g., additional time during testing to work through questions, testing in smaller groups, and prompting students to tackle all questions.  

References:

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub
2. Morsanyi, K., van Bers, B. M., McCormack, T., & McGourty, J. (2018). The prevalence of specific learning disorder in mathematics and comorbidity with other developmental disorders in primary school-age children. British Journal of Psychology, 109(4), 917–940. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12322
3. De Visscher, A., & Noël, M. P. (2013). A case study of arithmetic facts dyscalculia caused by a hypersensitivity-to-interference in memory. Cortex, 49(1), 50–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2012.01.003
4. Szucs, D., Devine, A., Soltesz, F., Nobes, A., & Gabriel, F. (2013). Developmental dyscalculia is related to visuo-spatial memory and inhibition impairment. Cortex, 49(10), 2674–2688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2013.06.007
5. Lindner, M. A., Eitel, A., Thoma, G. B., Dalehefte, I. M., Ihme, J. M., & Köller, O. (2014). Tracking the decision-making process in multiple‐choice assessment: Evidence from eye movements. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28(5), 738–752. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3060